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I have been wanting to do this for literally years now, but I don't think I could convince the vast majority of my friends to move onto anything together, let a

I have been wanting to do this for literally years now, but I don't think I could convince the vast majority of my friends to move onto anything together, let alone Signal. Most of them are non-technical, and it just holds no appeal. Plus, because they would basically just be installing it just to talk to me, they would probably nearly never be online or check their messages, so I'd almost never get to talk to them again. I basically don't use Facebook (the website), but I am still stuck using their Messenger for communication with most of my friends. That said, Facebook's events system is still the best that I've seen. If it was stand-alone, I would probably delete the rest of FB, and just keep that part. Nothing else on Facebook adds any value to my experience. Nothing you need to be logged in for, at least.

nash_tr 9y ago
You could unfollow everyone. i did this a few months back and haven't missed it at all. way less distraction.
- keypress 9y ago
  You are basically saying your friends were a distraction. Which is a little rude (UK perspective).
  - icantdrive55 9y ago
    In the US, many FB'ers friend anyone. I had this girl I worshiped years ago. She finally seemed interested, on a chance encounter. She said, "I'll friend you?" Blah, blah, etc. I got home, and looked her up. She had 550 friends. I can't figure out if I don't like her now because she rebuffed me years ago, or she has 550 FB friends. And yes--I took into account she might be insecure now, and filled with self-doubt; which would explain why she needs to have a following. All I know is I don't feel the same way about her as I did before I saw her FB page though. Weird?
    - tempestn 9y ago
      I think you're reading too much into it. I barely use facebook and have a couple hundred friends. I'll accept an invite from anyone I know and like, regardless of how well I know them. Do that for a decade, or however long FB's been around, and you build up quite a few.
      - keypress 9y ago
        It's very tempting to friend anyone. But because of Facebook's tendency to then cross pollinate posts via comments etc. I'm more reluctant to do so (privacy of others). I post to Facebook almost as if I'd post in public. But it's different for everyone. I know there are settings and ways to make circles, but it seems a faff.
  - nash_tr 9y ago
    heh, you know - you're not wrong :) It may appear rude, but it's not meant to be - it's just a way of flipping the interaction from a push to a pull. i can always visit a friend's page to see what they've been up to.
bitexploder 9y ago
I guess that is what it comes down to. I am now missing a lot of low quality interactions with friends and family. I do still SMS with folks. It was mostly about Facebook. I took the time to plan out how to stay in touch with each and every one of my contacts I cared about or thought would care about me. It is a good question -- what will you really be missing? How did the thinkers of generations gone by live without pervasive and instant contact with friends and family. Did they still foster deep and meaningful relationships? Can we still do that now without a tool like Facebook or Twitter.
mafribe 9y ago
Have you considered using the "Facebook News Feed Eradicator"? It does what the name suggests it does, and let's you focus on events and private messages.
aldanor 9y ago
IIRC you can deactivate FB but still use their IM

nash_tr 9y ago

You could unfollow everyone. i did this a few months back and haven't missed it at all. way less distraction.

keypress 9y ago
You are basically saying your friends were a distraction. Which is a little rude (UK perspective).
- icantdrive55 9y ago
  In the US, many FB'ers friend anyone. I had this girl I worshiped years ago. She finally seemed interested, on a chance encounter. She said, "I'll friend you?" Blah, blah, etc. I got home, and looked her up. She had 550 friends. I can't figure out if I don't like her now because she rebuffed me years ago, or she has 550 FB friends. And yes--I took into account she might be insecure now, and filled with self-doubt; which would explain why she needs to have a following. All I know is I don't feel the same way about her as I did before I saw her FB page though. Weird?
  - tempestn 9y ago
    I think you're reading too much into it. I barely use facebook and have a couple hundred friends. I'll accept an invite from anyone I know and like, regardless of how well I know them. Do that for a decade, or however long FB's been around, and you build up quite a few.
    - keypress 9y ago
      It's very tempting to friend anyone. But because of Facebook's tendency to then cross pollinate posts via comments etc. I'm more reluctant to do so (privacy of others). I post to Facebook almost as if I'd post in public. But it's different for everyone. I know there are settings and ways to make circles, but it seems a faff.
- nash_tr 9y ago
  heh, you know - you're not wrong :) It may appear rude, but it's not meant to be - it's just a way of flipping the interaction from a push to a pull. i can always visit a friend's page to see what they've been up to.

bitexploder 9y ago

I guess that is what it comes down to. I am now missing a lot of low quality interactions with friends and family. I do still SMS with folks. It was mostly about Facebook. I took the time to plan out how to stay in touch with each and every one of my contacts I cared about or thought would care about me. It is a good question -- what will you really be missing? How did the thinkers of generations gone by live without pervasive and instant contact with friends and family. Did they still foster deep and meaningful relationships? Can we still do that now without a tool like Facebook or Twitter.

mafribe 9y ago

Have you considered using the "Facebook News Feed Eradicator"? It does what the name suggests it does, and let's you focus on events and private messages.

aldanor 9y ago

IIRC you can deactivate FB but still use their IM