Why I absolutely HATE Facebook.

[NashvilleLefty]

I realize that much of this only applies to my situation, but there are some things that maybe you haven't noticed and should be aware of.

First of all, I am on dial-up and although I use an accelerator, Facebook still takes FOREVER to load. Then, it constantly refreshes itself, which means that it takes forever and basically locks up my PC while it is refreshing.So I've stopped sing it at home.

Also, my workplace has blocked it. Not because people were wasting too much time, but because it is a veritable petri-dish of viruses. Our desktop support simply got tired of constantly cleaning these viruses and simply blocked the site.

But that's just the beginning!

It seems that almost every site uses a "Facebook plug-in". At work, this has rendered my browser back-button almost useless. At first, I would click the back-button, and nothing would happen except the forward-button would activate. I click back again, nothing. I click back again, still nothing. Then, using the back-button down-arrow to see the history, I would see multiple Facebook plug-ins as history items. Each time I would click the back-button, it would try to go back to a Facebook plug-in which, of course, was blocked.

At home, like I said I am on dial-up. Often, I'll access a page while downloading something else in the background. Once the content I actually want to read displays, the browser is still downloading items such as Googleads. I'll hit the Stop button to save bandwidth. But, Facebook plug ins keep on loading. No matter how many times I hit Stop, the Facebook plug ins keep loading and they take FOREVER - taking up bandwidth that I could better use for other things since my bandwidth is limited to begin with.

For people using WiFi with limited bandwidth, or even unlimited bandwidth that gets "throttled", think about how much you are paying for these plug ins.

And don't GET me started on the whole "Like" controversy - there are entire companies who sell Facebook "Likes". And what are the privacy policies on Facebook? They keep talking about how it will be a controversy in the future, but what about now?

I understand how Facebook can help people keep in touch, but can't they do it without all this other BS?

Have I mentioned that I really hate Facebook?

[ScreamingMeemie]

1. I never thought about how much facebook would suck on a dial up connection.

I enjoy facebook because I like mind numbing bubble games and because I live 1400-ish miles away from the rest of my family and it's a good way to get updates.

[bigwillq]

19. I never thought about that either

so the OP does make a good point in that regard.

I didn't realize it was like that on a dial-up.

Maybe they can make some changes to the site so it works better for dial-up users.

With that being said, if someone doesn't like a site, don't use it!

A lot of Facebook haters out there. But no one's forcing them to use it or read it or have anything to do with it.

Signed,
Facebook addict

[ScreamingMeemie]

22. It isn't so very hard to ignore it.

You aren't alone in your addiction.

[Lex]

2. I hear it's entirely optional, the Facebook. nt

[NashvilleLefty]

6. That's my point - it's NOT optional.

Those freaking plug-ins are EVERYWHERE. There is no escaping them.

[Lex]

7. I haven't experienced them.

Sorry.

[cleanhippie]

20. Actually, you have, and are, right now.

Unless you changed your account settings to remove the social media plug-ins (A really great DU feature that most other websites do not offer), you are experiencing them right now.

[Lex]

61. On my account I have "remove" chosen for "Social media tabs on threads (Twitter, Google+, Facebook)"

so no, I'm not experiencing them, thanks.

[cleanhippie]

62. But you HAVE experienced them, contrary to your original claim.

That was the only point I was trying to make.

[Lex]

63. If you say so

but not to any degree that causes me to flip out on DU about it.

[cleanhippie]

69. Because its true, not because I say so.

And now you're moving your goalposts.

[EFerrari]

26. I have this little plug in from firefox that shows me

what is loading on my machine while I'm on the net. Just about everywhere I go, I have to sit there and wait for Facebook and Google to load their stuff up before I can just read what I want to read. It's like Son of AOL, which tried to control your machine once you loaded it except this cr@P is all over the net now. In that respect, it's not optional or even voluntary.

[AtheistCrusader]

41. All you have to do, is log out.

There are of course, other non-facebook tracker plugins.

[daaron]

55. Ghostery add-on for Firefox.

Will identify and let you block any script by source. Works like a charm, though it takes some set-up (you have to tell it specifically who to block, at least once).

There's some FB blocking add-ons, but they just do what Ghostery does only just for FB. Ghostery will let you block any script on any site. Combined with Adblock Plus add-on (which Ghostery would do, too, but with lots more set-up) and you can have a commercial free browsing experience, like I have.

See, I also hate Facebook.

[whistler162]

17. Shhhh..... must not use truth when someone wants to rant.

[EFerrari]

25. Except it isn't.

Just about every big site has FB plug ins that you have to wait for when you load the site.

