back to article Peak Facebook: British users lose their Liking for Zuck's ad empire

Facebook's popularity is slumping in the UK as users become fed up with being bombarded with advertising, a YouGov survey has revealed. In a report examining social media use among web-savvy Brits, the market research firm found a 9 per cent drop in Facebook usage since April 2012. Among the people who had quit Facebook, 23 …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hotel Facebook

    You can check out anytime you like, but your personal details can never leave....

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Windows

      Re: Hotel Facebook

      Thats why yopu should NEVER submit wholly genuine details. Enough to get your account, yes, enough for them to launch ad after ad at you with no means of stopping them?. No.

      Every advert i get on FB (and i have the most minimal account to keep in touch with the rest of my sheeple mates) gets reported as being sexually explicit. Just to fuck up their figures..

      Try it, its quite satisfying. Also, living in Tongo means i have very few targeted ads as its the least populated place i could find to say i came from!!!!

      Fuck you.......Bitch...

      1. JDX Gold badge

        Re: Hotel Facebook

        What a small and sad life you lead.

        1. M Gale

          Re: What a small and sad life you lead.

          s/small/sensible/;

          s/sad/amusing/;

          Now using sed regexes in a forum post... that might be a bit sad. I'll just go and cry in the corner. :(

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: What a small and sad life you lead.

            s/ooh look i can find and replace/bore off/

            1. M Gale
              Thumb Up

              Re: What a small and sad life you lead.

              Anonymous Twat in not-reading-the-whole-post SHOCKER.

            2. garbo
              Headmaster

              Re: What a small and sad life you lead.

              ...or did you mean "boor"?

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Windows

          Re: Hotel Facebook

          "Re: Hotel Facebook

          What a small and sad life you lead."

          "What a relatively private, un-interupted, law abiding, tax paying, junk mail / phone calls etc free life i lead".

          There, corrected that for you.

      2. auburnman

        Re: Hotel Facebook

        "Every advert I get on FB...gets reported as being sexually explicit."

        That'll just get your feedback logged as malicious and ignored. I would say it's better to honestly select "Just not interested" in all the ads for cars, stock trading etc. If everyone did that FB would be put in an awkward position when they try to drum up ad sales for the new Lexus or whatever and the advertiser wants to see data on the level of interest /engagement with ads.

        1. Fihart

          Re: Hotel Facebook

          Just hide every ad and tick the Uninteresting box. It's true, because I am not interested in their advertising and --as stated above -- it should undermine Facebook's space sales.

          1. WatAWorld

            Re: Hotel Facebook

            Or use an ad blocking add on to your web browser.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Hotel Facebook

              "Or use an ad blocking add on to your web browser."

              Just what I was thinking! I use AB+ on my browser and I use FB for keeping touch with the rellies and I don't see a single ad in any page. Loads of crap JPGs from people with more time than sense but you know, take the rough with the smooth!

            2. Jamie Jones Silver badge
              FAIL

              Re: Hotel Facebook

              "Or use an ad blocking add on to your web browser."

              *bzzzzt* I was wondering who would be the first to mention "ad-blocker"

              Ad-Blocker / Flash-block / No-script etc,

              blah blah, this is a TECH site. We get it!

              1. Jamie Jones Silver badge
                Happy

                Re: Hotel Facebook

                haha three downvotes.

                Whenever there is an article relating to advertising, there are always comments about ad-block etc.

                It's as tiring and as predictable as Eadon with his anti-MS rants

            3. DF118
              Go

              Re: Hotel Facebook

              Or use an ad blocking add on to your web browser.

              Even the best ad blockers can be a bit patchy at filtering out FB ads and I've yet to find one that even remotely works on the fb mobile site on Android.

              FBPurity OTOH is pretty useful. As well as killing ads you can filter out all the uninteresting attention-seeking pish like app posts and other people's likes etc., ending up with a news feed that's simply full of the things your friends have - imagine this - actually typed and posted all by themselves.

