Originally Posted By oc_dean It's all about that little feature - Friends Request. Very simply .... what is it that makes us think .. that all we have to do .. to connect to someone is hit the "Friend" request button? And think that's all we need to do - No need for social-graces .. No need to write a message before hand. Something like ...."Hi, my name is _______ ... I wanted to hit friend request, but wanted to introduce myself first .. and let you know why I wanted to say hello, and see if you don't mind connecting up." Something like that. If you want to connect with someone who does not know you from a bar of soap ... Doesn't it seem logical ... that every friend request should come with some sort of paragraph about yourself .. and why you want to connect? I just don't get it. If someone who I don't know at all just simply hit the "friends" key .. nothing else .. no message .. No formal .. or semi formal introduction .. nothing ... (And I have got that!) ..then why should I open my private page to someone who is a complete and total stranger? I so easily ignore or hit the "decline" button! I think .. if a person can't take the time to write a small paragraph / introduction via the "message bank" feature .... then why should I accept them as my new "Facebook Friend"? I think in just the last 5-7 years ... of Facebook, Twitter, etc, etc .... is making for a new generation of Finger Attention Deficit .. app this .. app that .. with just one touch ..... has left behind something very basic and important - Etiquette! In gracefully approaching others who we wish to connect with! End rant. ;-)
Originally Posted By oc_dean And one LPer who shall remain nameless ... who I have not been in contact since 2004 (it's only been EIGHT years) ... hit "Friends" - Didn't bother to say hello .. no message .. not even a one sentence line .. and think that all you have to do in this F.B. era .. is just hit "friends" .. and bingo - you're in. I DON'T f*n think so!
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Whenever I receive a friend request from someone I don't know I ask how they know me. If it is from a Bulletin Board like LP or others I frequent, I ask what their screen name is on that board.
Originally Posted By DyGDisney The problem with all this "friend" request business is this: if this person is not your friend in real life, even if you know them, why do they need to be your friend on facebook? I think those people you don't know who friend request you without an explanation are just doing so to up their friend count. It's like a contest to some people. People have so many "friends" on facebook that they don't feel they can write anything on their page! Your private life is your private life, and if you choose to have 800 friends on facebook I'm guessing you won't be sharing much.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper I don't care how many "friends" I have on Facebook but I will say that some of the lasting connections I have on there because as simple, not fuss friend requests. I now carry on conversations/relationships with people at greater depth than even my own family members. I have a handful of LP "friends" on FB now that I believe I know much better and even care about. In fact, because I communicate with them outside of LP I think it helps drive a better relationship inside LP. Just my two cents.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Facebook seems to have more and more "bumper sticker" posts every day. Rather than discussing or sharing what is going on in people's lives, I'm seeing too many "shared" political or "don'tcha hate Mondays?" things. Gets boring. And cats. Enough with all the cats.
Originally Posted By DDMAN26 Thankfully very few people post political items on my facebook page. Everyone I know lately either had a kid or bought a puppy or had a puppy and bought a kid or will be having a kid or a puppy.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper Not a fan of the cats either but I will admit that I find it humorous seeing which of the high school peers turned into cat people. Best part of Facebook in my opinion is keeping up with the lives of people I care for in an easier way. I enjoy seeing all the pictures of kids, hearing about vacations and other happenings. I live a long way from most of my friends and family so it helps bridge the distance.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan I really like being able to see photos of family and friends far away, to know what's going on in their lives.
Originally Posted By DyGDisney LOL, DDMAN! You know the puppy people, but apparently K2M's acquaintances are "cat" people! My only "friend" on facebook is my daughter! I opened the account to join a chat board, and when she got facebook I friend requested her so I could keep an eye on her! I deleted my old account a couple of years ago....not for me.
