Ten Things I've Learned From Facebook

Thanks for reading, whiteorchids! I joined about 10 months ago, and took to it like a fish to water, but the novelty did wear off. My reality is much better, I think fb puts me more in that reading/writing space that is not real. Fun in a way, but not real.

Thanks, LT. I saw you write in your profile when you first joined that you were holding off on changing the picture because you really liked the hat on the default pic. Classic! The girlfriend thing--guilty. I had to check. Thanks for the writing compliment, I'm finding that now that I'm not writing about life on an Indian Reservation and other things I don't know didley about, I'm much more content writing. I just write how I talk, and how I live. Way easier.

Triplet mom...I love the community rehab too. Seen it, and appreciate the guys doing it. Dude, fb really is a trip, funny what you realize about yourself. Always exploring....I so appreciate what you said. I have a hub "the capable nurse" that's a birth story. I am currently mid-labors right now--thank goodness for coffee breaks!

Thank you! FB--what's the harm?? It should be an after-school special for adults. And yes, people do change, but I love Eddie Veddor's line, "I've changed by not changing at all." (Elderly woman behind the counter in a small town).

Thank you, and please do! Everyone's experience with fb is different.

Hi Eliza! My best friend's name is Eliza...and I'm with ya. Who are the people who clicked dead?? These options are too dramatic...good grief. There's not much I couldn't give up if I had to, and Facebook certainly falls in that category. It can be crazy drama for people though, I've heard some surprising stories. FB is like most things, who you are shines through quickly. If your page is high school drama, you are high school drama. If your page is gloomy, and negative, you are likely gloomy and negative. If you used FB to stay in touch with your friends, or deepen your connection with them, it will likely happen. If you've used it as a tool to improve in some way--and you certainly can--that's likely what you're naturally prone to do. Thanks for reading this!

Nell, sounds like you found a way to make it work for you, and I completely hear what you're saying about telling about how telling the world can be easier than telling your neighbor. Funny how that works. Bayoulady, no relapses?? That's amazing! It does get addictive. Thanks for reading. Twentyfive, thanks for the read, and so very true. I'm pretty sure I'm not getting off it anytime soon, and I found some pages on there that I do really like.

Thanks, girlie! You know I tend to tell the truth...even if it's embarrassing. I've also been part of that shameless 85% more then once. Now, not so much, but it was ridiculous at first. I got intrigued enough by the addiction that I decided to work on making a social network. Ton of work--but I've got a good developing team.

Dlteacy-thank you for reading this...first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, been there. But I have seen the calamity now, and backed off a lot. I was way too interested. But still it has been great catching up with people I'd never see otherwise. Bayou lady...I know right? As soon as I get some down time I have another "ten things" I really want to do. Addict.

Hey, Dub...thank you, love you, miss you. Getting ready (again)--long day.

Katie, it's true. We do watch others to evaluate our own lives, and some of that is actually good. Some of it is unhealthy. I do hope you consider writing about FB, it would be great to read another perspective, another 10 FB lessons from someone else. Thanks for reading, and I will read your work! Hubpages writer, I think FB is the social networking Mecca. Competing with it would be silly! I started researching its background a couple months after being on it. Learned a lot. Winson--sounds like you did the right thing for you. I think a lot of people get on it with the 'if you can't beat em join em' mentality. I've actually had a lot of good come from being on there, but I tend to see both sides of the coin typically. Thank you reading. Lis, just the response to this hub shows how plugged in we all are. And the voyeurism thing is also obvious...that's why reality tv was, and IS such a hit with people. We're all very interested in each other for some reason. Maybe it's a good thing.

Thanks for reading mulitmastery...I just browsed some of your hub titles, and you are one very driven individual. Interesting. Thanks for reading, thanks for the mail!

Allan, that's hilarious! Thanks for reading.

Elayne...I could not agree more, fb is not a diary, lover, or best friend and should not have to perform as one. A little privacy never hurt anyone. I'm definitely interested in ur hub and should be able to get to it today.

Lady E, cool, I haven't even looked at what Twitter is yet. But we all want seem to want to be accessible and to access others, no matter what the method.

Thanks, nikitha!

I see lots of benefits to social networking now...I also see how it creates the problem of knowing more about each other than perhaps we should. Either way, whether I use it or not, I doubt I'll cancel my acct anytime soon. Thanks for reading!

Thanks! I'm giving the South Park credit to a buddy of mine who convinced me to see "Tran" recently. His idea. Can't recommend old school Tran, but the South Park parody is really funny! I was plotting his death most of the movie, but out came the South Park talk. "Poke your grandma!" is hilarious. Thanks for reading.

Well when you put it like that...lol! Thanks, and I like the Mexican music by lake Erie image.

Thanks! It was an amusing write. Facebook is a trip.

Thank you, KKG.

I didn't have the slightest interest in it for the longest time, but once I got on it I was dumb on it, my brother called me a facebook whore, which I found hilarious! :-). It bores me now, so I check it almost everyday for about 2-5 minutes on my phone and move on with my actual life.

