I like Facebook. Luckily I don't have anyone who posts the tiny details of their lives. I have nieces and nephews who have children and I really like seeing the pictures and funny things they say.. Another thing I enjoy is the ribbing the kids give each other about sports teams. It can be a great tool for staying connected. My siblings and I have a family page. What we post there cannot be seen by others. We relay health news, pictures, comments.

Don't do anything Facebook related, twitter, instagram, or any other social media junk. It just doesn't interest me in the least.
I am easy to contact for those family and friends I care about by phone, email, texting, and old fashioned mail.. This is one aspect of techy I stay far away from.

Facebook seems to fuel the narcissistic attitudes many people have and don't realize how off-normal they are. Such special snowflakes really think others want or care about the mountain of inane details they "share", not realizing that the flood of posts only serves to lower the level of what people think of them. Not the opposite as they think.

My wife has a friend who always seemed a bit "off". We never realized how much so until when she friended her on Facebook. This woman really has problems that are much more evident with her FB activity. It's sad.

To share kid photos and family info is a different story so long as users know not to include a daily report of what they had for breakfast.

I like Facebook, I find it very entertaining I joined a couple of groups that are about organizing your craft room or getting rid of excess stuff in your house and another food group. Between those three and my limited number of friends, I am very entertained. And I get a lot of great recipes, too. I have unfriended a few people, even a relative, because his stuff was just so depressing to me he was always arguing politics with somebody.I unfriended him before I figured out how to block all his stuff and now I don't want to friend him again because I figure he never realized that I unfriended him. LOL

I really dislike Facebook. When my step daughter joined she invited me on FB to join her. She used my master email account and I think that was all I had at the time. I sent her a not to nice note telling her not to give out my email account. I cannot get FB to remove my address from their records. They send letters every once in awhile to update my account or something or other.

I have used it with an alias account on 2 occasions to locate relatives about a death. I delete the account as soon as I made contact.

FB annoys me mostly. I just saw a comment from one of my friends about how excited she was to find a someone on FB that she had not seen since high school and I'm thinking to myself...what the heck is so exciting about some people from high school? Whatever...it's just not for me...I hated school and sure don't care to find those people from high school. My best friend from high school died in a car wreck and the others were just acquaintances that are no more exciting than the lady in the line at the grocery store...maybe even less so...HAHA! Sure there are some that I've kind of wondered "what ever became of so and so?" but I don't want them on FB. That 10 year reunion was enough for me.

I think what bothers me most about FB is that it has taken place for personal emails, personal phone calls, personal cards in the mail. At Christmas you get A "Merry Christmas everyone" from your sister...GAH!

I love Facebook. There are lots of reasons why I love Facebook, but I'm finished warming my hands now and have to go out to unload my Walmart groceries from the car.

alisande, remember to disinfect your hands when you're done. Haha.

I love Facebook also, but with a sister in Ark, another sister and a mother in North Carolina and 2 brothers in Texas.. Its a way to keep up with everyone daily. I love being able to watch my nieces and nephews grow.
I am also in a few groups that share the same interest I do, like the Chiefs, Irises, gardening and of course TN Football! I dont post every little detail of my life and I try to avoid drama at all costs!

Texting is good if you have something to say that's brief. What I hate is when someone does a whole conversation by text. Especially if it goes on all day. Ping, they they are... Ping, there they are... Does everyone I know suddenly have laryngitis???

I have a love/hate relationship with facebook. It's great for keeping in touch with relatives who live 1000's of miles away. Or, in our rural area it's a means to know who is having health issues or needs help with a project, etc. During a tornado that hit our area this summer it was a means to keep people informed on where it was located and how people were faring. It can serve a useful purpose.

However I do not care for......the constant posting of selfies, or airing marital problems & squabbles, or being bombarded with invitations to buy or be a sales rep for a friend's home based business, etc. And I don't understand why people post when they are going or gone on a vacation. It's like an open invitation for word to get out that no one is home.

I seldom post, or even hit the "like" button. I'm just too private. However my techy son recently put it in a different perspective when he said he's liberal with the "likes" on facebook. They're free and it makes someone feel good. So in that regard it does make sense.

hilltop, I think I have the same thoughts about it as you. I think a lot of people don't understand that "oversharing" is annoying. And why on Earth would you post pictures while you're on vacation? If you have to show off your vacation, do it when you come BACK! The newest Allstate commercials really made their point.

I use FB for a lot of things; I belong to several groups for birds. I have friends with similar interests.

If I want to talk to someone quickly, I will use FB messenger. I don't hit "like" very much because FB tracks stuff. And there are people who are addicted to "likes" and will post cr@p just so people respond. One of the people I dropped constantly posted about her dog chewing up her stuff but wouldn't do anything about it. Then she'd post about how sweet her dog was (with pictures) and follow it up with someone in the family was sick. Blah-blah-blah!

