Trying to "get" facebook

I created a facebook page about 2 months ago. Since then, I've been playing with it a bit here and there. I've found a few people from my past and added some friends and family. I have to admit, I don't yet really "get" it. And I want to get it, especially now that I am working in a high school. I know this is what my kids are up to.

The benefits of classroom 2.0 on ning as a social network were immediately apparent to me the minute I joined. I love it here. I see the payoff of interacting and discussing issues that are important to me. We come here with a common purpose. I check back to see what people are talking about. I learn so much here that I can turn around and put into practice.

Can someone please help me see deeper in to facebook. How are you using it? How is it important to you? Please help me "get" it.

Thanks.
-Liz
P.S. I'm also happy to be your friend on facebook if you ask me.

Tags: facebook, social.networking

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Scott Walker on October 14, 2007 at 7:17pm

Ya know.. I think I will have to agree with you on that one. I have one, but I hardly ever use it. It's basically useless to me. I sometimes send messages, rarely write on walls, and on occasion check out the latest pictures of a few friends. But I'm not much for pictures and I could pick up my phone and handle the rest of what I do on there. I can understand more why the kids love myspace. When I used it, I could change my homepage to reflect my character, I could search for unsigned artists and listen to their music, and I could blog on there and get excited over people subscribing to it and reading it. It was a lot more fulfilling to me.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mathew Needleman on October 15, 2007 at 7:22am

The value of a networking tool is not so much the tool but the members. So while I agree that Ning is perhaps the most elegant and functional networking tool I've used, someone who has friends on Facebook isn't going to leave. Myspace if perhaps the least elegant interface but because there are so many members it doesn't matter.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Steve Hargadon on October 15, 2007 at 7:47am

Seems like there is some consensus from the comments. I did a couple of workshops on technology with 16 - 18 year-old youth this weekend, and even they agree--nobody really "gets" what Facebook is doing. They just use it as a glorified IM system.

I have used Facebook for almost a year, I would guess, and when I first started I actually liked it more than I do now. I almost dread going to it now, as I don't feel it is intuitive, and my continued work with Ning networks has spoiled me--the "conversation" that takes place here and on other Ning networks is so rich and so noticeably lacking elsewhere...

I love your participation here, Liz. I consider it a great success story!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Greg Noack on October 15, 2007 at 4:22pm

I have recently started using it as well. So far I think it's great to keep up with people I already know. Especially with pictures and the like. I'm not sure of it's potential for networking with strangers, like I have here in NIng.com

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Daniel Craig on October 15, 2007 at 7:19pm

Hi Liz,

I created my Facebook account a couple years ago just to check out the features so I could speak intelligently about it when asked. I never really got into it. However, just a couple weeks ago, I went back. I was driven by all the talk about their open API and all of the development going on. Below are two major reasons why I think it is an important service and worth consideration for teachers interested in harnessing the power of online social networks.

1. As alluded to in a previous posting, "its the members stupid!" (no insult here, just borrowing from another popular expression :) In a social network, you need a critical mass. This is both true for the service as a whole and an individual's network. Without people, there is very little action (interaction that is). Facebook has a critical mass as a service, your connections are up to you, but it is pretty easy to find groups and individuals to connect with.

2. Facebook is a development platform. With it's open API, Facebook has become a platform for development. At least this is kind of true. Most development involve widgets that existed previously and have used the Facebook API to directly tie into the system. These can be very valuable. While there are many useless applications (e.g., gifts, pets, etc...), there are also quite a few applications that can be very beneficial to educators. These include wikis, discussion forums, RSS feeds, and so forth. The addition of these, and the promise of more to come, it what have drawn be back to Facebook.

In the end, I want to go where the learners are instead of bring them to me. This is the most powerful reason to use Facebook. IFyour learners are already there, it will be easier (and more natural) for them to participate.

From what I can tell, you can do everything in Facebook that you can do in Ning, though there is more work required to add those elements in Facebook. Therefore, at this point, I don't see a difference in educational potential between the two tools.

With that said, I agree with the rest of the posts here. I really like Ning and it has similar technical benefits to Facebook as well as a much more responsive and open organization behind it.

Dan