Social Networking

I have always been into technology from a young age playing on my ZX Spectrum and now I love using my Smartphone / laptop to keep in touch with the virtual world.  

At university I enjoyed an Email based Star Trek role play group.  I even got to meet a lot of the members in person as two of the group (one from Australia and one from the UK got married and I went to the wedding)  When the kids were little my husband and I used to have date nights in Second Life which is a simulated world where you can walk around go to parties well it's kind of limitless really.  Unfortunately I can't access Second Life now as it's too difficult to see.  

I love Facebook I am a self confessed Facebook addict and am just starting to get the hang of Twitter.  

Being in a regular social situation can be really difficult for me.  If it's noisy, dark or an unfamiliar place it's hard to find my way around and to have a conversation as I can't see people's mouths moving.  Also finding who you want to talk to in a busy group or with people who you don't know well is difficult.  If I meet a whole group of new people at one time it takes me a long time to work out who everyone is.  I don't like keep asking "Who are you?" when I don't know someone's name.  I think because I don't use a cane or a guide dog unless someone knows me well they don't necessarily realise how bad my sight is.  I don't mind this as it's my choice that this is the case but it makes social situations difficult sometimes.  I have lost count of the number of times I have had a conversation in the street with someone and not had a clue who they were.  

I don't have this problem on Facebook as I can see the name of the person I am talking to and it's not so immediate as a conversation on the street.  

The nature of sight problems are that they mainly affect elderly people so those of us who have been affected since birth are relatively few and far between.  With Facebook we are able to connect in a way not possible in the "real world" and I am a member of several groups for blind and partially sighted people from all over the world.  

I also run a group for families whose children have had Childhood Cataracts like me and my son.  Many of the families have never had any experience of children with sight problems and as it's a pretty rare condition you are unlikely to meet up easily with other people in the same boat.  So through Facebook and Email we are able to share stories and experiences and give each other support.  

I have also found it great to be able to share my faith through the Internet.  I love listening to UCB radio and can interact with the presenters through Facebook and Twitter.  I have found so many inspiring fellow Christians too from all around the world and also my Church has a Facebook page.  I use a bible App for my mobile and I can easily share the verse of the day or other favourite passages easily. I have also shared my testimony / baptism through the recording of it which I posted on YouTube which can be found at My Baptism

There are bad things about using social media. I have had my share of problems and know other people who have had some pretty horrible things said about them.  It's hard to know what to do and how to handle this kind of situation.  I have had several experiences where I have really had to pray and ask God for advice on how to handle the situation.  Sometimes you have to just let it go as the person who made the comment is not worried about what they have said so the only person that it is affecting is you.  Hurtful comments can eat away at you so letting it go is what you need to do for your own benefit.   In some circumstances it's better to not interact with a person who is persistently causing upset.  I have blocked a couple of people on Facebook but only as a last resort.  As well as being a tool for much good social media can cause a lot of pain too.  

On balance though the benefits completely outweigh the bad stuff for me.