Social Networking sites...

[WTurner]

So far I have resisted the craze.

What happened to finding hosting and building your own website?

I can remember I built my first website in 1996. It was basic html and included a photo album and a little bio about myself.

Now days it's FaceBook, MySpace, PhotoBucket, etc, etc.

Is personal website building dead?

People often ask me if I have my photos up on a social networking site. I always give them the URL to my personal website. I usually get the response of "oh, you have a webpage?" in a condescending tone.

 

[jaqie]

Originally posted by: WTurner
What happened to finding hosting and building your own website?

What happened to building hosting and hand-creating your website in a text editor?
foxtecha.com - my site - done in the old manner... except I use drupal for a CMS... only you won't find much there anymore, but there used to be.

 

[WTurner]

I agree with that too. My first web site was hosted at home over my 56k connection! I didn't want to pay for a domain name so I used one of those domain redirects (I think it was cjb.net for those who remember back then).

Later I moved my site (in 1998) when I got cable internet to my ISP's webserver.

 

[Raduque]

I have my own website - I build the pages in Dreamweaver, but use the "Code view". I'll put pictures there and hand out links to the gallery section, but I also have a myspace page. It's just easier to find and talk to people online through those websites. Can you send somebody a message from your website?

 

[jaqie]

Originally posted by: Raduque
Can you send somebody a message from your website?

Yes, I could, when I had that enabled. I had it in a blog format where I had created articles on various things, and people were free to post (after registering) and could then send eachother private messages which were forwarded to their email accounts. It was (and is, but is disabled) a criss-cross between a blog, a CMS, and a forum.

 

[RESmonkey]

What I hate is how people waste time on facebook or myspace, and then tell others they shouldn't be playing MMOs like WoW. It's the same thing, a mild waste of time, except with SN sites you're 'being hip' while on MMOs you're havign fun.

 

[WTurner]

I use email to send messages...

My address is on my site. If you want to contact me click the email link...

 

[Deeko]

uhhh is this thread serious? Are you truly, honestly asking this question?

Just in case your amazing web design skill has clouded your common sense, social networking sites bring that to the masses. Most people don't have the knowledge or the desire to create their own website...and I'd certainly take a Facebook-created site over something made with Geocities' builder any day.

Plus, that aside, it brings in the aspect of an integrated social network. Walls, comments, picture tagging, messaging....yes, you CAN do that on a personal website, but it's far far more difficult. Why go through all of that when Facebook has already done it for you?

 

[gorcorps]

Social networking sites are good for just that, social networking. Your own personal websites are good depending on what you're trying to do with it, but you can't beet MS and FB for a one stop sites that damn near everybody uses.

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: Deeko
uhhh is this thread serious? Are you truly, honestly asking this question?

Just in case your amazing web design skill has clouded your common sense, social networking sites bring that to the masses. Most people don't have the knowledge or the desire to create their own website...and I'd certainly take a Facebook-created site over something made with Geocities' builder any day.

Plus, that aside, it brings in the aspect of an integrated social network. Walls, comments, picture tagging, messaging....yes, you CAN do that on a personal website, but it's far far more difficult. Why go through all of that when Facebook has already done it for you?

Exactly.

It's like asking why people try to use a common IM program instead of writing their own and having everyone they want to talk to use it.

"Ease of Use" is the key term here.

 

[jaqie]

"ease of use" is great with drupal CMS. that is why I use it.

 

[manlymatt83]

Originally posted by: WTurner
I agree with that too. My first web site was hosted at home over my 56k connection! I didn't want to pay for a domain name so I used one of those domain redirects (I think it was cjb.net for those who remember back then).

Later I moved my site (in 1998) when I got cable internet to my ISP's webserver.

Good ol' CJB. I knew him personally. Used to run #fun on Dalnet and I was an AOP.

 

[WTurner]

Originally posted by: Deeko
uhhh is this thread serious? Are you truly, honestly asking this question?

Just in case your amazing web design skill has clouded your common sense, social networking sites bring that to the masses. Most people don't have the knowledge or the desire to create their own website...and I'd certainly take a Facebook-created site over something made with Geocities' builder any day.

Plus, that aside, it brings in the aspect of an integrated social network. Walls, comments, picture tagging, messaging....yes, you CAN do that on a personal website, but it's far far more difficult. Why go through all of that when Facebook has already done it for you?

Most of the sites I have seen on the social networking sites look horrible.

I can agree what it brings is ease of use and a large collection of people - but then again Anandtech has a large collection of people...

 

[Deeko]

Completely different and you know it. Dude, this is an inane, elitist argument that you're better off dropping.

 

[jaqie]

Wow, someone seems to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

This thread seems much more like "whatever happened to the good old days" then trying to incite riotous arguments, Deeko... however you seem to be trying to turn it into the latter. I see no high horse here except yours.

