Is social networking ruining reunions?

Why do you go to reunions or other alumni events? Chances are you could give a ton of smart ass answers, like "the free drinks", but I think the real reason we go is, in fact, to reconnect with those whom we have shared a significant part of our lives with. As beings that are naturally curious, some part of us always wonders what happened to that girl or that guy, and reunions are our school's/organization's way of indulging our curiosity (and providing a platform for fundraising).

The funny thing about modern times is that we no longer have to wonder about what our old friends and classmates are up to. Between, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, the mystery is solved. In just a few mouse clicks we know exactly what these people are doing. In fact, thanks to Facebook's timeline feature, we can literally scroll through a past acquaintance's entire life.

So, now that we know what everyone is up to, what purpose do reunions truly serve? Sure, you may want to see someone in real life, or maybe there's that one person that's not a Facebook friend or LinkedIn connection, or maybe you really want the free drinks, but needing reunions as a venue to reconnect is simply not the case anymore. Further, it can be quite odd to ask someone what they've been doing over the last few years, when you already know the answer.

In my opinion, reunions are still valid social events worth having, because they force us into an environment that is NOT sitting in front of a computer screen. Going out and interacting with actual people, not ones and zeros, is something I will always be in favor of. However, the concept of reunions and the fundamental reason for why we have them is something that needs to evolve. Those who plan and organize these events need to recognize this and work to keep reunions meaningful beyond just the simple reconnection factor.

Recommended Read: Why Are So Many Americans Single?

At this stage in my life, I am often asked by family members if I am seeing anyone or if I am going out and being social. It always bugs me that these are the seemingly most important questions someone can ask me. Honestly, aren't there are more important things you could ask a family member you rarely see?

Over time, however, I have come to realize that from their perspective, being in my late twenties and single IS somewhat odd. The numbers show that in the 50's only about 4 million people in the US lived alone, but today its a very different story.

Two days ago, an article appeared in The New Yorker entitled The Disconnect: Why are so many Americans living by themselves? by Nathan Heller. The article is very well written and seeks to examine the changes that have occurred in our society which have led to and/or made it possible for such a large number of Americans to be single nowadays.

Today, half of U.S. residents are single, and a third of all households have one occupant.

I highly recommend this article for it does shed some light as to why I and so many others are so comfortable being single, and more importantly proving that being single today does not equal being alone.

Read the full article on newyorker.com

Giving others my money has never been more fun!

I recently discovered this little web site called Kickstarter, and it has quickly become an obsession of mine. Kickstarter is, in it's own words, "The largest funding platform in the world for creative projects." Basically, they allow creative individuals, groups and startups to post their ideas and get people from all over the world to pledge funds towards making the ideas a reality. If an idea/project meets or surpasses it's funding goal within the set timeframe, the 'backers' are charged for their pledge and the all the funds go to the project owner.

What makes backing projects so great is that the project owner can set funding tiers, with each having some type of reward. For some projects, it could be copy of the work/item produced. For others, it could simply be public recognition for your contribution. So, if you've ever wanted your name to appear in the credits of a film as a producer, Kickstarter may be the easiest, fastest and cheapest way to make that happen! Need a logo, but don't want to pay hundreds of dollars? Go back a graphics designer who will give you quality work for $50. It's that simple AND that fun!!

Since Kickstarter has become well established, tons of people are putting their ideas up, so there is no shortage of things to back. Without a doubt in my mind, everyone can find a project that resonates with them on some level. The problem you will end up having is finding too many projects you want to give your money too. You may not believe me, but that's what happened to me.

An old scouting friend that I haven't talked to in nearly 5 years is trying to get his feature film backed, and thanks to the wonders of social media, I found his project, backed it, and ended up finding eight other projects that intrigued me. Now, I have to take a self-imposed Kickstarter break before my pledges get out of control.

Anyway, the reason I wrote this was NOT to plug Kickstarter, but rather to bring awareness to all the people putting their ideas up for your consideration. In a world when we all tend to care about "me", I ask you to look around and see whose dreams you can help make a reality. I'm not kidding when I say that giving your money to help fund these projects is truly a fun and gratifying experience.

De-Googlize Your [Online] Life

In a recent article that appeared in The Atlantic Wire, Adam Clark Estes described the steps that one would have to take in order to sever their ties to Google. I love the article because the premise exactly matches my current sentiment towards to the company.

... The consolidation of user data is a violation of your privacy, rather than a simplification of settings, as Google would have us believe. You can tweak the settings; you can educate yourself about the settings; but you cannot opt out of the new scenario. That is, unless you stop using Google altogether.

Within the body of the article, Estes makes recommendations for other services that someone could replace a current Google product with. I'm not going lie, leaving the Google mothership is not the easiest thing to do, yet I have managed to transition away from Google's products. Below are the substitutions (upgrades in some cases), that I have made in my de-googlization effort.

Search	Google	to	Bing
E-mail	Gmail	to	Exchange Online
Maps	Google Maps	to	Bing Maps
Docs	Google Docs	to	Dropbox

It is worth noting that not all the services I have transitioned to are free. However, paying for these services ensures that I (my data) am no longer the real product, thus giving me as the user more control over my privacy.

You'll also note that I did not mention YouTube above. While there are other video hosting/sharing services, like Vimeo, too many other people post their content to YouTube for me to completely cut it out of my online life. Thus, the best I can do is to only visit YouTube with privacy mode enabled on my web browser.

Not everyone will agree with what I am doing or my reasons for it, but as a citizen of the web, the choices I have made make me feel all hell of a lot more secure than if I were relying solely on Google's free services for everything.

Truisms

Not a day goes by that my inbox doesn't get hit with numerous "forwards" from friends and family. On most occasions, I skim the subject line and move on. For whatever reason, I recently received an email that contained a few truisms, and actually read it. Here are a few of my favorites...

It's not whether you win or lose, but how you place the blame.

The original point and click interface was a Smith & Wesson.

If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.

Reality is only an illusion that occurs due to a lack of alcohol.

Red meat is not bad for you; fuzzy green meat is bad for you.

Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

The reason Politicians try so hard to get re-elected is that they would 'hate' to have to make a living under the laws they've passed.

Note: I do not necessarily agree with all of these, but I did enjoy reading them.