My first encounter ever with any social networking site was Orkut or Ooru Kuthu (Tamil meaning City Drama, courtesy my bro). The hype about orkut, about being able to network old long lost buddies etc was a major attraction and led to me finally logging on. Well initially becoming a fan, checking and adding long lost friends, writing & receiving testimonials was good fun.... The about me pages were used as a good subsitute for a personal webpage, creative profile pictures changed (in fact pictures clicked specifically for orkut) and then the million zillion pictures that chronicled each minute of "worldly existence" uploaded or shared, friends added, morons seeking to make friendship ignored, profile visitors subject to a tit-for-tat repeat visit, sometimes this action done and mutually repeated with acquaintances (with no scrap exchange), and ofcourse dime a dozen communities added ...
Now though I think I have grown out of orkut, I still do ensure a daily visit - checking for birthday alerts, updates from friends, apart from the usual scrapping business (in fact I have still retained around 2026 of the scraps that I have received since Feb 2006 - why you may ask? - well hmmn, its useful for nonsensical nostaglia if I ever need it) ....
While Orkut has since taken second rank after Facebook for me, it still has one charm -I can appear passive when I am actually active and quietly scrap select people (till such time they don't reply - and once they do one can just reply and delete the reply that was received - what jugglery & why you may ask - well wait till the acquaintance who is not really a real life friend is a orkut "friend" and chooses to ask the most irritating of questions reminding you why the acquaintance is just an avoidable acquaintance and not a friend).
These days Facebook keeps me more enthralled - be it the quizess, or be it updating pointless status messages just for the heck of it (its like I want to say what I did but I dont want to talk - whats that? - the mood of a woman :P ) .... An advantage of Facebook is that it gives one anonymous access (without notifying them) to friend's profiles or updates or pictures .... This can be useful if plain simply are in the mood to gossip, or are checking out some new holiday places/clothes/ideas for "inspiration". Facebook has its limitations too as with its numerous posts is more public a forum which is a very painful proposition when persons you seek to avoid are on it - my solution don't answer it for a month and then ignore it...... Also you can have more practical problems like - (1) how do you crib about work or say you are open for new work opportunities, if your boss is on the same social networking site, (2) how do you ensure the "When will you die?", or "How well do you know xyz quiz (who was your ex boyfriend or ex girlfriend)?", or "Top 10 places to make out?", or "Kameena pan", quizzes are not misconstrued by the oldest/youngest persons on your friends list or by your special someone :P
Besides the usual keeping in touch, social networking sites for me are a good source of entertainment, mindless gibberish at times, some amusement, letting people witness those parts of life that I am comfortable them seeing and creating a sense of being in touch with people and things without being physically/actively present there......
What you see in my profiles in the social networking world is partly me as a person, curious, amused, bored in parts, partly reflections of what I say/do/feel/think - all of it predominantly to see what it evokes in others and at other times as a relief mechansim - just to let it out wishing for no reply/comment/like or dislike .... so see you around till the next tweet, scrap or poke :P
