Are you on Facebook?

[Feanor]

I've had malicious e-mails claiming to be from facebook recently.

They contained a 'photo' which it invited me to open.
it was of the form :<filename>.gif.exe

Might your e-mails be malicious too?

[Basil]

I shouldn't care, but when I get "friend requests" emails from FB I feel guilty not checking the things. So - I get something like this every few months:

You have new notifications.
A lot has happened on Facebook since you last logged in. Here are some notifications you've missed from your friends.
   10 friend requests
View Notifications

If I click on the link, I then login, and there are no requests to be seen! (In fact I'm not sure I've ever actually seen one of these things since I signed up!) Is it all a lie? 

I get these, on my junk addresses.  I've never been on face-ache, ever.

[mattc]

I've had malicious e-mails claiming to be from facebook recently.

They contained a 'photo' which it invited me to open.
it was of the form :<filename>.gif.exe

Might your e-mails be malicious too?

Well, anything is possible on the dark side of the internet. And yet all the URLs in the mail are legit, no executables or the like. Odd.

I think I'll ignore them in future.. 

[Bairn Again]

After having spent all of the last 3 days at an IT case as a witness, I have changed my mind about joining facebook and am relieved and delighted never to have been on it.   

G

[reddo]

Strewth, just spent several days teaching my Mum in law and her twin sister all about Facebook...  Oh boy...

[rogerzilla]

I'm now in the "yes, but I never log in or anything" category, just to disappoint anyone who wants to see if I'm dead yet.  Minimal personal information and separate e-mail address, so if the spam gets too much I can just turn it off.

[Kim]

Not exactly news, but everyone seems to be missing the real lesson in this story:

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/10/16/facebook-accidentally-outed-users-to-their-parents-through-group-permissions-loophole/

Organisations: It's not cool to force people to use a third-party website that might out them.  By all means have a Facebook presence, but remember that many people have very good reasons for not having Facebook accounts, and stranding a subset of your membership at that bloody login page is simply not going to further your cause.  Use a website.  Mailing list.  Wordpress.  Twitter.  Anything that people can read (and ideally pull in automatically) without requiring an account with a third party that's been repeatedly proven to be untrustworthy in all things privacy.

I note with frustration that our local cycling campaign are falling into this trap.  They have a perfectly good website and mailing list that keeps people updated on planned rides.  The last message was a pointer to something hidden behind a Facebook login page.  I guess I won't be turning up for that one, then.   

I can forgive lazy cyclists.  LGBT organisations should know better.   

[COG]

I am on, but have the settings so only people I invite can be friends, and only friends can see my content or message me.

[hellymedic]

I seldom post anything vital on Facebook. People can read about jam and my utility woes but little else.

[Giraffe]

Facebook and Tw@tter are in my Hosts file - don't want that cr@p

[hellymedic]

I still enjoy following the activities of my 98.875 year-old great uncle on Facebook...

[Cudzoziemiec]

Or is it an attempt at identity theft by someone hackers?

[Butterfly]

Looks odd to me. Are the Slovakian government on to you?

[bobb]

Or is it an attempt at identity theft by someone hackers?

It's genuine:

Read about it here

[Cudzoziemiec]

So road-runner is a VIP with many subscribers? 

I can see the point of ensuring you've got the real Lady Gaga or distinguishing between the millions of people genuinely called, say, Robbie Williams, but not applying it to everyone.

[clarion]

If they ask me for that, I will stop using it.

[Cudzoziemiec]

You could just upload your Clarion 1893 card!

[clarion]

1895, dear boy.  And it's not photo ID.  We could be anybody!

[mr magnolia]

The real world seems increasingly to be gated by a Facebook page.

to Glasgow2014 organising committee:

Hey, my kids wanna take part in your 'upload a photo so you can be a part of the countdown thingie', but no one here has a facebook account.

[hellymedic]

I thought road-runner was a Facebook friend of mine, entered his real name and did not get him.
Something seems amiss.

[hellymedic]

Facebook page not found... 

[Phil W]

Using Facebook with pleasure. Became friends with an American cyclist through a mutual friend on Facebook. Did a tour of Taiwan together. A couple friends are cycling round world at present and post photos and updates via fb. Great way of keeping in touch and having discussions amongst a wide group that wouldn't otherwise happen.

[hellymedic]

There's now a vid on Facebook showing my 98 year old great uncle on the cable car crossing the Thames, with his son (62) and carers pointing out features of the view.
IMO FB is worthwhile just for this.

My great-uncle's carer has just posted a picture of him at the Royal Festival Hall, presumably last night.
He'll be 99 next month...

[Edit] Mum's just visited his house and found place deserted. Most recent picture was taken in fading daylight so he is out and somehow forgot my Mum's arranged visit...

[Nelson Longflap]

This is an intriguing thread ... fb clearly provides a useful service for many, good enough that they are prepared to put up with the intrusiveness, the spamming opportunities and security weaknesses.

Joining fb is like going through a trapdoor, which has always inhibited me from joining.  The functionality offered isn't really unique, so is it the convenience, the breadth of the userbase, or some pre-existing personal relationship with other fb users that makes it so beguiling? 

[Kim]

Joining fb is like going through a trapdoor, which has always inhibited me from joining.  The functionality offered isn't really unique, so is it the convenience, the breadth of the userbase, or some pre-existing personal relationship with other fb users that makes it so beguiling?

It's reached the point of critical mass where it doesn't have to offer any particular feature (like cow-clicker, or online scrabble) to lure people in any more.

It's simply that if you don't join facebook, $people won't tell you about $things.

Be that photos of your grandchildren or the date and start location for the next group cycle ride, it doesn't really matter.

It encourages laziness in communication, and uses that as bait.