Facebook and/orTwitter

You can keep all/nothing/some private on FB if you want. You can customize your privacy settings. No one needs to see anything you don't want them too. I use it mainly for groups and nothing else.

You could indeed make up a name, you wouldn't have to give your birthday if you would rather not and you don't have to discuss your sex life.

Don't know about Twitter though.

I agree with Shelby75 re fb. and privacy. It can be managed.

As for Twitter, this twitterer isn't a twit. Or at least I don't think so.
I rarely post, but I do follow some fantastic photographers and friends who have similar interests.

This tweeter isn't a twit either. The thing is to follow interesting people rather than twits. People who are interested in the same thing you are: photography, science, politics, for instance. You don't actually need to tweet much to find it interesting, just reading other people's tweets, following up links they give to interesting articles, and so on.

Facebook is as small or as large, as private or as public as you make it. Again, you don't actually have to post much yourself if you only want to see what close relatives and friends are doing.

You can always leave FB or Twitter if you find it doesn't suit you. Have fun!

This twit enjoys Twitter but is pretty savvy when she uses it. I also waste many a happy hour on Facebook and make the decisions as to whom sees what and when. Have built up some really good new frienships (mainly through playing Scrabble with people I knew from other websites) and been contacted by old school friends last seen 30 to 40 years ago.

I think FB & Twitter are similar to Gransnet - you can tell as much as you want, join in the conversatiion if you like, or just watch from the sidelines. Just be careful how much information to put on the site and how far you want to reach out to people.

I use FB for keeping in touch with my far-flung family and friends. I like being in touch on a more or less daily basis but I haven't got time to be on the phone to them every day as some people seem to.
The DCs like to see our photos if we've been away anywhere, and vice versa.
You can personalise your settings - sometimes I only want to share something with DiL, and I customise the photo or whatever so it only goes to her.
Another use is getting information from pages that you have 'liked'.
For example, I 'liked' a particular singer who we saw in Hawick last year and now I get updates so I'll know when she's coming over from the US again.
And a local gastropub that we like will post its latest menu so you get tempted to go there!

I'm on Facebook and Twitter. I keep up with friends and family on Facebook and following all sorts of people of Twitter. I keep Facebook locked down to just friends and family and I never put too much information on Twitter. I mostly just follow people and throw in the odd comment.

It's harmless fun if you take care and treat it just as fun. Pretty much like Gransnet really.

I am very fond of FB, but agree that it is best to keep your privacy settings very tight. I posted some pictures today of Theseus and youngest son at the end of the local triathlon, and the furthest like so far is from a friend in KwaZuluNata. No unnecessary comments, just friends showing they know what we're up to. Or not, in my case.

I'm terrified at the very idea of Facebook. Did join Twitter once and had problems from the start, so don't use it now at all. Keep getting messages saying that Tom Cruise/Tom Hanks etc. want to make contact with me!!!!
And what on earth is Twoo?? Strange messages from that recently.
My sons are right, - I am a numbskull.

No you are not henetha! Just get someone you trust to set up a FB account, with very tight privacy settings. Then you are safe. Honestly!

I've looked at the Facebook site again and apparently you have at least to supply your name - though how they verify this I don't know - and your email address, date of birth and whether male or female.

The difference between Facebook and Gransnet and various other forums I use is that in them you don't need to give these details. At least I don't remember telling Gransnet my postal address or dob. But then, my memory isn't that reliable. If I made up a name for Facebook I expect I'd forget what is was!

I also looked at the terms and conditions and rules for using Facebook. Turned me right off.

I use both too. Facebook is fine as long as you keep your privacy settings tight and I love it as a way of keeping in touch with people. You can use any name you want - it does not have to be your own although they would like it to be. I now have 100 friends on FB, some of whom I know in real life and some are from various online forums so I only know them virtually.
I think as Ariadne said get someone to help you set it up and then take it slowly while you get used to it. Someone gave me a piece of advice, which is that each time you post, imagine standing in your front garden and shouting what you are writing to the world. That way you won't say anything unwise! But is is fun and a great way to keep long distance relationships, in particular, going. Having said that I am friends with the lady two doors down and we often talk on FB to save the walk along the road!

I am on Twitter too and I use that for following news channels, travel news, cricket and various other interest but very rarely tweet myself. That one is completely public, so anything you say can be seen by anyone, so I tend to keep quiet!

Very sound advice - particularly about standing in the garden and shouting to the world, coast. Wish someone had mentioned that to me a while back.

Thank you Ariadne for your nice words.... boosting my morale!
You are kind.