View Full Version : Facebook irritates me to no end
Life_is_Simple
4-22-12, 12:20pm
I figure, we can't have enough Facebook threads in this sub-forum, so here is another ;)
Positives:
- You can keep track of people from your past who you like, and wouldn't mind reconnecting with
Negatives:
- You end up with friend requests from friends-of-friends who you either didn't like way back then, or really didn't know that well. Then you wonder, "should I get rid of the 'friend' who is linked to these who I don't want?"
- The privacy settings are almost impossible to figure out. At some point, you just set them to the most private that you can get
- You end up friending someone you sort of want to stay in touch with, but they post all kinds of crap, so you have to shut their postings down.
- Some people will do all these weird facebook apps, where they guess things about you or whatever. You don't want to click on those apps, and give all your info over to the apps. These people eventually de-friend you, which is ok, I guess.
I don't know. Am I the only one who gets annoyed?
domestic goddess
4-22-12, 2:04pm
Not at all. I think there is nothing that is geared for the use ofhuge numbers oof people that won't have annoying features about it. I don't "friend" people I don't really know or don't like, or coworkers, or others who I don't want having personal information about me, so my friends list is pretty small, but realistic, I think. I know people who have over 800 friends! I don't think I even know that many people! Of the friends I do have, there are only a handful I communicate regularly with. It seems they think that I have time to just sit in front of the computer endlessly and play games, judging by all the invites I get to play one game or another. So some of it is annoying; it is still an easy way to keep in touch, and if you don't spend too long onit, then the annoyance factor is pretty limited. There are some of dsil's siblings who I have greatly restricted, because I couldn't take the political rantings anymore, and they don't want to be confused with facts. And then their friends, who I have never met, would jump into the fray as well. My life is calmer now.
ApatheticNoMore
4-22-12, 5:18pm
Not at all. I think there is nothing that is geared for the use ofhuge numbers oof people that won't have annoying features about it. I don't "friend" people I don't really know or don't like, or coworkers, or others who I don't want having personal information about me,
I use a different strategy, I don't post anything that I would mind people knowing. :) So sure anyone and their brother can be "friends" with me (really they can, I don't reject, unless I've never even heard of the person), but intimacy on facebook - bwahahaha.
If the political postings get annoying I do block reading them. Like even when I'm generally sympathetic with a political cause, when it gets to the point that you are posting several times an hour about it day after day after day. :laff: Ack, you know you have my sympathy and keep fighting the good fight and all that but ...
Honestly *THE* reason (and the only true reason) I have an account is too keep track of things going on locally.
I like it.
My main "community" is other artist spread out across the country. We may connect a few times a years at various shows - maybe in FL, then not again till MI, and maybe in NM. but on Facebook we can keep in touch - check in and see how everyone fared in the big storm that hit such and such a show. Offer encouragement when someones trailer full of work is stolen out of a hotel parking lot. Rejoice when they win an award.
We have a fan (or "like") page for our work and connect to people who have bought work in the past and......I even make sales thru there so I'm a big fan of having a fan page. And I swear I'm not pushy. Anyone who is pushy on Facebook quickly gets the "hide posts by...." from me and I would expect anyone who gets tired of seeing our glass to hide me as well.
goldensmom
4-22-12, 6:04pm
I like it and I also don't post anything that I wouldn't mind if it was heard around the world. I have 60 facebook friends who I care about hearing from. Some post profuse trivia and reposts so I unsubscribe from them and check in occasionally. I send very few friend requests and do not respond to friend request just because I receive them. I have the app feature disabled, don't play games, etc.. Something I've noticed....I am with friends with a former high school classmates who has over 1000 friends....only 10 or so of his 'friends' ever post on his page or respond to on his his posts. Not a problem for me.
IshbelRobertson
4-22-12, 6:44pm
I'm not a member. Nor of Twitter or other, similar sites.
ApatheticNoMore
4-22-12, 7:07pm
I'm not a member. Nor of Twitter or other, similar sites.
Very pure. Twitter I only follow anonymously and what I follow is various political commentators I find interesting.
Very pure. Twitter I only follow anonymously and what I follow is various political commentators I find interesting.
I only use Twitter for following myself. I never tweet. I find it useful for keeping up with the news, various things on the Weather Channel, etc
iris lily
4-22-12, 11:22pm
I signed onto Facebook years ago when it was new with a faux name. I am not sorry about that.
