Sunday 21 August 2011

Face up to it

Well, I am now a member, I have joined up. People have been asking me for a long time if am a member, my answer was always, no I can't be bothered, I don't trust it, and I spend enough time on the computer already. So what have I done.....joined Facebook. Don't ask me why, curiosity? Why is everybody in it, and am I missing out on something?

It's been a week now and I am still not sure I understand it. I have put a few photo's on there, added a few friends, made a few posts, then sit back and see what happens. Apparently I need to search for lots more friends, not sure why. I have twelve isn't that enough? Lots of faces keep popping up, other people I might wish to be friends with. These are the friends of my friends, they are people I don't know, why should I want to be a friend with a complete stranger? Very strange.

And there is something called A Wall, everyone has one, so why isn't it like a real wall, bricks and mortar? I wanted to put some graffiti on my Wall but I can't, it isn't there, no Wall. What a swizz.

When I go to my home page, that is my Wall apparently, there are messages popping up on there. Not messages for me, but messages that my friends have been putting on their Wall, and comments they have made on the messages their friends have left. Some of them are very bizzare and don't make any sense at all. It's like hearing one side of a telephone conversation and trying to work out what the other person is saying. All gobboldygook to me.

My Wall seems to be littered with notes on what all my friends are doing. When they add a picture, it tells me. When they make a new friend, it tells me. If they like something that someone has said, it tells me. If they fart, it tells me. Ha ha, not really only joking.

One of my friends has 300 friends, how the heck did that happen, does she really know 300 people? How could you keep up with them? And why would you want to? The mind boggles.

I'm not really sure what I have been missing out on by not being a member, perhaps I am just anti social. I can't see what is good about it at the moment. I'll give it a bit longer and see what happens. My little band of twelve friends are enough for now, it's all I can cope with.

28 comments:

  1. A very funny post!

    Don't go on Facebook but understand a bit more now and it's reassured me that I'm missing out on nothing more than I get from reading my fav blogs and visiting my fav forum.

    Sft x

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  2. LOLing. I'm not on FB either and you've described exactly how I think about it when I hear others talking about it. I don't think you're missing anything from what I can tell.

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  3. Because of pressure, I did join fb...hate it....will not respond to anyone...lol....dumb, just like you say!

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  4. I often drop by here to be entertained or enlightened - you say that 12 friends on fb is enough - but you have 303 followers for your blog - well done, it's a great read.

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  5. Facebook? Faceache more like! Don't belong, even though friends and family pass on their news that way. I really don't get it.
    Jane x

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  6. I love Facebook, as a mum to a toddler it meens I can interact with my friends and family with little or no faff.
    I have friends though who can't make a single move without Facebooking it or can't make a decision untill they have asked their Facebook friends. That's taking it to far if you ask me.
    Will try to add you if you like
    x x x

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  7. I'm on fb because its a good way DD and her family who live on the other side of the world to share their news and photos. If not for that I definitely wouldn't bother, though. I don't understand the big drive to get more friends than all your friends, if you see what I mean! :D

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  8. I joined FB for a few months. It did help me find a friend I had lost contact with for over 15 years (he was in Germany having moved from NZ). But on being approached by all sorts (some I wish to avoid) saying hi, welcome to FB, we want to be your friend, then never hearing from them again! What a sham. My brother & his wife can't live without it. They keep telling me to join so I know "what's happening"! If I want to know what's happening with my friends, I email or call them - end of!

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  9. A very strange place is Facebook.

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  10. Kate G said - I'm glad you are my friend on Facebook Ilona. I love it because it is so easy to keep in touch with my family in Leicester etc. I don't have lots of friends either - 36 and they are almost all real friends and family with a forum friend here and there. I also get to see my sister's holiday snaps quickly instead of waiting till she has them printed off. Remember to keep your prfile private then only people who you want to can view your pages :)

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  11. I limit my personal part of facebook to friends and family, but as they are all round the world it is very useful! It is a tool to be used as you see fit and set.
    There are times when you can see that someone is online and you can "talk" with chat/message. (remember the Wall is not private).
    It is good for the business, and I have a Page for that, but both have their uses.

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  12. I don`t use Facebook alot, but it does help me to keep track of what my kids get up to.

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  13. I'm on facebook but only have 16 friends, its mainly to keep in touch with my son since he moved out a few years ago and hubby keeps in touch with his nephew and niece who live down south.

