HTF on Facebook, or, I'm so behind the times (1 Viewer)

I see the new announcement that HTF has a Facebook page. The ad rhetorically asks, "Who doesn’t have their own facebook page these days?"

Ummm, me?

I feel so out of it. I still can't fathom the point of Facebook and MySpace. I looked at MySpace a once or twice times...I felt blessed to escape with my eyesight. It was a hideous experience, a Twilight Zone location filled with angsty 20-somethings fighting for who could have the ugliest page. I've not summoned the courage to test Facebook.

Should I just give up, stoically accept my future, and yell at the kids to get off my lawn? Or should I get a My/Face page and join HTF and all the angsty 20-somethings online?

Facebook is much easier on the eyes as there aren't many apps to "customize" it to your liking. I do have a Facebook friend who was promoting something to do that (I think he's involved in some kind of online "business"), but I posted a facetious comment about that being the reason I left MySpace. He summarily removed my comment.

Facebook is the hot thing now; who knows if it will be in a few years? It's not do or die. Although, my 80-year old father is on it (along with his 80-year old best friend), so you really have no excuse about "being too old."

Do not join facebook if you don't want to touch base with zillions of schmoes you knew in high school, or elementary school!!!

Jay

*who has a facebook page full of hiking friends and old school acquaintances...

I don't either. I don't think I even visited the site until I clicked on the HTF link.

I don't have a Facebook page (I do have a My Space page that I rarely look at so social networking sites really aren't my thing) but I have a feeling that I'm/we're in the minority.

I don't use Facebook or MySpace, but we had to take a workshop or two on both at the university so that we could field questions from students on them.

Neither do I. Some of my friends do, though, and they rave about getting in touch with old friends.

I always thought both were just for hooking up so since I've got a current girlfriend I don't use either of them much anymore. Whenever a friends tells me they're single I always point them to online sites like those.

I agree with the OP - I don't understand the desire of social networking unless I'm in high school. However for the past month or so everything around me is getting associated with Facebook. HTF is the fourth thing that's not a specific person. An old friend I recently became reacquainted with has suggested more than once that I needed to get a Facebook page. It's gotten to the point where I'm pondering it. I just don't need another reminder I have no friends.

HA HA ha ha heh hrmm

I signed up awhile back, to keep in touch with nieces and nephew, on a more regular basis. With 3 nieces and 1 nephew, I figured some time online with them, and their interests, was better than a lot of time on the telephone. I don't think they'd want to spend a lot of time on the phone either. Some of the quizzes and other stuff is fun to do with them. For me, it's just something to do, to spend long distance time, with friends and family...........

Ugh. You couldn't be more wrong if you tried. But OK.

Having lived in a few places, my friends are all over the world. I used to be terrible at keeping in touch with people. No longer.

--
H

I've become more intrigued after learning that some acquaintances who are decidedly non-technophiles now have FaceBook accounts. I'm seeing it branching far past the original college crowd and into the broader world.

As for connecting with long lost friends, my experience is a LLF finds me, sends an email, we chat back and force for a few days, and then lapse back into LLF-dom. I don't see how Facebook changes this dynamic, but maybe it will.

So I've got the weekend free. Maybe I'll make a FaceBook account.

(On a side note, to my amusement, LinkedIn is all the rage these days in my professional circles. I ought to update my LI profile this weekend too.)

Well, as far as LLF goes, the email back and forth usually does subside after a while, but if you're an active FB user, your status updates, notes, links get shared on friend's homepage so it depends on how active you and that LLF are, one can really keep in touch with them via status updates and the mindless banter.. I mean chit chat.

..then there is myFarm. Which cracks me up to no end. Virtual farming.. go figure...

Jay

I like Facebook. When you sign in, your page basically has headlines from all your friends. So it is like a newsletter. Except the headlines might be really minor -- "Jenn ate ice cream today, mmm!" may be what Jenn wrote, for example -- so it is easy to glance at and have an immediate sense of how everyone you know is doing. It is useful in a world where we live apart.

Facebook is also excellent for organizing an event like a party, since it has an invite and RSVP system. Totally easy to inform everyone of a plan that way. Assuming everyone you know is on Facebook -- which they should be!

MySpace in contrast is terrible for anyone *except* bands, which can take great advantage of the built-in music player to provide visitors with samples of their work. It's one of the easiest ways to learn about a band.

I avoided FB for a while because I was so disgusted with the garbage dump that is MySpace, but I should be ashamed of myself for comparing the two sites.

Ever since I joined, I've been pleasantly surprised at how much I like it. I've been hooking up with friends that I haven't seen or heard from in decades! It's great to hear from these people again and see what they're up to (and where they ended up).

And as far as the nay sayer here, what I'm finding is that Facebook is a lot like the After Hours lounge, with the one crucial difference being; I like everyone I communicate with on Facebook

The thing with FB is, most people are so addicted that there's ALWAYS action going on. So much so that I find it hard to keep up. Of course there are some friends of mine that haven't really contacted me since I added them as a friend, but as Will mentions, you can always see their activity and you can always make comments back and forth to each other, so you really never feel like you're losing touch...unless they never sign in to check their pages.

Perfectly put! Seriously, I was struggling to express the way you have your bubble of friends and family (or whoever is on your page -- basically people you know), yet you can interact in limited fashion with people beyond that (friends' friends.) But yeah, that ^^^ is pretty much it.

--
H

I'm not much of an internet person (this is the only forum I frequent) so I've never really been interested in the whole myspace facebook thing, and I think it's really for young people isn't it? Anyway I spotted this news story a few minutes ago and thought I should post it here -

Facebook users with hundreds of online 'friends' only have a handful of TRUE pals, claims study | Mail Online

Can you turn off the frequent updates from talkative friends? I'm not on FB and don't plan to be, but my sister friended some people who update every time they make a ham sandwich. She may know if you can silence that to where you only read their updates if you want to, but I'm just curious.

Thanks for posting that link. I read and forwarded the article to my wife who is an avid Facebook user.

I tend to be in the minority in our circle of friends and where I work since I don't use Facebook. I'm holding out and am probably just being stubborn in doing so, but it is not like I need something else to take up my time.

Facebook was originally just college students, but its popularity and use has been spreading. And not just in the number of users-- its demographics are changing as well. One of the latest groups to show significant growth is grandparents. My mother-in-law has recently gotten involved. It is a great way for her to share pictures of her grandchild with friends. In fact, sharing pictures of family and friends seems to be one if the biggest reasons its popularity has been growing. I know it has played a significant part of the popularity in my age group.