Slices of Life

Living with Facebook

Hanging in there with the ups and downs of social media.

Compared to many of my compatriots, I was a relative latecomer to Facebook.  This was absolutely by design. I’d heard enough about the banal status postings (“Should I go the gym or have a second cup of coffee?”) and the proud parental postings (“Junior made honor roll again!”) such that I felt, while maybe I had the time, I didn’t want to invest it in this particular form of social interaction. The years ticked by and I began to feel excluded from something that everyone else seemed to be enjoying, banality notwithstanding. Eventually I succumbed to the temptation, enlisted the help of my then-13-year-old to set up an account, and began my foray into the Facebook world. For many of us mid-lifers, the best part of Facebook is that it …

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Underwood Diving Board Supporters Flock to Facebook

More than 500 "fans" back diving return to century old pool; will be "Outrage of the Day" on WRKO at noon.

Karl Ivester broke his neck diving into shallow water in 1999. "I am not an advocate for diving boards. I have not dove in any water in 13 years," said the long-time Belmont resident in an email interview. But when Ivester read on Belmont Patch Saturday, June 23, that the Belmont Health Department had removed the diving board at the town's Underwood Pool due to safety concerns, he took action. "It was clear that the pool was to be enjoyed by the children of Belmont and it was clear that a diving board was important to the Underwood," he said. But rather than make phone calls, sign a petition or go door-to-door to bring out support for the 100-year-old tradition, Ivester started up his computer and created a Facebook page. Dubbed "Save the …

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POLL: Should Hiring Companies Ask for Facebook Information?

Some employers are asking for login information of potential job seekers.

Imagine utilizing all of Facebook's privacy settings to the maximum so that only your closest family and friends can see your personal profile.  Now imagine interviewing for a job and having that employer ask for your login information in order to get a better look at your personal life.  That's exactly what some hiring companies are doing across the country, according to a Boston.com report Tuesday. But the legality of the move is being called into question, and is actually being brought to the forefront in such states as Illinois and Maryland, where proposed legislation would forbid public companies from asking for such information, according to Boston.com.  What do you think? Do hiring companies have the right to ask job seekers for …

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