Are Social Networks Committing Suicide? - Comments Page 1

Very `thoughtful,' Bob. And I HOPE you're right about the trend/direction.

Rankin:

I think you are likely correct.

Twitter never made much sense to me, even though I still build and keep it alive.

FB has become a vast emptiness and is about to have me ignore it, much like MySpace, even though I have a personal and three business accounts. It has lost most value with people posting about their cats and toilet paper along with spam ads inserted into the feed. Why bother?

LI? I like it a great deal but the value is QUITE questionable. How many deals have been made to my benefit?

I think you're correct. The internet and social media needs to return to closer, real, useful connections.

Respectfully,

Bevard

Bob, I think you may be right on this. I know quite a few people who have always seen Facebook as a necessary evil, at best. And that was before they began throttling feeds and asking for money.

I so agree. I'm only on FB because I can see pics my daughter posts, and that is the only way I can sign into Skype to see my granddaughters. Otherwise, I could live without it and I hate that I even depend on it for what I do.

Nice Billy Joel reference. And for the record-- you're not a lunatic:-)

"It's already happening with the surging popularity of services like Blogger, WordPress, Tumblr, and Posterous." Pretty sure Posterous got shut down about a year ago.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Quite right, thanks!

Bob - I am proud of you for 'coming out' (excuse the analogy)- one of your acquaintances shot me down for saying that I hated Facebook. I felt that I have good reason for saying that when I see social life degenerating because of it and its ilk. You have reinforced my views and I am grateful.

Now that I have Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn accounts, how do I get rid of them? I mean, how do I erase them from the internet? Or, does Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn really own my accounts and I can never delete them?

Hi Bob, I don't have Facebook, Linkedin, or Twitter. I just use regular email or the phone. They can keep the rest. Seems to be more trouble than it is worth. Thanks for all your great articles.

Its a shame, just as we find easy ways to interact... they become Commercialized!

Facebook is next on my list to De-Activate; I never 'caught on' to LinkedIn so it wasn't difficult to pull that plug.

So yes, I agree they are committing suicide as far as I'm concerned. Guess my friends will just have to 'Let their Fingers do... " before long (but there IS eMail).

Here is one method to get rid of Facebook. Just google "how to close my * * * * account" . It takes about two weeks to destroy it. DON'T go back and check till at least the third week or you'll have to go through it all over.

http://m.wikihow.com/Permanently-Delete-a-Facebook-Account

Here is one method to get rid of Facebook. Just google "how to close my * * * * account" . It takes about two weeks to destroy it. DON'T go back and check till at least the third week or you'll have to go through it all over.

http://m.wikihow.com/Permanently-Delete-a-Facebook-Account

Hmmm...I've congratulated people on LinkedIn and have never been asked for money. If it happened, I would not pay it. Not worth it. I stay on LI even though I am now retired, and I stay on FB to keep in touch with my family and a few close friends.

josil, here are a couple of sites that give instructions on how to delete your accounts.

http://justdelete.me/
http://www.deleteyouraccount.com/

Yay Bob! I've been online since the early days of good old BBS even before the Internet existed, and have watched this "monetising" effect with interest. All my kids & grandkids want me on Facebook, but I flat out refuse to have anything to do with it or any other social network.

Maybe I'm a bit of a grumpy old man but after reading your article I feel vindicated. After all, if someone like yourself is saying this you may very well be right about the future.

All I can say is BRING BACK USENET!!!!

Great article. Gonna forward it to all my grandkids - HEH HEH!

Hello Bob,
I could never see the point of Facebook or Twitter so I never joined them but I did join Linkedin for some obscure reason, I think because here in the UK it is more of a business to business setup and I thought that there might be some benefit.
For me there is no benefit and I suspect its the same for others so I tried to leave and unsubscribe but they still keep sending the same
old crap, Joe Soap has connected with ???? and do you know any of these people etc.etc.
Its like trying to get rid of bugs, any tips Bob for a clean break?

I remember in the old days not quite aol but there were several sites like geocities,angelfire, and a few others that allowed free homepages and other free sites had guestbooks to write in and so forth and lots of free chatrooms....but they went bust except for geocities but yahoo bought. And I hate yahoo. Tried to get an account and everytime Id get a password Id paste it in with an id and it wouldnt work so Id sign up again and have to use a different ID and then again the password wouldnt work. Hotmail was a ways before yahoo and I like it better....Always wondered why facebook sold for so much because, even though they had lots of users no one seemed to buy

LinkedIn is the worst one for being deceitful by taking my address book and sending everyone invites as if it was coming from me. I should have read more but it is just wrong of them to do what they are doing… I dislike all of them. The only reason I stay with Facebook is because of the things everyone and your self have mentioned here. I hope you are right Bob and people smarten up.

After reading your article on LinkedIn, in The Rankin File ... I immediately, went to LinkedIn and deleted my account. LinkedIn was totally useless, to me, since, I am retired and do not actively work.

As for Facebook ... I am just about to do the same thing ... Completely, delete my account!!! I am getting more and more crap, on my News Feed, that has been added, when a friend or family member updates or posts a status/comment. They may share, something really meaningful and at the bottom of their post, are at least 4 Facebook pages, supposedly "related" to the topic, at hand. Yeah, right!!!

First off ... Too many of those suggested Facebook pages, to "Like" ... Have NOTHING to do with what is posted and most of my family or friends would NEVER go to those suggested Facebook pages!!! Example: A Conservative cartoon is posted and the Suggested to "Like" pages, are Liberal minded Facebook pages???!!! Just saying and using that, as an example ... But, I have seen it done.

Oh, you can "X" them out, but, so many times, there are boxes and boxes of these suggested FB pages!!! Very frustrating ... Very annoying ... Very crappy idea, in my book. How dare Facebook suggest something, for me? If, I wanted them, I would seek these pages out, myself!!!

Just about ready, to completely delete my Facebook Account, too.

Never got involved in Twitter ... I can't "text" fast enough or be short enough, in my response. I HATE texting and all who know me, know that and respect my wishes ... To not text me, unless you are sending a picture(s) or a very short message.

I think Facebook is a godsend to perverts and voyers, and the unwary do not realize what they write stays forever.
In the future a judge may say "40 years ago you said this **** on Facebook" I think it is a dangerous site.