Getting rid of that gosh darned Facebook!

[Niko]

naive question, never having seen facebook - in order to not get emails anymore can't you just change the email address in your profile to a bunch of letters? maybe a bunch of letters that dimly looks like an email address?

[AllenLowe]

wait - you mean those 25 year old girls named Candy and wearing tight tank tops don't love me for myself?

[jeffcrom]

I just ended my six-month experiment with Facebook - deactivated my account yesterday. I was concerned about privacy issues with some of the changes and "partnership agreements" Facebook has made recently, but I also just wasn't enjoying it. My experience was somewhat like that of Jazzmoose - most of the folks from the distant past have nothing in common with me any more. And when I became "friends" with casual acquaintances, I often found out things about them that I wish I hadn't.

[Van Basten II]

What bugs me is that despite never registering on it, I have people that I never heard of are asking me to join the site

1. Are you sure these are legitimate emails sent through Facebook and not attempts to phish your personal info?

2. Can't you just filter these emails or report them as spam so they go into your spam folder in the future? Repeated, unwanted, unsolicited email is practically the definition of spam.

Answer 1 It's possible, never cared to check them out

Answer 2 This is exactly what I did.

[Tom Storer]

You can indeed delete your Facebook account, by following the instructions Bill Barton gave above.

As for email requests, here's what happens: say you're on Facebook and you think, "say, I wonder if Chris Albertson is on Facebook? I'd like him to be my FACEBOOK FRIEND!" You search FB for Chris using an email address you have for him. If that address is not associated with a Facebook account, you get the option to send him an email to invite him to Facebook. That's all--it's just the same as, say, YouTube providing a form to let you share a YouTube link with someone by email. The only way to avoid that sort of thing is not to give your email address to anyone. The reason Facebook requests come frequently enough to annoy is simply that Facebook is very popular.

[mjzee]

I've noticed that, since I joined, the amount of spam emails I receive from the account I listed there has shot up exponentially.

[Christiern]

Yep, that site is definitely to be avoided. It would be nice if something like Facebook was available, but in responsible hands. In the last of my many attempts to purge myself there, I came across a schoolmate from my days at Kent College, Canterbury—64 years ago! The first such contact I have ever made, so I can see where such a thing as FB can serve a useful purpose, but do you let a stream of strangers into your house and hope that you actually know one of them? I don't think so. And the spam? It really flows like cheap wine in the Bowery of old.

Sorry Bright Moments, I bounced your invitation from O right back. What happened on your end?

[Kevin Bresnahan]

The thing everyone should know about Facebook is NEVER let ANY "application" run on your account. That means never send or accept a "present" or a "drink" or a "button", never play any games and never use any of the friend/family finder applications. When you use any of these applications, even once, you grant the application provider access to your personal info. If you never use any apps, you're safe.

Also, if you get weird friend invites, get out of any networks that you may have inadvertently joined. Being in a network can allow others in that network to "see" you and send friend invites. Once I quit every network I had joined when I signed up, the weird invites stopped.

[rostasi]

It's poison.

[AllenLowe]

any web site that has Hitler on it can't be all bad.

[Christiern]

Thanks for the link, Rostasi. That article really sums it up and should be read by all the suckers who—willingly or not—opened themselves to this fucking jerk...

Mark Zuckerberg, whose ass needs to be hauled into a hearing room.

Sorry, I'm goulding again.

[Guest Bill Barton]

I really don't "get" all of these references to "spam" people are throwing around. I have a very active Facebook account and have no problems whatsoever along those lines.

[papsrus]

I haven't much use for it. But if you join a web site whose sole purpose is networking, you shouldn't be too surprised if that's what unfolds.

I've heard from women friends who have said that they inevitably have to swat away long-lost high school classmates who have suddenly transformed into full-fledged stalkers trying to "reconnect." ... Another shocking development.

[Guest Bill Barton]

I'm pretty sick of facebook these days (surprise) but what would happen to those 580 friends???

Our physical manifestation in this plane of existence would, of course, immediately vanish without a trace as soon as you hit that "Submit" button.

[Guest Bill Barton]

And, just so this doesn't get lost in the shuffle, here is the way to "kill" a FB account again:

____________________________________________________________________________________________

To permanently delete a Facebook account go to:

Account (upper right of page)

>

Help Center

>

Privacy (padlock logo)

>

Privacy Policies and Internet Safety section

>

Deactivating, deleting and memorializing accounts

>

Deleting accounts

>

How do I permanently delete my account?

After you've entered this section with the above heading, at the end of the second paragraph there is a link under the word here. Click on the link and you get a separate "Delete My Account" page. Click on "Submit."

