What did you do over summer vacation?

That is the question that is often posed, particularly to school children. Their classmates may ask and their teachers may even require them to write a paper with such a subject.

I know the summer isn’t over and I hope there will be much more fun in the sun ahead for me, but for now my answer has nothing at all to do with the sun-I created a Facebook.

For those of you who don’t know what Facebook is. . . it is one of those “social networking” Web sites you hear so much about these days. Increasingly my friends and family were talking about what they saw or put on Facebook. I tried to just take a look at it once, but couldn’t because you must be a member first.

I didn’t have the time or inclination to do so then, but while on our recent trip to Washington, D.C., we had some down time in the hotel room. My sister Betsy, queen of online social networking, had brought along her laptop computer. While Joellen took a nap she said, “Okay, make your Facebook.”

“Now?” I asked.

“Yes, now. Just do it.”

I obeyed her orders and did just that. I was able to start a collection of “friends” and I uploaded photos from our trip so my family and friends could see instantly what we did that day and the previous evening.

I must admit it was kind of fun.

It still is. I don’t know if I’d say I’m addicted to Facebook, but I certainly see the appeal and so far have “checked” it daily. I can keep up with my friends’ lives, even if I don’t actually talk to them or see them in person.

Sure, there are some dangers to Facebook. Be assured when I get friend requests from people I don’t really know well, I don’t accept them. No hard feelings, but I have always been a bit guarded about who I actually call my friend, someone more than an acquaintance.

Just this morning I put out friend requests to some of my college friends. I’m hoping I’ll have some great responses and times of catching up in the coming days. Okay, I admit it, I do actually like Facebook.