The biggest challenge for post Generation Y folks in using social media/social networking tools like Facebook and LinkedIn is that someone invites us to join, we do, and then we don't know what else to do. At least that's what happened with a number of my friends after I got them onto facebook.

This article, Fogeys on Facebook, from Eric Weaver on Social Media Today gives some practical suggestions to illustrate how facebook can be relevant. It builds on the article in Business Week by Jeff Pulver about how he left LinkedIn for Facebook. See also Penelope Trunk's interview with LinkedIn for ideas about LinkedIn. My sense is that Facebook is rapidly replacing LinkedIn in terms of relevence to most people because it is so much more timely--you can find out what your friends/associates are doing every day. For those who literally want to know everything their friends are doing, sign up for Twitter.

Why? Good question! If you are a "Web 2.0 junkie" then I imagine you don't need any prompting to sign up for anything and everything, post your life online and just revel in the exhibitionism of it all. But most people don't have a need for that.

I think we do have a need for a way to more effectively take advantage of (or in my case create) a weak tie network. I don't see Facebook as a tight collection of my closest friends...it's anybody I can find that I have even the remotest connection to that might have something in common with me. I'm not competing to build up a huge friend list like some people have; but you never know what interesting thing someone you met once might do and what you might learn from that.

Perhaps I just restated my "Web 2.0 junkie" rationale. I can't really tell you what to do on Facebook. If it's not interesting to you, check it out again in a few months.