Sarah Lacy says Facebook doesn't need my best friend. He doesn't seem to care.

Sarah Lacy, author of Once You’re Lucky, Twice You’re Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0, has blogged about me blogging about her book.

So I feel compelled to respond. That, and I’m sitting in my kitchen, listening to Old 97’s and a bit bored on account of everyone I would be interviewing taking an early weekend. Can’t blame them. Weather’s stunning here in Boston.

1. Sarah is a bit ticked off that she couldn’t just comment directly on this blog without registering first. I’m ticked off about that, too. This thing doesn’t really work if we don’t make it easy to communicate. Sorry about that.

2. I don’t think Web 2.0 is “lame and annoying.” I’m just cautious when using it myself. Reading Sarah’s book has actually convinced me to finally set up a LinkedIn account, though. I’ve never really been in to networking. I’m very shy when first meeting people. Maybe this will help.

3. I think Web 3.0, as a term, is dumb, too. My friend’s comment was mocking putting an umbrella term on these things at all. That said, I’m going to tell all his friends that Sarah Lacy called him “annoying.”

4. I really appreciate Sarah calling the general population “crucially important to me in my reporting.” I believe she means that. Her book, purposely I’m sure, serves as a good introduction to anyone not familiar with what goes on in the Valley. The reader doesn’t need to know anything going in.

5. Just called my best friend and asked him, awkwardly, why he isn’t on Facebook.

A close approximation of our conversation:

Me: Dude, why aren’t you on Facebook?
BF: I’m on MySpace.
Me: So, what, you don’t need Facebook then? Just MySpace?
BF: Yeah. Even that I’m just, freaking, whatever. I go on every month or so.
Me: Huh.
BF: My girlfriend is on Facebook. My brother and sister are on it. It just missed me.

I love that. “It just missed me.” It’s almost as if Facebook is worse off for not managing to sign up my best friend.

Sarah points out that Facebook doesn’t need to be 100% mainstream to be a $1 billion business. She’s right, but that’s not my point. Her book leaves us with the impression that Mark Zuckerberg is aiming to make the thing indispensable, the way Google is and Microsoft once was. If Facebook takes off the way we’re to believe it could, my friend will HAVE to use it.

Dude isn’t a hermit. He’s no anti-technologist. He just can’t be bothered. He’s also only three years out of college, so not using Facebook isn’t an age thing here. He’ll use Facebook if he has good reason to. It doesn’t take much. But so far, it hasn’t been enough.

6. Sarah writes: “If everyone you know is just like Max Levchin you run in a strange, strange crowd my friend!”

I do. Thank you.