For those 50 or over

Should I Really Join Facebook ?

For people in the over 50 group.

When I bought my Blackberry, I thought about the thirty-year business I ran with 1800 employees, all without a cell phone that plays music, takes videos, pictures, and communicates with Facebook and Twitter. I signed up under duress for Twitter and Facebook, so my seven kids, their spouses, 13 grandkids and 2 great-grand kids could communicate with me in the modern way. I figured I could handle something as simple as Twitter with only 140 characters of space.



That was before one of my grandkids hooked me up for Tweeter, Tweetree, Twhirl, Twitterfon, Tweetie and Twittererific Tweetdeck, Twitpix and something that sends every message to my cell phone and every other program within the texting world.

My phone was beeping every three minutes with the details of everything except the bowel movements of the entire next generation. I am not ready to live like this. I keep my cell phone in the garage in my golf bag.



The kids bought me a GPS for my last birthday because they say I get lost every now and then going over to the grocery store or library. I keep that in a box under my tool bench with the Blue Tooth [it's red] phone I am supposed to use when I drive. I wore

it once and was standing in line at Barnes and Noble talking to my wife and everyone in the nearest 50 yards was glaring at me. I had to take my hearing aid out to use it, and I got a little loud.



I mean the GPS looked pretty smart on my dash board, but the lady inside that gadget was the most annoying, rudest person I had run into in a long time. Every 10 minutes, she would sarcastically say, "Re-calc-U-lating." You would think that she could be nicer. It was like she could barely tolerate me. She would let go with a deep sigh and then tell me to make a U-turn at the next light. Then if I made a right turn instead. Well, it was not a good relationship. When I get really lost now, I call my wife and tell her the name of the cross streets and while she is starting to develop the same tone as Gypsy the GPS lady, at least she loves me.

To be perfectly frank, I am still trying to learn how to use the cordless phones in our house. We have had them for 4 years, but I still haven't figured out how I can lose three phones all at once and have to run around digging under chair cushions and checking

bathrooms and the dirty laundry baskets when the phone rings.



The world is just getting too complex for me. They even mess me up every time I go to the grocery store. You would think they could settle on something themselves but this sudden "Paper or plastic?" every time I check out just knocks me for a loop. I bought

some of those cloth reusable bags to avoid looking confused, but I never remember to take them in with me.



Now I toss it back to them. When they ask me, "Paper or plastic?" I just say, "Doesn't matter to me. I am bi-sacksual." Then it's their turn to stare at me with a blank look. I was recently asked if I tweet. I answered, "No, but I do toot a lot."



P.S. I know some of you are not over 50. I sent it to you to allow you to forward it to those who are. We senior citizens don't need anymore gadgets. The TV remote and the garage door remote are about all we can handle.

Eddie,

That's pretty funny...even to a "Well over 50" guy who is a gadget guru and love my BlackBerry, GPS, Netbook, BlueTooth, Digital Cameras, and anything else that helps me find my way around the crazy world. I got into computers about 45 years ago and progressed from the large IBM mainframes to the PC and the Internet. I think working with so many younger people has kept me feeling much younger than my chronological age..:grin:



I still don't like Texting, and if I do, it's only to reply with a simple "Yes/No" or I just ignore the message....:bwahaha:



...Rich

Joined FB two years ago. I just turned 51. I like it, put me in touch with many old friends as well as long-lost relatives in Italy who post a lot of pictures from bars with everyone holding drinks up in the air. Of course just when you get the latest version of FB figured out, they change it.



Got a Droid phone in August. I'm still figuring out the bastard.

Facebook rocks. I'm 51 and use it to keep in touch with relatives and friends. Some of the Facebook "friends" have become real friends and vice versa. Definitely worthwhile!

No facebook for me(59 YO). People don't need to know what I'm doing and there are people from the past that I don't really want to get in touch with.



'07 ST

I am not a big fan of Facebook. I just find it amazing that people will put all their private business on Facebook like a diary....like anyone really cares. Then they wonder how someone found out about their most intimate secrets.



...Rich

Eddie, im 40 and didnt grow up with cell phones or windows on a computer. Somedays my phone rings off the wall & i remember what is was like when someone actually had to leave a message on a home phone & wait for you to call them back. Everything nowdays is right now weather its cell, text, email or im on fb! I fb, but only when I want too! You dont have to be 50 to feel that way once in a while. just sayin...

Jim

Facebook is just another tool the CIA,IRS.Homeland security,and any other thing the feds do to keep track of people and document there every move.

I prefer that nobody outside my close family members (about 10 people) even know I exsist thank you.

I love Facebook (almost 46yo) and like to use it to keep in touch with people.



I'd be more worried about a smartphone with built in GPS being used by big brother to "keep track of my every move." At least that's a technically plausible scenario, unlike Facebook which can only be used by others to track "every move" that I wish to publish about myself.



