Motivation to be on FaceBook?

1. 89

   gracenotesposted 14 years ago

   I have a friend I've been writing to since 1990.  It started out as a snail mail friendship, and gradually moved to e-mail.  I've never met my friend, but we've shared a lot over nineteen years.  I feel privileged to still have a connection that started out with the Letter Exchange (LEX) so long ago.
   
   He disappeared for a few months (not unusual for him).  I figured he was just busy with his two new puppies.
   
   But just two weeks ago, he emailed to say that he almost died recently from complications from an illness.  I was shocked, to say the least, and wanted to know more about how this happened.
   
   Finally heard from him again, with an invitation to join FaceBook today.  He has set up his site there.
   
   It seems pretty clear that he has had a major life change, and will spend considerable time (at least for the foreseeable future) undergoing routine medical treatments.  I wonder if individuals who are under the stress and strain of a new life (while wondering about their employment, etc.) simply choose a new way of communication.
   
   I had considered joining FB before, but put it off.
   
   So here are my questions:
   
   1.  Do people who use FaceBook still use regular email?
   2.  I guess you can send private messages via FaceBook?
   
   By the way, I sent one of my hubs to my friend before, but he was probably at the first stages of his illness and had too much to deal with.
   
   I would like to encourage my friend to join HubPages eventually.  He is a fantastic, very descriptive writer, and could gain quite a following here.

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   1. 73

      lorlie6posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I gather that you truly care about this friend, and if he has chosen Facebook as a means of communication, perhaps you could, too.  I'm not too clear why you haven't joined FB, but I'd be glad to tell you what little I know of the site.
      I have an account there, and have found, then kept up with many people from my past.  Most have been very favorable, but occasionally someone will find you that you want no contact with.  If you sign up, you have privacy settings that can be put in force that will avoid such things.  I chose to be very open with my identity.
      I use email more than ever, and yes, you can send private messages to individuals.
      I am fairly new, though, so I hope other, more seasoned Facebookers will join in here!

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2. 89

   gracenotesposted 14 years ago

   Thanks lorlie,
   
   My failure to join FaceBook is simply due to the existence of other priorities in my life.  For instance, most of my energies are going into learning HubPages.
   
   Some people are, I think, afraid of establishing an online presence on a site like FB because they fear a loss of privacy.
   I'm not too worried about that.  But if I join, it would be the first time I've put my "full" presence out there.  I've been pretty anonymous on my blog and in other spots on the Internet.  Perhaps it is best to start slowly....
   
   And, yes, I care a lot about my friend, who has been through so many difficulties at a comparatively young age.

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   1. 85

      rebekahELLEposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      You can make it very private if that is your choice. Mine is quite private and my profile pic that is visible to the world is usually one of my own photos, but not of myself. I don't have it set where everyone can see who my friends are when someone is doing a search as I respect their privacy also.
      
      Once you've set up your page, you can set privacy settings.
      mine are set only to my friends that I approve. You can send messages through FB to another FB user. I like it a lot because you can keep in contact with your friends/family, post articles from here, play games which are fun and you can meet new people through the games.
      
      I go on a few times a day depending on the day. enjoy it!

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3. 69

   TINA Vposted 14 years ago

   Facebook is fun! You can chat, send private messages and post pictures or links.  Just like any other websites, you also have to be careful what pictures you post. Enjoy and have a great week!

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4. 60

   tiginbanposted 14 years ago

   It is particularly useful for those friendships where you may not cross paths too often. I have friends in different parts of the world who's lives have taken different directions, but now with facebook, I can see (and comment on) the first photos of their newborn, respond to updates about what's going on in their lives right now or simply send them a private message. There are about 6 or 8 friends who tracked me down or I tracked them down on facebook.

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5. 91

   rmcrayneposted 14 years ago

   A friend from college invited me to join FaceBook a few months ago.  Within 48 hours, I was in touch with 2 of my best friends from college and 2 from High School.  About 1-2 weeks later I saw an ad for HubPages.  Since then, I joined HP and have 40+ articles, and am in touch with numerous friends, and even relatives that I had not been in touch with in many years.  I post links for my hubs from time to time. 
   
   So put aside your reservations about FaceBook- it's all good.

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6. 65

   Ivorwenposted 14 years ago

   I find facebook to be a good place to stay in touch with those I might never talk to otherwise.  I was able to find a guy I'd met in college, just last week.  Today I got a friend invite from a guy I went to kindergarten with.  It is fun to see where these people are at.

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7. 73

   alekhouseposted 14 years ago

   @gracenotes, for your purposes, I think facebook is the perfect place for you and your friend. You can have either or both public and private conversations. It's easy to use and, if you want you can gradually add more friends. I am on facebook and twitter. I prefer twitter for my business, but facebook is perfect for friends.

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8. 89

   gracenotesposted 14 years ago

   Thanks -- these are all helpful replies.
   
   I'm glad some of you elaborated on the privacy issue.
   
   Although I have no objections to being seen in the FB world, I do have a sister who is especially sensitive about such things.
   I believe I would have to be careful about what kinds of pictures or videos I put on FB, and about any references I make to her or to her kids.  It's odd, because at least two of her kids have pages on FB !!  Well, I guess any family pictures could be in a private area that only a select few can access.
   
   When you're single and childless, like me, your family is your nuclear family -- for me, it's my siblings, my surviving mom.  So I have different considerations than most people do.  But I do have lots of cousins scattered about who would be fun to keep up with, because we never see each other.

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9. 85

   rebekahELLEposted 14 years ago

   you can set your privacy to who can see what or who can't.
   if you notice on my profile, I have a link to my facebook google search page. this is what it looks like if someone were to google my name. You can even just have your name with no location specified.
   
   hope this helps.

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10. 75

    NaomiRposted 14 years ago

    I find Facebook to be a good way to get back in touch with people. I have some friends who prefer using FB to keep in touch, as opposed to regular e-mail (and yes, you can have private conversations on there). I have others who are addicted and spend all of their time doing the quizzes and surveys, but I choose not to most of the time. I'm mainly there for people to find me. It has been very useful, though.

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11. 72

    thisisoliposted 14 years ago

    You can create groups and choose privacy options (Which groups can see what) for every group. This means your families don't see the embarrassing photos, and the people who need to stay out of the loop, see very little.

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12. 60

    hoodieweatherposted 14 years ago

    Facebook has all the privacy options you need.
    
    

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