I can keep in touch with a of people who, by posting on FB, I have an immediate link with. I would not have had access to these people’s e-mails, such as old classmates, long distance relatives, etc. Also, you can post a bit of information on FB that your friends and relatives can see at once instead of having to send out a huge e-mailor several e-mails. There are also games you can play with several of your friends that are a lot of fun. Right now I have 53 friends, including a cousin who I have not spoken to in a few years. We just lost touch. She joined FB and by doing so, she and I got together again, as well as her only child who is now a grown man. People post funny things, news articles, pictures, recipes, you name it. If I have something private to say to someone, I can send them a private message that only they can see. I would be devastated if FB was to suddenly go away and I would lose contact with all the people that I now have access to.
As far as all the problems I read about, it seems mostly it’s the fault of the FB user if they get fired, divorced, or whatever. If you’re having an affair, for instance, you shouldn’t advertise it on FB. Also, I do not post that I am going to be out of town before I leave on a trip. I will talk about it and post pictures when I come home, but I don’t advertise that I will be away.
Well, I can do all that with an email list and, in fact, do so all the time. Unless people are constantly on line w/mobile access, notification of a family event/emergency is best done via phone. I had to do that in 2010. I’ve been notified via email from someone’s phone when they had an emergency, too. Pics can be emailed, too. My friends who use FB use it to keep up w/their kids and otherwise tell us they are already bored with it. Others admit to using their child’s account to check up on people they do not want contact with, but still want to know _about_. IOW, snooping. I even have heard someone can be on FB and disable the *friends* function so they cannot be contacted or found thru search unless they initiate it. They put up some general info to satisfy others, but otherwise stay private, only available to those who know other family members and so, can find them from someone else’s friend list.
We are not game players and have no time for that, altho my husband plays some form of solitaire sometimes between appointments.
Glad some like it. It just isn’t for us. DH is looking for a way to switch solely to his cell for business and is thinking of using FB & a website to keep his clients informed. This is mainly because the charges for a simple Yellow Pages ad are too high and you need a phone company account to get in the phone book.