Terri A. Satisky is among the growing number of parents who are joining in on the social networking trend in an effort to reconnect with old friends and keep an eye on their teenage children.
Satisky had heard about how people were connecting on facebook and wanted to find out what the buzz was about. She joined the social networking site Facebook a few months ago and has already added 244 friends.
“When I first joined I found it very overwhelming and addicting at the same time,” said the 48-year-old mother of two. “It was addicting because I wanted to continue looking for old friends that I used to talk to. When I first started I would check everyday to see who added me, and continued to look for more people to add. Now I would say I only go on 3-5 times a week at most.”
Satisky said she is picky about who she accepts friend requests from. She understands that others can see your profile and see who you are associated with and what they say.
“If someone adds me or I come across someone who I don’t wish to talk to I will not add them,” Satisky said. “I don’t need to be their ‘friend’ just to be their friend. I like talking to people I know and for those who bother me I will try to ignore. In addition, some old acquaintances have gotten into serious trouble over the years and I don’t need them getting information about me or have myself associated with people that could give others a bad impression about me.”
Satisky has two children; a senior in college and a senior in high school. Like other parents on facebook she enjoys seeing what her kids are up to but isn’t on Facebook to stalk them. She said it is more about the contact it offers with old friends.
“I am never too shocked about what I see on my kids profiles,” Satisky said. “We have always been open with each other so I know what to expect when looking and am comfortable with that. I try not to be too nosy but it’s nice at times to see what they’re doing. For example, my son will change his status to a concert update or a show he is going to. It makes it easy to keep up with what he is excited about.”
Satisky said she also enjoys reading other kids’ posts. She finds it amusing to see what they say, knowing how negatively their parents would react if they saw what she did. She said she also enjoys checking up on her kids friends.
“One of the coolest parts of facebook is looking at pictures,” Satisky said. “It’s interesting to see what people who I knew in first grade look like now. It’s also cool to see my children’s friends who I have known since they were infants grow up, and to see the adults that they have become.”
One of the biggest complaints Satisky has about facebook is the advertising that she said is annoying and in the way. She said she is also a bit confused about how to delete past comments or quotes.
“Overall I really do find it interesting and plan on continue to use this site,” Satisky said. “It takes me back to my childhood and allows me to reconnect with old neighbors and friends that I have forgotten about over the years and allows me to touch base with them. It’s nice to see what they look like now and to catch up on what they have done with their lives.”