    Josie x

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  14. I'm on facebook Ilona mainly because it keeps me in touch with people like my ex-stepdaughter, a cousin in Sao Paulo and things like that. I also had a friend who really sadly died and I wouldn't have found out otherwise. I met her about 16 years ago, and as she lived in Italy it was recently an easy way to keep in touch.
    I get exasperated by people making stupid comments and then everyone telling them how wonderful they are. 30 odd comments/replies can arise from something which seems to me like a bumming oneself up exercise.
    I have about 60 friends I think and some of them I don't really want but will gradually 'unfriend' them, like some ex colleagues.
    Just treat it as a bit of fun, I'm under my full name if you want to look me up.

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  15. I've been on Facebook for ages, it's the only way to keep in touch with my grown up sons, and see what they're up to, I get to see pictures of my Grandchildren, it's the only way I see them, so it has it's uses.

    I have a few friends and they are just that, people I know in real life mostly, a few fellow Bloggers keep in touch too, but we chat more privately by email.

    Some folks seem to find it a challenge to make as many 'friends' as possible. My ex-brother in law went on and in the space of a couple of weeks he had hundreds!!

    Facebook is more normal than Twitter....now that's confusing!


    Sue xx

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  16. I must be super anti social as I opened an account ages ago to see my friends wedding pics, however, I NEVER use it :) There seems to be a lot of school Mums who read each others updates but don't talk to each other in the school playground, just say oh yes I saw that on facebook, why not just blardy talk to each other - very odd!!
    Twiggy x

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  17. I'm on Face-Book,and love it,i stay in contact with my Son,who lives in another State now from me!

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  18. I 'know where you're coming from' on this Ilona. I am on facebook, but registered in my middle name as I only want to keep in touch with my daughter on there. I don't want to 'friend' anyone else - see, now I'm really anti-social!

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  19. check that you are using it as a secure site. You can choose to do so in your settings and I don't think it is set as the default.I am a member,have been for about 2 years when a school friend suggested it. It is very handy for contacting the family and has a message thing which I use to say 'look at your emails!' to my uni kids who are far more likely to look on FB than in their email client. There is a text based chat thing too but skype is better.

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  20. I'm on facebook, but its a love/hate relationship lol!

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  21. Just read my facebook and I think one of the things that irritate me is some people look at it like a place to boast!

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  22. I'm with you on this, I have been on facebook, twice but, it's seems a lot of nonsense most of the time!
    Some folks had 'farms' and had to keep feeding, taking to the vet and all sorts of things, they'd say, "I've just got a load of turkeys." And me not knowing what they were on about would think they really had! LOL! As if there isn't enough to do in a day without a fantasy farm! I do appreciate it is a way of keeping in touch with real family and friends but, it's not for me!

    Sandie xx

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  23. Signed up on facebook to help a friend win a contest and never spent much time there...rather look at a few chosen blogs and visit with friends in our online groups...

    I spend too much time online as it is...

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  24. I love your replies on this post, very entertaining. I have just gained a new friend, so now I am up to 13, yipeee. Don't worry, I already know him, he is a friend in real life, ha ha.

    I like that expression Campfire, 'bumming oneself up', very funny.

    It's a very lazy way of keeping in touch with people, telling them to check out your Facebook page to find out what you are doing, instead of contacting everyone personally when you have some news. If someone cannot be bothered to pick up the phone or send me an email, why should I be interested in what they are doing. I have dropped many real world friends because they can't be bothered to keep in touch.

    Kate G, I am glad you are my friend also. I have met you and I like you, you are a very nice lady.

    The only reason I can think of why it might be a good thing to join is if real friends and family are hundreds of miles away, even then you can email photo's across, or pick up the phone.

    It's a shame that people resort to this fantasy world rather than making an effort to keep in touch personally. It makes me think that some people live their lives through other people, when they should be getting on with their own.

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  25. It took me awhile to warm up to Facebook. My sibs all joined and really wanted me too. It is kinda of silly, but I like keeping in touch with friends after work and family out of state. There is a live chat feature that I have used on the occassion. I won't die if I skip a day or so and I keep mine on 'friends' only. No one has bothered me at all. Your right about getting a message about every little thing. LOL!

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  26. I just don't get it. I spend far too long on the internet anyway reading blogs.

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  27. FB - provokes either a "love it" or "hate it" reaction. Personally, I can't be doing with it. Mrs. Jules has an account and looks at it quite regularly. Most of her friends are/were real friends at one time or another. But I prefer to call or e-mail - or better still, actually meet!

    But FB content is, by and large, so anodyne. Why do people think the world wants to know the intricacies of every move or decision they make? By all means, if you have something valid to say, say it. But just airing your indecisions or posting links to people messing about on You Tube?

    Suffice to say, it's not for me.

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  28. Freebees Scunthorpe Area, http://www.facebook.com/messages/?action=read&tid=aZSnuwO54iWyst2k54BFsA#!/profile.php?id=100002465212780 (not sure if the link will work) but it has people getting rid of stuff for free, might be of interest for you.

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