After this is done, DO NOT LOG IN TO THE ACCOUNT AGAIN! If you do, the pending deletion will be cancelled and you'll have to start all over again.

Hope this helps, Chris. According to the legalese gobbledeegook I read in the Help section, deleting an account deletes all of your information from their system/database.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

I'd be interested in whether you're successful in your mission to eradicate the account...

[Dan Gould]

I really don't "get" all of these references to "spam" people are throwing around. I have a very active Facebook account and have no problems whatsoever along those lines.

And I have a very inactive Facebook account and have no problems whatsoever along those lines. Not to mention precious few "unknown" friend requests - but maybe that's because I'm an anti-social MF.

[Shrdlu]

I totally agree with you, Chris, and I don't think you are over reacting at all.

That site is a pest. I went on it soon after it opened, but quickly got off (inasmuch as that is possible) when I saw how much time it was taking, and how nosey it all is.

There are many other "social" sites, and the ones that I have been on are handy without being a pest. None of them has invaded my privacy.

Facebook stands alone as a throughly annoying experience.

[Brad]

I really haven't had any problems. Generally, if I don't recognize somebody who sends a friend request, I just block them and that's that. You do have to be concerned about privacy settings. I posted an article a few months ago that was in the New York Times about restricting access. If you do a search you should be able to find it.

It also makes good sense to be careful what you say there as employers now check it when hiring people. I heard a story about someone going for a job interview and the interviewer sending the interviewee a friend request so that the company could check what the interviewee was saying. That's a little scary.

However, if you don't want it, follow Bill's advice.

Edited May 12, 2010 by Brad

[Big Wheel]

As for email requests, here's what happens: say you're on Facebook and you think, "say, I wonder if Chris Albertson is on Facebook? I'd like him to be my FACEBOOK FRIEND!" You search FB for Chris using an email address you have for him. If that address is not associated with a Facebook account, you get the option to send him an email to invite him to Facebook. That's all--it's just the same as, say, YouTube providing a form to let you share a YouTube link with someone by email. The only way to avoid that sort of thing is not to give your email address to anyone. The reason Facebook requests come frequently enough to annoy is simply that Facebook is very popular.

Possible, but in this case VBII is getting requests from people he's never even heard of, so it's not clear why they are sending him messages. This suggests that either:

-VBII is very forgetful/alcoholic and doesn't remember that he has drunken encounters with random strangers all the time;

-These people don't know VBII, but have harvested his email address and are trying to get him to sign up for Facebook simply to spam him further. Or they are trying to use him to evade Facebook's algorithms designed to catch people who do this sort of thing - the more legitimate friends you have, the less you look like a spammer.

-These people aren't actually going through Facebook at all but are faking emails that look like they are from Facebook so they can grab your passwords or do other nefarious things with your personal info.

[Jazzmoose]

And I have a very inactive Facebook account and have no problems whatsoever along those lines. Not to mention precious few "unknown" friend requests - but maybe that's because I'm an anti-social MF.

Thanks. I was congratulating myself for not attracting spam and odd friend requests until I read this...

[Christiern]

And I have a very inactive Facebook account and have no problems whatsoever along those lines. Not to mention precious few "unknown" friend requests - but maybe that's because I'm an anti-social MF.

Thanks. I was congratulating myself for not attracting spam and odd friend requests until I read this...

With the possible exception of Mehitabel Geldwasser, I really don't think today's giggly Jonas-Brothers-are-amazing airheads go for the moose look. I could be wrong.

[Brownian Motion]

Apropos of this thread.

[Bright Moments]

Sorry Bright Moments, I bounced your invitation from O right back. What happened on your end?

nothing - but you are listed on my profile as one of my friends!

[Christiern]

Interesting piece BM !—Facebook's devious ways are surfacing and I will support anything that puts them out of business. I think it will take an act of Congress.

I'll have to check your profile, BM 2 - now I wonder what I am bouncing my spam to

[neveronfriday]

I have been on Facebook for ages and I haven't the foggiest notion what the complaints are about here.

You guys are doing something wrong.

Yes, FB is a data-hungry pain in the neck, that Zuckerberg is an ass and I have removed 99% of my personal info recently to make sure some ass doesn't sell it off, but with just the tiniest bit of reading about how it works, any member can nail it shut completely.

I have no idea what these "spam" people are supposed to be, and what other problems you have. I have never, ever received a single spam mail which originated from being on Facebook (I know, because I use a special mail address for FB plus two other sites).

I have never ever received any phony mails. contact attempts or viruses, or whatever.

And I'm on there every bloody day.

I recommend buying a "Facebook for Dummies", if it exists.