Facebook = Absolute Garbage

The Driver

The Driver

Detailers Workshop
I just had to vent somewhere about this, I never use social media (EVER). I understand that it helps grow businesses yada yada. I have plenty of clients via word of mouth and do this on the side. I use facebook maybe once ever 6 months to look for certain things for sale if I can`t find them anywhere else. Well, I recently logged on and I have to say... The posts I see literally make me lose faith in humanity. Quite literally the dumbest and or ignorant things stated on the internet today. I actually got mad just reading it, then promptly deleted my account and now I feel much better. Forums are so much nicer, more organized, logical posts and hey they don`t need your phone number and 8 forms of ID either.

End rant*
 
Mi Hermano, El Conductor !
Totally relate to what you said.. I deleted FacePlant over 3 years ago and don`t miss it at all..
I have no social media need, etc.., too many real life things to do..
And also noted the alarming amount of ga-ga coming out of people on there all the time.. :(

Even YouTube is turning into another wasteland sometimes...
Dan F
 
I tried FB once in 2007 and got rid of it swiftly. Never once regretted it and never once returned.
 
The only reason I still have mine is for business purposes as it puts my work in front of thousands very easily. Otherwise I`m right there with you man!
 
I just ignore(like officially through settings just click not to see their posts) or delete those dopes. I dont care if I have 481 friends or 9. I agree with the stupidity.
 
Amen brother! Facebook sucks. I still have an account but not sure why as I only use it when forced to. Nextzeitt sent me a message through Facebook Messenger and it took me awhile to figure it out. I tried to look at the Autopia Facebook page and it was an extreme waste of time. Months ago I opened it up and one of my “friends” had sent the most heinous political “if you don’t vote Republican” bs that it made my skin crawl (bunch of alt-right white power trash). I’m for free speech but the framers of the Constitution never in a million years thought about social media. You shouldn’t be able to use the “free speech” mantra to incite violence against any race of human being, it’s just wrong (and the “its only a joke” defense doesn’t work either). We act like the Constitution was written by God and was never meant to change, argh! My rant is over too.
 
If you use Facebook on a computer, I personally like a browser plug in called Social Fixer. It lets you create custom filters to block things from your news feed and does a pretty good job at blocking a lot of the ads and other annoying stuff as well. I just wish they had a version for the mobile app too.
 
I keep my circle very small and it only contains close family and friends...or at least those who haven`t gone off the rails, they get the drop very quickly. I only check it a couple times a week and only post on it 3~4 times a year. The only exception to this is my local SCCA SOLO chapter and the local Cars and Coffee org. Those I track simply for their event calendars, though I do admit to reading the SCCA posts occasionally. I never stray into the C&C comments.

Life is far too short to care what other people think or to lower youself into the cesspool which is social media today. After seeing several articles discussing how it actually feeds mental illnesses like depression and is becoming a factor in suicides, I really have no need.

Forums are hit-or-miss. While I generally agree they are a far better way to discuss items of interest, many are becoming less civil as well. I`m looking to buy an new car in around 18 months and while doing research on forums I`ve almost eliminated one entire model based on the members of it`s largest forum. I`ve found their real-life community to be similarly bad, and don`t want to be associated with people like that nor have to deal with them when needing support or simply trying to share the joy of ownership.
 
I think it`s really up to mods to keep everything civil. I`m a mod on my forum and let alot of things go but I do intervene as needed, that really is key to making a great online community.
 
Forums definately have better info, that`s for sure. Have had a Facebook account since 2012, managed to gather about 20-25 friends over the years, 99% of whom I have their feed turned off so I dont see any of their posts.

I started following some detail groups more closely last summer when I found myself having large amounts of time "Hurry up and wait-ing" for various reasons. Many Facebook detailing groups, notably Detailing 101 by Autogeek, are crazy town as far as accurate info...but they get a ton of traffic so if`n you need to kill time, it fits the bill.

What surprises me is the constant repetition of "What`s the best..." posts; when I`m looking for info on something, I usually start with Google and cast a net that hits forums, youtube, instagram, facebook and everything else. Facebook folks dont seem to wanna put the time in, they just wanna be told. Mostly fan-boys who think whatever they use is the best ever, re-inforced by self appointed `opinion leaders` who sometimes appears to be nothing more than product-catalog-description regurgitators.

The are occasionally some Facebook-only sales from vendors, including Autopia and Autogeek, so that`s something. Also, can keep up with vendor events and news via their Facebook feeds.

Occasionally you run into a good group; if you`re into coatings, Realm of Coatings is very tightly monitored group with some very serious folks as members and moderators; they dont suffer fools gladly and have some very in-depth conversations...no cheerleading or gibberish tolerated.

Its 75% fluff and stuff, detailing wise, but occasionally some fine entertainment and, if you have hours to kill with nothing but your cell phone to keep you busy, it`s one of many places that can fill the hours.

I prefer Autopia Forums over all other but sometimes the traffic isn`t there to keep me reading for long spells and if I cant `do` I`d like to be reading something about things of interest, no matter how dubious/accurate the info may be.

The only place I`ve been able to actually contact 22ple was via Facebook, albeit sketchy responses.

