Does Facebook serve any purpose other than providing a venue for hooking up?

According to some who have been trying very hard to convince me it’s a useful tool, it’s a great way of letting people know where you are and what you’re up to. Also it’s supposed to be good for linking to old friends and new people….
...I’m not convinced I want that.

I use facebook to keep in touch with all my friends. Seriously, the ones I made in high school and college are almost all on facebook. I send them messages and letters, and we chat. It’s easier than e-mail, but I don’t have to remember any usernames, it just uses their real names. And I can chat with them while I’m using it. I use to to ask my boyfriend when he’ll be home from work. I use it to see quickly when my friends’ have begun or ended new relationships, then I message them and ask them what’s gong on. My friends and I post interesting news articles, and talk about them. My friends and I use it to create events such as parties, dinners, outings, and invite each other. It’s the first and last place I go when I’m on the internet. I’m not saying it’s for everyone, but i love facebook.

See, I have a mobile phone, landline phone, email and iChat…...I really can’t imagine what I’d need another tool for.

[edit]: and Skype. I got talked in to getting that.

The same assumption could be true of any other form of social communication. Any time a new way of communication is forged, people will abuse it and/or use it for hooking up. It doesn’t really have anything to do with Facebook itself. The same thing happened with Craigslist, Friendster, Myspace, etc. It’s about the people who use the service, not the service itself.

I think it provides WAY more then just what you mentioned. I primarily use Facebook to play Scrabulous. :)

isn’t the stalking enough for you shililo?

edit: i just realized that was supposed to say ”beacause I don’t have to remember any usernames,”

Sorry, lightly, you’re right. Can we friend on Facebook now?

@shilolo:love the new avatar!!:)

@shilolo Me too! So appropriate.

Thanks. I aim to please. Now, if only you lived in California :-)

I Do!

The apps are stupid (except Scrabulous obviously). My really cool and mature exboyfriend unfacebooked me (and emailed me to let me know in case I didn’t notice) so I disagree with your stalking analysis.

It’s useful for people like me who really suck at keeping in touch via phone/email, and of course for reconnecting with people you lost touch with over the years. My middle school graduating class is organizing a 10 year reunion via fb. Also useful for judging your friends’ potential boyfriends (“log into my fb and tell me if you think he’s hot!”).

And it’s only good for hooking up if you don’t think meeting people off the internet is creepy. Which is a whole separate thread.

i was going to say something along the lines of what nikipedia said. but she would have said it better either way.

@ shilolo – if you can’t beat them, join them? :)

I deleted my facebook profile. I never used it. I’m old school and use the telephone to keep in touch. Or I will simply email someone or get them on AIM.

My sister tried to add me as a friend. That is when I knew it was time to shut the thing down.

I deleted mine a couple months ago, the premise is good. But with all of the viral advertising and blatant misuse of user data I want no part of it.

Throw your cell phone in the river. If you are important to someone they will find a way to get a hold of you. I deleted my face book account, but the important people from my past and my old good friends had my phone number, and we talked on the phone. As soon as the account was deleted. I never got a call from anyone again. Its seemed as though, if I wasn’t around to be seen, then I was forgotten. I got over it. Face book is a waste of time and brain power. I also know of a few people (and employers) who use these social networking sites to look into peoples past and see if they really want them around. These people wont hire you if they find things they don’t like (find out your gay, smoke pot, drink, satanic) all against the law when hiring, but used all the time to discriminate. These sites are cheep ways to keep track of people and do background checks. The first place private investigators look.

I would not be surprised if they are government sponsored programs to keep track of people. You can always know where someone is, what they are doing, and who their friends are. And you can create fake accounts under other peoples names that they know to get access to that information.

Sounds like I’ve done this before doesn’t it? Well I have. Its fucking easy. All I am saying is watch your back. People can know who the people you love are from these things and get to you through them. I deleted my account to protect my family.

@nikipedia: Also useful for judging your friends’ potential boyfriends (“log into my fb and tell me if you think he’s hot!”).

Do you have multiple friends who do this?? I tell you to log into my facebook like 4 times a week, hahaha.

I use it to waste time at work. Yes, wrestler, zombie, space fight are all a boring waste of time, but it’s better than reading the endliss lists and lame videos on the front page of Digg. Also you get that warm fuzzy feeling when you send a plant. Even if 1 in 100 of the causes apps actually follow through, at least that 6 seconds of down time spamming your stalkers was well spent.