# Talk to me about Facebook **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 23, 2015, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220 "2015-06-23T05:30:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220/41 "2015-07-01T09:34:23Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > You are supposed to sign up using your real name, but there’s no real way for them to establish that the name you are using is real. So if you’re concerned, sign up with a fake name and an old e-mail account you don’t use anymore. Be warned that it can be awfully tricky to change your name after the fact, if you decide to do so. My nephew has used two different aliases as his fb name. He works as a sheriff’s deputy out in the sticks, and I think this is a matter of prudence. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220/42 "2015-07-01T09:37:27Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > If your goal is to look at friend’s pages, a fake name is going to be a problem because when you send friend requests to people, they won’t know who you are and will mostly ignore the requests. A workaround to that is to accompany the friend request with a private message explaining who you really are. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220/43 "2015-07-01T09:44:40Z")
> [@MysticYoYo](#): > > I don’t have a Facebook account, either. It just seems like too much work. > > I overheard someone at work talk about someone they know who’s unfortunate enough to be named “Lucky”. As in his real name first name is Lucky, but Facebook won’t give him an account because the powers that be at the Facebook Mothership don’t believe it’s his real name. If he wants an account, they’ll probably accept “Bucky;” once it’s established, perhaps he can change the name to “Lucky.” ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220/44 "2015-07-01T14:16:50Z")
I cut off my account after a couple of years and never went back. I found the annoyance factor WAY higher than any benefit. I was bombarded by crap, including invitations to be friends with hundreds of people that were total strangers. I had family members arguing with each other on my page. So what do you really want to do with it, OP? Think about it carefully. Do you want to look at pictures of your highscholl buddies’ kids? That’s the kind of thing that’s easier. Everything else is a relentless marketing campaign aimed at you. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220/45 "2015-07-01T15:08:01Z")
Ad blockers, anyone? I don’t see ads on FB ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220/46 "2015-07-01T15:14:58Z")
From what I’ve read you can probably sign up with a nickname/not your legal name because Facebook doesn’t know anything about you that you don’t tell them. You’re fine with a nickname until someone reports you. Then FB tends to be less than understanding. [This Wired article](http://www.wired.com/2015/06/facebook-real-name-policy-problems/) is about one case like that. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220/47 "2015-07-01T16:51:41Z")
FWIW, I tried creating an account using the name “Lucky Jones.” It demanded a cell phone number or ID documents. So I cleared the cookies and changed my IP address and tried using the name “Lucy Jones.” Same reaction. I suppose having your real name makes all the data they collect about you that much more valuable. They can better match data across multiple platforms and sell it to data consumers. I keep a Facebook account active because so many companies now require you to have Facebook in order to participate in discounts, contests, and promotions. I need those American Airlines frequent flyer miles to keep my account from expiring! (To be fair, the last miles promotion they held did not require Facebook.) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220/48 "2015-07-01T17:07:33Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > My nephew has used two different aliases as his fb name. He works as a sheriff’s deputy out in the sticks, and I think this is a matter of prudence. I’ve been trying to change my name for largely the same reasons (though I’m not in as sensitive a position as he is.) ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220/49 "2015-07-01T17:55:17Z")
Facebook exists so that people you’ve been intentionally avoiding for 20 years can tell you what their cats have been up to. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220/50 "2015-07-01T18:20:23Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > A workaround to that is to accompany the friend request with a private message explaining who you really are. Yeah, but unless you are already friends a PM will go to their “others” inbox, which is something most people never look at. Not a huge deal, just something to consider if you want to use an alias. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2015, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220/51 "2015-07-01T20:13:17Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > Yeah, but unless you are already friends a PM will go to their “others” inbox, which is something most people never look at. Not a huge deal, just something to consider if you want to use an alias. Yes I have found messages there that were years old. Stupid policy IMO. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220/52 "2015-07-02T13:05:09Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > people who post a bunch of boring stuff I have no interest in just getblocked from my feed. It takes 2 clicks, and they don’t know about it, and thus aren’t offended. This is why I’m afraid of Facebook.I understand that you can block people…But eventually, surely they will realize that you blocked them? Suppose that you get tired of hearing stupid stuff, so you block your cousin, and never see her ‘spam’. But what happens when she sends you a message that she’s getting married…and you never see that either? Then a year later you actually meet in real life, and you innocently ask who the guy standing next to her is. Embarrassment ensues. And possibly worse… It seems to me that with Facebook, you could seriously insult someone, and cause unncessary tension in your life. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220/53 "2015-07-02T13:18:03Z")
