Lately, there has been a lot of talk amongst my friends and acquaintances about their Facebook pages.
Facebook? Are you kidding me? That's the time suck that my daughters spend all of their non-sleeping time on! When did Facebook become a place for grown folks? How did I miss that message?
This Time Magazine article discusses this new phenomena. So do I have a Facebook page? No. Am I planning on getting one...no, I don't think so! I find it hard to socialize in the same place that my teenage daughters are spending their quality time! But never say never! *LOL*
So the question of the day is, "Do you Facebook?" And if you do, why? How has it affected your computer time? And do you have a lot of 'friends'?
Do you facebook?
Facebook... no! But some of my married kids do... It's not enough that I have everything else to do??? The keep telling I need to do this! I haven't a clue what it's about!
ReplyDeleteI'd rather be sewing!
Have fun!
No, I am obsessive enough about too many things. If I can waste vast amounts of time on ravelry, who knows what could happen with Facebook! Plus, I'm horrified I could wind up flirting with my nephew and not know it! Yikes. K
ReplyDeleteI had a My Space breifly. I lost interest pretty quickly, then our company blocked accesses while on the network. After a few months I got an email from the admins that they wanted my name and domain back. Other than maybe 2 creepy guys wanting to be my "friend", it was just boring. Unlikely to try again. I'm like, not 12, you know. Duhh.
ReplyDeleteYes. I'm on facebook.
ReplyDeleteCarlaF-in Atlanta
Yes, Facebook, Twitter, Classmates.com, MySpace - I have reconnected with so many childhood friends via these social networking sites. I can also keep up with the comings and goings of my nieces and nephews. I am (gulp) turning 44 next month. :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, I am on facebook as are most of my family and friends. It's really kind of fun. As with anything, it can be a time sucker, but it's still fun. If you ever decide to join, email me privately and I'll give you my email address to add me as a friend. :)
ReplyDeleteYes I do have facebook, it is so good at catching up with all those long lost friends. I have nominated you for a kreativ blogger award as I love your sewing and your blog. cheers.
ReplyDeleteYes, I do have a profile. My DD's set me up and they are my only 2 friends. But little did they know that I would be able to keep tabs on hem there...hehe!
ReplyDeleteI've been asked a couple of times to join Facebook. I'm with you. I don't need any other reason to spend time on my computer. I need to do other things like exercise, clean house, cook, and spend time behind my sewing machine. Oh yea, I also need to spend time with DH and DS. I'm sure they've been missing me lately. Anyone who knows me can e-mail me or PM me at PR or, better still, call me.
ReplyDeleteYes I now FB and find it to be an amusing pastime. I have reconnected with people from my past and that's been good. I recommend it if you can FB in moderation and not let it overtake you. I think FBers our age don't get as sucked into it as our kids do.
ReplyDeleteTopic switch: Hmm, Carolyn, I was just looking at your blog list and gee, something is missing! ;)
I'm on Facebook too. Most of my friends in my age group are also. I first joined so that I could be a friend of my children and monitor them. Then I realized that a lot of people I know are on there too. There is even an application for my T-Mobile G1!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to Facebook as my teenage daughter just got on. Need to be able to check up on her somehow, ya know? But just tonight, there was a posting on another sewing site about a mom seeing a "status" change on her daughter's Facebook page that she was "sewing all afternoon". This mom was so excited that her daughter had found the joys of an afternoon sewing and wasn't afraid to post it for all to see.
ReplyDeleteI've been told that Facebook is better than MySpace as far as privacy is concerned. That of course is something I worry about with my kids.
I am 20, and check Facebook lots. My mom is on at 47, and that's how she sees pictures of what I sew. I mean, she reads my Blog too... She's found all kinds of classmates. Pretty much all of my cousins fb, and we have a group that lets us post pictures for distant siblings to see... My cousin Christina in Afghanistan really loves it.
ReplyDeleteOkay, are you sitting down for this? My grandmother is on Facebook. And uses it.
I DO Facebook. Most of my family & friends are back east, and it gives me daily peeks into their lives.
ReplyDeleteI was dubious at first, but I love it.
I sure do FB! I currently live 3000km away from all of my family and nearly all of my friends - even my boyfriend! So I mostly joined to make it easier to keep in touch with them. It was super-addictive at first when old friends from my undergrad days, highschool, and even jr high were all coming out of the woodwork, but it's long since calmed down. It was a little weird when my mom joined and started snooping around my page, I had to remove a few photos (I'm 31, lol). If you're not a teenager, once the novelty wears off it's that much of a time sucker after all.
