Your thoughts on Facebook

For the longest time, I had a hard time explaining to people that tell me "OMG, why don't you have a Facebook account?", why I don't have one. And I just ran across a funny (Funny coz its all TRUE - oh and its a Canadian site so humor is a given) which basically sums up to a tee why I fucking despise that website.

So read it, and share your thoughts/opinions on Facebook.

Personally, I know only 2 close friends that hate Facebook as much as I do. I guess I'm in the minority, but I will NEVER, EVER join again (forced to signup by peer pressure, but i grew some sense and deleted the account)

www.tommyv2.com/07may3.html

To sum it up, "Privacy is the ultimate freedom that we are granted in life, and you fools are giving it away."

I let people from Facebook into my house all the time. When they're really lucky and I'm having a 'blonde' day, I even let them peer at my thoughts.

Weren't you in the Listal group on Facebook though?

I had a facebook account. which is why I can say everything in that article is true. lol

but i guess i should re-word my first post to clarify this.

I will admit that I know a few people that use Facebook responsibly. They never put confidential info on their, they set the privacy options very tight, they only accept close friends and family on there, and they don't bother with all those idiotic applications that just sign away all your privacy rights to an unknown third party.

But these people are in minority too (only 3 people I know claim to work on facebook only that way). Everyone else I know is so addicted to facebook that they run into my house and log on just to see who wrote on their wall before they even say "hi" to me - no word of a lie, some have done that. I now password-protect my PC and tell them to fuck off when they're jonesing for the Wall.

You can't delete your Facebook account!!! That would be madness. You can only deactiviate it. So all your stuff is still there, just frozen.

I've always been wary of Facey B. I have the highest privacy settings imagineable because I just don't want just anyone looking at my profile. Unfortunately, society breeds so many idiots who MySpace it and just let loose for all to see.

I still can't believe some people put their mobile and work info up there.

One of my 'friends' (used in loosest terms) is so into it, she has 350+ friends, many of them random strangers (after all, it IS the new 'plenty of fish'), many of them exs, and she posts shit like "OMG, going out with James to Fitzys tonight, hes sooooo hot!!!"

I had to have a talk with her. Do you really want all your exs, friends (that may have also dated James) and random internet strangers that are on the net to stalk and f*ck you, do you REALLY want everyone to know where you'll be tonight with your date??

My friend and I usually have a laugh at how pathetic the majority of FB Status Updates are. Its a great source of humour.

"Johnny C loves his babz, cant wait for our bath 2nyt lol."

I feel MSN is a more personal thing to me. For my genuine friends and associates I use MSN to talk to them but other ppl I save for Facebook as its easier to put them 2nd, if you know what I mean.

I don't think its evil. Its just so easy to use. I would organise events at Uni for 40-50 people and it really cut down on the hassle by just clicking their name and awaiting their RSVP.

Its a damn sight better than most other social networking sites, though. It doesn't allow for garish backgrounds and music to take over for one thing.

I use Facebook because its one of the easiest ways I have of keeping in contact with everyone I've met so far at university. I know people from America, Canada, Continental Europe and even Australia who don't have MSN (and I don't feel like adding another chat client on my computer just for the sake of one or two people who are barely online) and wouldn't be practical to text or call, so Facebook in one respect allows me to keep up with them all in one easy place. Sure, some people just wave their information all over the place, but as with everything else in life, you just have to be smart about it.

It doesn't allow for garish backgrounds and music to take over

I honestly dont know whats worse - MySpace backgrounds and music, or Facebook Applications.

Actually, Facebook Applications are worse. The Fox can zap those shit backgrounds and music, but those applications are annoying as hell... ugh... No I DONT wanna know who gropped me or kicked me or poked me or slapped me or winked at me - nor do I want another idiotic trivia or virtual gift. here's an idea - go to a flower shop and buy a REAL FLOWER - chances of you getting laid are vastly improved.
If you use Facebook properly, i think it can be a useful tool. But in the hands of a tool (which is 90+% of the facebook population) it becomes the downfall of society. I know a few people that actually sit at home on a friday night flirting and checking their wall and everyone else's wall instead of .. you know.. GOING OUT on a friday night with actual real-life friends.

