Facebook Hometown Groups Go Viral

Have you noticed all of the “You know you’re from (insert name of town) when…” Facebook groups popping up? Every day I see that another one of my friends has joined one and has joyfully jumped into the local conversation.  I’m not excluding myself because I’m right in there sharing memories about my favorite beaches or the Firemen’s Fairs we attended or the best pizza or subs joints in Long Branch. Why are these groups appearing so suddenly and why all of the happy talk?  I’ve got a couple of theories.

The sky is falling.  Yesterday the stock market plunged dramatically.  Last week the unemployment numbers barely budged, Standard and Poor’s downgraded the US credit rating to A++ (an historical slap in the face) and our US representatives were arguing and taunting each other like schoolyard bullies. Who wouldn’t want to forget all the nastiness in the world and go back to a time when we were young, foolish and rode our bikes until it was "dark o'clock"?  The teachers, friendships and the songs from our past are the comfort foods that we long to devour when the present looks bleak and depressing.

Social media has made is so much easier to connect.  I can remember my father calling for telephone information in Iowa, Colorado and California looking for the phone numbers of his former Army buddies.  When he was able to get one of the guys “on the horn” they reminisced about the old days and the mischief they caused and even the dangers they faced.  They hugged one another over the phones lines and promised to get together at one of the annual reunions.  If my dad was around now, I’m sure that he’d be Googling every name in his address book or joining a Facebook group devoted to Army World War II or Korean War veterans.

Since this is a job search column, I don’t need to tell you that these groups are also building up your networking contacts.  Relationships are being re-established and new ones are created. Our shared memories are a bridge.  By the way, some groups are allowing the members to post their business names in a separate document.  I applaud those groups because they are allowing the members to network professionally and hopefully help someone with any employment needs. NOTE: It’s rude to advertise your company name in a Facebook group without asking the administrator for permission first. It silences the group members and makes people very uncomfortable.

Whatever the reason for joining one of these hometown groups, enjoy them.  If you find that they aren’t for you, you can always leave them.  I know that for now, I am going to stick around mine, enjoy the conversation and network.