by Maggie O'Cala

Created on: September 06, 2010

Any form of online network geared towards socializing will have pros and cons. Facebook is no different in that respect.

Pros - People who live far apart can use the site as a way to stay more closely connected to family members or friends. With it's ability to provide a place for pictures to be uploaded, blogs written and simple wall posts this is one of the easiest ways to overcome distance.

Networking is another positive that Facebook has going for it. With a variety of settings and privacy restrictions available, you can have a list of coworkers or people who might offer help in your career. You will be able to specify which group is allowed to see certain information pertaining to your account.

The games available there must be mentioned. Thousands of people log on each day simply to play the games Facebook offers. Farmtown, Island Paradise, Mafia Wars and Family Feud have the attraction power that brings some users back consistently. When playing many of these games, it is possible to make new gaming friends who enjoy the same ones you do.

Finding people from your past. Online reunions between classmates, exes and old neighbors occur countless times each day on Facebook. By plugging in the name and location of someone you have wondered what ever happened to, you have a fairly decent change of finding them on there. Or finding a relative of theirs who can reconnect you.

Cons - In recent news the lack of privacy has been an issue. Members tend to forget that no matter how private a site is, once you put your information out there in cyberspace there are people who can access it against your wishes and without your knowledge. This could ultimately lead to your finances being jeopardized, your pictures or information distributed elsewhere and possibly even become a threat to your safety.

Oh no, he/she found me! While many of the reunions between long lost friends or exes are a thing of joy, there are those people who you never want to find you again. An abusive ex husband, a back stabbing friend, that kid in high school who had such a crush on you. Anyone that you left in the past can locate you on most social sites like Facebook.

Another downside is the weirdo factor. We might constantly receive emails telling us that someone we do not know has sent us a message. Upon opening it you could find links to a porn site, women claiming to have special pictures for you and any number of unwanted contents.

Networking. While we usually think of networking as a positive thing there are downsides to it. Joining a Facebook group dedicated to certain interests or professions puts your name and certain information out there for all to see. Just this morning, I received a message in my inbox from a man in one of the writing networks. He offered me a free book and asked that I send him my address. Upon being told that I was not interested, he became more persistent.

There are good and bad points to using Facebook and some of the other sites that are out there. As long as certain precautions are taken and you have knowledge of the site rules it can be useful in many ways.

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