Originally Posted By MissCandice If I have not seen someone for years and I happen to come across them on Facebook I'll send them a message before sending them a friend request. And I love Facebook because it is so easy to keep in touch with people I know who live all over the world. And the cat pictures, of course
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost I'm starting to get really frustrated with Facebook. I don't even use it that much but I agree with the complaints about the folks that feel compelled to constantly (to the tune of about 10 a day) feel that they should share pictures of kitten, dogs, romantic hallmark type prose and God and Country. It fills up my home page to the extent that the people I want to communicate with are almost impossible to find. Also if I ask it to hide a post because it either doesn't pertain to me or I'm just not interested in being preached at...it never is gone completely. It will disappear during that session but the next time I open it up...there it is again. No means NO dammit! My own posts that I am looking for responses on are buried at the bottom of the list. Seems like we used to be able to simply hide all posts from certain "friends" without Unfriending them, but I don't know if that is possible anymore. I enjoy keeping up with friends that have something personal to say but please unless it's uber cute...keep it to yourself. Thanks.
Originally Posted By KCCHIEF I deleted mine.......... to many people wanted to be "friends"...and I just did not want to.... I really am a friendly person.... Plus, I could not keep up with all my "friends"
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost That just goes to show you how mushy my brain has gotten since I started using Facebook. Didn't even think of that...Delete...good idea.
Originally Posted By DyGDisney You use to be able to hide someone without deleting them from your friend list, but I don't think you can anymore.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost Yea, I know, that's one thing that is upsetting to me. I like and know all that I have friended, but sometimes I can only take a little of them at a time. This is especially true when they take over my home page with one thing after another that are just shares that I can find with a little net research of my own. I used to be able to hide them and then occasionally check on their posts to catch up. Not any longer and it is very inconvenient. Also...there is no way to permanently delete a post from them that I can find. Maybe someone knows how and can fill me in. And don't you hate the ones that say..."I'm cleaning out my friends list, let me know if you want to stay on it." I always reply that I am not going to do any such thing. If you don't want me on your list, take me off. I promise I will not be upset. But you are not going to play martyr at my expense. I'm not going to play bad guy to your good guy!
Originally Posted By oc_dean I should have been a little more thorough on the paragraph below .. To reiterate: >>I think .. if a person can't take the time to write a small paragraph / introduction via the "message bank" feature .... then why should I accept them as my new "Facebook Friend"?<< What I should have said: If a person can't take the time to write a small paragraph / introduction via the "message bank" feature .... then they really aren't all that interested in being 'friends' (Whatever that really means in the "Facebook" world!). I figure ... if someone is genuinely interested in being friends ... then they would take the time to write a message. Then from that point, I can seriously consider the idea of accepting them to my page. Just hitting the "Friends" key .. does not really mean anything. (So easy to just hit a single button, in one half second - As if, that's the new "21st Century" method to gracefully asking to be friends.) Genuine interest means .. Taking the time to write a thoughtful paragraph about one's self .. and why that person would like to connect. And if that's too much effort for them ... what that tells me .. they really are not that interested in being friends to begin with! So .. then what does the "friends" button really mean? To me ... that just screams: I'm not really THAT interested in being friends ... but just thought I'd send a friend request ... just to kill time on Facebook. In which that means to me - *DECLINE* ;-)
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost One of the major problems, at least a little while ago, was that there was some kind of status involved with having hundreds of friends. The more the better. That created many problems for people that just wanted to keep up with "real" friends. I have been on Facebook now for about 5 years. I have 36 friends and about half of them, I never hear from. That is all I care to manage. If you pick up a couple of posters like I mentioned earlier, you can spend half a day just scrolling to get to something worth looking at.
Originally Posted By Labuda "And cats. Enough with all the cats." Might I suggest you make <a href="http://www.icanhascheezburger.com" target="_blank">http://www.icanhascheezburger.com</a> your home page?
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Probably the most popular site on the internet, for reasons that confound me. It's like a series of those old 70s posters showing a cat clinging to a clothesline, with "Hang In There, Baby!" as the groovy headline. I don't hate cats, by the way.
