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Lately, I've been feeling some pressure (from friends/family) to join Facebook. I'm 58 and certainly didn't grow up with any kind of social media. I'm suspicious/leery of the consequences of joining, but at the same time I'm fascinated with the concept as a social phenomenon. I tend to be a private person, but at the same time I have a great group of friends. Your thoughts.
It is very nice to interact with friends and family members near and far. It is time consuming and can be a little addictive, which is not a good thing. Traditional methods of keeping in touch (phone, mail) are just as effective, albeit slower in the case of snail mail. If you have the time and discipline, there is nothing wrong with it. As the others have mentioned you can adjust your privacy settings so no one can find out anything about you except those that you let into your "inner circle".
I'm 60 and joined about 3 or 4 years ago. I love it. I keep in touch with family and friends. I live in the UK, my family lives in the US, hubbys family in Australia, friends in Uganda where we used to live, etc.
My nephews wife gave birth in the US while we lived in Uganda. He kept the family up to date on her labour via FB. After the baby was born he posted photos and video on FB. I have many stories like this one.
I keep my account very secure and don't put too much info on my profile.
There are so many different ways to use Facebook... I seriously don't understand 90% of the criticisms in this thread. Find the way you want to use it, and relax. I'm older than any of the people complaining here that they're too old to figure it out, so just give that one up. The latest research shows that continually learning new things that are hard or puzzling is one of the best ways to ward off Alzheimer's
I mean, you obviously figured this forum out, didn't you? And Facebook is just a little more complicated, but then again, it's a lot more sophisticated, because it is about networking.
First, I find it's a great way to keep in touch with people who live far away. When I'm in Hawai'i, trying to stay up with what my good friend in Paris is doing is not so easy. But only hours ago, literally, in a flash I sent him an article about the Austin, Texas building we used to both work in being sold to General Motors, and then had someone else we both used to work with see it, and comment on it, and thus I'm now back in touch with another old friend. It's kind of like bumping into an old friend at another friend's party, when the whole world is your friends' party.
The people I stay in regular contact with by phone are a small group. The people I stay in regular contact with by email are a larger group. But the people I can stay in contact with on Facebook... on whatever level I choose... is a much larger group that runs into the hundreds. Former co-workers, treasured friends from the various places I've lived. Not people I'll communicate with every day, or even every month, but people who enrich my life just by being where I can find them.
Second, it's a great way to reconnect with people I knew a long time ago but whom I've lost track of. I recently met up with a guy and his wife... I worked with him more than 25 years ago, far from where I live now... and because he was friends with someone else who was friends with me he noticed something I said and was able to connect with me, and since they were soon to be traveling to where I was now, he reached out and we had a delightful dinner together. That never would have happened before Facebook. And a sad event a year ago, the tragic death of a beloved boss from long ago lead to me leaving a reminiscence on a FB Memorial that many people who knew us both responded to, and reached out to reconnect with me. I added more than 50 FB "Friends" just from that single paragraph I wrote. And those are all people I had no telephone numbers or email addresses for after so many years, but whom I have another kind of connection with that desewrves being nurtured.
Third, it's a great way to meet new like minded people, both locally and globally. No, not by posting singles ads, and I don't mean dating (although that would certainly be possible) as much as I mean connecting with people who like the same activities and have the same interests. And it's quite natural... a friend posts something that I comment on... a friend of theirs sees my comment and responds... and then, after a day or a week or a month or whatever, when they've seen enough about what I have shared to want to know me better, they request to be FB friends. And over time... I've been active on FB for years... I've gotten to have some extraordinary FB friends, and some have transitioned offline and into real world friendships. What could be better?
There are more reasons... I have several friends who develop business contacts through FB, and are successful at it because they don't bug people, they just let people know what they offer, and people who are interested come to them. Etc., etc., etc. Bands and authors and artists who use FB to let fans know what they are doing, etc. I find out about events I'm interested in because friends share them on FB. And many more.
But let me briefly address the question of Facebook being too... something... for you. Too much gossip, too much advertising, too time consuming. But every parameter of your experience is under your control. Person by person you can individually control what you see of all that others are sharing. All someone ever shares are pictures of cats with cute sayings? I turn my subscription to that kind of person way down, so all I see from them are the life events changes they post. My dear friend the big hearted conspiracy nut who once helped me at a faraway community food pantry, but whose politics I can't stand? I turn his feed off. We're still networked, and still have a way to communicate if something personal comes up, but I no longer have to read stuff I don't agree with. And my shy friend who is facing serious health issues, but only checks in and posts once a month or so... I have my subscription to her feed to show me absolutely everything she posts... that I am permitted to see.
And that's the other thing. You are in control, post by post, over who sees what you've shared, because you set the privacy to: nobody, friends only, friends and their friends, the public, or a custom list that you control. So, for instance, I can post items to my Timeline that only my family can see, or only my softball group can see, etc.
There's more, but that should give a taste of what is possible if you just open your mind to what's available.
I love Facebook and use it to stay connected to friends and family. I like that it lets me control the privacy of my photos and posts.
My only complaint is with other FB users that don't follow basic etiquitte. For example.... 1) Never tag a friend in a photo, it's just rude and requires the awkward "untagging" by the friend. 2) What you post on someones wall can be seen by all of their friends, so keep it appropriate. 3) Don't be FB friends with your ex, or use FB to stalk them, it delays the healing process and prevents you from moving on (this has been scientifically proven).
My only complaint is with other FB users that don't follow basic etiquitte. For example.... 1) Never tag a friend in a photo, it's just rude and requires the awkward "untagging" by the friend.
One of the things to get used to is that Facebook is that it has its own etiquette, and that etiquette has largely been determined by a young crowd. On FB, picture tagging isn't considered rude, it's considered fun.
Picture tagging is wildly popular with younger users, and everyone has a camera in their cellphone now, so posting pictures and tagging them with friends' names has become popular, because it's a way for people to keep track of what their friends are doing. Last week I posted some photos of a musical performance I had taken a friend to, and as is my habit I tagged on picture of her so she'd know they were posted. She quickly tagged the rest, because it was something she wanted to share with other friends. And from their comments, I know several of her friends looked at them and liked them.
And with older friends, posting old group photos and tagging everyone in them is also popular. So, in the FB world it's not considered rude to do that... and it's easy enough to untag them if you wish, and to send your friend a note that you don't wish to be tagged in the future.
What IS a problem for me is when somebody posts a picture that I am not in, but tags me so I'll look at the picture. If it's something like one of those lolcats I'll write them a message saying that I do not wish to be so tagged again, and normally that's the end of it. If they do it a second time I remind them that I do not wish to be bothered that way, and that another occurrence will lead to me unFriending them.
I have facebook account for 4 years and I really like to be online on facebook all the day because i earn money out of my business pages... So facebook helps me in earning.
The only use I have for FB is to log into various sites that I frequent. In theory you should be able to go back to the conversations you have had via FB.....rarely works that way though. I use Disqus whenever possible, much better to track your internet conversations.
My wife is on Facebook all day long, and Farmville. I've vowed to never waste my time like she does.
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Many ways to use Facebook
So facebook helps me in earning.
