Like George, I feel that I’m “too old” for facebook. Even if it is OK for those in their 30’s, I still think it’s more for singles, looking to hook up.
I’ve heard spooky things about their privacy rules, and how they have the ability to track your online purchases and post to your website announcements of what you’ve bought online. Supposedly they’ve changed that feature so you can turn it off.
These settings are critical if you don’t want the entire world to know EVERYTHING about you, like this poor fellow:
“I purchased a diamond engagement ring set from overstock in preparation for a New Year’s surprise for my girlfriend. Please note that this was something meant to be very special, and also very private at this point (for obvious reasons). Within hours, I received a shocking call from one of my best friends of surprise and “congratulations” for getting engaged.(!!!)Imagine my horror when I learned that overstock had published the details of my purchase (including a link to the item and its price) on my public facebook newsfeed, as well as notifications to all of my friends. ALL OF MY FRIENDS, including my girlfriend, and all of her friends, etc…”
There are a ton of CFI supporters on facebook (including most of the staff and a couple of the mods from the forum!). D.J. Grothe is particularly well connected to the community there and does a lot of updating if you are interested. Most of the articles he posts end with rousing debates.
I reluctantly joined a couple of weeks ago. It’s handy for keeping up with my friends (many of whom are there and encouraged this definitely over 40 woman to join!). I am DJ Groethe’s “friend”, FWIW!! He does post some good articles.
It can become an encumbrance, that’s for sure. And you can get lost sending virtual gifts or other silliness, and playing games and taking quizzes. Not that I do those things. I still have to look for a job and that takes precedence.
Any of the moderators (I imagine you know my name), can look me up and befriend me. I’d like to expand my SH universe on FB.
That’s the way I feel too but, a year or so ago, I gave in and signed up for it (bloody difficult though because of my surname) so that people who know me from way back can contact me.
Running through the responses this question about Facebook membership it looks as if a large percentage of CFI members are close to death, that they believe that younger members and that other young people in general have little of importance to say.
This is sad because it is among the younger members of our society that we must find the future of humanism, and a strong opposition to the bigotry of religious belief: it is the older members who should be working with the young to promote this future. Is CFI membership as stultified, ossified, dull, and just plain old and boring as it appears to be from these answers? What affect does this “elder outlook” have on CFI as a functional, successful system, if you can get beyond your own old opinions?
Is CFI membership as stultified, ossified, dull, and just plain old and boring as it appears to be from these answers? What affect does this “elder outlook” have on CFI as a functional, successful system, if you can get beyond your own old opinions?
Wow.
I don’t see what you saw. Let’s face it (pun not intended!), FB was designed for young people—college, I think. As such, that’s where the majority of its popularity came from. And since its inception, it has grown to the community at large. But it was initially a site for 20-somethings.
Now it isn’t. That has nothing to do with CFI’s outreach of young people. In fact, Point of Inquiry is exactly the sort of thing a forward-thinking organization does—use the new technology to reach young people. Not to mention the Council’s campus groups and Camp Quest. Many of the posters here are young, I’d wager. And even though I mocked my age, I believe that 48 is young, thank you very much!
At 78 I figure I’ve served my time inculcating the young as a youth advisor to teen groups and mentoring kids. I did joiin a couple of other atheist based forums that were populated almost exclusively by members from fifteen to thirty-five a couple of years ago. A few were rational but many were still angry and had extreme, rather non-rational views. Whenever I tried to inject a more nuanced view some thought I was a wimp. I gave up. However, E.I., if you feel that way, I suggest you spend a significant part of your time on the younger atheist forums and more power to you.
I enjoy the intelligence and awareness of the members here, and I’m not willing to put up with offal on other forums just to indoctrinate immature people.
If this is an example of what you have to contribute to the young and to humanism as a movement, namely arrogance, bitterness, gratuitously inflammatory sarcasm, and ridiculous oversimplification, then as a 40-something memebr of CFI and secularist I say “No thanks!”
