Social Media

E

Elena

New Member
Location
California, USA
What social networks have you tried? What did you like or dislike about them? Do you have a favorite? I have tried several but will start by talking about 'Facebook' for some reason I cannot get into Facebook, I have tried to like it and just can't, I suppose if my family were on it and we used it to keep up with the family happenings it would work but they don't enjoy social media. I have opened up accounts and soon I disappear lol, most people seem to be in love with it but I just don't get it.

Now 'Twitter' works for me big time, not so much to communicate with others but I use it to search and to keep up with the latest news articles and videos and sometimes I do tweet:D it is also a load of fun to use it while watching a TV program such as 'Dancing With The Stars' boy the comments people make will have you laughing in tears.

Do we classify 'Forums' as social networks? I would, Senior Forums is working:)
 

I have been on Facebook for 5 years. I do have family there and converse and share pictures. I have also been very fortunate to reconnect with over 30 of my classmates from elementary/jr high/high school that I have not seen since the early 60's. Year before last, I visited Georgia for the first time in years and 26 of those friends met me for lunch. Wow ! It was awesome to see and reminise with all these people from back in the day. I enjoy Facebook, Twitter and this site and yes, I consider them all Social networks and enjoy them all.
 
I had a Facebook account and I closed it out. I grew really weary of friends always complaining/whining and saying "yeah yeah we otta----" and then their grandkids would get in FB fights with schoolmates.

I was keeping up with the goings-on of everyone -- just not in the way I had anticipated.

If my brother and I need something, we use the phone; I'd be happy to e-mail him but he refuses to use their computer and the kids aren't allowed on it for too long either - lol

I don't use Twitter or Pintrest, Linkedin, etc.

I belong to this forum and several horse forums since I need to stay on top of horse health issues. If I weren't on the horse forums, I might very have ended up that Famous Creek without a Paddle regarding my foundered horse, since in my entire life of having horses, I have never dealt with founder. It puts a whole new ugly meaning into the "F" word.
 

I never joined Facebook or Twitter. I have some relatives that use FB, but I'd just as soon connect with them by phone or email. I've heard a lot of negative things about FB, too. I'm amazed at how some people are really addicted, I hear they post their every move all day long, along with photos...weird to me.

They say that some young people only have their FB friends and conversations, and they hardly socialize with people in person anymore. Recently they said on the radio, that a lot of teens and younger people were becoming depressed by looking at all the posts from other people, who were bragging about their happiness and success. Too much of a good thing I guess.
 
I joined facebook when I first started using a pc in 2009 with the idea of contacting family and old friends in the UK and also contribute to a UK based forum for the same reason ,no success so far but I live in hope also have a twitter account but have never used it ( don't know how lol )
F/B is okay for exchanging photos and keeping up with Steve's family as they're too far away to visit regularly and I love the forums ,
they do a great job in keeping us older people in touch with the world when we don't/can't get out and about like we used to.
 
We live in Northern Ontario.. Our kids are all over the world as well as the grand kids.. We have a son in New Zealand, a son in Vancouver and a daughter in Montreal, as well as some cousins in Israel, Australia, and a brother-in-law in South Africa and a sister-in -law in Australia.. Friends all over the world as well.. I mean ALL OVER THE WORLD !!!!

With Face Book, we sort of keep in touch with one another.. Twitter?? All we have up here is a computer and it is a desk-top and not a lap-top.. Our computer is in the 2nd bedroom upstairs..
No cell phone, I pad, My pad, or Your pad, or any Pad !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We do have a house phone .......

E-Mail goes without saying as well as the "ole" fashion telephone......

I do belong to a few forums like this one but I don't spend much time daily on the puter as I have a life besides the puter.....
I tend to be on here more in winter as compared to summer..
 
We have not had a house phone in over 5 years. We each have i phones. We have 4 lap tops as well. We all enjoy social media. We all work and yes, we have lives. I have had more time than usual the last couple weeks as I have been on medical leave from work.
Facebook keeps me in touch with 9 grand kids and 4 children on the East Coast. I enjoy it
 
FB is a must for us with family and friends all over the place. I also have reconnected with many from my High School through FB. We now have a yearly get together that spands several years grads so it attracts many people. We have it at a hotel right by the airport so folks can fly in for just the week end.

I have tried to like the others but stuff like Twitter is just too shallow for me. Also seems like the media drives your life rather than the other way around. I'm using Google+ now too and it's ok. I thought it might be a better alternative to FB. I also am into some music related sites/forums and other (like this one) forums of various themes.

Another thing we use regularly is Skype. I even created a class for the public at our library and that went over well with an average of over 20 attending each time.
 
As so many have said here, Facebook can be a wonderful way to keep in touch, or it can be an instrument of drama and complaint. Unfortunately I've seen quite a few friends fall prey to the latter, and they almost dragged me into that world as well, but I caught myself red-eyed and trembling, waiting for that next status update or working on that virtual farm, and suddenly the light went on over my head ...

"Is this the life you want?"

The fact that I'm on the computer day and night - it's my living - is no excuse for me to waste that time. I can't afford it, from neither a financial or psychological point of view. It just hurts to see friends fall into that trap and not be able to rescue them.

But it DOES serve as the sole means of communication with my son in college, so for that I'm glad it's there. I'm a bit of a Luddite - I don't have a phone (actually I HAVE one, just don't have an active account on it, so it's pretty much useless) - I've never liked phones.

Email certainly - that's my main contact source. Forums such as this wonderful one, certainly - I've made friends around the world from these places.