ReplyDeleteNo facebook for me. I know tons of friends on it but I do not need another time sucker. I have enough already. I would probably do it though if my children were older and on it. Gotta keep tabs on them. :)
ReplyDeleteLiving in a different country to most of my friends, I use it largely to keep up with everyone. People hopped from social network to social network, but this one seems to be sticking longer than usual. It's convenient to leave both short and longer messages and post pictures...
ReplyDeleteAnd my mum's on there now, and we're friends, and that goes ok. So far. :D
(I'm in my 30s, if that makes a difference)
I'm on FB. I move around a lot and it's a good way to keep up with people. But I only "friend" people I know in real life, no online blog friends.
ReplyDeleteMy kids want me to do FB because, as my youngest said, you won't see photos of grandkids if you don't.
ReplyDeleteHey, I figure if I have to register for facebook just to see what my grown kids are doing, and I am not worth a private e-mail or phone call - then I can live without it.
Fran
Yes, I Facebook, but not for entertainment. Most of my professional colleagues are on Facebook and it makes communicating with them a little easier. But then again, Facebook has its roots in higher education and, until recently, you had to be affiliated with an educational institution to join.
ReplyDeleteToday, though, I did join a sewing group on Facebook....
I had a My Space account but quickly got turned off by the content in it. It seems like My Space caters to the lowest common denominator (kids partying and posting pictures they hope their future employers don't come across).
Nope, just don't get it. DH joined to catch up with some friends but I think the novelty has worn off.
ReplyDeleteI'm on facebook, it's useful for things like arranging parties/group event type things, because most of the people I know socially around London are on it, so if someone's e.g. having birthday drinks they can set up an 'event' and send invites and get RSVP notices from people etc.
ReplyDeleteI don't spend an awful lot of time on there, I probably check it once a day or so.
The strange thing about Facebook is just who's on there - my friendslist includes pretty much all my actual friends, about half the people I work with, my dad and his wife, the Chairman of the organisation I work for, my rabbis, my former rabbis (from before I changed shul), about three or four other rabbis (ok, I work for a Jewish organisation, I don't just have a rabbi collection, lol!), people linked to shuls belonging to our organisation (eg administrators, members etc), my niece, my friend in Norway, my daughter's dad and his partner in Denmark, my friends who've moved to Ireland, people I went to primary (elementary) school with, people I went to university with... It's a bit weird! I have to be very careful what I say in my status updates ;)
Yep...must admit that I am on FB. It has really been a lot of fun finding so many of my grade school, high school and college friends that I haven't connected with for years. I do have to limit myself time wise so that I don't let life pass me by while I am glued to the laptop screen.
ReplyDeleteNo Facebook for me, although I do use LinkedIn to network and keep up with past colleagues on a professional level. I value my privacy too much to put myself out there on Facebook or MySpace. MySpace in particular is just too juvenile for me. As someone said on another forum I frequent "MySpace is like walking into a teenager’s room. There is crud everywhere, the music is too loud and you can never find what you’re looking for"
ReplyDeleteI'm in my 60's and I recently set up a Facebook account. I haven't used it much yet but I try to stay on top of things as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteVtMartha
I joined Facebook a few months ago and have really enjoyed getting in touch with people from years past. I've connected with old high school friends and former colleagues. I don't spend a lot of time on it although I've noticed that time has been increasing recently!
ReplyDeleteNo Facebook for me. I signed up with MySpace to keep tabs on my nephew but haven't signed onto my page in months probably 2 years, honestly.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading everyone else's comments here, maybe I will look into it and ditch the MySpace page.
I am on LinkedIn and Plaxo but am not active in either place. I spend too much time on the computer as it is and not enough at my sewing machine or interacting with actual live people right in front of me!
BetsyV
No - Can't keep up with what's on my plate already. I'm happy not having it.
ReplyDeleteFor a long time, I laughed at the idea of getting on Facebook...I considered it another internet time consumer that I didn't need, but one morning back in November it occurred to me that I might find some high school friends on there and on a whim I joined up.
ReplyDeleteAnd I found out that a *lot* of the folks I know locally are on it. It *can* be a time hog, but it is possible to get on and check around and get off without taking too long. And I'm discovering that it's a great way to stay in touch with folks...
And I did reconnect with one (so far) friend from days long gone...which has been really cool.
Yes, for cousins, old high school friends, but not on there alot. I check in every few days or if someone posts something that triggers an email. Also on the BWOF group.
