But first let's get the negativity out of the way. I can fully understand the problems that come with social media and how it can be used for the wrong reasons and even become dangerous.
What I'm going to write about are my own experiences and the way I use social media.
I think I first became aware of Facebook through a neighbour. Being able to communicate with friends, family and strangers with similar interests to myself seemed to be an attractive prospect. Throw in the fact that I was involved with and in a number of local organisations and I realised how useful it would be from a promotional point of view.
And over the years I've used social media in a number of ways.
Firstly as mentioned to promote a group or a coming event. Facebook was very important in promoting the early days of our new village bereavement group and our new sports association and it was equally important in letting people know when both of those groups were wound up.
Only a few days ago I was questioning the value of having printed posters in our modern world. Just over a week ago The Friends of Hethersett Library held one of our presentations which proved very popular. It was a talk on Norfolk Railways. We had quite a few there and they came as a result of social media and word of mouth rather than posters.
There is no doubt that for us oldies the world has changed out of all recognition but I for one welcome the advances in technology that has allowed us to do so much more.
It does bring with it some sadness. Every time I walk past that Brutalist building in Norwich known as Prospect House I shed a tear due to the sign on it for Boswells Insurance. Not that I have anything against that insurance company. It's just, that building for me will always be Eastern Countries Newspapers. Not Archant as it became and certainly not Newsquest or whatever it's now called. Eastern Countries Newspapers or ECN was my daytime home for many years.
Those were years when printed newspapers were king, queen, prince and princess. They ruled the promotional roost. Inside the building it was a hub of activity and through those doors every day went some of the finest writers ever to grace the pages of a Norfolk publication and I certainly don't include myself in that group.
My memory might be playing tricks but I seem to remember the days when the combined daily circulation of the Eastern Daily Press and the Eastern Evening News (later to become the Norwich Evening News) was well over 100,000 and may have been as high as 120,000. Now I think the two are struggling to sell 18,000.
And sadly of course the reason for this drastic drop and no real physical presence of note for the two newspapers is technology.
I have kind of gone off at a tangent there but as you know I often change what I'm going to write about as I go along and it does illustrate how technology has taken over as an information source.
Back to Facebook. I also use it and technology to speak every day to you lovely people and as Hughie Green used to say "I mean that most sincerely folks." I use Facebook to promote my writing and my publications and hopefully, when they are published, my books.
And unless you embrace technology you will have no chance of ever getting down with the kids and you know me and getting down with the kids.
Tomorrow I'll tell you about an enjoyable couple of hours I had at a coffee morning, what details I was able to give a lady from the Isle of Man about a Hethersett connection with the famous TT Races and how colourful it was in Norwich to celebrate Black History Month.