Dear Wise Flist...

[ash48]

Yep.. I'm back again seeking advice on other fandom places to hangout.

I'm not really a Twitter gal and I don't think Tumblr is for me either. So now I'm considering Facebook. I've had no interest in getting a Facebook before now because, to be honest, real life stuff really doesn't interest me so much - except in real life of course. (and that's not to say I don't like hearing about YOUR rl stuff.. it's just I don't really want to follow rl friends to hear what they're up to...)

So.

I'm thinking a fandom Facebook page. Where I might most stuff a bit like on LJ. (vids etc. maybe occasional personal stuff) My thinking is this: the thing I enjoy most about fandom is connecting with other people who are into the same thing. Chatting, sharing creative works etc. But I realise that not everyone is on LJ. In fact I keep being told "I don't do LJ because it's too complicated". Which I agree with. Until you get to know it that is.

So. I'm curious if anyone else does this. Have a fandom named Facebook? I'm pretty keen to keep my RL and fandom life separate - mainly because I would hate for my students to ever find me.

I have a very limited knowledge of Facebook so I don't really know how it works. Though I understand you can create a community as well as a personal page. Ack! I am so internet challenged!

Advice?

(and um... if I did get a FB is it easy to find like minded peeps?)

Sorry for the lame questions..

Comments

[rhymephile.livejournal.com]

Facebook is, unfortunately, the future. Their overwhelming market share -- and potential eyeballs for companies -- is undeniable.

However, it doesn't come without problems.

Privacy and security is a major issue. It's definitely why I deleted my account (it's not impossible, but they make it difficult to wipe your account completely).

There are groups on Facebook that you can join, but they're not really fannish cliques they way we know them, probably because you're a real person there and people don't want others knowing their proclivities. I did join the biggest SPN group on there, but basically all it was was people "liking" stuff and them posting about when new episodes were coming on. There's no real community like there is here.

If you do choose to join under an anonymous account, DO NOT USE ONE OF YOUR CURRENT E-MAIL ADDRESSES. When you sign up, Facebook will link your contacts in your e-mail account to people already on FB. Luckily I signed up under my real-life account, but I found that FB suggested a lot of "friends" who I did not know in real life but were fandom friends and I had their e-mails in my account.

That bothered me most of all. I did NOT want my online persona linked in any way to my real-life one, especially considering I've been looking for a job.

The new third-party connection system is troubling too. When you are signed in to FB and visit a website that is connected to and shares into with FB, FB knows where you surf and visit. It's makes it easier for third party sites to focus their ads on you.

My suggestion? If you are concerned about anyone from real life discovering your SPN "secrets" DO NOT JOIN FB.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for this intel. It's seems to be what I'm hearing from most people who have responded. That initially surprised me (that there is so much negativity) - but now I have a better understanding.

It's helped me decide not to pursue this idea - it just doesn't sound like something I'm after. The security issue really seems to be a concern and I know I just can't risk my students ever finding me on line.

The response has also made me appreciate LJ a lot more also.

Thanks so much hun.
xx