Is not joining Facebook a sign you're a psychopath?

[Gankaku]

Drew, don't let the bullies or FB have control. Well, if you really want to hide yourself, have your real name but not let others see your info, you can make your FB stuff private. If they can find my page in google (which if I recall you can make your page not searchable in google) then they can't get any info off it because I've made mine private. Only people who I allow in can see certain things.

Luckily some smart businesses and clubs make their pages available to read without one having to be a member. You click on their link (from where ever it may be) and you'll get to their FB page and the article without having to login to FB. If they feel they have to use FB, then at least they're not forcing everyone else to use it by hiding their articles behind a login.

@DrStrabismus this snippet you posted? True! Then something happened (I'd have to look it up) to where I think it's illegal now to force potential employees to relinquish their FB ids and pws.

EDIT: And..it looks like I'm wrong - it was going up for a vote and was voted down. All Republicans were for getting your id and password! Wow. That's scary. (not turning it into political; just an observation and statement of fact in the article.)

Requiring ids and passwords from someone is really sketchy. It goes against everything we have been taught, and invades privacy. It puts people on the spot. Facebook's terms tell you clearly not to share out your password. But here's an employer asking you for your FB password (or other social media passwords). I would rather close out my (rarely used) FB or other social media accounts, and do without that job. If they're going to be watching you that closely then do you REALLY want a job with that company?! OMG no.

Sometimes I'm honestly embarrassed to be living in these times!

[drew]

Thanks Gankaku

Well, if you really want to hide yourself, have your real name but not let others see your info, you can make your FB stuff private.

Yes my latest GF she has it like that? Before one could see
names of her friends but now one need to be a member of FB
to see any mention of friends? Maybe not even then?

Maybe one need to befriend her first.

But from a practical point of view. If I befriend her would not
all her friends also see my user name which then is my real name.

So my bullies can reach me through befriending her pretending
them know nothing about me at all. She is a friendly soul
who seems to easily accept new friends she has no idea
who they really are. Maybe I should not contact her at all.

Or go through her Mom instead or send SMS text that way
the bullies would not know that I've contacted her at all.

[Tsunami]

DrStrabismus: it is very true that employers check Facebook profiles of jobseekers. Of course not everyone has a Facebook account. I never heard of a jurisdiction who makes it legal to reject a job application on the basis of not having a Facebook account publically visable. But they can always make up some reason to not hire you, in practice I'm sure it happens that some companies only recruit people they can "follow" online. If you can prove you were dismissed or not hired because of not having a social networking profile you can take this to court, but I'm afraid this is very hard to prove.

Imagine you have been drunk one single time in your entire life. Years later you apply, fully sober and with no criminal record whatsoever, for a job. Your Facebook profile is neat. Then an old friend posts a photo of your only drunken night in your life, tags it, so that it shows on your profile. Goodbye job ...

Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, ... they are dangerous in some cases, and --just my opinion-- disturbing in general. Disturbing for the reason that not using them cuts you off from a part of the web. Some people hardly use email anymore and some companies or artists don't have a website anymore, Twitter or FB or MySpace is their internet. If you don't have a profile, it's like you are in a parallel cyberspace.

[janusz]

Originally Posted by Tsunami

Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, ... Disturbing for the reason that not using them cuts you off from a part of the web.

Sure, voluntarily eschewing a large part of the web cuts you off from a part of the web. Shock & horror....

[David]

Originally Posted by Tsunami

Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, ... they are dangerous in some cases, and --just my opinion-- disturbing in general. Disturbing for the reason that not using them cuts you off from a part of the web.

While I agree with what you say, I am of the opinion, that the ones who restrict themselves to this (other world) web are the real losers.

Many (not all) are kept in ignorance, as they were in the beginning, when folk used AOL, and had no idea of what was the real www.

[drew]

David that could be true. I've suspected this
for a long time. I love small HPV folded bikes
Names Brompton and Dahon and so on.
You fold them put in bag and enter the Train
that goes to your work and there unfold and
make it to your work and put it under the desk

These enthusiasts all of them have great exchanges
on FB and people get to know each other socially
much easier than at an old forum where things are
a bit more formal.

Same with other interests that I have they are all
on FB. I mean if some 400 million or whatever
are active then great chance to find friends there.

[David]

Brompton's are nice, though I sold mine years ago (when I moved away from the city) It got me to work for ten years or more, mostly for free, after the initial investment.

I loved my Brompton but it was of little use on the trails

[FredOnline]

I suppose that, in this day and age, if you're an active employment seeker, you would have to play them at their own game, and 'engineer' some sort of online profile that shows you in a good light.

That would include a personal website for the more savvy, or vetting your FB/Twitter for dubious info.

In my day (sounding old now!), we relied on the old CV (Curriculum Vitae/Résumé) to sell ourselves - but it was always considered proper to tailor the information supplied based on the type of job you were applying for.

For example, I always classed myself as a 'team player' - it's necessary to do this even if you consider you're not.

Am I being truthful or not?

I can work within a team in the same way that I pay my income tax - I have to do it out of necessity, but don't necessarily look forward to it!

Colleagues have often asked me why I don't go on company days out, Christmas parties, etc. My usual response is "I may have to work with you, but there's no way I'm going to socialize with you!"

