I'm agrannoyed

[Brian Ellis]

Six times this week, so far, I've received either personal or general messages stating that the info I require or that I should post to is on Facebook, Linkedin or other social network or to read their blog on such-and-such or to tweet a message or to use my Facebook identity to log on.

I do not subscribe to any "social networking" site and have no intention of doing so. The recent LinkedIn fiasco explains why. I find it arrogant of 3rd parties to expect me to subscribe when the Internet, via a browser or e-mail is adequate for all my purposes without going through a Hitlerian 3rd party from which you can never tell what happens to your data.

Am I alone to denounce these networks as potential scams or, at the least, potential data sieves? Am I alone to fail to see their usefulness (if any)?

Down with Facebook and the rest!

</rant>

[VJ]

I can only agree... While I think there is some use for the social networking things (yes, I have a Facebook and a LinkedIn), it should not be a mandatory requirement to get some data.

I have the Facebook as many of my friends are there, as it facilitates communication (people change email addresses, use different chat clients, ...). But I don't play games or so on it, nor connect it to anything else. I see it more as an alternative means of communication rather than a social network. I have my social network, in the real world.

[dZeus]

Six times this week, so far, I've received either personal or general messages stating that the info I require or that I should post to is on Facebook, Linkedin or other social network or to read their blog on such-and-such or to tweet a message or to use my Facebook identity to log on.

I do not subscribe to any "social networking" site and have no intention of doing so. The recent LinkedIn fiasco explains why. I find it arrogant of 3rd parties to expect me to subscribe when the Internet, via a browser or e-mail is adequate for all my purposes without going through a Hitlerian 3rd party from which you can never tell what happens to your data.

Am I alone to denounce these networks as potential scams or, at the least, potential data sieves? Am I alone to fail to see their usefulness (if any)?

Down with Facebook and the rest!

</rant>

Not embracing communication technology that is adopted on a massive scale in society will turn you into a hermit. Think of being mobile in your daily life without carrying a cellphone.

Then again, I'd rather be a hermit than to waste time on online social networks as I prefer to talk to my friends offline (and make appointments through email/sms)

[UtwigMU]

Usually you can get around signing up or liking something by googling what is linked.

Otherwise to some degree facebook and linkedin are useful. And quite a few business articles linked by my connections on linked in are very useful.

Facebook is useful to see what/how your friends who are far away are doing
The problem with facebook is that it's out of geek/smart people/romantic phase and you generally have half the people you know as friends, thus limiting what you can post.

For example one of my friends who is lawyer wrote great poetic stuff about his girl exploits and yearnings, untill one day he shut down his account.


I have quite positive experience with facebook, since I found numerous people I haven't seen in a while and went for lunches/beers/coffes with them. Think of it as kind of personal people directory.

[Technoid]

Facebook - Automated Stalking and the first thing I annihilated on my android phone after I rooted it.

[Jammrock]

Companies are using the likes of Facebook as single sign on partners for a number of reasons.

1. It offloads liability and expenses of storing user information.
2. When you use a single sign on service they get access to your social media account, and sometimes they try to trick or force you into getting your friend/contact information.
3. It makes them look more fashionable.
4. Easier integration with social networking so they can get qucik and cheap word of mouth advertisement.

Three of those reasons are why I don't use social media as a single sign on service. Data miners love this stuff because it helps with targeted advertising too.

[paulw]

I refuse to belong to Facebook. It really pees me off though as it seems the only way these days to get the attention of companies who refuse to answer questions via email or web contact forms. Public questions seems to be the only way to get their attention. I also get peed off with organizations have competitions but you can only enter via Facebook or Twitter.

I do have a G+ account and have had since the beta testing but hardly ever use it as I don't know many who do..

[UtwigMU]

Just recent example: last summer I was out with friends and there was some interesting girl and we had an interesting talk.

Since everyone has facebook these days I was able to find her (friend of a friend) and exchange some online chats. Just today I met her and we greeted and had a brief talk (we were met on street crossing). If it weren't for facebook we'd might have forgotten about each other and would have passed each other today without saying a word.

Life is long and the more people you know the better, you never know how they will change/enter your life again at some point.

[Dr Mordrid]

My family is on FB but we use tight security settings.

The bad part is that it seems every time FB updates we have to re-do them again

[Brian Ellis]

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18590929

See what I mean? They are a band of bastards.

Down with Facebook and the rest!

[Evildead666]

Hi All. ;-)

I have a Facebook account just for keeping in touch with friends from school days.
I was physically seeing some of them yesterday in Paris.

I'm so surprised I have so much info, from so many people I don't know.
Friends of friends have their info put on my page, and it just seems wrong.

Being a completely paranoid person, I believe that Facebook is basically a place for completely thoughtless people to put lots of personal info, including illegal, and not expect the police or Gov't to be all over every piece of info.
That and the Bad Guys, Mafia, thieves etc, who would just love to know when your house/apartment will be empty this summer, so they can come and help themselves to a few things.

I may know my way around PC's, but things are purposefully hidden on SocNet sites, so as to make it harder to increase security and stuff.

We have email and telephones and snail mail, If I wanted to be in touch with that many people, I would.

On a much happier note, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are divorcing ;-)
Cigars all round.