Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine Facebook! Love it or hate it?

Also: WELCOME BACK STAR BOY!

Well, its' strange. I've only been on it for a short while yet I've noticed that it's both much freer and much more constrictive than here. You can post 'bout anything you like, but a much more diverse range of people, some that don't have the Legion connection, can see it, so they might not have a frekin' clue what yer talking about. Plus, ya can't really get into the silliness there that ya can here, but you can have a more open political/religious debate... if you want it.

However, it does have one clear advantage over LW. Pokerist clue, lol.

I use it almost exclusively for planning parties now.

It's also useful for getting dates

Well, I don't need the dates, I'm married. Don't wanna'em either.

Funny Facebook message from an army buddy of mine today:

"Hey... who is Novelty Nostalgia... and why is he calling you his ex?"


Heh... when worlds collide.

That's funny Ex! I assume you explained!

I'm waiting for the day that my friend Devin (who people call Dev) asks me why some people call me Dev on there.

No, seriously: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jun/29/facebook-users-emotions-news-feeds

Read that too. Cue outrage on social media!

Nobody's asked me why I'm called IB yet, or why I know so many Americans.

Facebook makes me happy--literally.

I was explaining Facebook to a technology-challenged church friend today. I told her that for someone like me who has lived in many different places and has friends all over the world, Facebook is one of the best ways to keep in touch with everyone.

It's also very helpful for organizing events and disseminating information. I have a cousin who never gets invites to reunions because she's the only one not on Facebook. I always have to message her separately.

If I were to plan a socially or culturally (as opposed to border) based war a couple decades ahead, I would invent Facebook.

I don't do it. Never have. But then, I know Math so why would I use Facebook. I know how it works. Mostly. Same all these other "social networks." But then everything is known, so might as well use Facebook. There are no secrets on the Internet. Use at your own peril.

It's scary what I hear from the students, what they get in to that they would never be able to get into, would think to get into, would think is normal, healthy and acceptable, without open internet. Sometimes I wonder if the Chinese don't have it more right then we have it. Bad "things" spread like un-vacinatable virus. Can't report them. Can't do anything to prevent them. Culture is changing in ways we cannot talk about without personal risk so, it will continue to change until there's no preventing consequence.

I'm not leaving my chair. Ever. Well, except to meet a friend this morning at a really good breakfast place. THEN, I'm not leaving my chair. Ever.

I'm not huge on social media generally. I like my privacy. I like compartmentalising more that I like typing it. I like having space between different parts of my life. Not in a paranoid, anti social way. Sorry, not totally in a paranoid, anti social way.

But in a comfortable way that I've got used to. While partly through habit, I don't feel any nagging loss for not being a part of it. Honestly, it's nice to know that if one thing falls apart, I've got the peace of others, without everyone being aware of everything.

As for the article: If you're going to plug into something like this, then of course people and organisations will try to take advantage of it. It must be gold dust to them.

For all the good things, in the last month I've had a colleague mortified about holiday pics being put up when they were much younger where work associates can see them; a parent mentioning some facebook bullying; and a recently graduated teacher being very worried about commentary on it.

Personally, Facebook would probably turn me into some sort of bucket listing over achiever. I'm safer without it.

My evening: read a book.
My Facebook evening: Spent an hour picking out the most socially advantageous book; skimmed it; tweeted some cool quotes; checked facebook for book club members for tomorrow and lorded over them that I had finished it; blogged some cutting edge thoughts about the book that I paraphrased from other people, one of whom might have read it properly; Went to bed anxious about my next day in the glare of social media.

This article sums up many of the arguments for why social media can be quite dangerous. I agree, it takes a level of self-awareness and maturity to avoid getting sucked into those traps. Not to say that social media will automatically turn you into one of those "I must make it seem like my life is so AWEEEEESOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOME" people, of course. I know many people perfectly capable of using Facebook while staying level-headed and true to themselves.

Here's a portion of the article which resonates:

Ah, poor Lucy. She needs to get a life.

In a way, her insecurities are nothing new. I recall feeling the same way when I was a teenager--LOOOONG before the Internet existed. I'd see kids I knew in school driving cars, wearing cowboy hats (this was the Urban Cowboy period), and going to concerts with dates, and I'd feel left out. It doesn't matter who you are, what era you live in, or what technology is available. There will always be those who seem to have it better than you do.

For me, FB is a valuable way to stay connected with people who would otherwise disappear from my life as well as those I've never met face to face. I've also made an attempt, over the last few years, to promote myself as a writer by linking to my blog posts and Amazon page. However, I think the real value in FB for me is that friends sometimes link to articles I find interesting and which occasionally inform my thinking. Tonight, a minister friend forwarded a New York Times article on effective motivation, which I in turn forwarded to my teaching colleagues. This sort of connection wouldn't happen without modern social media.

I, too, use FB to keep abreast of international and local news; to read about new travel destinations and tips; and keep updated on developments in my field of work.

It's not really as terrible as some people make out, if you guard against the potential negatives. Just be careful what you share and to whom you share it with

I still don't play. Apart from occasionally giving mr_cleome a nice garden pic or cat video to post on his own page.

I like it. It's pretty useful for catching up with people you haven't seen in a long time

I used it to get in touch with one person I hadn't seen in years and that was nice, but we haven't communicated since then. (which is fine)

I only have a handful of FB friends and half of those are only because I accepted people that are friends of my wife's to be polite. It's not at all a part of my life.

My wife on the other hand, has used it to its full potential - she has become friends again with people she knew in school, become closer to people she knew but would have no other reason to communicate with and now some of her best friends are from India, where she recently spent an amazing couple of weeks meeting the ones she trusted and has known for more than a year. (she wouldn't recommend taking that kind of chance, but she was really careful about how she did it)

Facebook has been an overall good experience for me. Keeping up with old friends and former co-workers has been rewarding in a lot of ways.

One specific thing it's helped me with is my ongoing weight loss project. After many failed diets and attempts, I'm finding that using FB to "confess" my weight (i.e. being very open and specific about it for the first time ever) and giving frequent updates on my progress has helped me be accountable like I never have before, to the extent that I'm feeling it may actually take in the long run.

Previously, I'd start diets by not telling anyone, not even my wife, and only acknowledging it when people started noticing I'd taken off a few pounds. In hindsight I knew that was my way out if I decided that I wanted to start gorging myself on whatever I want to eat.

So in a way I've made FB my weight loss version of Alcoholics Anonymous. Only, all my FB friends know who I am, and I feel that I'm not only letting myself down, but them as well, if I gain the weight back. Having FB for that is proving an invaluable tool for me in, hopefully, breaking the cycle and being here for a long time for my wife and kids.

I just passed the one year mark and have lost about 45 lbs. to this point. So while acknowledging that there's plenty bad and tiresome about the FB experience, I have to say it very much plays a positive part in my life!

Congrats Paladin!

(like)!

The only thing I hate is that it keeps switching back to top stories whenever I go on after putting it to "recent."