# Staying away from social networking **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 21, 2010, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staying-away-from-social-networking/547510 "2010-07-21T20:33:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staying-away-from-social-networking/547510/41 "2010-07-24T12:06:04Z")
**Bosstone** says that Facebook doesn’t even have “Don’t be evil” as a motto, like Google does. And yet Google Buzz, their answer to Facebook and Twitter, was so insecure that everyone was told to shut it off if they had a Gmail by the experts. I’m not saying a I trust Facebook. I’m very selective about what I do and don’t allow them to do. I’m not above giving them a bunch of false information if they start screwing with me. There are other people with my name, and that’s the only information they’d be able to trust after I was through. Heck, I’d be okay as reporting it as a fake profile, after setting up a “real” one that will have all the fake information. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staying-away-from-social-networking/547510/42 "2010-07-24T12:27:48Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > [ Seriously, it’s like IMHO now requires a weekly thread in which someone proudly announces “I am not participating in an entirely optional activity that some people participate in!” This. Why are there so many really defensive threads about someone not wanting to use Facebook? You’d think someone was rounding up people and forcing them to spill their innermost secrets on Facebook at gunpoint. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staying-away-from-social-networking/547510/43 "2010-07-24T12:51:01Z")
> [@](#): > > What kind of sensitive information do you think is needed for that site, that needs to be secure? It may not seem sensitive at the time, but… Here is a ny times article about a [teacher who was denied professional certification by her university](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/magazine/25privacy-t2.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=privacy+teacher&st=nyt) because of a TOTALLY legal and unoffensive picture she posted on Facebook. The pic is simply a photo of her at a Halloween party dressed in a pirate hat, and labled “a drunken pirate”. No alcohol is visible in the pic, and she is 25 years old. But the university said the photo sets a bad example for a teacher, refused to grant her diploma, and ruined her career before it even started. me…I’m glad that a google search of my real name turns up virtually nothing…and I intend to keep it that way. ---
**Author:** ![Zulema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zulema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zulema)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staying-away-from-social-networking/547510/44 "2010-07-24T15:57:03Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I think it was Facebook who, when I was creating my account, required that I give them my email account address and password - the password for my email account. I had to create yet another junk email address to sign in with, which was a certain level of hassle, but the very idea that they needed my email address password for me to set up a Facebook account was quite offensive to me. Hmmm, I did not have this experience. I didn’t want to join facebook but did to help someone else figure it out. I like it. I do hear from people I know more often because yes, people could email and send photos around but they don’t. It also is an easy way to organize get-togethers instead of a million phone calls back and forth. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staying-away-from-social-networking/547510/45 "2010-07-24T16:57:37Z")
> [@PookahMacPhellimey](#): > > Why are there so many really defensive threads about someone not wanting to use Facebook? You’d think someone was rounding up people and forcing them to spill their innermost secrets on Facebook at gunpoint. There is nothing “defensive” about this thread. I just listed a few reasons why I have avoided social networking to start a discussion. The only defensiveness I see is from those who can’t seem to tolerate an opinion contrary to theirs. If you are offended by a thread with some mild criticisms of Facebook you can always ignore it, you know. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staying-away-from-social-networking/547510/46 "2010-07-24T17:29:42Z")
So we are all just offering our opinions on Facebook and other social networking sites? I like Facebook. I have connected with many of my old high school friends and family I would never talk to on the phone or see in person. I like to share pics of my girls and my garden and my pets. I love sharing links I find interesting. I’ve joined like-minded groups and discovered my city has networking meetings and support groups that suit my needs. I’ve never given my email password and my email is one I set up exclusively for social networking but I’ve never noticed any spam since I created it. Not any more than my other email address. I do filter out those annoying notices from other people’s social games. I’ve never even tried one and probably won’t. One thing I’ve done is blocked my page from anyone who isn’t a friend. I don’t post potentially harmful photos anyway, but if one isn’t a friend, one won’t find my photos. I don’t make friends with anyone I don’t know so if anyone clicks on my page they’ll get one photo and a message that says my profile is set to private. I’ve noticed several friends have alternate pages for friends and family. They’ll alter their name or use a nickname. I think that’s supposed to be against the rules but I don’t think it should be. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staying-away-from-social-networking/547510/47 "2010-07-24T17:57:42Z")
Personally, I like Facebook. I have a whole lot of work friends on my list, and I don’t post anything that would cause any kind of controversy. I was concerned about having work friends because of my position: I do QA, and for the people I evaluate, their incentive/bonus depends in part on the scores they get. I did run it through our HR department, and since we never talk about work, they were fine with it. I’m a pretty boring person, so I’m not worried about anything I say being used against me. I do enjoy some of the games, and I have found several good friends that I’ve lost track of since graduating high school or moving out of state. My profile is locked down so only friends can see it. I recently won a gift card through Facebook from a local TV station, and they couldn’t email me because my profile was locked down. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staying-away-from-social-networking/547510/48 "2010-07-25T12:56:26Z")
> [@Lantern](#): > > There is nothing “defensive” about this thread. I just listed a few reasons why I have avoided social networking to start a discussion. The only defensiveness I see is from those who can’t seem to tolerate an opinion contrary to theirs. If you are offended by a thread with some mild criticisms of Facebook you can always ignore it, you know. You’re entitled to your opinion, sure. It’s just that these kind of threads keep popping up about Facebook, which you personally may or may not have noticed. And it is because of this that I wondered why people keep wanting to tell the world why they do not want to take part in something that they are not required to take part in. I mean, many people don’t want a Ford car, a fax, a microwave or a pond in their garden but there aren’t any recurring “I don’t want a pond” threads. So, in friendly spirit of genuine wonder, why _did_ you start the thread? Idle chit-chat? And attempt to understand why others do want to be on Facebook? Venting frustration at something that is silly? Feeling pressured to take part? Other? ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staying-away-from-social-networking/547510/49 "2010-07-25T13:07:47Z")
