Last weekend I opened a Facebook account.
(Don't judge me.)
This is my first foray into the world of online social networking. I barely heard about Friendster back in its heyday. I avoided MySpace because it seemed like too much of a fad to take seriously (and this is all before it was revealed as a haven for pedophiles). Heck, for a day last year the subtitle on the blahg here I put "Doug still has no MySpace page," as though that were something to be proud of.
It wasn't so much that I held active disdain for these sites; I merely felt as though I didn't fit in with what I perceived them to be. They struck me as a way to squander a lot of time on the computer, and I was already quite handy at squandering time (both with and without the computer); I had no need for help in that area.
So, why have I now drunk the proverbial Kool-Aid?
I have no good reason, so let's move on.
With only a few days worth of experience on the site, I lack sufficient time to make any judgments about it. (I am not being sarcastic. Yeesh.) However, there is something on which I must comment regarding Facebook.
When one joins, one's contacts are searched and people with email addresses found in one's contacts who have Facebook accounts get solicitations to become one's "friend." That is the term that is used: friend. When the person receiving the solicitation accepts, a notation on one's page is added to indicate this.
"Doug is now friends with [name of person]."
This is visible to anyone who had already been added as a "friend," so others can see this.
And while I don't mind, per se, that others I know see that I have added a "friend," I cannot help but have this thought each time I see that notation: If now we're friends, what were we before? I've known this person for years, but only now is it official that we're "friends"?
My fiancée is listed as being "in a relationship" with me, and vice versa. Five years together and an engagement ring on her finger are all good and well, but because it says so on my profile page, it's somehow more legitimate? It has been consecrated by the web gods or something.
I'm sure it will get easier. At least, as soon as zombies stop biting me.
Lemme ask you a question about this Facebook business:
ReplyDeleteIf one were to create a Facebook account, would one have a way that one could say, avoid being found by those for which one would have an inherent, if not court ordered need to avoid?
In other words, jenji just doesn't want to be found by some people, so is there a privacy feature?
I don't have a MySpace or Facebook page either and I'm not sure that I would even want one, but it would be nice to know the particulars of these sites just in case.
please, share your Facebook knowledge.
jenji
The zombies will never stop biting you...they are zombies! They are relentless!
ReplyDeleteI can't claim to know that much after only a week, but I have explored enough to see that it appears one can set the privacy options such that one cannot be found by just anyone.
ReplyDeleteIt is worth noting that the defaults when creating an account are not private, so you have to make the effort to change the options or else one could be found.
However, the adding of "friends" is such that one must be approved by both parties; even if another were to find you, the most that person could do is send a request, which you could just ignore. Unless you accept the request, the other couldn't even see your page.
But, to be completely honest, I'm not convinced that Facebook is worth the effort, but I'm giving it a chance.