 

[Sumguy]

Originally posted by: RESmonkey
What I hate is how people waste time on facebook or myspace, and then tell others they shouldn't be playing MMOs like WoW. It's the same thing, a mild waste of time, except with SN sites you're 'being hip' while on MMOs you're havign fun.

The difference is you pay for your social networking in MMOs (usually).
Facebook and Myspace and all that crap are free as far as I know.

Though, I still prefer MMOs because you can virtually do shit with friends when you're not out instead of glorified texting. I would also make my own webpage, but I lack the skills/time for that. Hopefully I will eventually get to it.

 

[irishScott]

Originally posted by: RESmonkey
What I hate is how people waste time on facebook or myspace, and then tell others they shouldn't be playing MMOs like WoW. It's the same thing, a mild waste of time, except with SN sites you're 'being hip' while on MMOs you're havign fun.

Yeah, because people definitely use Facebook for the sole purpose of "being hip". :roll:

1. Myspace is trash.

2. I'm pretty sure there are more people clinically addicted to WoW than Facebook.

3. Facebook serves as a free, easy method of organizing events (movie nights, parties, what have you). It also allows me to keep up with people whom I'd otherwise lose contact with, to a greater extent than simple email. I can see photos, status messages, when their birthdays are, and lots of other stuff. It's simply a better means of communication. There's a reason it's popular, and not just because it's "hip".

4. Personally, my idea of "fun" extends way beyond my computer, but that's me. I'd much rather go out to a restaurant with friends than sit in my dorm playing online games with friends. Granted, the latter can be awesome, but it falls second to real social interaction.

5. Facebook can be a waste of time.
WoW is a waste of time and money.

 

[RESmonkey]

But you pay for 'fun' on WoW. facebook, yeah you can organize a fun party, but---wait. I just realized they're completely different things. I shouldn't have made my first post :{P

 

[WTurner]

Originally posted by: Deeko
Completely different and you know it. Dude, this is an inane, elitist argument that you're better off dropping.

How about I just drop talking to you. You're the only one in this thread who is getting pissy.

Take a hike.

 

[WTurner]

Originally posted by: jaqie
Wow, someone seems to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

This thread seems much more like "whatever happened to the good old days" then trying to incite riotous arguments, Deeko... however you seem to be trying to turn it into the latter. I see no high horse here except yours.

Yup 100%. I was just interested in talking about the decline of personal websites.

 

[vi edit]

Clicking "add friend" is a hell of a lot more convenient than whipping open notepad, finding the "friends website links" coding it in, saving the page, and uploading to a webserver.

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: WTurner

Originally posted by: Deeko
Completely different and you know it. Dude, this is an inane, elitist argument that you're better off dropping.

How about I just drop talking to you. You're the only one in this thread who is getting pissy.

Take a hike.

Deeko has a point. Not everybody has the time or antisocial tendencies so they can spend all their time in their room coding their own web pages. Both sites are great and serve the purpose of keeping in contact with friends you may have no contact with otherwise. I sure as shit don't want to code a page that does the same thing, and I don't even think you could in a decent time frame.

Give it up OP, myspace isn't ONLY used for it's profile purposes. It's meant to keep in contact with folks in a way a personal web page can't do.

 

[WTurner]

Originally posted by: vi edit
Clicking "add friend" is a hell of a lot more convenient than whipping open notepad, finding the "friends website links" coding it in, saving the page, and uploading to a webserver.

Right. We have already pretty much agreed on the convenience factor.

 

[George P Burdell]

Originally posted by: Deeko
uhhh is this thread serious? Are you truly, honestly asking this question?

I know... it's like comparing apples and oranges.

Originally posted by: Deeko
Completely different and you know it. Dude, this is an inane, elitist argument that you're better off dropping.

Elitist? Maybe. Moronic? Definitely.

 

[WTurner]

Originally posted by: gorcorps

Originally posted by: WTurner

Originally posted by: Deeko
Completely different and you know it. Dude, this is an inane, elitist argument that you're better off dropping.

How about I just drop talking to you. You're the only one in this thread who is getting pissy.

Take a hike.

Deeko has a point. Not everybody has the time or antisocial tendencies so they can spend all their time in their room coding their own web pages. Both sites are great and serve the purpose of keeping in contact with friends you may have no contact with otherwise. I sure as shit don't want to code a page that does the same thing, and I don't even think you could in a decent time frame.

Give it up OP, myspace isn't ONLY used for it's profile purposes. It's meant to keep in contact with folks in a way a personal web page can't do.

Give up what? A personal web site? No thanks.

No one is debating that the social networking sites have built in communications features. I spend maybe 30 mins a month on my site. That's less than people spend on MySpace in a month...