Who Would You Miss?

I awoke to this nugget from NBC News.

Facebook’s headquarters was locked down late Tuesday after authorities received a threat against the company.

Perhaps, Miss Muse was receiving signals from the Universe; this one’s been in the works for a few days.

If Facebook were to go away, who would you miss?

Facebook has enabled me to “meet” a lot of folks I’d likely never even have known about; much less have shared any exchange of ideas, recipes, or –critically important – jokes and cartoons.

Just as we don’t want to be best friends with every kid in camp; don’t want to invite the entire congregation to our son’s wedding; would not want to have every member of our gym come over for a dip in our backyard pool; we surely have many arm’s-length, but interesting Facebook “friendships.”

But, aren’t there some who you’d miss if they weren’t trundling around your Newsfeed; a few who you’d meet for lunch or a game of Scrabble, if they lived nearby?  I have come to know a few folks through Facebook who have added real value to my life. They inspire me. They teach me. They lift my spirits. They challenge my brain.  I like them; I really like them.

But, if Facebook were to disappear, so might some of them.

I do not lose sleep over the fate of Mr. Zuckerberg’s baby, but I am happy to have had this awakening, this awareness raised, this consciousness that there are folks within my Facebook circle who are important to me – important enough for me to take steps to assure they are not lost to me, in the event of some internet hissy-fit. It’s a simple back-up plan – an old-fashioned one, for sure, but it will work. Starting now, I am going to keep a (gasp!) physical record of the names, websites, and contact information of the few Facebook folks whose words or work or wisdom or wit make my life richer.

Surely, I will never need it, but the act of putting pen to paper to create this list will be a worthy one, if for no other reason than to remind me of how lucky I am; how much richer is my life because I know about these wonderful people.