Families Now Using Online Social Networks To Connect During Holidays

By Lockergnome | December 26, 2006

“We just finished another patrol. For once, everything was quiet. The guys even had some spare time to put up a make shift Christmas tree. Here are the pictures to prove it,” says a blog post, along with a few photos, from a lonely Marine stationed in Iraq. This particular soldier will later view a few updated pictures of his children within his wife’s profile and send an e-card to his mom on Christmas day.

Just like this example that took place at Oaktreeidea.com, savvy Internet users are bypassing the long lines of airports and entrance ramps for the ease and convenience of social networks to send their Christmas blessings and New Years wishes.

In the past year, social networks (like MySpace, FaceBook and start-up Oaktreeidea.com) have experienced exponential growth due to the social nature of connecting friends and family through multiple online communication tools. This Christmas season, social networks now seem poised to take center stage. Blogs, messaging systems and online photo books will be put to the “bandwidth” test when Internet users pass pictures back and forth of Christmas Day family dinners and messages of New Years resolutions and party plans.

Oaktreeidea.com founder Brady Stump has already witnessed the power of social networks this holiday season. “I have been informed of a missionary, located in Africa, who will be using our site to communicate with his parents over the Christmas weekend. He’ll probably use the private messaging system to send Christmas wishes, type a quick blog post to inform his mom and dad how he spent the day and maybe post a few pictures handing out gifts to the locals.”

This holiday season, social networks may finally go beyond the primary purpose of finding a date or meeting new friends. These networks of communication will now truly connect the dispersed and bring a little holiday cheer to the loneliest of places and people.

Tags: online, social network, oaktreeidea.com, myspace, brady stump