Do you Facebook? Why or why not?

[bigbabyblues]

I'm on Facebook, but I don't friend people if I don't want them to see what I post or might post. I don't post a lot, but my life is boring and I'm sure no one wants to read about it. I've only got one or two friends there from high school, although I am friends with all of my ILs and some of my extended family that I wouldn't have contact with otherwise.

 

[Swan4Me]

For a long time it was a college kids message board

Its now mainstream-I am friends with a 15 yr old to a 83 year old

I only "friend" people i actally know-never "friends of friends"

Mainly share with my sis every day and look at pics of all the grandbabies everyone I know are getting

 

[MamaJessie]

I've also never had any of this Facebook drama because I don't feed it. Facebook is what you make of it and is only a problem if you let it be.

As far as friends on FB, get real, most people are people you know, that is about it. Sure you have some, but there are people I have friended that I haven't talked to in years, if they were that important, I would have talked to them before that. Some people actually like to see if they can have more friends than others, so they will friend people that they knew 20 or 30 years ago, or friends of friends that they have met maybe once in their lives Sorry, those aren't friends.

I think the definition of a FB friend is just different. I don't have illusions that I really have 250 friends but I have made a lot of internet friends and like connecting on FB with old co-workers, childhood friends and family.

I don't see the harm in FB. Some people I know from other message boards sometimes have a lot of drama on their FB, but they are the kind of people that always have drama in their lives.

I refused to go on FB for awhile but it really is the best way to stay in touch with people. I don't really enjoy talking on the phone.

 

[cybrkitn]

I am on Facebook to keep up with family that doesn't live nearby, especially my niece and grandniece. (I'm a 33 year old great aunt. )

OT: I'm a 39 (soon to be 40) year old great aunt. My nephew is only a week younger than me and his kids are now in college (and we only have an 8 year old right now). Man, I'm feeling old


Ok, back on topic - I do have to admit there is one thing I do like about FB (even though I'm not on it) and that is the ability to post pictures. DH has posted a few of us and DS8 on there. It's one way for family in other states to keep in touch.

 

[Art 1]

My son is the only one in our household who is on Facebook.

I was determined not to be on Facebook because I tend to involve myself too much in stuff that is none of my business (hey, at least I can admit it!).

However, my oldest friend has attempted to befriend my son, and I am wondering if I should go on Facebook, but be super picky about who I befriend. Like befriend ONLY friends or old classmates, and not involve myself in family drama by befriending family (this is where most of my issue of MYOB takes place - even though I know most people use Facebook as a means of keeping in touch with family).

Are you on Facebook? Why or why not? In my situation, would you go on?

I realize everyone is different, and know I will get a lot of different answers.

Thanks!!

No, I see no need for it.

 

[ALittleDisneyFan]

If you're planning to get a fb, not add family, but they are connected on your sons fb- then expect drama.

I have to have 2 facebooks. I call one 'the crazy fb' for my family, and my normal account. My family (and my ex's family) are all about the drama on facebook. Anything from posting intimate details, to why their significant other sucks, to posting depressing quotes for attention, etc. I should say, these are all adults doing this- LOL!!! The absolute worse came from my brother's ex wife who is now dating his best friend.

I've deleted my ex's family, and my brother's ex is no longer on FB .. so it's pretty quiet and less entertaining.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

I've also never had any of this Facebook drama because I don't feed it. Facebook is what you make of it and is only a problem if you let it be.

I agree. I've been on it for a long time. After telling DH how many of his old high school friends found me, he got on as well. Then right after DD was born, I told my mom to join so it would be easier to share pictures (both of my brothers were already on). She is super picky about who she friends - she will not friend children, or anyone she isn't actually friends with (which is probably good advice for all of us!). Now we use it to keep up with family news, and we probably all know more about each others' lives than we did before FB. I also use it to coordinate church activities.

 

[Andtototoo]

None of us are on it, including my teen dd. She and I both had accounts and deleted them after seeing the drama, esp my dd. It became a huge problem with both her friends and our family about what level of access we gave people and so on to the point where it was easier, far far easier to not do it. We have also seen too many people hurt by their relatively innocuous posts on FB when employers or family members looked them up. I also know people who were disqualified from jobs because their potential employers looked up their FB pages and saw that they were not white, not skinny or had kids.

I'd go so far as to say that my dd HATES it after hearing/seeing all the drama that gets cooked up on FB and the way people get so bent about information that they'd never otherwise be privy to.

