Facebook, Twitter and Social Media

[mc ukrneal]

We had some interesting discussions when the social media links were added to the site. But we don't really have a thread devoted to that. Since then, I've seen some really interesting articles. I thought it would be nice to have a place to discuss social media, and I hope everyone will remain civil on this sometimes polarizing topic.

The First: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/job-seekers-getting-asked-facebook-passwords-071251682.html
The Second: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/many-facebook-friends-study-links-narcissism-facebook-activity-120546746--abc-news.html

The first article talks about how employers are asking for Facebook passwords to learn more about you before they hire you. I was outraged to read this. But I am glad I read it in case I ever create an account. I cannot imagine how it must feel to really need a job only to be told to give over a password like that. A lot of pressure if there are mouths to feed.

The second article is about narcissism and Facebook activity. As someone who is interested in human behavior, I find almost any research on social media to be quite interesting. This is not best or most surpirsing article, but it may help start the discussion.

[Ataraxia]

Yeah, most social media causes folks to crawl up their own asses.

Facebook: Had it. No longer have it.
Twitter: Active acct. but don't use much.
Google+: Had it. No longer have it.

I do some writing so I'm "supposed" to use social media to market my shizz but I just can't stand that whole aspect of it. Now I just ignore it for the most part. Hell, I don't even post on my blog much, not that I ever did.

I am active on GMG and Rateyourmusic though. Music sites.

[Mirror Image]

I use Facebook mainly for connecting with people here from GMG. It brings me closer to getting to know the people behind the posts and about what's going on in their own lives. This is especially useful since most of my friends here, with the exception of two or three members, live far away from where I live. This is what FB is good at doing I think. I used to have a Myspace page, but I haven't used that account in quite some time. I wasn't too fond of the site. I use music sites more than anything else.

I will say that, like anything, FB can be abused and whenever people start posting what essentially could be considered private information on a daily basis, I have to say that this just ridiculous. Telling people about a new job you landed: good, telling people about how many chicks you banged over the weekend: bad.

[Todd]

I've had a Facebook account for about a year and a half.  I've spent about 30 minutes on it total.  I don't see what is so captivating about it.  I'm boring, I admit it.  Most other people are boring, too.  What's that saying?  Just because it happened to you doesn't make it interesting.  I think that's true.  I spend more time on LinkedIn. 

If an employer or potential employer asked for my Facebook password, I would politely tell them to ES&D. 

Twitter is awful.  Other social media sites don't hold much interest for me.  Guess I'm an out of touch old fogey.  The below sums it up for me.




Good news sites interest me and concern me more.  For instance, I'm rather displeased that the NY Times is cutting back to ten free articles starting next month, but that's another topic . . .

[Ataraxia]

Just because it happened to you doesn't make it interesting.  I think that's true.

Exactly. I was even getting tired of myself if you can believe that. (I know! Right?)

Message boards are the ideal social network for me, where you actually discuss topics that don't (always) include your own bad self.

[Todd]

I was even getting tired of myself if you can believe that.

I just don't know how much excitement my standard weekday would generate among any online friends or followers.  Let's see: wake up, shower, have breakfast, take son to school, go to work, perform boring drudgery all day, come home, have dinner, listen to music, read, watch some TV, go to sleep.  Weekends may include exciting tasks like yardwork, shopping, seeing a movie, and perhaps imbibing.  There, I summed up the last fifteen and next twenty years.  Why would I need to post on that everyday?

[TheGSMoeller]

I find more stalking occurring in Facebook than any of the other sites, which is a main reason why I left Facebook. Also, I was tired of hearing, "Why aren't we Facebook friends?" or "You didn't respond to my Facebook post." it's as if "Facebook friends" has become a new level of friendship.

I find Twitter to be less personal and easier to ignore or follow/unfollow users.

I don't care if you just had coffee or what you ate for lunch, and please don't quote a movie or song, don't tell me you're sick and vomitting, and don't tell me what restuarant or grocery store you just "checked into". All reasons I have unfollowed or de-friended ppl on these sites.

[Ataraxia]

Yes, people crawl out of the woodwork on Facebook. Another reason to abandon it! 

[Karl Henning]

(* munches popcorn *)

[Szykneij]

(* pass the butter *)

[TheGSMoeller]

(* munches popcorn *)

(* pass the butter *)

I'm deleting both of you from my Facebook "friends" list...



...unless I can get some popcorn.

