Need opinions of people who DON'T use social networking services

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ponygirlmom

ponygirlmom

VR.org Supporter
Supporting Member
Joined
May 2, 2008
Messages
659
Location
Fountain Hills, Arizona
I love getting the opinions of members of ValveReplacement.com. You are all smart and thoughtful, and I always need opinions from people my age (46) and older.

The following questions are for people who do NOT use social networking services, or who only use one of the three major services. The questions were originally written for people who have a business or offer a service. However, you can also answer with "social networking for fun" in mind. Below is a version of the message that I have been sending out in preparation for two workshops I have been asked to teach.

Thanks to anyone who wants to "tell me like it is"!

-----------------------------

I have been asked to prepare two workshops about social networking services for business owners and public figures. The intended audience are people who do not currently promote their businesses or services via the three most popular social networking tools for business: Twitter, Facebook Pages and LinkedIn.

Some of you use just one or two of these services. Some of you do not use any of them at all.

Here are my questions for you. Not all of these questions will apply to all of you; it's possible that only one will apply to you. In that case, just let me know your opinion about that one question! You do not have to answer in detail; brief answers are fine.

1. What things would you most like to know about Twitter, Facebook Pages (or just Facebook) and LinkedIn, either individually or as a group?

2. What are some reasons you are not using them?

3. Where do you hear or read about these services? What sorts of things do you hear or read?

4. If you have attended a workshop or seminar about social networking services (the class may have been called "social media,") did it answer any of your questions or give you useful information? If not, what was missing?

Thank you for helping me to plan helpful workshops! I will definitely let you know when they will be held.
 
Well I'll take a wack at this.

1. I've joined and got out of facebook, not really interested in Twitter because of facebook, I'm not a Linkedin candidate, so that rules that out. Basically Facebook turned me off with the silly things that friends want you to do and such. I really didn't stick around long enough to understand it all, so I'm Networking impaired.

2. Pretty much answered this above.

3. I read about some viruses being spread about in a couple of them. That's about it.

4. No work shop attendance. I guess I need to be educated?
 
1) Since I have only visited FB,I pretty much know what that is like,and I
like to keep a limit on my forum - joining.

2) I have only joined FB,and don't visit often(maybe 2x a month).
I didn't want to join at all because of it being a danger for identity theft,
and all types of targeting. I think its a danger to allow so much personal, detailed information to be shared with others,info like birthdate,job history, school history,and esp family connections,this really worries me.
Maybe I am overly paranoid,but I did not use my real name or any real information at all. I only joined at my sister's request.

3) Mostly from family and friends.

4) Never attended any seminar/class that relates.
 
Dina said:
1) Since I have only visited FB,I pretty much know what that is like,and I
like to keep a limit on my forum - joining.

2) I have only joined FB,and don't visit often(maybe 2x a month).
I didn't want to join at all because of it being a danger for identity theft,
and all types of targeting. I think its a danger to allow so much personal, detailed information to be shared with others,info like birthdate,job history, school history,and esp family connections,this really worries me.
Maybe I am overly paranoid,but I did not use my real name or any real information at all. I only joined at my sister's request.

3) Mostly from family and friends.

4) Never attended any seminar/class that relates.
Click to expand...


AMEN to Number 2.
 
I use FB - mostly to keep track of my adult children and because my daughter and SIL post the videos of the grandkids there. I have a Twitter account - occasionally see something of value there but quite frankly, most of it is unbelievably boring. You really have to cut through a lot of c@#p to get anything worthwhile. It's like the commercial on TV where the dad is sitting on the patio tweeting that he's on the patio while his kids are watching him. Really now, who cares???

I'm 61 years old - LinkedIn doesn't do anything for me.

As far a business usage I can see some value in social networking sites-faster to post something of an immediate nature there than on to revise a website I guess.
 
I am a member of two of them - twitter and FB, but I don't go on unless someone has something they want to tell me or show me. I have not gotten the workings right - can't find anybody that I have looked for. Besides, I really don't care to know if someone is having lunch or whatever. that's not news.
 
hi,
i am not a member of any of those. my children are on fb and when they first joined years ago, it was only for "youngsters". when their older cousins joined and friended them, they thought it was ridiculous (old people trying to be young). they indirectly asked me not to join and i respect them and their request. joey has since joined, but finds it tedious to keep up with messages, etc.
i have received numerous invites by high school and long-time friends, but have no desire. my identity has been stolen several times and i fear for that again. i am extemely private and wouldn't want my info out there.
in addition, i don't think i have the time for any of them_ i can hardly make an appearance here, as much as i want to, can't seem to find the time.
never been to a workshop or seminar and probably will not go.
 
In answer to your questions, my husband and I owe and operate a small manufacturing company.

1. I would like to know what advantages there are for a business to be on any of these three sites. I have never visited one of them.

2. Security of information and the feeling that there are better ways to promote yourself without as much time involvement.

3. My grown children use FB and Twitter and talk about them. Also, everytime you turn on TV or radio or open a newspaper you hear or see something about them.

4. Have never been to a workshop and not likely to attend one. I prefer my contact with people in person or via the phone (as far as business goes). I do use e-mail and this forum for some networking but none of the three services you asked about.