I'm a big fan of Facebook. It allows me to keep up with a lifetime worth of friends and relatives I don't get to see otherwise, although I do tend to ignore those who insist on injecting drama into their updates.
There's some FB stuff I don't like - those games, etc., but I just block them out of my news feed. I have a bunch of folks I keep up with regularly - they're local to me, but we're all crazy busy, so we don't see each other much. I was also just invited into a closed group for people in my industry. I've only ever had people I worked with to talk to, and this is endlessly fascinating to me, plus I'm networking.
I love FB. I'm at this very moment visiting my best friend from college, with whom I reconnected via FB a few years ago. We've not seen each other in 35 years!
At least half of my FB 'friends' are people I've never met... And I've made coffee dates with a few of them, consequently, I now have new friends in new places! And the anticipation of other coffee dayes to come...
I block games & annoying ranters, and have refused a few friend requests. I've totally blocked about a dozen folks affiliated with my stepkids mom.
My cats each have a FB profile too... :)
IshbelRobertson
4-23-12, 5:56am
Very pure. Twitter I only follow anonymously and what I follow is various political commentators I find interesting.
Hardly 'pure'! Simply that I have only a certain time to waste in any day, and the few websites where I am a member are enough to fill that slot a couple of times over, already!
Yeah, what's the "pure" label? I thought of Ivory Snow!
fidgiegirl
4-23-12, 6:43pm
My DH won't join FB, but he really wants to play the game, so to speak, because he's kind of witty and quippy. So now he has the great idea that he will take over the dog's FB page, which I created and then didn't really do anything more . . . oh, DH . . .
IshbelRobertson
4-23-12, 7:08pm
Yeah, what's the "pure" label? I thought of Ivory Snow!
Now, if only I knew what Ivory Snow denoted?! Is it a soap?
Now, if only I knew what Ivory Snow denoted?! Is it a soap?
Yes, although Ivory Snow was a laundry detergent and Ivory Soap was a bar soap. Years ago Ivory Soap was advertised as 99 and 44/100% pure. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_(soap)
Proctor & Gamble's Ivorydale facility is just down the road from me.
IshbelRobertson
4-23-12, 7:58pm
It's not available in the UK, as far as I know.
gimmethesimplelife
4-24-12, 2:25am
Yes, although Ivory Snow was a laundry detergent and Ivory Soap was a bar soap. Years ago Ivory Soap was advertised as 99 and 44/100% pure. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_(soap)
Proctor & Gamble's Ivorydale facility is just down the road from me.Remember the commercial? Ivory Soap is so pure it floats......
I have mixed feelings. What I don't like: Everyone seems to be having such a good time! Look, I'm traveling across the country! Wow, check out this neat art exhibit I went to today! Hey, I'm just chillin' at this great restaurant with my husband! And I don't like the idea that to be a business owner, you've got to push and promote on FB, Twitter, etc.
What I do like: I have been able to connect with some people from childhood, and I keep in touch with some friends this way. Still, I wish I saw them in person--or talked to them on the phone. FB seems to be an excuse for people not to make "real" contact. Just like 20 years ago, I thought fax machines were a good excuse for people to get business documents done late.
I have mixed feelings. What I don't like: Everyone seems to be having such a good time! Look, I'm traveling across the country! Wow, check out this neat art exhibit I went to today! Hey, I'm just chillin' at this great restaurant with my husband! And I don't like the idea that to be a business owner, you've got to push and promote on FB, Twitter, etc.
What I do like: I have been able to connect with some people from childhood, and I keep in touch with some friends this way. Still, I wish I saw them in person--or talked to them on the phone. FB seems to be an excuse for people not to make "real" contact. Just like 20 years ago, I thought fax machines were a good excuse for people to get business documents done late.
I have mixed feelings as well for very similar reasons. Likes: I have been able to reconnect with some childhood friends and can keep in touch with family and friends that live a distance away but it still doesn't feel like real contact to me.
Not Likes: I hate the "look at me! look at me!" aspect of it. What I really can't stand is someone posting things like "I ate a sandwich". I mean, if you gotta post, post something more substantive. I eventually blocked all the games; I don't play them but got sick of being bombarded with those notifications from my game-addicted FB friends every time they won or reached a new level. I also am sick of getting friend requests from friends of friends of friends that I don't even know and never met in my life.
DH refuses to sign up on FB in spite of his friends bugging me (on FB) that he should join. The reason is that he knows the content that some of his friends would post and doesn't want it out there associated with him. He only does LinkedIn for professional reasons.
