As Good as the Real One?

I recently visited a friend of mine in their new house. The façade looked great and refreshing, but the furniture arrangement inside looked like a cut and paste job from their old apartment. I guess they spent more time on the paint than on the furniture lay out.

They were still fixing some things on the kitchen so I decided to spend some time with their daughter. She was very lively and kept on asking things. I then saw her opening up her account on My Space. She has about 100 friends on her list. Wow. I can’t imagine an 11-year old girl having that many friends. I asked her if she knows each of them. She said yes and started telling stories about each of them. I was surprised because she knows their full name, age, address, and all sorts of details that you could only know by verifying one’s vital records.

It then occurred to me that online communities such as My Space or Friendster could be an alternative or informal repository of vital records as far as birth, marital, and other personal details are concerned. Of course, they are not reliable or credible. But for those who just want to take a peak at the vital records of others, My Space and Friendster could somewhat quell that curiosity in them.