Keeping in Touch Virtually

Tonight my friend and I were switching back and forth between communicating via Facebook chat, cell phone, and both at the same time. It was kind of a joke and it was amusing, but it made me think of how easy the Internet has made keeping in touch.

For instance, my high school graduating class found everyone for the 10-year reunion thanks to online social networks such as MySpace and Facebook. And the same sites have enabled me to keep in touch with old friends that I would otherwise be too busy to keep up with, simply by putting everyone all in one place.

These same principles have been put to work for businesses and other associations. Group management software is often used by companies and recreational sports teams to keep everyone in touch, quickly send out updates and event reminders, etc. For instance, group management software can even be used for HOA management. If it's anything like social networking has been for me, this software should make it much easier for everyone in the neighborhood to stay in touch, despite their busy lives.

A lot of old timers and traditionalists say that we're losing the ability to communicate with people face-to-face, but honestly I don't think that's true. Just as the telephone made it easier for people to talk to one another (even if it wasn't always face to face), social networking sites make it easier to keep in touch with people or catch up with old friends you haven't seen in a while.