[quote=CA renter]Okay, I’m one of those tech-phobic types flu’s talking about. We don’t even have texting enabled on our phones.

But what you’ve brought up here has been a mystery to me. Why have these new sites succeeded when there seemed to be plenty of perfectly adequate sites before?

Maybe this is really corny, but why can’t people just pick up a phone and call someone instead of twitter or Facebook?

I have to admit to not “getting it” when it comes to all the tech gadgets. It seems to me that they are more distracting than useful or productive.[/quote]

I think two of the things that enabled Facebook to completely cream myspace is the absolutely horrendous myspace user interface, and the ability to customize profiles, which makes everyone’s screen look different, adding to the confusion. For the average person over 25, it’s overwhelming and scary.

I used to be skeptical about Facebook, but realized that as long as you limit your friends to people who are actually friends, and keep a close eye on security settings, you eliminate most potential problems. For me it has become the place where I post pics of the kids. There are certain friends and relatives who expect pictures, and it’s easier than emailing them.

Twitter is for the self-absorbed, people who think everyone else is interested in what they’re doing every minute. It’s also one of those ideas that you never thought could possibly work, which is why I keep an open mind.

Texting can be a big time saver. When a conversation isn’t needed or desired, text instead (e.g., “what’s your address again?”). Once in a great while I’ll have to ask someone to just send an email when they keep sending one text after another.