Facebook ... fun to some, but pet peeve to others
Published: Saturday | March 14, 2009
Jamaican singer Etana is one of many entertainers who has Facebook fans and friends.
Randy Bowman, Staff Reporter
Facebook's facility to foster unbridled fun has given some members the excuse they've been looking for just to let it all hang out.
These include zany status comments in Netspeak that could range from 'I'm gonna pee now' to 'dnt want anybody who is innocent: because if ur innocent u won't av any xperience!'
There are also humorous photo tags such as 'the one that's always hungry', 'the one with all the gossip', or 'He must be a mutant from the X-Men'.
While the constant web chatter thrills some Facebookers, others believe the never-ending updates are over the top. Saturday Life hit the website to chat with members and get their feedback.
Interesting comments
Karla Reece said she was usually entertained.
"I find some of the comments and statuses really interesting and amusing.
"What annoys me the most, though, is when people air too much of their dirty laundry. Everything isn't for Facebook."
On the contrary, says O'Shanna Williams. She said she doesn't mind, and loves gobbling up as much info about other members as she can. "Mi can faas in a ppl business," said Williams.
However, she hates when the reverse happens. "It annoys me wen de ppl faas and comment pon wey dem nu fi a look pon."
General consensus
She shared the general consensus of the group interviewed as persons said they understood it was all done in the name of fun.
Interestingly, during research, Saturday Life found Julian Smith's video on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVA047JAQsk) in which he shares the 25 things he hates about Facebook.
Don't get him wrong, Smith says. He admits to finding Facebook and some of its tools cool, if not abused. But he believes that some Facebook fanatics fail to use their conscience, thus annoying the hell out of him.
randy.bowman@gleanerjm.com
1. 25 Things notes
2. Poking
3. Happy birthday wall postings
4. Compare people application
5. Pillow-fight request
6. Facebook chat
7. Gifts
8. Abuse of status updates
9. Old people on Facebook
10. Event invites
11. Group invites
12. Top friend drama
13. Web cam video comments
14. Flair
15. Bumper stickers
16. Detail requests
17. Relative requests
18. Bad tagged photos
19. 'Lost home' Facebook exploitation
20. People you may (not) know
21. Creepy ads
22. Threads
23. Picture shrinkage
24. Duplicate pictures
25. Facebook relationship gossip
Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter
To be a true player, you have to know how to play
If she say a night, convince her say a day
Never admit to a word weh she say
And if she claim a you, tell har, baby no way.
- It Wasn't Me (Shaggy and Rik Rok)
Shana-Kaye Joneshas been played by the man that she felt genuinely liked her and wanted them to take their relationship to higher heights.
Her man, Paul Amos, had told her that he broke up with his girlfriend earlier last year so the two kicked it off last June.
But Jones began to notice a trend. Amos would always be missing in action during public holidays and other special days. His excuse - he either had to visit family in the country or hang with his friends.
"In August, he went to Negril but didn't invite me. Heroes Day, he didn't call. Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year's Eve he gave me some silly excuse as to why we couldn't be together. I was forced to ring in the New Year with my girlfriends," Jones told Saturday Life.
She said he had planned to go to the country with his brother on New Year's Day but decided to spend the day with her only because she expressed concern.
Jones said when she visite Amos' house, she sometimes saw items which belonged to another woman.
The only one
Whenever she asked if he was seeing anyone, he told her that she was the only one and usually asked when he have found the time to see anyone else.
Jones said Amos deleted her from his Facebook 'Friends' list, but she got access and found recent photos of him and the girl he said was his ex.
"I asked him about the photographs, but he said they are still friends and hang out in the same circle, so that's why they posed together at the party," said Jones.
She got the shock of her life when a friend informed her that he was still involved with the girl he claimed was his ex-girlfriend.
He denied it, but Jones, who says she was fed up with the situation, broke off the relationship.
String a girl along
Daniel Johnson said he has been a player for as long as he can remember.
"I know that when I string a girl along, she will eventually get hurt but I can't help myself," Johnson told Saturday Life.
He said it was difficult for him to keep one woman because he had to maintain his reputation as a "girls' man".
"Sometimes I will let them know that I have my girl, but sometimes I talk to them first to find out if they would date a guy who already has a woman.
"If they say no, then I would trick them and let them know that I don't have a girl," said Johnson.
He said that a true player, even when caught, never admits to the dirty deed.
Real name withheld
petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com
On February 4, 2004, Mark Zuckerberg, roommates Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes, and fellow computer science major students at Harvard University founded Facebook, known originally as TheFacebook.
Initially, membership for this free-access, social-networking website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook Inc was limited to Harvard students, but was expanded to other colleges in the Boston area, the Ivy League, and Stanford University. It later stretched further to include any university student, then high-school students, and, finally, anyone over the age of 13.
Active users worldwide
Currently, the website has more than 175 million active users worldwide and recently outshone MySpace in visitor log-ins, making Facebook second to none. MySpace and Twitter lag behind.
Today, Facebook makes it easy for you to connect with family, friends, your favourite public figures and organisations. You'll have access to all their status updates, photos, videos and much more. You may even comment on their posted content and join the conversations, just as if they were next to you, on their Facebook profiles. You'll be able to do this - not just with your family and friends - but also with political leaders, media outlets, non-profit organisations, TV shows, musicians, your favourite celebrities and much more.