roadiejorge 

It depends on the level of privacy you want and also what type of content you post as well. Some people are very expressive while others not so much, I'm the latter. I restricted the access my coworkers have but I'm a pretty mellow person so there won't be any tagged photos of me in drag smoking crack anyway. I only accepted "friend" requests from co-workers because it felt rude not to, and this was in the early days of Facebook.

I do like the fact old HS and college friends have found me so that's been nice. Facebook has certainly expanded the reach of social networking, and like any tool you have the power to use it in which ever way is best for you.

pallen

I have a Facebook account and love it. The nice thing about Facebook is that it can pretty much be what you want it to be. Whatever bothers you about Facebook, there is probably a way to fix that. I have all the games blocked and annoying people get hidden. If your friends are complete idiots, well, I may not can help you there...

Facebook is where all my social calendaring is. When friends are family are doing something, they create an event and invite everyone. I can log in and see all the upcoming things I need to remember in one place. I also hardly use email outside of business/work. All personal communication goes through Facebook. I also like that I can see what old high school friends and acquaintances are up to without actually having to get into a conversation with them on the phone or take the time to send an email. (Sometimes your just a little curious about what someone's doing, where they live now, etc, but dont really want to start up a conversation about it)

Having said all that, we dont need a Like button here

oban_kobi

Highly inappropriate, you should not force your friends to procreate.

I just use it to talk to friends. My FB friends are actual friends, or "could" be, such as someone I met in a class. If I don't talk to someone for a month or so and was never at all close to them, I delete them.
19 friends, one is a snowball in the freezer, another is my first bike, named "bike".

Oh good lord I just rejected some random girls friend request. I think I talked to her twice last year or something.

I'm not anti-social, really....

bonz50

FB is junior high for adults. i killed my acct two years ago after only 6 months...

for a biz I can see the draw... for personal use, bah humbug

pallen

How so? I dont really see this when I'm on Facebook.
Is it Facebook, or is it your "friends"?

bonz50

interesting fact, FB is now cited as the primary reason of just a hair over 5% of all divorces? just sayin

pallen

Facebook allows people to communicate - sometimes people who otherwise wouldn't communicate without it.

If people use that communication ability to have affairs, act like Jr High kids, etc, is it the communication medium's fault for allowing them the ability to communicate?

Crimsonghost

a. I do remember when (cell)phones became a commonplace. There an exelent form of communication. No need for useless banter back and forth over the Internet trying to come to a conclusion of what your going to be doing in the next 5 minutes. Someone dials, someone picks up and a conversation is had. Simple and effective.
b. I'll give you that one. My home town is about 15 miles from my current residence. But I have had plenty of people move away from my area. Do I still keep in contact with them? Yes I do. See above. (I also haven't lived with mine or anyone else's parents since 1998).
c. I've tried rubbing my freinds together before. One of them called the cops, and the other tried to charge me for it...


Tl;dr: there's better and more effective ways out there to keep lines of communication open without subjecting yourself to the pissing contest that is Facebook. Thats not to say it isn't without it's uses. Great for music, business, and promotion. But for most individuals it's just about posting what you ate or how many times you pooped today. Think I'll pass.

WhyFi

That's FBs fault? If discontented wives/husbands are finding old flings, thanks to FB, I doubt that we can pin those relationship problems on the website. Maybe we should flip it - facebook is credited with helping 5% of all divorcees out of their marriage misery.

bonz50

i never said it was the mediums fault... in the 70's you could have blamed nightclubs for that instead... but, from what I see there and the level of juvenile behavior on display there as a whole, I stand by my original statement... the internet as a whole has allowed anyone with a kyb to loudly display their level of idiocy and open themselves up for ridicule and attack at an unprecedented level... FB has amplified that in my eyes... and has been said in this thread, if you're over 20ish and under about 60ish, well, might be time to find another way to spend your time...

if you love it, have at it, it doesn't bother me, I know what I saw there, I know what I hear about from people I know that still use it... i have no desire to become active in that again...

WhyFi

I only poop once per day, in the morning, just before showering. I guess that the lack of variety means that I have to find other things to post about. I get by. My status update this morning, not that anyone here cares -

pallen

I'm just suggesting that some people don't see what you see when they log onto facebook - because they have different friends or they know how to manage the idiots. When I see someone repeatedly acting stupid or posting garbage, they get deleted or hidden - problem solved.

Also, I dont spend a lot of time on FB. I check in periodically during the day to see if anything interesting or important showed up and I'm gone. I spend more minutes on BF than FB. (I know, sad...)

Psimet2001 

So...sorry - what's going on over here now? I was busy on facebook...

pallen

Maybe in your friend's list...

guadzilla

Yes, b/c everyone obviously lives in the same town as all their friends.

guadzilla

I have a large collection of exes in my FB friends list. I have been contemplating inviting them all to a group called "Guadzilla's Exes - Share and Compare", just to see the reaction. A small voice tells me it may not be the smart thing to do, but one day, after a few beachside tequilas too many....

WhyFi

Only do this if you feel that you're getting an big head and need an ego check.

Psimet2001 

THAT....would be hilarious.

guadzilla

It could also be painful. I am leaning more towards the pain, atleast while sober.

Puget Pounder

Get with the times people.

In all seriousness, I'm not crazy about FB, but it is useful. To say that it's not useful in anyway shows a lack of understanding of its potential. I like to stay current with my friends who have moved away after graduating college. It makes communicating with close friends who live across the country much easier. Coordinating social, work, school event is much easier and quicker.

I think that verbal communication is becoming a lost skill with people who are so submerged in texting/FB, but those are the weirdos anyway.

Trailblazer3

I lol'd at this...

No Facebook here -I have no friends and I sure as hell don't want a Facebook account to remind me of such haha