Off my soapbox!

I like the discussions here better!

I love Facebook. It's a great way to keep in touch with my family. I hide the posts I dislike which are mostly the ones dealing with politics. It is really great for sharing family pictures because they are so easy to upload. I also like it for local news...really local because my neighborhood has a Neighborhood watch page and boy if a fire truck goes by or an ambulance it is great for finding out what is going on and who might need help.
Joann

I too love Facebook! I keep up with my family, but my main interest is gaming :-)

I was unfriended too for posting shelter dogs and that was fine with me. I believed in the cause and felt that if one person reading it decided to adopt any shelter dog, it was worth losing touch with 'friends'.

I absolutely understand that not everyone wants all that 'in your face stuff' and I empathize with those feelings. I absolutely hate talking on the phone and leave it at home at lot. That's ok too. Thank goodness we are not all the same!

For what it's worth, I don't share a lot of my personal life, but do share funny posts from others.

Yep, sometimes I leave my cell phone at home because I don't want anyone bothering me. Whatever it is, it can wait. I do wish I could figure out how to get a ring tone I like. T-Mobile doesn't have anything good, and the T-Mobile sound makes me jump out of my skin. I tried getting the 1960's hit "Java" by Al Hirt as a cheerful ring tone but it didn't "take".

Ha, Snidely--I did! And also after Tractor Supply and Home Depot. It's the flu season. :-)

I love FB. It is a good way for me to keep in touch with my cousins and friends in CA and my many 2nd, third and fourth cousins here in IA, We have a local page here called Ames People, where I can find out info about closed roads, traffic tie ups, etc. DS hasn't had much work lately and yesterday someone was asking for help unloading a U-Haul today. DS contacted the person and made $50 for less than an hour's work. My church friends are all on FB. The police dept. an city post about road conditions. We had 7 inches of snow today and people were asked to stay home if they didn't need to be out. I have unfriended a couple of people in CA who make snide remarks on FB about my political choices.

If I keep my groups organized I have no problems with FB. It took me about 6 months to really figure out how to use it to my benefit. I deleted several, and I seldom friend anyone. Our family is so spread out, our family group is very special to each of us, but even family is limited to what they see or more importantly what I see.

I like it. I don't mind drivel. I am sure that is what I post too. Pics of food, drivel, pics of cats and dogs, more drivel. Hey man, my life is drivel!

My parents are snowbirds and it makes it easy to communicate since I never know where they are LOL.

Dances.

I only have 40 people on my FB list. I use it only for keeping track of family and a handful of special friends.

Mostly I use FB for the groups - I belong to several needlework, Village, African violet, and Radko groups. I learn so much from them! I also "like" several company pages, so I get notified of new events from them.

I, too,have a love/hate relationship with facebook. I love being able to keep up with family,see pics of the new babies, etc. I, and many on my friends list are Christians, and I love the religious content we share,and being able fulfill prayer requests (although some are just silly - I ignore those !). I love see encouraging words, poems, etc.,and being able to offer encouragement to others. I love the genealogy groups I belong to - great people !
I hate the "drama queens", the posts about every little thing ( I don't CARE what you had for dinner), the game requests,seeing what others "like", the things that pop up when you "like" someone's post, and I hate that I SPEND TOO MUCH TIME ON FACEBOOK !!

WoodRose, I total agree with your feelings about FB....but I find myself spending too much time reading it.

Don't do facebook, read too many complaints about it.

Remember when Facebook began -- as an adolescent craze? Then it became 'un-cool' when adults joined. IMO it's still a shallow adolescent venue. (Could there be anything more junior high than accumulating 'friends'?)

I must be missing why someone wouldn't prefer to communicate in private via an email list of real friends. It's hardly surprising a public forum like Facebook has so many banal posts.

IMO it's still a shallow adolescent venue. (Could there be anything more junior high than accumulating 'friends'?)

Is that what you think we do, Chisue? Sounds like you don't have a very good opinion of those of us who participate in Facebook. Have you tried it? If not, I guess this another case of someone criticizing something they haven't experienced.

You're certainly well within your rights to avoid something that doesn't appeal to you, but it's presumptuous to judge whether or not a person is a "real" friend. All of my FB friends are people I know in real life, people I'm related to, or people I've gotten to know online. I've been online for a long time, and yes, they're all "real" friends.

Alisande....you are absolutely my favorite.......!!!!

patti

Facebook ... what's that?

Ain't never had my face inside a book yet ... and certainly not on the cover.

Hey - maybe I should write one - but would I have my pic on the cover? Probably (most likely) not.

Speaking of which ...

... what kind of egotism does it take, if you own a magazine (especially one whose name is one letter) ...

... to have your pic on the cover ... every ... darn ... issue!

ole joyful

chisue, that was MySpace, which is probably still out there but nobody uses it.

