Facebook

I am considering making the leap. However, I have been counseled by many that it is a bad idea for a multitude of reasons.

What say you Grievers? On Facebook? Not on Facebook? Good idea to join? Bad idea to join? What's the deal?

Comments

[Cold Conservative]

No problems with it to date. I've been able to find long lost friends, and associates from the Marine Corps, college, and vice versa.

[Aaron]

It's great. I've reconnected with all sorts of friends thru FB. The trick is this - most people who think it is a bad idea (professionally or personally) have not mastered the privacy settings. When you sign up, go to the privacy settings and make it so that only your friends can see anything. Then set it so that only you see photos people tag of you, so people can't just tag a photo of you out drunk that your boss/family members/whoever else can see. You can also customize it so that even some people that you add of friends can only see certain parts of your profile. I have it so that a partner that added me can only see my basic information, main photo, and links I post.

Finally, and this is just my personal opinion - use FB to share interesting links, photos, videos, etc. Where many people run into trouble is using it to broadcast what they're doing "Jackie is at work" "Jackie is at home" "Jackie is drowning his sorrows from being dumped by that bitch with a jug of Jaegermeister in an alley behind his house."

A status update posted by one of my "friends" a few months ago, no joke: "Emily has a UTI! Yuck!!!"

[Oskie]

Eh, go for it. I mostly use it to stay connected to folks from high school, college, etc. I don't spend much time on there (maybe once a week), but I like having it out there for people to find me if they are looking.

[TFKoP]

As mentioned by previous comments, I too have reconnected w/ some former friends from the Navy, high school and other places I've lived over my 44 year lifespan.

There are some stories of people getting viruses in the FB accounts (hasn't affected my Mac) or their accounts getting hacked, but I think those are extremely rare. FB offers goofy quizzes which I'm not a fan of as they clog up the homepage, but you can block them if you choose.

I like FB. Way better than MySpace. Plus, you can sign up and if you don't like it, it's easy to remove yourself from it.

Word has gone around that FB is losing money and they may begin charging, but I don't know if that will happen. If it does, I'm bailing on it. For now, though, I check FB several times a day.

[bethany]

I like to play scrabble with Vandelay.
It's cool to see pictures of people I care about.
But, be prepared to have every booger-eater you forgot from high school track you down and want to be your friend, and then they will send you ridiculous quizzes and virtual presents.

It is yet another way to stay in touch with people you would never bother to call on the telephone because you don't care THAT much about them.

It can be pretty addicting, though.

[Newman]

I use it to get BJs.

[Fiction]

If I wanted people from my HS to contact me they would know how. I don't have time for new "friends".

If you want to put your life on the internet, pigeonhole yourself into a marketing demographic, and/or enjoy spending time managing/screening your online pseudo-presence I say go for it.

Personally I prefer anonymity.

[puddy]

Or just be yourself. And don't be friends with people whom you wouldn't want to see you being yourself.

[Kenny Bania]

I use it to get BJs.

Aaaaaaaaaaaand win to Newman.

[Aaron]

Being proud of not having facebook is the new "I don't even own a TV."

[Mr. Kruger]

IMHO: These "social networking" sites are gay and stupid. I signed up for Twitter and got thoroughly bored with it after ten minutes. My cousin signed me up on Facebook, I took one look at it and thought "fuck this dumb-ass shit". All these Facbook-Myspace people are dull-ass morons anyway- I'd rather befriend a retarded dog that just got smacked in the head with a shovel than have to re-meet the clowns I went to high school with.

[Schmoopie]

I think Kruger's parents smacked him in the head with a shovel when he was a kid. You don't have to accept friend requests from people you don't like, doofus! But perhaps everyone you know is a dull-ass moron. If so, my condolences.

My FB friends are mostly smart and funny people, good friends, siblings and the cousins I actually like, etc. People who post funny shit and good links. It's an easy way to share photos of your kids in a way that people can skip right past 'em if they want to. And if one of your friends is a total twit, you can turn off their feed so they won't feel rejected that you've unfriended them, but you never have to read what they post.

I'm sitting on a friend request from an old college boyfriend. He's apparently maxed out on linking to everyone he has ever met on LinkedIn so now he's heading to Facebook. Do not want.

[Jackie]

Being proud of not having facebook is the new "I don't even own a TV."

Exactly. Too cool for school. Not having it is one thing, boasting about not having it is another.

Anyways...

Seems like a real good way of just getting in touch with people you may want to get in touch with who you've lost touch with.

There is no obligation to engage in a bunch of chatter or even post pics of anything.

The more personal you want to be, the more personal you can be, but it certainly seems at the very least like an easy way to reconnect with some people you would actually like to reconnect with.

That's my very preliminary position, but I am still looking for feedback.

[Mr. Kruger]

It's an easy way to share photos of your kids in a way that people can skip right past 'em if they want to.

Really! you can do that?? wow, that's unbelievable! I can't wait to tell all my dull-ass friends! Sounds so exciting.

[H.E. Pennypacker]

Facebook is what you make of it.

If you're a loser with nothing else to do, you'll take all the stupid quizzes and you'll play all the games and fill out all the ads-posing-as-surveys and you'll click on all the links and you'll be, well, a loser with nothing else to do. But you were that to begin with.

I racheted-up the security settings so I don't get random crap from morons. I use it to keep in touch with people who I don't normally get to see, owing to schedules or geography, and I post photos that my friends might find interesting. That's pretty much all I do on there -- I don't go overboard on it -- and it's worked well for me for years.

[puddy]

After giving a 30 minute tutorial, I think you should shitcan this idea.

HOLLA!

[randi]

On it, like it. Better than MySpace. Addicted to Bejeweled Blast.

[Jackie]

After giving a 30 minute tutorial, I think you should shitcan this idea.

HOLLA!

Agreed.

That was an awful experience.

THANKS!

[Assman]

I use it to give me an opportunity to think...

"Who is this person sending me a friend request? Do I know a Maria? Oh... oh, this must be that lady that my cousin went to prom with 14 years ago. Why on earth would she think to look me up? We're not friends. How does she even remember me? Does she want to give me a BJ? 14 years is a long time to want to give a guy a BJ. I can't be going around getting BJs. That's just scandalous. I thought everyone stopped calling them BJs in high school, anyway. I'm going to add her to my 'Wants to give me a BJ' group and keep her from writing about BJs on my wall."

...like twice a week.

[Jackie]

Be that as it may, Assman, I really want to be your friend.

[puddy]

There is a blowing people for coke group. You should join.

[Newman]

I mean, it really does sound like it can ruin one's life to have to remember how some random person knows you. I can see how such a complaint could submarine the entire Facebook concept.

[James Dionne]

FARKLE is like crack.

[Vandelay]

Be that as it may, Assman, I really want to be your friend.

You would think that'd be fun but it's really overrated.

Some people use FB as their public therapy sessions and it's sort of funny to watch in a train wreck sort of way. The internet really has done a good job in exposing how crazy a lot of people are.

[Dr. Whatley]

Go for it.