What is the value of a friend on Facebook? Did you know there are some companies that will provide you with fake virtual online friends for price? I'm not sure what they are charging these days, maybe it's 10 for $10, and you get the 11th one free? That seems pretty silly doesn't it? Okay so let's talk about all these topics for second shall we?

Not long ago, someone mentioned to me after reading an article I'd written on this topic that he'd noticed an interesting trend in our society with regards to online "friends" on social networks. He stated; "The more acquaintances you can amass, the greater the chance you will have someone to turn to in need."

Now then, I understand the concept of amassing "friends" online to network and improve the chances of getting help in time of need. Maybe that's why so many people wish to be my friend? I hate to think that everyone contacting me "wants something" but alas that is the mentality of so many folks - they want a stimulus, food stamps, a new job, or some gift from the gods, such as the old fat mean-spirited lady who reads romance novels where an ultra-rich, good looking, muscular hunk rescues them from mundaneness. I just see this sort of nonsense as counter-productive and much akin to playing the lottery, after all if one amasses enough lottery tickets they are bound to eventually win? I see it all as petty, and quite telling of society's mentality.

Okay so, you might indeed see it differently, in fact, you might be all in when it comes to getting friends on Facebook or your other social networking websites. If that's your goal to amass the highest number of friends to surpass your other friends (real or imaginary), and therefore find self-validation, then go for it. Who am I to tell you what your life's goals should be? To each his own I say. Nevertheless, one could ask the question; is this even healthy for human societies, not just here the United States, but everywhere else in the world as well.

There are over 1 billion people on Facebook alone, and even if 10% of those people are make believe and bogus profiles that still leaves 900 million people and that is a large percentage of the Earth's population. Not only that, but Facebook is hardly the only social networking website online. Why not do a self-study, why not ask all your friends on your social networking site to help you with some important project that you have or to send you money. How many of those friends that you have would be so inclined to help you?

You probably haven't asked anyone for help so far on your social networking site, so this would be a new thing. Indeed, many individuals believe that amassing friends is a smart way to go in case these individual users are ever in need. Of course, accumulating friends in advance to ask them for something is not a very friendly thing to do, is it? What happened to self-reliance? I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Internet Social Networking. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/

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Healthcare is easily one of the most dynamic and consistently changing industries in the world today. With new treatments being developed, new drugs being tested, and new policies being implemented at what feels like an ever-increasing pace, healthcare professionals are responsible with keeping up to date with this constant flow of information. Social networking that is geared specifically towards these professionals is becoming more and more relevant each day, not only for the sake of keeping them informed, but also for the sake of helping them when they need aide, and connecting them with fellow professionals from around the world.

These days, not only is there a lot of new information for healthcare professionals to stay on top up, but it also comes from a number of different sources. Tracking new state and federal mandates, drug information, treatment options, and so on, can be a huge time-sink. To top it off, these tidbits of information tend to be posted in various spots all over the internet, sometimes making them tough to track down. If you don't know where to look for this inform, it can be even bigger time-waster, and let's face it, many people in the healthcare field don't have time to waste.

There comes many times in a medical professional's life where they need a helping hand in order to make sure that a patient procedure is performed correctly. In those instances, there is no better person to ask than an experienced colleague. However, sometimes those colleagues are not immediately accessible, especially for those who perform care on patients outside of a hospital or office. A well connected healthcare social network can put this distressed healthcare provider at ease, knowing that countless other colleagues are there to help at any given moment. Many times, questions asked through a populated social network are answered in minutes, if not seconds!

As the age-old adage goes, "two minds are better than one," which especially rings true in the world of healthcare. Healthcare professionals work together on countless medical issues in order produce the best possible treatment options for their patients. Having such easy access to other professionals lets medical practitioners brainstorm with their colleagues like never before by enabling them to directly reach out to fellow professionals from around the world at the touch of a finger. With this kind of access granted by a healthcare social network, who knows what of incredible feats the world's healthcare professionals will be able to accomplish!

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