I don't know. Am I the only one who gets annoyed?
I'm not even on facebook and I get annoyed! I recently e-mailed a friend a crazy photo of me while on a trip. I'm making a terrible face and sticking out my tonque, etc... A few weeks later another friend - who is a FB friend with the person I sent the photo too - mentioned she thought my photo was funny on "my friends" facebook page. WTF???? So I looked at her page and sure 'nuff, there was my goofy mug big as day for all the wortld (and many former friends from HS) to see. So I asked my friend to take it down and she did but still... I had assumed that when I e-mailled her a private photo she would never put it anywhere else or send it to anyone else with out my permission. So now I'm learning the hard way that even though I'm not even on FB, my privacy can be violated by others. UGH! Also learned NEVER send a bad photo of yourself to others cause you never know who else will see it :-)!
Mighty Frugal
4-24-12, 8:00pm
I too have mixed feelings. I am under with a fake name to avoid the friend requests. Only people I really know are my friends-so very few!
I also can't stand the 'look how amazinggggggg my life is!' if they REALLY were having such a smashing good time at the restaurant or at the party would they really bother whipping out their phones to take a pic and post it on FB? I don't know, but when I am having fun the last thing I do is rush to document it-I'm having too much fun!
People who take pics of their Xmas dinners-like, really, who cares?
It's like everyone wants these proverbial pats on the back.
Good job...you did well..you don't suck...your life is grand...I am jealous
I jsut don't play that game. Most of my posts (which are infrequent) are about me thinking there is a ghost in the basement (possible?)
I'm not a member. Nor of Twitter or other, similar sites.
Ditto for me too. I do have a "dummy" FB account though just so I can occasionally look at the site. But it is in no way connected to "me, my real name, e-mail, etc..(use a dummy e-mail account for it), no one knows I have it, and I've never posted anything on it or on another's FB page. Wouldn't really even know how too.
HappyHiker
4-24-12, 9:38pm
I've gone from gung-ho, to okay to tepid to yawn to dismay with Facebook. How many baby, puppy, vacation, birthday party, anniversary shindig, or other social gathering can one bear to view? Especially if I wasn't there...wah!
frugalone
4-24-12, 10:33pm
Spartana--someone from my high school class "signed me up" for our reunion group on Facebook. I found that particularly annoying--I went in and removed myself immediately, as I have no intention of attending any reunions now or ever!
What happened to you is why I don't share photos of myself when I was an 18-year-old punk rocker!
Spartana--someone from my high school class "signed me up" for our reunion group on Facebook. I found that particularly annoying--I went in and removed myself immediately, as I have no intention of attending any reunions now or ever!
What happened to you is why I don't share photos of myself when I was an 18-year-old punk rocker!
All those crazy photos your employer (future employer, spouse, kids, Mom) can see if they google your name and it's connected to someone else's FB page or elsewhere. I learned my lesson - wish I had known all about how the internet works 10 or so years ago.
Someone also signed me up for some kind of class reunion thingy (Classmates.com I think) and I had no idea until I randomly googled my own, unusual, name. It was the first thing that poped up (YIKES!). I remember on the old SL boards I had a fit when, after donating to it via CC (Cyber Angels) I saw that my whole first, middle and last name as well as the city I lived in came up when I googled my name. I was pretty P.O.d about that and tried to have them remove it but they couldn't. So now, when I donate to this site or any other, I do it by check or cash and ask that my name or town not be put online anywhere. But there are datebases out there with my name that i see regularly because I play competetive sports, etc... and I use to sign up for them under my full name. But now I sign up under my initials rather than use my whole name. Can't stop people from putting up photos from activities though - or listing my name. It's all a big pet peeve of mine but I realize there isn't anything I can do about it except hide under a rock for the rest of my life.
I have an old friend from whom I received an invitation to join as his face book friend. I sent him an email and told I did not want to join facebook, but would really enjoy exchanging emails and photos occasionally and staying in touch that way. I never got a response, so I guess that's how much our friendship is worth. We still exchange Christmas greetings.
Classmates--that website was the first one to tip me off that once you are signed on with one, it's nigh impossible to get off (hence my caution with MySpace and later Facebook.) So while I couldn't ever figure out how to remove my name from the Classmates site it DID allow me to change my name so I did--to that of a well known Hollywood hot babe. ha ha. Once every few years I get unsolicited email from a fan. :)
I do not do facebook or twitter or...
I did for about 6 months "follow" the account of my youngest, most obnoxious child.
