I truly, truly, hate you. The End. Amen.
Okay - so I started the whole Facebook thing many moons ago. About the same time I started the whole MySpace thing. I learned to understand MySpace, because it’s what LilZ and his friends use and I wanted to be able to keep up. I still haven’t decided if he really hates it or really likes it that I periodically comment on his page. He probably hates it, and is scared to tell me. I at least try to be cool though, and not act like a Mom. But, as a Mom, you kinda have to keep up in order to keep your finger on the pulse of what the kids these days are into.
I never really understood Facebook, however. Mainly because I didn’t have a reason to. People had added me as their “friends” and sometimes I get “poked” and such, but it’s like a foreign world to me. I can’t figure out how to do anything and I don’t know the etiquette. Someone asked me a question on my “wall” and I don’t know if I answer it on my “wall” or on their “wall” - it’s all so confusing.
I realized awhile ago that all of the “Friends” I had been accepting could see my “real” name and information. I don’t care a whole lot, but since I had been accepting friend requests without paying attention to who sent them, I thought maybe I should change that. I tried to change some of the personal information and couldn’t figure out how. And then it wouldn’t let me change my name because it wasn’t “real” or something stupid. I don’t know. I just decided to try to start over. Start a new Facebook page with fake information and go from there. So - this morning I sent out a few friend requests from my NEW page. Then, I realized that Facebook had finally made the changes to my original page for me. WTF? I requested those changes forever ago - and when I finally decide to start a new page they make the changes for me? WTF?
So - now I have to delete the NEW Facebook page because I’d prefer the original since it had all of my “Friends” on there already. Of course, some of you may have friend requests from me that now mean nothing other than: I’m an idiot who can’t figure out these damn social networks. BAH. I have a blog, isn’t that ENOUGH?
And I still can’t figure out what the hell the Poking and the Questions and such are all about. Should I be responding? Am I pissing people off by ignoring those things because I don’t know what they mean? And I added pictures but isn’t there a Flickr thing I should be using? And why is the page so ugly? Can I make it pretty?
I’m so old.
Obligatory Disclaimer: Yes, I’m aware there is the whole Facebook Hates BreastFeeders controversy. But - I use Facebook to keep up with friends and family and while I would really like Facebook to not be jackasses, I kinda have to snub the controversy in order to keep the option open to check out what my friends and family who don’t blog are up to. Sorry. I do love breastfeeding though! And if I get to be nursing a baby soon I’ll post the pictures all over Facebook just to see what happens! I promise!
the only reason I got a facebook page is someone I hadn’t heard from in ages and ages requested I be a friend. I then discovered a legion of kids I used to work with at a theatre in Seattle, they are all going off to college and whatnot now, and this way I can see how my “kids” are doing. I spent 7 years with most of these kids…I have friends that I am also friends with via myspace as well. I can’t figure out half the things on there either so I just poke people.
I love FaceBook because it is less obnoxious looking and sounding than MySpace, but I also HATE FaceBook because people always send me stupid applications to join and use. I’m glad to have been one of your first friends when you went there though, even if I never “poke” you.
Your such a rebel
I couldn’t agree more. I just joined a couple weeks ago after being pressured by a friend to do it. Well, I noticed that I had like 10 friends that I never even asked to be friends and they never asked me. Then I noticed that they were mostly people I know from their blogs and I thought that was so strange. My friend told me facebook got my contacts from gmail (which includes anyone I’ve ever e-mailed) and asked people automatically. WTF? Shouldn’t I get to choose? Anyways, you are one of my friends cause I emailed you once before. Which is all good but helloooo, shouldn’t I have a say in this? Whatever….I just don’t get anything about it.
i have to admit i like facebook waaaay more than myspace…it’s just more user friendly, you can see who’s updated what, see pictures of your friends put up by different users who have “tagged” them, etc…and to me it’s way easier to find people on facebook than myspace. i confess i have profiles on both, but i spend waayy more (i.e. waaaay too much) time on facebook
i have never even been to facebook. and now i’m even more scared than i was before.
I am so slow, I am on neither! I am on a Dutch one, which has people from school and stuff, but I have had no reason to go on either one of them. I think your blog is plenty!
I’m sure it won’t surprise you that I have neither Facebook nor MySpace. I do have flickr, so I can’t be that old, right?
You know, come to think of it I actually have a facebook page but have not accessed it in months…. bah….. I probably don’t even have my login saved
You can’t really make your Facebook page pretty, though you can add applications. I had to get them to change my name, too, and it took a long time but it eventually happened.
You can change your privacy settings, but you can’t let SOME friends see your stuff and other friends not, so…
Facebook gets your contacts from gmail, but it doesn’t automatically add people as your friends unless you let it, you can skip that part. You can also remove people from your friend list if you don’t want them anymore.
After reading this comment it is clear that I spend altogether too much time on Facebook.
I love Facebook, and really dislike MySpace, mainly because of how many sites start playing random music at you, or have flashing glittery bits in the layouts.
