My shift

It started as a "toe in the water" test.

I'll create a facebook profile and search for the buzz. Check facebook out because I need to, but like MySpace not really use it.

Well, facebook was different from the moment I put my big toe in.

It didn't feel the least bit cold, it was refreshing because it's intuitive to set up. I didn't need to bone up on my HTML which I haven't attempted since '95. And, how novel...facebook told me how many of my colleagues were already on facebook (unlike MySpace when I set it up) so I had a community right off the bat.

I was wading in the facebook pool without much effort.

So several of my cohorts had profiles on facebook and immediately engaged me in their conversations. I felt the utility immediately. I was swimming laps in no time, but I didn't feel winded. No more toe, I was diving into facebook apps, groups, networks and seeing the relevance immediately.

Honestly, it's been a long time since I've been this excited about anything on the internet. And the internet is my job - and I'm passionate about it.

I'd have to say the last time I felt this much relevant internet innovation was in the early '90s when I saw Yahoo for the first time on Mozilla - though it was left justified text and gray background, it was revolutionary to me because the utility was there for me - Yahoo was a filter, a search engine - it made simple sense, easy to get.

facebook is revolutionary to me because it is all about me and my relationships on so many fronts and it makes simple sense.

So now what? My stroke has fundamentally changed (last feeble attempt at the swimming metaphor, I promise.)

I've shifted from my "check email, blogs, look into socnet sites" routine to "check facebook and all connected to my facebook profile" routine, then if there's time - I get around to the others.