Happy Friday Friends! How about a daily reminder to ENTER MY GIVEAWAY if you haven’t already, and win yourself some tasty treats!

Done? Good. Now onto a special treat of a different kind-  a combined rant/rave about an increasingly controversial topic: Social networks. A few weeks ago I joined Twitter (for real this time, as in I actually logged in for a second time…). Then today, after weeks of interest, joined Pinterest. I’d tell you how to access my Pinterest page, but that would be embarrassing since I’m pretty sure I’ll not get around to pinning anything for at least a week, more likely three. This had me thinking about other networks I am or am not a part of.

People love or hate their networks. I’ll give you my thoughts on some of the biggies, and then I’d love to hear what you guys think! There must be ways I’m not using these sites that I might like, or even social networks this nerd has never heard of… but here goes…

MySpace: Does this one still exist? To me, myspace will always smell like desperate 14 year old girls trying to get noticed, and pink hearts on a black background with Fall out Boy blaring from the speakers as the page tries to load. Not my thing. I was a member once, but not anymore (I don’t think?)

Twitter: Pro? The blind narcissism… “I’m at the NKOTB concert and here is a picture of Joey naked.” Con? The blind narcissism…”I just pooped and it looked like a member of NKOTB! Here is a picture.” Pro? You can follow people or they can follow you without reciprocation. i.e. less awkward than facebook. Con? I find it hard to find people I know or want to follow. Pro? Pseudo fame. You can tweet at someone and they might even respond. Awesome. Con? sorting through the dregs of people’s cyber diarrhea.

LinkedIn: The best part about LinkedIn? It’s a one-stop answer to my continuous and embarrassing questions of what loved ones (like my parents) actually do for a living. Going to see a friend you haven’t seen in awhile? Get the details of their job! The worst part about LinkedIn? No one seems to get it, use it, or even be completely sure if they are on it.

Pinterest: Too soon to tell. Flickr: I have but one small collection. I need to expand it! Snapfish: Quite satisfied, overall! I like their prices for a photo-monger like me

Google+: After fretting for a week that I wasn’t invited yet, now that I can join I haven’t yet, because it seems like so much work. TBD.

aaaaaand….

Facebook: You knew this one was coming. People seem to be most vigilant about their love/hate for facebook. Verdict for me? Love. I love the photos, primarily, as I’m a photo junkie and total stalker. I also love the easy messaging system. It organizes my life for me. I like the “like” button, even. I think they should invent a way you can tell someone you like them when they like your post at the touch of a button. It would say, “I like you,” or similar. Downsides to facebook? Well, it can be creepy. And a lot of the apps are hella annoying. As with twitter, people like to discuss every movement they make throughout the day. And there’s always the slim chance something embarrassing from, say, last weekend college will emerge. But overall? I give it a B-.

Overall, I think there are upsides and downsides to social networks. I like connecting with people that I would have lost touch with, sharing photos, discovering mutual friends, and getting to share everyday messages with people who I don’t have the time to have deep meaningful conversations with. I don’t like how much garbage comes along for the ride. But hey, as I always argue to man-go-round (a stubborn social network loather), if you are busy or not interested… don’t log in that day! Just don’t go on!

What do you all think about social networks? Do you love ’em or loathe ’em? Do you think they are worth it? Did I miss any?

I’m off for a weekend with family! I’ll be blogging here and there, and I have a new feature I’m very excited about scheduled to start Monday!

Thanks for reading!

Meri