How many of you use them? I’ve a bebo account myself but have grown bored with it over the last 6 months and rarely check it. These things seem to come in waves. I remember back around 2000 there was a wave of everyone using internet chatrooms (widemouth was one that comes to mind - actually nearly met up with a bird I got chatting to in that place once!)
Then MSN Messenger seemed to be the tool to be using to chat to all your friends (or strangers)
The likes of Bebo and Myspace and Facebook seem to have come in around 2005/2006 but are they slowly coming to the end of their cycle? There seems to be a shift in interest now with Facebook becoming more popular with the 25’s and over with bebo being the choice for the college generation. The whole thing wreeks of a popularity contest if you ask me!
Internet forums have been around all through this but what is their life cycle? What will the next thing be?
I have accounts with Bebo and Myspace alright. They’re handy for keeping in touch with mates travelling and the likes alright. Only have a bebo because I know so many people on it. My Myspace is pretty much dead, most people I know can’t even figure out how to set one up (I’ll say no more)
As for forums, I think they’ll be around forever.
Another one to add to the list of internet fads: Blogs. Does anyone on here read any?
Think forums will stay around a bit longer because they facilitate proper dialogue and they’re an extension of email discussions and even pub conversations.
Facebook and Bebo and the likes don’t have a long term future IMO. It’s fine at the start looking at your mates’ pages but then when they stay the same there’s no point in going back.
New content is what brings people back to forums. By the way the next upgrade of TFK will have member pages where everyone can have their own profile and pictures and video etc on it.
They’re handy for staying in touch with people you havent seen in a while or who are off travelling alright. But, in truth, if these people were proper mates of yours you’d probably be emailing them, texting them or ringing them!!
I opened a Facebook account last night but I cant figure the fookin thing out. Seems you can only view profiles of direct friends rather than viewing anyones profile.
Also funny when you go travelling to see Irish people abroad sitting in internet cafes all day long updating their bebo / myspace / facebook. You didnt travel to a foreign fooking country to sit in an internet cafe all fooking day long.
I never used chatrooms (well not since the authorities started monitoring them!) and I’ve never used MSN either. I don’t have a My Space or Facebook account but I do have a bebo though it’s pretty much the same story as you Mac. I rarely use it and I can’t remember the last time I checked it. It’s a handy way to keep in touch with mates who are travelling but I’m back firing them off the odd email instead.
I agree that they’re mainly used as a popularity tool for the younger brigade and the amount of posed pictures and stuff that girls in particular have on their pages to portray of image of being cool is conversely enough pretty sad actually.
I think forums will always be here much like Flano and Rocko as the content is being updated all the time and the focus is on a board as a whole rather than one person’s individual page or whatever.
I don’t really read blogs as, like I mentioned on another thread today, I prefer the cut and thrust of a forum and the diversity of opinions you get rather than one person’s sole take on matters.
I’ve purposely linked the above blog to one of my favourite places for a full English grease-up, smack bang in the middle of working class London suburbia. But it does give a comprehensive review of at least one greasy spoon in every area of London.
[quote=“Mac”]They’re handy for staying in touch with people you havent seen in a while or who are off travelling alright. But, in truth, if these people were proper mates of yours you’d probably be emailing them, texting them or ringing them!!
[/quote]
thats it tho really isnt it Mac. I went travelling for about 18 months, and didnt have any myspace/bebo/facebook thing going. i kept in touch with the people I want by either texting or emailing, and i sent on a picture or 2 by email if there was something cool I wanted to show people at home. One of my friends I met in Oz set up a bebo while he was away, and was trying to convince me the same, saying it was handy for keeping in touch with people you dont have email addresses or phone numbers. I asked him why he didnt have numbers/emails and he said ‘ah well I wouldnt be that friendly with them’ and when I asked him why he was bebo’ing them if he wasnt that friendly, you could have put a light bulb over his head as it actually dawned on him that he didnt like those people and was only doing it for the sake of it.
I since created a facebook thing, but dont really use it, only have about 5/6 people on it, and those are friends of mine who live abroad.
Thing is though that if you post a blog about your travels on Bebo everyone can see it. The person wouldn’t have to be thinking of who to send it to etc.
well all I did before I went was made an email address list of people who asked to be kept in touch with and friends of mine, so all it was to send was to click the group list and whoever wanted to know about my travels got the email. Dont really like the idea of some dipstick I couldnt stand in school or at home knowing my every move. Can be handy alright at times, but just not for me I suppose.
I have a Facebook and Bebo account. I started up the Bebo account so that I could perve on Bandage’s little sister.
The Facebook account was set-up for purely legitimate reasons. Many of my mates went travelling over the last few months and decided to set up facebook accounts so I did the same just to keep in contact. I check my facebook egularly enough and my Bebo on occassion.
Would agree that forums are the best, I basically spend most of my free time on them.
I use bebo and facebook but bebo a lot less now and facebook a lot more. Was trying to add some bird I fancied from college on facebook there but she hasn’t accepted yet. In fairness she hasn’t seen me in years so I don’t blame her.
When you type in thefreekick into google one of the links is to bandages bebo page, from there you can see farmers etc. Nothing like a bit of internet spying. Stumbled across Macs bebo as well.