              All mention of it on facebook itself is verboten and seems to get you marked as "a spammer" if you link to it, especially on public pages/posts.

              That just leaves the mobile site. Anyone got any tips on how to kill ads on that?

          2. uncredited

            Re: Hotel Facebook

            I do the exact opposite to what most people do - I click on at least one ad a day, specifically those that I have absolutely no interest in! Sure, that makes FB show me more ads but it's just too much fun thinking about how they are marketing me :)

        2. Lusty

          Re: Hotel Facebook

          @Auburnman I've never had an advert about stock trading or cars on Facebook. I filled in my interests with things I genuinely like, and lo and behold I have adverts relevant to me which sometimes tell me about things I was unaware of. If everyone stopped trying to be clever and fighting the system they may find they actually don't mind advertising since it would be relevant to them. If you don't have sufficient hobbies and interests to generate relevant adverts then you won't be happy regardless what Facebook does.

          1. Jamie Jones Silver badge
            Thumb Up

            Re: Hotel Facebook

            " If everyone stopped trying to be clever and fighting the system they may find they actually don't mind advertising since it would be relevant to them. "

            Exactly! It's far better from the days where websites had flashing flash adverts saying "you've one an ipod" etc.

            1. h3

              Re: Hotel Facebook

              This very site has a similar annoying thing on the right hand side. (Yahoo tumblr thing) it does seem like it works.

      3. tony2heads
        Linux

        Re: Hotel Facebook

        I claim to be a penguin (see logo) and to live on Marion Island* (human population 0).

        Still get central heat adverts however :-(

        *It is part of ward 55 of Cape Town

    2. beep54
      Happy

      Re: Hotel Facebook

      Been waiting a long time for people to catch on to the reality of what FB is.

    3. garbo
      Devil

      Re: Hotel Facebook

      ...and you just can't kill the Beast.

  2. Neil Barnes Silver badge
    Holmes

    If you're not paying for it

    You're the product, not the customer.

    1. Voland's right hand Silver badge
      Devil

      Re: If you're not paying for it

      The marketeers have overestimated the depth of the sheeple effect gold mine. By far.

      If we step back a little and give it a thought - just how many times am I going to be interested in something just because all of my mates are interested in it.

      Under "natural disease propagation" conditions - probably a lot. However, that is not necessarily valid under forced propagation conditions when the social graph is being abused to feed crap I do not want down my throat. Same as in real life - we "filter out" particular people's "recommendations" if they constantly recommend us crap.

      The correct model for the value of Social is the infectious disease model. In that case, it is likely to follow an "infection curve" where it grows exponential initially leveling and then _DROPPING_ off because the pool of "susceptible" targets has dried out. We are definitely past the exponential curve now so it is only a matter of time until we get into the "drop of the cliff" zone. Pass the popcorn please, it will be lovely to watch.

      1. WatAWorld

        I dunno, how many times are you interested in the article in The Reg on social media?

        I dunno, how many times are you interested in the article in The Reg on social media?

        Whatever that number is, the number of times you'd "be interested in something because other people are interested in it" is more than that.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Angel

    I dumped Facebook after they started keeping all messages server-side near-permanently.

    For those who want to dump it: Search 'How do I close my account?' (sans-quotes) on Facebook help.

    Takes 2 weeks and they claim all data is gone, I've still yet to file a DPA request but when I have spare cash I will to make sure everything is permanently gone. Been a while, more than a year (I think) and perv-power lost its charm on me so haven't even glanced at it since.

    1. JimmyPage Silver badge
      FAIL

      How do DPA requests work

      with US companies ?

      Just curious.

      1. BristolBachelor Gold badge
        FAIL

        Re: How do DPA requests work

        I seem to remember reading something about FB operating in Europe (They wouldn't make much money selling targeted ad-space in Europe if they couldn't sell in Europe!)

        Last time I heard, everything was routed through Ireland, so that's the place to look when you do your "DPA". Remember that the "DPA" comes from a European initiative, and while it might not be called "DPA" where they register their company, the rules will be very similar.

