I was speaking with several Baby Boomer friends this weekend, who asked me, “Why in the world I joined Facebook?” They expressed the same concerns about it as I had before I joined — huge time commitment, a silly trend for young people, an intrusion on privacy, another way to keep you tied to the computer so you’re not interacting personally. Yet they also seemed genuinely concerned that they were being left behind since so many of the people they know are now using this public utility.

I told them that there are many advantages to being part of Facebook. It gives you the opportunity to connect with people you may not have seen or spoken to in years: long lost high school buddies, college friends, business associates, folks you met in passing. It gives you the chance to share pictures, share your ideas, see what other people are up to with their careers, their families, and their projects. It also gives you the opportunity to become part of the new Web 2.0 dynamic, which is an extremely powerful way to connect with the world around you.

I also told them that it’s useful for those in business. It gives you the opportunity to be part of the new information-exchange dynamic . . . allows you to recruit in a meaningful way . . . allows you to connect to others who can answer questions or help in unexpected ways.

I explained also that users have the ability to control what people see and therefore protect privacy and to control how much time they spend (as little or as much as they’re personally comfortable with). Users also have the ability to control who is part of their network.

I told them how my father, a 67-year-old, super-conservative guy who traditionally has found the new media reasonably intimidating, is now using Facebook to communicate with his kids and share photos of his great grandchildren and his hunting and fishing trips. “Your father comes home from walks,” my mother told me recently, “and rushes upstairs to the computer to see what’s new.” I think she and Dad are as surprised about this as I am. As surprised as I am that I enjoy Facebook so much and find it so valuable.

As I explained all this, I discovered that I really couldn’t capture the essence of this Web 2.0 tool or why it’s so intriguing. I think it has to do with how easy it is to really share information and insights with those you care about in a way that was impossible or unheard of in the past. And I think people truly like to share who they are and learn about others that they care about. Until you try it, it’s difficult to realize what you’ve been missing, in an era when we can go for years without seeing or hearing from people who matter to us.