Have I outgrown you?

When I joined Facebook all those years ago, I joined because a couple of friends were overseas and it was an easy, instant way to keep in touch with them.  Over the years, my love of Facebook grew, probably like yours did.  I like many others, have a big friend list (not bragging, just stating facts), that consist of family, close friends, work colleagues past and present, old school friends and some new friends too.  It gave me a way to re-connect with some old friends, and keep up to date with the goings on of others.  It was a saviour at times too, being at home with a newborn.

Image here

But the last year or so, I’m wondering if I’ve outgrown Facebook?  Things have been irking me, from a while ago and recently too.  I’m not sure if it’s enough to make me cancel my account altogether, I’m just not sure what to do.  Some of the things that have been on my mind:

• Photo stealing.  This is a big one for me.  A year ago I backed up my data to my hard drive and deleted most of my photos.  Facey Friends were reposting them on their own wall but with no acknowledgment of where it had come from.  If my Facey friends could do this, who else could?  Now I’m extra wary of what photos I post.
• People being snarky, whether they mean it or not.  We are all time poor, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t re-read what you have written before you hit ‘post’ especially if it’s on someone else’s photo or on their status.
• Manners and being polite, thinking of other people’s feelings, hello….does this not exist in cyberspace or are that rude in real life too?
• The open-air fighting, seriously, do it face to face.
• The various type of Facey status updaters (which I am all sure we have been guilty of every now and again).  The whiners, the attention seekers, the constant link posters, the mummy status’ (which I definitely have been guilty of!).
• And does anyone ever catch up anymore, or even make a phone call these days (considering most of us have smart-phones and are using them to check Facey).

The things I have noticed about my own recent online behavior:

• I still check Facey all the time, I still love it, but I don’t post many status’ anymore.
• It seems to be getting quieter though.  Not sure if it’s just me, but have you noticed it to?
• I love taking photos, always have, always will and I still love to post some.  I still remain very wary, probably more so now of what I post, especially because people can now save to their.
• I mainly use it for my Blog and to check up on other Blogs too.
• I actually prefer Twitter, although, none of my friends are really on there.  But I am starting to make a few Blogging friends.

So, I’m still not sure what I am doing or going to do or how I feel about Facebook anymore. I know there are goods and bads, but I don’t know how to weigh these up exactly.  What are your insights and how have you been feeling about it all lately?

Bel x