The whole Facebook thing..is it for real?

[girlbug2]

I've resisted signing up so far, because it's not clear to me exactly what the benefits are. The home page of the site doesn't clearly explain anything, it wants you to sign up first before you get any info.

Would I be required to post a pic of myself?

I'd like to hear from MTers about how well Facebook worked for them in terms of its main promise, to connect people with eachother. Have you made any friends for real from Facebook (a litmus test; without looking them up, do you know their middle name...eye color...names of their family members?)

What advice would you give me before I join?

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I hate, loath, abhor social networking sites. But I have 3 myspaces, 1 live journal and a facebook page. The facebook one put me back in touch with 2 ex gf's, several cousins, old class mates, 2 old teachers, and dozens of folks I casually know from here or other sites. It's addicting, has tons of time wasters and time stealer games. I use my real pic, others don't. Used to be real name only, but seems they relaxed that rule at some point.

 

[arnisador]

You have a pretty wide degree of control over what people see. I got a page only to communicate with my son at college and have enjoyed having a space that let's me post what i want with less trouble than writing a blog. I too had an ex-GF find me. Plus, it let me know that Bob Hubbard's birthday was yesterday! I wished him a Happy B-Day there.

 

[JadecloudAlchemist]

I have a Facebook account. Like Myspace I do not go to either I find both along with Twitter to be stupid and I don't understand it. I also do not understand texting so maybe there is a reason I do not get it. Interesting that my mom tried to friend me on Facebook something about having my mom as a friend on Facebook just seems weird to me.

 

[Clint Franklin]

I don't trust those sites. There's too much that can go wrong... my firewall goes nuts when I go to MySpace asking me whether I want to block X machine from Y IP from trying to communicate with my computer. Lots of malicious trash going on. You should make sure your PC's security is up to snuff before looking around much. One time I got redirected to a porn site when I clicked the "delete" button for some spam I got, rather than deleting the message. Fortunately I caught this deviousness before anything bad happened, but I really distrust the garbage that comes from using these sites.

 

[Jenny_in_Chico]

I don't trust those sites. There's too much that can go wrong... my firewall goes nuts when I go to MySpace asking me whether I want to block X machine from Y IP from trying to communicate with my computer. Lots of malicious trash going on. You should make sure your PC's security is up to snuff before looking around much. One time I got redirected to a porn site when I clicked the "delete" button for some spam I got, rather than deleting the message. Fortunately I caught this deviousness before anything bad happened, but I really distrust the garbage that comes from using these sites.

That garbage doesn't seem to exist on Facebook, which is why I use it instead of MySpace.

 

[Brian King]

I like facebook. I have a couple of friends and students serving in Iraq right now and others serving else where that facebook helps me to keep in touch with. Now and then chatting with them or just posting now and then on their walls or sending messages. I have many martial art friends around the world and it allows me to keep up with them chatting now and then or just posting on each others wall. It is very convenient. I do not do facebook to meet new people or looking for companionship it is not set up that way, rather it is a easy convenient way to keep in touch with friends around the globe and to reconnect with friends from your past. I have been able to reconnect with three army friends that I had not seen in 25 years. Your mileage may vary.

regards
Brian King

 

[still learning]

Hello, The Pros and Cons...will need to be measure..

With the millions on these sites? ...shows MAN ego's is HUGE!

Our Ego is about 5' by 10 ' by 7' so far...not sure if growing? ....but sometimes it expands....balloon effects..

NOt on face book or twitter....(not sure what it is too) ...NOT ME!

Aloha, ....forum? ..or NOT forum? ...UM!

 

[Live True]

I have found and been found by many old school chums as well as a quick way to update with local freinds I can't catch up with. The best part is that I am now talking with several cousins that we haven't connected in over 20 years...so it's a great way to stay in touch with folks. You can control who sees your information and pictures and what you share/post...I've found it a great way to reconnect with folks.

It does have lots of time wasters and can be a serious time suck though...I usually access from my phone which lets me post updates, read stuff, and share/read pics...without access to some of the time wasters.

 

[Flying Crane]

For those who feel these sites help them keep in touch with friends and family members, how it is better than just sending an email? Or making a phone call?

 

[JDenver]

For those who feel these sites help them keep in touch with friends and family members, how it is better than just sending an email? Or making a phone call?

Recently, someone who HAS MY EMAIL sent me a message through facebook instead! I'm required to have an account for a work related thing, but refuse to use it. I don't want 'facebook friends'.

Sigh.....

 

[Flying Crane]

Recently, someone who HAS MY EMAIL sent me a message through facebook instead! I'm required to have an account for a work related thing, but refuse to use it. I don't want 'facebook friends'.

Sigh.....

it is all rather absurd, on some level. Seems like a whole lot of redundency, much of which is unnecessary and often unwanted.

 

[Flying Crane]

I'm required to have an account for a work related thing, but refuse to use it. I don't want 'facebook friends'.

Sigh.....

I'm curious to know why your work insists you have a facebook account? What possible work necessity could that be?

 

[Bob Hubbard]

For those who feel these sites help them keep in touch with friends and family members, how it is better than just sending an email? Or making a phone call?

emails, addresses and phone#'s change. I got back into contact with most of the folks I used to hang out with in high school on FB. 2 are in the military, 1's on the west coast. Hell, back then, email was local to whatever dialup bbs you were on, and all of the ones I was on back then are long since gone.

 

[arnisador]

I'm curious to know why your work insists you have a facebook account? What possible work necessity could that be?

Common for college admissions officials, for example.

 

[girlbug2]

thanks for all the replies.

I am intrigued by the idea that Facebook might help me get in touch with people I haven't seen since school years...it would be a lot cheaper than paying for a search to find them.

Has anybody here made a "real" friend through Facebook?

 

[Brian King]

Hey Girlbug2
For me face book is not about meeting new people/friends. It is an extremely easy way of staying connected to friends and acquaintances. There are people on my face book I have not met in person but we have interacted on a forum (this forum or one other) or share a Systema connection. It is not like myspace and has a different flavor from that site. I like it and have reconnected with old army buddies and other friends that I had lost contact with years ago (LOL no internet when we were serving together or new each other) There are other buddies and friends that I have not yet been able to find but that is ok…perhaps we will connect in the future.

Regards
Brian King

 

[seasoned]

Re: The whole Facebook thing..is it for real?

Only farmtown, for sure.

 

[MBuzzy]

For those who feel these sites help them keep in touch with friends and family members, how it is better than just sending an email? Or making a phone call?

I've found many people on there that I probably would have never spoken to again if it wasn't for FB. Like Bob said, people move, names change, e-mail addresses change. Most of the people on there, I don't HAVE addresses or numbers for, but I'm glad that I found them again.

 

[arnisador]

Has anybody here made a "real" friend through Facebook?

Not me (though I've made them through here), but my wife and a RL friend of ours have through friends of friends in my wife's case and common interests in our friend's case. In both cases they've since met, and our friend stayed at a FB friend's house for a few days when she first became separated (the divorce is on-going).