Interested by this thread, I did a little research. After all, 2 of my 3 (adult) kids are on Facebook, and both have asked me to join, citing all the 'advantages'. I'm reluctant to give out personal information on the net, and thus far have not joined up.

Here is just one Facebooker's blog on how their information was manipulated, how there is deceptive presentation of ads, and why they think Facebook is dangerous

The writer is obviously an adult, I can't imagine how a young child is supposed to be a savvy member of this site, and stay safe.

edited to add: The above link is NOT a link to Facebook, but to a blogging site. http://chatteress.blogspot.com/2009/01/facebook-horror-story.html

I have an account and have it set only so friends can see my profile. I also don't have things such as my phone number, where I work, etc on there. I have some friends who have created fake names and email addresses to get on there so anyone searching for them will not be able to find them unless they themselves add you or you have been told their fake name.

I use it to keep track of my friends. Had it not been for facebook, I don't think I'd know all the ones who are having babies, that one friend's mom was in the hospital, etc. I have found we keep in better contact this way because we can type something in five seconds without having to worry about calling someone or emailing.

I just saw this man on TV talking about what happened to him. Now, this is not an uneducated man, nor was one of many friends who sent him money thinking he was in real trouble. They are employees of Microsoft and they got scammed! I don't care how safe or private you might think you are. There are too many horror stories about Facebook out there and you have no way of contacting them if you're account gets hacked into or your info starts popping up all over the place, as Mags link spoke of. They don't even list a contact number and "The company confirms it doesn’t accept phone calls." I don't care how many clients or members you have, that in itself is not kosher. If you ever try to cancel your account, I have been told by people I know that you will get nowhere, because your account is still out there in cyberspace, even if you never access it again.

'Help, send money'

I saw that. It seems as though he was hacked - which can happen to anyone anywhere. If you're careful about websites you go to, check your computer for viruses, and don't use IE, you lower your chances of being hacked and what happened to the man on Facebook.

I don't see what using IE has to do with it though. Any browser can be hacked if you don't have things in place as far as security and are stringent about checking.

I honestly couldn't care less about Facebook (or Myspace, or Mybook or Facespace, or whatever is out there now). I have a profile because it used to be the only way to keep in touch with my brother, who lives overseas. That was before it got all junked up with applications, it was relatively safe, and hassle-free. It was a great idea when it came out, but now it's just too "busy".

I go on Facebook about once a day to update the group page that I maintain, which is actually just a portal to my Funtrivia Private Tournament.

It really kinda bugs me that Facebook is the social centre for everyone nowadays. Just this winter, I got mad at my college roommate for breaking our plans and not calling to tell me. His response? "Well, didn't you read my Facebook status?" !!!

Edit to add:
Incidentally, my brother deleted his Facebook account once they started the third-party platform applications, and now I hardly hear from him at all.

I like some of the applications! I have a farm and a cafe. I know they are a bit childish but some of my friends play them and my nieces do too.

I have a FB page, recently set up, with no info on there that isn't readily available through other means to anyone who wanted to know it, and I use it to keep in touch with friends overseas and play the games
My 7 and 4 year olds love some of the games, and I wouldn't dream of letting them have pages of their own, but we can play together on there, and they are learning lots of "stuff" about using the computer to do various things. I've also found a dozen or so old friends that I'd lost touch with over the years which has been nice.
Common sense is needed, but that applies to any "networking" situation, it's not really any different to meeting people anywhere else either online or in real life, you need to be careful what you say and how much you tell someone you don't really know...

I have had a page on FB, forever. Never had a problem of any kind. It is handy for keeping in touch with photos and back and forth messaging. Especially with people you rarely see, or speak to on the phone.
I remember being a little worried by the info. required, but all is well!

My Space is more for younger people, I think. I have a page there too, but rarely use it. Both are, IMO safe.

I have recently become a Face-booker, and enjoying it. I keep in touch with virtual friends, and enjoy the applications on it. Nice to relax "on the farm" or "in the cafe" after a long day!
On the serious side, I am careful with my personal information, like I am on all websites