Do I need Facebook?

[nion]

The more I read, the more it sounds like I don’t need Facebook. I think I’ll be skipping it.

I never did think I’d use it to pick up chicks, though I may have to eventually use something like okcupid to meet someone. I’m super wary around people I don’t know, so it makes it hard to have something “just happen.”

At any rate, you are all right. The antisocial don’t need a social network. lol

Do continue discussing, though. I’ve always wondered what people in general thought of Facebook. It’s making for interesting reading.

[Loach]

I joined after I was separated from my wife. Found a lot of old friends. Became friends with some old acquaintances. Expanded my social circle. It’s been very positive for me.

[Toxylon]

I’m a fan of Facebook. It’s because I express myself way better online than IRL (English language exluded). I rarely receive compliments on my social skills, I’m often awkward and put my foot in my mouth, but FB allows me to be who I really am, ie. witty, knowledgeable, cultured and charming. (I know it works because people comment me on it). Online communities abound, but none are as inclusive as FB is. People of every ilk who happen to know me are there, interacting with me. To me, updating a FB status means crafting a cool little anecdote for the day, one of the most fun little things I know. Guess I’m an attention whore

I find a huge amount of interesting stuff on FB on a daily basis. It’s tailored entertainment, having people with similar interests to mine posting online articles, news, humor and obscure music I’d never stumble upon on my own. Any time I feel like needing a break, be it 4 AM or 2 PM, I’ll find something interesting and funny to check on FB due to the sheer volume (and the quality of my friends). Often, in the wee hours of the morning, I’ll find a friend online and start an insomnia-fuelled FB chat and catch up on the news. I wouldn’t call anyone at that hour and texting wouldn’t cut it, but if someone is on FB with the green chat light on, I know I can approach them. Even professionally, FB occasionally provides good discussion and insight on current topics within my circle of colleagues (we have no other place to share online). Just today I posted a picture and a comment from a work gig from last summer that spurred memories in people who were there and was considered interesting and hilarious by many others. Simply put, there nothing out there that does all what FB does, in a handy package.

@gaffa

I think, if you look closely, the people who object most vociferously to Facebook are those who have been on the Internet the longest. It’s fans seem to be those who don’t value privacy, or grew up in a social group that does not appreciate it.

Not in my experience. The dozen or so of my friends who are convinced not to join FB are not Internet pioneers or have much in common, anyway. And I at least used to be an intensely private person, before FB

@Modern_Master

You won’t make friends on Facebook unless you already have friends.

Yes, but you do make new friends out of the pool of friends your friends have on FB, if you want. I have made many online friends in FB, many of whom I’ve since met and turned into real-life pals, on the strength of my FB performance.

[pulykamell]

@Hello_Again

facebook is for keeping track of your friends. If you have loads of distant friends from different times in your life you can keep in touch without it being a huge committment on either side. You can look at pictures of their kids…what they’re eating to dinner..see that they quit investment banking and became a licensed obstetrician.. or whatever.. if you want to and at your own pace. My local friends often use facebook to plan gatherings so its handy that way too.

Seeing as you have no friends, there doesn’t seem to be much point for you.

For business networking, I prefer Linkedin, in fact I’ve rejected facebook “friendings” from colleagues (with an explanation) and set privacy settings to max because I don’t want my Facebook and worklife to entertwine outside my circle of actual friends.

If you’re in a creative or social type of industry, just having a Facebook presence can be great for marketing. I don’t aggressively market (wedding photography), but I do have a personal and business page, and Facebook has brought me in at least $10K worth of business that probably would not have found me otherwise. It’s great for that kind of stuff.

Do you need it? No, nobody needs Facebook, and, as it says above, be aware of the privacy issues. For me, though, I love it, both from a social and business perspective. Give it a shot and, if it’s not for you, cool. Just dump it.

[leftfield6]

@GuanoLad

Tried it, hated it, left it behind. It’s not something I need at all, but there is a growing assumption that everyone is on it.

I do have Twitter, though, which fulfils all the social networking I currently desire.

This.

Facebook was just a huge time-suck for me. For a while it was interesting to see all those people I knew years ago come out of the woodwork, but eventually I was reminded why I hadn’t bothered keeping up with them to begin with.

[gaffa]

@Toxylon

Not in my experience. The dozen or so of my friends who are convinced not to join FB are not Internet pioneers or have much in common, anyway. And I at least used to be an intensely private person, before FB

Seriously, how many of your friends are Internet pioneers anyway? I know half a dozen, and most of them won’t even exchange an e-mail with you until you’ve set up a PGP account.

[Hal_Briston]

Absolutely not. If you join facebook, then you can’t be one of the cool kids who always points out that they’re not on facebook.

[Justin_Bailey]

@gaffa

The point is that here on the SMDB, and indeed on most of the Internet, you can have anonymity and privacy, and Facebook makes that very difficult, if not impossible. It is the antithesis of everything I love about the Internet, and it’s “walled garden” approach is a return to the Bad Old Days of Compuserve and AOL.

That word, it does not mean what you think it means.

[Modern_Master]

@Toxylon

Yes, but you do make new friends out of the pool of friends your friends have on FB, if you want. I have made many online friends in FB, many of whom I’ve since met and turned into real-life pals, on the strength of my FB performance.

Well, anything’s possible, I suppose.

[Jragon]

@Hal_Briston

Absolutely not. If you join facebook, then you can’t be one of the cool kids who always points out that they’re not on facebook.

FACT: The “blue ribbon” in Pabst Blue Ribbon comes from a defaced and mutilated Facebook banner.

[Loach]

@Hal_Briston

Absolutely not. If you join facebook, then you can’t be one of the cool kids who always points out that they’re not on facebook.

Damn I wanted to be one of the cool kids. Missed out again.

Does it count that I never had a MySpace account?

[bobot]

No, you absolutely don’t.

[gaffa]

@Justin_Bailey

That word, it does not mean what you think it means.

According to Wikipedia: *Facebook’s growth is aided by large amounts of content hidden behind login screens. Such content is said to be in a Walled Garden, inaccessible to general Internet users.
*

[ioioio]

I have Facebook because a friend nagged me until I got an account. I’m grateful to her.

I then nagged my sister until she got an account. She is grateful to me.

We’ve become part of an extended family network, which we enjoy. I’m into family history and genealogy, and FB is a great way to keep track of people and the milestones in their lives.

It seems to me that it doesn’t hurt to have an account, and you never know where it will lead. Start by sending friend requests to a couple of family members. Once you get a couple of “friends”, it tends to snowball.

[voguevixen]

@GuanoLad

Tried it, hated it, left it behind. It’s not something I need at all, but there is a growing assumption that everyone is on it.

I do have Twitter, though, which fulfils all the social networking I currently desire.

This is interesting, because I consider myself the most internetty and have a Twitter and never go on it, instead relying on other sites to alert me when there’s something epic happening on Twitter. (A boy band member twitcam for example.)

[Justin_Bailey]

@gaffa

According to Wikipedia: *Facebook’s growth is aided by large amounts of content hidden behind login screens. Such content is said to be in a Walled Garden, inaccessible to general Internet users.
*

While Facebook is technically a walled garden, as we talked about pretty recently, that’s not how the term is traditionally used.

[gaffa]

@Justin_Bailey

While Facebook is technically a walled garden, as we talked about pretty recently, that’s not how the term is traditionally used.

I hadn’t read that thread. But on the other hand, I love my new HP Elitebook. The thing is made to take apart and repair. All the screws are captive, so no tiny screws to lose. You can clean the CPU cooler fan in five minutes. It is the anti-Apple.