Ok. There are often comments about whether to use Facebook or not. I am of the school, and probably generation, that avoids anything that involves using Facebook and have vehemently rejected any thoughts about signing up.
My preconceptions are that its trivial, unsafe and intrusive.
The recent thread about NGF Facebook have made me wonder (but only a bit) whether I might just be missing something on this Facebook lark.
What to do??? Whaddya think? Should I have a crack at it - and why? Or why not?
Oh, and keep replies clean, civil and friendly please. ;)
:beers:
Try it. It's a way to consume information. If you don't like it then delete it again. You lose nothing. A lot of people dislike it for no reason whatsoever IMO.
There is a lot of drivel posted, but you don't see the vast majority of it unless you go looking for it. Ignore any that does come up, and just stick to reading and posting on groups you like (eg. NGF) and maybe communicate wiith a few friends and relations. Simple, perfectly safe and is a useful tool used that way. Not intrusive at all.
Like I said on the other thread, I didn't bother with it until I had a use for it.
I say join up. Facebook is great!
Like all websites, some people will hate it based on their own experiences, but the vast majority will enjoy it.
I know nothing about Facebook njee (and other posters) In your opinion, how do I go about signing up in a safe and minimalist way. How easy is it to delete an account and not still get hassled by unwanted communications?
:beers:
Quote from: austinbob on March 18, 2018, 07:58:10 PM
How easy is it to delete an account and not still get hassled by unwanted communications?
I wonder what these "unwanted communications" are that you're so worried about? I don't get any, never have. I might get a "friend request" once every few months from someone I've never heard of (at least don't think I've heard of, I'm very bad with names!) I just refuse/delete those.
Facebook likes to put up reminders every so often to check your privacy settings, they tend to be phrased in the style of "It looks like you've just done abc. We care about your privacy. Did you know you can do xyz to limit stuff?" and it give you a link to follow if you feel you need to change something in your settings.
Quote from: ntpntpntp on March 18, 2018, 08:07:05 PM
Quote from: austinbob on March 18, 2018, 07:58:10 PM
How easy is it to delete an account and not still get hassled by unwanted communications?
I wonder what these "unwanted communications" are that you're so worried about? I don't get any, never have. Those most I might get is a "friend request" once every few months from someone I've never heard of (at least don't think I've heard of, I'm very bad with names!) I just refuse/delete those.
Probably just one of my preconceptions Nick. I'm hoping to be educated sufficiently, in this thread, to make a more objective decision about whether to sign up..
:beers:
Yep, I agree with Nick. I'm the generic Facebook user - it appeared whilst I was at university, I had about 500 'friends' at one point, but have gradually reduced it. I now use it more for forums like the NGF, for which it's great. I like seeing what some friends are up to too.
I've never consciously had any unsolicited messages or notifications or anything like that, and it has never once hassled me. I can't remember the last pushed notification I received. If I log in then it tells me about posts that people have responded to or whatever, much like on here. You don't get hassled.
I've got Facebook set up so that I get a lot of railway news both model and the real thing. Quite a few preserved railways have pages and there are lots of model railway groups as well as sales pages. I even get a bit of family news too.
The best way to avoid aggravation is to avoid anything even vaguely politically related.
:NGaugersRule:
Interesting that all the posts so far are fairly positive about Facebook. I was expecting some anti Facebook posts.
I might have to give it a crack if no good reasons come to light for not signing up.
:hmmm: :hmmm:
Quote from: austinbob on March 19, 2018, 11:26:24 AM
Interesting that all the posts so far are fairly positive about Facebook. I was expecting some anti Facebook posts.
I might have to give it a crack if no good reasons come to light for not signing up.
:hmmm: :hmmm:
I used to be on Facebook, spent three years putting up with all the dross that came with it, then spent 12 months trying to get out/off of Facebook (which I have finally succeeded at).
Read into that what you will.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
:thumbsup:
I use Facebook as an easy option to keep in touch with family and friends. I also have a Facebook page for N-Train, where I post updates, because it is quick and easy to use.
I do not get caught up in endless debates, or sharing posts and pictures, and do not get drawn into playing games.
I get more hassle from my N-Train website, with spam e-mails, than I ever do from Facebook.
For many years I was anti Facebook but.... in the last six months I have started to use it.
I restrict Friends to just a very few and don't look at any of what I call sensationalist or (to me)uninteresting topics and I never ever get involved in debates that can get un-necessarily heated.
It is useful for keeping up with interesting news from he few sources that I follow, including some railway related ones.