TJR

As I said before, I am a gadet guru and love the technology, but like anything else, Too much or people who are obsessed with it is not a good sign.



I like the convenience of cell phones but prefer to use it as a "Phone". I don't walk around or even worse, drive around trying to read or reply to text messages or emails...that is insanity. I think texting was supposed to be more private than a phone call, but now people text when a simple phone call would be faster and cheaper.



Bill Barber,

If you don't want anyone except your family and friends, why do you use your real name here? I think the CIA,IRS.Homeland security,and Feds probably can intercept your emails and see what websites you visit on the Internet....if they were that interested in you or found you to be a person of interest to them :grin:



I suspect you are really more like me and less worried about the government spying on me since I have nothing to hide, than I am about people in general who don't have a need to know anything about me...in particular people who might use that information illegally.



The technology is great and is beneficial to most people in our society, however when people get completely addicted to the technology and avoid a face to face or even voice to voice communications, then I think it's anti-social behaviour and really hurts our society as well as the individuals mental health.



...Rich

Richard L,



I had someone near me post a laptop for sale on Craigslist. Sounded like a good deal and since she was nearby and I have friends always looking for good, cheap used laptops I figured I would check it out.



I asked her a question through CL anonymous email, she replied via her Verizon Fios email address, which included as the email address her first initial and last name. Also, she replied in the email with her first name in the salutation.



So, long story short, she asked if I wanted to see the laptop, and I said yes, and I verified her address, which I got from a quick white listings and google. In other words, I said: "Now you live at ..., right?" She was floored. She wondered how I knew that and if I was some kind of a stalker.



I then schooled her on online security and do's and don'ts if she wants to stay "more anonymous" online.



TJR

TJR,

What is your point? Is it that knowing your full name or even your intitials can make it easy to locate you...yes, I agree and that was my point to Bill Barber about using his name online if he was paranoid about the CIA, IRS, Homeland Security, etc from finding out where he lives or other personal information about him.



Some of the information available to the public we cannot help...most of those websites extract information from public records and publish the info online. Pretty much how we get all kinds of offers for extended warranties after you buy a car....They get the information from your state's Vehicle Registration/Tax departments under the laws of freedom of access to public records.



I personally would not have looked up the lady's address and would have wanted her to tell me what her address was, if she wanted me to know....Your looking up her info certainly would be a red flag alert and make me think you were a stalker.



I think there is a very fine, but very definable line between knowing how to get personal information about someone, and actually gathering that information for what ever reason, even if the reason is just to prove you can.



....Rich

Richard,bill barber is just a name,how in your infinate wisdom,do you know it is my name?

Good one, "Bill". :grin:

Bill,

You are correct, I don't know if that's your real name...but based on the your response, I am willing to bet that Bill (or William) Barber is your real name..:grin: I'm sure TJR could find out in a few minutes...as could I, if I wanted to go to that much trouble or if I really cared what your name is....:grin:



My point was that if you were worried about the CIA, FBI, IRS, etc about knowing anything about you as you stated in your post... I have some real bad news for you:cry:: Any of those agencies would have no problem finding out anything about you, were you a person of interest to them.....even if you are not on facebook. In fact I think these agencies did a better job at finding people before FaceBook.



...Rich

"Doesn't matter to me. I am bi-sacksual."

Click to expand...

Hee hee. I have to remember that one.



Me, I love technology but hate the whole social media thing. But that's just me. Most of my friends seem to love it.

Bill Barber,

With just a few minutes of searching I found your full name is William H Barber. Your wife's name is Toni A Barber, I also know your address on Caledonia Dr in San Jose, CA 95135, and your telephone number which I will not reveal online....and I never looked at FaceBook since I assumed you were not a subscriber.



If I can get that info less than 3 minutes with just a few hints from this website, just imagine what the CIA, IRS or FBI can do if they really wanted to find you.



With the open access to public records, I think we should be more suspicious of people who we cannot find info about...:grin: Anybody who can hide their identity so well has a reason for doing so...:supercool:



...Rich

I prefer that nobody outside my close family members (about 10 people) even know I exsist thank you.

Click to expand...

:love: Aww, shucks, Bill. :love: We're honored that you include us as being part of your "close family members". :love:



:banana:



(Although we know that you think some of us are "members", all right; and that the feeling is mutual.)



:bwahaha::banana::bwahaha:

Richard,I shall check my drivers license when I locate my wallet,I do not live on Caledonia.

Never knew whats her names middle initial was A,thanks for the info

Bill,

OK, the other address I found was on Galloway (I think). I did not try to determined which address was the last address, but I could have found that if I dug a little deeper. Perhaps you moved recently?



What's her name??? it's Toni....but perhaps you are just having a senior moment..:grin:



Anyway, I'm glad to help you remember some of those fragmented details of your life... That's what friends are for :haveabeer:



...Rich