Facebook rant!

I think the thing about posting your status every five minutes could be a generational thing.   A woman I know who is in her 20s was recently complaining about this. I am in my 40s and most of my FB friends are around my age and none of the do this. When they post news about themselves, it's usually something important like they've just started a new job or they've just got back from holiday in another country and they've posted pictures or they've just run a half-marathon.

Or they will post things about politics or jokes they've heard, films they've seen, etc.

I have that app on my phone that tells people where I am but I don't use it because I find it very creepy.  

About the breast cancer thing:

http://www.blaghag.com/2010/10/i-like-it-to-actually-have-point.html

One thing that does annoy me is when people who have their own businesses with a page on FB suggest that I "like" their business.  This has only happened to me a couple of times, but I think it isn't appropriate. DH and I run our own business, but we don't use FB to flog it. If you want to make business connections, sign up to Linked In.

In spite of all the annoying things about it, I really love Facebook. It's got me back in touch with so many people I've missed and is nearly always a pleasure. 

I can agree with that one Chary! As much as a need to rant about it sometimes (and it's not really a rant about Facebook as much as it is the individuals on it), I really don't know how I would cope with out it.

Yeah, I definitely feel a lot closer to people now.  I didn't use it much when I first got here, but once I did, it really helped me feel much more connected.  Now that I have 5 of my 6 siblings on there, it really helps a lot.

And for all the annoying status updates, there are once from the same people which make up for it.  Otherwise, they would be muted from my feed.

I am fixing to [again, she talks like them now]

   What's wrong with saying "fixing to"? We're not all hillbillies here just because we say y'all! (Sorry, gotta stick up for some of my southernisms! )

I agree that there are some realllllly annoying people on facebook. I have one friend who is constantly meeting/dating once or twice/then breaking up with a new guy every week. Her statuses are almost always lyrics from songs. They go from "you're the most wonderful thing ever" to "When you see my face, hope it gives you hell" type lyrics. I have another "friend" from middle/HS that apparently had some accident and then a blood problem. Now while I feel bad for him (and he's single, etc, at age 36-7), believe me he feels soooooooo sorry for himself. Every status is "oohhh, today my leg hurts. I'm going to lay down. Text me if you need me...." or some other "why did this happen to me?" He had a broken leg over a year ago. Again, it sounds like I'm unsympathetic. I'm really not. But the "poor me" got old. And he updates like 5x/hr. He's not working so he has the time, I guess. He also tried to fb chat with me all the time and moan about his woes. We hardly talked in school! I know him as an acquaintance at best. I finally had to hide him in my feed and actively ignore his chat boxes. I felt awful, but it had to stop (and it did.)

I think facebook got ruined for me when parents and bosses started to add me. You can't quite ignore or say no because they get mad at you. I just miss those days when I didn't have to censor what I want to say.

Have you seen the new 'Make a Group' feature? I haven't used it yet, so I'm not 100% sure how it works - but hopefully it would let you make a group and then post your status updates just to that group. So, for instance, you could make a group of people it's OK to b*tch about your job to!

I think facebook got ruined for me when parents and bosses started to add me. You can't quite ignore or say no because they get mad at you. I just miss those days when I didn't have to censor what I want to say.

I';m friends with my mom (and I don't really censor anything for her, but again, I'm not too outrageous with my statuses anyway.) There is no way I'd add a boss. They can ask all they want, but I would let them know that it is not something I want to do (ie. keeping my private non-work life just that- private!)

 What's wrong with saying "fixing to"? We're not all hillbillies here just because we say y'all! (Sorry, gotta stick up for some of my southernisms! )

There's nothing wrong with it.  It's just weird to hear my northern sister become so southern and so openly, in your face religious.  I am sure she probably thinks that I talk like "them" now (meaning British people).  They are hillbillies because they are hillbillies, not because they are southerners. Believe me, I've called northerners "hillbillies" before. She lives in a community of less than 1000 people.  She says that they are constantly criticising people for not being religious enough, so she's taken it on full on.  She's admitted that it's for appearances and to keep her inlaws happy.

