my channels
business · cars · dieting · diy · dogs · etiquette · fitness · frugal living · green living · health · home business · home improvement · jobs · parenting · self help · travel
more

happiness, relationships, internet, astrology, culture, social networking, facebook, american pop culture, trend analysis,
happiness
relationships
facebook
american pop culture
trend analysis
more...

On the fence with Facebook: does this site really matter?


RELATED ARTICLES
Online Dating Site Review: Plenty of Fish
Do You Really Know How To Search The Internet? Tips For More Effective Searching...
An Easy Way to Add a Search Bar to Your Web Site or Blog

The crowds disaffected by Facebook are growing (or so, they say, even in The New York Times). I guess groups of vocal people heading for the exit is nothing compared to the millions heading for the entrance. But for those on the Facebook fence, here are my reasons for signing up for Facebook and then considering jumping off of it. I have an account, but am only marginally active. And I am ready to skedaddle. If you are considering quitting, here is some food for thought.

Why I signed up:

1. A friend, actually a REAL friend, suggested I join so that we could play Scrabulous and communicate at the same time. That was more than 2 years ago. By now, she has many, many friends  and there is no more game to play. Facebook deep-sixed it. She was my first friend on Facebook and she still writes on my "wall" although I never  see it until she emails  and asks why I didn’t answer her on Facebook.

What needs explaining:

1. Why do they call messaging "writing on the wall?" This makes no sense to me, since, if there truly was a wall, it would be longer than The Great Wall of China. Also, a real Wall would have some graffiti or some phone numbers ("call Trixie for a good time") or something more interesting than "Did you really go out with that guy with the mohawk?" This term is one reason I never got into Facebook, literal figure that I am. I make it a practice to write only on real walls. Often more permanent.

What Happened Next:

2. After my younger friend, "Sherry" and I played a few rounds of Scrabulous, I got  requests to be friends with strangers. From their photos and descriptions, they seemed to be about  17-25 years old. You can probably tell from the title of this Factoidz that I am all the way up and over that hill.  I declined all teenage and young-adult friend requests. I imagine that led to me becoming Facebook-Unfriendly. That and the fact both of my young- adult children are veteran Facebook users. I do not want to know what they are up to and with whom. They tell me what they think I need to know. And I am 100% certain my kids already know all they know about me without becoming my Facebook friend. (I hope I related to them better than that).

3. I finally accepted one more friend, but only because he was from Pakistan. I figured I will probably never visit Pakistan, so I might as well have a friend from there. He seemed like a nice person, interested in fast cars.

4. Some time back, I accepted friend #3. He is from Italy. I accepted his friendship because my dream, long ago, was to become a foreign correspondent in Rome. I took one year of Italian in college (me and the opera singers) so I could know what to say when I went to Italy. The language is beautiful: belissimo. My problem was that my previous 8 years of French lessons caused me to answer in French when asked a question by my Italian teacher, Professor Gianinni. He used to say "Basta" and mean it. So far, my Italian friend seems to have nothing to say. Of course that could be because I never check Facebook.

Why I am barely on Facebook

1. I prefer face-to-face conversations with friends - and even strangers. I am a great interpreter of body language and voice reading. Not possible on Facebook. You have to take people at their word(s). And we all know what that means - especially without the voice and body language-reading. If my real-life friends are happy or sad I know it and I do not need to check their status on the internet. Face-to-face meetings are much more satisfying to me, especially if they include a nice cup of latte or a Martini, shaken not stirred. I do not need a Facebook or even a book, just a friend and some time to talk. Besides, I can learn more about a person’s astrology or personality in person - much preferred for certain types of energy readings.

2 .I prefer to keep my status private. People of a certain age are just not into revealing they caught their spouse cheating or their house is about to go into foreclosure. Or they are finally home after another round of plastic surgery. (Besides, isn’t it possible that one day Facebook might make the plastic surgery comment known to those who advertise related services?)

3. A lot of Facebook friends appear to be phonies:  people who don’t really care what you are doing. I do not know why they don’t rename Facebook "Gossipbook." If they did, I might join. Keepin’ it real.I guess that’s why people like Perez Hilton exist and why some of us never read him.

