The fall of Facebook

[Ms.Trick]

I noticed this huge Facebook disliking those times!
There are the new profiles available, and I've noticed that I wasn't the only one who thought this was more and more a huge Big Brother kind of thing. Now they ask you "Who are your best friends?", the langages you speak, the studies you made,...On the front page we see the last pictures you were tagged in and also, before, when you commented on something, you could see on the page "...commented on ....'s status". Now you see "Haha lol on ...'s status". It just feels more and more exposed, and many friends agree with me.
I just deleted my wall, deleted a lot of useless friends, and it feels good to get out slowly from that system (while I was such a huge Facebook-geek).

What do you think about it?
Do you also think Facebook becomes more and more intrusive?
Do you think Facebook is going down?

 

[zobothehobo]

I hate the new facebook layout. I think it was stupid and unnecessary. The old one was just fine. I'm not one of those who have been against facebook letting you know what your friends are doing and my reasons for disliking this new layout aren't the "stalkerbook" reasons. I think the facebook team is making profiles and news feeds more complicated than they need to be for the sake of changing things. I don't like it.

 

[Username]

I haven't been on facebook in more than over a year probably, i remember I tried do delete my account but you can't do that you can just choose to be inactive, so I wanted to shut it down and this like frame comes up and asks me why! why?!
I felt like I was in that episode of The Simpsons when there's this sect growing and they recruit people by making them watch this film and whenever someone tries to leave and walk out of the movie they get this light shone on them and this voice is all "Why are you leaving, feel free to do so but please state your name and reason why" so no one left and they all got brainwashed, I'm rambling now but that's how I feel about Facebook, I hate it.

 

[msfantastico87]

I love facebook. I'm a facebook whore. Like really.

Although, When this new profile layout came up, I didn't like it. It looked odd. Now, I like it. Like a lot. It's easier for me to navigate. The only downfall, is the whole comments on others statuses, which really is intrusive. I'm pretty sure there will be so many complaints about it, that there will eventually be an option in your profile settings where you can choose not to share that information with anyone who is not on your list, or make it customizable like everything else. The same thing happened with the whole Check-ins thing. People were getting checked in places left and right by other people, and they got upset about it. Now they have made a privacy setting for check-ins. I'm sure that the whole commenting on others statuses will follow the same route.

as for Facebook becoming more intrusive, I don't think that is the intention. Every time they come up with a new feature, people become paranoid, and other take advantage of said new feature. The thing I really like about Facebook vs MySpace, is how well FB responds to how the profiles are being used and such. They are really good at keeping minors out of the search engine and also respond quickly to any spam reports and such. People just need to stop being so paranoid. If you are paranoid, then stop using it.

It' s funny how this thread got opened the day after I had a debate about this with another BB member. I can understand the worry in some about being tagged at check-ins and pictures, but you control everything in your profile via the privacy settings. You can choose who sees what, and who can contact you, etc. That's the beauty of FB vs MySpace. MySpace was just there. It was just a way for you to customize your page, which is what attracted everyone to it. If people just look at FB and actually take the time to read through the explanations of each privacy setting, you'd stop being so paranoid.

Is FB going down? Nope. I love FB. Great way to keep in contact with many people. The problem with people however, is that they are afraid of change.

 

[Kean]

Has anyone seen The Social Network? There's a line where Mark says that he wanted to site to be the college experience but online. With each of these new changes I feel that facebook is achieving that goal, only it's you life (period) that is being lived online.

I always feel inclined to delete my page so these changes only push me further in that direction.

 

[PrincessBuffy16]

I'm really not liking this new profile and how everything is visiable. On the other hand, I only have people I know face to face, you guys and some people I met when I was on the skiing resort or summer camps, so I don't mind if they see what I'm writing.. I've secured my profile so no one who's not my friend can see it.

 

[MinwaraYana]

I hate it! I didn't even click the "Get new facebook profile" button and now I have a new version all of sudden. 🙁 And yeah, I agree that it's so bad that people can see what you've just written on others' walls. I'm deleting someone I don't know from my friends list now.

 

[Nix]

I think the fact that you can NOT close your account sucks...you can try to deactivate it but anyone looking at your page again will activate it and there is just a serious lack of privacy. You join facebook and thats it, no privacy ever again lol. Having said that I am on there but rarely post anything and have tight priavcy as much as I can. It is good for keeping in touch with family and far away friends but then again so is email...

 

[msfantastico87]

I feel the need to post this link, for those of you who are not so sure about the privacy settings:

http://www.facebook.com/privacy/explanation.php

Everything is explained here. My profile is 95% private. The good thing about FB is that with each status update, you can choose who sees it. Something that I am grateful for.

xaphania agrees: Yup, I like that. I exclude work colleagues from some of my status updates, lol. the complainy ones about work haha

Exactly. You can make groups of friends to which you want to share statuses with. I love it. Not like MySpace at all.