Midge
 
I am not a member of the first two and have never even heard of linked?...I dont see why I need to have yet another excuse to be glued to my computer...the few forums I frequent keep me entertained enough...I also am wary of the creepy/privacy issue with people you dont know following you, reading about you and knowing stuff about you etc...
I hear and read about these things on the news and current affair programs, also in magazine and newspaper articles and of course on here and other forums. I hear how they are supposed to be fantastic and fun and also about the creepy side of these things.
Never had the urge or chance to attend a workshop or anything related to a social network site...I guess I am old-fashioned and like to meet real people face-to-face...with the exception of forums dedicated to areas of interest like VR.com.
 
On Facebook, your privacy settings are up to you. You can choose to allow only family and friends to view your information. I don't see any difference between it and this site. I enjoy Facebook whether the young ones like it or not. ;):p

Twitter does look tedious to me, but I think I believe that because you get so little information at once.

I don't know what linkedin is. I don't care for myspace, except for listening to music offered by someone I may have heard of.
 
1. What things would you most like to know about Twitter, Facebook Pages (or just Facebook) and LinkedIn, either individually or as a group?
nothing really
2. What are some reasons you are not using them? I am computer impaired and a friend set up a myspace page for me years ago, but it was a PIA to try and make look nice. Also I tend to be obsessive/compulsive and don't need another thing to spend the night on the computer keeping up with everything/everybody else. (I used to have about 75 carepages that I tried to keep up on how the kids with medical problems were doing ect and it took alot out of me emotionally) and for the most part the things people write I honestly don't care what someone is doing every day ect.

3. Where do you hear or read about these services? What sorts of things do you hear or read? My son, friends in different online support groups ect

4. If you have attended a workshop or seminar about social networking services (the class may have been called "social media,") did it answer any of your questions or give you useful information? If not, what was missing?

never went
 
1. What things would you most like to know about Twitter, Facebook Pages (or just Facebook) and LinkedIn, either individually or as a group? Having visited and looked around, I have no questions.

2. What are some reasons you are not using them? They are shallow in what they present about people/entities to each other. Way too much information of yours is out there that you don't want others to have, and way too much information about others is there that I have absolutely no interest in. I actually find Twitter revolting, as people with no sense of self-worth seek out people of no substance, whom they attempt to follow and emulate. I find it a sad commentary on the current social landscape, and fear it's a wide-open place for people of ill intent to recruit people with little self-will to their dubious causes. Other than that, there seem to be a lot of uncontrolled commercial scams active on these sites.

3. Where do you hear or read about these services? What sorts of things do you hear or read? I hear about these from friends at work, my son, others. Most of what you see written about these just gushes about how wonderful and new they are, and seem more to reflect the writers' desire to project their appearance of being current and on the edge, rather than having any toothy information about whether there is any real value to these sites or what the services are really like.

4. If you have attended a workshop or seminar about social networking services (the class may have been called "social media,") did it answer any of your questions or give you useful information? If not, what was missing? These services don't require a self-described "expert" to figure out how to get into them and determine whether they suit you. No rocket science involved. I have no interest in spending time in a workshop touting them as what I find they are not.
 
Bob I couldn't have said it any better! I don't have time to sit around on the computer all the time. I barely have the time to get on to the two forums that I belong too. I have visited because my grandchldren wanted me to but I feel like that's just too much information out there. I don't even have text messaging on my cell phone, don't want it, wouldn't have it! ! I would much rather talk to a person, nowdays people can't even hardly do that. I think it is so rude and even my kids and grandchildren do it all the time but we'll be at the dinner table or out to eat and they will be sitting there text messaging. Even my 46 & 47 year old daughters do it. Another gripe of mine is call waiting. I hate it! !:mad: I'll be talking to one of my daughters and they will say "oh mom hold on there is another call coming in." Well excuse me I feel since I called them first that they should just let the other person calling record their message but oh no, that's not the way to do things so I won't wait. I just hang up and they have to call me back! Oh well, enough of my gripes. I could go on and on. I too don't have the time to sit in some workshop learning about something that I really don't want to learn. It's not the least bit important to me. Just call me old fashion or just plain old, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
 
1. What things would you most like to know about Twitter, Facebook Pages (or just Facebook) and LinkedIn, either individually or as a group?

I'm not really interested in any of the above and wouldn't really care to know any more about them.

2. What are some reasons you are not using them?

I have a very close, but intimate circle of friends who I'd rather call. I'm not really into sharing or every inane thing I'm doing - or reading about the inane things others are doing - I prefer my communication to be a little more personal.

3. Where do you hear or read about these services? What sorts of things do you hear or read?

Keep hearing about facebook from people who want me to join and Twitter in the media (apparently our PM is a Twitter fiend!). I have heard that once you sign up for FB it can be very difficult to disable your account.
 
Totally agree with what the last 3 people have posted, my kids are on fb cant understand why the want to post pics and silly messages on there, its not for me.
In this day age people have to be very careful the things they post and i think the fb book site and others like this, leave you wide open to abuse and worse from others, i know this happens as my kids have told me this goes on. So NO i dont use them and never will, the only forum i belong to is this one.
 
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