4. Many people think they are missing out if they are not on Facebook. I do not know what they are missing. We survived without it before and we can survive without it again. Since I only have 3 friends, if I closed my account, nobody would care. I know Facebook is a quote/unquote valuable tool for networking and disseminating articles. But I have other options and I prefer those.

5. My overriding image of Facebook is some very very very rich kid who invented this "socializing" network in his dorm room. I wouldn’t mind being his friend.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SY Kravitz
writer
san diego, CA

MY STATISTICS
Level : Fz Pro  [?]
133 Factoids published
76 followers & subscribers
+ 654 positive votes
MY EXPERT RANKINGS
#1 in astrology
#1 in psychic
#1 in happiness
ABOUT THIS ARTICLE
15 comments
Published 2 months ago
+ 15 positive votes
SHARE THIS ARTICLE



NEW ARTICLE ALERTS
Sign up for notifications when new knowledge articles are published in topics relating to this article:
 happiness
 relationships
 internet
 astrology
 culture
 social networking
 facebook
 american pop culture
Email address:

Get published. Earn money. Gain Web cred.
Apply for a writer's account on Factoidz.

Related Articles
Do I really need an online data backup service? 5 reasons for you.

Mingle2 Dating Site Review

Internet startups: Why now is the right time to build a social networking site

The advantages of Craigslist as a dating site

Video Game Testers: What You Really Should Know About Becoming One

Top 10 signs you are being scammed: how to avoid being "taken"

Used Book Sales (on the internet): Is It a Good Business To Get Into?

LavaLife.com: Finding romance online by dating, starting a relationship or having an intimate encounter

Planet Shoes: Online Shoe Shopping Review & Experience

BlueHost.com: A Review

Republish this article [?]
You may republish this article with proper attribution to the author and Factoidz.
Click to highlight the text, then press Control+C to copy to your clipboard
Popular in Happiness
The National Day of Prayer Ignored: The National Day of Prayer for the Muslim religion to Go On

How to Make Alcohol: an extremely cheap, fast, and easy way to make decent quality alcoholic beverages

Guide for Men: What Women Really Want

How to Teach Your Children to Save Energy and Cut Bills Drastically.

How to build your own DIY garden containers

Weight loss - Keep it simple

View more Happiness articles
Popular in Relationships
How to Teach Your Children to Save Energy and Cut Bills Drastically.

How to read a girl's body language

50 ways to make a girl fall for you

Eight points on how to express your condolences to a bereaved family

The Milkman: Internal Prostate Massage

Watch Who You Kiss: It Could Be Cleopatra's Kiss of Death

View more Relationships articles
More Related
Security problems with Craigslist: Why you need to be careful

How to Easily Design a Website

Taking Over the "G"oogle with the Link Wheel Technique

How to use Craigslist to find a date or a soulmate

Find security for your online purchases through fact checking and due diligence

Do I really need an online data backup service? 5 reasons for you.

Guide for the clueless man: How to write an online dating profile

Carbonite online backup: Pros and cons of the service from my experience

Comments & Questions
carol roach  Moderator: Psychology - 98 Factoids | + 480 votes

I really can't give it good or bad reviews, as I hardly every use it accept for getting my stories out.
posted 2 months ago
Mycal Daniels  Fz Maven - 54 Factoids | + 137 votes

All of my facebook friends are friends I actually have in real life. I think it's rather useful to keep up with them, even when we are both too busy to actually see each other. It's also good for catching up on friends you used to have - I've got friends from Junior High and it's fun to find out if they're married or if they have kids or where they're living now.
posted 2 months ago
SY Kravitz  Fz Pro - 133 Factoids | + 654 votes

Yes - Mycal - that's exactly what my family members say; the are in contact with people from grade school! After a certain age, however,these contacts become somewhat less important and more superficial. A true friend is a - on and off Facebook.
posted 2 months ago
Paul Torri  Fz Expert - 28 Factoids | + 84 votes

