WARNING….I know this post makes me sound VERY naive, but I am stubborn in nature so please bear with me as I need some strong convincing to finally take a step into the social networking future as so many others have already done.

I remember a time when I would get my mother’s permission to tie up the phone line, boot up the computer, and wait the 10 minutes or so to log on to America Online. It was worth the pay-per-minute charge, not for the two junk emails I had in my inbox, but for the social media outlet, Instant Messenger. At the time, I thought gossiping with friends via AIM after school was the best thing since sliced bread, but in comparison to the networking and social media outlets around today, it was small potatoes. So why then, if I thought AIM was the hottest thing in town, do I refuse to jump on new media outlet bandwagon?

Yes, you read correctly: I am a journalist, you are currently reading my blog, and I don’t have a Facebook account. And yes, I have to admit, I have thought about it, been pressured many times, and my impressionable brain almost gave in. (The official reason I give people is that I am a private person; the whole idea of having to say “yes” to all the random people that befriend me or potentially ignoring their request and making cyberspace enemies is just too much for me. And yet, I have still managed to keep in touch with old friends through some antiquated technology called the telephone.) But I digress. I am not na