Having a Facebook

[B-mac]

sounds cool... too bad i don't, and never will have a facebook account.


Admin note: I cut this out of the Six Flags iPhone app thread, because I actually want to talk about this and that thread wasn't a good place!

[jglonek]

sounds cool... too bad i don't, and never will have a facebook account.

You sound like Steve. Not to get off-topic but what's wrong with Facebook?

[B-mac]

Cyber-bullying, everyone in school knows more about you than you think, colleges use your facebook as an excuse to deny your enrollment, etc.

Edit: Oh and the fact people send you friend requests when you don't even see them at all during the school day.

[B-mac]

It's steamy. TWC says it's 89 here in Moorestown.

[jglonek]

Alright, so, I actually wanted to talk about this. Whether anyone cares what I have to say or not, who knows. But it could be a healthy discussion (hopefully).

So, I don't have any perspective of how MySpace and Facebook work with high school, I didn't have either until I was in college. Heck, I got a cell phone when I was a junior (2000, I'm old), so I don't know much of that either.

But, with everything I've seen with Facebook I guess I don't understand what the problems are that people wouldn't want one. Maybe the thoughts stem from thinking it's like MySpace, which it's so far from it's great. Or maybe it's based on thoughts of an earlier Facebook before they changed some things, I'm not sure.

But with Facebook.. you only add people you want to talk to or deal with. You can block everyone else from even seeing your profile. You can even block some of your friends from seeing much more than your basic profile. You can even block it so you don't appear on the Facebook search, which means the only way people can find you is via other Friend's lists, or by you sending them a request.

What I guess I'm saying is Facebook made really great enhancements to their security a few months ago. You can make groups of different friends, do different securitys for those groups (or individual people).. you can make certain people only be able to see certain parts of your Facebook. When you post updates you can say that you only want certain people to read it.. So for instance I can rant about work and block everyone I work with from seeing the rant. Pretty useful.

As for colleges denying you for having a Facebook.. that's absolutely a myth. I can't even imagine that happening. And when you hear stuff about people not getting jobs due to Facebook, or getting fired.. it's their own stupidity. Clearly if you have your employer on Facebook and want to talk about how you got smashed at work you probably shouldn't say that in the first place, but if you have to just block them from being able to see it!

But a lot of people are terrible with the security and understanding how to use Facebook in general.

As for friend requests, yeah, it's normal to have people who you don't really talk to. I think some people have a "gotta catch'em all" philosophy to their Facebook friends. Although I honestly don't know how people in school would react if you denied their friend request.. that's the only thing I can see about Facebook and high school that might not go so well.

Not that this is attempting to persuade you to get a Facebook, it doesn't matter to me lol. But I just wanted to rant and try to understand why people think it's such a bad thing.

I'm done lol

[Steve]

I just don't have one because I don't care for it.

[jglonek]

I just don't have one because I don't care for it.

You realize you're one of the only people I talk to on AIM anymore right? Lol. Since I can catch everyone else on Facebook. Why do you make it so difficult for me!

[PcMan]

Yes I have my Facebook security set high 

But its great to see people I went to school with 30 + years ago
I'm obviuoly not in school but could see how it can effect people.

Just the other day a group of kids got arrested for "cyber bulling" 

but yes its very secure if you make it

[nitrorox1414]

I love facebook but its a huge distraction for me

[B-mac]

Just the other day a group of kids got arrested for "cyber bulling" 

Phoebe Price, right? That's the primary reason why I don't do it.

I am an extremely social person, but facebook isn't the way i'd like to talk to people. I prefer to actually see somebody's face when I'm talking to them. I like to build a trust with someone before getting into more personal topics. The other reason is because it effects people like Nitrorox, it just consumes you into spending countless amounts of time updating where you are, what you're doing when you could be outside actually talking to people.

[jimmybjammin]

haha. I think facebook is the mark of the beast. Or at least I joke it is.. I'm also in IT and realized it wasted a lot of my time, so I deleted everything on all the equivalent sites. I get a good laugh out of seeing people get viruses in the past year by checking fb at their workplaces. no one uses myspace anymore to waste their time or aim at work. its always fb.
EDIT: after several occurances, some employers lock down internet to everything except an approved list and see their workers productively suddenly increase. That and the "no cell phones out" policies

[rjholla2003]

I guess Facebook can eat a lot of your time...if you let it. I never really had that problem. Facebook does surround me since I have the app on my Droid, so it's always a finger-flick away, but I definitely don't check it obsessively. I barely check it on my phone, and might check it 2-3 times on the computer, just catching up on some notifications and messages. I don't play many games on there, and most of my friends that I really want to talk to I do via text message, or in person.

Where Facebook does come in handy is keeping in touch with friends who are more the electrons in my atom versus the protons and neutrons that make my core friend group. That and talking to internationals that are back home. Google Voice has decent international rates, but Facebook is free when you don't want to hear a voice. Skype is free too...but not everyone has it.

It's also good for sharing links and videos, and sparking conversations through that.

[B-mac]

haha. I think facebook is the mark of the beast. Or at least I joke it is.. I'm also in IT and realized it wasted a lot of my time, so I deleted everything on all the equivalent sites. I get a good laugh out of seeing people get viruses in the past year by checking fb at their workplaces. no one uses myspace anymore to waste their time or aim at work. its always fb.
EDIT: after several occurances, some employers lock down internet to everything except an approved list and see their workers productively suddenly increase. That and the "no cell phones out" policies

Do you remember when twitter was all the rage?