Facebook doesn't have to be the "post everything for the masses" if you know how to use it. It also has some pretty nifty privacy settings, again, if you know how to use it. Facebook certainly has advantages, one of which is portability. Most every smart phone has an app for FB. MOST of my FB friends understand that and it's generally a great tool. I just dropped some folks who felt the need to overcommunicate their every moment.

Email is almost going the way of the thank you note.....or anything hand written. I personally do not like group emails because the conversation becomes disjointed. Trust me, people don't know how to use email correctly either.....it's my work pet peeve!!!

Texts, IMs, Instagram, Twitter and a multitude of other outlets are the way a lot of people communicate. But today's trend will become tomorrow's soon enough.

Younger people are leaving Facebook in droves for other social media. There are still many, of course, but teenagers usually don't want every mom, dad, aunt and uncle to know what they share with their friends. :)

A lot of people don't use email anymore to communicate privately, myself included. The reason for that is my email accounts get so crowded with junk that it's a hassle to have to clean it every day. Even keeping an email for only important things still seems to be infiltrated occasionally. I find I have to switch emails fairly often to get away from the spam, and then I have about 6 different emails to check to find private emails from people and it's just so much easier to use Facebook.

Additionally, Facebook allows me to stay in touch with people that I wouldn't normally email or text, like my cousins or old work friends. I like seeing their little kids or vacation pictures.

I understand not wanting to have Facebook, but I don't understanding bashing it (and the users) if you haven't even bothered to try it. There are a ton of options and customizations to make it the exact experience that you want.

IMHO texting (going off topic) has got to be the single most useless invention EVER! Hate it, can't understand the point of writing a few words when you can just tell someone a hundred words in no time flat with actual real spoken language.

I think that when social media options get in the way of real life contact, it's time to reconsider its use.

I was one of the first parent in daughter's group of friends that texted. She taught me when we were doing college visits and our cell phones weren't working within certain buildings. I in turn taught my friends. I understand where Arkansa is coming from. But, I usually do like the convenience of a quick text rather than the protocol of a phone call. You can even do a group text. "Is 7:00 on Tuesday a good time to meet at the restaurant." Everyone sees everyone else's response. Very efficient!

FB has gotten so large, it can be overwhelming. What was once a way to connect with friends, has turned commercial. Everything from organizations to retail stores is now on FB.

Texting and emailing instead of phoning means - "this isn't so important that you (the recipient) need to STOP what you're doing RIGHT NOW to hear what I have to say. You can receive my message at your convenience, not at mine". It's more polite than a "drop everything" phone call.

When a message is short, a text is effective and quicker to send and receive than email. If you don't like it, don't use it.

I may be old, but I text a lot to my family. So many times I call and catch them at a bad time....but when I text, they can get back to me when convenient for them, unless it is something very important, and then I will call. Plus, the grandkids always respond to a text...not a phone call. But we always spell out our messages....none of the short forms of speech.

I love texting. It's so much less disruptive than an annoying cell phone ringing in the middle of a meeting or other public place. And as others have stated, you don't need to answer it immediately if the situation doesn't permit.

I text my husband to remind him of things to pick up on his way home from a meeting or a business lunch. When Sammy was so sick and our vet was away at a vet conference in Las Vegas, we texted each other on how he was doing and attached a photo or two. We didn't interrupt his conference with a phone call, and he could get back to us when it was convenient. But it was a powerful way to stay in touch during a difficult stretch.

I can text a few words - "forgot dental appt. In at 10:30" - instead of getting stuck on a lengthy phone call or waiting for the sound of the tone to leave a message.

Texting has a place in our home!

I initially joined Facebook to see new pics of the greats. I accumulated scads of friends, as I had been secretary in our local high school for many years, and many, many of the "kids" friended me. It was a shock to see them as grandparents! I read it every day, but post very little.

Except for feeling that what I write in a forum is more private, I really don't see a whole lot of difference between communication here or on Facebook. I can say things here that I might not want my family to see because they 'travel' in different circles and are unlikely to hang out here.

How many Garden Webber's have you met in person?

I have met in person maybe a dozen from the Texas Gardening forum, we do plant swaps twice a year, but that's it.
You are all 'virtual' friends to me. I feel like I know many Garden Web members well because I have been a member for years. I have no idea what those familiar members' voices sound like nor could I pick my old friends out in a crowded airport. That doesn't make them any less friends to me than someone who I have lunch with.

I don't believe that I am using any sort of social media, whether it's Facebook or Garden Web, to escape reality. I am a bit reclusive by nature and I get to visit with folks that I like from the comfort of my keyboard. I like both Garden Web and Facebook and I see a lot of similarities.

As for the ads, even with adblockers, I still occasionally see an ad or two here.

