I read Julie George’s article “Facebook: for the young, not the young at heart,” with great interest, probably because I’m one of those “young-at-heart” individuals to whom she referred.

I joined Facebook back in November, and over the last ten months, the site has changed my life. I have reconnected with countless friends from high school and college, some whom I hadn’t seen in 20 or 30 years. I have caught up with former students who are now out there in the “real world.”

In addition, my son, who is a sophomore at UC Berkeley, and my dad are both on Facebook. My parents lives 3,000 miles away, and Facebook has been an incredible way for all of us to keep in touch on a daily basis, something we never had before.

And I’m not alone. President Obama uses Facebook to stream many of his addresses live, so that members can comment immediately as his speeches are in progress. Gavin Newsom is using Facebook as an important tool is his campaign to become governor of California.

 Many musical groups, including the Indigo Girls, Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith, and Jimmy Buffett, use Facebook to keep in touch with fans and to announce upcoming concerts.

Nonprofits, including Livestrong, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Special Olympics, and the Sierra Club, use Facebook for fundraising.

The media, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, CNN, and NPR, use Facebook to post news stories, many within seconds of breaking. And businesses have discovered that Facebook is an extremely effective communication and marketing tool.

But in Julie’s estimation, all of these people and organizations are “wrecking” Facebook because Facebook “just isn’t for adults.”

It’s time that Julie and others who share her feelings realize that Facebook is a tool that is bringing people of all ages, all over the world, together. Yes, it was developed as a tool exclusively for college students; but founder Mark Zuckerberg was smart enough to realize that Facebook was something that people of all ages could use, benefit from, and enjoy.

Finally, I may be “young at heart,” but I’d challenge Julie any day to see which one of us uses Facebook more proficiently. Hey, Julie, if you’re up to the challenge, just send me a friend invitation.