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[Nickbat]

As a non-farce book user .. what is the purpose of all this "liking" ??

Does it get you higher up a search list like google hits do ?? or is it just a "publicity" thing .. more "likes" = better service sort of thing

I honestly have little understanding of the purpose !!!

It's easy to be cynical about Facebook, but it — and other social media — point the way to the future. Essentially, Facebook membership covers individuals, groups, companies, charities...pretty much everything. Once you join (and it's free), you can join groups, "Like" businesses, and so on. Obviously, you can also set up a page for your own business. Your friends will see the Likes and comments and will, hopefully, bring more interest to your business.

My FB membership allows me to see what friends (many abroad) are up to, will let me know what dog trainer is up to (he came second in the Dog Dance TV show!! ) and let me know what concerts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra are set to play...oh, and also what the RAF and my daughter's school are both up to.

Be cynical and miss out, is what I say.         

[dad1uk]

Liked Marie, good luck to the new venture!
Hope the move went well and fairly stress free, sorry to hear about the probs with the car but I feel certain you will soon fix it.
At least it didn't fail "half way home"!, at least someone was watching over you this time.

[SIR Philbutt]

Just liked
How's about a reciprocal http://www.facebook.com/PJBHomeServices

Phil 

consider it done!!! ( well it actually is  )

Ta much 

Wow - your cover picture is very striking 
If swmbo sees that there will be questions   

BTW facebook has it's uses but with google being the main used search engine you can do other (free) things to get you up the ranking.

Get a google + account and add your business to google places and set up analytics for your website (all info in there but give a shout if stuck)

Do a search as though you where looking for someone in your business (eg family portraits hometown)  and see what comes up on the first few pages. Look for sites such as freeindex, yell, borough council, etc where you can register for free. LinkedIn is also somewhere that google references to for ranking

When you can get people to add a review to your google places, this really does boost your ranking

MAIN POINT - keep everything consistent across all of your registrations, names, location, web address, tel numbers, about descriptions, etc

I did this about a year ago and have gone from page 10 too 2 or 3 with my web site and page 1 with freeindex, yell etc. I get a couple of calls a month from less than 100 hits a month.

Be prepared for lots of late night's and research but it's worth it
Good luck, hope the move works out

Phil

[Entwood]

Nick .. I get what you are saying .. but I have seen, and had to deal with, too much of what might be deemed the "other side" of social media ...

Social exclusion, rumours, lies, false stories, what can be described as "face book war" between factions, etc etc

Most of these "acts" are little more than an extreme form of "bullying", but young children are severely affected - some to the point of contemplating suicide - a terribly sad state of affairs.

And much of it done anonymously, the perpetrators don't even have the guts to face their victims, at least in my age you could see the bullies and deal with them ... now they seem to hide behind a screen name.

I have also seen the results produced in Court as evidence, and some of these kids don't even realise that everything they type is traceable.

But the worst ones, IMHO, are when one parent uses FB as a weapon against the other when a relationship fails, again it is the kids who bear the brunt.

IMHO the "bad side" is far worse than any "good side" .. but the genie is out of the bottle and cannot be put back, society will have to learn to live with the consequences .. I just hope it learns to do so before too many more lives are wrecked.

[Nickbat]

Nick .. I get what you are saying .. but I have seen, and had to deal with, too much of what might be deemed the "other side" of social media ...

Social exclusion, rumours, lies, false stories, what can be described as "face book war" between factions, etc etc

Most of these "acts" are little more than an extreme form of "bullying", but young children are severely affected - some to the point of contemplating suicide - a terribly sad state of affairs.

And much of it done anonymously, the perpetrators don't even have the guts to face their victims, at least in my age you could see the bullies and deal with them ... now they seem to hide behind a screen name.

I have also seen the results produced in Court as evidence, and some of these kids don't even realise that everything they type is traceable.

But the worst ones, IMHO, are when one parent uses FB as a weapon against the other when a relationship fails, again it is the kids who bear the brunt.

IMHO the "bad side" is far worse than any "good side" .. but the genie is out of the bottle and cannot be put back, society will have to learn to live with the consequences .. I just hope it learns to do so before too many more lives are wrecked.

I'm sorry, Entwood, but despite your "experiences" you are talking from ignorance. When someone joins Facebook, THAT PERSON ONLY chooses who they want to be friends with and can reverse decisions at any time. I very much doubt that you would be bullied, or that the RPO, Top Gear, political party or whoever, would be bullied. The fact that kids get bullied is down to a) their ignorance of the consequences of their comments or b) parents who allow their children to sign up when they are too young.

Before FB, there was text bullying. At least with FB, you can see who is doing the bullying and stop them. Just because kids get bullied (they always have and always, sadly, will be) there is no reason to write off something that the vast majority of adult users find immensely useful.

At the end of the day, it is imperative that you sign up for FB. Yes, really.