As Lloyd from the compost forum says...'to sense' :-)

hehehe, sometimes I poke my husband when he's online in the other room. Or maybe I'll send him a text message. We have fun with it.

It almost seems as if people have become phobic of speaking on the telephone and all anyone wants to do these days is just a quick little message on FB or a stupid text. My family lives thousands of miles from me and I haven't seen them in years, what meaningful conversation can we possibly have on a text message? Yet that's all anyone wants to do like they are afraid of talking on the phone. Boy we'd sure weren't afraid of the phone back in the 70s when I was a teen...our parents couldn't get us off! Now it's just so inconvenient and troublesome to get a phone call these days. What is up with that?

I am on Facebook for one reason and that is to see my DGD's cupcake business page. I check it out each morning and it is interesting to see how they interact with their customers. They have several "give away" days, and it is fun to read the reasons that are posted as to why that person thinks they should win. They have taste-testing days when they are experimenting with new ideas, and customers love that! So that is how I got started and since then a couple relatives in other states have seen my profile and have contacted me. I like that part.

So like most every thing else in life you take what is right for you and leave the rest to others as they see fit.

Sue

arkansas, what would you have done in the 70s if text messaging and Facebook were available and what your friends used? The answer is obvious, and that's why folks today do what they do.

If you want a long communication with them, start the ball rolling by sending them an email. Then hope you get a response. If you don't, then you know you're not missing out on communicating with them. Who knows, you might even get a phone call in return.

Heck my one sister doesn't even OWN a computer...HA!

I like Facebook a lot. I have blocked a few people who post only endless things that do not interest me.

I see my son's pictures and two of my nieces. It is a great way to communicate with a lot of people at once. There are community yard sale pages where I have bought a few things. Also one for keeping up with what's going on in the community and also finding recs for plumbers, electricians, etc.

I enjoy seeing pictures of my friends kids and grandkids (but not their dogs). I like reading about what they have been doing.

I follow the pages of several news sites and get breaking news that way as well as the weather.

I'm not 'getting' how posting on Facebook is somehow better than communicating via email. But then, I never enjoyed making conversation at a cocktail party. I'm more one-on-one. Could you really say what you think on Facebook? What if 'everybody' disagreed with you?

I'm not saying you have to have personally met everyone with whom you communicate. This forum is a good example of "some of the nicest people I've never met."

I've been using the "Unfollow" feature. You stay friends with the person, but don't see their posts. I've unfollowed a lot of people who post constantly and those who insist on bashing their ex, airing their dirty laundry, etc. on FB. I (and probably no one else) wants to see constant snarky comments on your ex and what a horrible person he/she is.

I like Facebook in a lot of ways. I've connected with some college friends and some far-away family. I would probably never interact with them in any way if not for Facebook.

As far as texting vs a phone call - DH and I prefer, in most cases, a text. DH may be working when I text, and vice versa. A quick text is much less intrusive. My sister actually expressed surprise that I'm ok with DH texting me instead of calling. If I know that DH is driving I will call. Same for him. Otherwise, we mostly text.

I love Facebook and am semi-addicted. I'm retired and have had the opportunity to make a whole new circle of FB friends. A lot of them are former students,( many middle-aged by now) "real friends", fellow junkers, etc.

I have one friend that we call each other our"barn friend". We share photos of old barns and talk about our shared love of them, etc.

I ignore if there's any drama. Different strokes for different folks.

Interesting side note to this discussion. Found this article today regarding a Pew research study:

"This year for the first time more than half of online adults over 65 were on Facebook - 56% of them. That figure represents almost a third of all seniors nationwide."

Here is a link that might be useful: Your mom and 58% of Americans are on Facebook

I'm a Facebook user and enjoy contact with women from two other forums I belong too and see pictures of them, plus relatives I don't see anymore, plus a few second cousins I've never met, a couple friends from high school, and am friends with many of my granddaughter's college mates who asked to be my friend, so at 85 I guess I don't come across as an old curmudgeon.

I far prefer email and text, though have not glommed onto facebook. It's a far better way to communicate with me than a disruptive phone call. Three of my health care providers use email and text reminders of upcoming appointments and I appreciate it.

My husband uses Facebook and enjoys it. He shares pictures and family news with me regularly and is in full control of who and what enters his Facebook. Heck, I think I'll sign up today.

My three brothers and their families all use social media to their great advantage, and they can be scathingly funny sometimes.

We still share family phone calls on special occasions, or whenever we want to, but our communication with each other has been greatly enhanced thanks to these other channels. Hardly 'stupid'!

My husband got a Facebook acct for business and he wants and has NO friends. He won't even friend me. All our friends think that's a riot and keep sending him friend requests just to pester him. LOL. Decline, decline, decline.

I just realized that my husband has never sent nor received a text message...HAHA! It is not that he is not tech savvy, he just doesn't do text messages. Hum...birds of a feather.... :)