4 ms·

Who cares if fb has "crested?" If you have some reason of privacy, I can understand, however just deleting your account because it's not the cool thing anymore

by aneth 16y ago

Who cares if fb has "crested?" If you have some reason of privacy, I can understand, however just deleting your account because it's not the cool thing anymore seems rather petty. Clearly if it's how your friends find you, it still serves a function in your life. Delete your friendster account, yes. I don't understand this compulsion to leave facebook.

forkandwait 16y ago
I don't care that it has crested (though it has) -- I care about the privacy concerns, and I don't want my high school friends finding my dad and my current grad school social circle all on the same page (yuck!).
- aneth 16y ago
  You can hide all this information and you can make yourself unsearchable. You can create multiple accounts (technically not supposed to but lots do). It's just like any other social tool. Use it how you want it. Tell it what you want to. Don't be friends with your dad if you don't want people finding him. The problem is not facebook, it's you and how you use it.
- iamwil 16y ago
  Start removing friends. I do it every once in a while. If you no longer want to be in the lives of your high school friends or vice versa, even online, cut the cord. You'll find that people are usually apathetic and none the wiser.
novum 16y ago
I joined FB in late 2004. My main objections to today's Facebook are: * It's boring. * It's a waste of time. * I don't trust it. The new Places app is a great case study. Here you can check yourself in anywhere, tag your friends (whether they're there or not), and see where others are checking in. But my checkin history is clearly of more benefit to retailers and advertisers than it is to my friends. I want to use this app to meet up with people, to organize events, to see where my friends' favorite places are. It's just not very good for that, and it reeks of poor design -- for example, enough people checking in at your house will force it to be a public location, and there is no process to privatize it again. For many years I was north of FB's average of 55 minutes per user per day on the site. Several months ago I stopped reading the news feed, and that more than anything else has helped me keep my usage under 2 minutes per day. I don't regret effectively deactivating my account, and like others have noted, I doubt anyone noticed I'm gone. My main reason for joining in the first place was basic social planning -- today, I still think their photo and event apps are very well executed and among the most valuable parts of the site. There's just too much baggage that comes with their use.
- swombat 16y ago
  I haven't been particularly active on Facebook for a year or two now. I think the very-active period lasted only a few months for me. However, Facebook still has huge residual utility value even if I'm not actively using it. Friends use it to get in touch sometimes. Occasionally I receive a message from someone I care about who doesn't have my email anymore for some reason. I wouldn't delete my Facebook account if you gave me £100 to do so, even though I'm not actively using it - for the same reason I don't delete my LinkedIn account.
roedog 16y ago
Well, it may be petty. But isn't that the whole point of a social website? It's about small talk, ephemera, and socializing online instead of at a party, club, bar or coffee shop. If it's no longer cool because everyone goes there, then how do I remain cool? First by making sure everyone knows I don't go there anymore,. "Facebook is so last year." If I was through being cool, then I could just stop going there and not make a statement about it.
jdoliner 16y ago
Maybe it is petty leave Facebook because it's not the cool thing anymore. But I joined Facebook because it was the cool thing which is equally petty. My friends can contact me just fine without Facebook. So yes it's petty, but that comes with the Facebook territory.

by aneth 16y ago

forkandwait 16y ago

I don't care that it has crested (though it has) -- I care about the privacy concerns, and I don't want my high school friends finding my dad and my current grad school social circle all on the same page (yuck!).

aneth 16y ago
You can hide all this information and you can make yourself unsearchable. You can create multiple accounts (technically not supposed to but lots do). It's just like any other social tool. Use it how you want it. Tell it what you want to. Don't be friends with your dad if you don't want people finding him. The problem is not facebook, it's you and how you use it.
iamwil 16y ago
Start removing friends. I do it every once in a while. If you no longer want to be in the lives of your high school friends or vice versa, even online, cut the cord. You'll find that people are usually apathetic and none the wiser.

novum 16y ago

I joined FB in late 2004. My main objections to today's Facebook are: * It's boring. * It's a waste of time. * I don't trust it. The new Places app is a great case study. Here you can check yourself in anywhere, tag your friends (whether they're there or not), and see where others are checking in. But my checkin history is clearly of more benefit to retailers and advertisers than it is to my friends. I want to use this app to meet up with people, to organize events, to see where my friends' favorite places are. It's just not very good for that, and it reeks of poor design -- for example, enough people checking in at your house will force it to be a public location, and there is no process to privatize it again. For many years I was north of FB's average of 55 minutes per user per day on the site. Several months ago I stopped reading the news feed, and that more than anything else has helped me keep my usage under 2 minutes per day. I don't regret effectively deactivating my account, and like others have noted, I doubt anyone noticed I'm gone. My main reason for joining in the first place was basic social planning -- today, I still think their photo and event apps are very well executed and among the most valuable parts of the site. There's just too much baggage that comes with their use.

swombat 16y ago
I haven't been particularly active on Facebook for a year or two now. I think the very-active period lasted only a few months for me. However, Facebook still has huge residual utility value even if I'm not actively using it. Friends use it to get in touch sometimes. Occasionally I receive a message from someone I care about who doesn't have my email anymore for some reason. I wouldn't delete my Facebook account if you gave me £100 to do so, even though I'm not actively using it - for the same reason I don't delete my LinkedIn account.

roedog 16y ago

Well, it may be petty. But isn't that the whole point of a social website? It's about small talk, ephemera, and socializing online instead of at a party, club, bar or coffee shop. If it's no longer cool because everyone goes there, then how do I remain cool? First by making sure everyone knows I don't go there anymore,. "Facebook is so last year." If I was through being cool, then I could just stop going there and not make a statement about it.

jdoliner 16y ago

Maybe it is petty leave Facebook because it's not the cool thing anymore. But I joined Facebook because it was the cool thing which is equally petty. My friends can contact me just fine without Facebook. So yes it's petty, but that comes with the Facebook territory.