BellaOnline Forums Computers Blogs & Social Networking Is Facebook for idiots?

I'm not all that much into online social networking, but I thought I would post a profile on Facebook to see what it was all about. I got about 100 "friends," most of whom I had at least a passing acquaintance with in "real life." I made many posts and read many other posts over a period of several months -- until I finally concluded that Facebook was for idiots! For every intelligent post on a topic, there were 100 extremely dumb posts, such as "Ouch, I just burnt my thumb cooking!" The most disturbing thing, however, was that those dumb posts would get like 30 replies, while the intelligent posts would get one or two replies at the most.

So I quit Facebook and will never go back to it... it was nothing but a big waste of my time.

I have had more intelligent exchanges on BellaOnline in just the past couple weeks than I did during my several months on Facebook (though too many good posts seem to go unanswered on this site too).

Somebody should do a study of all the hours of productivity at work and home that are now being wasted posting dumb things on Facebook... no wonder our economy is not bouncing back!

I hate facebook. In the words of famous copywriter John Carlton it's "Operation Time Suck" and now with all the picture theft going on it's even less appealing.

My site has a fb fan page but I personally never go on there or on twitter either. I have more important things to do with my time than read people's updates. Nobody I know (not even high profile people) live such interesting lives that I feel the need for their hourly or even weekly updates : )

I think a lot of people are starting to feel this way. Check out this article: 7 Signs You May Be Ready for a Social Media Detox

Hi Alicia

I use facebook to keep in touch with my family because they ask me to, though I agree the dumb posts get the most replies.

I also use it, as I think many of the editors here do, for posting links to articles and newsletters and forum topics on BellaOnline. I use Twitter for that too.

Facebook is kinda my main social life. I am pretty much a hermit at home. So it's certainly not dumb for me - i can see what friends and family are up to.

I find it much more personal and interpersonal than Twitter.

I do agree that you can have more in depth conversations on a forum like this. FB isn't really like a forum. It's more like a cocktail party.

Hey i think Facebook is really a good source of connectivity with our social network.. what's going in their life's and what's haapening with us we get to easily.. so for me i like to be connected with facebook.

Of course, I'm not saying everybody who uses FB is an idiot. But it certainly seems that most people use that site for very shallow and wasteful purposes.

Monica, I love your quote, "Nobody I know (not even high profile people) live such interesting lives that I feel the need for their hourly or even weekly updates."

You know, I found a cousin of mine that I hadn't seen or communicated with since I was 8 on Facebook. I've also reconnected with several high school friends along with other long lost friends. Facebook has been really great for me for this reason. I like Facebook - I can easily show my friends various photos, make the occasional "idiot" post along with intelligent posts.

Facebook, or any social media outlet (Twitter, MySpace, blogs, etc) can be a huge time and productivity sucker. I spend about 15 minutes a day on Facebook. I simply check in a few times a day and comment on things that are interesting to me.

I also use Facebook to market my business. Since a lot of people are on Facebook this is a great marketing tool for my business as well as Twitter.

I use Facebook and Twitter for business and personal reasons. For business, it helps build relationships with people and that is key to business development. Plus, it is a good way to keep up with stuff--I get my news from Facebook and Twitter! I friend/follow local reporters, political folks, networking and business contacts and just people interested in things I'm interested in, plus my family & friends who are on there.

Like Jilly said, I look at it as a cocktail party (where I don't have to wear a bra!). It's good for "small talk", attaboys (or attagirls).

I don't read every post, I don't have time. I hide posts where people do things I find annoying. And, I unfriend or unfollow the "idiots" who post every move they make. But, there are idiots everywhere, so it's not that big a deal to me.

For better or for worse, FB and all the inane posts provide a peek into each other's daily lives. There are many ways for us to get intelligent conversation and information on the Internet. But the appeal of FB and Twitter is that we can read about each other's lesser moments of life, the minutiae that fills the nooks and crannies of our days.

Never underestimate the importance of the simple and the silly. I might respect you for your professional input but I will bond with you by connecting on a human level. We just like to know that the faceless people on the Internet are real people who have pets who did something adorable or bonehead moments like burning fingers.

If you find that it is a waste of your time, by all means, click off. I did actually. I deactivated my FB account. But I did enjoy reading some of the humorous moments of friends and family. It provides the human connection we so desperately crave in a world that is too busy for face-to-face meetups. I'd never know that my nephew just got his driver's license or that my college friend had a very bad day (and I can offer some encouragement and consolation!) Plus, it helps me get better acquainted with the personal lives of people that don't live nearby, including other BellaOnline editors.

I have no problem with FB, except that it can detract from my other work which is why I deactivated for the time being.

Well, these post have been educating... Nobody I know uses FB for business, but I can see where that would be a useful thing. Maybe it's just that most of MY friends are idiots!!!