| Befriended: 40-somethings find Facebook |
By: DAVID HENKE, Staff Writer
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Posted: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 8:53 pm
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You don’t have to look any further than the numbers, or the steadily increasing amount of young students bemoaning the fact that their parents are now online, to see that the social networking Web site Facebook is no longer the default realm of the teenage and 20-something crowd.
Last May, roughly 10.4 million people 35 years old or older had accounts on the Web site, according to market research firm ComScore Media Metrix, a number that represents a 98 percent growth over the same total in May 2007.
Now, according to statistics released by Facebook itself, the 30-plus age category is the fastest-growing demographic on the Web site. The growth comes as no surprise to many local 30-, 40-, and 50-something Facebookers, who, thanks to their children, work or tech-savvy friends have quickly been indoctrinated to Facebook.
“It’s a way to disseminate information and stay knowledgeable about what people are doing and where they are,” said Northfield resident Ann Etter. Three generations of Etter’s family, including her son and mother, have Facebook profiles now, making the Web site an easy way for Etter to keep in touch with her family.
Family also prompted Northfield Area Family YMCA director Virginia Kaczmarek to join the Web site. Initially, she created a profile to keep in contact with her 23-year-old daughter, but now Kaczmarek also oversees the Northfield YMCA Facebook page, and participates in social and political advocacy groups via the Web site.
“It’s that open freeway of communication that is wonderful, but also makes you more responsible, Kaczmarek said.
Growth in older users on the Web site comes much to the chagrin of many of the Web site’s younger users, like 14-year-old Elizabeth Buckheit, whose mother, Betsey, would only allow Elizabeth to get a Facebook profile if she got one, too.
“I know her intentions are good, but sometimes it’s a little awkward,” Elizabeth said. Still, the upside, according to Elizabeth, is that she and her mother can quickly communicate online when they like.
“It’s kind of weird to have your mom on there,” confirmed Kaczmarek’s college-aged son, Alex Engh. “But the good side of it is the fact that we can actually communicate with each other.”
For many older Facebook users, the site is also a way to locate and communicate with old classmates or college friends.
“It’s so convenient for me to have one site where I can post something and anyone that’s interested can know what I’m up to or what my opinion of something is,” said 51-year-old Paul Seguin. “To me, it’s like checking e-mail.”
6 LOCAL FACEBOOK USERS
NAME: Paul Seguin
AGE: 51
OCCUPATION: Self-employed
JOINED FACEBOOK: Spring, 2008
FACEBOOK FRIENDS: 100
QUOTE: “There are a lot of people that will poo poo it and think Facebook is some kind of fad, and then they try it and see that it’s a modern day way to network and connect with people that they know.”
NAME: Ann Etter
AGE: 39
OCCUPATION: Certified Public Accountant
JOINED FACEBOOK: Summer, 2008
FACEBOOK FRIENDS: 168
QUOTE: “I like that it allows you to keep in touch with people, that it allows you that more casual connection to people that you otherwise wouldn’t see or wouldn’t interact with.”
NAME: Jane Fenton
AGE: 45
OCCUPATION: Director of Community Relations for Laura Baker Services
JOINED FACEBOOK: Summer, 2007
FACEBOOK FRIENDS: 195
QUOTE: “I think some people will lament the loss of face-to-face conversations, but I actually think it gets you in touch more with all the opportunities to socialize.”
NAME: Betsey Buckheit
AGE: 47
OCCUPATION: Northfield City Council member
JOINED FACEBOOK:
FACEBOOK FRIENDS: 27
QUOTE: “My blog is my city council platform. Facebook is the rest of me, the lighthearted, casual part.”
NAME: Jerry Fox
AGE: 53
OCCUPATION: Data Analyst
JOINED FACEBOOK: Summer, 2008
FACEBOOK FRIENDS: 76
QUOTE: On whether or not he is addicted to Facebook: “I don’t like the word addict, it sounds like I’m sick.”
NAME: Virginia Kaczmarek
AGE: 43
OCCUPATION: Executive director of the Northfield Area YMCA
JOINED FACEBOOK: Spring, 2008
FACEBOOK FRIENDS: 49
QUOTE: “It allows you to pull back and look at what’s going on in the community, and what’s going on with issues that are important to you.”
FACEBOOK FAUX PAS
As in any real-life situation, there are a number of social faux pas that Facebook users can commit. If you don’t want to put your online foot in your online mouth, watch out for these behaviors.
• Avoid sarcastic wall posts or messages. People tend to take sarcasm seriously when they can’t see your goofy smile or hear your ironic tone of voice.
• Don’t send wedding invitations out over Facebook. Some things are just too formal and classy to be posted on a casual networking site. Wedding invitations are one of them.
• Don’t blend business with pleasure. Either use your profile to reflect your glossy professional resume, or post all those pictures of you, beer-in-hand, and try like heck to avoid adding your boss or any of your co-workers to your friends list. A happy medium is hard to find here.
• Try not to use your profile as a personal confessional. Your friends will soon tire of all the melodramatic personal diary entries you post to your page.
• Master your privacy settings. You can easily change or modify the privacy settings of your profile to manage who has access to your personal information. With more than 150 million people on Facebook, it’s a good idea.
• Don’t write negative things about other people on someone else’s Facebook wall. You never know who might be watching.
FACEBOOK STATISTICS
ACTIVE USERS: More than 150 million
NUMBER OF MINUTES SPENT ON THE WEB SITE WORLD WIDE: 3 billion per day
NUMBER OF PHOTOS UPLOADED ON THE SITE EACH MONTH: 850 million
NUMBERS OF DEVELOPERS AND ENTREPRENEURS ON THE SITE: 660,000
NUMBER OF USERS THAT ARE 35 YEARS OLD OR OLDER: 10.4 million
FASTEST GROWING FACEBOOK USER DEMOGRAPHIC: 30 and older
— David Henke can be reached at dhenke@northfieldnews.com or 645-1100. |
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Member Opinions:
By: tch on 2/11/09
Good advice on separating personal life from professional career. Something I have practiced my entire online life. I never mention who I work for (past or present) or more information about what I do for a living other than I work with computers and call it fun. Also, don't post your address or phone numbers online. Increases your vulnerability to identity theft. Best practice on facebook is to not make your profile public, but only available to friends.
By: FormerNorthfielder on 2/11/09
Nice article! I myself have 82 friends on Facebook, and all but 5 are from high school. Almost everyone of those I had lost touch with years ago(class of '90). Nice to be in touch with them again, and a few I have visited again to relive old times and make new memories. My rules of thumb: - DO NOT invite or allow people access to your page that you do not know! -Learn the jargon. There are ways to let people know how you feel when posting, they're called Emoticons. Google it and you'll understand. -Do not try to interpret someones emotions when reading posts. Chances are you understood it the wrong way. Take it for what it's worth.
By: tch on 2/12/09
all good points. I agree with you that it is a good way to reconnect and stay in touch with others. My nephew and two cousins are on facebook, and a couple of high school and college friends. Quite a few other old frineds also on it.
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