The minutia..the teenage angst...zzzzzz
I just couldn't stand it any longer.
If he is bullying someone, I guess I will discover it when I am asked to post bail.
fidgiegirl
4-28-12, 11:59pm
I do not do facebook or twitter or...
I did for about 6 months "follow" the account of my youngest, most obnoxious child.
The minutia..the teenage angst...zzzzzz
I just couldn't stand it any longer.
If he is bullying someone, I guess I will discover it when I am asked to post bail.
Tee hee hee . . .
I have an old friend from whom I received an invitation to join as his face book friend. I sent him an email and told I did not want to join facebook, but would really enjoy exchanging emails and photos occasionally and staying in touch that way. I never got a response, so I guess that's how much our friendship is worth. We still exchange Christmas greetings.
Here's a variation on that theme: my DH is not on Facebook but one of his old friends "found" me and sent me an email via FB almost demanding that I should get DH to join. I replied DH was not going to join FB but was on LinkedIn (this friend is a professional contact as well) or he could email DH directly and gave him the email address. All to DH's knowledge of course. Nothing came of it. It's like if someone decides you ought to be on FB, and you aren't (and aren't going to change), you are seriously inconvenicing them. Like it's so darn tough to send a separate email. Oh well. Guess if it's that inconvenient, than your friendship can't mean much.
The only reason that I go to FB is to check on my kids. You would think they would catch on..............
Oh, I play Bejeweled against my DH.
I just got over 100 happy birthday wishes on FB... Many a heartfelt message. They've been trickling in all day, and I've loved it.
Well Happy Birthday, Redfox! That is a nice thing about FB.
There was a Pot-Shot by the illustrator Ashleigh Brilliant that read something like, "Isn't there some cheap and easy way I can show you how much you mean to me?"
That's how Facebook makes me feel. I'm not worth a birthday card or even a birthday TEXT, but if my special day is shoved into someone's face, and it's as simple as a click-and-send to acknowledge me, well, I'm worth that. It's amusing.
FB is good for me to see what people are up to, and for my work support group (private group) it's excellent as we're spread all over the world, but as for genuine, heartfelt expressions of caring.....it's better than nothing, but only marginally better.
Happy Birthday, Redfox --- if I knew you i.r.l., I'd send you a birthday card :D
Pug: I definitely still send cards to people I know in person. FB is OK as a supplement for human interaction, but it's certainly not a substitute for it.
I just got over 100 happy birthday wishes on FB... Many a heartfelt message. They've been trickling in all day, and I've loved it.
Well, happy birthday! How fun to get so many wishes on FB.
Blackdog Lin
5-6-12, 9:16pm
Belated birthday wishes redfox! And many more.....
Facebook terrifies me. The loss of privacy, the feeling that too many people would know too much about too many facets of my life.....terrifying. I cannot understand the young (and older ones too, I guess) people who "put it all out there", their daily thoughts and doings and photos.....I guess, being my introverted and private self, I am terrified of the wider world intruding into my little world.
I've missed out on things I'd like to see/be involved in, with my refusal to get onto FB. Photos and local news and such. People tell me "you don't have to post, you just have to join!". No thank you. I'll continue being out of the loop on the local doings (much of which seems to be just local gossip anyway, as far as I can tell), and keep my privacy. I don't trust FB to keep ANY of my personal information private.
ApatheticNoMore
5-7-12, 2:28am
It depends on who you are afraid of knowing stuff. I mean people who post about their sex life and stuff on facebook are just weird - sorry but that's just weird :)
But if you post other stuff, who are you afraid of knowing? The government? Sigh, the @#$^ government is going to end up knowing anyway what with trying to get the rights to get all private information without a warrent (the current CISPA bill) and wanting to put backdoors in everything including your email. Senators already emailed, one already called, tired of this fight .... :treadmill: Encryption and even then how long will that work ...
Future or present employers? Yea I'd be careful what is posted on facebook that could influence that. Don't post about work, about your sex life, about using any recreational substances even legal ones if such was ever the case, coplaints about current or prior jobs or work under anything tracable with a simple google search to your real name. In a decade or so when everyone knows everything including all your emails due to all the backdoors etc. (and it probably won't end up restricted to govertment afterall) then this is lost anyway. But for NOW what is an employer really going to do? A google search on facebook for what is tracable. Just don't post garbage you would be scared of an employer finding on facebook.
