Facebook?

<p>It appears more and more that I am going to need a Facebook account if I want to post or even read comments on some forums. To me, Facebook seems to be about kids posting photos of their lunch or whatever other trivia their lives consist of. I have a legit email address I never use or even know the password for anymore and I suppose use that. What am I in for if I sign up? </p>

<p>From my outsider experience (I don't have a Facebook account but I do talk to others who do), Facebook is not so much about "kids" anymore. As adults (particularly their parents) have discovered Facebook, many of the kids have moved on. In any of the younger circles I find myself, they tell me they are more likely to use Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. So, not to worry, you'll likely be in good company among other non-kids talking about "kids posting photos of their lunch or whatever other trivia their lives consist of." And maybe the kids will be on other social media talking about what old dudes do on PN. Who knows?</p>

<p>I used to think the same thing about Facebook but it turned out not to be the case-not at all. You pick and choose which people and/or groups you want to follow. There is the occasional comment that is, let's say, not helpful but that's rare. Go ahead and sign up. cb :-)</p>

<p>Share as little personal information as possible. Review the permissions and uncheck the options you find undesirable. Use a strong, unique passwords for YouTube and any email associated with that account. Use a secure password manager to "remember" the complicated strings, to limit your exposure.</p>

<p>My son talent with a camera (DSLR, iPAD, iPHONE) is amazing, in my unbiased opinion. He often posts his photos on his Facebook page. Aside from a programmed function stating how many "likes" were posted in connection with a particular photo, the only comments I've seen usually lack substance. I've read enough critiques on PN to tell the difference.</p>

<p>Welcome to the 21st century!</p>

<p>If you want anonymous access to a forum that requires Facebook, just make an anonymous Facebook account with a fake name, and use that account only for that purpose. Facebook Inc has a stated policy of requiring real names, but it is widely observed in the breach, and you'll get away with it until they catch you. </p>

<p>In any case, most professionals I know (health workers, few teachers) use a somewhat-anonymized Facebook name for their personal accounts, for obvious reasons. Many of them have been doing this for years, and continue to get away with it. In some cases, it's just their first and middle names; in one or two cases, women have used their first name and their birth ('maiden') surname. One or two pick an off-the-wall alias, like a nom-de-guerre. (I think 'Sting' and 'Flea' are taken, though.) </p>

<p>Facebook is a useful thing for anyone to have, and I suggest you sign up. I keep my privacy settings screwed down tight. I almost never post anything for wide distribution, but I use Facebook for certain things. It's excellent for messaging. Another use is keeping track of people I don't see often, like co-workers or friends who have moved away. </p>

<p>Can't imagine wanting anything enough to use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. I have a landline, several computers, a Kindle, even a cell phone which I rarely use or carry. If all else fails, I can write letters and read the responses. Seems as if that is more than enough "technology" to communicate adequately. I'd probably go back to watching Television before I added another communication link, and I have absolutely no plans to do that.</p>

<p>Facebook is what you make of it. The only opinions about Facebook you should pay attention to are from those who have used it. All others are just making crap up. <br /><br />And yes, you can make a anonymous account by using a fake name pretty easily, and it won't be detected unless someone reports it. If you need a throwaway email account to get started, head to gmx.com.</p>

 

<p>Agree with Damon on this. You can be as engaged, or not, with Facebook as you like. You can, for example, do all of your Facebooking with a different browser that doesn't leave a trail in the surfing you do with your normal browser (there's no reason you can't use Chrome for one thing, Firefox for another, or Safari, or IE, etc). I've found FB to be a valuable way to stay in touch with, for example, people who used to frequent this web site, and who have wandered off for various reasons. </p>

<p>In short, it won't interrupt your daily life any more than you want it to. I don't take it too seriously, but as some people have said, it's useful to keep in touch with people.<br /><br />Facebook does indulge in Spanish Inquisition-like censorship, but that doesn't matter because I do not rely on Facebook for my news (neither should anyone). And it doesn't affect the casual utility of the network.</p>

<p>I find FB useful for a number of things. I've reconnected with some family and friends that I had lost contact with and although our interactions in public on FB are often slight, I often have more involved exchanges via messaging. I also find that belonging to special interest groups can be useful. Everything from local botany groups and groups on subjects as esoteric as Sea Slug identification, to private groups of friends or relative or photo critique groups. And yes as Matt has mentioned FB lets me keep in touch with the many people that I met on this site who have now left. I have far more PN friends on FB than I have at PN. I find myself enjoying my interactions on FB with ex PN members far more than I did on PN. </p>

<p>My experience matches Gordon's. Most of my photographer friends are on FB, including many who have left photonet due to the changed atmosphere. Better sharing of photos, more interesting discussions that don't devolve into ponderous sclerotic heavy-handedness, and a much friendlier dynamic in general.</p>

I think one good thing about FB (and other SM sites) is that it has rejuvenated photography. Here in Asia, it's lovely to see

so many people getting real pleasure from taking one another's photos. They even ask ask me to take photos of them

and to be photographed with them. It's a great ice-breaker.

