GTKY: Facebook!

olivemomma · June 2019

okay this isn’t a “do you want to join a FB group” GTKY - I think we have BTDT. But all the FB chat got me thinking it could be a fun topic. So let’s go ahead and age some of us - how long have you been on FB? Were you part of the first ‘college only’ wave of users? Do you remember it when it was thefacebook.com?? What year is your first profile pic from? Any other fun thoughts on the topic??

olivemomma · June 2019

Alright, so I was definitely in college when this took off - actually I’m the same year as Mark Zuckerburg so remember well this new “phenomena.” I had a friend at Harvard and she had told me about this new website quickly sweeping across their campus. My school was on the earlier side to get access and I had an account back in 2004! I remember the platform being very different back then and it tracked where all of your friends went to college and it was limited to college age kids at the time so it was fun to see all of my high school buddies in one space. I definitely spent way too much time there for a while! I don’t think I’ve ever officially left FB but my usage has definitely died down over the years. It’s funny to watch yourself and your friends go from partying college kids, to working professionals, to married, and now everyone having a family. I keep up with it mostly for the pictures!

wanderlustsoul · June 2019

My first profile pic is from June 2007. And so very cringeworthy.

I was in high school when I joined FB in 2006. So many cringeworthy albums on there from my high school days haha. I don’t use it very often but primarily for groups (mainly expat related ones) and to update my family on our adventures abroad since they don’t have IG. I also have so many albums there that I don’t want to lose so I gotta download them one day.

wabash15 · June 2019

I joined only because that was the only place SIL was posting photos of my brothers wedding (on her FB page)...Otherwise I'm an old fart and probably would never have joined. AOL messenger was my jam back in the day.

moon1417 · June 2019

I think I was in high school maybe my senior year when I joined. It was right around the time when you no longer needed a college ID to get in. It's still my main mode of social media, I like insta too but not really huge on twitter.

grangerhp37 · June 2019

I was in high school when I joined, I think in 2005. I deleted a lot of my most embarrassing profile pictures - I think my oldest one is my senior photo from high school in 2009. I've really pared down my friends list over the years - now it's mostly family and friends that I actually talk to and coworkers, rather than every random stranger that attended my high school or college. I also unfollow people that I want to stay "friends" with but their posts annoy me. It mostly helps me to keep in touch with people and see updates on their families - and their kids! It's crazy how quickly kids grow up when you don't see them very often.

aukeev · June 2019

I think I was a junior in high school when I joined in 2008. Like @dogmomma096, I also deleted a bunch of photos from those days! I think my first profile picture that shows up now is from a trip my senior year I took with some girl friends to New York in 2009 at the Hard Rock Cafe - we were very classy lol.

I work in social media, so I'm pretty active. As far as personal use, I mainly share pictures of our home renovations, my cat and articles about recycling or otherwise being a good human.

BigBadWolf12 · June 2019

I was 15 or 16 when I joined. I don't remember if the url included "the" or not, but the status bar was "X is..." for a while before they cut out the sentence starter lol

Allycat11 · June 2019

I joined my freshman year of college, 2005. I remember that everyone did that pretty much the first week of college because they needed a college email at that point. Not long after it was made more public. I have cleaned up a lot of photos from my college days but there are still some gems in there. Right now I use it a ton, I keep up with friends and family as well as some TB users from TTCAL from 2011-2012 and Jan13 (was not really active on TB around Apr16). The groups feature has been an amazing resource to connect with families who face similar health struggles that we do with DD.

Avrilmai · June 2019

I joined back in 2004 when you had to have a .edu email address and be invited. I actually remember talking about it, in the university library, with a friend. She asked if I had heard of it and sent me the invite then and there. I remember being in the back of a classroom full of computers and it seemed like everyone was on facebook. You could post your class schedule. My first profile pic is actually not on there anymore, I guess back then they didn't have a feature to save your pictures. The one that shows up as my first is from 2006. I don't post much or really do updates, I'll share posts related to my job, but that is about it. In fact my current profile pic is 7 years old!

sourlemon · June 2019

I joined in college, I think 2007 or 2008. I think you still needed a .edu email for registration but I'm not 100% sure. I was much more into myspace and it took some time and convincing to figure out Facebook even after I joined. My earliest profile picture was an older picture from when I was in high school, which isnt actually half bad haha.