I'm also on StumbleUpon, but I see that more as a tool than a social network. I recently joined Google+, Reddit, Digg and i think a few others, but my use of these is limited to an occasional posting of a link to my articles.

Twitter I joined but don't use - I STILL don't understand it and don't like the abbreviated, fast-paced world it represents and seems to revel in.
 
I agree, many do get into the drama and providing a lot more information than I care to know. I keep my Facebook pretty generic. I try not to get caught up in political/religious discussions, I tend to have a bad attitude where these things are concerned. I need to stick with sex/drugs and rock and roll and try to stay outta trouble LOL
Don't tweet often, only when I really have something to say. Google + have not really gotten into much, Reddit is interesting sometimes as is Tumbler. Had never seen StumbleUpon, that's new to me.
 
I'm on facebook again but I'm not sure why. It's difficult or impossible to find people I know. The friends I have keep showing up on my page telling me what games they are playing.

I don't want to know what games they play. I've yet to have a conversation with anyone.I never see others having conversations either. Just a brief comment about this or that.

I think it's a waste of time.
 
SeaBreeze said:
I never joined Facebook or Twitter. I have some relatives that use FB, but I'd just as soon connect with them by phone or email. I've heard a lot of negative things about FB, too. I'm amazed at how some people are really addicted, I hear they post their every move all day long, along with photos...weird to me.
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Yes I don't understand that at all, some people post photos of every meal they make :D

Hey guys I'm new to these forums, I'm not going to lie social media and technology are passions of mine. In fact I'm in the process of setting up a website strictly tailored for over fifties, chiefly inspired by my mother. The specific aim of the site is to make sure technophobes and people that have missed the tech train can catch up. The reason I've ducked in here is to see what problems you guys have with technology and find out if there is anything I can work on to help you guys out. Feel free to get in touch any way you can.



Jonah
 
When I first discovered Twitter I could not think of a valid use for people sending and getting short bursts of text on mostly useless topics. But after reading about it and checking around I think that there are potential uses for broadcast communication. What if there was an emergency in your town, like a tornado approaching? If most people listed their phone numbers with the town hall they could get a tweet about the storm and prepare.


Part of my problem is that I see most of today's media as useless anyway. 90% of "news" is just gossip and too many people I meet think on such shallow levels that that junk is all they are interested in. Basically though, any communication system is going to represent the interests of the members and what is important to them. I canceled my twitter account after 6 months when I saw there were several people following me and I only had two tweets! Plus I have enough going on in my life so I do not need to be constantly being notified by my phone there is another tweet to read. That's slavery my friend!
 
What if there was an emergency in your town, like a tornado approaching? If most people listed their phone numbers with the town hall they could get a tweet about the storm and prepare.

We've had that here for several years. Don't need twitter. It's called Red Alert warning system. Just sign up with your phone number ( Land line or Cell phone) and you'll get a phone call whenever there is any kind of warning for you're area.
 
rkunsaw said:
We've had that here for several years. Don't need twitter. It's called Red Alert warning system. Just sign up with your phone number ( Land line or Cell phone) and you'll get a phone call whenever there is any kind of warning for you're area.
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And it works. My phone went off repeatedly, when my area was under the Tornado Gun last week.

Like anything in this life, most of the social media can be an advantage but it all has its place. Knowing where that place is, in each person's life, and not getting too far Left-of-Center with it, is the key.

Mr. TWHRider, for example, doesn't get one inch off the centerline - he relies on me to stay in the cell phone knowledge loop and what I know could fit in a thimble. I used that word because we all know what a thimble is - lol lol lol
 
I enjoy Facebook. I also have connected with friends that I have known since childhood that I lost touch and it's a wonderful way to stay in touch with family. We sll have busy schedules with family, work and outings. You can jot a message and they respond when they get the chance, no pressure. Twitter, since I never used it or know how, no. Texting my sistahs and friends works also. I babdit my grandchildren so long talks on the ph are hard.
 
I use FB daily but I do have enough sense to keep my private life my own. Not all of us on FB are Drama/ Attention addicts.There are also setting that keep your photos and messages private. I use them
 
Knightofalbion said:
I don't see the appeal. Why have your private life on public display?

And the joy of receiving a letter or card from a distant friend/loved one beats e-mail every time.
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Totally agree.
There is something special about receiving a card. It says the person cared enough to shop for it, put some thought into the message and spend a few cents to mail it.

Sadly, handwritten correspondence is going the way of the horse and buggy. They are even talking about dropping cursive writing from school curriculums.
Now, not only can't people add 2+2 without a calculator, they won't be able to communicate by writing either, except printing at a 3rd grade level.

As for social network sites, don't want or need them. I pretty much don't care about the menusha churned out on a daily basis, or "friending" people I don't know, or have left behind in my life years ago.

I think these sites are taking away young peoples ability to communicate and relate to the real world. I have a 16 year old neighbor girl who spends countless hours every day on FB. In the summer she stays up until 3-4 in the morning on FB, sleeps all day and starts the cycle over. When I first met her I asked her if she had a boyfriend. She said she did, but amended it with, "but he's an internet boyfriend".

This child has pretty much zilch actual human social interaction with other kids, telling me once that FB is her life. She cannot carry on a conversation, will barely puts two words together and will not look you in the eye when talking to you.

Her parents are total enablers of this, complaining about it, yet buying her laptops and internet phones and allowing her to hole up in her bedroom for countless hours at a time with these devices. In addition the father is on ss disability and the mother doesn't work, but they seem to have room in the budget for these toys.

Not saying she is the norm. There are plenty of smart, sociable kids out there that have been well parented, but this goes on far too much. This includes adults as well.
 

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