Do you still use Facebook for anything personal?

[anonymous-user]

It occurred to me that I haven't posted much, if anything, on Facebook for years, and prior to that I actually deleted a huge chunk of old posts of mine, old photos, and so on. Despite being connected to 450 'Friends', I rarely see anyone else post personal stuff on FB these days either.

I'm not complaining, was never really one for posting much even back in my late 20's when I first joined.

I would just delete FB if it wasn't for the business, information, and local news end of things being so useful. It seems to have taken over from websites as a way for smaller businesses to make announcements or provide information. I use it all the time for checking revised opening times, new menus at pubs/restaurants, getting business phone numbers, and seeing which places have opened/closed, plus announcements and stuff like that for events and things happening in the local village.

It makes sense I suppose. It takes a small business seconds to update their FB page with information, costs nothing, and can be done on your phone whereas altering a website is a whole different pain in the backside.

I read a few weeks ago that the number of FB users is in decline, which didn't really surprise me, but I wonder where they see the service going next if people are deserting the personal/friends side of it? Do you think it will just end up as some kind of modern day Yellow Pages for business with some local news thrown in?

[Jamescrs]

I don't post personally anymore, I use the groups a bit for various interests, local community stuff, a few owners groups etc and i'm more active in those but my main profile is very sparse now

[Aunty Pasty]

I deleted my account a few years ago and haven't looked back. Most of the people on my friends list had generally stopped posting as well apart from one who still continued to post pictures of their food as if eating was a special skill.

[Spare tyre]

Never had it as I’m a miserable tt

Wife rarely posts on it, but does use to to keep tabs on her mates and their kids

[dundarach]

Nope, I have a group I post to for people, however I've posted personally a couple of times since before covid.

[K50 DEL]

Lord Marylebone said:

I would just delete FB if it wasn't for the business, information, and local news end of things being so useful. It seems to have taken over from websites as a way for smaller businesses to make announcements or provide information. I use it all the time for checking revised opening times, new menus at pubs/restaurants, getting business phone numbers, and seeing which places have opened/closed, plus announcements and stuff like that for events and things happening in the local village.

It makes sense I suppose. It takes a small business seconds to update their FB page with information, costs nothing, and can be done on your phone whereas altering a website is a whole different pain in the backside.

This is really interesting as the proliferation of this type of information is what's driving me away from Facebook, in fact I'd happily pay a monthly fee to not have endless adverts and commercial postings on there, I use it purely to keep in touch with friends and the occasional group of people with shared interests (car marques etc)
Can't say as how I've ever used it for any of the things you do..... if our differences are mirrored throughout the World then it's probably safe as a business for a while longer!

[AB]

I use it for groups only, can't remember the last time I posted anything. Profile picture is still my wedding day from years ago.

Owners groups, local groups etc

[bobbo89]

I got rid some time around the back end of 2020. Dawned on me that it was just a place for people to buy and sell cheap/dodgy crap or provide a place for all the local busy s to whinge and gossip.

Instagram is starting to grate a little recently too as the number of posts that are just targeted ads creeps up and up.

[Truckosaurus]

I glance at it every couple of days to see what family members have been up to and whose birthdays I have forgotten about.

I'm in a couple of groups, but they are dreadful at displaying anything useful, lots of repeats of old posts except when you want to find something you've seen before and can't ever find again. Such a shame so many forums have been replaced by such groups.

I've never been much of a poster other than checking in to events I'm at, as every now and again someone will reply that they are at the same event, and we meet up....

[OldSkoolRS]

Don't do much, if anything public now only on a private group I set up with some old friends who we do message each other from time to time. My main use is for Open mic or gig info and our band leader uses it to put stuff about our upcoming gigs on it too. I'm in a FB musicians group, so I plan to use that to try selling some guitar gear, so it does have it's uses for me.

I've peaked at around 45 friends and even then I've got a few to remove soon as I don't see the point if I'm unlikely to ever see them in person again now (former colleagues or distant relatives who live abroad).

[jet_noise]

450 friends.
I'm either I'm a billy-no-mates or am just more choosy, 64 for me.
Maybe that's why I post "personal" stuff. Make use of groups to restrict to family members or whatever.
Also a minimum 400miles from any of my relatives.

It's still good for me. Still get the occasional request from a school/university/workmate getting in touch after 40 years!

[anonymous-user]

K50 DEL said:

Lord Marylebone said:

I would just delete FB if it wasn't for the business, information, and local news end of things being so useful. It seems to have taken over from websites as a way for smaller businesses to make announcements or provide information. I use it all the time for checking revised opening times, new menus at pubs/restaurants, getting business phone numbers, and seeing which places have opened/closed, plus announcements and stuff like that for events and things happening in the local village.

It makes sense I suppose. It takes a small business seconds to update their FB page with information, costs nothing, and can be done on your phone whereas altering a website is a whole different pain in the backside.