I check Facebook twice a day.

I'm definitely not the type of person who posts my innermost thoughts and deepest darkest secrets on the internet for all to see, but it's nice to be able to communicate to my friends, considering I don't have cell phone service at my house and rarely venture out to where I do get cell phone service...

I have my profile as private as I can, and I only add people I know well, and wouldn't mind having my phone number. And since I never have phone service, it doesn't really matter who has my number, because my phone isn't going to ring. :P

I hate it for all the idiots that use it, though. :P

You can't have a custom layout
You can't even choose a color your profile

Case and point.

i think that's for you Grand Assault: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZzP_69ZTFk

regarding the topic, i have one, but with a fantasy fake name, so that i just could check out what the damn hype is about and too look a little into the technology. i logged in like 3 times and don't use it at all. while others fight fiercely for privacy and against data mining, surveillance etc. those poor fools gladly and voluntarily jump into the pits of hell and wonder how they didn't get a certain job or why some people despise/stalk/gossip them...

Well, I have to admit, I see a lot of that on Facebook. But for me, I love it. Of course, most of my friends don't do idiotic stuff on it like dating. They all have real favorite quotes, books, movies, and topics that they enjoy talking about, so they actually use that space for something.

Plus, most of my internet friends are in Europe and Canada, so it's a wonderful way to stay in contact and see what's up without have to write long-winded letters back and forth when the other person is occupied with school or work.

It's just my preference. I can't get into Myspace, and I see a lot of people who prefer it to Facebook.

I also used to be upset about it's lack of personalization, but I rather like the clean look of the blue and white.

hate facebook? well i dont even know what it is, ive herd its like myspace or something...

I have no reason for Facebook or MySpace

MySpace is annoying and always will be, Facebook is annoying and always will be,
I don't have any friends that moved away
if I did, I'd call them so I could TALK to them, not TYPE to them, or I'd use a little something called MSN, which would let me type to them Instantly, not take halfm a day to a week to respond,
Plus, my business is my business, sometimes I wonder why people are idiotic enough to give out so much information on their pages, it's kind of funny
I'm surprised MySpace hasn't been sued for anything involving Stalkers,
Hell, maybe MySpace's slogan should be "We find stalkers so YOU don't have to!"

Honestly, to me MySpace and Facebook will never have any interest to me.
I swear half the people on there are total idiots... just thinking about joining that 'place' makes my IQ drop...

ok ok ok.. i caved.. LOL.. i'm on facebook once more..

yes, i know, i'm a fucking hypocrite.. LOL.. but i also said i'd never re-enter into a 'relationship' and it looks like im breaking that promise too.. ;)

Having been on the dating scene most of the summer, and making some great new friends along the way, it actually comes quite in handy especially since i'm hardly ever home much anymore. especially for its events option where house parties and upcoming concerts and club events are posted by your friends.

The iMusic option, and the Flixter Movies option in Facebook is always quite nice, and it would be nice to have a slick Listal app on FB sometime in future. To tap into all the millions of people on there and everyone's friends, it would bring in a lot of fresh new users.

i think key is to know and use the few privacy options on there...

1. keep your profile, pictures, even list of friends, completely hidden from general public.

2. don't invite everyone you ever just said "hi" to on the street. some of my friends have '500+' friends and i think that is so annoying, wich makes me turn all my photo albums to 'Only Friends' option instead of 'Friends of Friends', cause god knows whose all on their list.

3. Be very cautious about which applications to add. You always agree to give away lots of your personal data to whoever that 3rd party is that created the app, for same of syncing up data with FB. But at same time, who knows which marketing engine gets your info.