While I’m add it, I’ll mention an advantage that others haven’t yet. I like Facebook to \*cement \*friendships that were left in a hatchling stage because of time contstraints. I’ll explain: I’m new in town where I live at the moment. Say I meet someone at a party and we have a nice conversation and seem to click. Perhaps we found out we both like folk music. Then another friend comes in or the party ends and we don’t get to continue the conversation. So now I know I like this person and we have stuff in common, but to me it would feel weird to start ringing them or emailing them. Too soon, IMO. But if I add them on Facebook I’m in a position to have a chat, banter a bit, find out more about this person and basically stay in touch without it being very full on. Then, if perhaps a month later a folk band we both like comes to town it feels natural to ask them if they want to go. Whereas if I hadn’t had that opportunity to stay in touch in a chatty way, I probably wouldn’t have felt comfortable ringing out of the blue a month later. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staying-away-from-social-networking/547510/50 "2010-07-25T14:54:44Z")
> [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](#): > > I don’t understand all of the threads here announcing that people don’t want to be part of social networking. Haven’t we had a few of these? Are we all going to make threads about all of the things we do not intend do to in our lives? > > Facebook isn’t going to hunt you down and verify all of your information. You can sign up as Frank Blank if you want to and just tell your friends that it is you. I have a couple of people on my friends list who don’t want exes or crazy people they once knew to find them so they use only part of their names and they control who sees what. > > Facebook doesn’t require that you give it any of your passwords or any other such information. You can provide as little or as much as you want. You can update your status or not. People will delete you or not as they see fit. It really isn’t a stressful thing and it requires _no_ upkeep if you choose to have it that way. > > Hey, there are plenty of reasons not to join a social networking site. The best one? I just don’t want to. But if you’re not going to join I’d hope it’s for real reasons and not some of the odd things I’ve read here. I’m starting a thread called “I Don’t Want To Eat Anymore”. I expect the same level of care from everyone talking me into eating, when, instead, the thread should sink off the first page and into oblivion with nary a view. Man, we have had a lot of these Facebook threads recently, haven’t we? To be constructive, I have a Facebook page, but I use it mainly for work. ---
**Author:** ![Flipshod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f19dbf/32.png) [@Flipshod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flipshod)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staying-away-from-social-networking/547510/51 "2010-07-25T15:51:17Z")
They are merely tools. Some will find them useful, and others not. I’ve solved problems with a hammer, and I’ve slammed my thumb. No fault of the hammer. Facebook has been way for me to stay in touch with my wife who is deployed overseas (including her friends). I’m a latecomer to it and didn’t use it until I needed to. And yeah, anyone hacks my info, they learn my favorite quotes and who I went to high school with 25 years ago, maybe some funny stories about my new dog. I’m not worried one tiny bit. ---
**Author:** ![fervour](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@fervour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fervour)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staying-away-from-social-networking/547510/52 "2010-07-25T16:15:56Z")
> [@PookahMacPhellimey](#): > > > [@Lantern](#): > > > > There is nothing “defensive” about this thread. I just listed a few reasons why I have avoided social networking to start a discussion. The only defensiveness I see is from those who can’t seem to tolerate an opinion contrary to theirs. If you are offended by a thread with some mild criticisms of Facebook you can always ignore it, you know. > > You’re entitled to your opinion, sure. It’s just that these kind of threads keep popping up about Facebook, which you personally may or may not have noticed. And it is because of this that I wondered why people keep wanting to tell the world why they do not want to take part in something that they are not required to take part in. I mean, many people don’t want a Ford car, a fax, a microwave or a pond in their garden but there aren’t any recurring “I don’t want a pond” threads. > > So, in friendly spirit of genuine wonder, why _did_ you start the thread? Idle chit-chat? And attempt to understand why others do want to be on Facebook? Venting frustration at something that is silly? Feeling pressured to take part? Other? I wasn’t aware there is an excessive number of threads about Facebook. This is the only thread I’ve noticed. I’m guessing that the recent news reports of Facebook having 500 million active users is why there might be a lot of threads about Facebook. The reports I saw appeared on Yahoo’s and CNN’s front page. The reports were slanted such that only troglodytes don’t use Facebook, IMHO. It’s only natural for “news” to generate a thread or two. I say “news” because I’m guessing that the reports of 500 million “active” users are self-reported and are merely viral attempts from Facebook to spread. I don’t suppose any news agency actually verified that Facebook has 500 million active users, and I certainly don’t believe that if it does have 500 million accounts that they are all unique. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staying-away-from-social-networking/547510/53 "2010-07-25T17:58:38Z")
> [@PookahMacPhellimey](#): > > You’re entitled to your opinion, sure. It’s just that these kind of threads keep popping up about Facebook, which you personally may or may not have noticed. And it is because of this that I wondered why people keep wanting to tell the world why they do not want to take part in something that they are not required to take part in. I mean, many people don’t want a Ford car, a fax, a microwave or a pond in their garden but there aren’t any recurring “I don’t want a pond” threads. > > So, in friendly spirit of genuine wonder, why _did_ you start the thread? Idle chit-chat? And attempt to understand why others do want to be on Facebook? Venting frustration at something that is silly? Feeling pressured to take part? Other? Well Facebook is different from a Ford car or microwave in that it’s still quite new so it’s interesting (to me at least) to discuss the pros and cons of participating which is why I started this thread. The recent controversy over privacy controls and the 500 million user announcement got me thinking about Facebook as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/staying-away-from-social-networking/547510.md?page=2)