I, was extremely reluctant to join facebook.I feered the release of personal info to strangers that might be able to see it etc. But after some prodding from some of my good friends I decided to enter the twentieth century and try it. I am only an occasional user now but have really enjoyed talking with old high school friends who I may have never been able to speak with otherwise. Someofmy friends posted grade school, junior and High school pitures which I didn't even know existed any longer which I thought was amazing and really enjoyable. Also the benefit of promoting factoidz and gaining additional readership has been great. I do advise staying away from the games however as they can become really annoying but you can block them if you want to. Anyways, as a marginal user I enjoy it.
posted 2 months ago
SY Kravitz  Fz Pro - 133 Factoids | + 654 votes

I think connecting with old,old friends is one of the benefits of Facebook, as you mentioned. But seeing beyond the socializing, I am wondering how this site intends to stay afloat (make money) without invading some of that precious privacy and possibly making it available to people who want to sell us things and services. thanks for writing, Paul!
posted 2 months ago
Ngozi Nwabineli  Moderator: Business - 111 Factoids | + 472 votes

Hey there Sy. I am a Facebook fanatic and I find it does have its uses. A lot of friends who I have lost touch with have managed to reconnect with. There are some of them that tried to contact me that I did not want, I just rejected their requests. Through FB (and Myspace) I have managed to gain some friends and business contacts and 98% of my friends I personally know (or have known). I have had to put myself on a FB fast because I was spending hours on it and not getting any work done. Since then, I check it once a day and thats it. Factoidz is now my site of choice...and I'm better for it.
posted 2 months ago
SY Kravitz  Fz Pro - 133 Factoids | + 654 votes

Thanks for commenting Ngozi. I agree about Factoidz, it's so kewl/cool and I am learning many new things from interesting people. I may be rather Groucho Marx about Facebook, but I just know how important communicating in person is to maintaining deeper relationships.
posted 2 months ago
Clairsie Dotes  Site Editor - 123 Factoids | + 554 votes

I find that people I knew in school and wanted to keep in touch with--I AM in touch with. I do find it regrettable that I can't really promote my articles, but in truth, most of my friends also eschew Facebook as simply not wanting to be that "public" a person. Further, these are largely busy working women who wouldn't hesitate to very quickly find a polite way to tell me not to use them in that fashion; I respect them more than that.
posted 2 months ago
SY Kravitz  Fz Pro - 133 Factoids | + 654 votes

Some of my own reasons for fence-sitting are those you list. Also, every time I change the color of my hair I would have to put up a new photo or update my status: blonde, auburn,blue, etc. thanks, as always, for your insightful comments, CD.
posted 2 months ago
Agriculi  Fz Contributor - 4 Factoids | + 6 votes

All my collegues at work including the supervisor are on it, we have a good relationship and play games and more
posted 2 months ago
SY Kravitz  Fz Pro - 133 Factoids | + 654 votes

I am sure there are many Facebook fans in the audience! Thanks for your comment.
posted 2 months ago
Julie Hume  Fz Author - 21 Factoids | + 179 votes

Ha! I wouldn't mind being his friend either, but I think I get stuck with the weirdo loner who sits at home all day making up personas and inflicting them unsuspecting strangers. Oh, wait, that's me!
posted 2 months ago
SY Kravitz  Fz Pro - 133 Factoids | + 654 votes

Ha - back at you! Truth be told. But on sites like this one it may be hard to tell. My daughter's Facebook "friend", an ad copywriter, did reveal on his status update "I am on the couch in a fetal position" - which sounded more like truth than poetry. But maybe he was just going for the womanizing sympathy factor....TY for your hilarious comment.
posted 2 months ago
   - 4 Factoids | + 6 votes

I love how you called Facebook "Gossipbook"! Facebook is nice to keep in touch with family and friends (real life one's) when you live far apart especially! Then again the whole internet is good for that via email, chat and webcam.
posted 1 months ago - delete
SY Kravitz  Fz Pro - 133 Factoids | + 654 votes

I agree, anonymous. The internet has done much to bring us close together, although face to face or voice to voice is still my preference. The young adults in my family are glued to Facebook, so I guess it works for a certain age range. We oldsters now say good-bye to phone books (and that could be a good paper-saving thing, after all)
posted 1 months ago
Leave comment
You can sign in to comment under your Factoidz account.

Your name:

Email address:

Homepage (optional):

Comment:

Notify me of new comments