Sick of Facebook - LIKE US? promotions

[Vespian]

Now let me get this out before I start ranting. I'm fine with people doing the Facebook thing. I really am. I don't care that you want to give away everything about yourself to corporations around the globe. I also do not intend to argue with you if you find the need to respond that I'm paranoid, because I'm not. I'm stating known facts.

I'm 27 years old. I'm a classic nerd, in the sense that I hung around people with know how about computers and internet 20 to 15 years ago. I'm not a classic nerd in the sense that I don't look like one. No glasses, for one. I'm also not fat. Sorry, stereotyping.

Facebook, Hyves, Twitter. I stay away from it. The internet does not forget. Even though my life isn't all that interesting, I simply don't want any of it to show up on some webpage in 20 years. That's a choice, I respect yours, albeit with silent disdain, I thought I could join a community through other means.

I really, really, had to try hard, to prevent myself from signing up for Facebook ever since DIII BETA keys were being launched everywhere. Everywhere on Facebook that is. There were only a few sites that allowed you to obtain one through normal means. Everywhere I look, be it MMORPG.com, Curse.com, battle.net, everywhere! All promotions are through Facebook. They're cramming Facebook through your throat everywhere you go, for each game you want to play, each account you want to log-in.

Again, please, enjoy your Facebook experience. I'm just wondering why I'm being confronted with Facebook around each and every corner on the internet. I can't select a single website without having the option to like it. Even the blog that I'm in the process of making has the Facebook LIKE THIS tag and I can't even remove it. I'm getting sick and tired with this disease on the internet.

/Rant mode off

So hey, that all sounds a bit extreme. Let's just say that the above thoughts are part of a feeling I experience when I try to join something and it turns out I need to have Facebook linked to it. This mail today, made me "Captain Picard Facepalm".

In just over 48 hours, 1 million players signed up for a chance to participate in upcoming Guild Wars 2 beta events. Although we wish we could invite everyone who signed up to playtest the beta, we do have a limited number of slots available for each event and not everyone will be able to play. We know you're very eager for us to send out beta invitations, and we will be sending these confirmations out shortly.

In the meantime, we've prepared a little thank you for all those who applied - a brand new video that features never-before-seen in-game footage.

Just head over to the Guild Wars 2 Facebook page and "Like" us to watch the video! Thanks for your support, and we'll see you in game!

My, fucking God, please stop, please stop! Liking something just to see a video?

[Razeo]

I feel the same way, only difference is I had a FB account for sometime but cancelled it 5 months ago and never thought of looking back. Then I got that very same email you quoted from Arenanet telling me to like their FB page. I was really annoyed, but I guess since FB and Twitter are some of many ways to market your product now it will be used by other gaming companies in the future.

[Twiddly]

I never understood why facebook got so big, I never had one or even considered making one O.O

[Jager]

Hahaha i use Facebook for keeping in touch with my friends in other countries, and i got a few sites i liked to follow their updates only cause i'm too lazy to go to those sites everyday and read them. But i agree, it pissed me off that everything now has to be linked to facebook. I got facebook in the first place cause it didn't have all the crap that myspace had, all the adds and random chinese dudes trying to be my friend, now facebook has become just as annoying as myspace was with all this stuff.

I wish we could go back to the facebook that was simply just to keep in touch with friends and a few groups of common interest.

[jibbyjackjoe]

Facebook has far more positive applications than these negative ones, IMO. Your mileage may vary, but the connections you can make with people, see photos from relatives across the states or seas, coordinate events for birthday surprises...all of that > fear of what someone may do with your picture.

Forgive me, but I just feel like this is all /tinfoil.

[Gilian]

Make a fake one, like, watch the video?

Not a big fan of facebook either but it is usefull sometimes. It's easier to plan something with friends, much easier than sending everyone an e-mail or meeting them somewhere.
I do hate people who need to post when they go to work every single day. Just post when you have something interesting to say. No one wants to know you woke up at 8:00 AM and went to work.

[Twiddly]

One thing I wish they would do with facebook is actually put an age limit on it. From what I have heard, it is turning into Myspace V.2

[Difuid]

Facebook has far more positive applications than these negative ones, IMO. Your mileage may vary, but the connections you can make with people, see photos from relatives across the states or seas, coordinate events for birthday surprises...all of that > fear of what someone may do with your picture.

Forgive me, but I just feel like this is all /tinfoil.

Well, that is the pirmary pupose of FB.

The problem is, now many companies use it to advertise and generate hype for their products and those who have a FB account have a clear advantage over those who do not, like extra beta test slots, exclusive videos etc. It starts to feel like a negative discrimination towards non-Fbers.

You can try to deny it but social engineering is alive and kicking due to one can datamine so much info from careless people using FB, it is not funny.

[iPluto]

I hate people who post too much as well. Some of my friends are becoming new mums and post hundreds of pictures of their kids and husbands..it makes me puke. Also weddings. Girls are awful - they have to keep you up to date with all the wedding plans via facebook groan. Although i've seen heaps of boys obsess over facebook come to think of it i think boys post more then girls tbh. I can't be bothered inviting any new friends from school or accepting any invitations these days. I have to say i don't even check out my friends profiles or new friends idk why they go to alot of effort in keeping themselves up to date. Guess all people ever do in melbourne (or any other big city) is eat shop club sleep.

What really boils me about facebook is the way corporations use it. Like Blizzard hands over beta keys to people who keep up to tab but don't really offer any real information or post anything interesting for customers/subscribers to read over. So many websites have that facebook logo...i just want to punch someone one everytime i see it.

