[neverendingwonder]

Just popping in to rebut some gross generalizations made by uninformed individuals in regard to facebook.

Let me say at the outset I don't care if you like it or not. Personal choice blah blah blah. However, to characterize it as nothing but a waste of time full of self-centered attention seeking idiots is pure ignorance.

Facebook, like everything else in life is nothing more or less than you you, as an individual make of it.

In my year on facebook I've won a hardback copy of Stephen King's "Full Dark, No Stars" and a hardback edition of a Neal Gaiman book, as well as three paperbacks of independent authors, all autographed. How did I win them? Trivia contests or other puzzle games.

I've befriended, and had personal, one on one conversations with Frank Hennenlotter, David Hess (just a few days before he died, RIP), Peter Strauss, Pee Wee Herman, George Takai, Wil Wheaton, and other less well known luminaries that were still exciting for me to make contact with.

Every single story I've sold so far has been because of a contact I made on facebook, and I expect many more.

Don't like lame facebook games? Don't flippin' play them!

Don't like pointless status updates of every little thing someone is doing? Delete them from your list! Facebook is completely configurable. Unlike forums, you're not forced to endure prattle from anyone you're not interested in. To be honest, I've met more dickheads and assholes in the two dozen people who frequent this forum, than I have in the several hundred people I've met on facebook. And they don't last long on my friends list. If you don't want to read stupid people's status updates, don't befriend stupid people. How hard is that?

Companies making money off me? Um, no. There are ads in the margines of a facebook page, that's true... but they PAY for those ads. I don't pay to see them. And so far, nobody has come in and forced me to click one of those ads...

If you hate facebook, fine, but maybe you should do it for reasons that accurately represent the service.

So long!