The only thing I would comment on re Facebook is that on this forum, comments can be in depth, on Facebook the comments are often only one or at most two sentences and are, in my very limited experience, not very informative.
I guess forums and Facebook have two very different roles to play.
Just my opinion but Facebook is more useful than I ever thought.....just use the bits that interest you.
My only other comment is that starting from scratch, it is not at all intuitive. For such a major software player, it could do well to make itself easier to use and understand. I needed help to get started with it!
The OP made me ask myself the question "Would my life change for the better if I sign up to Facebook?" and from the replies so far the answer is a resounding 'NO!'
If I need to contact friends and/or relatives I use that ancient contraption called a phone (it's good to talk) or the less ancient e mail system.
I use t'interweb to keep up to date on things, and this forum is far better than most sources in imparting news as it happens about things railway related I'm interested in,
Sorry, but no one has convinced me Facebook is a 'must have'
Very few things in life are must haves, so the question should really be is FB useful? To which the answer is clearly yes otherwise it wouldn't be used so widely. It is incredibly useful for sharing news quickly amongst friends in a way that would take hours to phone the same people to tell them news. If you're not interested in hearing what someone is posting then there are plenty of ways to either mute them, block or unfriend them etc.
Of course some people overshare or use the tool poorly but that doesn't make FB unuseful
Cheers Mike
Quote from: red_death on March 19, 2018, 12:10:08 PM
Very few things in life are must haves, so the question should really be is FB useful?
But if it's so useful, how have I got this far in life without it and, more to the point, I don't feel I'm disadvantaged? In fact, the more I hear on the news about it, not having it seems to be an advantage sometimes :hmmm:
Quote from: newportnobby on March 19, 2018, 12:16:49 PM
Quote from: red_death on March 19, 2018, 12:10:08 PM
Very few things in life are must haves, so the question should really be is FB useful?
But if it's so useful, how have I got this far in life without it and, more to the point, I don't feel I'm disadvantaged? In fact, the more I hear on the news about it, not having it seems to be an advantage sometimes :hmmm:
Up until I started this thread Mick I was pretty much of the same opinion as you about Facebook. Most of the responses in this thread so far have been more positive than negative. It's definitely not a must have for me but could be a nice to have possibly.
I think the main question I have now is will Facebook cause me any hassle, is it safe and if you delete an account if you don't like it, is it really DELETED? Or will it come back to haunt me in some way?
If I get good answers to that question(s) I might just give it a try.
:beers:
Quote from: newportnobby on March 19, 2018, 12:16:49 PM
But if it's so useful, how have I got this far in life without it and, more to the point, I don't feel I'm disadvantaged?
How can you know what you're missing out on without having experienced it? It's just another communication channel. You may try it and decide you don't like it, fair enough.
Seems like we've only had one view on the ability (or not) to delete yourself from FB, I guess that indicates the majority of FB users on here are happy with things and haven't felt the need to delete their accounts.
Is it safe? In what way do you think it might not be safe? FB can't kill you! Like any other public communication channel, don't give out personal information and don't get involved in the drivel. Don't click on the daft news feeds and other "suggested" posts. So what if you get a few spam emails (which I don't btw) - just bin them without opening. No big deal.
It's the only way I communicate with my lad at uni these days! He never bothers with email, doesn't always respond to text messages but at least with FB I can see when he has a green light against his name that he's alive and (mostly) bothers to respond when i open a chat with him.
A few friends of mine have decided they want to leave Facebook and have done so with no ill effect.
I think Mike's got it spot on. Of course it's not essential, but it's definitely a nice to have, and facilitates communication and sharing of information and (to a lesser extent) knowledge in another way.
I don't do facebook. I've never done facebook in part because I work in computing and I understand what can be done with all that data. There's also this amazing 3D rendered replacement for facebook with surround sound, live music and good food. It's called a pub. It does have the same problem with idiots who think they know it all and want everyone to know their opinions but the moderation is better and nobody goes around stealing all your personal data.
I don't really do things like twitter either. I just don't care whether Stephen Fry had sprouts for tea ...
I do use google hangouts for chatting to people, but that doesn't mix 'news', cat pictures and friends posting photos of their lunch with conversation.
Alan
Thanks Alan. Your comments about personal data are, I suppose, echoing my concerns about Facebook being 'safe'.
Can you limit the amount of personal data you enter, and/or protect it in any way?
If I use Facebook it will probably only be to communicate with groups like the NGF.
