Another Year Gone!

Do you remember when it was the end of 1999 and the year 2000 arrived? That was the Millennium year coupled with the Y2K problem! We fretted and worried about so many possible computer and digital related issues. Everyone was warned, businesses and personal computer users, to update our computer systems or we'd most likely lose all our programs and data! We were absolutely certain chaos would result when the clocks transitioned from 11:59 p.m. on December 31st, 1999 to 12:00 a.m. on January 1st, 2000! Guess what? Only  minor outages and disruptions were reported! Now, here we are 15 years later and online social networking has enveloped our spheres! So many technological advances have occurred since the year 2000 and continue to progress at an exceptionally swift pace! Social media rules the lives of many, especially our younger generations. It's difficult to fathom a world without Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Pinterest! But, that was my world when the Millenium arrived! The social networking platform known as Facebook was co-founded by Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin and first launched in February 2004. It initially limited its membership to college students. However, in 2005 high school students were invited to join and by 2006 anyone age 13 or older with a valid email address could create a Facebook account. By late 2007, Facebook also included about 100,000 business pages that allowed companies to update potential customers on their products and services. Zoey's Attic has been an active Facebook member since joining in 2009. In 2012 Facebook purchased Instagram. It is an online social network photo and video sharing site with over 300 million active Instragram users, and the Facebook newsroom also reports as of this past September there were approximately 1.35 billion active monthly users. LinkedIn, founded in 2003, is another popular social networking site. It is billed as the world's largest professional network with approximately 300 million plus members. The demographic data indicates the majority of its members are from the United States and then followed by users in India, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and Canada. LinkedIn allows its members to create a profile and connect with other workers and potential employers through an online social network. Oh my, how technology has changed our lives! Can't wait to see what the next 15 years will bring! Oh.. and Happy New Year!