Of Porches and Networks

Last night while watching "That 70's Show," I was struck by the detail that Red and Kitty sit outside with each other in the evening. Their neighbor (whether they like him or not) Bob comes and visits with them, sharing a problem (the comedy is that Red is behind the problem, but that's not what this post is about).

I like that kind of community. I don't know that I'm necessarily at the point in my life where Steve and I spend our evenings out on the porch (1. We currently don't have a porch 2. If we did have a porch, we'd share it with 150 other people 3. It's January in Eastern Europe 4. We don't speak the same language as our neighbors), but I would like to someday be there.

Am I developing the habits that I need to develop in order to be the type of person who has a porch and utilizes it?

I don't want to be the old lady who has to check her facebook before she can go enjoy an evening out on the porch with her husband and neighborhood. But I also get the feeling that the neighbors might be doing the same.

It's with this that I wonder how much longer this facebook will last? For me? I think it's a great way to keep in touch with people you haven't seen in forever or won't see in a while. I think it's a great way to share pictures and experiences...and has even come to replace email in certain aspects. It's definitely great for those people who don't love to talk on the phone (there are more and more of us). But is this the future?

What about our neighbors? I still think that real life interaction is better than online interaction. It's easier, yes, to check your facebook and see what others are up to. But sometimes it seems emptier that way as well.

I would like to say that by the time I'm 30, I will no longer check my facebook more than once a week. That will give me more time for real life interactions (review: more difficult sometimes, but always better).

What about blogging? I can't say that I will give that up anytime soon. I like it because it allows me to write things down, and to read things that other people bothered to write down. It seems a little deeper to me than updating your status every 3 minutes.