10 counter-arguments to get your Luddite boss on Facebook

Excuses, excuses; help me persuade my editor to join the world’s biggest network

I haven’t met anybody who isn’t on Facebook—except for my editor.

I know exactly what you’re thinking: How could someone who deals with social media for a living not be on Facebook? Oh, trust me, she’s got a list of reasons. And if you have a boss (or 95-year-old great-aunt) who is reluctant to join Facebook, you’ve probably heard most of them, too.

As a communicator, you should think about encouraging your anti-Facebook boss to enter the 21st century. (Editor’s Note: Hey, wait a minute! I’ve got a cell phone. Granted, it’s rotary…)

My goal: I want her to join Facebook for one week. If she doesn’t like it she can, to paraphrase the Bard, shuffle off this networking coil with this virtual Kevorkian.

So, here are her—and others’—flimsy objections, along with my incisive rejoinders. (If you have any other convincing arguments, please write them in the comments section, and I’ll send them along to her—via mule mail.)

Facebook is ridiculous. If I want to talk to someone, I’ll do it face to face.