I'm with the army officer. Never volunteer! LOL

Don't "get it" either, but DS (our MAC expert) finds it very helpful as he knows what news person he wants to "follow".....or receive info from. Facebook is only as challenging as you want it to be....easy to block persons, ads etc., and keep your friends and organizations limited. I'm a very "unfriendly" person.....only family and close...close people that I am interested in their lives (not daily or hourly!) and same with them. Remember when you made that long distance phone call to a good friend just when something struck you that you wanted to share? Facebook can be very rewarding. Yesterday my brother's SO posted a photo of Brother....Have never had a photo of him in recent years. What a surprise and treat!

Thank you everyone! I'll think about it a little. Maybe there is a blog or another way I can follow the issue which interests me. I think I agree with Chisue, when it comes to the internet, sometimes less is more.

I volunteer as one of the Mayor's citizen reporters. A simple tweet helps him keep abreast of often unseen issues around town.

Yesterday I reported standing water (mosquito breeding) on the patio area of a closed diner. It was taken care by clearing the drain trap.

Last week it was two unleashed dogs at the park. Within 5 minutes the police were there (on bikes) and ticketed the violators.

don't bother and you won't ever have any regrets to deal with.....

Just my opinion, but what a sad way to approach new things in life.

I
believe the answer is that if you are interested in something new, look
into it, ask questions (like you are doing here), read the responses
from people who actually know something about the subject, and then you can make an informed decision.

In this case, dees_1 gave spot-on advice: When you have a Twitter account, you choose who you will follow. Those accounts '"tweets" will show up on your feed.

You are notified when others "follow" you. These people will see
what you "tweet", if you do at all. You can chose to block anyone who
follows you so they don't see your tweets. It's pretty much under your control.

It would seem to me that a person could have thousands of tweets to read if following a national event,

I have a twitter account that I opened years ago and will use once in a blue moon to see a topic of interest, but I don't have a facebook account and probably never will.. While I would love to participate in my families exchanges and see pictures, I don't agree with a lot of facebooks policies or practices. I don't think the regret for most comes from other users per say, but from the site administrators and the liberties they take with your data. I think photo recognition was probably the most egregious so far. All of the "free" services by these social networks come at a price ie your privacy. There is a lot of privacy loss I don't have control over but where I do have control, I try to make very careful and yes, informed choices.

My exact thoughts, lukki. Part of why I hesitate. You gain something but lose something.

You know that you can read/follow tweets without signing up, right?

I must say I'm a FB freak. I get so much of my news from sources I subscribe. to. I also reconnected with college roommates and even a friend I had when I was four years old. I have a Twitter account, and I follow people but have tweeted just a handful of times. Follow my grandson , his new college, and high school and Donald Trump. I want to read what the latest piece of garbage he's tweeting. Also Rachel Maddow, and my beloved falcon, osprey, and eagle accounts. Yes, birds and animals have accounts too...lol..

Lily, I think that's wonderful that you enjoy and use technology that way. Following your grandson is just the best!

sjerin----no, I do not know that! How?

Just google twitter and whom/whatever you want to follow. Apparently I'm still too clueless to post links--sorry. It's the same as being able to read at this forum without signing up; but of course you can't post.

I don't. I love Facebook since I joined a few groups and now it's very interesting to me, very visual. Quilting groups, mostly. I'm so tired of seeing "hashtag everything" when people finish whatever they're talking about, since it means nothing to me. I'll admit tho, once in a while the hashtag sign-off will be something amusing and make me laugh.

I signed up for a twitter account a few years ago as there was one specific event that I wanted to follow via twitter. That event ran its course and I just sort-of ignored my twitter account from there. It stayed dormant for awhile, and then all of a sudden I started getting automatic messages from twitter showing up in my email notifying me "so and so is following you" (or whatever). I didn't care because I didn't think I was "tweeting" anything to follow! But the profile pics of the people allegedly following me got stranger and stranger so I decided to log in to see if I could figure out who all those people were....and I got the shock of my life to see my name and the picture of my sweet dog associated with a level of filth that almost left me speechless. Someone, somehow, had taken over my account (why I don't know - it's free, get your own damn account!), and was tweeting filth. And it wasn't just filth - it was grammar and punctuation-filled filth. Even worse were that a few friends/family had followed me, so all those people were getting messages that alleged to come from me, except I'm not a vile hate-filled pornographic moron!

