(OT) Why do you use Facebook?

[Paintedcow]

Being that most posters on this newsgroup are of "advanced age", I have to ask why you use Facebook (if you do)?

For persons under the age of 30, FB seems to be "required", and many of them seem to exist solely to use FB.

But for us older persons, it seems that most, of not all, who use it, do nothing but complain about it. They say it's full of rubbish, rudeness, idiots, and complainers. (I personally fully agree with that, and after a brief encounter with it, I closed my FB account forever).

So, I often ask these older people "WHY DO YOU USE FB, IF YOU DISLIKE IT SO MUCH?". Every time, I get the same answer, "It lets me stay in touch with friends and family members and see pictures of the grand-kids, etc".

Ummmmmmm, DID YOU EVER HEAR OF EMAIL? Apparently these are people who dont know how to use a computer....

I have kept in contact with friends and family for many years, using EMAIL. I can send them pictures of anything, and do so easier than I can on FB. The best part is that ONLY my friend or family member will see that picture and/or read what I wrote.

On FB, everything you post can be seen by the whole world, and I found that no matter how much you filter and adjust settings on FB, the whole world can still access whatever you post. Even if I only post a picture of my dog, and write about my trip to the park, I DO NOT want a bunch of assholes reading what I posted.

A good example, during the Orlando shooting, the killer was posting to FB. I dont want my posts to be read by someone like that.... I dont care how mundane they are....

Facebook is nothing but a virus that has taken over the internet and has ruined most of what the internet was originally intended to be. In the meantime, you can keep it's founder Mark Zukerberg wealthy and he is now one of the wealthiest people on earth.

Think before you use FB, and learn to use email to contact your REAL friends. FB friends are not your friends at all. Many are even dangerous...

What's YOUR excuse for using Facebook?

[bob_villain]

On Thursday, June 30, 2016 at 3:48:14 PM UTC-5, [e-mail] wrote :

Every one of my "friends" are real friends or real relatives...mine is clos ed to anyone else. I have used it to find old school mates and "lost" relat ives...I don't click on adverts or buy anything. I don't like many things a bout it...like how "it" resides when to remove something I've posted or wha t "it" thinks I might like! I'm 71.

[Ed Pawlowski]

I don't use it. Never saw the need. Don't want to find long lost friends or classmates and don't need them to find me. I have old friends that go back to childhood and gather others along the way. I'm happy with that.

We email, telephone, even visit in person. Same with family.

[Roger Blake]

I don't use it and really don't see the attraction, particularly if you look at what they do with your information. I've given up though trying to explain to friends and family why FB be avoided. You'd have an easier time getting a junkie off of heroin.

[Meanie]

I use it with a fictitious name for part of my business. It helps me gather info on someone because there's always a FB fool who will display his/her entire life for the world to see. I assume they feel a sense of importance with all there make believe friends on their FB list. Other than that, I wouldn't be caught dead with that app on my phone, PC or anywhere for my own personal use.

[Frank]

Family and friends including ancient classmates post there. One friend has vision problems and easier for her to post there than email. See a lot of cute photos and vids of my young granddaughter where son and wife just post directly off smart phone to FB.

Twitter I don't comprehend and think it is for twits. Who cares to hear every time that Lady Ga Ga takes a dump?

[Pavel314]

My daughter talked me into signing up so that I could see pictures of, and keep up with the adventures of, my kids and grandkids. I used an alias as I didn't want people to find me except for the family.

Paul

[bob_villain]

I would add...if family is using their real names it isn't hard for others to figure out who you are. Just saying...

[rbowman]

And have Zuckerberg looking over you shoulder and censoring you? Screw that.

[Paintedcow]

That's the whole problem. To signup, you are supposed to use your real name, address, phone#, and more. Not to mention a lot of other personal info. I would not mind if someome I know finds me, but there are a lot of assholes, idiots, and worse using it. It also seems to be the place for drunks to post drunken photos of themselves when they are in public places like bars. Who needs that!!!!

At least when I take photos in public, I have to go home and download them to my computer before I can email them. That way I know what I'm sending, and NOT when I'm drunk! (just saying this, since I dont get drunk anymore).

