Can I get an "amen"?! I quit Facebook quite a while ago, mostly over privacy concerns. But, I was definitely spending more time online in less meaningful ways, and who has time to spend doing meaningless things?

First, let's start with the irony - I just used my Facebook account to post this comment. Its true, FB can and does suck in a lot of ways. It also creates an opportunity for a lot of fake and meaningless interaction. However, it does serve at least one purpose for me in that it does allow me to keep 'light' contact with a lot of people who don't live in my area. Friends from my hometown and friends who have moved. It allows me to keep a sort of dialog open that allows us to easily pickup...

Thanks for your comments, James. I don't disagree that Facebook has potential to serve a purpose for keeping in touch. My experience has been that while it has that potential, it doesn't typically play out in practice. I typically have used email/IM for those types of "light" contact, instead. I think that Hoop.la has a lot of the tools that are needed to enable networking and community in an effective way. If you haven't already, I'd recommend you check it out (you can set up a free site to...

You're right about the noise, Brian.

Brian, it warms my heart to see someone like you, who is very knowledgeable about the tech side of things on the internet, and who is much younger than I am, do something like this. The issues you raised are spot on and have motivated me to do the same thing. I got a Faceplant page about 2 years ago solely for family purposes. I think I have 8 "friends." My daughter was posting pics of the grandkids there at the time. However, due to the privacy concerns you linked to in your post, she has...

Hi Rich, Thank you for the thoughtful and kind words! It's humbling to hear. I can't believe it's been over 5 years now since I wrote this post and quit Facebook. I can tell you that I've never looked back After a nasty election cycle like this year, I can definitively say I don't miss it at all! Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts; enjoy the Facebook-free life Brian