I tried to get some help from Twitter, but not one person ever responded to my attempts to contact them. I cancelled the account but somehow the person reopened it, so I logged back in, changed the password, and shut it down again.

Long story short - if you're going to have an online presence....I guess I'd say keep an eye on it even if you don't use it. It's sort-of like a garden. It sounds like a good idea and it's fun at first, but then it turns into a chore and if you don't keep up with the maintenance, weeds overtake the place and you end up just wanting to burn it all down. Ha-ha. :)

And it wasn't just filth - it was grammar and punctuation-filled filth.

That's sad . . . but also funny - as if it would somehow be less offensive with correct punctuation.

No, I can be in contact with whom I wish and get the information I want without jumping into any of the Facebook, Twitter, etc. sites or aggregators.

How awful, Patrice.

Sjerin, thank you. I can access that way. Great!

I signed up on Twitter for the Jodi Arias case. It was simpler than trying to rely on the different news sites. I still get a tweet now and then about some person I've never heard of, like some singer that I got today. Very easy to delete. I sometimes get a tweet about one of the lawyers I really liked who commented on the case, and he is no longer on the channel I watched at that time. I don't find it a problem or a nuisance. The instructions are there as to how to stop receiving it, etc.

As to FB, I use that to keep up with my grand daughter's cupcake business, and enjoy seeing it daily with all that is going on there. It is such a fun place. I don't post on it.

"The World is too much with us."

I use it a little. I was more active a few years ago.

My Twitter Page

Debby, thank you for sharing. Maybe it isn't my place to say this, but I believe you should delete the link since it has personal information about you. Just a thought for you.

There is no more information on my Twitter account than there is here. My name. And I forward posts and make the odd post that comes from my head.

I'm an unashamed fan of the internet and the things you can do with it. Given my interest in it and in computers for that matter, many people I know are surprised that I passed on MySpace, PalTalk, Facebook, Twitter and all those "opportunities". Never wanted it. No interest in it. Don't see the attraction of it. I don't find it interesting to know when people use the bathroom, where they ate last night and what the neighbors' dog left on the front porch. Same thing goes with people taking pictures of their food in restaurants so they can post it. Really. How self-absorbed are some people? I figure if people really wanted me to know the color of their underwear this morning and the other things, they can write, call, email or IM me. I don't need other "social media" for this. So many people put so much info on these sites and then sit like a deer in headlights wondering how ID theft happens. People even give their DNA to sites these days. (And then argue that police are invading privacy by taking peoples' DNA and databasing it.) I just shake my head in amazement. I'm not a person who does things just because I can.

I do facebook. See no reason to have multiple access to the same people.

@dances4wins at twitter. I LOVE twitter! I learn first hand about everything. And I love the twitter parties sponsored by big companies with big prizes. Just me. I am happy with Twitter!

I would say that hubby and I share quite a few similarities with cynic.

Hubby works in IT, network security and infrastructure, I could probably tell you his name and you could search from now til the end of time and find almost nothing about him online except a marriage notice published in our local paper and the public tax records. I'm the same way. We both fiercely guard our privacy.

I love the internet and it's usefulness but I'm also quite aware of how easy it is to gather personal information from what might seem to be fairly innocuous statements.

It might surprise some of you on this board to know that I know your full names, home addresses and previous employment history.

All it takes is a few comments here and there, a common username and a general geographic area to pin someone down; and I'm not a professional nor am I seeking information for nefarious purposes.

When my 30 something friends rag on me for actively NOT having an online presence and not allowing my minor children to have one either, I always remind them of the amount of information I can and have found about complete strangers. In fact, they often come to me and ask me to use my "google-fu" to find more info on a person.

"If I can find this in a few minutes without really trying, what do you think a criminal could do?"

I'm not saying we should all craft tin foil hats for ourselves but...I don't think the average person truly realizes how easy it is to discover your personal information either.

