Update: 20 Year Reunion

So I thought about this whole thing for a while and then I had an epiphany:

What I am imagining is me walking into "the reunion" and seeing the whole crowd there and being completely ill-equipped to make any sense out of it. So (since I don't drink) I'll wander up to the most familiar face I see... blah blah blah

So, the answer is to use these next few months to get caught up already so that when we show up, it will be the party it should be rather than a giant oral resume exam.

Duh! We have the technology... we CAN rebuild him!

Here's the funny story:

I go to classmates.com. Now, either that makes perfect sense to you or you are smirking with disgust. Here I was thinking, "That is what the thing is for isn't it?" 12 classmates. And the most recent entry was over a month old. Plus... well, a whole bunch of bashing could go on here, so I'm just gonna leave it alone.

Then, I decide I'll try MySpace. Again with the smirking! You are so... never mind. Look, it seemed like a good idea at the time. I thought I was pretty smart. One person. One.

But, praise the Lord, it was the right one. I didn't know it at the time, so I just sent off a message and hoped for the best, having no idea what that could possibly be since this was such a disaster. Luckily (or whatever you want to call it) I had just bumped into her at Target, although it was just a quick I-know-you glance and a brief, "Hi" because she was heading into the bathroom and I was coming out and that is just not the right time, y'know?

So, the next day (which was one long and miserable day for this project) I get a reply that mostly says, "Get your butt over to Facebook."

And she was totally right! Everyone was/is over there.

For me, it was actually like I turned the key and leaned on the door to my home like I've done a million times before and... What the ??? There's not only a huge party going on, but it looks like everyone has been there a long time already.

So, my plan is coming together beautifully and everything I hoped would happen is happening thanks to the technology.

Which got me to thinking about the technology. First and foremost was/is why such disparity with MySpace and Classmates? Both were created to do the same thing, but everyone is on Facebook instead. Will Facebook be to these other sites what Microsoft became to... well, everything? Or has that already happened?

The other thing is just how revolutionary the whole concept is. I know I am not the only person who has held such a dismal view of reunions. But NOW we can all not only catch up before hand but oh so conveniently. Think about it. The natural tendency is to start asking those resume questions. Not necessary! All that is over there in the profile/info section. Read it at your leisure. When you get to the conversations, you can jump right into the good stuff! That is really huge. And don't fly past those words convenience and leisure too quickly. There is no need to be in the same place at the same time, like every other conversation. You can post when you want and I'll read it when I want. Unless you start texting, that is. But even then...

Well, whatever you think, the reality is that human communication has changed in a big way. If you want to be a neo-ludite about it, fine. Send me your hand-written letter, then. I'll get it in a couple days in the mailbox.

Maybe.