When she goes up north to visit, she is highly critical of everything about the north (especially how rude people supposedly are and how much they swear).  

All that adds to the annoying nature of those kinds of updates, but the fact they are posted and reposted again and again is what is the main thing.  The fact that the product of a liberal, multicultural, feminist family is now happy being a part of a community where you are not regarded if you don't go to church, the only minorities in the area are her family with their American Indian blood a few generations ago, she is a part of a group that assumes that mothers of young kids need extra support (what if a stay at home dad joined? Oh wait, that's not going to happen), she kowtows to everything her husband and his family says is just icing on the cake.  And no, it's not that she is down south that is the problem. It could have easily happened up north as well.  

I don't even want to get into her belief that southerners are more polite.  

Have you seen the new 'Make a Group' feature? I haven't used it yet, so I'm not 100% sure how it works - but hopefully it would let you make a group and then post your status updates just to that group. So, for instance, you could make a group of people it's OK to b*tch about your job to!

Filters are much easier to use than the groups.  All it seems to be is an easier way to set up and manage a group.  I set two up, and while you can use them for filtering messages, it is more group than filter.

ETA: I may be sounding a bit strongly opinionated about the whole sister bit, but really after some problems with her inlaws (and TBH, her) with my mother's funeral just have totally coloured my opinion about that family and area.  And, no, not the south in general.

Filters are much easier to use than the groups.  All it seems to be is an easier way to set up and manage a group.  I set two up, and while you can use them for filtering messages, it is more group than filter.

Yes, I've just been playing with the Group thing and I'm not sure what its purpose is, tbh. 

Ooops...

I post random crap on FB...I do it as a laugh with other people..But mainly as a way to keep up with family..I post alot of photos of David and I..

I suppose if anyone got really annoyed they would delete me...

I do have one girl I went to school with that has married an English person get snotty and make comments about my constant use of English slang as in..bugger ..bloody hell...and so forth...but when you live it and hear it every day it slips in........

I post alot of photos of David and I..

I post loads of pictures of Mike and I as well and I did get a crappy comment about it once from a girl that posts loads of drunk pictures of her and her friends. I don't understand why people can't just ignore? I post pictures up of us because it makes me happy and my family check my facebook for updates. I have family all over the US and fb is probably the best way to keep in touch.

I also did get a mean comment from one of my high school acquaintances that said I'm being "fake" because I sometimes use British expressions and I think I started to add "u" to certain words like "color" and such which seems to irritate her. I figure, I live here, I'm getting educated here, and my husband and I plan to live here so why shouldn't I spell like the British do (plus it's useful for uni as we do get points taken off for American spelling).

  ok rant over. Sorry about that.

Yeah, it's all so annoying - Facebook & people, n sh*t.  Let's all delete our FB profiles & take up fell running instead... 

Yeah, it's all so annoying - Facebook & people, n sh*t.  Let's all delete our FB profiles & take up fell running instead... 

LOL nice 

I am one of those - the paparazzi but this is the only way to share with everyone at once.
Sure I post random crap but sometimes it gets the gears going. I like reading what my friends are randomly doing in the US since I am not there - it allows me to smile for them.
I am that "geek" and yes I said ars* and my oldest friend "what are you British now" I was a lil peeved but laughed it off. Its more polite in my opinion

Dang, my experience has been the opposite.  I think I get people following my FB posts just because they are enamoured with the idea of my "romantic British life."  Anytime I put things up that are uniquely British people seem to smile and comment positively on this place is affecting me.  I think they sometimes picture me living some funny Jane Austen life.  I don't mind, even though it's not really how day to day life rolls out.  My only annoyance is when some people keep asking me about my life in England and I have to keep saying I live in Wales, not England.

Outside of that, I don't get all the fuss.  If I don't want to look at lots of pictures or read certain posts, I don't.  I enjoy the connection to my friends and family back home along with the ability FB gives me to stay in touch with them easily.  I'm the kind of person who likes keeping up with old friends, so FB has been perfect for that.