Facebook

[Yno]

99% dinosaur. I have no real use for facebook. Maybe I am just antisocial. I did however create a throwaway email address and register that with facebook, with absolutely no profile, in order to see one person's page one time. There is no way I would ever give them any real information about myself.

[gibbit1]

Originally Posted by I'm Sasquatch

I hate FB with a passion. I'll never understand the obsession of anyone over the age of 16 to be connected to everything at all times. I'm 40 years old and it drives me nuts to be out with friends who can't peel themselves away. Who gives a **** where you're at or who you're with? While screwing around on FB they are missing out in life unfolding in front of them. These are professional people-law enforcement, medical practitioners, a pilot and the like. Drives me crazy. If I want people to know what I'm up to I'll tell them or invite them to join in. I'll happily continue to use a phone or email to keep in touch. I don't even bother to follow a link to FB anything. I understand that I may not be current with the times and that things do change. I just don't have an interest in social media stuff. I guess that was my stand on a soapbox and rant version of saying I agree with the OP.

Completely agree with this. I'm a firing range officer for my department, and the one thing I will not tolerate, and never thought I'd have to, is someone sorting through their Facebook page with their iphone when they're supposed to be paying attention to the world around them (IE: the shooters on the range). I guess I'm a dinosaur, too. Pass the brontosaurus burger, please.

[DeaconG]

With employers now demanding access to social media accounts, no way am I going to get involved. If they want to know about me they can do it the old fashioned way.

About a year, 18 months ago I read about a company that would go through employees' Facebook sites, get all the incriminating photos they could find, and then put them on a database that a current or future employer could search for seven years. Right then my alarm bells went off.

As much as I would like to (and I've been given several invites), I'd rather not.

[rick_reno]

Originally Posted by I'm Sasquatch

I hate FB with a passion. I'll never understand the obsession of anyone over the age of 16 to be connected to everything at all times. I'm 40 years old and it drives me nuts to be out with friends who can't peel themselves away. Who gives a **** where you're at or who you're with? While screwing around on FB they are missing out in life unfolding in front of them. These are professional people-law enforcement, medical practitioners, a pilot and the like. Drives me crazy. If I want people to know what I'm up to I'll tell them or invite them to join in. I'll happily continue to use a phone or email to keep in touch. I don't even bother to follow a link to FB anything. I understand that I may not be current with the times and that things do change. I just don't have an interest in social media stuff. I guess that was my stand on a soapbox and rant version of saying I agree with the OP.

FB is built to exploit the narcissistic side of the human psyche, and it has done this very well. It fulfills an excessive need for admiration and affirmation, and in the connected world the response is almost immediate, giving instant gratification. It's an interesting phenomenon, people sharing the most mundane aspects of everyday life while others chatter on about it endlessly. I find it fascinating.

[fotoworx]

Originally Posted by I'm Sasquatch

I'm 40 years old and it drives me nuts to be out with friends who can't peel themselves away.

I've noticed this as well. You're at a dinner party and people are sitting at the table with their faces buried into a smart phone.

[outtamymind]

i dunno i agree and disagree with the OP.

i have facebook and it's primarily to stay in touch with family and friends that i don't see too often. but at the same time i do post a status update from time to time. but i don't do those stupid check in things as if someone wants to know where i am they have my number and the people i'm with don't always want everyone knowing what they are doing. i like to maintain a sense of privacy in this not so private society we have now.

and on the other side. if i'm out with the guys or on a date or something i don't sit there on my phone. i pay attention to life and enjoy it to its fullest.

[fotoworx]

Dinosaur question - Twitter is different that Facebook.....yes?

[Woolburr]

Yes....Twitter and Facebook are two entirely different animals. Tweets are limited to 140 characters. Brevity is the key.

[bikeboynate]

IMO twitter is worst than facebook since people will tweet "at the mall" then "bought stuff at the mall" and then "eating at the food court at the mall" all within a 15 minute time period. With twitter taking that over facebook has become less of an update everyone about you life every second to instant gratification via liking and commenting on less mundane topics (albeit still mundane .)

[tonylong]

I think some folks may have Twitter and Facebook mixed up -- Twitter is the one that is known for reporting the little minute-to-minute details of your life.

Facebook has been about connectivity -- you make friends at your discretion, you joing groups at your discretion, or "Like" and follow a post or site at your discretion. I joined a couple years ago, and it has been pretty slow-moving, because I'm picky about who I "friend" and I only belong to a couple groups. So, my Wall "page" doesn't get inundated with stuff.

Boring, but a couple interesting things.

First of all, via Facebook I've come into contact with people who I had known 30-40 or more years ago, some from my high school days in the '60s, and then many more who I had known and/or worked with over the next 40 years. Some of the contacts are so-so, but others have led to some re-connecting. And then, earlier in this year, a man who had been a common friend to a bunch of old friends of mine and who I had known personally like 40 years ago, passed away at 73, and, wow, Facebook was the "connection" to bring people from not just all over the country but from different parts of the world together, people who had gotten to know him, and many of whom showed up for a memorial for him, close to where I live, so I went, and wow...

And then, just over the last few days, a POTN member took the intitiative to start a Facebook "group" for photography, involving people he knew in his locality, but also giving open invitations to POTN members and such, so I said "What the heck" and joined in and it's been fun, tossing out photos, talking about things, hey, reminders of POTN!

So really, to take a "negative"/"hate" stance toward Facebook is silly, especially when you are doing it on an Internet forum, think about it!

[bikeboynate]

Originally Posted by tonylong

So really, to take a "negative"/"hate" stance toward Facebook is silly, especially when you are doing it on an Internet forum, think about it!

Now that is something I've never thought about, but is one of the best points I've seen about having the "hate" stance. When I was younger (like 5 years ago when I was 13) I too had that hate stance, but as time wore on, I said to myself "hell, everyone else is, I guess I'll do it too." So here I am with a facebook profile and my facebook business page trying to round up some more likes and virality.

[bipodsnapster]

Originally Posted by fotoworx

I've had an internet connection since 1998, I'm a confirmed card carrying internet junkie, but if there's one thing I totally don't get it's Facebook.

The reason why you don't get Facebook IS because you've been on the Net since '98.

You're old!!!

[tonylong]

Hey, I started on the Internet before the Web went public, in '92.

Back then we had bulletin boards, news groups, and other ways of "chatting", so "social networking" is not new!

In fact, in the "old days" the idea of using the Internet and then the new Web for things like business/commercial use and such was, well, virtually unheard of, although we would whisper about the disturbing possibilities...

[fotoworx]

Originally Posted by bipodsnapster

You're old!!!

I know

[bipodsnapster]

Originally Posted by fotoworx

I know

Don't be sad, it's good to be old (or older)

Otherwise you would be tweeting around non-stop on your smart phone what you just eat and take a picture of yourself while eating it etc.