Social Networks

Feeding our innate desire to overshare with others has been the springboard for perhaps the entire concept of social networking. From MySpace to Facebook and from Twitter to the very recent Google Buzz. Trailing the internet sensation that is all of these networks is the other buzz word of privacy. Only a mere two days after its launch, Buzz has encountered outrage from the Internets screaming over concerns regarding the reveal of private email addresses in the followers listing. I have always been a fan of social networking as it has seemingly always worked in my benefit. I don't have anything to really hide. I am not an avid drinker and so any embarrassing pictures of me were taken in a sober state (which is perhaps even more frightening). I have a lot of friends who during application season choose to hide their walls, deactivate their Facebook or even go as far as to purposely misspell their name to avoid being found online. With the url "darynlu.com", I have obviously chosen the opposite route.

When I decided to write a public blog, it was designed with the purpose to share my thoughts with anyone who was interested in reading them. I saw it as a way to develop my writing abilities and to be able to constructively express my ideas and opinions. In the past, it has served as an outlet for my rants over relationships, technologies, recent news stories as well as provided a platform to share amusing clips, pictures, or personal stories and recollections. And so far, I have been relatively pleased with what this blog has become.

With my blog, my public Google profile and any other social network that I am affiliated with, my goal has simply been to provide the world with a decent representation of my persona - who I am and who I aspire to become. Networking has gotten me far in many ways. Aside from keeping in touch with old friends and estranged family members, I have been able to maintain contact with numerous people that have propelled me forward in a positive manner. For instance, when I created the first fan page for my fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha, it garnered over 9,000 fans. And while it was fun maintaining the page, it was with the purpose so that Nationals could eventually take over and incorporate it into their own social network agenda. I was put in contact with the Director of Growth and Marketing and we are currently in the transition process. Another great example was when I became interested in founding a predental organization at the University of Central Oklahoma. Before I set forth to do so, I wanted to draft a clear vision of what I had in mind for this organization and what I wanted to be able to accomplish with it. Through the course of this process, I was put in touch with a wide variety of people who all provided valuable advice. With assistance from the various presidents of predental organizations across the state of Oklahoma to the president of the American Student Dental Association - I was able to push my vision forward and almost two years later - I could not be prouder of the results and how far our organization has come.

So yes, I am a fan of Social Networking. I feel that when used in the right capacity, the benefits far outweigh the cons. I will address a few of my issues with social networks in another post. Until then, add me on Facebook! :P