www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Geek Hall Social networking

I am curious, how many out there use social networking services such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc.? How do you use it, i.e. for keeping in touch with family and friends, for business, or both? Do you use it actively, or on occasion? Finally, what if any benefit do you see in using such services?

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+

I use Facebook (think I am also registered at MySpace, but never go there). My eldest daughter would regularly regale me with news of her multitude of 2nd (and more distant) cousins, the majority of whom I know she usually only sees at the once a year or less family funeral. Turned out that Facebook was her info source.

Finally, I broke down and signed up; it took less time to skim the news myself than have it reported to me by Katy - replete with commentary. I'd hardly be classed as an avid user though.

Twitter, not on a bet - I can't even be bothered texting on a cell phone.

Many years,

Neil

I am on Facebook and, while I only infrequently post comments on it, I do enjoy reading other people's posts.

I have never been on MySpace, as my initial impressions of it years ago was that it was awash in teen dreck.

Twitter? Never - I see no use for a technology that limits you to 140 characters.

I use Facebook a lot. Mainly to keep contact with family and friends. I would go on 2x a day. First thing in the morning and in the evening.

Twitter seems annoying to me, MySpace is trashy. I use Facebook to keep up with family and friends, but not business.

Terry

I utilize Facebook as a way to keep in touch with friends I don't see much. I also have a page on OrthodoxCircle but that forum doesn't have much going on.

Ditto. Facebook also helps me see what parishioners and the young people from our Orthodox Camp are up to. A word or encouragement from me in season, I think, helps both of these categories of people. Important news and prayer concerns also seem to spread quickly via Facebook. By the way, with Facebook linked to your e-mail, you can see many of the most important things there, so you don't have to check Facebbok as often, if you are a e-mail person.

Fr David Straut

BTW, if anyone is interested in being connected on Facebook, I'd love to be connected to anyone on this forum! (I very much enjoy reading Deacon Daniel's posts and some other folks I'm already connected to).

My Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/esammons

As a mother of young adult children, I find 'facebook' too much of *their* domain, and although I have been asked by a few people here and there if I am on it, I do not feel comfortable with it.

Infact, I don't even like what I have seen of my children's facebook accounts. I am of the school that feels that putting out too much information about yourself (your friends, your photos, etc.) is not a very good thing to do and I have told them so...there are people who can see it, who are not really your 'friends', who may even be evil, and giving them too much information can lead to slander, gossip, employment problems and firings, misunderstandings, jealousy, covetnous, broken relationships, engagements, etc., etc, etc...

Such sites on the internet through such 'putting yourself, your photos, your nights out, your vacations, etc., for all to see' has destroyed more than a few people.

Alice
(forgive me for sounding like a sour puss)

Alice,

I understand where you're coming from. There is a danger of projecting a public confession. Many people are not concerned with that element.

I have never been comfortable with blogging about "my feelings", when I have blogged it was like an op/ed. I treat facebook the same; but I am in the minority there. I try not to tease the public confessors and the voyeurs by revealing what is none of their business.

I try to make sure that I will be comfortable with my twin sisters viewing what I post. They browse Facebook too, and they're six. A picture (which does not exist) of me boozed out on the floor of a stranger's house would not set a good example to them.

Terry

Dear Terry,

Obviously the facebook account of a married with children person is something of a different thing than the one of college students. I have not felt uncomfortable with anything per se that I have ever seen on my children's or their friends accounts or in photos which they sometimes show me, but it is just that 'too much information' thing that bothers me...

I feel that people are even judged by what they put out there--one never knows what a future employer wants, or what a jealous coworker can use to covet your job...in real life, one can 'read' the clues and be cautious, but if they have shown everything about themselves (and these can even be positive things), there may be something there for another to use against him/her... Even married people should be careful...

In general, my feeling is that who you think or know to be your friend today, might decide to be your enemy tomorrow (perhaps without you even knowing it), and through sites like Facebook, they will be able to monitor your life and that is a frightening thing. With all the crazy headlines one reads, one never knows if a crypto-psycho could also be monitoring them disguised as someone who has 'friended' them... God forbid.

These are just my own fears about it.

Alice

I finally gave in and started using facebook. I have come to enjoy it a bit more, I still don't understand it, but find it a very useful tool for keeping up with folks from church and such. Also, I enjoy the opportunity it affords for praying for people, along with the happy birthday greetings and such that can be given, that normally one would not be aware of. Too, I have found some very old friends from past years, so it has been a way of re-connecting with others.

I am amazed to see just how different family thinks - especially the younger ones - and according to the regions of the country they are in.

Too, I am a bit like Alice, weary of too much information. Yet, I have one friend on there, who started a page for those with the same last name, and has found a great deal about the
'roots' of his family. Most interesting to him, is they are not Polish, but actually are of Jewish heritage.

I am also on Facebook. I tried myspace at one time, but I never use it. I actually use Facebook quite a bit. For me, it has a purely personal use. It certainly doesn't replace personal contact by any means. It is much too shallow for that. I do find that it enables me to keep in contact with people who I don't want to lose a connection with, but for whatever reason we are not close at this particular point in our lives. For me, this includes several of my cousins, my parents' cousins and their children, former classmates, etc.

Elizabeth

I use Facebook all the time. I have reconnected with friends from high school and keep in touch with some family members, but for me it is most valuable as a tool for staying close to my cyberfriends. I am very active on a board similar to this one for young widows: The women I've met there are closer to my heart than many people whom I've known for 20 years.

I have all my settings geared for maximum privacy and I am quite cautious about photos and writings. I figure the more I know about Facebook, etc., the better prepared I will be when my kids start asking for their own pages.

Alice, originally twentysomethings were using Facebook but once their parents so how neat it is they started using it. It's great for keeping up with groups and finding old friends and family members. OUr family is setting up a page to upload photos from the fmaily reunion. Much easier than traditional email.

I ended up on it because it was the only way to keep up with a group. I also have safety concerns so I diligently use the privacy settings, and will not friend people I don't know.Though,technically if someone cracked a friend's password (and that is much easier to do than you think)they could gain access to my page.

The key to maintaining some privacy is
-not to friend strangers.
-do not take the silly tests or send virtual hugs because that's a form of information-gathering and any astute person can read a couple of test results and read you like a book. -Put only general information on your wall.
According to pending lawsuits against Facebook, even after the account is closed Facbook has a right to use anything on your account,and has been known to sell people's photos to advertising companies. A happily married found his wife's photo featured in a online dating advertisement!
-Devise a very strong password made up of silly nonsensical phrases and some numbers or characters.
An honest computer security network guy told me that he and his friends can effortlessy crack just about any password because people are so predictable. Some celebrities houses were robbed because hackers cracked their Facebook passwords and read their vacation plans on their walls and private messages.
- Probably best not to friend coworkers and bosses.

On the plus side, I notice that a lot of priests keep up with their parishes through Facebook;the teens love it.

Twitter would be great for describing historic events or while travelling,but otherwise,I can't imagine any practical use for it except for emergency use.

This social networking stuff,cell phones are revolutionizing society. I'm interested in seeing how it shows up in novels and movies, and how it changes how quickly we receive nesw. Already,any movie or novel that doesn't feature a cell phone is dated as pre-2000.