Facebook

[lupestripe]

I've been thinking about this for a long time but am I the only one who thinks that Facebook is absolutely dreadful?

For a start whoever designed it was probably the same person who designed the Wandsworth One Way System as it's one of the hardest sites to navigate I have ever come across. It is also slower than the Manchester Ship Canal and has more flashing gizmos than an electronics fair hosted in a stripclub. It takes an age to find anything you want and the stuff you do find is so useless it feels like my average weekly shop at Tesco. Seriously it's like going into the store to buy some bread, milk and cheese and coming out with a pack of double A batteries and a toilet brush.

All that seems to happen on the site is that I get poked more times than a cottager in the mating season or I get bitten by someone who thinks he is a vampire. I like the *hug* feature but why do it online when I can do it in real life the next time I meet these people? I hear you can create armies of werewolves and fight people - a concept I am quite receptive to - yet one I cannot understand. Why not just rp? Or does this involve people you can't possibly meet elsewhere?

I have also been hi fived and kicked on Facebook! Is this tantamount to online assault? And what's the difference between those things and a *hug*? Surely there is none whatsover so what's the point in having these features?

Also what the fuck is the difference between a Wall and a Superwall? And is this related to a Wonderwall and were Oasis ten years ahead of their time? Why can't you just email people - surely it's far far simpler.

Now I understand that people can catch up with old friends using Facebook but if you haven't spoken to someone for ten years then there's generally a reason for this. Most people I know on Facebook are either on Live Journal, IRC or IMs - all three of which are infinitely better ways of communicating with people. Okay it's harder to send a picture of a spurting cock over IRC but sometimes that's not what friendship is about. And even when it comes to photos there are far better ways of uploading images on to the Internet.

I am now looking at the front page of the site and there are so many little bits here there and everywhere that I have no bloody idea what's going on. I am absolutely baffled how this has taken off as I have spent many an hour trying to fathom this site with no joy so far. Perhaps someone can help guide me around it because to be honest I'm hopelessly lost.

To be honest I accept that there are some good features of the site too but most of those have already been catered for in the average meme or LJ community. Likeness quizzes and compatibility tests I admit are great fun. I am perplexed at the jetman invitation and completely bemused by the graveyard request. I don't really want to find out what that's about. It's also nice that somebody I've never met thinks I'm hot. That's always pleasing to know. Next they will be thinking that I need Viagra or a bigger penis so that's something to look forward to.

Comments

[schnee.livejournal.com]

I've never really looked much at facebook, but actually, what little I have seen is a good part of the reason for that - it very much turned me off.

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

Oh I can't stand it - I really can't see it's raison d'etre. It only gets worse the more you look at it - I can't make head nor tail of it at all. I wouldn't bother finding out more about it to be honest.

[schnee.livejournal.com]

*noddles* I only really signed up to check out someone's profile (something that apparently isn't possible unless you're signed in).

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

That's another annoyance - and is why Live Journal is so much better.

[schnee.livejournal.com]

Yeah...

[moth-wingthane.livejournal.com]

No, not just you. I had an account for about a month before I gave up and scrubbed it.

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

I know it's just another flavour of the month thing but as people are waxing lyrical about it at work I wonder if I'm missing out. But to be honest I can't stand it - there are so many other programs out there that do the same thing a hell of a lot better. It doesn't help me that it takes me about 15 minutes to do something that would only take me 1 on any other program. Still, as some of my London friends are on it I am resigned to sticking to it - not least because it's the only way I get to find out certain events are being planned. But that's really the only good thing I can see in it.

[enteirah]

Welcome to the joys of Web 2.0. The Emperor's New Clothes in internet form. =;)

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

That is so true about a lot of things in life though - most inventions are copies of something else with new bits added. Facebook appears to be a poor-man's version of MySpace with a few vampires thrown in. I guess it's how the world works though.

[balto-mike.livejournal.com]

Honestly Facebook and Myspace I really don't like them both. I have a myspace but I hardly use it and generally just have it to see what my university friends are doing and that's all. I hate how you are bombarded with stupid adverts and I am happy there maybe a place for bands to show themselves off but please...stop all adding me thinking I will just add you back! Especially if I am not a fan of the music-genre.

So yeah, that's my little rant.

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

I'm not a big fan of MySpace largely because it's owned by Rupert Murdoch. I do like the service however and if I had the time to create one I probably would. I like the fact that bands can advertise freely over MySpace and that you can find markets for art and such like.

I do like the fact you can find friends on it too but as you say it's the junk mail that's annoying. However Hotmail used to be good until it got spammed to death and I'm sure Facebook will be the same. It's just the evolution of online sites it seems.

[tr-wolf.livejournal.com]

I like Facebook itself, it's put me in touch with old school friends and collegues, its like Friends Reunited but better and free. The only downside was when all these stupid applications started, now they're all over. I've not installed any of them, as I liked the basic Facebook before the videos and applications turned up.

But yeah, the applications suck.

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

As far as I can tell that's the main advantage of Facebook. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't re-discovered some old friends through the site and I am glad I did as I had spent previous lonely moments wondering what they were doing. I still hold true to the fact that if you haven't spoken to someone for years there is often a reason and how do you pick up where you left off? I left school eight years ago now and I am completely different now to how I was then. Perhaps some things should be left in the past.

I didn't know Facebook before it got flashy (I've only been on about 3 months) - perhaps that's the problem. The more popular something gets the more stuff people add to it - perhaps it's reaching a saturation point where it is making the site too complicated and unmanageable.

[baloki.livejournal.com]

Facebooks better then MySpace I suppose, but I just use it to send random messages on the odd occassion, somewhere to feed my LJ into and post pictures. I don't use any of the other 'features'.

Still I prefer LJ but eh, gives me something to do in my downtime ^o^

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

I like LJ because it's a simple format that is easy to navigate. Yes it's not as popular but I like having our own little enclave here - it makes it feel more special. And as I wrote in the main thread the communities thing largely offers the same function as Facebook and MySpace, albeit perhaps slightly less easy to navigate.

I use Facebook rarely - and only when I have to as other friends are on it. If I had the choice I don't think I'd use it at all. I have a painfully low attention span and to be honest don't have time to sit for half an hour trying to work out how to write on someone's wall.

[cheetahkid.livejournal.com]

I keep to msn space, different from myspace and LJ which was new to me! I love this one! Video side would be youtube and a few forums, one of them is ukfur.org/forum

[lupestripe.livejournal.com]

Ooh never heard of msn space myself. I'm on IMs and particular forums which interest me. I like that - I can live with that. It also means I am in control of where I visit and I don't get randoms pestering me to go some place I am not really interested in.