I will stick to my privacy for now, even if it upsets all the other moms of my daughters first grade class because I was the only parent to check no on the "give permission to publish your child's work and/or likeness on our webpage."

Texas Gem what on earth caused you to research us?

I have FB, but it's very limited. Instagram is fun, as it's mostly pictures that you are posting. I have Twitter, but don't use it.

For me, I like to feel that I am current. It's a way to connect with my kids and that is what makes it fun.

I think a lot of resistance is that these social media sites can be confusing. I believe some people are nervous that they won't be able to handle it, so "dis" it , as if they are above it all.

I was resistant to getting an iPhone. Now that I have it, I really appreciate all the uses it provides for me.

Use what you want, but discard the rest! The world now is all about social media, why be left behind?

ETA: Cynic, yes it's odd that people post silly things. What is odd is how many people see it. But, the thing is, the post of what someone is eating for instance, can be an ongoing joke between a few friends. It seems stupid to you because you are not in on the joke.

My DD's and I have a lot of inside jokes that no one else would get. It's just all in fun, but if it annoys you, it's easy to block. I have a nephew that uses FB for his online art business. Dozens are threads daily of what he sold or is selling. So, I blocked his daily entries. Easy enough.

There have been times, when my DD's were abroad, that for a short amount of time FB was the only way to communicate, so I appreciate it for that.

Texas, I'm curious as to why you would do expensive research for people here as well?

As people share here, we do create a profile of who they are. But, for me that is as far as it would go. If someone wants to to know more, than they will share it.

I do agree with you about your kids. Too much is shared in that respect.

I use Facebook but don't put my life out there. Texas Gem you made me LOL. You see my DS is in the same field as your DH. He once advised me "to hide in plain sight" but share little. Don't worry about the government. Worry about the other guys. Love your term "google fu". I've done it myself. It's just fun to see how much info you can find on someone with basic clues. It's like a game to me. I don't participate in those tell us about yourself/let's get to know each other posts for that reason. I've seen parents post pics of their kids in front of their homes and vehicles, their kid's report cards and awards with names etc. and I just SMH. You are so right.

AAA - Because she can. Like she stated, it's nothing nefarious. Some people play online games. Some do genealogy. Some just like the challenge of exploring the deep web using random people and events.

People post pics of new homes. Well, all homes have tax histories, sales histories and you can find out who lives there, who bought what and what they paid. It's public information. Here's what happens right here at the KT. In one post someone will mention their town. Maybe not even the name but some freak weather they are having that is on the national news. Then they say they live in an apartment. Then they mention the name of the restaurant they ate lunch at. Then they mention the Target across the street had a fire or a robbery or something. See where I'm going? All those little bits and pieces of info can be put together to make a whole dossier on someone.

Phone books used to be in everyone's home and had names and addresses of everyone who had a phone, in addition to the phone number. I don't remember that being a problem.

I joined Twitter yesterday and am glad I did. I put off for the early years because I thought it was silly and just for kids, but now I see that it is a good way to share information quickly and easily. I used to write very long emails, as I was used to writing long letters and had a hard time shaking the habit, but now I've learned to write short emails as well.

A lot of times I want to respond to something I've seen on TV, and I think Twitter will be a good way to do that.

I've been on Facebook for several years and have hated it from the beginning, but it is extremely difficult to delete an account, which I would if I could. However, I do go there every month or two to check on certain friends that I do not know how to contact otherwise. There is way too much garbage on FB.

I also have an Instagram account but seldom use it, except when I might be bored. I don't post anything there, and I only occasionally post a photo or two on FB, although no one seems to even notice when I do that anymore, and so what's the point?

Has anyone else changed their mind about Twitter lately?

No twitter. No facebook. I do have a Pinterest and an Instagram but I don't allow anybody to follow me. It's private. I use my instagram to get cute photos of dogs and sunsets and things that make me happy.

I use Twitter almost daily. BUT--my account is "locked", not public. I tweet only with my 3 best friends, it's a great way to stay in touch. I also have an Instagram account, but have never posted. I do follow a few friends and really enjoy seeing their pictures.

This thread is five years old. Kind of fun perusing who answered this thread.