My school actually suspends students when they get caught on facebook. It's blocked by he content filters, but everyone in the school knows proxy sites and all that other hoopla.

[overlord]

I just detag all the photos with me drinking in it, regardless if its casual or a party. If I need to find them to show them off, I know where they are but employers don't need to see it. My boss is my facebook friend, be it that he went to this very institution so he knows what goes on, none the less I like to keep it clean so if he sees something, I don't have to defend it.

The cyberbullying is really just high school drama that can be controlled. I know people from high school I rather not talk to so I deny them friend requests.

Facebook has actually helped me more then hurt me, especially when it comes to when my friends are dbags and won't give me someones name or something of that sort. There was an interesting article on Lifehacker about how to use facebook appropriately and to make it secure. I will have to try and find it.

[overlord]

Facebook does surround me since I have the app on my Droid, so it's always a finger-flick away, but I definitely don't check it obsessively. I barely check it on my phone, and might check it 2-3 times on the computer, just catching up on some notifications and messages.

Thats because the facebook android app pretty much is light-years behind the iPhone facebook app. I feel it takes forever to load pics, even on wifi.

[jglonek]

Do you remember when twitter was all the rage?

My school actually suspends students when they get caught on facebook. It's blocked by he content filters, but everyone in the school knows proxy sites and all that other hoopla.

Twitter was popular in schools? I mean it's neat and all but I didn't think it took off like that.

And if you're on Facebook at school I can see you getting detention/suspended. You shouldn't be on there. Same goes for work like Jimmy said. I'm in IT too and we have that blocked at work (although people just whip out their phones).


Also, Clint, the iPhone Facebook app is nice yea but it's got some weird bugs lately. And I heard the developer left around the beginning of the year. So who knows who's updating it anymore. But one day I'd like to be able to upload screenshots again, sigh.

[B-mac]

Facebook has actually helped me more then hurt me, especially when it comes to when my friends are dbags and won't give me someones name or something of that sort. There was an interesting article on Lifehacker about how to use facebook appropriately and to make it secure. I will have to try and find it.

Please try and find it, I might actually want to give it a shot before completely shutting it out.

[rjholla2003]

Facebook does surround me since I have the app on my Droid, so it's always a finger-flick away, but I definitely don't check it obsessively. I barely check it on my phone, and might check it 2-3 times on the computer, just catching up on some notifications and messages.

Thats because the facebook android app pretty much is light-years behind the iPhone facebook app. I feel it takes forever to load pics, even on wifi.

Yes, it sucks something terrible. The BlackBerry App was also light-years ahead...and I still didn't check it obsessively. it just doesn't call to me like that.

[overlord]

Facebook does surround me since I have the app on my Droid, so it's always a finger-flick away, but I definitely don't check it obsessively. I barely check it on my phone, and might check it 2-3 times on the computer, just catching up on some notifications and messages.

Thats because the facebook android app pretty much is light-years behind the iPhone facebook app. I feel it takes forever to load pics, even on wifi.

Yes, it sucks something terrible. The BlackBerry App was also light-years ahead...and I still didn't check it obsessively. it just doesn't call to me like that.

The lack of the touch screen?

[rjholla2003]

No, not that. I meant Facebook as a whole to just pop in and check it for the smallest thing. I have to be really bored to go on facebook and peruse it for no reason at all.

[Blackhand1001]

Facebook does surround me since I have the app on my Droid, so it's always a finger-flick away, but I definitely don't check it obsessively. I barely check it on my phone, and might check it 2-3 times on the computer, just catching up on some notifications and messages.

Thats because the facebook android app pretty much is light-years behind the iPhone facebook app. I feel it takes forever to load pics, even on wifi.

Yes, it sucks something terrible. The BlackBerry App was also light-years ahead...and I still didn't check it obsessively. it just doesn't call to me like that.

The lack of the touch screen?

Blackberry Storm and Storm 2. Storm 2 is a great phone. I have one and I love the surepress 2 screen. Much better than the first storm and I hate regular touchscreens now.

[jimmybjammin]

Do you remember when twitter was all the rage?

My school actually suspends students when they get caught on facebook. It's blocked by he content filters, but everyone in the school knows proxy sites and all that other hoopla.

I don't remember twitter existing when I graduated in 2003, but I did read about it a couple years ago. The content filters are nice.. but they apparently aren't blocking enough since you can get through it with proxies.. A lot of IT staff at schools don't have time to read through the logs and see what people are going to.. They have their hands full re-imaging the computers that had admin rights, after kids load games on them, etc.

[B-mac]

Some of my friends have Thumb drives with emulators so they could play games...

[rjholla2003]

Do you remember when twitter was all the rage?

My school actually suspends students when they get caught on facebook. It's blocked by he content filters, but everyone in the school knows proxy sites and all that other hoopla.

I don't remember twitter existing when I graduated in 2003, but I did read about it a couple years ago. The content filters are nice.. but they apparently aren't blocking enough since you can get through it with proxies.. A lot of IT staff at schools don't have time to read through the logs and see what people are going to.. They have their hands full re-imaging the computers that had admin rights, after kids load games on them, etc.

Twitter didn't exist until 2007. Also, I'm class of '03 too! OH-THREE! What WHAAAAAT!

[B-mac]

Class of 2012, I get to enjoy a few months of doing nothing, the first semester of college and then the world ends (apparently).