If you aren’t a facebook member, you perhaps don’t belong to this age and time. I was surprised when a friend who takes the least interest in social networking sites informed me about one of our friends’ wedding through the facebook.

Facebook users are increasing because social networking sites connect people at almost no cost. People can interact and share information. These sites also offer the opportunity to know and meet famous people.

Moreover, social networking sites are also learnt to have been successful in connecting little

known organisations to a larger audience.

For instance, Microsoft Nepal used facebook as a medium to invite people on the demonstration of windows 7, and the turnout was very remarkable.

Social networking sites gradually also seem to be making headway into the realm of politics.

Ministers Dr Baburam Bhattrarai and Hishila Yami, and youth leader Gagan Thapa have used social networking sites to push forward their political agendas and seek feedback and solutions on the recent problems. Yami is learnt to have made a facebook profile to make Visit Nepal 2011 a success.

But social networking sites are not without its disadvantages. A few weeks back, a girl posted her birthday party invitation on facebook and it resulted in strangers gate-crashing into her party.

In order to avoid such untoward incidents, therefore, only selective information should be kept on display and others kept secret through privacy settings.

Research has shown that using social networking sites could be addictive. Many users acknowledge that most of their productive hours are spent unnecessarily getting connected to strangers.

Social networking sites have also made us indifferent to our immediate surroundings and instead live in a virtual world.

Social networking sites should be used to grow one’s personal and professional network. As the internet has tuned out to be the most effective medium of communication, social networking sites indeed are making a field day. But its use should not exceed the limit of one’s utility and necessity.