Right now I have
554 "friends." Of all those people, I probably have met 300 of them
personally. The rest are friends, of friends, of friends. A lot of them
are people I went to grade school with, played in bands with and
partied hearty with. A lot of my friends are from my years at Boston
radio stations too. I saw a report on TV that said that some people
spend 10 to 15 hours a day on Facebook. I spend maybe 15 minutes a day,
and that's plenty.

I really enjoy seeing the friends that my
friends have and then sending a friend request to them. I am a friend
feeder. If you have someone in mind that you haven't seen in a while,
you can do a search of their names. I have hooked up with a ton of my
old friends from high school and college, and I am really enjoying it.

On
your profile, you list favorite movies, TV shows, organizations,
college you attended and birthday. You are free to publish your year of
birth also, although many people opt out of that one.

There are
also groups that you can join. I joined a Project Star group that has
led to the planning of a reunion of past Somerville actors. There is a
group called Something like "I survived Somerville High", and there is
a "Western Junior High School" group I believe. I recently joined a
group called "DelPonte Family" and discovered folks with my last name
in Italy and Argentina.

You can join groups from Somerville,
Western Junior High School, and Jaspers Rock Club. There is also a
group called "kids who think homework should be banned."

I
became friends with a member of Aerosmith, two Red Sox players and a
Hollywood actor with Massachusetts roots. I found members of groups
that my old bands played with at Bunratty's, The Rat, Jaspers and other
dives. I have also touched base with some pretty famous comedians from
my days of hosting at the Comedy Connection. I have found a lot
cousins, old childhood pals and many of my Emerson College friends on
Facebook too.

There are even some teachers that have FB pages,
both current and retired. I am friends with a firefighter and an ex
cop. It's just a neat way too keep in touch. The topics we discuss such
as the old days of Somerville, are great for stirring up great memories
and discussing times gone by.

It's hilarious what people write
in the "what are you doing now" section. Here are a few events people
share – "So and so is … (and you enter in what you are currently
doing – walking the dog, taking a shower, trying to find my cell phone
, looking for U2 in Somerville Tickets, waiting for furniture to be
delivered, cooking steak) – then everyone comments on what you're doing
with wisecracks like: "I'll be right over", "and save some for" and
even: "make sure you pick up after the dog." When I enter info such as
"Jimmy is watching TV, the editor of this very newspaper chimes in with
something like: "why don't you get to work on your column."

Some
people keep current on FB with their Blackberry cell phones. When you
are on Facebook, you are under "big brother" type scrutiny and
vulnerable for any and all criticism and joking. I never go on Facebook
while I'm at the job because that just wouldn't be right. Facebook is
to be enjoyed in your leisure time. I love looking at people's old
photos that they post on FB. It's great seeing what your friends looked
like years ago. I find it a little depressing at times when I see my
old photos of when I was younger, thinner and richer.

There is a
certain feeling of accomplishment or victory when you add a friend to
your list and see your numbers grow. It doesn't take long to mount a
numerous collection of friends. But it's like the six degrees of Kevin
Bacon. You may befriend someone who knows someone you know, but you
will probably never meet or ever talk to them except via Facebook. But
you are still "friends," and who doesn't need all the friends they can
get?

My friends list also includes several high ranking city
officials and even the governor himself! There is also a "Tom Brady,"
but I think he may be someone parading as the real Tom Brady. He has
the authentic number 12's photo for his profile, but I don't believe
it's the real deal. I am friends with Curt Schilling, which I think is
pretty cool. I have only 11 years experience using computers and I must
say, Facebook is the most fun I have had yet. YouTube is also
entertaining. My kids and I have a few clips on YT.

You can take a "How well do you know Somerville?" test and "What kind of TV mother are you?"

I
am also a friend feeder. I look at people's friend's lists and see who
looks interesting and then send them a friend request. Some accept,
some don't. Most do. I really enjoy Facebook as a good way to kill a
little time, when I have a few spare minutes.

Here are some
requests and messages you can send to your friends: Birthdays,
shamrocks, pillow fights, birthday wishes, Red Sox wave requests, smile
requests and even a super wedgie request.

So what's next? I joke around and say I am staring a new on line group for dogs called Snout book.