morningcoffee Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 A few years ago I joined facebook with the sole intent of staying in touch with one long distance friend. To cut a long story short, I ended being "friends" with lots of people I didn't really want to be facebook friends with ... I couldn't stand the amount of information that was coming through and I deleted my account. Now I miss my friend :( Would it be possible to create a fake account and only be visible to my friend? I don't understand facebook at all so I would appreciate any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Jen* Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 Yes - Just create a new account. Friend request the one person. The only updates you will see are from the one friend that you have added. You can even go into the privacy settings and make it so people can't find you by searching for you. That way you won't get friend requests from other people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 Just don't accept the friend requests. If you ignore them, it just never happens. Though now you can be their friends and block all the feeds so the information is less overwhelming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca VA Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 You know, I just hate the way Facebook asks everyone you know to suggest friends for you. It sounds so pathetic. Like, "Morningcoffee has one friend. Suggest friends for Morningcoffee!" Then everyone rushes out to find you some friends so you won't look so lonely and pitiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbanSue Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 One kind of sad thing about FB is that most people aren't going to notice or care that you aren't there. So just rejoin and "ignore" all requests. In fact, depending on how you deleted your account, it might all still be there when you log in. If so, just go to your friend list and block everyone but the one friend you want to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morningcoffee Posted January 31, 2013 Author Share Posted January 31, 2013 Yes - Just create a new account. Friend request the one person. The only updates you will see are from the one friend that you have added. You can even go into the privacy settings and make it so people can't find you by searching for you. That way you won't get friend requests from other people. Thanks - I tried doing that initially but I thought the most I could limit it to was "friends of friends" or similar? Maybe it has changed in the last few years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morningcoffee Posted January 31, 2013 Author Share Posted January 31, 2013 (edited) Just don't accept the friend requests. If you ignore them, it just never happens. Though now you can be their friends and block all the feeds so the information is less overwhelming. I could block the feeds of people. But I found the expectation was that if you were on facebook then you would know what is happening in people's lives. Now I know that this is their problem and not my problem but it is not a hill I want to die on at the moment kwim. Life is so much easier not being on facebook. My husband has (very sensibly) never opened an account. Everyone just accepts that we are not facebook people and we can get on with our lives! Edited February 2, 2013 by morningcoffee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morningcoffee Posted January 31, 2013 Author Share Posted January 31, 2013 One kind of sad thing about FB is that most people aren't going to notice or care that you aren't there. So just rejoin and "ignore" all requests. In fact, depending on how you deleted your account, it might all still be there when you log in. If so, just go to your friend list and block everyone but the one friend you want to see. Thanks - I deleted it two years ago. I'll go and have a look and see what I can find! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 The tricky thing is that because of my husband's position in the church it gets a bit awkward not accepting these requests... and everyone seems connected in church life and our denomination! I could block the feeds of people. But I found the expectation was that if you were on facebook then you would know what is happening in people's lives. Now I know that this is their problem and not my problem but it is not a hill I want to die on at the moment kwim. Life is so much easier not being on facebook. My husband has (very sensibly) never opened an account. Everyone just accepts that we are not facebook people and we can get on with our lives! Based on what you've written in your several posts, I'd unfriend everyone but this one friend, set your privacy so you can't be found in a search and start over with the same account. When people ask you about it (IF they do), just say, "FB wasn't working for me so I gave it up" OR "Yeah, I still have FB, but I solely use it to keep in touch with one old friend. I don't accept friend request from anyone else, so please don't take it personally." Make FB a tool that works for you. I have 3 friends total. I use FB for the groups and messaging features and that's it. I don't do anything with status updates or people's walls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 I opened a fb page years ago just so I could view other people's public stuff. I had zero friends until 2012. (I now have a whopping 11 friends. And that seems like too many sometimes!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 A few years ago I joined facebook with the sole intent of staying in touch with one long distance friend. To cut a long story short, I ended being "friends" with lots of people I didn't really want to be facebook friends with ... I couldn't stand the amount of information that was coming through and I deleted my account. Now I miss my friend :( Would it be possible to create a fake account and only be visible to my friend? I don't understand facebook at all so I would appreciate any help. I joined FB to share pictures and keep up with a small group of friends. Like ten people. Next thing I knew everyone from high school had found me, along with neighbors, along with friends of friends and it was too many people. And frankly some were people I didn't want to keep in touch with. I deleted my old account and created a new one under a fake name. It's a literary name and I've had lots of fun finding a fitting avatar and banner thing. I would have prefered to keep my own name but I don't think there's a way to make your name unsearchable anymore and I didn't want people finding me. Anyone outside my ten friends that tries to friend me must be a big fan of early Victorian mysteries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
---- Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 Thanks - I deleted it two years ago. I'll go and have a look and see what I can find! What did you find? You can always change your name on your FB account, both first and last. If you account still exists, you can unfriend all except your one old friend, and then change your name so others can't find you or even recognize that it's you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 Why not just email, text, or skype this friend? Why does it have to be Facebook? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morningcoffee Posted January 31, 2013 Author Share Posted January 31, 2013 What did you find? You can always change your name on your FB account, both first and last. If you account still exists, you can unfriend all except your one old friend, and then change your name so others can't find you or even recognize that it's you. The old account was still there but I deleted (or deactivated?) it again. I have started another one now.. I had no idea that I could change my name on my old account though. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morningcoffee Posted January 31, 2013 Author Share Posted January 31, 2013 Why not just email, text, or skype this friend? Why does it have to be Facebook? I just like seeing photos of her kids because I don't get to see them in real life and facebook works really well for sharing photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 The tricky thing is that because of my husband's position in the church it gets a bit awkward not accepting these requests... and everyone seems connected in church life and our denomination! I could block the feeds of people. But I found the expectation was that if you were on facebook then you would know what is happening in people's lives. Now I know that this is their problem and not my problem but it is not a hill I want to die on at the moment kwim. Life is so much easier not being on facebook. My husband has (very sensibly) never opened an account. Everyone just accepts that we are not facebook people and we can get on with our lives! I'm on Facebook mostly to read other people's stuff. I rarely post myself. (which is weird because I've been a devoted blogger in the past) Anyway I only check in a couple times a month, maybe, and sometimes months will go by and I haven't checked anything there. So I don't worry about what people "expect" that I may nor may not read there. It's not a realistic expectation! I realize in your position it's easier to not have the friends to begin with, but I think people have given some good advice re: blocking other people's feeds and keeping your privacy settings high. I do find Facebook useful for keeping track of what's going on with family and friends. I just don't put much of my own info out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windmillmarie Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 I have a facebook account and don't even have people friended. I use it for following places and things that are interesting to me - like a museum. I suppose you could do the same with one friend. I don't use my full name so even if people I know were searching for it, they likely wouldn't find me. Facebook would be just one more added stress. Even though I feel like I am out of the loop on some things because people even do invitations now for parties by facebook, which is annoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 Can I ask a sincere question? And I do mean it sincerely, although it seems to sound snarky when I type it, but I don't mean it that way. What is so stressful about FB? I don't get it. I have (and I had to hurry over there and check) 363 friends on FB (and yes, I do know them all personally), and I love keeping up with their lives. It's fun. There's no drama...ever. Another thing I don't understand is when people complain about "the drama on FB". What drama???? I love seeing my friends and their families and knowing what they're doing in their lives. I live almost 2,000 miles from my hometown, and over 500 miles from the cities where my dh and I used to live earlier on in our marriage. FB keeps me connected and not feeling so removed from everything. Besides, almost everyone posts invitations, important announcements, get togethers, etc. on FB. Don't you feel left out of things? So tell me....what's so stressful about FB??? And if you don't FB, do you Twitter or Instagram instead (I have all of those too, btw, and love them as well)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 I just like seeing photos of her kids because I don't get to see them in real life and facebook works really well for sharing photos. This is me exactly. It's just a really easy way to share something with a few people. My group consists my cousins, DH's cousins, four of our close friends, and my aunt. I can post DD's picture up there in her tennis outfit for them to all look at and see how cute she is rather than individually sending it out to eight people. I can