<p> People are spending their lives looking at facebook. When you go to a restaurant and the people around you are ignoring their families and friends while looking at their cell its because they are many times looking at facebook. <br>

<br>

I do not have facebook myself but my wife does and I do enjoy looking at the photos of my Grand Kids when they pop up everyday. However I am going to sign up because I have 6 kids, a bunch of grand kids and a lot of friends out there and I want to join in also. I am retired so I do not need to worry about my employers looking at my facebook page hoping to find trash that they can use to cause me grief. </p>

<p> </p>

<p><em>looking at my facebook page hoping to find trash that they can use to cause me grief.</em><br>

<em> </em>You don't understand Facebook-- which is no surprise, because you don't use Facebook. My employers don't find trash because I don't put it there. What's more, my employers, and any other members of the general public, can't see a damn thing on my Facebook page except my picture. </p>

<p>Generally speaking, those most vocal in their opposition to FB are people who do not use FB and furthermore have next to no idea of what they are talking about.</p>

<p>I use FB for following friends and family and occasional interesting people, nothing more. I don't post photos or anything personal that I haven't already posted elsewhere. You can minimize you presence and use, and ignore the rest of it. I check it once or twice a week at most, some not at all, and I haven't missed anything important.</p>

Fb is a lot more than you and I once thought,it's just like life itself where you

could find very silly and very serious stuff say at a very near place, I use it

exactly as my needs require, and let everything else forgotten.

<p>I've always wanted to have one of my photos "go viral" although I'm not exactly sure what constitutes going viral. Is FB where this is likely to happen?</p>

<p>For some balance here's my real world Facebook experience warts and all. </p>

<p>First the good... <br>

A Facebook page was created to fight a developer from releasing over 300K gallons of treated sewer water 24/7-365 days a year over a massive aquifer that would flow eventually through my town's spring fed river that tourist flock to recreate in. Lots of info on the progress and concerns from the community including my input was posted. The developer finally decided he would recycle the affluent to water their golf courses and parks. Problem solved!</p>

<p>Now the not so good on the photography side where I found my hopes dashed of any of my images ever going "viral" or even being seen... </p>

<p>I have my own FB page using my own name where I have my gallery of photos. Since there's not much activity according to my email alerts I rarely go to it. I tried out FB's networking functionality by posting 3 of my photos taken of my local area on a 501c non-profit park advocacy group FB page started by a pro photographer who also attends this group's meetings as I do. </p>

<p>The FB Time Line layout has 3 scroll-able columns...the first on the left is the Visitor's Input/Comment section which gets collapsed and buried along with the other visitor's input. The second is the Time Line where there are decisions made by unknown folks on whether to send a contributor's TL input to be buried over to the left column. Some stay, some go including any photos posted which get sent to the Visitor's Photo Gallery. Guess where my 3 photos ended up. And guess what photos remain in the main Gallery AND in the Time Line?! The pro photographer's stays, mine disappear.</p>

<p>When I first posted my 3 photos I immediately got "Likes" and short and sweet compliments by folks I first got hooked up with on FB through a high school reunion. These folks are not photography enthusiasts and certainly aren't buyers of photography.</p>

<p>All in all I found it was just too exhausting navigating and using FB's network functionality by having to constantly post to photo related sites whose main concern is to get people to look at THEIR photos, not mine. If you want your photos to get attention you have to be active and allow a lot of people you don't know see them. If it's just your inner circle of family and friends I don't see how that's going to happen. And Facebook's profile and preference settings don't make it simple and clear on how to control that.<br>

</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Now the not so good on the photography side where I found my hopes dashed of any of my images ever going "viral" or even being seen...</p>

</blockquote>

<p> <br>

That's the problem with millions of people simultaneously seeking their fifteen minutes of fame - nobody gets noticed, much less "famous."<br>

<br>

A bigger problem is the leveling effect of mass digital media, where everything from climate change to the Orlando shooting to the latest cute puppy video is reduced to the same level of banality. It's all about consumption, disposability, and the eternal return of the same. I guess we could call it "capitalism."<br /></p>

<blockquote>

<p>That's the problem with millions of people simultaneously seeking their fifteen minutes of fame - nobody gets noticed, much less "famous."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>"Famous"? I'ld settle for an engaging discussion on photography. For example I didn't expect the 501c park advocacy group site contributors and readers to take special note of my photos of our local park. I posted them to draw out a discussion on how improvements in the millions of dollars unexpectedly altered the landscape and ambience of such a historical site even with the best of intentions.</p>

<p>My photos are now one of a kind because the scenes depicted no longer exist due to these improvements, improvements I welcomed at first but had no idea how much it would change what I could photograph. Photography helped me see this. I did provide a positive outlook that the park still offers beautiful and unique scenes to photograph. I was actually trying to get people to develop a better appreciation of photography in general as a hobby. </p>

<p>All I got back was an invisible administrator answering under the namesake of the advocacy group arguing that the park continues to make improvements for the future and suggested I visit the park. I was dumbfounded not only at the lame come back but the fact this person didn't even know I've been visiting this park for the past 9 years as a local citizen who attends the group's meetings regularly. I mean who am I talking to?!</p>

<p>Are the people on the internet real? I'm beginning to feel it's a simulation. At least at PN I get some well thought out alternative POV written in an intelligent thought provoking manner.</p>

<p>I just signed up, and posted some stuff. I wanted to find my High school reunion information and found the form and I will send that in tomorrow with my check. It's the 50yr re-union. It's all good and I see you can have your posts filtered so that only your friends can see them. That seems good. Anyway I am now signed up and learning how to navigate. Maybe tomorrow I will try and post a photo. B/W film photography is my hobby so I usually have some photos. I process everything at home and do not worry about all the labs being closed. I am independent of that. </p>

<p>I am not going to look at facebook on my cell phone however. I cannot be tethered to that all the time. </p>

<p>Tim, all I can tell you is that good social media directors are not as easy to find as you'd think. It's not rocket science, right? I am, currently, a social media director for a small community oriented non-profit. It's a short-term gig. There isn't much going on right now so I'm engaged doing other things.</p>

<p>Aaaanyway, I can tell you for certain that a lot of people think that by having/owning <em>x</em>, they own some kind of magic pixie dust. "Oh, let's get on The Twitter, that will attract hip young people." Social media is great. So is slide film. But if you don't know how to use it, you're wasting your time.</p>