Facebook for Aspies

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Is it just me or do other Autistics too find Facebook the ultimate hell for us? Such a big maze, it's rare that I'm completely overwhelmed by a website, but FB is more than I can take. I don't understand a thing about how it works, and I understand their explanations even less. The ambiguous titles, the overflow of info on each page and the layout of boxes and boxes on one same page...it's stronger than me.

If there are others suffering from FB syndrome here, could we post here our questions and help each other learn navigate that monster, please?

FBAS (Facebook Autism Syndrome)

My first questions:

1. What's the difference between the news feed and the live feed?
2. In the right-hand bottom corner, the word "chat" appears and a couple people's profiles are there. Does that mean they tried to chat with me?
3. How can you see all your contacts' new wall comments and not just a few of them?
4. What's the difference between writing on your wall and writing a "status update"?

I wont even try it because Im afraid I will be thought of as rude if I dont want to respond to requests or comments.. I prefer to keep my online interaction simple. Email suits me best... I know some friends I used to have thought I was very difficult and awkward taking that view, but oh well... then again I think fair enough to those who like it. I dont have a problem with the idea of it.

Another issue I have is that people will post photos of their sparkling, successful lives, shiny-faced kids, details of their perfect jobs, (or so they would like others to think) but I have no idea how to dress up the fact that I live with my parents, and am on a benefit for anxiety and AS. How do I make that look appealing and arouse the envy of ex-classmates at highschool? Lol.

1. What's the difference between the news feed and the live feed?
I don't know why they do this, all I can tell is the live feed will update on its own, with news feed you have to update.

2. In the right-hand bottom corner, the word "chat" appears and a couple people's profiles are there. Does that mean they tried to chat with me?
No, if they tried to chat with you they would come up with a little corner window with their name and message. What you see now is just who is available for chat.

3. How can you see all your contacts' new wall comments and not just a few of them?
These should be showing up on your home page, if you scroll down and click on 'older posts' you can see them. Also, the only time you'll see a wall comment to a friend's wall is if whoever made the comment on their wall is also your friend. Otherwise, you do have to go to their wall.

4. What's the difference between writing on your wall and writing a "status update"?
Status updates stay by your name till you change them. Wall posts are just posts.

Most of the time people deliberately pick the shiny photos to make their lives seem far more 'sparkly' than they are.
Some of my friends on FB never post or do anything at all, they just have it to see what other people or doing, or to play games. There is no requirement on how to use FB.

I'm on facebook, but I rarely log onto it. Maybe a couple of times per month, and usually to post something outrageous, like how Christianity = Cannibalism.

I guess you are right. I actually felt a bit of peer pressure to join facebook a couple of years back. I think it is because some people really take stuff like that seriously. I dont really try and go for friends like that anymore anyway.

You could always concede and then not talk to them much --- and play games all day. I play a few religiously.

Facebook to me is like torture.... It just scares me because I end up realising who my real and fake friends are... Unfortunelately I get alot of people deleting me on there, so I've realised is it me that's the problem or is it something else, i don't care...

No point, I go on it occassionally because it's so depressing, to be honest, I might consider closing down my facebook account since to me it's like too much pressure.

True but I think I am better off without it.. it is one less internet obligation for me.

Facebook pretty much parallels my own real life experience with socializing, which is me standing on the outside of the group wondering what the hell is going on.

Same here. I first went there because of a specific invitation to do so, and within minutes after registering I began hearing from all these "friends" who were complete strangers. Then the chat box popped up and I found myself staring at something like "Whassup?".

Overwhelming is for me a perfect description of FB, and I ended up just closing my account. I have since re-opened it and deleted all but one "friend", and that is how I intend to keep it so I can occasionally go there and look for people who come to mind from days now gone by.

Facebook, twitter and those sort of sites are NT people's view of how to use the internet. They are similar to face-to-face socialising except there aren't hidden body language and facial expression cues. Rather there are obscure words, txt spk, conventions, friend status rules, etc all to make it as confusing as real life interaction.

I don't see the point of em and don't use them.

Yeah, I'm the same. I joined because my Martial Arts group post all their updates there, but it's.. eh.. All too much to take in. I've shut down my account too.

I don't let it bother me. It has been useful for finding people I haven't seen since high school 35 years ago, and for making myself available for them to find, if they wish. The games and cause messages don't interest me, so I just ignore them. If a person I want to talk to posts a message, I'll answer. Otherwise, I don't spend much time on it.

I'm also on Facebook, though I don't "socialize" much with people that are my "friends" on there. It is only one of the few ways for them to contact me, or to get to know what's up with me. Nothing much, really. I have family members on my facebook, which is somewhat helpful because I am deaf and they're not - another means of communications between me and them. Only a few people on my facebook actually contacts me through the chat feature, which is really a nice thing to have sometimes as it is now on my blackberry IM app, meaning they can contact me while I am out of the house. Mish is the only one who frequently abuses that feature.

I have kept my friends down to a 120 maximum, though I prefer it to be much less. I despise profanities on my facebook page, and would get rid of any one of them that abuse it.

As for games - I only play one game on Facebook, and that's Farm Town - I couldn't continue playing it lately because I was distracted with other stuff - although it's a nice thing to have if I am on the road, so I can always log on and play wherever I am.

--- off topic alert!----
RampionRampage - OT... but yeah, in another thread, you suggested that we meet up once sometimes - I would love to take up on that offer - I need to get OUT OF THE HOUSE more often and meet another fellow aspies. You would be the first one, and with you being hearing impaired, it makes it slightly easier on me, LOL! Let me know what you think of that.
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