Deseret News | On Facebook, just don't take it all personally

Reader comments
Ann Cannon: On Facebook, just don't take it all personally

So Me!!! | 7:07 p.m. Sept. 13, 2009

I read this to my teenage daughter, and she said..."That is SO You"!! I don't know whether to laugh or to cry.

Bette | 7:54 p.m. Sept. 13, 2009

Great piece! Funny thing about facebook et al is that they seem too small for the people you actually know & too large for the people you don't.

Anonymous | 8:25 p.m. Sept. 13, 2009

Loved this! Approaching 60, I joined Facebook to "connect" with my far flung family and friends young and old. I am so blown away with what the 15 to 30 crowd write own their walls, I don't even understand it half the time. Boy, do I realize the generation gap now. But, I love seeing the pics everyone downloads, especially my grandkids. I just hope, like Ann, my "dorkness" isn't screaming every time I'm on it.

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Tabby | 4:05 a.m. Sept. 14, 2009

Approaching 30,its so cool when u connect with pple u dont know,and hear their thought.i remember having problems sighning in,i thot iwill go crazy when i got in its like ur r in another paradise.its mind stressfree.i love it

Dan Troff | 6:15 a.m. Sept. 14, 2009

We signed up for facebook a couple of weeks ago for my son. He has been in several dnews articles and and dozens of articles around the country and the world because he is on track to be one of the best chess players in the world. He is now 500 ratings points ahead of Bobby Fischer at the same age(age 11). We wanted to get the word out so that whoever wanted to follow his fun and interesting comments as he trains for national and soon world competitions could become a fan. He has over 200 people that have signed up to become fans in 2 weeks. Look up Chess Champion Kayden Troff. He is #1 in the world for his age and #1 of all players (adult or kid) in Utah. It's been a lot of fun!

jlucpicard | 6:44 a.m. Sept. 14, 2009

I loved this too. Another "lesson" as I get older. I have an 16 y/o niece who helps keep my dorkiness at bay. :)

I stay interested in anything she's interested in, first because I love her, and second, to try and keep up with the current trends in teen culture. It's daunting, so I just do my best. Even though I'm considered a "cool" uncle, there's always going to be a part of me that will be a geek and a dork....I accept that! ;)

So True | 7:26 a.m. Sept. 14, 2009

I have been on Facebook for about 6 months. It was a great tool to connect with and see pictures of people I otherwise would have likely lost contact with forever. Yes, it is a bit superficial but can connect you again with long lost friends and relatives. You just have to be sure that connecting with the 20 or so you really want to is worth connecting with the 100 you didn't particularly need or want to connect with - as well as all the invites and wall posts. It is a balancing act that for me was worth connecting with some old and dear friends.

Waste of Time | 7:45 a.m. Sept. 14, 2009

Facebook is yet another way to waste time and we'd do well to encourage our youth and others to avoid it. BTW, I'm a mid-30s person and still am able to see the loss it creates in us, giving us a sense of an alternate life that has no consequences. It's time we shunned such frivolity and actually accomplished something with out time.

DH | 7:46 a.m. Sept. 14, 2009

My level of dorkiness is well established with my kids. Why fight it? I just go on about my dorky way.

gramma224 | 7:47 a.m. Sept. 14, 2009

Well, I'm approaching 72 and I'm on Facebook and enjoy interacting with all my family and friends...young and old. I have quite a handful of older friends who are on Facebook for the same reason. It is great to know what is going on in their lives, and they in yours. And, if you have still have a sense of humor, the kids get to see it and realize that you are fun. I keep in touch with kids we met while we were on a mission in Hawaii. They live all over the world, and even now, they still find me in the "chat room" and ask me questions and ask for help. But, as Ann's kids told her, you can't take yourself too seriously and you can ignore whatever you want. Nice article, Ann. Stay with Facebook. You'll soon learn the "ropes"!

rightascension | 8:29 a.m. Sept. 14, 2009

Hey Ann Cannon -- do you remember Dean Clark's Browning class 1981? I love facebook, but I refuse to play any games that involve farming. drs

faceless on facebook | 9:04 a.m. Sept. 14, 2009

I notice you didn't make a blanket invitation to be your friend!

Anonymous | 9:32 a.m. Sept. 14, 2009

I live a long way from family and many good friends that I have made over the years. Facebook has been a way for me to connect with them. Most of my friends I know personally from New Hampshire, today many are all over the country. I just wish my son would put the pictures of my granddaughters back up so I can watch them grow instead of letting his exwife control him. She has a new husband to control now.

very funny article... | 10:01 a.m. Sept. 14, 2009

I think I am going to fwd it to my parents. I think facebook is a great tool to keep in touch with people that you don't necessarily see all the time. I go through and "hide" all the stupid quizzes and stuff and when I get an invitation for one of them I promptly block the application. The person who invited you will never know. So my facebook is pretty uncluttered and only displays information about people which is why I have it in the first place.

waste of time | 10:24 a.m. Sept. 14, 2009

People who do the quizzes, games, and other "dorky" things related to Facebook are really wasting their time. It's also a way of getting malware and viruses attached to your computer when you do those games.

Phew | 10:31 a.m. Sept. 14, 2009

What a relief to know I can have my life back without fear of rejection!

I kid.

Seriously though, I've been lucky enough to create a couple lasting friendships, online. Be cautious, though, there are creeps out there that will take advantage. This amazing tool can give you things you'd never imagined, if used wisely.

Anonymous | 10:33 a.m. Sept. 14, 2009

I don't think fb is a waste of time UNLESS you spend hours playing stupid games like farmville. I love it as a way to stay in touch with friends, those who live in my ward and those who live across the country. We're all so busy that it's easy to lose touch with people we love, even those we see every week at church. Just keep it in moderation. I'm 54. I check in a couple of times a day, usually for a minute or two and then log out. I've learned about heroic actions of old neighbors, minor but traumatic accidents of ward members, a rabies treatment for an old friend who moved away. People wouldn't take time to write letters or phone everyone with these things, but fb takes care of it. We can then remember them in our prayers.

Bill from South Dakota | 12:00 p.m. Sept. 14, 2009

Ditto for me to Anon @ 10:33 a.m.

Northstar1 | 1:18 p.m. Sept. 14, 2009

I did exactly as the author did by erasing over 100 pending "requests" by friends - most of them for the stupidest things. I normally log on for 5 minutes each day, quickly look at newly posted photos, read people's posted activities and then exit. I simply don;t have time to do quiz puzzles or receive a wilted flower.

anon | 2:22 p.m. Sept. 14, 2009

I love FB for the fact that I've reconnected with old friends. I laugh, though, at the term "friend" on Facebook. It's like a contest to see how many you can gather. They should be called "people whose names I recognize". That, and I really don't need to know every single thing that goes on in everyone's life every day.

K | 11:05 a.m. Sept. 15, 2009

My goodness, some of us are snobs. Reminds me of those who, maybe 10 years ago, would brag that they "don't have time to watch television."

I enjoyed Ann's article. And yes, I AM a Farmtown fan, and proud of it!

Linda | 5:06 p.m. Sept. 28, 2009

I agree with "K" - there seem to be a lot of Facebook and TV snobs out there. I find plenty of time to take care of my five kids, clean my house, weed my garden, do my church calling, exercise, watch TV and do Facebook!

How I choose to spend my time is my business!

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