Facebook isn't just about "friending" people you know face-to-face. It's about networking with people who have the same interests you have. If it wasn't for Facebook, I wouldn't talk to my cousins, who ALL live in The Netherlands. None of us like letter writing. Their emails get lost in all the spam I get. I have a lot of co-workers on FB and we have silly conversations on FB that we can't have at work. We don't all work the same shifts, so it's nice to talk on FB when it's convenient for us. I have friends who live in the US. We are a group of women (I mentioned our private group here a few days ago), and a few of us have met face-to-face. We used to use YahooGroups, but Facebook is so much easier to use. I belong to several colouring groups, photography groups, Calgary groups, etc., to get information directly from others. I learn more through FB about my hobbies than I do through Google, although quite often when I ask a question, I'll get sent to google... lol Facebook is addictive. It's fun. It's my way to keep up with my family because we are all so busy with our families, jobs and life in general. Do I really care what someone ate for breakfast? Nope. And they're probably not interested in what I ate either. But we post pictures and sometimes someone will say, "hey! You have a recipe for that? It looks delicious!". There is so much more than posting the food you eat or how the weather is.

"...he can't stop. He goes out with the guys after work for a few beers and comes home 5 hours later. He drives home like that, when he can barely walk. He staggers and falls down and sometimes throws up. This sometimes in front of the kids." Could have stopped the post right there. Serious jerk/loser. Why have you tolerated this apparently-repeated behavior? You're not looking real good yourself right now as a woman, wife, or mother. "He used to call me up from the bar and tell me how much he loves me and that he's sitting there telling his friends about his wife and how much he loves me." And you tolerated that, too? Astonishing! "Does anyone have any advice? I don't know what to do." Of course you do. You just haven't allowed yourself freedom from your emotions sufficiently to think clearly about it. Hopes and wishes aren't going to handle this. You've got a real sleaze on your hands. For your children, if not yourself, get out of there. Do it yesterday. "I'm just devastated." And you have been for a while. Get over it. Things are as they are. Wishing they were different hasn't accomplished anything and never will. No sense wallowing in this hopelessness. It's a very real problem requiring a very rational decision. Your emotion and self-pity are obstructions to the actions required. Put them on the shelf, gird you loins, and do what needs to be done. In addition to getting free of this jerk, it appears to me you've got some work to do on yourself.

OK ladies...I need some help here. I am not married, but have been in a relationship for 14 months and we live together. I have had a problem in the past of sending suggestive messages to women online. Recently I sent a message to a girl I knew from a bar that I used to go to alot. Haven't seen this girl in probably 2 years or more maybe and were just friends and not very good friends at that. One day while she was away with her daughter at a gymnastics meet, I sent a suggestive message...which was never answered...My GF has looked through my phone on several occasions looking at who I talk to (when we first started seeing each other I was chatting with an old friend I hadnt seen for 20 years...I was very wrong in what I did there and it stopped well before she ever found it on my phone) I have messaged friends and said things that she thought suggestive and I should have worded my responses better. for instance, a friend was at a bar drinking and instead of saying as she says, I am with mhy GF I can't, I said wish I cold join you, but maybe another time. I honestly didnt mean anything by that as we had only been friends and that was it. another instance was I am in fantasy football and one of my leagues there is a girl, a friend for over 2 years and she has been seeing a friend of mine. she was new to the sport last few years and often texted me for advice. Once week while I was going to play versus her team, I reponded 'I'm gonna eat you up" - I am a former semi pro footbal player and that's just how trash talk goes...meant nothing suggestive at all...in hindsight, I now see that maybe my responses could have been much different. the message the day of the gymnastics meet was back in October...I haven't done anything since then but she still constantly monitors my facebook messaging. I honestly have not been chatting with anyone at all. I rarely even get on there at all. she see my messnger getting logged into and will send me messages to see if I will respond. sometimes I never get them because I am not even on there, or I will get them much later and respond to her. I just thought that my chat being logged in on FB was the reason. come to find out it is the Messenger App that has always been logged into on my conmputer and on my phone....I NEVER use it..but because of the thing last Oct...she doesnt believe anything I say and is even questioning a long lunch I had with my boss where we we drinking...which is what I told her I was doing. Please, please what can I do...she is going to leave me and she is newly pregnant with my child and I love her so much..I need help to try and get her to let me back in and re-gain her trust.. I am just lost and so sorry for all I have done wrong to her. but I really do love her and want to Marry her. I have been true to her 100% except the messages I spoke of and maybe a few others that I unintentionally said the wrong thing.... HELP!!!

OK...I gotta chime in here, although this thread is veering pretty off-topic. I use Facebook for social purposes too...it's about the only way I learn anything about my teen's life and several friends around the world communicate via it. Businesses are getting into it because it's increasingly the only way to reach customers. Newspapers are dying. Magazines too. (Ask me..I'm in the publishing biz). TV watchers TIVO through ads. One might easily say, so what...who wants to be bothered with those ads on FAcebook or elsewhere. But here's the rub. Who do you think pays for Facebook to operate? You and I enjoy using it for free. But someone has to pay the staff who keep it running and the servers it works off. That's the advertisers. If you want to get rid of the ads, you'll have to pony up a monthly fee for sites like Facebook...and gardenweb for that matter. Some folks might be willing to do so. But most people are now so used to free content, free sites, that they won't.