As long as you’re not posting to FB often you have plausible denialibility, just say you don’t ever visit FB. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220/54 "2015-07-02T16:09:16Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > This is why I’m afraid of Facebook.I understand that you can block people…But eventually, surely they will realize that you blocked them? > > Suppose that you get tired of hearing stupid stuff, so you block your cousin, and never see her ‘spam’. But what happens when she sends you a message that she’s getting married…and you never see that either? Then a year later you actually meet in real life, and you innocently ask who the guy standing next to her is. Embarrassment ensues. And possibly worse… > It seems to me that with Facebook, you could seriously insult someone, and cause unncessary tension in your life. There’s a difference between blocking and unfollowing. If you block someone, they will probably know because it both unfriends them and prevents them from even trying to message you. If you unfollow you’re still friends and they can still message you, their posts just don’t show up in your news feed. Also, if the annoyance mostly comes from sharing posts from organizations you don’t want to see, you can block the organization. I’ve made it a point to block every political group I see shared, even the ones I agree with, because they all tend to use stupid arguments to demonize the other side. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220/55 "2015-07-02T17:53:24Z")
I use Facebook to see what is going on in the lives of friends that I may only see once every few years or once a year. I do not friend family members or coworkers. What I dislike? Whenever Facebook adds a feature, they generally make the access for it public and I have to go change it to “friends only”. When someone else likes my page or adds something to my page, their friends can see it. I cannot control that. FB keeps suggesting things I might like based on the fact that I looked at something. Irritating. The way FB chooses what I see. If I like someone’s post, I will see more posts from them. But if I don’t like it, they will start cutting back on the posts I see from that person. Friends who don’t post much themselves seem to disappear altogether from my news feed. Despite all that, I do enjoy Facebook and am glad I signed up. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220/56 "2015-07-03T00:28:10Z")
Look at it closely again – it says phone # OR an email address. If that doesn’t work, you could try contacting them and telling them you don’t have a cellphone, and only a landline. (Even if it’s a lie) [Here](https://add5000.com/all-tips/entry/how-to-register-facebook-account-without-phone-number) seems to be some info. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220/57 "2015-07-03T00:38:05Z")
The other downside to FB: Other users. I friended someone I have known for a long time. He’s a nice guy, but not terribly bright. When I posted I was on my way somewhere, he responded that there was an empty house in my town waiting to be robbed. Of course, he was trying to warn me that I shouldn’t say that stuff. BUT, by posting this on my thread, all his friends (that I am not friends with) could see his comment. For sure a dumb move. I read him out over it immediately and privately. I also posted to the thread that a burgler would be surprised by my cat-sitter and her boyfriend, which wasn’t entirely true, but I had to negate his post. He did apologize and remove the post (thank goodness we can do this) but potential damage had already been done. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220/58 "2015-07-03T02:15:55Z")
I don’t understand how your friends’ un-mutual friends can see their comments on you posts, and how they can see stuff your friend posts to your wall. I am pretty sure you’re mistaken about that. Or you have some botched privacy settings. Because I don’t think Facebook works like that. I see when some of my friends post to pages sometimes but that’s about it. I’ve never seen my friends’ posts to their friends’ walls and especially have never seen my friends’ replies to other peoples’ posts. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220/59 "2015-07-03T05:48:15Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > The other downside to FB: Other users. > > I friended someone I have known for a long time. He’s a nice guy, but not terribly bright. When I posted I was on my way somewhere, he responded that there was an empty house in my town waiting to be robbed. > > Of course, he was trying to warn me that I shouldn’t say that stuff. BUT, by posting this on my thread, all his friends (that I am not friends with) could see his comment. For sure a dumb move. I read him out over it immediately and privately. I also posted to the thread that a burgler would be surprised by my cat-sitter and her boyfriend, which wasn’t entirely true, but I had to negate his post. He did apologize and remove the post (thank goodness we can do this) but potential damage had already been done. Not if you change your page settings to “friends only”. Unless you’re thinking of Twitter, it simply doesn’t work like that on Facebook. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220/60 "2015-07-06T16:02:36Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Not if you change your page settings to “friends only”. Unless you’re thinking of Twitter, it simply doesn’t work like that on Facebook. I have, on two occasions, seen comments a friend has made on the page of someone I don’t know FB, which confused and surprised the heck out of me. I have not seen it in a very long time, and it is possible that my friends were commenting on people with “public figure” pages that are open to all. However, the posts were not “recommended” or “your friend John likes this:” type of items in my news feed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-facebook/723220.md?page=4)