[HarveyDarkey]

3. If you don't like it, don't use it. It's that simple.

I'll bet you're using Internet Exploder though. Try using Firefox with AdBlock. You'd be surprised how things speed up.

[Lifelong Protester]

5. Can you get ANYthing on Internet Exploder

without the whole gizmo blowing up??

I'd avoid that Internet Exploder if I were you.

[NashvilleLefty]

9. Alas, because of the Accelerator I am forced to use Earthlink's

browser which is based on IE. I do have Firefox as well, but it doesn't "play well" with the compression.

As for work, I run into the same plug-in problem with Firefox and IE.

[bigwillq]

18. .....

[bhikkhu]

4. Good example of a nice idea driven into the ground

I use facebook on occasion, but it has gotten to be kind of a joke. I use e-mail more now.

[NashvilleLefty]

10. THANK you! It is a good idea

but it simply hasn't been implemented correctly. Email is a much better option at this point.

[Amster Dan]

8. Facebook Zucks!

[cynatnite]

11. My only real complaint about FB is the cluttering bullshit that permeates the place...

FB is like my house when all the kids and grandkids are here. No matter how much cleaning I do, the garbage reappears.

I get requests for games and whatnot. I'm supposed click "like" to prove I love my mother, my kids, Jesus and asparagus.

That's not to mention all the RW clap trap that seems to take over FB. I've been fortunate to have friends from DU which have helped make FB a friendler place for me.

I like keeping in touch with my family and all that, but some of them are so overly religious and RW that it can drive me fairly batty.

Having said all that, I can live with it.

[napoleon_in_rags]

12. Speak through a flower. See that facebook "like" icon on this page?

Its tracking you across the web.
http://www.itproportal.com/2010/11/30/facebooks-button-tracking-you/
They will be able to correlate this post to your facebook account, hundreds of billions of dollars can afford to silence dissent, if they so chose.

But yes, hyperbole aside, I agree the whole thing is a massive turd at this point. Its rich people giggling about how they know numerous pointless details about people's lives, which they will clutch to their chests as our civilization comes crashing down, a thousand times less functional than it has been at any point in the past do the culture that has been built.

[NashvilleLefty]

27. The sad thing is that companies are still using it

for marketing purposes - even though it's being totally manpulated and that manpulation is widely understood. It's a total WTF?

In the meantime, the rest of us have to suffer for it. Whether we realize it or not.

[stopbush]

13. I deactivated my account this week. I refuse to help those tax cheats get any richer.

don't miss it a bit.

[EFerrari]

14. I was wishing this morning that sites would offer a FB-free version

because those plug-ins or whatever the heck they are take so long to load. I don't mind using FB when I'm using FB but it's annoying to be held up by it all over the net.

[Lasher]

29. Do you have FB turned off here at DU?

I do and I don't get bugged by them. I don't like I have to load plugins or any other software and I don't understand 100% what good it is to me. I'm careful but I don't want to spend all my waking hours researching software.

[EFerrari]

31. True, I could turn it off here (thanks, guys).

DU has spoiled me for a lot of sites, like HuffPo or Salon or even the Chronicle, that take so long to load, you can feel the sunlight moving across the room.

[NashvilleLefty]

34. No, I didn't know that you could! PLEASE

tell me how!

Will this also work for other sites? Never mind, just tell me and i'll figure it out. Can it be set in the browser itself?

That would be WONDERFUL!

[EFerrari]

36. It may be a feature for donors, I'm not sure.

I go to "my account" and the option is under "my preferences".

[Lasher]

47. Nope, don't have to be a donor

See downthread

[Lasher]

37. How to opt out of social media buttons

Under Preferences, go to the last Option called Social media tabs on threads (Twitter, Google+, Facebook) and select the Remove icon.

You're welcome. I amaze me. Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week.

[Brigid]

40. I just did it too.

Thanks!

[Lasher]

46. OK I just learned you don't have to be a donor

to take advantage of this feature. Hope you can tell a difference.

Lasher

[Iwillnevergiveup]

43. Turned OFF

Thank you!

K&R

[NashvilleLefty]

30. Yes! Even if you don't have a FB account

you still have to deal with the FB plug-ins.

I wouldn't have a problem with them if they were less intrusive.

[WhoIsNumberNone]

15. I've had the constant refreshing problem over the last couple of days

Are you on a Windows XP computer running IE8 by any chance?

