Yesterday my adult son had an accident on his bicycle. He went across a car bonnet, broke the windscreen with his bare head then skidded onto the ground.

Whilst in the ambulance he logged onto Facebook on his iPhone, updated his status to alert that he had been hit by a car and 'checked in' to Royal Melbourne Hospital -then he collapsed. We were alerted to the accident via Facebook. We updated everyone on progress in the hospital via Facebook. Support and care poured in from all over the country, all day, via Facebook. Formerly ambivalent, I've got to admit it was really helpful, practical and useful. The mechanism is value-free, neutral and inert without our engagement. Social networking is neither 'good' nor 'bad'; it is only as helpful as our actions cause it to be.