Actually, I DO have a FB page (sort of). It's listed to one of my pets, has their picture, and their real name (first name only). No valid address, phone, etc. There are no "friends" on the friend list. The only reason I have that, is so I can view the schedules of some local music bands (who dont have real websites), and to occasionally follow some local news, such as storm damage, fires, accidents and that sort of thing. I find it annoying that I have to "log on" at all, just to get a band's schedule, or (READ ONLY) some local news. But it's the only way to access some of that stuff. And even more annoying is that each time I go to some local story, something pops up telling me to "befriend" so and so, or even some business, then bitching that I have not yet gotten any "friends". The whole thing is real idiotic if you ask me. And why is it that they always want me to give a "thumbs up" to every damn thing, but have no "thumbs down" to choose.....

I'll take a regular webpage any day.....

[Stormin Mormon]

I wonder how many sex offenders troll FB for pictures? Probably more than we ever want to know. I'm sure I don't want to know.

[Stormin Mormon]

Many years ago, I was doing service calls (and some times getting paid part of the bill) for some New York City Greeks who ran a referral company. They would take a work order, and send me out, and then promise to pay me.

One day, the dispatcher who I'd talked to often suggested I look for him on FB, and gave me his first and last name. I did. Later, I found a couple people I knew from church on FB, and linked to each other. I'm up to about two or three dozen people on FB, though few post. About time to go clean out my friends list, again. The Greek didn't pay me for several calls, and then they stopped taking work orders in my area. Some people not worth being in contact. I'm still on with some church friends.

Some of the news feed articles are interesting. Most are outrageous "Obama rebukes drivers of SUV" and some are more outrageous "California gun control Democrat arrested for illegal weapons transfer".

I'm about full of outrage, and considering if I want to bother being outraged every morning before work. Maybe not.

Really, no good excuse.

[Micky]

I do. I think it's great. I signed up once, under a phony name with a phone bdate (if asked) and alternative email address, and little else (I may have given them my true sex), and now so many websites let me log in with FB. It saves so much time. I don't know what good it does the websites that use it.

So I hear.

I did look up the worst roommate I ever had but he wasn't there. Might be dead by now.

And a couple other people with rare names, but didn't find any of them. Did much better with switchboard.com.

I watch my niece's page sometimes. She's my only "friend".

My friend has a real signup and a phony one. I wonder how many are really subscribed to FB if you don't count duplicates and phony ones.

........

You should see all the people who post what turn out to be admissions, used against them in The People's Court to make them lose.

[u r strokin mormon]

...

You are probably one of them. How many friends you have doing the same thing?

The competition bothers you, doesn't it?

[NicholasMeleeMan]

I use Facebook to get the most updated news and stuff.

[DerbyDad03]

...snip...

I do not use Facebook, based on a long-ago request from my "kids". They are all adults now, ranging in age from 23 - 28 and have been on Facebook since high school. Back then we sat down and discussed the pros and cons of the internet and specifically Facebook. I trusted my kids back then and I trust them even more now. They requested that SWMBO and I not join Facebook so that they could have their privacy. We went along with that request.

All 4 have my kids have become productive adults and, more importantly, good people. The boys have very good jobs, one daughter just earned a dual-Masters degree and found a great job even before she graduated. The other daughter will earn her Masters in 2017 and is already working in the Senior Living environment, building programs to enhance the lives of *us*, as part of the aging population.

We talk all the time via phone, email and text. We are all on great terms and they have always respected our opinions and advice. We let them have their Facebook space and it has worked out just fine.

[Stormin Mormon]

I've heard that FB filters the news feed, and only things that agree with their point of view. Who can tell?

[Stormin Mormon]

1) You don't need to be in contact with your family to use facebook. You can be part of a social circle of neighbors, work associates, hobbies, etc. 2) I used to have my Father as a FB contact. He was really impolite about some thing, can't remember what. And I unfriended him. Of course, this is the man who used to read letters I had written, whenever he found them. Such as left on the kitchen table before I went to the post office. He'd mark them up with proof readers marks, and comments. Sounds like you're a lot more respectful than my Father.

[Stormin Mormon]

Please consider another father talk with your kids. Anything posted to FB is public info. Regardless of privacy settings. Sounds like your kids need some instruction on how to NOT post personal information on the computer.

- . Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .

. .

[DerbyDad03]

Why do you think I need to talk to my kids? What in my original post indicates that my kids don't understand how Facebook works? Why do you think that they are posting "personal information on the computer"?