On Edit: More and more websites are adding scripts and apps that IE8 can't handle. I have a 100MB cable modem and I can't go on Facebook anymore unless I use Firefox or good ol' spyware-friendly Google Chrome.

[NashvilleLefty]

32. My home PC is Windows7 and I am forced to use

the Earhtlink Browser for the acceleration option which is obviously a modified IE8 browser. I have Firefox but it doesn't play well with the acceleration program.

At work I have XP at my own request because, frankly, it's more stable than Win7. I have both IE8 and Firefox at work and run into the same issues on both browsers.

Obviously, the problem here is the FB plug-in since it is broad-based across multiple platforms.

I do have Chrome, and I hate it. Oh, and same problems.

[GoneOffShore]

50. Have you tried the Windows version of Safari?

[WhoIsNumberNone]

66. Here's an article one of my Facebook humans just shared

I don't think it solves your problem, but it at least shows you're in good company...

http://ansonalex.com/social-media-2/facebook-timeline-keeps-refreshing-and-jumping-to-the-top-of-page-fix/

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

16. me too

and I find it hard to believe some people have the time to play those games and want me to spend time with them. I'm glad I no longer get a bunch of emails about who has posted and what they like. Don't know how it happened, but it was a good thing. I seldom go there anymore.

[KT2000]

21. Totally agree

I have DSL (slow) but the facebook plugins are everywhere and take too much time to load- very irritating. Thought I closed my account but someone told me my page was still active with messages on it.
I consider it pollution that one just cannot get rid of.

[BadgerKid]

23. I commiserate.

Since you're on dialup at home, I wouldn't even be able to suggest you try surfing the web from work via your home computer as a work-around to your employer's restrictions. You're not alone on the web slow-down. Web2.0 has touched many web sites with javascript and dynamic HTML for a "better experience." Having a fairly recent processor (read: dual or multicore) should help with that.

[Arctic Dave]

24. I have never Facebooked nor do I intend to

but I do see your problem.

[OriginalGeek]

28. You might try the mobile site

https://m.facebook.com/ instead of www.facebook.com

I don't know if it will solve all your problems but it might at least load the page faster so you can check in on friends.

It's for browsing on a phone or tablet but you can do it from a computer just the same.

[NashvilleLefty]

33. Thanks, but that's not the problem.

First of all, I don't have cell service where I live.

But, as I said upthread, the main problem isn't with the site itself but with the plug-ins on every other site.

You would think that a site as "advanced" as theirs could have less intrusive plug-ins.

[OriginalGeek]

35. Well, I meant use the mobile site

on your dial-up connection. But yeah, that would do nothing for you in regards to other sites using FB plug-ins.

Although, the sites you you regularly use might also have mobile versions you can access - they usually have less graphics and less or different plugins and any bit you can cut out that interferes is a little bit better...hopefully!

[NashvilleLefty]

38. Thanks for the tip.

Although it may not be practical for sites that are forwarded to me as links, I can at least try it for my most used sites.

But even if it works, it still pisses me off that I have to jump through so many hoops for a "free" service.

[OriginalGeek]

60. Oh I agree with you 100% on that.

They are supposed to make you want to visit - they think they do that by adding flashy geegaws and shiny bits and they hope that you won't notice what a PITA their sites are to use.

[Warren DeMontague]

39. I hate this restaurant! The food is terrible!

...and the portions are so small!

[AtheistCrusader]

42. Facebook isn't targeted to dialup users.

Use the mobile site, or use something else. There is entirely too much content on the page, and PHP does not lend itself well to dialup.

You are not their target customer. (Ignoring that the USER isn't the customer of facebook at all, the USER is the product, and you are sold to the advertisers)


Facebook plugins don't do much if you log out, or never login in the first place. The plugins can't track you if they have no clue who you are.

[Liberty Belle]

44. My reasons for hating FAcebook....worst is no customer service when stuff goes wrong!

I posted comments on a newspaper article and was horrified to see my AGE displayed! That is nobody's business. I asked the newspaper editor to remove it and he couldn't; I had to remove my birthdate form FAcebook entirely.

Worse problem, for some reason on top of my page it lists my "former" employment - only it's my current employment! I didn't ever list it that way and can't get rid of it or change it. Of course the worst thing about FAcebook is there is no customer service to call or email for help. That should be a LAW. Any legislators out there? Anyone who posts your personal data should not be allowed to hide and leave wrong info up there!

I also can't figure out anymore how to create an invitation and send friends. Used to be able to do this. Also when you could send one, you had to individually click each friend (all 800 of mine). Why isn't there a "send all" option?