Luv the pub bit... If the NGF members did a local pub group I 'd be up for that!! :claphappy:
:beers:
Ive was kicked off facebook a few years back,only had a handfull of friends that i mostly see in real life anyway so no great loss.My crime was not using my real name or being able to prove i was the pseudonym i was posting under. wonder if its because it makes it harder for the cia to keep tabs on me or because cambridge analytical wont be able to target political campaigns and marketing at me.
If Facebook doesn't harvest your personal data then Amazon or any other e-commerce, or social media site will!
I personally have no real issues with that. Why wouldn't I want to see sidebar adverts that are relevant to my tastes!? If you do then I'd steer clear of the internet in general, personally. Nothing is truly anonymous any more.
As to people saying they never managed to leave Facebook - they're going to have to sort that out so people can exercise their right to be forgotten as part of the GDPR on 25th May. Otherwise they are going to be fined spectacularly!
Quote from: themadhippy on March 19, 2018, 02:03:52 PM
Ive was kicked off facebook a few years back,only had a handfull of friends that i mostly see in real life anyway so no great loss.My crime was not using my real name or being able to prove i was the pseudonym i was posting under. wonder if its because it makes it harder for the cia to keep tabs on me or because cambridge analytical wont be able to target political campaigns and marketing at me.
My question is what personal data do you HAVE to put in other than a user name and password? What data is being harvested and what can they do with it?
It concerns me that you might have been thrown off Facebook for no good reason. However if you broke their rules then ejection is probably to be expected.
:beers:
You don't have to put much in but what you read and how long you read it for, who you communicate with and what you like are very effective ways of profiling people.
You can of course also forget to tell the truth, like things you don't or just ignore everything except to talk to people
I've recently joined FB and found that my family(who mostly live 400 miles from me) is getting swamped by the forum posts. So I think I'm going to have to remove various groups from my normal site and set up a second FB account for groups I look at.
The biggest pain I have is the emails from FB coming every time someone posts so I'll need to set up a dummy email adress as well. (or can I set FB as spam?)
That's useful info Q. I use a WhatsApp for family chats and would only use Facebook for groups like NGF. Hopefully that would not cause such a big problem? :beers:
The NGF is a private Facebook group, which means that no one who's not a member should receive any notification of things you're posting. Indeed they can't see it at all unless they become a member.
Article on the BBC today (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-43458110) about Facebook's data sharing interestingly.
Quote from: red_death on March 19, 2018, 12:10:08 PM
Very few things in life are must haves, so the question should really be is FB useful? To which the answer is clearly yes otherwise it wouldn't be used so widely.
Used so widely? As is Class A & B drugs, tobacco, alcohol...
...and similar to these, Facebook would also appear to addictive and a hard one to break.
:D
Quote from: njee20 on March 19, 2018, 03:19:18 PM
The NGF is a private Facebook group, which means that no one who's not a member should receive any notification of things you're posting. Indeed they can't see it at all unless they become a member.
That would suit me just fine. So is it true that any group you have to have separate membership/sign up would also be private. Xcuse my ignorance on this...
:beers:
Quote from: emjaybee on March 19, 2018, 04:13:17 PM
Quote from: red_death on March 19, 2018, 12:10:08 PM
Very few things in life are must haves, so the question should really be is FB useful? To which the answer is clearly yes otherwise it wouldn't be used so widely.
Used so widely? As is Class A & B drugs, tobacco, alcohol...
...and similar to these, Facebook would also appear to addictive and a hard one to break.
:D
As I'm not a teenager with my eyes permanently glued to and my fingers permantly stroking a smartphone - I suspect Facebook would have minimal addictive affect on an old codger like me... ;) :)
Quote from: austinbob on March 19, 2018, 04:19:05 PM
Quote from: njee20 on March 19, 2018, 03:19:18 PM
The NGF is a private Facebook group, which means that no one who's not a member should receive any notification of things you're posting. Indeed they can't see it at all unless they become a member.
That would suit me just fine. So is it true that any group you have to have separate membership/sign up would also be private. Xcuse my ignorance on this...
:beers:
You have public groups - anyone can join, see and add to the content, if you contribute anything to that group (including 'Liking' an image/post) then that may be shared with anyone in your friends list.
You have private groups where membership is vetted. If you contribute anything to that group the other members of the group may well see it on their 'timeline' (a vaguely chronological list of things Facebook thinks you may want to see), but no one else outside the group can or will see any content.
The NGF page and the N'Porium classified pages are the latter. The classifieds are particularly good IMO - vastly more active than here and what Facebook is good for.
