Facebook tweaking....

[BrainsTracy]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14928383
Is the mere fact that it even exists a sad indictment of our society? I could be becomming a sort of selective Luddite but I cannot comprehend why this tendancy to live a life so publicly is so compelling.

[EvianBaby]

Could you please provide a brief explanation of the story - it's not always possible for me to open links.

[bibblebub]

it lets people think that their mundane lives aren't mundane

[ummmm]

Not everyone updates with the tedious facts of their life.

FaceBook is great for keeping touch with people you don't often get to see. My daughter is off to Australia next month. FaceBook will keep us in touch better than a phone...

[anneasquith]

i have facebook. but rarely use it. i did observe someone a few night ago making a complete ars* of themselves !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[EvianBaby]

"Not everyone updates with the tedious facts of their life."

I see more of that on here. ;)

[nannybooby]

Ummmm Sype is free and will keep you in touch privately when your daughter goes to Aus.

[pa___ul3]

it's not public, per se, it's in front of your friends. We're social beings and facebook facilitates social interaction.

[nannybooby]

Your friends friends can see you photos and posts too I beleive - dont bother with it myself cant see the point I see or skype friends and family and email photos...why use Facebook???

[pa___ul3]

you can adjust the settings so your freind's friends can't, it can be as private or as public as you want really.
It's also great for group announcements, i.e for my rugby team, sharing photos and news and for any public announcements / arrangements. I've seen people selling stuff over it, organising / mustering interest in social events, organising fundraising events, it does have a lot of uses.

[BrainsTracy]

Yes I believe the recent city riots were organised thus!

[ichkeria]

Skype and Facebook are for completely different types of thing (and they're both free). I use FB exactly as ummmm does by the sound of it, and I find it absolutely ideal for that purpose.
You can also communicate perfectly privately via FB.
What I don't like about FB is not being able to split my friends into groups, and so I'd welcome that, provided I can do it myself and don't have FB doing it for me.
For example, to have only family see my photos, it would be nice to click one button rather than have to go throgh every name individually.

[ummmm]

I've had two computer problems fixed via FaceBook messaging :-) Thanks Naz x

I know I can skype but it's nice to see her pics and have a better idea of what she's up to.

I broke my phone and lost all my numbers....sent out a facebook message and everyone is texting me their numbers.....it's great :-)

[mosesg]

I keep in touch with friends scattered all over the world and also is a great way of sharing photo's without taking up e-mail space. I have also had a few friends posting job adverts on their sites, good way of getting someone to recommend someone for the job.

[Postdog]

"it lets people think that their mundane lives aren't mundane"

Sorry, I don't want to start an FB Vs AB thing here, but that is a pretty sweeping and silly statement given some of the posts on this site, particularly chatterbank. I mean blimey, you can certainly see a share of mundane lives there, the same people coming back day after day talking about the most, well for want of a better word, mundane thing.

That said, I'm not knocking either - I usually have both open at the same time because I want to have them there, and both do different things for different people. I no longer live where I used to and FB keeps me in touch with what is going on back there. Being on CB is less intimate, in that I don't actually know anyone, but that said I feel part of it.

[ummmm]

What's considered mundane though?

[Postdog]

Precisely - if it brings some form of happiness, so what!

[ummmm]

Some of the stuff I read on FaceBook is far from mundane :-)