I’ve been unfaithful. To this blog, that is. I’ve joined Facebook. I’m completely confused by what’s public and what isn’t, what my ‘wall’ is, what ‘friends’ expect from their friendship with me, and what the correct etiquette is when someone invites you to be their friend but, not knowing who they are, you decide you don’t really want to exchange virtual hugs or kisses with them. Fortunately, I have a mere 16 friends; a rather feeble number compared to the 150+ that some of my friends have. But it’s still early days, and perhaps I can get that 16 up to 20...

In my occasional series of Tips for Prospective Authors at the Journal I Edit, I have the following advice to offer, based on a real-life incident: If at a dinner, at which I’m absent, you happen to meet any members of my immediate family, avoid berating them for any editorial misdemeanors you feel you may have suffered. It’s not their fault! Actually, it’s probably not my fault either.

Finally, things you don’t want to hear as you think you’ve just landed at Washington DC: “Welcome to Dallas”. Fortunately, it turned out that I’d landed in the right place, but with the wrong pronunciation. The airport’s called Dulles.

And now... back to Facebook, where I’ve apparently been ‘poked’. Yum.

It’s finally happened. There I was, allowing a visiting friend to entertain me, when I was introduced to the marvel that is Facebook. So I registered. Well... I tried to register... the system sends an email to you to verify you want to register, and when you click the link, you’re on. Evidently, my presence on Facebook is not meant to be, because the email server I use, courtesy of my work, decided to call it a day, and shut itself down. So Facebook will have to wait...

Am still not convinced that Facebook is where I want to be. The idea that one has to beg people one hardly knows to become one’s “friend” fills me with dread. And what if the people one does know say “no”? So on the assumption that I would be the only person likely to look at my entry, photo and all, wouldn’t it just be easier for me to look in the mirror?

Who knows, perhaps the lure of a new technology will prove too irresistible, and I will become an addict - posting near-instant updates of my current activity for my imaginary friends to read.

But until then, am off to Washington (DC) for a couple of days. Bye.