Facebook should really remain a social thing. Far as i know posts via facebook on company profiles doesn't offer any constructive feedback that companies take into account...it would take a massive amount of time to process through all that if they did. Alot of expenses for a company when it doesn't doesn't really offer any real incentive. Besides i don't want my friends knowing i'm following blizzard on facebook or other nerdy things i do.

[Valort]

I'm in the same submarine mate. I'm not into facebooking. I have an account I probably checked 20 times since I made it years ago (number 20 was probably just now, remembering facebook exists)

But, lets face the truth. Facebook isn't myspace or ICQ. Facebook is now so deeply rooted into modern life, that you could compare it to television of phones. It is THAT big. I hate talking on the phone, I avoid it like the plague, but I still own a phone and use it when needed. I don't watch a lot of TV, with probably 5 hours a week between news and sports, but I have 5 television receivers at home. I don't use facebook often, and almost not at all, but I do have an account. See the pattern?

[Deleted]

I've been feeling like that aswell, I do have a facebook account but it's almost "empty" and is only used for things like that GW2 mail or sending a message to a friend in another country.

[Vespian]

Wow, an unexpected amount of positive feedback. I was more or less expecting to get flailed across the board, but this is surprisingly in line with my own thoughts. I see both the positive and negative sides of Facebook, but to me the negatives weigh heavier than the positives. Not necessarily due to fear, but rather by principle.

Thanks for the constructive replies so far guys

[Badpaladin]

It starts to feel like a negative discrimination towards non-Fbers.

Do you feel that people who don't like smartphones are discriminated against because cell-phone carriers market toward those who have them? Social networks are alive and kicking because the biggest group of consumers have a profile, not because companies all of a sudden decided to investigate peoples' lives.

[Vespian]

Do you feel that people who don't like smartphones are discriminated against because cell-phone carriers market toward those who have them? Social networks are alive and kicking because the biggest group of consumers have a profile, not because companies all of a sudden decided to investigate peoples' lives.

True and false. Google and Facebook are two companies that make profit purely based on information. Their entire business model is based on obtaining and sharing information. Obviously they will always seek out the places where this information can be found, but Facebook at least, is both the means and the intent.

And I agree, other companies hooking into that success isn't strange, I just don't see why it has to become an exclusive.. much like you can still send mail on paper, as well as through email.

[Deleted]

So hey, that all sounds a bit extreme. Let's just say that the above thoughts are part of a feeling I experience when I try to join something and it turns out I need to have Facebook linked to it. This mail today, made me "Captain Picard Facepalm". My, fucking God, please stop, please stop! Liking something just to see a video?

Gnowo likes this

[Badpaladin]

True and false. Google and Facebook are two companies that make profit purely base on information. Their entire business model is based on obtaining and sharing information. Obviously they will always seek out the places where this information can be found, but Facebook at least, is both the means and the intent.

I always hesitate to agree with that because the means companies like Google use to accomplish this doesn't involve any kind of investigation of personal data.

[Vespian]

I always hesitate to agree with that because the means companies like Google use to accomplish this doesn't involve any kind of investigation of personal data.

Well, I believe Facebook for one, has at least been to court once or twice over privacy issues and they were forced to take some measures, although they are only there for good show. I'm not entirely into all the details about Facebook, because I'm not actually on a crusade (against them), so I don't need to know everything, but I could look it up. I'm quite sure I'll find something recent.

[PizzaSHARK]

Facebook has far more positive applications than these negative ones, IMO. Your mileage may vary, but the connections you can make with people, see photos from relatives across the states or seas, coordinate events for birthday surprises...all of that > fear of what someone may do with your picture.

Forgive me, but I just feel like this is all /tinfoil.

Don't forget the internet stalking. Can't forget that.

I had a Facebook account like a year ago but canceled it. If I want to catch up with someone, I'll fucking call them. I hate that I end up missing out on a lot of freebies because I refuse to be a moron and "Like" everything that even vaguely catches my attention.

This kind of "LIKE/SUBSCRIBE/UPVOTE ME!" thing on Youtube pisses me off, too.

[Badpaladin]

Well, I believe Facebook for one, has at least been to court once or twice over privacy issues and they were forced to take some measures, although they are only there for good show. I'm not entirely into all the details about Facebook, because I'm not actually on a crusade (against them), so I don't need to know everything, but I could look it up. I'm quite sure I'll find something recent.

I don't think there have been any personal court cases where Facebook has been found to have personally leaked private data as a means for personal investigation that wasn't government-authorized. Obviously your private data is open to the US Government (with good reason). Data-mining tools are usually the biggest cause for concern, with the argument being that people don't want their information shared with other companies.

The problem I have with that argument is it really doesn't work the way people think it does -- Facebook doesn't compile some package of every piece of information it could find on Job Smith and hand it off to companies. Obviously this is accomplished different for every program that's used, but the gist of it is a program can find key words, location(not necessarily associated with facebook), etc and associate them with related things. For example, if you post a lot about WoW, you're more likely to see advertisements for video games (and probably MMO's). The way it's decided that you see those advertisements isn't handled by people who view data. It's a large set of "smart" programs that figure out what you may like (to varying degrees of accuracy) based on data that's passed into them.

[Deleted]

Facebook has far more positive applications than these negative ones, IMO. Your mileage may vary, but the connections you can make with people, see photos from relatives across the states or seas, coordinate events for birthday surprises...all of that > fear of what someone may do with your picture.

Forgive me, but I just feel like this is all /tinfoil.

You didn't even bother to read what he said. His point was that he doesn't mind Facebook, but he hates it that the internet is basicly forcing him to use one in order to sign up for certain stuff.

Same goes for me...I couldn't care less what others to, it's their choice to use facebook. But on almost every popular website I get the option to link my facebook to it...why should I need to join a facebook account to sign up for a beta, it does not make sense.