comment on their pictures since they use FB a lot. It's just easy because other people use it so much. Can I ask a sincere question? And I do mean it sincerely, although it seems to sound snarky when I type it, but I don't mean it that way. What is so stressful about FB? I don't get it. I have (and I had to hurry over there and check) 363 friends on FB (and yes, I do know them all personally), and I love keeping up with their lives. It's fun. There's no drama...ever. Another thing I don't understand is when people complain about "the drama on FB". What drama???? I love seeing my friends and their families and knowing what they're doing in their lives. I live almost 2,000 miles from my hometown, and over 500 miles from the cities where my dh and I used to live earlier on in our marriage. FB keeps me connected and not feeling so removed from everything. Besides, almost everyone posts invitations, important announcements, get togethers, etc. on FB. Don't you feel left out of things? So tell me....what's so stressful about FB??? And if you don't FB, do you Twitter or Instagram instead (I have all of those too, btw, and love them as well)? It's not stressful to me but I just wanted a bit more simplicity with it. And I don't care about my second cousin's kids posts while at college or duck lip pictures. Or my sister's party pictures at the beach. Or my college roomates highly charged political comments. Or my other friends highly charged religious comments. Meh. Not what I want. I could hide them all or I could just not be friends with them. It's easier for me just not to be friends with them. I use it to keep connected to the people I want to be connected with and that's only a small group of friends. I will never see anyone I went to high school with again and that's okay. DH is even more private and asked that when I did have my own name up on Facebook that I didn't use my married name because he is trying to avoid people he knew back in high school. I didn't know him back then but from the stories I think his life has taken a different turn and he wishes to not associate with that life anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morningcoffee Posted February 1, 2013 Author Share Posted February 1, 2013 Can I ask a sincere question? And I do mean it sincerely, although it seems to sound snarky when I type it, but I don't mean it that way. What is so stressful about FB? I don't get it. I have (and I had to hurry over there and check) 363 friends on FB (and yes, I do know them all personally), and I love keeping up with their lives. It's fun. There's no drama...ever. Another thing I don't understand is when people complain about "the drama on FB". What drama???? I love seeing my friends and their families and knowing what they're doing in their lives. I live almost 2,000 miles from my hometown, and over 500 miles from the cities where my dh and I used to live earlier on in our marriage. FB keeps me connected and not feeling so removed from everything. Besides, almost everyone posts invitations, important announcements, get togethers, etc. on FB. Don't you feel left out of things? So tell me....what's so stressful about FB??? And if you don't FB, do you Twitter or Instagram instead (I have all of those too, btw, and love them as well)? I completely understand what you are saying and I can see how facebook would be great for you having moved away from your hometown etc But when I was on it for a few months I honestly felt it was just information overload. Maybe it is because I am extremely introverted? I am definitely not against facebook: I just wanted to know if I could use it to suit my needs in this particular situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morningcoffee Posted February 1, 2013 Author Share Posted February 1, 2013 This is me exactly. It's just a really easy way to share something with a few people. My group consists my cousins, DH's cousins, four of our close friends, and my aunt. I can post DD's picture up there in her tennis outfit for them to all look at and see how cute she is rather than individually sending it out to eight people. I can comment on their pictures since they use FB a lot. It's just easy because other people use it so much. It's not stressful to me but I just wanted a bit more simplicity with it. And I don't care about my second cousin's kids posts while at college or duck lip pictures. Or my sister's party pictures at the beach. Or my college roomates highly charged political comments. Or my other friends highly charged religious comments. Meh. Not what I want. I could hide them all or I could just not be friends with them. It's easier for me just not to be friends with them. I use it to keep connected to the people I want to be connected with and that's only a small group of friends. I will never see anyone I went to high school with again and that's okay. DH is even more private and asked that when I did have my own name up on Facebook that I didn't use my married name because he is trying to avoid people he knew back in high school. I didn't know him back then but from the stories I think his life has taken a different turn and he wishes to not associate with that life anymore. :iagree: Yes, exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Ok, well I'm not an introvert, so that probably explains it. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 I joined just for my father's 92 year old cousin, the last of a generation. How do you say no to 90? I just ignore everything else and no one is offended, but I have rather unflappable family members. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Yes - Just create a new account. Friend request the one person. And don't use a name associated with you, say Nibblerabbits (if you don't keep rabbits). And keep your lips sealed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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