So, what exactly is Facebook?

[pppiglet]

My son, his GF, my sister, are always harvesting their crops, hiring people to harvest their crops, sending presents to others and watering their flowers. My DH just joined FB a week ago and is glued to it. He hasn't tried Farmville yet. I am not going to join. I really don't want all those old HS friends finding me! I waste enough of my time on message boards as it is. I can't imagine getting anything done if I joined FB! (I do love my message boards though)

 

[IDoDis]

This is why I am not on Facebook. The idea that it could search my e-mail address book creeps me out!

You could always open up a new email address on hotmail and just use that. However, the purpose of fb is to be able to find and connect with friends.

Typically, you start off with suggestions from fb about people in your address book that you can invite to be friends with you. Then, once you are friends with them, you can see who their friends are and will find more people that way. Also, on the right side of your screen, there will be posts saying "Jane Doe is friends with Mike Smith. Do you know Jane Doe?" If you are friends with Mike Smith, then there's a chance you may know Jane Doe, as well.

I found lots of people by looking at other people's friends lists and people have found me the same way.

 

[georgina]

There's really no one I want to find that much (or anyone I want to find me).

 

[Imzadi]

There's really no one I want to find that much (or anyone I want to find me).

Me either. I LEFT high school behind in high school and couldn't care less to see or hear from any of them that I am not already in touch with. This basically sounds like an extension of a big clique, like in high school, but on the Internet.

Also, I work with abused women who were in dangerous & violent domestic situations. They shouldn't have their lives splashed across the Internet, by their real names, for their violent, DEADLY spouses to easily find them. They don't need for their husbands or brothers tracking them by knowing Jane has a sister Sally, who has a cat named Puff, and Jane can be tracked down by following and befriending one of Sally's other friends around on FB, till he runs into someone who knows Jane, and happens to mention Jane & her are going to the concert that night.

While the games sound like fun, is there a way to join under a made up name like here? Where someone can join as Imzadi Doe? I can't sanction something that has so little privacy & protection.

 

[bicker]

Facebook has tons of privacy options. You can essentially be practically unsearchable (so that you can only find others). You can even turn on and off your ability to be found for short periods of time, so that you Friend someone who's account is similarly locked down (and then you can both lock yourself back down). You control exactly how much or how little people can see, ranging from no one (I use that for some private notes of mine, that I might publish later), just friends, friends of friends, everyone in your area, and everyone.

Facebook helps make up for the fact that we no longer live in small communities, where everyone you can possible want to befriend lives within a stone's throw of each other.