Hmm, on one hand, the address I’ve had 39 years, the home phone number I’ve had for 31 years, the mobile phone number I’ve had for 12 years, the email address I’ve had for a decade.
On the other hand, a nonexistent account on a data-mining website that I’d have to set up just for lazy people…
Yeah, I’m going to go with eff that.
None in mine either, and I’m 49. I can’t even remember the last time I had any personal correspondence through email, that’s for work and maybe confirmations when I pay a bill or buy something online. Huh, when did that happen?
I like facebook because I’m more likely to see photos of friends and family, no one takes the time to email them they just post on fb. My friend just announced the birth of her first grandchild and I can’t wait for posted photos. Without facebook I probably wouldn’t see the kid until he’s old enought to walk around town. I block the games and don’t really say much. All of my friends are on and if we’re planning something we message there. I visit less and less as time goes on. I think I’m over it.
I am pushed all the time in emails and at work to make a business fb presence for myself. I can tell when coworkers take the webinar or class on doing this because they’ll start popping up with stupid polls and comments that only their very close friends answer or “Like”.
I just had a horrible facebook experience. My work where I have been employed at for the last 7 years just tried to fire me over some personal facebook post, dealing with religion and politics. I had my settings set to private but because I had listed my employer in my profile, they automatically had privy to my page. Luckily I am union represented and the union saved my job.
If I had not been represented I would of been fired since this is a fire at will state. Be very careful what you post on your facebook!
You can safely use Facebook. Facebook doesn’t know anything you don’t tell it. Just enter your name and general location. Anything else they require you can make up. For example if they require birthdate and you want people wishing you happy birthday on the right day at least put the correct month and day.
Facebook is useful for keeping up with far-flung friends and acquaintances, at least the ones that post photos or interesting stuff instead of mindless drivel. You can “unsubscribe” from anyone you don’t want to keep up with.
Now, see, this is an example of why all “social networking” outfits need to either:
Have a pseudonym-friendly policy, or
Openly admit that any pretense of having a “privacy policy” is bullshit to sucker the rubes.
I was going to drop Facebook because of all the crap. But one day, I decided to just sit down and figure it all out. I played with every link offered. Got annoying apps blocked, changed up privacy settings, have friends and acquaintances separated, dis-allowed tags, changed subscriptions options on all of my friends and my liked or following pages, and some other things. Now, I am having a net positive experience with Facebook. Very useful for my business, too.
Had to play with it all, tho. FB doesn’t have a very useful user’s guide.
I’ve been saying for awhile now that I’d love to start up a “Facebook Sanitizing” business. There are zero criticisms about the user experience with facebook that are about things that can’t be changed, so give me fifty bucks and an hour of your time. We’ll block every app you don’t want, we’ll place your friends into groups (grandma and your coworkers probably don’t need to see your check-in at the strip club), we’ll get that sucker humming along in a clear, clean, organized manner and I’ll show you what I’m doing every step of the way so you know what to do when Zynga puts out something new or if you want to put a new friend into an existing group.
Hey, me neither…up high!
The best part is the repeat business every few months when Facebook resets everything to wide-open default and moves the user controls to the top of a jammed filing cabinet stuck in a disused closet with a graffito on the door saying “Beware of the Jaguar”.
Anyone know how to make my timeline default to “most recent” stories first, rather than the bullshit “most interesting” or whatever? Seems I have to change it back every single day.
Or alternatively, let people know that if you list your employer (i.e., link to your employer’s fb page), that gives your employer access, because it’s essentially the same as friending them.
IMO, that’s user error there, kids. I’ve never listed my employer on facebook, and that’s why.
I pretty much just use it for genealogy nowadays.
My employer is now asking to view your facebook page/account(? dunno, don’t have one) when you come in for an interview.They will screen it prior to hiring you just like they do a background check with the SEC AND several applicants were turned down over the very same reason.
I can see how some people may find facebook a useful tool or find enjoyment in it. Personally, I don’t use it. I have a cell phone, I call people and TALK. I do text, but minimally. Mainly because I’m such a slow texter and it’s easier for me just to call. My teenage daughters have FB accounts and update their status nearly minute by minute. We were nearly late for a concert because they had to go on FB and update their status before we left. Does anyone really care that you are “cooking dinner” or “going for icecream”?
I deactivated my FB account over a month ago. For all the good it can do – say, promoting a business or keeping in touch with far-flung family/friends – there’s an equal amount of shadiness, IMO, which doesn’t endear me to it.
I haven’t used any apps for the last year or so. Their cookies/bugs/whatever screwed with my computer.
I won’t friend anybody from work because of what somebody said upthread – mention your employer and you’ve just given your employer carte blanche to snoop your account. NO THANK YOU.
I don’t have computer access for most of the day, so I’d rather keep my list of go-to sites short.
Many of the people on my FB list I know from another site, and most of them still go there. It’s redundant.
I also have no immediate family left. My extended family doesn’t post on FB. If I want to get in touch with my far-flung friends, we all have phones and email addresses.
I guess that everyone knows that now when you order something from amazon, a popup offers you the chance to immediately notify everyone in your life/world of your purchase by means of email, FB, or Twitter.
This gives me an idea for a new toilet. As soon as you flush, a message gets posted on FB or Twitter that says, “I just took a crap,” and a camera hidden inside the bowl sends a picture along with the message. I predict it will catch on like wildfire.
I Like you.
The wife’s on Facebook, but I just couldn’t care less about the whole thing. Plus there are some people in the past whom I simply don’t want to catch up with, and refusing their Friend requests could be awkward.
There’s a simple truth here… Facebook, like any other website you become a member of and give your information to has it positives and negatives.
As far as Facebook in particular, you can restrict people from posting on your wall, viewing your photos, tagging you in images, tagging you in a particular place, and you can restrict people from searching your name unless they are Friends, Friends of Friends, etc.
If you don’t want your real name associated with your picture, I guess that’s the only reason to stay away. Otherwise, a little bit of intelligence and tweaking can make your presence nothing but a shadow. There’s always the ‘black helicopter’ crowd who will stay away from anything close to that. But otherwise, the positives of keeping closer contact with friends and family who live far away outweigh the negatives for most people.
Oh. And people who say ‘I’m not on FB and never will be’ are usually close-minded people who are taking a stance against the norm JUST to be different.
I used to run into this a lot in the punk rock community. People saying they hated a certain band when they got popular when they used to love them. Just be true to yourself people.
Don’t do things just because you think you’re making some sort of anti-mainstream statement.
Have an account and use it daily… I’ve really enjoyed catching up with friends finding out what their up too… trip to new york… kids graduating… just depends on what you’re into… Not really worried about employer issues… I know enough to keep that stuff to myself… Did have to unfriend a co-worker over his nonsense. but actually that was a good thing… told me to keep him at a distance…
A friend formed a discussion group on their…really have enjoyed sparring with people who hold opposite views of mine… when the discussion gets too heated we back off a bit… then go at it again…