It`s the Wild, Wild West for sure but sometimes `any port in a storm` will do.
 
The content varies based on your choices. What really sucks about Facebook is their total disregard for your privacy. Just out now, Facebook shares your private messages with 3rd parites. Also caught reading your text messages and contacts on any device you have the app installed on.
 
Edited: Opening Comments about prospective employee job hiring removed by Original Poster due to inaccurate information.

This forum IS my "social media" and my significant other says I spend WAAAAAAY too much time in this forum typing very slowly (It is true, I have no speed typing skills because I never took typing classes at any school) and talking about detailing, which I am not the greatest at, but just enjoy doing. I would much rather talk to Autopians about detail-related subjects that I can somewhat relate to.

That brings us to one of my "sticking points" about this forum: The Hot Tub.
My "concern" is that this topic category is not detailing-related and allows Autopians to vent (post) about some current controversial social topics in an almost social media platform. The REAL problem is MYSELF!!!! I love to state my opinion on ANY topic because I like to talk to people and spend an inordinate time typing them out, more-so than I do about detailing-related topics. (Yes, we know Captain Obvious) My point is, I wish that the moderators and administrators would "limit" the subject matter topics, but I do think that is uncalled for. One (me!) just need to inflict a modicum of restraint or simply refrain from posting within those topics. That said, it is indeed, interesting fodder to read from like-minded detailers on a wide variety of social subjects who at least post their thoughts and opinions without the social media banter (AKA, socially-acceptable vulgar language)and verbal abuse in a somewhat civil decorum.

(Ah yes, the old days when the he-said-she-said, back-and-forth exchange was about being an idiot and not knowing ANYTHING about how to "properly" polish out a vehicle or scrape off pine pitch or old bumper stickers with a metal razor blade!)
 
Lonnie said:
That brings us to one of my "sticking points" about this forum: The Hot Tub.
.... The REAL problem is MYSELF!!!!
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That observation deserves some kind of notice :D Good on you for acknowledging it.

... My point is, I wish that the moderators and administrators would "limit" the subject matter topics, but I do think that is uncalled for.
Click to expand...

Heh heh...OK, you lost me there :o I`m somehow not understanding you...if it`s uncalled for, why wish for it?
One (me!) just need to inflict a modicum of restraint or simply refrain from posting within those topics.
Click to expand...

Heh heh...like how I avoid the Politics thread ;)
That said, it is indeed, interesting fodder to read.. thoughts and opinions without the social media banter (AKA, socially-acceptable vulgar language)and verbal abuse in a somewhat civil decorum.
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I simply love that Autopia avoids most of the unpleasantness, even if the Mods do sometimes, uhm...err on the side of caution (yes, I`m still a bit miffed that I was threatened with banishment over a Mod jumping to an uninformed assumption).

When tempted to use vulgar language, one can always just use editorial bracketing instead of offensive words (e.g., "[crap]" instead of "$#!~"). Same as "speaking to one`s audience" IRL; stuff I`ll say to one demographic would be highly offensive to another and I figure Autopia oughta be rated PG.

(Ah yes, the old days when the he-said-she-said, back-and-forth exchange was about being an idiot and not knowing ANYTHING about how to "properly" polish out a vehicle or scrape off pine pitch or old bumper stickers with a metal razor blade!)
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It really, *really* bugs me when people do the "you`re an idiot" [crap]. Why would anybody say that to anyone at all?!? (That was rhetorical, some of us see it for what it is ;) Putting others down is a sign that something`s wrong with the person who does it.)
 
As with all technology, I think the GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out) principle applies and we have a lot of control over how it affects our lives, but we have to be willing to exercise that control properly. Thanks to the magic of FaceBook Live video, my dad up in Oregon got to see my son (his first and only grandkid) take off on his first solo flight this morning from Witham Field here in Stuart. It ain`t all bad news in social media world. B)
 
Liz@Autopia said:
As with all technology, I think the GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out) principle applies and we have a lot of control over how it affects our lives, but we have to be willing to exercise that control properly. Thanks to the magic of FaceBook Live video, my dad up in Oregon got to see my son (his first and only grandkid) take off on his first solo flight this morning from Witham Field here in Stuart. It ain`t all bad news in social media world. B)
Click to expand...

Liz:
To quote from Charles Dickens opening line in the book "The Tale of Two Cities", "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...." would apply to modern day personal communication technology. You are correct; this day and age of live video imaging on a handheld device from almost anywhere in the world is hard to imagine for someone like myself who is old enough to remember and use wall telephones with no dials (operators asking for "Number please") and multiple-user party lines and Black and White TVs with only three stations to choose from. Like any technology, we can embrace it or loathe it, or do both!!

The early 70`s song lyrics "Hey, Big Brother" by Rare Earth could not be truer than it is today. For readers of this post, I implore you to do an internet search of this song and hear how prophetic those lyrics are. (Or Captain Obvious is reminiscing while listen to Barbara Streisand`s song "The Way We Were" OR he forgot to take his medication OR he took too much medication... Well, you get the picture!! )
 
You still hear all kinds of bad things regarding security and Facebook I’m glad I never made another one. Some kind of reform is going to have to eventually be implemented
 
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