    2. WatAWorld

      How long do other companies keep your data?

      Probably a lot longer than 2 weeks.

      Someone said they sign up using a fake name (and then they said some dumb stuff).

      Actually using a pen name is starting to become popular on FB as is having a second account.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        They keep some data for far longer, they claim it to all be gone after 2 weeks but that's not what an investigation turned up.

  4. Chairo
    Windows

    one in 20 users having clicked on an ad

    Huh? So many? I thought by now everyone knows, that clicking on ads is a likely way to get 0wn3d.

    1. WatAWorld

      Re: one in 20 users having clicked on an ad

      Are you really an IT professional?

      Anything you do online is "one way of getting owned." You can't visit any kind of website without danger.

      1. Chairo
        Holmes

        @WatAWorld: Re: one in 20 users having clicked on an ad

        While I agree, that anything you do online has a risk of getting owned, there are some actions that involve a higher risk than others. Following links to unknown websites is one of them.

        It would not be the first time that ads are used for slinging malware.

        http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/15/opera_blackhole/ -

        "Malvertising" incidents are far from rare. Previous victims have included Spotify, the London Stock Exchange, The Pirate Bay, ITV.com and Major League Baseball, among many others

        It has been written by El Reg, so it must be the truth. Right?

        1. DanDanDan
          Trollface

          Re: @WatAWorld: one in 20 users having clicked on an ad

          "It would not be the first time that ads are used for slinging malware.

          http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/15/opera_blackhole/"

          And you expect us to follow that link eh?

          1. Chairo
            Pint

            Re: @WatAWorld: one in 20 users having clicked on an ad

            Good answer - have a beer!

    2. Jess

      > clicking on ads

      Noscript solves that one.

      1. Chairo
        Coat

        Re: > clicking on ads

        Noscript solves that one.

        It does for you and me. But how many people outside of IT really use Noscript on a regular base? My experience is that they turn it off quickly, because it gets in the way.

        Mine's the one with all these patches and no Java or Flash, please.

      2. RegGuy1 Silver badge
        Pint

        Re: > clicking on ads

        Beer here, too.

  5. janimal

    Social Marketing

    The secret of successful social marketing is actually really simple.

    Produce a quality product that satisfies the customers needs & they will tell all their friends.

    or

    Produce a crappy product & people will tell their friends.

  6. JDX Gold badge

    Cue idiots...

    "Facebook is about to disappear"

    No, it has merely (finally) reached the peak of stupidly fast growth and now has to take a reality check. Until something comes along to usurp it, FB will remain a big player.

    Also remember this is specific to the UK, who are probably like 3% of FaceBook's user-base.

    FB is no longer the cool new thing but it is still the dominant player... look how many decades MS has stayed top and how slowly their position is eroded even with Vista and W8.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Cue idiots...

      The difference being that most social media businesses rely far more heavily on a 'critical mass' of users and an expectation that numbers will increase than most other businesses do. Numbers everything, as MySpace, Bebo etc found to their cost; if half your friends leave facebook, I'd say there was a far higher chance the other half will follow than with a search engine or online retailer. At the very least your own usage will decrease greatly, as you still need to communicate with the non facebook friends by whichever means they now use - email, twitter, whatever. Less eyeballs on ads, brand messages etc, which tends to attract negative press and fuel a general perception of decline.

      It may not disappear, but a bit of the shine wearing off and a relatively modest decline in numbers has far more potential to become a complete rout than would apply to similar declines affecting say, Amazon, or given the relative longevity of the individual product, Microsoft. Facebook's continuing dominance is more ephemeral than the current numbers make it look.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    People saying 'Facebook' will be around for a long time are being a bit naive, completely different model and market to a company like MS. Microsoft controlled the world of OSes because there weren't many genuine contenders around that could shove their marketing in your face like MS could. Facebook are a completely different paradigm, they got big by word of mouth, not spending hundreds of millions on advertising.

