Facebook For Dummies?

I was one of those people who resisted opening a Facebook account for ages until I realized that I could really only get in touch with some of my "friends" through Facebook, so I opened an account under a name fairly close to my own name, but not spelled like my real name, so I wouldn't have annoying "friends" or relatives asking to be my "friend" ... after all you can choose your friends, but not your relatives, as they say -
I'm Just Not a Facebook Person;-)

I bought a copy of 'Facebook For Dummies' and started reading it quite recently after using the Facebook site for a while, not really knowing how some of the features worked, like "poking" and "tagging" etc.

I also hired out the movie 'The Social Network' to watch to see how this venture got started and who the players were behind this site.

I thought it would help me fill in the gaps:-)

"TIME writer and reporter Christopher Matthews stated in the wake of the iStrategy Labs results:
A big part of Facebook's pitch is that it has so much information about its users that it can more effectively target ads to those who will be responsive to the content. 

If Facebook can prove that theory to be true, then it may not worry so much about losing its cool cachet.
A portion of Facebook revenue comes from the firehose access, bulk access to the social media data sold to the third parties."

Facebook headquarters entrance at
1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, California !!

The Monopoly guy?

I have to say that Jesse Eisenberg playing Mark Zuckerberg didn't cut it for me, because Zuckerberg does come across as someone friendly and someone you might want to hang around with, but Eisenberg just comes across as a cold smart-arse that you would have to be desperate to hang around with.

I mean take a look at the real Zuckerberg at this link where he is having a BBQ in his backyard and talking to people on Facebook Live -

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg reckons animals taste better when you hunt them yourself

He comes across as someone I could easily sit down and have a beer with in his backyard, whereas if he had the personality that Eisenberg gives him in 'The Social Network' then I would rather stay home and wash my hair, as they say.

That said, I don't trust anyone with that much information, no matter how much FB raves on about privacy settings and protecting yourself online.
Speculation Mark Zuckerberg wants to run for presidency reaches fever pitch after 5500 word letter on globalisation

NSA Prism program
"Following media reports about PRISM, NSA's massive electronic surveillance program, in June 2013, several technology companies were identified as participants, including Facebook. According to leaks of said program, Facebook joined the PRISM program in 2009."

"Facebook has been successful and more socially impactful than many other social media sites. David Kirkpatrick, technology journalist and author of The Facebook Effect, believes that Facebook is structured in a way that is not easily replaceable. 

He challenges users to consider how difficult it would be to move all the relationships and photos to an alternative. 

Facebook has let people participate in an atmosphere with the "over the backyard fence quality" of a small town, despite the move to larger cities."

WA Election: How political parties are using your Facebook profile to target you

"WA political parties are using Facebook data to target voters like never before using a game-changing strategy straight out of the Donald Trump election handbook.
The data has become an integral part of campaigning for the Liberals, the ALP and the Greens — giving them an intimate insight into your private life often without you realising.
For a price, Facebook advertising allows them to know your age, occupation, interests, friendship networks and what pages you may or may not like."

Apart from the privacy issues and data gathering I would have to say that Facebook has probably done more harm to modern society than good.

Emotional health impact
"Recent studies have shown that Facebook causes negative effects on self-esteem by triggering feelings of envy, with vacation and holiday photos proving to be the largest resentment triggers. 
Other prevalent causes of envy include posts by friends about family happiness and images of physical beauty—such envious feelings leave people lonely and dissatisfied with their own lives. 

A joint study by two German universities discovered that one out of three people were more dissatisfied with their lives after visiting Facebook, and another study by Utah Valley University found that college students felt worse about their own lives following an increase in the amount of time spent on Facebook.
According to professor of psychology Susan Krauss Whitbourne, although Facebook has an upside of friending people, there is also the downside of having someone unfriend or reject another person.

Whitbourne refers to unfriended persons on Facebook as victims of estrangement.

Unfriending someone is seldom a mutual decision and the person often does not know he has been unfriended."

"Like"Hell?-)

Do You "Like" This?

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Facebook, which leans more towards hate than love.

Users quitting
"A 2013 study examined the reasons users eventually quit the site. 

It found the most common reasons were privacy concerns (48%), general dissatisfaction with Facebook (14%), negative aspects regarding Facebook friends (13%) and the feeling of getting addicted to Facebook (6%). 

Facebook quitters were found to be more concerned about privacy, more addicted to the Internet and more conscientious.".

Synchronicity Episode January 16, 2017
The Power of OFF - Nancy Colier 
I don't have a lot invested in my Facebook account because I only use it to stay in touch with acquaintances more than "friends", but overall I've never felt that Facebook has been that rewarding and if I had to sum up Facebook with one feeling it would be queasy. 
The queasy feeling is more from seeing how much this platform dominates other peoples lives, more than my own and I don't "like" the direction society is heading with all of this FB BS.

I "like" the internet and as much as it shares the same dangers as Facebook, it doesn't nauseate me as much as the everyone in your face of Facebook. 
My internet addiction may never be broken, but I think it might be time to get my life sorted and quit Facebook.

It's hard enough that I have to stare at Windows, as well as be on Facebook.

Looks like today was my most productive day on my Facebook account, as I just deactivated it.
And to my old "friends" that were on that account here is a song for you all.

I've still got my Twitter account though, so it's off to talk to the President.
If Facebook is for dummies, then who's Twitter for?-)