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For myself, I see no advantage of FB over email except that a couple of distant people seem to refuse to email or call about anything except to confirm plans.
I have no interest in people from the past (or my many pasts). I have an unusual last name, it hasn't changed and I'm in the phonebook. If anyone wants to look me up from the past (and it has happened) they can reach me easily.
I googled a few people from the past. If you haven't done anything by your 50s to come up on a google search, well...
I find the constant "I went to the beach/here's a picture" moronic, and these are people I like. I'd like to talk to them or get an email account of anything major (like someone's move cross country, or someone who got flooded out of New Orleans) and a mass email could take care of that.
As one FB queen friend said to me, "At least you have a digital presence." That and a dime... won't even get you a phone call anymore.
The friends I have, local and far, past and present, have very little in common that I would want to post an article for conversation or a general statement or something. The friends who are apparently constantly on FB are a lot more interesting in person or in other ways. Their FB postings are blatant advertising for one person's business (come on Friday night!) or endless YouTube videos and stuff. It reminds me of the eternal search for a public digital presence, whereby everyone has a blog/joke list/points of interest for discussion. It makes me think of people who all want to be the "go-to" person, like a personal column in the newspaper. Now, a couple of my friends *are* newspaper columnists, but they don't engage in this constant "listen to me, comment and discuss" stuff.
I am writing this post partly because I last night I found a fake profile of myself that has been posted on Facebook. I don't have an online profile on there, or on MySpace or any of the social networking sites. Online networking is right for a lot of people but not me. That said, I have been wondering: what do people think when they find out they can't friend me on MySpace or Facebook? Honestly, what do you think of people who shun online networking? What would you think if your younger children or grown adult children refused to establish a page? Do you think it is "un-American" in any way? Is refusing to socialize with others, valuing privacy instead, something that is unpatriotic? I have no judgement about the matter either way. I did not think it was such a big deal two and three years ago to refuse to network. Now I am not so sure.
Discuss.
I have a myspace and facebook, but I don't use them. I just made them b/c everyone else was doing it at school. I find social networking sites incredibly boring though. I would rather just call someone or talk face to face than use those sites. I don't have children, but my mom and aunts use facebook. I think that's okay for them. The only un-American thing that I can think about is someone judging someone for using or for not using the sites.
I don't FB or myspace or tweet. Don't look down on anyone who does, it's simply not for me. I don't keep in touch with anyone from high school or any college friends. I prefer to not be found, frankly. I don't collect anything, least of all people. I briefly considered LinkedIn as in some professions it's considered de rigeur but if any potential employer asks why I don't have a social networking page.... maybe I'll consider employment elsewhere... After all, I'm not in marketing or any such career, in some careers (as in some lives) anonymity is actually desirable...
I've seen job ads where "adept at social networking" is a requirement. The one I'm thinking of was for a non-profit organization- maybe to dun for funds? Spread the word of the organization to presumably younger people?
I'll all for anything that helps you make a living. But for social/personal reasons, I think a phone, email and Internet access is quite enough for me.
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