What I want to get out of this course?

I have a friend that is constantly sending me invitations to join her on social networks and blogs. I have successfully avoided joining her. There are several reasons for this which include, being wary of putting information about myself on the web that really never goes away, not feeling the need to know about people that I don't actually know face to face or for them to know about me, and just a general fear of the unknown. So . . . here I am jumping in with both feet. I hope to gain a better understanding of what is out there and how I can use it to enhance my personal and professional life. As an added bonus I might gain some insight into how and why my teenagers interact with, understand, and communicate with others via their own social networks.