In this world of ever changing technology, I have been hesitant to fully embrace the thought of sharing my private world with the rest of the planet. Any regular readers of my blog will know that I am no longer technologically savvy the way I was when a PC was first placed on my desk and I was told to "computerize" the office. Indeed I have already had some blog etiquette advice from readers on how blogging really works - thanks by the way.

With Wednesday being one of my "milestone" birthdays, I decided to bite the bullet and signed onto Facebook for the first time last Monday night. Having just come back from our Multi-generational workforce conference in Orangeville a couple of weeks ago, I knew that kids today were well connected but was astonished at just how much! Within 30 seconds of having signed on, my daughter who lives in Winnipeg, sent me a message saying "Welcome to the rest of the world Mum!" How true that appears to be.

Since Monday, I have came across an old elementary school friend's face and decided to send him a message. I guess I did it right because he's now my "friend". I had a message from two girlfriends I had not heard from since the 70's and even discovered my long lost cousin in London, England through a friend of a friend. All of this was accomplished in about an hour on-line over two days.

Our Policy Committee is discussing the need for workplace policies to cover the usage of social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter as well as how these tools can assist us in our outreach to the broader community. Based on the last 48 hours I've been converted, although perhaps not driven to use it to the extent that some of my younger "friends" might to stay connected.

As "part of the rest of the world" now, whether you like it or not, it is something we can no longer ignore in the workplace.

If you have any comments or thoughts you'd like to share, do not hesitate to contact me at carol@workforceplanningboard.com