This is really interesting as the proliferation of this type of information is what's driving me away from Facebook, in fact I'd happily pay a monthly fee to not have endless adverts and commercial postings on there, I use it purely to keep in touch with friends and the occasional group of people with shared interests (car marques etc)
Can't say as how I've ever used it for any of the things you do..... if our differences are mirrored throughout the World then it's probably safe as a business for a while longer!

I know what you mean about adverts, but I tend to ignore all that, and was meaning businesses that I ‘follow’ on purpose. The ones I actively want to receive announcements and posts from.

One tiny example: Our village shop has an excellent cafe in it, which offers takeaway and dine in. Each Monday they post on facebook with the lunch menu for that week, what specials they have on, and what dishes they will be serving each day. I see it pop up on my feed on a Monday, and decide which day that week I will wander over on my lunch break and buy lunch.

Same whenever our local pub changes the menu or posts about a special event or something.

I also find the opening hours for businesses much more reliable and accurate than say on their own website, as it is far easier to alter your details on FB than it is to have your website changed.

During the pandemic it was particularly useful as hardly any businesses bothered changing their websites, but a quick look on their Facebook page would reveal posts telling you if they were open, closed, gone bust, limited opening hours, special offers. As we all know, many pubs and restaurants weren’t allowed to have diners, but they could offer takeaway instead, and this all seemed to be advertised and promoted via their Facebook pages as well.

[sjg]

Barely, a few older family members put stuff on there.

It's killed off the small niche forums - eg my weird JDM import only has an owners group on facebook, nowhere else. All the expertise and advice is locked up in there. You can see why - no faffing about setting up forum software, or needing to pay for hosting, or people struggling to put up pictures, but it's a shame so much is unsearchable in private groups.

[anonymous-user]

jet_noise said:

450 friends.
I'm either I'm a billy-no-mates or am just more choosy, 64 for me.
Maybe that's why I post "personal" stuff. Make use of groups to restrict to family members or whatever.
Also a minimum 400miles from any of my relatives.

It's still good for me. Still get the occasional request from a school/university/workmate getting in touch after 40 years!

With regards to the 450 friends, it is why I put ‘friends’ like that, because we all know I don’t have 450 friends!

If you’ve been on there for nearly 16 years like I have, you tend to get added by work colleagues, neighbours, a lot of people from school, university, and so on. It’s easy to rack up a few hundred people even when you have a good clear out occasionally.

But, as per my OP, despite being connected to 450 people the number of people who actually use it as it was originally intended seem to have dwindled to not much.

[Dr Interceptor]

I used to practically live on Facebook, these days I use Instagram a lot more.

I actually go as far as to ask friends who to facebook not to check me in at venues, I don't need the whole world knowing what I'm up to.

[DiscoSINGH]

Was an avid Faceache user in my 20's and 30's posting personal stuff now as I head into my 40's I CBA with it. Will logon randomly to check a few car groups I'm in.

My days of posting pictures of my food or "checking into" a place are over. (God I'm turning into my dad!)

FB will probably will go the same way as myspace?

Edited by DiscoSINGH on Monday 14th March 15:45

[fat80b]

I can't imagine anyone uses FB like they did in the old days.

The few hundred folks I am connected to certainly don't - as others have said, there is almost no personal content posted anymore, and my stream is full of stuff from elsewhere - It is much more of a local marketplace, an advertising platform, short clips from 'influencers' , group posts that never get seen again, than it is for finding out what your neighbours kids had for tea like the old days.

I think the content hasn't actually disappeared though - it has moved elsewhere - i.e to whatsapp groups for the people you actually keep in contact with, or instagram for the filters innit.

Of course, also owned by FB...... so maybe they don't actually care....

[vixen1700]

I only have around 65 'friends' on there and they're mostly people I went to school with nearly forty years ago.

In some car groups and a local area one and that's about it.

Each time I go on there now, all I see are loads of different companies offering will-writing services.

[xx99xx]

I liked FB when it kind of took over from Friends Reunited and posts were constructed and posted just by your friends. Now it's just guff, people posting links to stuff without even adding a comment or reason why they've posted it, ads, local groups (has anyone seen my recycling bin etc).

Marketplace is handy but attracts the usual time wasters and lazies who struggle to read the actual advert.

FB sent me a survey a while ago and it asked where I usually get my 'news' from. I said news websites, which isn't FB as it's still a social network not a media outlet.

I've removed myself from all but 1 group on FB but still get bombarded by ads and videos/links to things I'm not interested in. I haven't made a personal post in about 6 years.

[Alex_225]

I use FB for car related stuff (run a couple of small groups on there). There's some family stuff on there as I have friends/relatives who have said they like seeing how the kids are growing up etc.

Otherwise that's about it though.

I will admit I do like seeing some of the positive stuff people are up to, nice to see people celebrating something but I filter out the load of old guff and humble and not so humble bragging that comes up on there.