Begining Facebook for the Social Network Averse
- Thread starter Tengu
- Start date
Like everything, it is exactly what you make of it. Don't accept friend requests from utter strangers or from people you know but do not like, learn what the security settings are and what they do, make it viewable to friends only, do not, under any circumstances, play Facebook games. It's useful and informative if you let it be, it's also maddening and annoying if you let it be.
Don't be browbeaten by anyone. I had to have an account to look up some gun club competition details. My only post reads "I'm not a fifteen year old girl so I don't do Facebook". People still send requests to be my " friend". Idiots.
It's good for sharing photos with family. My privacy is set pretty high. No one can ask to friend me up. But I don't include work colleagues on there. I have a few people from the forum whom I've come to respect and share interests. All but one I've met. It's good for groups such as a sloyd spoon carving one and a few leather working ones.
Overall my experience had been positive but I control it and work in the industry so I know the pitfalls.
Overall my experience had been positive but I control it and work in the industry so I know the pitfalls.
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I use it mainly to keep in touch and share pictures with family that live abroad. Can be a pain at times but can also be very useful. I'm a member of some of the local bushcraft groups and regularly meet up.
Use it to your advantage but don't let it take over like so many do.
Use it to your advantage but don't let it take over like so many do.
Three absolute MUSTS if you do open an account for whatever reason:
DO NOT use your real name - I know their rules say you have to, but break their rules, they're not your rules.
DO NOT use your actual date of birth. This goes for any organisation which asks for, but doesn't have a legal mandate or requirement for, your accurate personal information. LIE! Be like the Queen, have two birthdays. For those organisations where you are REQUIRED to use your accurate information then use it. For everywhere else, use a consistent lie, because a consistent lie is easy to maintain.
DO use a disposable email address! e.g. tengu-facebook-123@yahoo.co.uk - if you decide to lose the failbook account, you can similarly abandon the disposable email address - if you use an address you use elsewhere you will periodically (yes even after deleting an account) receive reminders/prompts/please come backs etc.
Best bet... avoid avoid avoid. It's Internet cancer... and that's not a word I use lightly.
DO NOT use your real name - I know their rules say you have to, but break their rules, they're not your rules.
DO NOT use your actual date of birth. This goes for any organisation which asks for, but doesn't have a legal mandate or requirement for, your accurate personal information. LIE! Be like the Queen, have two birthdays. For those organisations where you are REQUIRED to use your accurate information then use it. For everywhere else, use a consistent lie, because a consistent lie is easy to maintain.
DO use a disposable email address! e.g. tengu-facebook-123@yahoo.co.uk - if you decide to lose the failbook account, you can similarly abandon the disposable email address - if you use an address you use elsewhere you will periodically (yes even after deleting an account) receive reminders/prompts/please come backs etc.
Best bet... avoid avoid avoid. It's Internet cancer... and that's not a word I use lightly.
Came off pretty much straight after joining. A friend of mine from Manchester asked me to join so i could see photo's of trips he did, but i found it annoyed me greatly especially as you get requests from people you didnt like years ago wanting to be "friends" and people talking utter rubbish or posting pics about what they had for breakfast etc!!!
I find Facebook useful but I treat it as a tool under my control.
Adze's advice is good.
Go through the security settings and tie everything down as private as you can get it. It's easy enough to loosen it if you want to.
Don't friend anyone out of duty. Don't hesitate to unfriend anyone whose company you don't enjoy.
A fake date of birth is important. You'd be amazed how much information can be gleaned from most people's online activities and you can bet your life that the scammers are doing it.
Adze's advice is good.
Go through the security settings and tie everything down as private as you can get it. It's easy enough to loosen it if you want to.
Don't friend anyone out of duty. Don't hesitate to unfriend anyone whose company you don't enjoy.
A fake date of birth is important. You'd be amazed how much information can be gleaned from most people's online activities and you can bet your life that the scammers are doing it.
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Only have 'friends' you know.
You've been on here for years and shared much of your life and thoughts with complete strangers so I'd not worry about Facebook.
You've been on here for years and shared much of your life and thoughts with complete strangers so I'd not worry about Facebook.
Most things have been covered already so I'll only add one more thought. Under no circumstances should you post anything that you wouldn't want a potential employer or your future children/grandchildren to see.
That bit of advice is true anywhere online.
That bit of advice is true anywhere online.
I barely use the thing and log in about three times a year to wish happy birthday to those parts of the sandbender diaspora who don't use email.
This article on 'Lifehacker' takes you through a step by step process of locking down your account as best be can be done.
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I find the user interface for facebook impossible to navigate, maybe I just don't use it enough but it looks like it was put together by a team of children and chimps randomly rearranging the various sections.
This article on 'Lifehacker' takes you through a step by step process of locking down your account as best be can be done.
Edited to add:
I find the user interface for facebook impossible to navigate, maybe I just don't use it enough but it looks like it was put together by a team of children and chimps randomly rearranging the various sections.
I just treat Facebook like a forum.
I find it odd that people get so up in the air about facing (where its generally people you know already) but are quite happy to go on web forums (where they generally didn't know people beforehand)
I find it odd that people get so up in the air about facing (where its generally people you know already) but are quite happy to go on web forums (where they generally didn't know people beforehand)