[raouldukelives]

45. Not being on FB has it's own problems.

Every now and again I get a chance to enter a contest or see something related to an artist I like but when I click on the link it asks me to log in to FB and like them so I can proceed. A minor annoyance but still, should be able to send a postcard or something.

[jp11]

48. I've not been on FB but what you describe sounds like some hack website from the

early turn of the century compete with overdone flash and scripts to lock you onto their page.

[Surya Gayatri]

49. Do I hear an "Amen"? Tell it, brother!

[JonLP24]

51. That one Castle game

takes forever to load and really slows down my computer and I have a good connection.

But it is a good way to keep in touch.

[belcffub]

52. dialup gives me shivers...

@ work we have a 500mb connection to the internet burstable to 2gb so everything is pretty snappy

home is 35mb up and down now... heck even when I'm remote I have 3g speed with over 1mb down...

I remember the dark dark days of dailup... I'd cancel cable/ phone/ netflix before I went back...

[Norrin Radd]

53. I prefer Diaspora to facebook.

[madrchsod]

54. we started a congressional campaign by the use of facebook

i get most of my political ,union,and news from face-book. i keep in touch with my family and friends.

here in Illinois we did`t have a democrat running for the 16th congressional district. by the use of face-book we organized our own nominating convention ,nominated a candidate,and started organizing a campaign.we finally got the attention off the state democratic party and they are now officially backing her.

so if it was`t for facebook no democrat in this really big district would have had anyone to vote for.

https://www.facebook.com/WandaRohlForCongress

http://rohlforcongress.com/

[pinboy3niner]

56. Why I absolutely LOVE Facebook

At least, as far as I use it.

I got on because of a link in a DU post about a petition against the President. I had to sign up to view it, and somehow I ended up as a signer of the petition, lol.

But I figured FB was good for me because it allowed me to access photos of friends and their kids and grandkids.

Then, last year, I worked with high school students on an extended project. We worked together, every day, for about 2 weeks. The last day, after I left the campus, within a few hours I had a friend request from one of the students. I have no idea how she found me, but soon I had a half dozen other requests from other students--and when they created their own FB group, they made me a member.

But I don't post personal stuff. My 'profile photo' is an old Army insignia. I don't have discussions there. I'm linked to the streams of my HS FB friends, but I avoid 'snooping' on them.

I don't use FB much, but it's great for my limited needs.

[ileus]

57. My wall is filled with divorced women whining

about this and that, boyfriends and ex-husbands.


I have facebook also.

If not for three secret groups were we make fun of other FBer's it would be totally useless.

[Odin2005]

58. Dial-up has become essentially useless.

the vast majority of the internet is unusable with dial-up.

[IDemo]

59. How to block Facebook using the Hosts file

The location of the hosts file depends on your operation system.
Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
Note! Make a backup of the hosts file and put it somewhere safe, in case you mess up.

1. Open the hosts file using Notepad or other plain text editor.
2. Copy the following:
# block facebook
127.0.0.1 login.facebook.com
127.0.0.1 www.facebook.com
127.0.0.1 blog.facebook.com
127.0.0.1 apps.facebook.com
3. Paste it into the Hosts file after 127.0.0.1 localhost
4. Save and close the Hosts file.
5. Reboot your computer to apply the changes.
6. Try to open Facebook in a browser.

Note! Pay attention that Google Chrome may ignore the Hosts file.

[LeftinOH]

64. LeftinOH has sent you a request on Farmville.

Sorry- couldn't reisist.

[bvar22]

65. You are not alone.

I have enough friends IRL.


Thanks for this post!
I live in a very rural location,
and have a limited bandwidth cell connection.
Now I know WHY I am having problems with some sites taking FOREVER to load.
I also appreciate the tips in this thread.

[undergroundpanther]

67. I'm not on facebook either

Facebook sucks for so many reasons...

[laundry_queen]

68. How to fix the back button crap in IE

I found this issue here on DU with IE9. I'd hit the back button numerous times and nothing. I'd right click to see the history and there would be all kinds of 'ad' type links, both facebook and google ones. Here's how I fixed it (After spending half a day looking for a g-d solution)

Go to Tools-->Manage Add-Ons-->Tracking Protection

Double click on your personalized list, and block any of the sites that are causing issues. Fixes it every time for me.

[FarCenter]

70. Facebook is for people with that psychiatric disorder that requires incessant social contact

I'm not sure what it is, but it is sort of the opposite from autism or aspergers.

You know, people who won't stop talking.