I suspect I may have been one of the first to become qualified to be known in the UK as a Silver Surfer (#1 in this dictionary, NOT #2, BTW). Certainly, my involvement with social networking, for example, started quite early - when, in 2006, it was pointed out that I could to listen to music my elder grandson had composed on Myspace. Not long afterwards, I discovered You Tube and, a year or so later, I was introduced to Skype.
In those days, my involvement was restricted to an occasional communication with immediate family members across the pond. However, when Myspace seemed to fall out of fashion, I signed-up with facebook and, although it introduced me to more distant relations - and, in time, "Friends" and friends of friends - it seemed to me that it was better suited to the needs of younger people.
Some time later, a newspaper article alerted me to Twitter - which seemed to appeal to those of a more mature disposition. However, whilst I understand it might be ideal for those in 'the public eye', I found it difficult to understand why ordinary Joe Blogs could imagine that their own (often mundane) day-to-day activities should be of the slightest interest to anyone else. Furthermore, an insidious ambition to increase the number of people they could bore the pants off seemed ludicrous (IMHO) - especially since, so far as I can tell, most people who follow each other on Twitter hardly know each other.
By the way, when asked to describe the difference between facebook and Twitter, I suggest that the former is where contributors can be quite rude to those they know - whilst the latter is where people seem to be rather nice to people they've never met.
Anyway, perhaps unusually for someone of my own generation, I had some experience of 'networking' through the medium of this web-site. Originally, a 'diary' of my work as a PSV delivery driver, it developed into a history of some my own and my family's experiences over the years and, rather than use the more 'public' aforementioned social networking sites, I have tended to use this blog to communicate 'personal' information.
Speaking of 'personal' issues, in recent times, the expressions trolls and cyberstalking have become topics for concern on the internet and elsewhere. Now, I don't suppose that many ordinary member of the public are troubled by trolls; however, stalking is a different matter. For example, instances of it have ranged from unwelcome attention to actions as extreme as murder - not something, by the way, with which I'm familiar.
Now, believe it or not, an element of unwelcome attention is something with which I have become familiar recently - which brings me to the point of this particular blog - and that is to confess that, for the first time ever, I have "Unfriended" someone on facebook.
Most who visit this web-site may know that my elder son is a reasonably well-known musician. What many might not know is that some of his fans seem inordinately fascinated by anything connected with him. So, although I'm sure most people know of someone on the internet who seems determined to contribute to absolutely everything, from a purely personal point of view, I found having almost every comment I made responded to in an inappropriately over-familiar manner by someone I've never met extremely disconcerting; in much the same way, I wouldn't be surprised, that someone actually being stalked might feel threatened.
So, to conclude, whilst what I've done is non-negotiable, it is not my intention to cause offence. However, it seemed to be the only way I could send out the message that the boundaries most fans recognise (and for which I'm extremely grateful, BTW) should not be over-stepped.
