To join or not to join...that is often the question.

We are continually invited to join things in life -- sometimes passively through mailings or advertisements and at other times in ways very targeted towards us as individuals. Starting at a young age we began to make decisions about what we were and were not going to join. The community soccer or t-ball leagues, scouting, 4-H, school music programs, faith-based groups, service organizations, the chess club (along with a never ending list of possible clubs for every interest imaginable) and increasingly more daunting decisions about political affiliation, gang membership, exclusive societies, social action organizations, and so much more.

And now thanks to the Internet our invitations to join are only increasing. I am a member of Goodreads.com, a site for booklovers and readers who want to share what they have read with others. What I find most useful about this site is the book recommendations I receive from my friends. I don't have to be a member of a bookclub or live next door to them to share in what they are reading. There are so many books to choose from it is nice to be directed from time to time by people who know me. Plus, I enjoy thinking back to all the books I have read in the past as I gradually build a record of my reading history. Goodreads.com isn't for everyone, but it offers me a meaningful way to stay connected with friends far away who share in my passion for reading.

In the past couple of months I have been repeatedly encouraged to join Facebook.com. Having worked with college students for the past few years, I am familiar with the influence of Facebook and the many ways people use it without ever having spent any time on it myself. It was only last week in my new position with International Student Services on campus that I logged into Facebook for the first time. One of my tasks is to manage our ISS Facebook account. Clearly if you are reading this you know I have a blog, a photo website, and now a Gmail and Hotmail email account. Awhile back I even opened a My Space account, but never looked at it. (Seriously, I do not think I have ever been back to it since the day I opened it. At the moment I cannot even recall my account information.) And so in looking at Facebook.com, I see it as a useful tool for marketing ISS Programs, but not much else. I did a quick search of the people I communicate with electronically the most and learned that the significant majority of them are not on Facebook. Therefore, I think I will stick to my old school methods and keep Facebook at bay.