Thanks njee - Might just have to give this a try soon.
:beers:
I have a FB account. It rarely gets used to post anything, but rather that I can see what has been posted by people or organisations I need information from, such as my kids' school. This is annoying, because there are better ways to communicate with parents.
I cant bear the unintuitive interface, it just makes me cringe.
IMO its also worth remembering what FB is - essentially its a bloke with loud halo shouting adverts at you that you might be vaguely interested in. Its a tool to sell you stuff you dont need.
I only have two friends FB friends.
Cheers
Kirky
First of all thanks for all your help and advice.
Well - set up Facebook account and had a play around. First thing I noticed was I had around 400 potential 'friends' 395 of whom I had never heard of. Friends of friends of friends I suppose.
Tried the NGF group. Not impressed. Much prefer the web forum. User interface not very intuitive.
Bottom line is Facebook is not for me. Account now scheduled for deletion.
Back to me old ways now and returned to my comfort zone.
:goodbye:
What a great shame Bob, I'm very surprised. I think you should give it more time. It's a completely different platform to this site, so let it sink in. Lots of lovely layouts and models on the NGF group that don't get posted on here (as well as the other way around too!).
Quote from: Tank on March 20, 2018, 07:18:47 AM
What a great shame Bob, I'm very surprised. I think you should give it more time. It's a completely different platform to this site, so let it sink in. Lots of lovely layouts and models on the NGF group that don't get posted on here (as well as the other way around too!).
You may well be right but there's too much other baggage that gets in the way for me. So for now I'm happy to stick with what I already use.
Dinosaur now signing off ;)
You're staying here though?
Quote from: Bealman on March 20, 2018, 08:34:18 AM
You're staying here though?
You bet I am. I'm addicted to this forum as much as me favourite tipple. Hicc!!
:laughabovepost:
As somebody who joined Facebook when it was in its infancy (as in the days when it was just a handful of University networks, which is handy as it appears to make my profile harder to find), I have seen it change a lot.
I use it (far too much, more on which below) for three reasons:
1) Keeping in touch with Friends and some family. It is useful (so long as privacy senttings are carefully managed) for arranging get togethers.
2) N gauge Facebook groups and buying/selling. Former (as @Tank (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=2) says) often has many photos and I add more there as it saves Forum space. Latter is offen way better then Evilbay.
3) Idle time wasting. This is where I think my problem is, habit forming. Now actively trying to reduce time just dawdling.
Just my couple of coppers worth.
Skyline2uk
Yes, I agree with Tank. You spent longer on this thread deliberating than you did trying it! It isn't another forum, don't expect it to be, but IMO there's a lot of good content on there.
A while back I opened a dummy FB account in the name of
Cedric Spragg or similar, gave my self a completely insane
profile of education and careers and fave pop groups etc.
Someone from the school I mentioned (which I didn't attend)
asked me if I knew so and so and Jimmy and Bill etc .
They didn't know I'd been a fighter pilot!
After a few weeks it became a bore.........
BREAKING NEWS!
Account set-up and threat of subsequent deletion by @austinbob (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=2403) has unexpected results for Zuckerberg's empire!
Sky News reports today that "Facebook has seen $37bn (£26bn) wiped off its value".
:o
At least you gave it a try, Bob. More than I intend to do.
Quote from: daffy on March 20, 2018, 10:30:51 AM
BREAKING NEWS!
Account set-up and threat of subsequent deletion by @austinbob (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=2403) has unexpected results for Zuckerberg's empire!
Sky News reports today that "Facebook has seen $37bn (£26bn) wiped off its value".
:o
Not my fault - honest guv.
:laughabovepost:
OK @Tank (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=2) @njee20 (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=1147) never let it be said I don't listen to advice and respond to pressure on this Forum. I'm gonna try Facebook a while longer.
:'(
:sorrysign:
:D You'll enjoy it!
@austinbob (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=2403)
Strangely enough, I have just seen this..............
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/delete-deactivate-facebook-account-youre-worried-privacy-100144720.html
Quote from: newportnobby on March 20, 2018, 04:07:28 PM
@austinbob (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?action=profile;u=2403)
Strangely enough, I have just seen this..............
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/delete-deactivate-facebook-account-youre-worried-privacy-100144720.html (https://uk.yahoo.com/news/delete-deactivate-facebook-account-youre-worried-privacy-100144720.html)
Yeh Seen that NN.
I've actually tried the deactivation and delete and that works ok. The deletion gives you a couple of weeks grace before the big eraser in the sky does the dirty deed so I have taken the opportunity to continue with my Facebook adventure for a while longer.
