Facebook - what is it all about?

[Over The Hill]

(Old git alert for anyone who has not heard of a slide rule)

Having heard about Facebook for ages I took the plunge and signed up - not really knowing what it is all about.

Now I am signed up I am really no wiser and also dont know what the protocol is on making people your "friends".

Say I locate someone I know from a few years back - what do I do?

What is Facebook to you?


Also - how did it know that I knew some people on there? As soon as I signed up, some profiles of people I know popped up. I did not give it access to my addresses.

Sorry if this is supposed to be in Electric cafe - not really a hardware issue just old git issue I think.

 

[Norm]

Depending on which bits you and your friends allowed it to access, it can check your address book or your friends' address books.

 

[trustysteed]

it may have looked in your yahoo or hotmail address book for example.

 

[telesonic99]

"TODAY, I'M LOVING MY LIFE!!!"

That kind of sums it up.

 

[trustysteed]

"TODAY, I'M LOVING MY LIFE!!!"

That kind of sums it up.

i think you probably mean: 'TODAY, I'M LOVING YOU LOVING MY LIFE!!!'

 

[summerdays]

I haven't got the foggiest how it finds any friend suggestions... other than if I'm friends with someone it suggests their friends to me. I haven't let it have access to my email account and I signed up with an email address that I don't' use very much.

 

[Greedo]

It's for folk with no mates trying to look like they have loads or people trying to track down old partners to make up for the miserable relationships they are in now

 

[Dan B]

Depends on how you want to use it. Mostly my facebook friends are my real-life friends (plus some family, a few randoms I last talked to at school, and the odd one or two others) - we use it for sharing links, pictures from parties, and co-ordinating "let's go and get drunk somewhere" events that would otherwise involve a zillion or so emails or texts or phone calls.

For that usage, if my friends weren't already on facebook I wouldn't bother joining either. It's not actually a social netowrk, just a technological support for a real-life social network

 

[summerdays]

But since we are on Facebook questions ... I recently made friends with one of my friends children... I wasn't sure whether I wanted to but equally didn't want to offend him by not being his friend (and they don't live locally so I don't know all his mates).

Is it right or wrong to be friends with children ..... I don't know it seems a bit weird as I wouldn't email him personally but would happily chat to him for half an hour.

But he has sent me 2 fortune cookies ... I ignored the first one, but he has sent another ... and when I eventually clicked on it, it gave me some warning about having to have my permission to use my information. So I cancelled... so what are cookies about, and what happens if I click confirm?

 

[Spinney]

My friends on facebook are my real friends, but they live all over the country so I don't see most of them very often. I like it because we can keep up to date with what we are all doing - little things that you wouldn't necessary bother emailing to tell someone, but it's nice to keep track.

Handy for sharing photos (tho if that's all you want to do there are other options on the internet).

Depending on any groups you join, you can be notified of forthcoming events.

(And besides, I'm a freelancer working from home, so it gives me an illusion of social contact.)

 

[XmisterIS]

I have no idea how to use facebook (or what the point of it is) ... and I'm not old! I signed up for it a couple of months ago and was completely flummoxed by it. So far as I can tell, it is mostly frequented by people who live in "me" land (that's not to accuse anyone on here!). I haven't logged in since. I stick to email, forums and old-fashioned face-to-face!

 

[4F]

I get requests from my daughters friends that I ignore as well as a request from my brother in law who I blocked as I cannot stand the tosspot.It is full of stupid postings by people who clearly need to get a life with posts such as "What shall I have for tea ? " however ignoring all the rubbish it can be useful for keeping in contact with friends or former work colleagues.

 

[Fnaar]

Same here, my FB friends are also my real friends or close rellies, scattered about the globe/country. Great for keeping in touch, having a laugh, catching up on news. I don't find it in the least bit intrusive, sad, time-consuming etc. My experience so far is thoroughly positive.

I turn down friendship requests from my kids' friends, and explain to them (in person if poss) that I'm an oldy, and you don't really want us oldies knowing all your stuff, now, do you??

I also turn down requests from people I meet transiently at work (a lot of them) and will never ever have dealings with again. Again I explain that I use it for close friends and family.

My kids tell me I use it in a totally different way to them (where accumulation of large numbers of friends seems to be the norm)... so I have a small number, but I know them all well.

F'rinstance, i know there's a cycle chat page, and even though I'm regularly on here, I won't join that... separate things, for me, nowt personal. If I meet you, we get on, we become real friends and you have a facebook account, then we'll hook up If not, we won't

 

[summerdays]

I find it very weird when someone you don't know asks to be your friend... why? or a parent at school that I don't talk to so why would I be their on-line friend? No I stick to people I know and like - hence why I only have 13 friends.

 

[4F]

My daughter scoffs at me that I have 40 friends compared to her 300 plus and then she go's to say that she does not really know most of them but they are in her form etc etc.I try and explain this to her but she has her mothers logic !