I wasn't discussing the relative merits of Facebook vs. Multiply. It is clear to anyone that Multiply is a better platform for what our group does most of the time, but I don't find it necessary to make a choice. Facebook and Twitter have both filled a niche that Multiply does not address--synchronous communication.
Monday I was sitting in a doctor's waiting room coming into contact with some difficult feelings. I was there 2 hours and 45 minutes, plenty of time for isolation and fear to grow. I tweeted about it and a number of you got back in touch with me one way or the other to offer companionship. That was awesome. There I was, suffering the consequences of my poor planning, i.e., not asking someone to go with me, and by picking up my cell phone and sharing my situation I suddenly had friends thousands of miles removed geographically with me, metaphorically hanging out and sharing my experience.
That was awesome, and that wouldn't have happened *now* in exactly the same was if I had just posted to Multiply. There used to be a time when everyone sat around F5-ing their inbox page, using it like an awkward IM client, but that's not going on as much anymore.
To return to my mall metaphor, we may still be more or less hanging around at the same place in the Food Court rather than over at someone's house. It is almost the same except if you want a order of pot stickers you don't have to rely on someone having them in their freezer, you can walk over within everyone's sight and pick some up. There are more resources available.
I didn't say anything is dying, though clearly it is. Things are always dying. I was noticing change. It doesn't distress me, it interests me.
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