We have been thinking about developing a Facebook group for friends of MMSC. But the question is: if we built one, would anyone come? Would you be a virtual friend of MMSC?
Right now many of you may be wondering
what is he talking about. While we realize that the majority of our audience is from the answering machine generation, we thought that some of you might be hip enough to want to be virtual friends with MMSC.
So, now you are wondering
why anyone would want to be a virtual friend as well as a real friend of MMSC? As someone who has just learned to program a VCR, only to learn that VCRs are no longer being manufactured, I empathize with your confusion. However, in the interest of science, progress, and not being thought of as an old foggie, I have done extensive research on the nature and benefits of Facebook,
including interviews with actual Facebook users
under the age of 50. I hope to dispel some common misconceptions about Facebook as well point out some of its benefits.
First, Facebook is a social network; people join it to locate and stay in touch with folks they haven't given a thought to in years. Ever wonder what happened to all those fun people you went to middle school with? Of course you haven't. But with Facebook, you cannot only find them, but learn what they are doing every single day.
Now, for all of you old lefties in our audience, who are still writing in Norman Thomas for president, let me clarify that Facebook is a social network, not a socialist network--although it can be a tool for political organizing. Just look at what it did for Barak Obama!
But what are the benefits of being a virtual friend?
First, by checking your Facebook account, you can keep up with the activities of and messages from all your virtual friends simultaneously-a real timesaver. They can leave messages for you and you for them. This is known as writing on the "wall." There really isn't an actual wall; you just have to use the term to sound cool.
Second, you can "poke" friends who you feel have not paid enough attention to you. They receive a notification that they have been virtually "poked," feel embarrassed and send a message. If that isn't enough, you can "Superpoke" them. This involves throwing something heavy at them, like a virtual sheep, or to be more politically au currant, a virtual shoe (This is actually true!)
Third, there is a function that you can use to enter what you are doing at that very moment. Thus, your friends can be in constant touch with your up-to-the-minute activities and state of mind-and you with theirs. Examples: "Bob is trying to figure out how turn on the new HDTV set, " and "Bob is trying to figure out how to text message from his cell phone," and " Bob is taking a nap and will think about all this later."
So the question remains-would you want to be a virtual fiend of MMSC? You could see pictures of rehearsals and get the dish on how they are going; you could learn what plays we are thinking about, and who is being cast; you could ask questions and make suggestions by writing on our wall and get immediate answers; you could tell us what interesting plays you have seen and read, you could poke us (we won't be offended) or even throw a Superpoke shoe at us. It might be fun and it's free!
Let us know-by using an old fashioned means of communication: email, telephone or, if all else fails, face-to-face,
Stay cool.
Bob and all of the very groovy and hip folks at MMSC
info@mmstageco.com