Hi theseus, and thanks! Haha...is Hubpages a Facebook substitute?? At least on this site we write, so we might accidentally have a provocative thought or be creative instead of telling all our friends what skirt we're wearing. I founded a social network and can't be a hypocrite though. I definitely think fb has its uses, I just worry that social media is engineering a new people that are depressing substitutes for who we can all be as humans. Take "Farmville," for instance. Someone in FB's Marketing division has to be patting themselves on the back that they got anyone over 16 to have an imaginary farm and waste their time improving it. "Don't milk a cow, that might take exercise, pretend to a milk cow on facebook instead!!" Of all the ways to spend your precious time on this beautiful and amazing planet, with all these beautiful and amazing people...how is that happening?

I still say go out and do something outrageous! Like be nice to someone. Or think for yourself.

Thanks for reading! --SJ

Carrie, thanks for reading, and yep, people can't seem to get enough of FB or themselves on FB. Facebook is second only to Google for traffic, and Google's got nothing on the way Facebook can keep its visitors on for hours. But I understand Facebook's appeal, and success, and I'm glad I joined. It made me recognize that before everything that led me here I was a strange, artistic dreamer, and I still am. I spent time researching all of social media this year, it was really, really interesting. And Facebook isn't going anywhere. The internet itself would die first.

Wow, thanks. I was completely addicted when I first got on. A friend told me, "you say FB isn't you, but that's just it, FB is everyone!" And so true. I'm not cancelling my account anytime soon, and it has brought people in my life that I probably would have never heard from again otherwise, which I'm definitely grateful for. It's also such an easy way to connect with your friends out of the country. And since I'm working from home today, I'm sort off and on it right now, so what can I say really?? And thanks again for the comment.

Hi, KKG! Thanks for reading, and so very true. I saw your response to my comment on your hub, and yeah that line was awesome...the relationship, not so much. I just couldn't pretend to feel something that I didn't. I'm always hoping to leave a relationship and still be cool, but that usually doesn't happen in my case. But, understand, I have no hang-ups about the fact that he hates me. It's kind of interesting. If a person can do a complete 180 once they're not getting their way, after claiming their utter devotion and love, than you have to question their mental health or the "love" itself. Whether or not I get my way, in or out of a relationship, I'm probably not going to be deliberately rude toward someone I care about. That's a little bit ridiculous. In our case, I made an effort more than once to get to a friendly place, it didn't work, and I haven't lost any sleep over it.

Wow!! Thanks, for that one, DjBryle. And since I was literally cleaning the house to avoid writing like I'm supposed to, you, my dear, are my motivation today. I'm in a fantastic mood--I just don't want to sit still and write stuff. But your comment is certainly a good way to try and start this, thanks again.

Thanks, Colin, and I have some combination of both quality and quantity friends on FB (and in my life ;->). I'll look you up later today. To be honest the novely wore off for me a while ago, and I'm on this site far more. It's way more interesting to me. I really appreciate your comment!

Hi Katy! The whole union thing is a relatively new concept to me as I'm from a state that thinks "Union" is a type of bank. I hope if this is about you that you and your friend worked things out, crazy what social media has brought to life, huh? And I have a story of a friend who lost her hairdresser over FB....NO JOKE!! He was all booked up, and she had some sort of emergent need for coloring and cutting so she went *gasp* behind his back and went to her cousin. He saw her FB pictures with her new hair and sent her essentially a "I see how you really are now..." message and WILL NOT speak to her for her traitorous act. FB is infringing on intelligence, and I'm scared. I've found some decent uses for it though; I'm sure you have too!

Oh, sorry to hear that, Katy. But you sound pretty affirmative that the gap will be breached. Communication of all types takes has potholes--a little time, a little wine...

And thanks, Katy, I love my humor too. It's part of the reason I'm not writing these hubs from a mental institution. It has definitely helped keep my thready little sanity. For now. I've got hubs written that I haven't published, and at some point I'm going to figure out why I haven't published them. Who knows? Great to hear from you!

I can't tell you how hard I laughed at "the gently rambling logic of your thoughts." That's hilarious! Sounds about right. "Wise mentor" --seems like big shoes to fill, and an amazing compliment--thank you. I'll say this, most do expect a certain level of reasonableness, or wisdom from me. The reality is, most of what I say in the wisdom department is biblical in one fashion or another. In real life, I only ramble when I'm tired. To get as many things done as I work on, most of what I say has to be pretty concise. But writing lets my inner rambler off her leash. Thanks for reading!

Thanks for reading and commenting, RTalloni. Overall, I wish I hadn't joined, difficult thing to undo. I'm not on it much, but even the little time I spend on it is a waste. However, b/c of FB I started writing again, so, there's that. I can see pros and cons..."enhance" though is a strong word ;-).

That seems pretty wise to me, Greencha. FB these days gives me a lot of the news/blog highlights that are useful to me, and I use it to kid around mostly. As I'm making the transition to working at home more, I find that FB is a great distraction, but also a really big distraction! I could probably do without it. But I also know it is the ONLY way that some of my long distance friends and I ever hear from one another. It's not caused me any harm yet, but judicious measure is probably in order. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

I private message them normally which is the same thing maybe. FB is just a better reminder for me than my email account. But even commenting on some random post they've made, is still a way to stay in their lives without a lot of effort. Not that I mind the effort, it's just that I get to more people that way when I want to. I've met a lot of people. My close friends and I are in touch daily or close to it. Doesn't really take as much thought :-).