Topic: Should Nintendo ditch Facebook?

I tried MySpace way earlier (during the social networking boom) and it was such a mess. So I just quit it. The only reasons I use a Facebook and a Twitter today are for connecting with family and friends and gaming news respectively. Nothing more, nothing less.

Sorry for the missunderstanding. _'

I agree, but it isn't that bad. The best thing about Myspace: I can sort out the pedos and green hunters, from the good people.(death to IE, Mozilla rocks!)

No worries man. If you like MySpace, more power to ya. But I've long since lost any interest in it while I still continue to get lot's of use out of Fb.

I don't know what a "green hunter" is, but the the whole sexual predators on social networking sites issue is greatly over exaggerated. The media and politicians try to make it look like some sort of epidemic(artificial fuel for their sex offender witch hunt), but it's a minimal problem really. Most pedophiles/child molesters target children they know in real life. That's not to say it isn't a problem, but frankly, most parents should be more concerned with Uncle Billy or their kids soccer coach than a stranger online that's often hundreds of miles away.

Wow there are so many paranoid theories around Facebook.

I've been using it for a few years now, and as long as you have common sense, it's a great way to stay in touch with your network. For those of us with friends spread across the country, it's amazingly convenient.

Umm I have guns so If someone want to use my Facebook to find me and can get through my 2 big dogs as well, there more than welcome to try!

Facebook is a good thing for Nintendo..... I dont get why you guys whine and gripe about any and everything that Nintendo does that isnt a Nintendo service. Nintendo is so lacking in the online market, yet we get "Nintendo is the BEST online service". Nintendo get Facebook and we get people griping like its a bad thing. I dont get you fanboys!

Considering I just signed up...

LOL "Fanboys", I'm a girl. I have my first name on my NL profile. I don't think there are many guys with the name "Rebecca".

I was really into myspace, when the DSiCam Facebook Connect came out and it is a bit unfair its only limited to facebook. Hey I wouldn't mind being able to post to DeviantArt.(That would be awesome!)

Facebook, I find it useful. The only person I really actually been able interact on social net, only uses FB and DA. I enjoy it better now than I used to but its still missing something.

just so you know, the info in that 'real name' box isn't publicly viewable, and there's nothing in your sig to suggest your name is actually 'rebecca'. if you want people to know off the bat that you're female, you may want to edit your sig to say so instead of getting all snarky over casual use of a general term that may or may not have actually been meant to encompass you personally in the first place.

I do my social networking in person, so Nintendo can do whatever they want with MyFace.

I still don't see what all this hullaballoo is about not having complete privacy on facebook. Why would you put anything on facebook that could potentially damage your life if a hacker found it? I have some pics I'd rather my mom didn't see, but there's nothing on there that could ruin my as-of-now nonexistent political career. If there are pictures you don't want everyone on your friend list to see (and how many of us have friends that we aren't close to anymore or coworkers), then yeah, send them by email. It's probably a bad idea to have photos of you doing stuff you don't want other people to see taken anyways. Try not to have d-bag friends who take those pictures, post them on facebook and won't take them down if you ask. That's more of a personal problem then a facebook problem. Facebook just makes it slightly easier for them to be d-bags.

Eh. Facebook is okay I guess. I have an account but only hop onto the site once in a blue moon. Basically, to keep in touch with my brother and sister-in-law, who live a few states away. It's a bit sad seeing how glued both of them are to their computers at times, at least gathering from what I've seen during my last stay at their home. ...and I thought I was bad about such things.

So FB can be good if you keep it reasonable, i.e. real friends, real family. I never understood popularity contests, whether it be in the virtual or real world. I have better things to do with my time.

@WaltzElf: Some people call it paranoia, I like to the think of it as awareness. I used the term 'better safe than sorry' for a reason, Facebook has had and will have security issues, that's all. Why can't you just use the telephone and email to stay in touch with your 'network'? It works fine for me, as I'm sure it did for you once.

@slapshot82: How on Earth did you manage to type that? How on Earth did you manage to bring the word 'fanboy' into this thread? :/ Oh well.