Marketers? I honestly don't give a darn what marketers know really. I mean I'd rather they not, but the worst they can do is try to sell me stuff, and I'm a brick wall. I buy stuff sometimes of course, but I'm not tempted by sales pitches (free samples at the grocery sometimes work though :)). I can't be sold too very easily, in fact they are really picking the wrong person to try to sell to.
I agree with ANM that there's not much I am worried about as far as privacy and Facebook. I post stuff like funny things my kids say, craft projects I have done, photos of my new baby. Nothing earth shattering or controversial. Stuff I would voluntarily tell anyone I meet.
HumboldtGurl
5-11-12, 2:22pm
Oh I have such a love hate relationship with it. DH and I are only on there for our businesses, but of course we're forced to have personal pages to do so. Your business really can't exist without a presence there.
After writing an article about FB's founder, I am incredibly unnerved by the stealth ways that every single member's privacy is continuously invaded by the FB Borg, and most people don't even seem to mind. Scary stuff.
There were some things I liked about it, but I ultimately shut down my Facebook account. I spent too much time reading things that were not relevant to my life, though it was nice to feel in touch with all those people from earlier points in my life. At times I think about signing back on, but I really never feel that I have enough time for the people and tasks that are actively in my life in this very moment. Sorry high school and college friends.
There were some things I liked about it, but I ultimately shut down my Facebook account. I spent too much time reading things that were not relevant to my life, though it was nice to feel in touch with all those people from earlier points in my life. At times I think about signing back on, but I really never feel that I have enough time for the people and tasks that are actively in my life in this very moment. Sorry high school and college friends.
I've tried to get rid of Facebook but can't. I've never signed on with it, so I'm wondering how my name got on in the first place.
I've tried to get rid of Facebook but can't. I've never signed on with it, so I'm wondering how my name got on in the first place.
Maybe one of your kids who knew your e-mail address signed you on thinking that you'd like to see their FB pages. I think it would be pretty easy to make up a FB page for anyone even if you don't know their e-mail address. Just open a new e-mail account in their name yourself, open a FB account in their name, and post a pic of them and viola! they are now on FB even if they don't know it. Seems like it would be a legally fraudulant - something akin to I.D. theft - but maybe not. Glad I'm not on FB although... maybe I am and don't know it. UGH!!!
Maybe one of your kids who knew your e-mail address signed you on thinking that you'd like to see their FB pages. I think it would be pretty easy to make up a FB page for anyone even if you don't know their e-mail address. Just open a new e-mail account in their name yourself, open a FB account in their name, and post a pic of them and viola! they are now on FB even if they don't know it. Seems like it would be a legally fraudulant - something akin to I.D. theft - but maybe not. Glad I'm not on FB although... maybe I am and don't know it. UGH!!!
Good idea, Spartana, thanks! I'll try it tonight.
Wildflower
5-22-12, 4:06am
I deleted my Facebook account permanently 3 weeks ago. I don't miss it at all! I just really got tired of "knowing" too much about others than I was comfortable with. I keep in touch with the people I really care about otherwise, so just didn't feel the need for it anymore. It was a time waster for me as well....
SophieGirl
6-21-12, 8:10pm
I have resolved never again to use Facebook to organize a group --- local or otherwise. The interfaces are horrible. If you want people to answer a question before you approve their membership, Facebook gives them no means by which to answer said question.
And yes --- the privacy settings are both inflexible and unintuitive.
I run a group or two active on Facebook for no reason other than one --- once you create a group, Facebook (to the best of my knowledge) doesn't anywhere give you the option of shutting it down!!! (These are the two groups through which I learned what a terrible mistake it is to do something so dumb as starting a Facebook group.)
In deciding where to set up a group, people say I need to "go where the people are" - suggesting that I should use Facebook for that reason. Well -- "go where the people are" may be a reason to compromise on quality requirements ---- but using Facebook would mean doing away with such standards altogether.
SteveinMN
6-22-12, 10:13am
once you create a group, Facebook (to the best of my knowledge) doesn't anywhere give you the option of shutting it down!!!
It's also incredibly difficult to close a user account, too. I suspect this behavior is one reason why Facebook can claim to have 800+ million users worldwide. The number that logs on daily or even weekly must be much smaller than that.
small & friendly
6-24-12, 9:34pm
I was on if for about a year in order to play the homesteading game. But I was really turned off by all the vulgar stuff posted primarily by women! Yuck! Sorry, I don't want that kind of garbage in my face.
They do make it very difficult to close your account.
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