I have nothing on my profile except my email and name. I have not set up any friends (don't think I've got any left anyway :'( :'( )
There is some nice stuff on closed groups to see - including the NGF and the Nporium so I'll give it a bit longer I think
:beers:
I've sent you a friend request. :)
Quote from: austinbob on March 20, 2018, 04:39:22 PM
.... I'll give it a bit longer I think
Good man - I too thought you hadn't really given it a chance after just a couple of hours.
I remember when I first signed up to FB I felt a little lost on how to use it, I had to ask my teenage son a few things!
Quote from: Tank on March 20, 2018, 05:48:54 PM
I've sent you a friend request. :)
Thanks Tank. Sent message off a little while ago - 1st message - hope it worked??
:beers:
Getting into this Facebook stuff now. Signed up to a few railway groups. They're pretty good but I find it difficult to find new stuff and everything seems mixed up - no topics as such. Loads of nice piccies though.
Wasn't gonna use it for chatting to people but a few of the 'people you might know ' turned out to be old mates I'd not spoke to in a while - now reconnected. Nice bonus that.
Messaged and embarrassed a couple of my grandchildren who said 'why have you posted those daft messages for all my friends to see grandad'.
Granddaughter put me right an showed me how to keep messages private!!
General comment is that Facebook is not very intuitive so its not readily apparent what all the features are and how to use them. Needed to do a bit of Googling and Binging to make progress.
I think I'll keep at this lark a while longer. Easy to see how this might become addictive.
:beers:
Your experiences seem to mimick mine some six months ago.
I still finf Facebook somewhat non intuitive but I use it in much the same way as you.
Keep going.
I'm sure there maybe ways :hmmm: to avoid letting Facebook know your every detail but this article from Huffpost news today makes interesting reading:
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/facebook-terms-and-conditions-you-agreed-to-when-you-opened-an-account-what-do-they-mean_uk_5ab8b719e4b054d118e47db9 (https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/facebook-terms-and-conditions-you-agreed-to-when-you-opened-an-account-what-do-they-mean_uk_5ab8b719e4b054d118e47db9)
Quote from: daffy on March 26, 2018, 03:42:12 PM
I'm sure there maybe ways :hmmm: to avoid letting Facebook know your every detail but this article from Huffpost news today makes interesting reading:
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/facebook-terms-and-conditions-you-agreed-to-when-you-opened-an-account-what-do-they-mean_uk_5ab8b719e4b054d118e47db9 (https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/facebook-terms-and-conditions-you-agreed-to-when-you-opened-an-account-what-do-they-mean_uk_5ab8b719e4b054d118e47db9)
Wow!
Darned glad I'm FB free.
:o
The thing to remember is that Facebook is trying to find particular consumer groups, be this products views or now politics.
If you are an oddball sort, and my apologies but I guess that includes most of this boards membership, you do not meet the criteria of a "useful" Facebook member. That is one they can turn into money. The reason for this is that our interest group of manufacturers, etc. like Hornby, Farish, Dapol and the rest don't consume online data to target their customers.
In fact Facebook's computers reaction to most of us will be "Does not compute". For example I also build model warships and have searched for years for parts, hulls etc. For the same number of years a large number of companies have been targeting me to sell me a luxury yacht (I wish) but its the closest "normal" group they could associate me with.
This is a simplification but frankly unless you are of the Facebook generation or demographic we are of little interest to them. Having said this political demographic may change this, however its the young new voters they want to profile. For instance they will desperately want to get a handle on the current youth anti gun lobby in the US before the Mid-Term elections.
QuoteThis is a simplification but frankly unless you are of the Facebook generation or demographic we are of little interest to them.
:hellosign:
They probably love me. I still don't really have an issue most of it - more transparency would be good, but I'd rather see news stories and adverts which may be of interest to me!
I don't see it as a big deal, but then I don't use FB on a phone or use Messenger so they're not going to get call history etc. I only put the bare minimum of info on my account, and I don't play any of the silly games or sign up for other apps.
Quote.....and adverts .....
Adverts? :veryangry: Don't get me started on adverts :no::veryangry2:
But that's another topic. ;)
Quote from: Snowwolflair on March 26, 2018, 04:04:00 PM
The thing to remember is that Facebook is trying to find particular consumer groups, be this products views or now politics.
If you are an oddball sort, and my apologies but I guess that includes most of this boards membership, you do not meet the criteria of a "useful" Facebook member. That is one they can turn into money.