    Like it or not, it's a different world now to when MS came up, businesses rise and fall a lot faster in the internet age. Anyone remember how big Myspace was? And where are they now?

    Facebook usage is dropping, their IPO bombed, their phone bombed, they are getting crucified over taxes and privacy issues, they definitely seem to be on the downward path, rather than the opposite.

    1. Chris_J

      I partially agree with you, but...

      Facebook are in a similar position to Microsoft in that they have the users and data already. I dont think there will be the mass exodus people are predicting when the next social networking fad comes along as peaople will be reluctant to move their data to it and rebuild connections. Also why would you when everyones already on facebook?

      Sounds very similar to MS lock in on software and data formats that has massively helped it keep its dominant position.

    2. WatAWorld

      And the Time of London is going out of business too, because it too is nothing like MS.

      Not being like MS predicts nothing.

  8. Zmodem

    you just need to add adblock to firefox and disable all notifications in your facebook account

    most people get bored of facebook cos its tedious, basic and crap

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Basic?

      With every new feature it seems to get worse; when it was just a basic status+private messaging+photo gallery it was alright for keeping in touch with people.

      1. Zmodem

        Re: Basic?

        not being able todo line breaks in child comments is always a bore when most youth troll music forums and post half a comment on facebook most of the time

        your account needs a custom header menu for favorite groups etc

        etc etc, facebook just grinds your nerves

        1. WatAWorld

          Re: Basic?

          You can edit comments now. Have been able to for maybe a year.

          Mouse over to the upper right of your comment and a pull down icon will appear.

          Also the privacy options have become a lot better, much more facile and easier to use.

          You can block work stuff from family, family stuff from work, school stuff from parents, whatever.

          Of course nothing on the web is 100% secure, but that is a property of the web and of computers, not unique to FB.

          1. Zmodem

            Re: Basic?

            but if you reply to a parent comment and press enter todo a line break, you will just post your comment, you cant fake a line break with \r\n at the end of a line

            this post will just be all on a single line, and you can just end up with with a paragraph of something most people wont read

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Basic?

              Shift+Enter.

              1. Zmodem

                Re: Basic?

                shifu+enter is too complex for stoned trolls

                if you login and get a welcome back email, you will soon have endless PPI phone calls

                1. Anonymous Coward
                  Anonymous Coward

                  Re: Basic? @zmodem

                  "shifu+enter is too complex for stoned trolls"

                  Judging by your apparent inability to capitalise your sentences or use apostrophes, I'd guess shift+anything is too complex for *you*. People in glass houses ... :)

                  1. Zmodem

                    Re: Basic? @zmodem

                    people will just stick to trolling on forums and embeding soundcloud player in posts, and maybe just keeping a facebook page to have a unified login unless something comes along

                    google + sucks

                    https://new.myspace.com/ has made the mistake of some full screen mundane corporate rubbish instead of being able to browse for some tunes

                    facebook will still zuck in 10 years

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Been running Adblock Plus for years...

    Tried a different computer without it recently, amazed anybody can put up with the constant junk ad bombardment.

    Urgh.

    1. gazthejourno (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: Been running Adblock Plus for years...

      <obligatory "please don't use adblock plus when browsing El Reg or we'll go bust, starve to death and get eaten by Reg the Vulture" post>

      1. M Gale

        Re: gazthejourno

        Promise not to put popup crap, expanding/contracting DIVs and autoplaying videos anywhere and I might think about it.

        Actually come to think about it, I've been running without ABP for a little while now and haven't had any rudeness shoved in my face yet. Maybe the Reg has improved a bit there, though it was the Reg and the aforementioned spammy shite that persuaded me to install ABP in the first place.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: gazthejourno

          Autoplaying video ads, surely the stupidest idea by admen ever.

        2. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge

          Re: gazthejourno

          "Promise not to put popup crap, expanding/contracting DIVs and autoplaying videos anywhere and I might think about it."

