I am not the type of person who scoffs at social networking sites. I embrace all new technology, although I may not be the best at texting or working my cell phone camera, I continue to soldier on in those areas. I did skip My Space and went straight to Facebook, but I have connected with some old friends and follow their rants about the weather or how boring their life is today. I wonder who is more bored, the person saying it or reading it, but that thought is maybe too deep for this column.

A few months ago I joined an alumni site dedicated to my old high school. It really is a fantastic site. They have profiles of all students who attended my high school in every year dating back to the early 1920s and contrary to popular belief, I was not part of the first class. But next to one’s senior picture you can write what you are doing now and if you are really brave, post a recent photograph. For hours I can read about what my former classmates are doing today. The sad part of the site? If you have a rose by your name, you are no longer with us and I can look at every funeral I missed.

I really enjoy this site because they send me e-mail updates on what is going on and any upcoming events that I may want to miss. Things for me changed the other day when I got an e-mail about an event at the local hometown theatre about a benefit for Haiti. This peeked my interest so I open it and discovered that a classmate of mine would be performing his tribute to Elvis. I do not know why this horrified me, but wondered what possesses a person to dress up in spandex even if it’s for a good cause.

By chance, I got a message from him on my alumni site last Monday morning. He told me that he ran into a mutual friend, but it was not clear if it was at the event or just around town. So I guess I will withhold judgment on whether to continue our friendship until I have all the facts.

In the note, he told me what he was up to and that he had performed his tribute to Elvis on Saturday night. I responded to his post by joking about does it bother him that he has outlived Elvis and does he perform the pudgy old Elvis since he has advanced in age.

I thought I was being my clever self, but apparently he did not get my humor. He responded by saying even though he was technically older than Elvis when he died, he can still pull off the ‘68 comeback Elvis in leather and later on the jumpsuit era. He said the only thing that bothered him was that Elvis left this earth to early. He then proceeded to give me his Web site address so I could follow him. I could learn of his upcoming concerts and follow his travels.

That one response may have changed my view about social networking forever. Maybe we should not connect with people from our past. Maybe we should remember people as they were and not who they have become. Maybe I am taking this one response entirely too seriously and if I do not attend any of his performances, I might be okay.

Or maybe I should limit my contacts to female acquaintances only. I will continue to monitor my feelings on this subject, but in the meantime check me out on Facebook.

n Ron Smith, a 1975 graduate of Rockville (Ind.) High, has been publisher of the Times-Herald since 2000 and he continues to search for that one great idea that might make him a millionaire.