[Lethevich]

I don't really agree with either of those articles:

‌•The password thing: it seems to be just because the profile was set to private - a lot of jobs check Facebook profiles now. If you are too embarassed with your private life to un-private just for 10 mins so they can take a poke around, then he is denying them access to what has become a routine little background check - the like of which businesses have been doing way before Facebook. There is no confirmation of them wanting access to his personal emails, nor to keep the password to maintain a constant monitor of him.
‌•The Facebook friends thing: people are the same online as irl. Facebook doesn't make people vapid, it taps into what is already there.

I don't actively participate in social media (the concept does not suit my personality and personal life), only read it when required, though I see how awesome and useful it is for others I don't feel any need to denegrate them.

Knowing X person's Twitter account for example allows me to keep up to date with important news and views sources far more effectively than anything else. I want to know why a Youtube video of somebody I subscribe to was removed? I check Twitter, sometimes they might make reference to it, or I will catch the tail-end of a conversation that led to it being deleted. If a liveshow I like is putting on an unexpected broadcast, this is where it will be announced, and so on. I can throw a question to often quite famous people and if it's not a PR-run account, there's a fair chance they will read it. The level of access is like nothing before.

Facebook has become an incredibly effective method of organising social gatherings, which rather goes against all the whining I see about it being "antisocial". Seeing it in action in organising quick parties is beautifully fluid. A person will tend to friend their whole social circle, including some with one or two degress of seperation (not only their best friends), then use it as a tool for getting in touch with someone they saw and want to mention something to, or perhaps to ask where X person they know is. It's a cool way of turning someone you've seen once or twice at a gathering into a friend when you find that you have some common interests from checking their page. As a blog full of your most profound thoughts, I find it less effective - that is what blogs are for.

[drogulus]

    I'm information oriented rather than social, so old fashioned websites, fora and blogs serve my needs. I have nothing against the new social media. I'll try to find something stronger than they "waste time", since I'm generally in favor of that.

[mc ukrneal]

Well, Facebook have come out and told employers not to ask for passwords: http://news.yahoo.com/facebook-warns-employers-dont-ask-passwords-163806953.html

[Henk]

I use Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon and MyOpera. I ignore and reject Google(+) (I need to check my Gmail however, and I do this with "Google Watcher", an add-on of Firefox). And of course GMG.

StumbleUpon can really work in combination with forums I think. You don't miss any information. I can be offline here for much time, check StumbleUpon and I haven't missed anything.

I just started to use MyOpera. It has a webtimer function, which gives information about how you spend your time on the internet. I don't want to spend much time on internet.

I think many people here would love MyOpera and they will also use Facebook then. You're a narcist if you use MyOpera and not Facebook.

Henk

[Henk]

I want rather to internet less, without giving up of any of these social media.

And GMG is internet also, let's not forget about that. I don't understand why GMG should be rated higher than Facebook.

Henk

[Philoctetes]

I'm on board with everything that Sara said, so spot on.

I use it mainly to keep in contact with my friends who live far away. I also detest the phone which also may be why I utilize Facebook for that function. I really hate the phone.

I also use Twitter because it gets me access to the news that I have a desire to know a lot quicker. Most of the news agencies, and especially the Western ones, either offer no coverage or coverage with an extreme bias or slant. I prefer to hear it from the horse's mouth, so I use Twitter for that.

Once I get a career though, I doubt I'll use Facebook any more, and I'll migrate over to LinkedIn and bother Todd.

[Henk]

I can miss information and opportunities. Thinking in this way, it relativizes social media.

[mc ukrneal]

Congress is possibly getting into the act reagrding the Facebook password requests by potential employers: http://news.yahoo.com/senators-ask-feds-probe-requests-111503832.html

[DavidW]

Good news sites interest me and concern me more.  For instance, I'm rather displeased that the NY Times is cutting back to ten free articles starting next month, but that's another topic . . .

Yeah I spend more time on the Washington Post than I do on facebook.

Anyway I used to have a negative opinion of facebook, but since I've rejoined I like it.  Even though important updates from friends are slow going, and many people hold back because of how public facebook has become, it has made a positive impact on me.  I see former students graduating from college and getting married.  I see old friends just sharing their love for their child, others going to have a child.  And just a few months ago I had no idea what was going on in their lives.

I've also signed up for LinkedIn, it has potential for a practical experiencing networking with other professionals.  Even though my job search is over, I think that it will come in handy if/when/maybe I pick up a research project.