Also, I signed up just as the 'new' facebook was being launched, and i must say i dont know what the fuss is about with everyone addicted to the old layout. The dynamic and flyover pop-up edit boxes all over are very nice, you can fine-tune which stories i want to hear more about and which people to almost ignore. and best of all, they took everyones hundreds of apps that cluttered up their profile page and shoved it all into a tab called 'Boxes'. Brilliant! i think FB developers saw a big potential that many piss-poor 3rd party apps could possibly be their downfall, so their trying to herd all that shit into a different part and keep people's profile pages a lot more simpler.

If any people i regularly talk to on here have a facebook account, or know me on a more personal level, send me a message with contact info.

I've never heard of Facebook can anyone care to explain to me what it is.

Lol Prelude, thats kind of funny that you've gone from hating it to being on it, all the more reason why I may want to stay away from it, if it can get you it can get me 100 times over

I hadn't heard of facebook until like a year ago Derron lol,

I personally dont like sites like BEBO, HI-5, MYSPACE, or FACEBOOK

I like it better when i am actually talkin to the person on a phone or by txting...
And yeah some people might say that those sites are ways for people to meet each other, but I prefer to go out and meet people... Face to Face!!!
Simply because, I always had this thought that the people i am talking to may not be who they say they are and dont think the way they say...

Thats a crucial reason for me as well, but, those sites are for socializing and managing schedules(Facebook was originally created by college students, for college students) and they weren't meant for bringing people together, thats why no one can trust anyone online for the most part, because they are online, no hearing there voice, no seeing them in person, besides, if you don't have anyone yet, go to sites actually MADE for dating lol

lol
nice point

actually, meeting strangers and making new friends on facebook has helped me and many of my friends (girls and guys) more so than real 'dating' websites. I personally know 4 couples that have hit off great and are perfect for each other that have met thru facebook apps or friend of friend chatting on there.

I tried PlentyOfFish dating site briefly this spring and it seems to be full of crazy psycho bitches, not much else :)

from all i've heard, face book is just another cheap rip off of my space or somthing right?

myspace is only good for bands and to preview their music. But the core of it, keeping in touch with friends & family, facebook is light years ahead of myspace, which seems to target only the 12 to 16 year old crowd.

Here is an interesting article comparing usability of MySpace vs Facebook

mashable.com/2007/06/10/facebook-hammers-myspace-on-almost-all-key-features/

Facebook was made by College students for College students, MySpace was made by a guy, for teens really,

I kinda find it second nature to assume Facebook owns MySpace, I still don't really like either of them, I won't need one yet, as I am still a teenager and I'd rather not have my job applicant be denied for something that I might say on Facebook, as they usually come back to haunt you
So I'm straying away from Facebook until then, cuz knowing me I'll put something extremely dumb up there at least 400 times

The popularity of facebook, or myspace or orkut for that matter, seems to be rather area specific. In my part of Canada, for example, why I finally caved to Facebook is that pretty much everyone and anyone i know - friends, family, co-workers - have a facebook account. In fact, out of all my friends, just one doesnt have a facebook account.. ONE PERSON.. and about half my co-workers have an account, and most of my family have one too, except for my one brother who doesnt have internet at his house (yes, people like that still exist!).

Even meeting up friends of friends at bars, if we want to keep in touch, i found people always ask two things - what's your mobile #, and what's your full name for facebook? and with ALL those people I don't think more than 2 or 3 actually have a MySpace account. In fact, the one friend who DOESN'T have facebook is the biggest user of MySpace, but only for the music of up-and-coming bands.

And Orkut seems to be a very Brazilian thing, and popular as hell in other countries too - I think India is also a huge Orkut base.

What is Orkut like? never heard of it...
You have a point Prelude(about the Asking for Full Name for Facebook) but I still feel like it's a bad idea for me to do it while I'm still so young, as I'll probably get sucked into stupid things that I'll post on there...