ReplyDeleteYes I do - I've been able to keep in touch with my transatlantic daughter that way. I also found several younger long-lost cousins that way. It's another tool.
ReplyDeleteThe whole "cyber friend" thing creeps me out. Get out and meet people!!! I think blogging is different, it's about sharing the craft.
ReplyDeleteI initially got turned off by facebook when my friend invited me to view her pictures, and I couldn't. Facebook required me to register with their site in order to see them. That's just shady.
ha! No. Nor did a friendster, myspace, or twitter.
ReplyDeleteReally, if someone wants to get in contact with me, my emails are no secret, nor is my phone number. Having two blogs and (counting...) 5 email addresses is more than enough, thanks!
Or, if you want my fiance's token response "If I wanted to see the people I went to school with, I'd just book my car in for a service." pfff!
yep, i have a facebook account, and it's been fun. i've reconnected with a bunch of friends from highschool (we all 'friended' each other after our reunion). all of my friends are people i already know, whether IRL, or via sewing/knitting boards.
ReplyDeletei have a myspace account, but i don't use it. i only got it because my oldest is starting to hit that age, and i wanted to be able to check things out. myspace makes my eyes bleed, gah i hate the way it is set up.
the facebook doesn't take up much time, but i also don't play the games (except scrabble). i update my status, upload pictures and videos, and check out my friends updates and stuff. i have good self-control. :)
I have a facebook page because all of my co-workers told me it would be fun. It was for like the first week and now I'm over it. I have seen all the people I graduated with and others I haven't seen in forever. I think that it takes a good bit of time. I do find it enjoyable to see other people updates.
ReplyDeleteI've got one. I live in a different province from the rest of my family and thought it a good way to keep up with them. Good in theory, not so good in practice. I only log when there are messages in my Inbox. Everyone important has my phone numer & e-mail so I don't worry about FB much.
ReplyDeleteOkay, this is a little creepy. I really thought I'd let the "My Space" account go. They told me they would and I hadn't heard anything from it in months (years?). JUST got a message on it! From Tom, whoever the heck "Tom" is. I'm sure he want to be my friend. How weird, with the timing....
ReplyDeleteI used to Facebook but then I stopped. All that pressure to take this quiz, send that poke back, and don't even get me started on the virtual dog. I have 4 large indoor dogs and 6 indoor cats, do I need the pressure of a virtual puppy looking forlorn and abused because I haven't given it virtual water in a week? No, I do NOT, thankyouverymuch!
ReplyDeleteI can see how some folks might find it handy but since I'm pretty anti-social in general, I found it to just be a time suck. I'd rather knit.
I finally got a facebook for the most cliche reason...to stalk a cute boy I had met! (He turned out to have a girlfriend but it was too late to back out.)
ReplyDeleteI don't spend much time on it. I maybe go on once a week. I don't participate in any groups or gifts or whatever. I have way too many friends--you don't realize how many people you've known in your life until they're gathered in one place! I like seeing status updates and recent pictures, and I've found some people I never thought I'd see again. All in all, I think it's a good thing, though it could easily become a time suck if one got too into it.
I have accounts on both Facebook and LinkedIn (invited by friends) and don't do anything with either. No time for Ravelry, little time for Twitter (CPSIA updates), hardly any time to blog. I must need a class in managing my computer time! But the more computer time spent the less time I've got to sew so there it is and will stay.
ReplyDeleteNo Facebook here. As it is, the only time I get to blog is at work. If I added Facebook to the list of things that draw my attention away from my job, I'm certain to lose the job. I don't even know what Twitter is!!! I won't say that I will never have a Facebook account-page-whatever. But not until I manage my time better.
ReplyDeleteI'm on Facebook (Susan Davis). I actually am part of the BWOF group on there, which is great.
ReplyDeleteNo Facebook for me - like many others here I'm afraid of how much time it would take away from my sewing. And I really don't want to find that many people from my past; I like the friends and people in my life now, but can't say there's anyone I really miss.
ReplyDeleteI'm beginning to feel, however, that it's something like refusing to get a cell phone until a few years ago - practically everyone I know is on and I keep missing out on stuff. I may give in eventually, but it'll just be to have my name out there and check in on it occasionally. Enough of my life is on the blog, I don't need another place to be public.