 

[Tome]

The new layout is not as good as the previous one, definitely. As for FB being too open to stalkers and the like, I agree. Honestly though, if you sign up for FB, it kinda comes with the package. If I really didn't want anyone stalking me(even after fixing my privacy settings), I'd just get rid of my FB. 😛

And I really doubt FB is going down. That won't happen for a very long time.

 

[zobothehobo]

The thing I really like about Facebook vs MySpace, is how well FB responds to how the profiles are being used and such.

I like that too... but with the latest MySpace changes, I don't think you can say there's a Facebook vs MySpace thing. MySpace made itself no longer a social networking site and more of an "entertainment networking" site with it's latest changes. That was a really good move for them because they were pretty much forgotten for everything except music.

 

[msfantastico87]

I like that too... but with the latest MySpace changes, I don't think you can say there's a Facebook vs MySpace thing. MySpace made itself no longer a social networking site and more of an "entertainment networking" site with it's latest changes. That was a really good move for them because they were pretty much forgotten for everything except music.

Yes. I deleted my MySpace account in 2005. Never regretted it, and never will. The only good thing about MySpace, is how they discover new music. That is the ONLY good thing. MySpace tried too hard to be like Facebook and it bothered the hell out of me. Not only that, but with HTML in profiles, it made it extremely slow and just very cluttered. It was unattractive and there was a lot of MySpace drama. So many people getting hurt over MySpace's lack of proper privacy settings.

 

[Goldilocks]

the new profile look is so confusing :s I prefer the old one!!

 

[xaphania]

Every time the profile changes, people say it's too confusing and horrible etc. etc. Then a couple of weeks later you're used to it. There's no point making a fuss, IMO.

 

[Goldilocks]

Every time the profile changes, people say it's too confusing and horrible etc. etc. Then a couple of weeks later you're used to it. There's no point making a fuss, IMO.

Exactly.. I just gotta give it time 😀

 

[Ms.Trick]

I'm not exactly paranoid, I don't care what Facebook can do with my infos (not that they are real...My religious view is "Chocowhorshipper", I don't know what they can do with that :tongue3🙂.

Tough, there are some aspects of Facebook I'm not confortable with.
Like I had that stalker (who was very normal at first) who kept stalking me on Facebook. Then I deleted him and he sent me new invitations (but I blocked him) and then he asked a friend of mine to ask me why I had deleted him and he followed me a few times at school keeping asking me why I had deleted him. I hit him and said "I do what I fudging want with my life and my Facebook, now leave me the hell alone!" He didn't insist but he still tries to reach me via common friends.
Like once I posted on a friend's wall that I knew a movie in which Kristen Stewart didn't have her mouth always opened so I talk about her movie Speak. And the guy left a comment "No wonder she was raped, with her mouth always open..." That really bothered me because 1. Ew, sociopath much? 2. I wasn't asking for his opinion. A bit sad to know I have to mail the girl instead of wall-posting her if I don't want that disgusting guy to comment.

I was also struggling with the feeling of social obligation. People you never ever interact with but you don't delete because "they were with you at school yeaaaaaaars ago". I didn't dare deleting those people because I 'knew' them, but the truth is, I don't need them in my friends. And I can delete someone and yet be happy if I meet them in the street, I wouldn't bother having a chat, but no Facebook-friendship, thanks.

Now I don't mind deleting people because we go to the same school. Specifically if I don't like them.

I also know that I don't want to delete my account, because Facebook is great to have contacts with people you don't necessarily get to see every day, but who you like anyway!

I guess when I wrote the thread I was in my anti-Facebook mood.

It has his good sides and bad sides.
But I really hope they will change that "I know what you wrote last Summer" settings of status.

 

[msfantastico87]

But I really hope they will change that "I know what you wrote last Summer" settings of status.

I know exactly how you feel about the whole stalker thing. Sometimes it can't be helped if other friends on your list don't have the same settings as you.

But with this whole commenting on people's statuses thing, all you have to do is contact FB and report it. Just like check-ins, It will be easier for you to control who sees what.

 

[Deus Ex Machina]

I think Facebook will fall just because eventually everything does.

I'm waiting for Diaspora* anyways.

 

[Professor Walsh]

Basically, I never post anything on Facebook that I'm not comfortable with everyone and anyone seeing. Privacy problem solved.

 

[BuffyElevated]

Facebook pisses me off because they change something every 2 days. Seriously, just as people start getting used to things the way they are, something is changed again; it's rediculous. I use Facebook because I'm able to keep in touch with a LOT of people that way, but it's getting to where I'd rather not mess with it/.