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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.