Only that way, will you be able to experience it and then make practical pronouncements about its effect on society. Until then, your opinions could be construed to be little more than ill-informed observations from someone on the outside looking in.       

[Marie]

My hubby hates facebook and hasnt used it for sometime until i forced him to re join.

we have lost friends and been on the receiving end of some very nasty stuff too because of facebook. BUT it also has brought us closer to family and friends spread accross the country and was imensly useful at keeping in touch while deployed overseas. without it i think my active tours would have turned into hell.

If used correctly and you have the correct security settings and are careful who you add it has vast advantages. misuse it and it can become disturctive.

[Entwood]

Nick .. despite your idea that "I speak from utter ignorance" ... that may well be true about the internal workings of FB .. but is not true regarding the outcomes ....

Case 1 .....  12 year old girl attempts suicide because a group of "older" girls deliberately and systematically "unfriend" her, at the same time as ensuring that her other friends are getting mesages about her.

Case 2 ... an 8 year old whose parents are trying to protect her by not allowing her 24/7 computor access and a FB account runs away from home due to the peer pressure from her friends at school, and in the process gets picked up by a known child molester.

case 3 ...

nah .. I guess I'm wasting my time .. you've decided I'm ignorant and ill informed because I dare to challenge your views ... sounds just like social media bullying to me ..


and BTW .. I had a FB account for a while ... and saw "face book wars" at work, in an evidence gathering manner .. which is why I closed the account ..

[Nickbat]

Nick .. despite your idea that "I speak from utter ignorance" ... that may well be true about the internal workings of FB .. but is not true regarding the outcomes ....

Case 1 .....  12 year old girl attempts suicide because a group of "older" girls deliberately and systematically "unfriend" her, at the same time as ensuring that her other friends are getting mesages about her.

Case 2 ... an 8 year old whose parents are trying to protect her by not allowing her 24/7 computor access and a FB account runs away from home due to the peer pressure from her friends at school, and in the process gets picked up by a known child molester.

case 3 ...

nah .. I guess I'm wasting my time .. you've decided I'm ignorant and ill informed because I dare to challenge your views ... sounds just like social media bullying to me ..


and BTW .. I had a FB account for a while ... and saw "face book wars" at work, in an evidence gathering manner .. which is why I closed the account ..

In order to be eligible to sign up for Facebook, people must be 13 years of age or older.

I would have thought you would have known this.

http://www.facebook.com/help/210644045634222/

Please refer to the parents.

If sub-13-year old kids are mugged at the local kebab shop at 11.00pm at night, your logic would suggest that kebab shops are inherently dangerous and a menace to society.

I have two children, aged 8 and 11. They are not permitted Facebook or Twitter accounts and will continue to be barred until they reach the appropriate age.

This thread was started by an adult, on an adult forum. It has nothing to do lack of parental care or kids' bullying (which, I can assure you as a senior school governor, is nevertheless taken very seriously).

I'm sorry if I came over as a bit harsh, Entwood, and I had no desire to offend, but Facebook is a part of today's life for many. It has huge benefits for many adults. For the underage, or for those who lack social skills, there are pitfalls, but that, I'm afraid, is life.       

[Entwood]

I refer you to the last paragraph of the post you took offence at ...

"IMHO the "bad side" is far worse than any "good side" .. but the genie is out of the bottle and cannot be put back, society will have to learn to live with the consequences .. I just hope it learns to do so before too many more lives are wrecked."

I accept that "it is life" ... I just believe that it is NOT making that life better for everyone .. despite its own publicity which it seems to believe..

always remember...  it exists not for its "members" and not for its "social good"  it exists for one purpose and one purpose only ... to make its owners money.... and that is not being cynical .. it is the simple truth. .. 

[Nickbat]

I refer you to the last paragraph of the post you took offence at ...

"IMHO the "bad side" is far worse than any "good side" .. but the genie is out of the bottle and cannot be put back, society will have to learn to live with the consequences .. I just hope it learns to do so before too many more lives are wrecked."

I accept that "it is life" ... I just believe that it is NOT making that life better for everyone .. despite its own publicity which it seems to believe..

always remember...  it exists not for its "members" and not for its "social good"  it exists for one purpose and one purpose only ... to make its owners money.... and that is not being cynical .. it is the simple truth. .. 

That is a very subjective statement, Entwood and backed by no evidence whatsoever.

Mobile phones exist to make their manufacturers and service providers money, too. I presume they serve no social good, either.

Incidentally, as a governor I was once approached by a parent who was concerned about his son receiving death threats on his home landline. The callers were children and the parent believed that he was being bullied by fellow classmates, which may have been the case. However, there was little we could do other than suggest he contact BT and the Police.

That was 15 years ago. The "victim" has no long since left Uni and has a career and new home. 

If only they had used FB, we might have been able to help identify them. Unfortunately, it hadn't been invented.