          That's exactly the problem, I don't use ABP to block ads, I use it to block twitchyblinky popup crap that gets in the way of reading the real info on a site. For as long as sites put animated ads up, I'll keep using ABP, even on El Reg. A plain small image to one side is fine, and I might even read it.

          As for "we'll go bust, starve to death and get eaten by Reg the Vulture" that's a very valid point, but should be an incentive to choose ads that don't trigger an ABP knee-jerk reaction. The sad fact is that if you do go bust there'll be another web site popping up to replace you before you can say "Paris Hilton", and no doubt Reg the Vulture will still eat well over there.

      2. davidp231

        Re: Been running Adblock Plus for years...

        As do I, but El Reg is whitelisted, natch. Should be on the whitelist by default actually...

      3. cyberdemon Silver badge
        Devil

        @gazthejourno

        I don't use Adblock when browsing the Reg, but I do use NotScripts (ie NoScript for Chrome).

        This ensures that the only ads I ever see are the plain HTML ones, which work without Javascript or Flash.

        Conveniently, these ads are unobtrusive and I don't mind seeing them or even clicking on them once in a while.

        However, as soon as I add doubleclick.net to my temporary whitelist whilst browsing the Reg, I am bombarded with flash ads, background-filling ads, foreground-interupting ads, ads with fscking sound, which insult my eyes and ears and I immediately revoke my temporary whitelist.

        1. Jess

          Re: @gazthejourno

          I use either a browser with noscript or netsurf to read most of the web, I totally agree that html adverts are fine. What happens (on the reg) when I view on a browser with scripts enabled normally prompts me to install noscript or similar immediately.

          (I find that viewtube solves the similar problem on youtube.)

      4. Jamie Jones Silver badge

        Re: Been running Adblock Plus for years...

        "<obligatory "please don't use adblock plus when browsing El Reg or we'll go bust, starve to death and get eaten by Reg the Vulture" post>"

        Apart from the obvious freetards, I think most people don't mind advertising as long as it doesn't detract from the whole experience.

        I personally allow all ads from the Reg, apart from "Flash" ads - but even if I didn't, I'll probably be removing flash soon anyway, so the point is moot.

      5. Rimpel

        Re: gazthejourno

        So assuming that I read roughly 90% of the articles on El Reg per month, how much money do you make from just showing me adverts but without me clicking on any of them?

        How can I donate that amount per month to El Reg so that I can carry on using ABP here while still supporting the site? I would be happy to do that.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Been running Adblock Plus for years...

      Yes this! I've been on adblock of some description for at least a decade now and it does amaze me how anyone can put up with websites without it. I had no idea that obtrusive ads that float over text even existed until recently.

      1. Gazareth

        Re: Been running Adblock Plus for years...

        Because you're not used to it. The rest of us have our own in-built Adblock now :)

  10. JimmyPage Silver badge
    Stop

    Never say never ..

    Mrs JimmyPage and I aren't "on facebook" (or son is ... although he says it's "boring" nowadays). I didn't see the point in it, and have *needed* to use it for anything. I/we haven't ruled it out, but we've both said the only way we'd sign up is if there was something in it for us. So that would be some kind of special offer that you couldn't get any other way. Materially. So maybe a 10% discount on £1,000 purchase. That kind of thing.

    If facebook is to continue, I suggest they try and leverage the businesses who have invested in it so far to open their wallets and start to make it pay to be a facebooker.

    As I said our son, and his teenage mates are all "on facebook". They are also permanently skint.

    1. WatAWorld

      Re: Never say never ..

      Ah now it makes sense. Kids tell parents FB is boring so parents do not go on FB.

      The kids just want to keep the parents off FB.

      1. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge

        Re: Never say never ..

        Tha adults I know who use facebook only do so to keep an eye on their kids.

      2. Tom 7

        Re: Never say never ..

        kids tell parents something - immediate alarm!

  11. WatAWorld

    What, you've never heard of the free AdBlock Pro?