I'm on FB way too much now, and I'm one of those "annoying" people who posts a ton of pictures of my kids (yes, my account is locked down security wise).I use the pictures for two reasons. First, most of our families are not local, so pictures and posts are the only way they can keep up with my kids. Second, I download all the pictures I post at the end of each year and make our family yearbook on shutterfly. I figure, I only post pictures that I like for some reason or another, and they capture most of the events from the year, so its a good set of pictures for the yearbook.

mia8263 · June 2019

I joined in college when it first spread around to colleges only. I had a edu but it wasn’t used as much as MySpace at the time. I got bored and deleted it only to join again a few years later. My first picture was of me and my dog lol
I like Facebook. I use it to keep in touch with family members in other countries and I like the marketplace, I’ve gotten a lot of good stuff on there.

MollyH1987 · June 2019

@wabash15 Yesss to AIM! I was on constantly in high school.

@BigBadWolf12 I forgot about that status bar with the "X is...."!!

@sourlemon I'm like you on the picture front. I started posting lots of pictures of DD on facebook, even if in a private album, because I figured if my computer ever crashed or my phone was destroyed, I could easily access and get back all my photos just by downloading them back off of facebook.

I joined in 2005 when I started college. I remember the old format and THEfacebook.com. I also liked the feature back then (since it was only college-aged folks) where you could add your courses to your page and it would help you find other people that were in your class. I have a ton of photo albums from the college years as well as I was the one who was always taking pictures of events and get-togethers. I would go home and post them all and tag everyone.

I normally use it now for reading my newsfeed and keeping up with friends. I also post occasional pictures of DD to share with family and friends but otherwise don't do too much actual posting.

cato99 · June 2019

Add me to the old-person club! I joined in 2004 in college with an .edu account, and that first profile picture didn't save--the first one on file is from 2006. I was in the first wave out of Harvard when it was like 5 schools, because I was in college with MZ's sister so our school was part of the initial rollout.

By far my main use is with my May17 mom group from here, and soon with y'all. I post very occasionally on my personal page, and sometimes cross-post with IG. The next main use is for international stuff--in my experience FB Messenger and Whatsapp are the default messaging systems for people with internationally scattered communities like mine. Since the nanny we employ for DD is from Central America and is already on FB Messenger all the time, that's also how I get all my photos and updates throughout the day from her.

I should note for our upcoming move that my current profile pic isn't me--it's a painting from 1894 that looks a lot like me though!

cmessamore · June 2019

@wabash15 I’m thinking we’re in the same age bracket! 😂 I think I joined in 2009-ish.

My first profile picture was of me in a bikini top and short-shorts.

I honestly thought the internet was going to be a passing fad. 😂

thirdtimesacharm2019 · June 2019

I started FB early college (circa 2004ish?). I don’t remember needing a college email, but I would have had one, so it wouldn’t have been a big deal.

My favorite thing back then was the buttons (like you pin on clothes) with different sayings. I think you could “collect” other things too.

I haven't been on FB in a desktop computer is years. I don’t post a lot, but it’s my major source of news (from local stations).

EmilyA724 · June 2019

I joined my freshman year of college in 2005. I remember when we got our school email address at orientation and everyone was so excited because it meant they could join. I had never even heard of it until then. When I signed up, digital pictures were still hard to come by so I didn't have a profile pic and no one accepted my friend request, because we'd only just met at orientation. It was a slow go for me, hahaha. My first profile picture of actually me is from Dec. 2006. I think I must have had some before that, but they probably didn't save. I've also done a lot of clean up of the pics when I graduated and started applying for jobs.

I was also a huge AIM fan. DH and I were long distance my first two years of college and we really built our relationship by spending hours on AIM chatting.

agpandme · June 2019

I joined in 2008, 2 years after high school graduation. I didn't have good internet service on the hay and grain farm where I lived so I had no real way to utilize facebook. I was also in a horrible relationship so it kept me isolated and I know he preferred that. My first PP is a photo from that time, I'm holding a friends dog in very poor lighting. That doggie is still alive!

aecm · June 2019

Add me to the club that joined FB back in ‘05 when I started college, back when it was only college kids. I remember when it was opened up to high schoolers (slight horror) and then opened up to anyone (crazy horror). I remember quitting for a bit in protest when my mom joined, lol. I used to change my profile picture all the time (the first one saved is from ‘06 tho) and now I haven’t changed it from a wedding picture (like, 5 years ago).

I don’t post a ton anymore, and when I do it’s mainly pictures of my kid for the benefit of our family in Canada. That said, I’m on there a decent amount. I’m in a local SAHM group, and it’s what we use to communicate our play dates and other events (aka my 2y/o’s very active social calendar).

flagchic · June 2019

I joined the second I got my college e-mail address, so spring 2006. It was definitely before anybody could join, and I remember being excited to ditch Myspace for it. It made me feel elite. LOL.

lovelikestardust · June 2019

I joined in college, back in 2004 in the first set of schools allowed after Harvard. The earliest profile pic I can see right now is from 2006, but I definitely had a different one before that one, not sure what happened to it. I still check FB every day, but almost never post anything myself.

