Comments on: To Facebook or not to Facebook

By: ishouldbeworking

ishouldbeworking — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:24:53 +0000

I am on Facebook, but I mildly despise myself for it, and I would rather receive a letter any day than a virtual pint. That said, I did get back in touch with my old friend Keith via Facebook, and on balance that alone was worth all the associated nonsense.

Use it judiciously, and keep your privacy settings high, Grasshopper.

By: Cocktails

Cocktails — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:54:27 +0000

I know its a big marketing ploy – that’s what I use it for at work!

Anyway, Ms Empress, maybe by the I do actually join everyone else will have got sick of it for precisely that reason…

By: Roman Empress

Roman Empress — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:47:15 +0000

I’d resist if I were you Cocktails, it’s all one big marketing ploy. It’s full of annoying status updates, which I’m increasingly finding irritating, folk telling you they’ve just sneezed and are now feeling really happy, people joining I’m a fan of whoever or whatever group, or inviting you to join some daft group or sending you some nonsense on your ‘fun wall’. What’s fun about a wall?
Sorry my earlier point wasn’t very clear. I do love letters too, I mean I don’t get letters from my friend anymore, she uses facebook instead, so that’s not as exotic!

By: Cocktails

Cocktails — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:19:43 +0000

Ooh, I’ll have to think about it but you’ve come up with some pretty good arguments. However, everything is a political decision for me, including whether I want to give my details to ‘the man’ (which was one of my original reasons for not being on there).

*goes and puts on hippy Melanie LP and wishes life was simpler*

By: planet mondo

planet mondo — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:49:54 +0000

Go on do it – people will only ever find out what you let them to know, or load up , there’s not really any intrusion as such. And you can always limit your profile and be discreet. I’m on it (actually there’s a few bloggers you’ll know on there) – but tend to be a casual user.

By: BLTP

BLTP — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:42:38 +0000

It’s already started, I did search for my name on flickr (as you do) which lead by accident to my nephews bebo page. I didn’t stay long as it was bit like wandering round his room when he’s out but there all sorts of nonsense on there which a few years ago my Uncle would never had access to about me and I wasn’t even trying hard to find things out. If you fall off a bench at wedding and it ends up of youtube and then face book your boss can watch while they have their lunch.

By: Cocktails

Cocktails — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:46:33 +0000

Oh yes, I have a distinctive name too, but what’s the point of being on Facebook if no one can find you?

I really can’t believe that notions of privacy will change that much. I mean I can’t forsee a time when when I want my friends, my parents, my manager and the people I manage to see the same things about me. I’m not talking about presenting entirely different personalities to people, it’s a matter of formality I suppose. In the future then, will everyone be really nice and polite or will we all swear and shamelessly tell our Grandmothers how completely and utterly fucking wrecked we got last night?

By: BLTP

BLTP — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:30:25 +0000

having a distictive name my face book is deliberately bland to avoid people at work stumbling on it and getting the wrong end of the stick all they would find at present is that I haven’t logged on in a while. I’ve seen alot talk about how in future wanting to protect this sort of privacy will be unknown but for the time being the women from finance who i’ve talked to once in the kitchen doesn’t need to know the details of my birthday party etc.

By: Cocktails

Cocktails — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:58:48 +0000

interesting point about the ‘generational fault line’, BLTP, although in this case I think its just my ‘difficult’ personality – I really like to be in control of communications i.e. I don’t neccessarily want my friends, family and work colleagues all to see the same things. I would like to have more meaningful exchanges beyond buying someone a virtual fish to put in their virtual acquarium.

I am actually already on Facebook for work purposes – under a pseudynom such is my paranoia! – so I am well aware of the extent for time wasting that Facebook encourages. But apart from the instant communication and the ease of organising your social life, the whole thing just irks me – from the updates I get from work colleagues telling me what stupid group they’ve just joined to people who are ‘Facebook’ friends with people who we both know that they hate!

But mind you maybe I am just being paranoid. Like you, Ill Man, I’d prefer to avoid people sometimes so maybe they’ll want to avoid me! I mean, I tell people about this blog and still none of them read it… Although, on second thoughts after this post, maybe that’s good…

By: the ill man

the ill man — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:31:50 +0000

As something of a ‘Billy No Mates’, it’s easy for me to dismiss Facebook. I would suggest joining, but not letting it become the centre of your life. I’m on it, somewhere, but I don’t go near it unless someone contacts me.

It all depends on how many aquaintances you have that organise their lives through Facebook. They might never leave you alone…………..

By: BLTP

BLTP — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:56:37 +0000

I think you may be on minor generational fault line, for 25-35 years olds I think facebook is the norm and is just a version of email, pity it looks so rubbishy/messy. Was impressed by youngish woman on the train who spent 2 hours on her phone on face book (i wasn’t gawping she had her phone flat in front of me most of the time) quite what she found to say I’m not sure I think this failing in me not her.

By: Cocktails

Cocktails — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:31:07 +0000

RE, I think that letters are still exotic. Particularly since I rarely get any these days. And they are difficult to write which adds to the kudos – it’s not just the time, it’s physically holding a pen and writing lots of words!

As for scrabulous, I don’t think I could cope with any more things distracting me from what I should be doing!

By: Roman Empress

Roman Empress — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:33:59 +0000

Too many of my friends use it for arranging nights out. Mind you I’d like to think they would email separately if I weren’t on it, but I am, so I’ll never know. Although interestingly none of my teacher friends use it to stay in touch or arrange nights out. I like that we don’t use facebook and I like checking my yahoo to catch up with them, although they seem to be the only ones these days. I know what you mean about the letters thing. I used to get letters from my friend in Adelaide, now it doesn’t seem so exotic.
I like Facebook because of Scrabulous, I’ve always got at least 4 games on the go at once.

By: Cocktails

Cocktails — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:40:52 +0000

F-C + BLTP, It would be ok if there were more people out there who were like you and ambivalent about Facebook, but I know people who spend their lives on there. And irritatingly, they are just not responding to my emails quite like they used to: ‘well, get on Facebook’ they say when I joke about their tardiness in replying.

I think it’s all a bit rubbish, but I’m open to convincing again. Anyone?!

By: BLTP

BLTP — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:34:56 +0000

never took up with face book, seem to manage with a mix of emails, blogs, flickr photo comments, text messages (photo ones are popular with my brother) and talking to people. Face books just seemed a but false and tacky, although I did enjoy playing scrabble for a bit now all I get is rubbish quizzes for american films I’ve never .

By: Five-Centres

Five-Centres — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:03:27 +0000

I am on Facebook but I rarely look at it. No one sends me messages from there, apart from asking me to join whatever juvenile time-wasting group they’ve just started or to send me a virtual gift. It’s meaningless claptrap – unless you’re 15.

I’d far rather get a letter. Or failing that, an email.

If you get a handwritten letter these days, it’s usually bad news.