In fact Facebook's computers reaction to most of us will be "Does not compute".
This is a simplification but frankly unless you are of the Facebook generation or demographic we are of little interest to them. Having said this political demographic may change this, however its the young new voters they want to profile.
You can't possibly be that naive. If they're tracking/logging that much info on that many people they're doing it for a reason, and despite all their rhetoric, that much data will always be a tempting target. You may think that you don't fit into any group, but I guarantee that in FB terminology you are already in various 'groups'.
FB is a business, pure and simple, designed to profile people to target them with products. If it was anything else you'd be paying a small membership fee, there'd be no shareholders, and it wouldn't be laced with advertisements.
Quote from: emjaybee on March 26, 2018, 06:24:53 PM
Quote from: Snowwolflair on March 26, 2018, 04:04:00 PM
The thing to remember is that Facebook is trying to find particular consumer groups, be this products views or now politics.
If you are an oddball sort, and my apologies but I guess that includes most of this boards membership, you do not meet the criteria of a "useful" Facebook member. That is one they can turn into money.
In fact Facebook's computers reaction to most of us will be "Does not compute".
This is a simplification but frankly unless you are of the Facebook generation or demographic we are of little interest to them. Having said this political demographic may change this, however its the young new voters they want to profile.
You can't possibly be that naive. If they're tracking/logging that much info on that many people they're doing it for a reason, and despite all their rhetoric, that much data will always be a tempting target. You may think that you don't fit into any group, but I guarantee that in FB terminology you are already in various 'groups'.
FB is a business, pure and simple, designed to profile people to target them with products. If it was anything else you'd be paying a small membership fee, there'd be no shareholders, and it wouldn't be laced with advertisements.
Its not a question of nativity its a question of knowledge. From business I know more about their commercial model than most so I have a good understanding of what I am outlining.
I must say I agree that it's naive to assume they write off huge chunks of the population because they don't fit some preconceived ideal. Aside from an a typical hobby the membership base here is as 'mainstream' as any. The intersection on the Venn diagram with (for example) people who watch football, vote labour, and drink alcohol is just as valid. That's the advantage of their multifaceted model, more simple 2 dimensional models would have big gaps, but the richness of Facebook's data means they've got far more to go on. That's the value.
They don't write off large amount of data, just large amounts of it is of no interest to those paying money for it, so they emphasize gathering/attracting suitable people to join Facebook that will generate valuable data.
For instance if you put a photo up showing you or another person holding a baby you rocket up the value chain, similarly if you post a photo of a car. Its not just text information they gather information from.
Personally my Facebook is a desert, never comment, never like, never accept, no photos, no friends etc. but having an account allows me to watch :D
Now that depends who pays money for it. I'm well aware of how they gather and utilise data, what if someone who's a member on here posts a photo of them holding a baby? They're still more valuable, I don't get your rationale that people here are somehow not useful because of a niche interest.
Again, the appeal in Facebook's data set is in its richness.
Quote from: njee20 on March 26, 2018, 06:51:02 PM
Now that depends who pays money for it. I'm well aware of how they gather and utilise data, what if someone who's a member on here posts a photo of them holding a baby? They're still more valuable, I don't get your rationale that people here are somehow not useful because of a niche interest.
Again, the appeal in Facebook's data set is in its richness.
A baby Detic, would create interest here but nowhere else I suspect :), and regardless this hosting site is not used for data gathering by the host (I hope), apart from external web spiders harvesting data (old school).
The rule is the more you give of "you" the more likely you will disclose something valuable. You also have to remember that data is cross referenced across sites, why Facebook operates multiple products.
the point I made about picture analysis is very important. I have seen a demonstration of two accounts set up on different services from different IP addresses with false names and data but containing two photos of the same person. It took 12 days for the researcher to find a result that had matched the two accounts and paired them as a singular user. What was more interesting it took a further 45 days to tie it back to another account from the CompuServe era, by the person who's photo was used, despite the grey hair and beard sported in the later photos.
Having read all above, I'm very happy to live in "obscurity" and choose to look for things I want, not having ads pushed at me and my profile manipulated and sold to all and sundry.
Quote from: Snowwolflair on March 26, 2018, 07:04:32 PM
A baby Detic, would create interest here but nowhere else I suspect :), and regardless this hosting site is not used for data gathering by the host (I hope), apart from external web spiders harvesting data (old school).
Eh? You said Facebook is looking for particular demographics, so folk here aren't of interest. That's nonsense, and photos posted here aren't the point.