    I use Firefox an AdBlock Pro is free, I do not see these marketing things you guys apparently are plagued by.

  12. Anonymous Coward 15

    I very rarely see ads on Facebook due to quite aggressive ABP settings.

  13. Suburban Inmate
    Angel

    I'm not on Facebook!

    But my sanitised, law-abiding, non-murderous and less offensive alter ego is.

  14. WatAWorld

    All this doom saying about FB, and how popular Twitter and so on are, then you read down the typical article and it turns out that 90% of people under age 18 use FB and have signed on that week, 20% use Twitter and half have not signed on that month, and the other stuff follows even further behind.

    FB is not eternal, nothing is. But FB's demise will not occur in 2013 or 2014.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    out of proportion?

    1 in 20 people clicked on an ad, which is 5%.

    Isn't that higher than industry average CTRs?

    Also London, like most of Europe and the US has plenty of new fresh alternatives to FB with their own slant so they are perhaps at a different stage in their FB usage. Where i live in Asia, Facebook usage is growing with the increase in smart phones and still being a long way from saturating the "computer at home" market.

    Also Yahoo are huge here with most people having a ymail.com address and using yahoo messenger for IM.

    I read El Reg and often think its a bit out of touch with Asia and only thinks of it as Samsung HQ and Foxconn suicides.

    If London disappeared from the internet, it would likely have very little impact on the IT industry, except reduce the number of fluffy design houses where people dont brush their hair in the morning.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: out of proportion?

      Well it probably would have some effect, seeing as the City is a huge market for vendors.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: out of proportion?

      "1 in 20 people clicked on an ad, which is 5%.

      Isn't that higher than industry average CTRs?"

      One in 20 people clickedan ad sometime. As a ratio of the number of adverts shown, that's a tiny, tiny, tiny click-through rate. Just think about how many adverts had been "delivered" to those 20 people.

      1. Grikath
        Holmes

        Re: out of proportion?

        As opposed to random banner ads on any other webpage?

        Clickthrough is piss poor on any web-based campaign. You aim for Big Numbers, unless you're very careful with your placement. Which Facebook is not for, as advertising there is simply a spam-stream on a sidebar.

        Which the average hardened internet consumer simply ignores anyway.

    3. Jess

      > 1 in 20 people clicked on an ad, which is 5%.

      Is that the proportion of those who have left? Which could be a significant difference.

  16. Marvin O'Gravel Balloon Face

    Meh.

    I was asked in the pub last night how I lived without Facebook.

    Bit of an odd question.

    I had to confess that there really wasn't that much of a skill to it. You just have to develop a healthy disinterest in pictures of kittens, and what your virtual friends had for tea.

    1. Lusty

      Re: Meh.

      "You just have to develop a healthy disinterest in pictures of kittens, and what your virtual friends had for tea."

      Why not add your real friends on Facebook, I assume you find them interesting or they wouldn't be friends?

      1. Captain DaFt

        Re: Meh.

        None of my interesting friends are on Facebook,

        They're too busy being... interesting.

      2. ACx

        Re: Meh.

        Worst thing to do IMHO.

        Being on FB means people feel the need to feed it. In doing so, they become complete needy show off idiots. I have ditched what were decent friends because their comments on FB show them up to be @rseh0les. Seems that people suppress them selves fact to face, but the good old internet seems to encourage them to open up. I think its a strange subset of the perception of anonymity.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The Rise and Fall of Bakebook

    I enjoyed the facebook when it was a university student site for meeting up / organising student activities / keeping in touch after graduation.

    When it opened up to the public, it then went downhill, as ex-MySpace/Beboers started to bombard it with inane comments, pictures, groups and the likes.

    It is now saturated with chavvy nonsense, it has some unsavoury groups and has been used in the past to organise riots.

  18. BoldMan
    WTF?

    There are adverts on Facebook?

