You see, this is why I quite like fb. It does keep you informed of what's going on with family and friends. As long as you cut through all the rubbish and don't spend too long posting things yourself it just works as a handy 'newspaper' for your social life. For me fb is what you make of it.
Think about it for a second - say your kid has just had it's 1st birthday. If you emailed the photos to everyone in your address book you'd would be potentially 'spamming' people who aren't interested. However by posting it on fb everyone can then choose whether to see them or not. So I get to see pictures of my cousin's kids regularly without actually being in close contact with them. It makes much more sense to share things this way so people can pick and choose what they are interested in.
I would say that the OP is actually being selfish in expecting friends and family to contact him/her directly with everything going on in their life just because they've chosen not to use fb. It's the equivalent of burning someone's christmas letter and then complaining that they didn't personally tell them what was in it.
You don't have to use your real name on facebook, a pseudonym is fine. I don't use my full name, I'm only friends with people that know who I am, and I can't be tracked down by random nobodies from the past. Anyone I was at school/uni/used to work with/am related to, that I want to keep in touch with, are already facebook friends.
I completely agree about people oversharing personal stuff on there, though, especially if their profile is open for all and sundry to read.
It's pretty easy to prevent anyone who is not a friend (or friend of a friend) from finding you in fb. That's what i've done. Also if you limited your friend list to family and good friends it limits your exposure - I only have 50 odd friends on fb.
Ah, but public forums uses aliases. Facebook uses your real name.
The only comment I have about Facebook is: Why is there a need to tell the whole world what you're doing, where, and when? If it bites back at you, you only have yourself to blame for posting personal material.
You can use an alias and I have separate 'professional' and personal account. Also your account should be locked down so you are not telling the whole world.
The way I see it, people are quick to slag off facebook but it is a useful tool if used in the same way that you would if you met people in real life. The drama you see online would be happening in real life, just behind closed doors.
I would say that the OP is actually being selfish in expecting friends and family to contact him/her directly with everything going on in their life just because they've chosen not to use fb. It's the equivalent of burning someone's christmas letter and then complaining that they didn't personally tell them what was in it.
That rather depends on what the thing was that he found out via FB and who it was about.
I don't think it is unreasonable to expect to hear news about family before it gets broadcast to distant aquaintances. I wouldn't want to find out that a close family member or friend had died by reading it on social media.
But like I said - that's not something FB can control.
People can be so vicious on Facebook I had some friends who are not my friends anymore sending awful messages to me Ive blocked them I'm still on Facebook but keep thinking about deactivating my Facebook account
Me too, Im not on facebook and am viewed as very odd by others for not being on it.
Same here. I checked it out a few years ago to see if it would be useful for my business. Since it's not I've never felt the need to share every moment of my life with the rest of the world. All my friends now know better than to take pictures of their food (to post on FB) when they're out with me. >:(
You can use an alias and I have separate 'professional' and personal account. Also your account should be locked down so you are not telling the whole world.
The way I see it, people are quick to slag off facebook but it is a useful tool if used in the same way that you would if you met people in real life. The drama you see online would be happening in real life, just behind closed doors.
That's true but you do have to be careful. A colleague of mine was surprised to receive a phone call from a client at home. Her professional and personal accounts had somehow "crossed". I'm not sure how that happens, but it's something to be aware of.
People can be so vicious on Facebook I had some friends who are not my friends anymore sending awful messages to me Ive blocked them I'm still on Facebook but keep thinking about deactivating my Facebook account
Do you not have other friends on there though, who you do want to keep in touch with ? If so, isn't deactivating a bit like throwing the baby out with the bathwater?
That's true but you do have to be careful. A colleague of mine was surprised to receive a phone call from a client at home. Her professional and personal accounts had somehow "crossed". I'm not sure how that happens, but it's something to be aware of.
Comments
Think about it for a second - say your kid has just had it's 1st birthday. If you emailed the photos to everyone in your address book you'd would be potentially 'spamming' people who aren't interested. However by posting it on fb everyone can then choose whether to see them or not. So I get to see pictures of my cousin's kids regularly without actually being in close contact with them. It makes much more sense to share things this way so people can pick and choose what they are interested in.
I would say that the OP is actually being selfish in expecting friends and family to contact him/her directly with everything going on in their life just because they've chosen not to use fb. It's the equivalent of burning someone's christmas letter and then complaining that they didn't personally tell them what was in it.
It's pretty easy to prevent anyone who is not a friend (or friend of a friend) from finding you in fb. That's what i've done. Also if you limited your friend list to family and good friends it limits your exposure - I only have 50 odd friends on fb.
You can use an alias and I have separate 'professional' and personal account. Also your account should be locked down so you are not telling the whole world.
The way I see it, people are quick to slag off facebook but it is a useful tool if used in the same way that you would if you met people in real life. The drama you see online would be happening in real life, just behind closed doors.
Edited to say, she wasn't reading Facebook when she died but a family member posted to say she had stopped breathing.
That rather depends on what the thing was that he found out via FB and who it was about.
I don't think it is unreasonable to expect to hear news about family before it gets broadcast to distant aquaintances. I wouldn't want to find out that a close family member or friend had died by reading it on social media.
But like I said - that's not something FB can control.
Same here. I checked it out a few years ago to see if it would be useful for my business. Since it's not I've never felt the need to share every moment of my life with the rest of the world. All my friends now know better than to take pictures of their food (to post on FB) when they're out with me. >:(
That's true but you do have to be careful. A colleague of mine was surprised to receive a phone call from a client at home. Her professional and personal accounts had somehow "crossed". I'm not sure how that happens, but it's something to be aware of.
Do you not have other friends on there though, who you do want to keep in touch with ? If so, isn't deactivating a bit like throwing the baby out with the bathwater?
It can't unless you post to the wrong account.
My sister told me about two women where she works, who don't speak to each other in the office, but they're 'friends' on facebook. !
you don't need to 'get' facebook, your social circle does.