Facebook is really pretty basic, and I have added a couple of applications I really like, but sure, friends of mine invite me to add new stuff every day, and I generally ignore them.
The one thing you can do to your layout is drag and drop the applications and stuff to where you want them…
Yesterday, one of my students, who is 17, told me that Facebook was now for the younger people and MySpace was for creepy old people.
I thought it was the opposite. Then I thought, “I am not hip.”
I avoid them all because I am well aware I am not hip.
I don’t know jack about Facebook. Even less than I know about MySpace really, which I didn’t think was possible.
Facebook confuses me too. All the poking and wall writing and drink sending…. just to name a few things. I think I’d cancel the whole thing… but I’ve been able to find 3 college friends and some high school friends. Without Facebook I never would have contacted them again. So I deal with having a sheep thrown at me once in a while (what is that about??????)
*confession* I throw sheep at people.
But not you! I haven’t thrown anything at you. I ignore most of the applications, though, because they annoy me. I have Harry Potter stuff and Scrabulous, and that’s about it. (I can play Scrabble with my mom even since she moved away! Yay!)
I’m just rambling now. heh. Sorry.
I despise Myspace- its so loud, obnoxious and overrun by teeneyboppers.
I joined Facebook back when you had to have an .edu address to join. It’s kind of annying that they opened it up to everyone. It used to be for college students/faculty, etc. Now its becoming more and more like Myspace. Facebook is a bit more interactive, you can see when your friends update and I find it easier to keep track of them through the news feeds rather than having to look at all my friends individual pages. I like some of the applications. Superpoke is fun. You can send ‘drinks” to people and throw vampires at them for halloween- silly fun to help you procrastinate more when you should be working. I also like the Superlatives application…check it out!
Between Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn, I can’t keep track of myself anymore!
Hey, I tagged you for a meme on my site if you’re looking for some 1000-post material!
http://westwardbound.wordpress.com/2007/11/02/conversations/
I’ve never used Facebook or MySpace. I’ve been toying with the idea of making a MySpace account because I know a few people who blog there, and if I’m not mistaken, you have to be a member to comment. I don’t have any criticisms of the site that haven’t been voiced before — my biggest problem is that most MySpace pages will not load on my 7-year-old computer.
The only social network sites I’ve been active in are Flickr, Last.FM, and LibraryThing. I rarely friend anyone. If they friend me, I usually reciprocate, but at Flickr it’s gotten to the point where I have 70+ contacts, over half are someone I left a “great photo” type comment. Too hard to keep up.
I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t like a place where people poked me.
Facebook started on the college level back when I was a freshmen and I only used it to keep in touch with all my old high school friends. You could see pictures of them, write them messages, find email addresses, etc. I admit it has gotten a little out of control, but now I don’t know what I would do if my mini-feed didn’t tell me that Joe Schmoe and Jane Doe broke up.
actually you CAN adjust your facebook settings to let certain friends see certain things…you can have a “limited profile” which only shows what you want it to show (as much or little as possible), and choose which people can only see that and which people can see everything…which is handy for those people you feel obligated to add but who you don’t want to know ALL about you
I love MySpace because of the MyStalking abilities it allows. This week I was forced to sign up for a Facebook page to RSVP to a new group I joined. I actually was going to write a blog about how it annoys me, then I realized I didn’t have time after spending three hours checking out other people’s accounts. What’s the MyStalking term for Facebook?
i like myspace because you can trick you page out & all that good stuff.
i remember when facebook was for college kids & i only go on there to keep up with my friends from high school & college.
i dont add people i dont know because i dont want people knowin my personal business. it’s already bad enough i have a VERY distinctive name.
I’m totally with you. I am completely utterly confused by facebook. I’ve tried several times to go in and arrange things and such - and I’m completely overwhelmed by the interface. Which annoys me, considering I am an intelligent person.
That is how I feel about MySpace right now.
Stupid, poopy site.
I’m scared of FaceBook, therefore I don’t use it. But I’m sure that one day, I’ll be so bored that I totally sign up for it and will come crawling back to you for some explainations (because by that point, you’ll have figured it out).
I really detest both Facebook and Myspace. I think both sites and servers are a waste of good internet space. And honestly they seem to be a breeding ground for sickos, perverts, and child predators. I know I know… many other people are on the services too. They just creep me out I suppose.
I’ve never tried Facebook. I just don’t have the time to keep up with another one. Though I will say, I do have a Myspace account…for the same reason you do.
Ack…isn’t one blog enough?
I refuse to use myspace anymore, as it crashes this laptop (although I think thats because the laptop runs crappy Windows Vista that crashes if you even look at it funny).
But I LOVE Facebook. I love all the fun applications, and the fact that you can always constantly have something to do on there. I put all my photo albums on there now. I’ve just added you as a friend by the way (my name is Deborah Carr)
Still mad with MySpace…
You’re not old, facebook sucks. It’s not really designed for creative people or people who want to express themselves. It’s for people in offices gossiping about each other and for kids playing games with each other. Blogging is the best online presence you can have.
Dan
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