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If You Are Not On Facebook, You Must Literally Be Dead

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March 30, 2011 03:42 AM

Okay. Not really.

But I freaked out a little bit a few hours ago.

When I was in high school, I had a sweetheart named Michele...my belle...son des mots qui vont tres bien ensamble...tre bien ensemble.

(The Beatles fans know what I'm talking about! Sing it like Paul: tray bee-in on-sahmb...)

Did I just lose everyone? Definitely not a sign of a good writer. But I digress...

I was just sitting here thinking, "I wonder what happened to Michele? She must be a famous commercial artist by now." (She had a full ride to one of the best art & design schools in the country and she was incredibly talented.)

So first, I Facebooked of course. Every single person I know uses Facebook. My mother even uses Facebook, and she has a GREAT DEAL of trouble with technology, but she Facebooks every day. She's even good at it, I would say.

But if you ask her for an internet address, she'll say, "I went to the people search page and I can't find my cousin Mary!!!"

and you'll say, "Where? On Facebook dot com? Where do you search for the people? What do you mean by 'people search'? Google? What is the URL?"

And she'll say, "I turn on the computer, I go to that internet thing, and I do the people search!!! I don't know about Google or what you are talking about!"

* sigh *

Anyway, I couldn't find Michele at all. So I was thinking, "she must be dead."

I know it's terrible, but I figured she just must be dead. If you are not on Facebook, you must be dead, right?

But since I tend to overreact, I started Googling and Facebooking her brother's name...her two sisters...

None of them are in Facebook and no evidence of their existence in Google either.

Is this normal? Is the whole family dead? Or is there really groups of 40 - 50 year old people who don't use Facebook or the internet at all? I can find no evidence that any of them exist or have ever existed. No kidding!

I'm not asking this rhetorically. Her and her brothers and sisters all went to college and were all super-smart. Her mother was a doctor and her father was an engineer. How is it possible that the entire family cannot be located, using the internet?

I hate to even think of the possiblity... But we live in a Facebook world! Any thought?

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Jeff Craig

Hang Me Up Photos - Jamestown, NC

Greensboro Area Real Estate Photography

There are still many people I know not using facebook. They think it's "for kids". I have tried to enlighten many of them.

Mar 30, 2011 03:47 AM

Gloria and Jason Belmonte

Prudential Fox&Roach The Belmonte Group - Rising Sun, MD

www.cecilcountyhomesearch.com

I believe you can hide your facebook profile. Maybe I am wrong. I doubt the whole family has diasppeared unless maybe they are in the witness protection program.. :) I am sure with a bit more digging you could find them. Try whitepages.com

Mar 30, 2011 03:49 AM

Collette Sarmento

Cameron Real Estate Group - Wakefield, MA

781*258*9718--Your Agent For Life

I know what you mean. I've been searching for cousins of mine and can't find them. Some people are just not using the social media tools that are out there!

Mar 30, 2011 03:50 AM

SEO Expert: Michael George

Phoenix, AZ

Real Estate and Law Firm SEO

Gloria- I've been using Google since 1998. I was getting a my Management Information Systems degree and in a computer programming class when it was introduced. Believe me, I tried everything. I am pretty skilled with using the internet to find answers. That's why this is so incredibly strange to me!

Mar 30, 2011 03:51 AM

Robert Rauf

HomeBridge Financial Services (NJ) - Toms River, NJ

I bet it is their privacy settings, some people just dont want to be found! and if they are not in a People Business like we are, they dont see the draw of social media as we do

Mar 30, 2011 03:54 AM

Judith Abbott

Coldwell Banker Residential - Dallas, TX

I know a fair number of people who aren't on Facebook and not all of them are over 40. Two of my 4 kids are not comfortable using computers. Both of them rely on their spouses to interact with the electronic world.

Mar 30, 2011 03:56 AM

Kathy Clulow

RE/MAX All-Stars Realty Inc. Brokerage - Uxbridge, ON

Trusted For Experience - Respected For Results

Michael - the whole world is not on Facebook or for that matter on the web at all ..... but for those who use it or know how to use it it is amazing what you can find out ..... in doing family history my dad spent years trying to fill in some blanks that my brother has now been able to fill in in a very short time.

Mar 30, 2011 04:11 AM

Debbie Gartner

The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY

The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

LOL - it's definitely more challenging w/ women who may have changed their name after getting married. some people use both names to it's easier to find. But sounds like you tried other family members.

Some people are really concerned abt safety/security so they purposely don't have anything up at all, esp if a family member had identity theft or something like that.

BTW, try the alumni office - they may have info.

Mar 30, 2011 04:59 AM

Donne Knudsen

Los Angeles & Ventura Counties in CA - Simi Valley, CA

CalState Realty Services

Michael - Well I assure you that not being on FB doesn't mean you're dead. Im a 40-50 something who can be found all over the internet - just not on FB (or twitter for that matter). I used to have a FB acct but deleted it when I picked up a couple of stalkers. Since then, I have issues with FB and their security problems (or lack thereof).

Mar 30, 2011 06:03 AM

Robert Rauf

HomeBridge Financial Services (NJ) - Toms River, NJ

Donne, has stalkers??? Dont forget you can always block people on Face book, the security settings are there, you just have to use them.

Apr 01, 2011 04:54 AM

Fred Carver Personal Real Estate Corporation

RE/MAX Camosun Victoria BC Real Estate - Victoria, BC

Accredited Real Estate Consultant

Hi Michael....Nice to see you posting...finding people on Facebook...mmm. My Wife and her Girl Friends except one are Not on Facebook. None of my Normal(non Realtor Mtg Broker) friends are not on Facebook and certainly not Blogging like us. They don't need to, they don't need it for Business.

Have you Tried the Online Phone Search tools or Just Goggled their her Name.

Cheers

Apr 03, 2011 07:30 AM

Susan Emo

Sotheby's International Realty Canada - Brokerage - Kingston, ON

Kingston and the 1000 Islands Area

I'm the only one in my circle on FB and that is only for business too but rarely do I post anything. I have to admit, I was concerned about former boyfriends tracking me down :0)

Apr 03, 2011 06:24 PM

SEO Expert: Michael George

Phoenix, AZ

Real Estate and Law Firm SEO

That's funny Susan! Thanks for the candor!

Apr 04, 2011 12:53 AM

Gina Nugent

Donohue RE - Palm Beach, FL

Real Estate Agent - Palm Beach, FL

I used to think FB is for out of work people who have too much time on their hands but now that I figured out the "power" of it, I enjoy it immensely...OK, I admit....I am a bit addicted.

People who are worried abou stalkers don't know how to use the settings correctly as Robert correctly stated, and that is too bad.

There are also people who are just very private, fearful, ignorant about the great joy it can provide or about how to use technology to their advantage or worried about creditors hunting them down....

After all, it is still everybodies choice to be on FB or not but I have to admit, I wish anybody i want to connect with would be on it.....how selfish, right?

Apr 04, 2011 02:34 AM