So anyway, back to the question... as you can see from all the 'paranoid theories', Facebook doesn't have the best reputation. Nintendo should get rid if you ask me, especially considering how many kiddies they will have as friends. At least until Facebook can guarantee complete security, which, being on the internet, is impossible.

@WaltzElf: Some people call it paranoia, I like to the think of it as awareness. I used the term 'better safe than sorry' for a reason, Facebook has had and will have security issues, that's all. Why can't you just use the telephone and email to stay in touch with your 'network'? It works fine for me, as I'm sure it did for you once.

My list of Facebook friends that I regularly communicate with numbers over 100, and includes people interstate and overseas. It would be far more expensive to call them as often as I read their updates or send messages of my own, and far less efficient to e-mail photos back and forward. Why do I even need to justify my use of Facebook? Do you honestly think of the millions and millions of people that use it, that no one derives any real benefit out of it?

I've found out about friend's engagements, friend's relationships ending, I've seen photos from friends' trips, heard about their achievements and so on on Facebook first. That way, when I do catch up on the phone or in person, we're already caught up. It's convenient.

And yes, I call it paranoia. Especially considering that people attribute things to Facebook that just don't happen in reality. As long as you're careful, and use common sense, there's nothing harmful about using Facebook.

To be honest, YouTube is far worse, and I don't see anyone moaning about being able to access YouTube on the Wii.

You're obviously a lot more interested in people than I. I'm constantly trimming the fat. Facebook would be a nightmare for me.

You do realise that there are a lot of naive people on the internet, and children can't really be expected to be careful and show common sense. Until Facebook can guarantee their security is 100% safe (something they never can), children shouldn't be allowed on it, full stop.

Facebook isn't the only potential risk on the Internet for children. Should we, then, introduce a law, like drinking or driving, where you can't use the Internet until you're 18? Or would it be better to monitor a child's use of the Internet, and make sure they're learning how to use it safely?

Of course the latter requires better parents, but that's how life rolls - it's still the better option.

Yes well, the thread was about Facebook, don't get me started on the internet and what I think it's doing to future generations minds. Innocence has been lost forever.

And yes, if only parents knew how to implement decent parental blocks, or cared enough to do so. I played guardian to a child for a while, and the whole thing was on lock-down with key-logging and all. I did not want to be responsible for anybody seeing anything they shouldn't. Which brings me full circle....

better safe, than sorry

Better safe than sorry means educating children on how to deal with the real world.

Sorry is letting a nieve and uneducated child into the world. As an adult, they then stuggle. Should I be a parent, I woud rather my child have their first Facebook account while under my watchful eye, and be able to advice them how to safely use the Internet.

Well, my child would be unable to access Facebook as it would be blocked at the router. I'll unlock it when they are 16. There is absolutely no need for a child to be on Facebook, it's ridiculous. The internet hardly existed when I was that age and I am really really glad. I learned everything first-hand, instead of reading it or seeing it online.

But anyway, we're heading off-topic and into personal preference land. We both know where we stand.

Since when was FaceBook supposed to be fun in the first place?

I agree, Mach. Parents can decide best how to raise their own kids. Up until you're 16 (driving age here), it is highly unlikely that you'll have some hugely unmanageable social network that only Facebook can handle, and unless you move around a lot, you likely won't have that many long distance friends. And even then, I would think if I had a kid in that position I would be more worried he'd end up relying too heavily on the internet to "socialize" and not develop his personal social skills as a consequence.

Even as an adult I don't really see the point of it. Too many people end up obsessing over it. Email works perfectly fine as a free alternative to calling, but to each his own. I know there are plenty people who do get good use out of it, so that's good for them.

And yes, the internet is a worrisome thing. I spent way too much time online in my high school days and am still trying to cut down on my time. Managed to convince myself not to turn on my computer on weekdays and only check my email and RSS for a few minutes before and after work, but I still end up unintentionally spending more time online on weekends (mostly on this very forum, haha).