Yes, I have a facebook account, thanks to my daughter. She sucked me into MySpace, but I never really did much with that, but Facebook seems a little more mature and actually I have reconnected with some friends from my youth that I really wanted to find, so that has been cool. I don't spend really any more time on the computer than I did before I joined FB. I only really go there when someone sends me a message. Mary
ReplyDeleteI'm on facebook, and have been almost since the beginning (since it was a single college affair). I'll probably never get rid of it, partly because of that...it's been interesting watching it evolve. But I've gotten a lot less addicted to it than I used to be, which is good!
ReplyDeleteFor me, Facebook is a time saver, not a time waster. My mom, aunts, uncles, cousins, 6 brothers & sisters are all on facebook and it helps me communicate what's going on in my life without feeling overwhelmed.
ReplyDeleteAll of my Facebook "friends" are people that I currently know, people I grew up with or my family. Overall, it's pretty useful for keeping in touch. I feel much better connected now that I used to, considering I don't have any family living within 1,000 miles of me :)
My children have forbidden me to Facebook, their view is that it is for THEM only. And I don't need another hobby, so no, not now.
ReplyDeleteJust like Heather Dee, most of my family and friends are now living outside the country and it's easier to have one meeting place online where I can post the latest pictures or news and EVERYBODY gets them.
ReplyDeleteAlso, forces the lazy ones to remember to keep in touch (yes, I'm talking about my cousin Olivier, not that he would read this)!!!
I also friended a lot of people from the Burda English yahoo group, I'm a member of Patternreview and Burdastyle so...more of the same, right?
Wow Carolyn,
ReplyDeleteGreat question - and loving reading all the responses. who knew? I would have never thought of it.
No, sorry. I spend enough time on the computer as it is! Really, though, my colleagues at my previous job bugged me to get on Facebook and a few weeks later when people were getting into trouble with the administration over things said/done on Facebook, I just smiled. My best buddy and partner in crime remarked that I was smart because I didn't have an account and stayed out of it.
ReplyDeleteMy husband was into it for a while, and it is a big time swallower.
What a lot of responses! I signed up a while back but I just don't have the time. Plus, I just don't get or maybe choose to. It just doesn't appeal to me. It's one thing to talk to creative people who share my passion but Facebook doesn't quite work that way, from what I see.
ReplyDeleteI finally got on Facebook because none of my friends live in the same city as me. Its a way for us to keep in touch and to reconnect with people from high school and college. It doesn't eat up much of my time at all. I spend way more time on Twitter!
ReplyDeleteIt does seem a bit awkward when your young adult children and nephews and nieces have been active for years and you just sign up when your first grandchild is born... ;) I noticed that a person or two removed some photos when they discovered that their mother or aunt was a potential new friend. lol.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed the contact with old college friends and cousins I hadn't heard from in many years, but I have to admit I'm uncomfortable with the constant harvesting of my info by all the clever gardens, flowers, pets, etc.
So I guess I haven't completely embraced it, but on the other hand, I do sign in once a week or so and click through several friend/family pages.
I facebook. I an keep up with my adult kids (my oldest and I IM back and forth frequently), and have gotten in touch with relatives, other sewists and even former classmates and co-workers! I use Facebook as a social site, and also am on LinkedIn which is more "adult". There is an article on social networking sites in the current NWA magazine I picked up Monday - with many other sites to check out...
ReplyDeleteYes, I have a FaceBook account. It's a way to keep up with my sisters, nieces & nephews in other states. I also have connected with my best friend from high school & the American Sewing Guild has a page in which I can get inspiration for sewing projects. I log on every few days or so and limit myself to about 10 minutes if that long. Some days I'm forced to be on bedrest because health so it's a way to stay entertained when I cannot sew.
ReplyDeleteI am also on FaceBook but I just joined LinkedIn...it is the "adult" version of Facebook. A lot of people use it for networking and socializing
ReplyDeleteTina
My 23 year old daughter signed me up on Facebook. I'm loving it!!! I get caught up on my sisters and all my nieces lives and what's going on. I especially love seeing pics of them and their little ones...
ReplyDeleteI tried FaceBook, I thought I was smart, but I just didn't "get it."
ReplyDeleteI do have a blog, and I follow and subscribe to lots of sewing blogs, so my time is already overdrawn!
No facebook here...
ReplyDeleteI just recently got on facebook, mostly because 1. I'm kind of a techno-junkie and 2. I want to know what all the hub-bub is about. It is kind of fun and I find that I have an opportunity to banter back and forth with some that I may not email or perhaps they aren't part of our blog world. It's just a different avenue of communication. It can be a time-sucker, so I only check out my pages once a day.
ReplyDelete