I will note that dd and I are both anti-drama people but the drama came to us. Why didn't we post about this? Why did we post about that? Why didn't so and so know about this before we posted on FB? Why did you change my access levels? Why didn't you respond to my post or poke? Why didn't you like this post? Why didn't you take my dare? UGGGGH. It got to the point where every single post required so much forethought and planning and strategizing about potential impact that it was not worth it.

So when people say there's no drama unless YOU make it that way? Pffft.

 

[LindaG4458]

I'm not on it and will not join.

I am old as dirt and worked for two computer companies during the growth of email and message boards. Then there was CB radio (which I didn't do but some friends did). Facebook is just the latest version of the same old thing. I still use email and DIS; my cell phone is used for making calls (not while driving) and playing solitaire . Don't know how to text and don't want to.

 

[OceanAnnie]

I did have a skeleton page for awhile because there are businesses that have coupons and such if you go to their page. But I deleted it. I wasn't using it and it was just taking up space.

I'm not on Facebook. I'm sure it's fun and a great way to keep in touch with everyone (on the planet). I know many more people that are on it than not.

I get online and spend way more time on the computer than I ever intended as it is. I go to look up a few things online and travel down many, many unforeseen roads so to speak. I find out about stuff that by and large is just tid bit information. Not a really good use of time. So I don't need another internet diversion. That's one of my main reasons.

** This thread would be a good candidate for a poll.

 

[Art 1]

I'm not on it and will not join.

I am old as dirt and worked for two computer companies during the growth of email and message boards. Then there was CB radio (which I didn't do but some friends did). Facebook is just the latest version of the same old thing. I still use email and DIS; my cell phone is used for making calls (not while driving) and playing solitaire . Don't know how to text and don't want to.

My kinda gal.

 

[HonnyDipp]

I have a Facebook account. My addiction is Twitter, Facebook is mainly used to update family and friends about my kids. If I have anything to talk about or discuss, I tweet. Its easier and less drama.

 

[Kat77]

Love FB! No drama.
I can share in the highlights of my friends/families lives- pics of new babies get posted within hours, funny kid stories are shared, sports teams are cheered on... the only issue I've ever had is with my baby cousins cursing in their posts . If it's chronic, I hide them from my news feed.

 

[vicki_c]

I never post here in the CB, but somehow this caught my attention and I just wanted to say -

If you have drama in your real life family or friends, you will have drama on Facebook too if those same people are on Facebook.

If you have a drama-less life (that would describe me), it won't be a problem.

I love Facebook and I consider it my fun place - and I have no one that is connected to my work in any way as a friend. Just real friends - childhood, high school, college, and lots of my relatives who I never get to see since we all live far apart. But none of those people - close to 300 of them - are drama queens.

 

[luvsJack]

I have a FB page and so do all 3 of my kids. They go on a lot, I checked it once or twice a day. I don't post much. During the time we were planning our high school reunion, I logged on more to keep up with the plans. Now, not so much.

I am friends with a few people that seem to know me but I don't know them (they are from this community or went to the same high school). And am friends with people from high school that I didn't really consider my friends back then but we have become actual friends through FB and it made the reunion a lot of fun.

DD has had some drama and has just learned that when the drama starts, she stops logging on for a few days and it goes away. That way she gets to just leave the drama at school

 

[rie'smom]

I do have a Facebook account. There's a group of women that I met on the DIS with whom I've become very close. We have a private group and "talk" almost everyday and have had meets. There have been some tough things that each of us have gone through and the support we offer each other is treasured.
If it weren't for this group though, I would not have the account.

 

[redsoxfan79]

I am on Facebook. It originally started out as a way to monitor my teenage daughters Facebook page, but it has become a great way to stay in touch with family and friends.

 

[tvguy]

I got on Facebook because my employer requires it.

Now that I am there, most of my contacts are with people I went to college with and haven't seen in 30+ years.

 

[TTFN]

I am on Facebook, and have enjoyed seeing pictures my grown daughters post, as well as hearing about things my nieces and nephews are up to. When my dad last traveled to Europe, he was able to post pictures and updates about his travels. The biggest thing about Facebook, though, was revealed during our recent tornado outbreak and subsequent long power outage. I could keep up with the utility company updates, with the local news channels, with the school system decisions all through Facebook on my smart phone. I have a new respect for it now, and its ability to spread important information.

 

[SookieStackhouse]

Yes, I spend way too much time on facebook. It is just fun to keep up with gossip, and play Farmille.