So it’s safe to assume I’ve always had 23,343 fans on Facebook, right? Negative Ghostrider.  I got my first invite to Facebook back when it was college students only (suddenly I’m feeling old), and I’ve had a Facebook page for a long time.

The catch? It sat dormant for said long time.

Why would such an internet enthusiast openly reject Facebook privately? Out of fear.  I’ve had a long-standing fear that Facebook would become just another cog in my internet vice. Rather than spending 11 or 12 hours a day on the Internet, my new allotment would be 14 hours. Take that non-internet activities!!!

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve had plenty of Facebook interaction and experience from a professional perspective – I know the quirks and features of company pages. It’s just that, well, I have enough addictions to contend with.

But last month my Facebook world changed in a heartbeat.  A friend on my rec soccer team miraculously found my dummy account. Until that point I had 4 friends (all coworkers) and basically no profile information filled out. For once actually ignoring my no-touch policy, I accepted his request.

Several minutes later another soccer companion sent me a request. A few minutes later another one came through. The flood gates had been opened. At this time I had a choice. Either I would start ignoring requests, and pile up a group of Facebook haters, or I would FINALLY give in and become a Facebook regular.

Naturally I became a Facebook fiend. I put up a sweet profile pic, filled in my profile, added some status updates, and started rolling. If you’ve ever doubted the central role Facebook plays in many of our lives you’re wrong. By the end of the weekend I had 80 friends, and a week later I had cracked 100.

Many people check Facebook more often than email. I’m luckily not in that boat….yet. So far I’ve been posting about once a day, and limiting myself to a breakfast, lunch, and dinner peek at what’s going on in the Facebook world. I think that qualifies as moderate addiction. Who’s with me?

Only time will tell how Facebook plays out for me on a personal level.  For now, please stay tuned for my post on best practices for your business’ Facebook presence. I promise to offer good and tangible advice rather than spilling my mind on personal experiences like I did here.

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