I miss quite a few who no longer participate.

I dug this up because I did not want to start a new thread on a topic that had already been discussed, but I also wanted to see if people's opinions about Twitter had changed in the way that mine had.

So far, I like Twitter better than Facebook, but I think that it is important that Twitter increased its character length from 140 to 280. I always felt that 140 was too restrictive. I became interested because it supports photos and videos, although I've been posting videos mostly on Youtube - not that anyone ever responds to them there, but I can link to them from here.

I don’t have a twitter account but it is easy to keep up with people I want to “follow”. My brother started using it years ago, before this thread started even, and as a teacher he appreciated that he could post asking for ideas, and get germaine responses. I don’t know if he still uses it. I don’t post a lot on my FB account, either, but I respond on threads by friends and in groups I belong to. I don’t participate in comment threads for products, the newspaper, etc. I got Instagram only because it was the only way to keep up with our niece (her job requires her to have a presence), and my son was on Insta and rarely going to FB anymore. I follow only a few, local except for our niece.

Mine remains the same. No Twitter or Facebook.

I have a Twitter account but never post on it (I've never used Facebook at all). I use it to follow certain people whose opinions I value or find entertaining, such as James Fallows and Roxane Gay, and to follow local government news. I also follow certain friends and family members who retweet interesting things. I've been led to a lot of illuminating articles and opinions through Twitter, and in that way find it quite valuable.

Lars, I recently joined Twitter myself. I doubt I would use it to communicate, but do enjoy reading the tweets of various people. I am often amazed at the clever responses, people can be very quick and funny.

It is also a way to see what is happening in the world, the first I heard about some recent happenings was on Twitter. After seeing the info there, I knew to turn on the TV for more updates.

Ditto for me, no change, no use of these sites at all. I see no need. People who know me know how to contact me and do. I'm not interested in what someone had for lunch yesterday, what they found shopping, or what they plan to do with their backyard - some of the drivel my wife tells me she happens across.

I have no Twitter. If you do research me ( I wonder why one would do that ) you will hit a dead end.

I've also found a lot of interesting articles and opinions on Twitter, but I do not post Tweets myself, or haven't yet. But if I want to respond to a news article, it will be easier for me to do this way.

I follow Pati Jinich, and she uses it a lot. I am also following Gayle King, but I don't know how much she tweets. In addition, I am following national parks, local governments, etc.

For me, it is not a way of communicating with friends - it is a way of keeping up with institutions or large otherwise impersonal entities. In that respect, it is much more efficient than facebook.

The only Tweets you will see are tweeters you decide to follow. Possibly a few system generated ones from Twitter itself. None of this goes over to clog up your mail server. I am only on that media to promote my food/homesteading blog. I did decide to follow a few things independent of food or homesteading. As Lars says, it is not geared to personal interactions. I follow a few of the same (food / homesteading); as well as local weather, The Economist, and a couple science journals of interest.

Elmer, all that “drivel” is here, too! Maybe not so much on KT, but on HDDiscussions for sure. Honestly, I rarely see those types of posts from my FB friends, unless it’s to promote a local restaurant or service these days, or to ask advice. Just like here.

never have probably never will

No

Canadian Broadcasting Cororation has a nationwide phone-in from 4 - 6 p.m. Sunday Jan. 15 @checkupcbc on how to deal with covid.

Also available on www.cbc.ca/check up, and Sirius 169, I think.

ole joyful

no. hell no

I'm thinking of signing up for Twitter. So watch it go down hill, starting soon... :-(

I think there's a tendency for people to vest too much belief in something just because it's written down and published.

(The Bible is a good example. It's revered in its entiretly, although much of it is disjointed and incomprehensible. Parts might as well have been left in their original languages for all of our ability to understand these out-of-context, literal translations.)

Social media becomes a problem when the content (opinion, gossip) is accorded weight simply because it appears to be 'published'.

Bpath, what specifically seems different about HD conversations vs the KT to you?

I love the conversations side. The only difference I see is it tends to be a smaller group of regulars and there is almost no bickering. I read your comment as a bit of a dig, which surprised me and made me a bit sad.