Beauxbaton · June 2019

I joined my SR year of high school. My first profile pic is from Dec 2006. You no longer had.to be in college, but you did have to like, be invited or something like that. I still mostly use Facebook. I somewhat use Instagram. I never reeeeally got into Twitter. I remember when that first started up as well. My first tweet was "eating yogurt" lol.

bluebonnet15 · June 2019

Another one from THEfacebook era that required a .edu email address. @aecm I HATED it when they opened it up to anyone. It seemed like such a fun, cool college perk.

I deleted my account in 2012, and it was so liberating. I much prefer Instagram and Twitter. I started a sports podcast with my friend back in fall 2017 so I rejoined FB to advertise a little for it and run the Podcast page. Since I had deleted my acct before, I started with a clean slate of friends and photos, which was really nice. I don’t post much to FB, and we don’t plan to post photos or details about our LO on there (MH doesn’t have an account)

EmilyA724 · June 2019

@aecm my cover photo is still from my wedding in 2012 because I forget that cover photos are a thing

aecm · June 2019

@EmilyA724 - YUP. I JUST changed my cover photo last fall...also for the first time since our wedding. We got family photos for the first time ever so I figured maybe I should make it look more like my current life 😂

sw1122 · June 2019

I also joined back when a .edu email was required, I think back in 2004 or 2005. My friend and I thought it would be amusing to “marry” each other in Facebook and went so far as to hyphenate our last names. Neither of us use/used it much after college. We eventually had to correct our names, I think in 2011, when she was invited to a wedding and the invitation was addressed to her Facebook name / her last name hyphenated with mine 🤦🏻‍♀️

purplg8r · June 2019

@wabash15 yup. AIM was my thing. I always had to make sure to leave a funnybor meaningful away message.

I’m old and joined in 2007, once anyone was allowed to join. I remember thinking that it was so confusing at first. Now I use it all the time, mostly posting photos. I’m in a bunch of groups and most of my friends are active on there.

BigBadWolf12 · June 2019

I thought it was 2005 but I was only in Highschool so if it was still restricted to college students then that's wrong....I was definitely in by 2006 though.

hillaryo14 · June 2019

I also was in the college-only era in early 2005, but changed schools and started my current one in mid 06.
In HS and throughout part of college, I used AIM and Yahoo messenger. I basically use FB now to keep up with family and friends and post pics of DD.
My first profile pic was in 2006, my bestie had taken some artsy pics of me.
Some of the 'On this day' posts make me cringe, and mostly wonder what me and bf at the time were arguing about.

Beauxbaton · June 2019

@hillaryo14 when something I posted back in the day makes me cringe I delete it haha.

jmesue1030 · June 2019

A lot of us must be right around the same age! I joined as soon as I got my college email address which at the end of my senior year of high school in 2005. I remember people having links that said “Facebook me!” On their AIM profiles. My first profile pic isn’t there anymore but I distinctly remember scanning a picture to use lol... I picked one from my sr year spring break where I was holding a meter long margarita glass... my mom wasn’t pleased with my choice. My friends and I used to play a game called pass the pigs (I think?) and if you lost on your turn the rest of us would mutually decide on someone for you to “poke” on your friends list... it was the most anxiety inducing game haha

nowadays I’m an active scroller but not a huge poster— mostly just post on special occasions.

cato99 · June 2019

@sw1122 that's hilarious--my husband changed his last name to GHIJK on FB because he wanted to strip down his account and stop being find-able (but not fully delete his account), and one of my high school friends sent us wedding invitations with that last name!

emqbee · June 2019

I joined in maybe ‘07ish? And my first profile pic is me and my two best high school friends on prom night at the movie store(yes we did used to have those!) dressed and made up to the 9’s with cheapo sunglasses with the tags still on them. Oy, that was a long time ago...

peachy0709 · June 2019

I joined in college in either 04 or 05. My boyfriend at the time was incredulous that I hadn't paid attention to all the buzz about it (there was an article in our student newspaper etc). I cropped him out of my profile picture

aevan011 · June 2019

I joined in 04 or 05. Freshman or sophomore in college when you had to have a college email to join. My first profile pic is currently one from 07, but I know it was something way more embarrassing - I deleted my account due to a jealous ex at one point so I think some stuff disappeared.

I love FB - borderline addiction. Especially since moving away from “home” for military life in 2014. Also since moving overseas it’s been an incredible tool and the way I’ve made a few friends here finally.

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