    I never realised there were ads on facebook, just thought there were blocks of whitespace... [innocent face]

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: There are adverts on Facebook? [innocent face]

      Be careful, you could be in for £15k of libel damages. Or perhaps I have misunderstood the Bercow case.

  19. Big-nosed Pengie
    Devil

    There's advertising on Faecesbook?

    Who knew?

  20. deadlockvictim

    Web-savvy

    «Web-savvy» and «Facebook user» seems either to describe a masochist or to be a contradiction in terms.

    Just say no, children.

  21. ACx

    For me, nothing was wrong with FB as a site, especially with ad block running, and BS details entered on sign up.

    I quit because I came to the conclusion that it encouraged my "friends" to come across as needy, show off, prats, who were essentially competing to prove how exciting their lives are. "Oh look at me and my great life". Yeah, most of it posting on a web site.

  22. Spoonsinger
    Meh

    re "it encouraged my "friends" to come across as needy, show off, prats,"

    I think some people need that, but if they are friends why should it matter?

    (ps I have an obviously fake FB account, so why is Shelby Campbell so insistent????)

  23. Cliff

    Facebook deleted

    Hurrah - this article reminded me to permanently delete my fb account, something I'd meant to do for ages

    How will I keep in touch with those 384 'friends' I didn't give a crap about now?

  24. goats in pajamas

    Self appointed elite.

    "Hur, hur, hur, everything I post is from the same IP address, registered with my ISP (and probably my country's Security Forces too) but sometime I tell them live on a different continent. Hur, hur, I'm so clever. They'll never catch me. Hang on, someone's knocking at the door."

  25. JP19

    tried it once

    Wouldn't let me create an account with a throw away email address so that is as far as I got.

    I don't want to be tracked on the internet. I don't want all the information I put on the internet to be aggregated and analysed. For that reason I avoid providing keys such as a Facebook ID which make gathering that information easier.

    The idea of providing Facebook with any valid information about me (especially just to have a look and see what the fuss was about) was more than I could stomach. The idea that if I had a Facebook ID I would use it to sign into other services on the internet is completely ridiculous.

    There is only one forum on the internet where I use my real name. A software support forum where the company (in Facebook wannabe style) decided access and ID on the forum is tied to licensing of the software - at least it is still currently a closed forum, but, I fsking hate it.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: tried it once

      So you want stuff for free and don't like it when you don't get it?

      The only reason I have an FB page is a slight nod in the direction of forestalling identity theft. It contains a minimum of accurate information and nothing else, not even a picture. My picture is on my Linkedin page (to frighten children). I get the impression that Linkedin is the successor to the original Facebook - a place where you go to keep in touch with people who might have a valuable place in your working life - and if you are in sales or recruitment, you pay.

      It does seem to be run by people with a slightly greater grasp on the difference between ethics and Essex (I think of Facebook as what would happen if stereotypical Essex people ran the world).

  26. Francis Fish
    Happy

    Install adblocker

    All the crap just goes away. I never see it. I get to content that's relevant and isn't spammy. I get to companies' websites when I want something they have.

    I did used to do things like mark Homeopathy clinics that claim they can cure cancer as lies (or whatever the button is).

    I also installed http://someonewhocares.org/hosts/, which has cured a lot of this anyway.

  27. Andrew Heenan
    Coffee/keyboard

    Facebook: Bad Faith

    It's not the ads that's the problem, it's facebook.

    I can ignore ads, and I use Adblock (as all intelligent people do).

    But they allow 'members' to spam you via more gullible friends, they reset privacy settings to 'default' (ie not private at all) every time they 'improve' privacy, and worst of all, you can't use most of the third party gizmos, because to do so requires you to allow them access to ALL your contacts etc., etc.

    Facebook is nasty. I use it, because that's the only place that many of contacts will use - but as soon as there's a viable rival, we'll all be off. Until then, I'll use it less and less.

    Weirdly, the thing that really annoys me is that when I used to use FB to post on discussions outside FB, they always included my age -and there was never a way to stop them.

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