As I portray a very dry sense of humor, they don't know whether I'm being serious or not . . .

[Tsunami]

Originally Posted by David

While I agree with what you say, I am of the opinion, that the ones who restrict themselves to this (other world) web are the real losers.

Many (not all) are kept in ignorance, as they were in the beginning, when folk used AOL, and had no idea of what was the real www.

I disagree partially. I am not against the social networking sites existing, but what bothers me is the fact that people who choose not to use it are indeliberately cut off from certain internet sites. To comment on certain forums you have to sign in using a Facebook profile. Certain artists and companies choose to advert their Twitter or Facebook profile rather than a decent website. In a way you're almost enforced to join the social networking madness in order to be able to use the web to full extent. And most disturbing are those (admitted, small minotiry of) users who literally call those without a profile "backwards". Did those ever think there may be a good reason why someone doesn't want to join, or that maybe Facebook or Twitter are just not everyone's cup of tea?

In advertisements on TV you now see companies advertising their Facebook profile. Nice, but what if you wish to contact the advertiser with a question and you don't have a FB profile yourself? Similarly with Twitter by the way, or MySpace, they're all in the same buckett.
In the past artists put a lot of energy in a good website, now some artists don't even have a website anymore and solely use Twitter to announce their new CD releases or concerts.

So you should just go with the flow or end up in the "loser" category? I think that's a bit harsh. People should not be cut off from a part of the web just because a handful of site have such an impact that you need to join them in order to post on totally different sites. If I want to comment on an article on my local newspaper I'm happy to create an account at their site and use their site. But I don't like to be forced to join Facebook or Twitter in order to be able to participate in the site of my local .

[Tsunami]

Originally Posted by FredOnline

Colleagues have often asked me why I don't go on company days out, Christmas parties, etc. My usual response is "I may have to work with you, but there's no way I'm going to socialize with you!"

As I portray a very dry sense of humor, they don't know whether I'm being serious or not . . .

Love the response! Spot on!

That said, the good old days of emailing or posting a resume as opposed to creating profiles on jobseeker websites... I miss those days. I guess it's a sort of nostalgia, or maybe a sort of mocking when you realise you're growing older and not fully up to date with the most recent ways how things work? For sure I wouldn't find my way through the maze that some jobhunting sites are nowadays, and would need to ask help from someone else in order to work out how to use the site.

In the past, you created a CV with MS Word, then printed and posted or you sent an email with the CV attached. Call it old fashioned, but it was plain and simple and still very efficient.

[chrisretusn]

Originally Posted by Tsunami

Imagine you have been drunk one single time in your entire life. Years later you apply, fully sober and with no criminal record whatsoever, for a job. Your Facebook profile is neat. Then an old friend posts a photo of your only drunken night in your life, tags it, so that it shows on your profile. Goodbye job ...

I understand your point; however, with a properly setup Facebook account you can prevent this scenario. Enable Profile Review and Tag Review. set Tag Suggestions to No One.

This also assumes that you are Friends with your boss. Even if you are, you can be selective on what your boss sees.

[Tsunami]

I didn't know you could disactivate tagging. But anyways, Facebook is just one of the media where such pictures of embarrassing past events could be posted by a person who happens to have the picture on his computer. Obviously maybe potential employers are less likely to check if a person has an account with for example VKontakte ...

Anyway, the idea that a Facebook account is considered by some as essential as an identity card, is somewhat disturbing because the more sites join this way of thinking and require to sign up with a Facebook account (as opposed to directly creating an account at a certain forum or site), the more those not liking Facebook will be cut off from part of the web. I cannot even leave comments on articles on the online local newspaper because for that you have to sign in using your Facebook account. I don't use FB, but the site has no function to sign up directly to the paper, they only work via Facebook as third party for those willing to comment.

PS: I never had a drunk moment in my life (not really drunk really and about 6 years ago I stopped alcohol consumption entirely) but there doesn't have to be a seriously embarrassing moment to not want to see old pictures show in one's account. Just wishing to close the chapter of the past and move on is reason enough. So what if you don't want old friends to find you? Not everyone is keen on meeting again a friend from childhood, a former co student, etc.

[drew]

I wrote an email to a guy on a FB account.
I don't have such an account but the email
at FB allow that I reach him using Lavabit
or any other such service.

Does this mean that he then have accepted me
as a friend and his timeline will show that I sent it
some weeks ago and that he did answered it today
and that I answered it today and maybe all his friends
see my username and email address too?

Drew is now friend with Victor on FB or something???

I can not be sure how secret he keep such friends
I can not look at it one need to sign it to read?

Haha I will get FB spam from all his many friends
that will ask me to join so we all can be friends

[SusanUKF]

According to my 18 year old daughter (who of course is extremely addicted to Facebook!), I am just not with the times at all not having it. "Mom, everyone has Facebook, even a lot of my friends' grandparents, and you are on the computer every day, you really should make an account!" I am never making one, I am almost defiant in this, I never want one!

Susan

[drew]

I am so addicted to "Internet" that I doubt
it would do me good to be on FB too.

I mean that would be like going from
beer once a day to Vodka ten times a day.

I would get hooked in no time on FB.