Public & Private friends.

Yes Lore I have to agree. I have been out of work for over a year and while I was working I was what I shown to be the most loved and popular person, or at least the perception they gave me. All of my so called friends knew about my pitfall after not working during the year. Not a single person has sent me a how are you type of private message and or just checking on you type of note. But my birthday rolled around and OMG, the greetings on the wall pours in like rain. I was quite sad actually to receive them because to me it was just to show off and kind of like saying they want the world to see how caring they are when in fact aren't they suppose to be caring towards me?? I was very caring towards them.

I think it has something to do with the group mentality. People indeed behave differently when in groups. In my opinion, facebook is just that, a social networking site that brings groups of people together. On a personal level I would never contact my friends or family through facebook. I don't know if others feel the same. A happy birthday to me is substantial when it comes from true family and friends. For me, my true friends and family have my phone number and email address. That is where they contact me for personal matters. Half the postings on my wall don't even pertain to me. For the life of me I don't understand how that happens but I guess thats facebook.

i think it depends on everyone...we can push everyone do like our wish...

Hi Lore, Sometimes its true, most of them are pressured to do it on private wall to show their turn. Other times, say when its a group of friends, it will be fun to wish, tease and enjoy the friendliness. And when who are not in the friends group who reads it feel the friendship and a smile. This is what i enjoyed reading my others friends birthday wishes from her school friends. But i agree with you to someextent they can convey to the heartful by using the private message option. Cheers!

Yes, definitely, people have different behavior in public and private chats/discussions. Coming to their personal matters they will not reveal in the public. It is also correct.

I have a FaceBook account but I do not feel compelled to wish everyone a happy birthday. I hardly talk to anyone on there. I use FaceBook now mostly to promote other things I am doing. There are a few people that every now and then I will write something. It's not an addiction for me. I spend more time online making money instead of wasting all my time.

I do think alot of people act differently when it is public like Facebook is. But I am on Facebook everyday. I see the notifications for peoples birthdays and I can wish them publically or not. We do still have choices. We don't have to follow the crowd. It is up to us. I hear alot about how terrible FB is. Well who makes it that way. I enjoy FB and plan on staying. I have my friends and it doesn't matter. If I feel like notifying them I will. If I don't I shant.

Hi there, interesting question. I do feel same way about other facebook issues like this. I'm kinda into socialnetworking and keeping in touch friends and family. I hate private profiles if its me the only one being blocked or not being able to comment at all. I have a few friends that did that to just only me. I have some that have blocked me personally so im no longer friends with so and so anymore. I think I do agree that people behave differently when its public forum/display/ wall or compared to one-on-one private message. It's just a wall just like how myspace has a place for comments on the page. But then again, I also feel if someone limited me off their profile with no wall, and just few info or no info, sending a message is okay but would the person who receives the message, respond to it. Just send a message?? some facebook people don't even check their messages or don't know how to, they get it from walls. Even if your friend as a wall, she doesn't need to feel pressured of sending someone a birthday wish if its there birthday. Some people don't write on someone's birthday sometimes. I did have few people when it was my birthday, not everyone posted but alot did posted. Some post birthday wishes when they feel like it. Some even post a belated or late comment for a few weeks or days.. I have some friends who disabled their wall from just me and when its their birthday I did send them a birthday message. Some reply and some don't. I dunno about people on how they use their facebook nowadays. I just feel sometimes left out if i just have a facebook without no people to connect with or those whom i know or have met. I think when your friend said "just send a message" , other people thinking oh she won't likely to respond at all by just a message.

THis is really true. Last time, when people wished you happy birthday, we know they mean it and they have taken the effort to remember it. But now, with facebook, everybody seemed to be using it as a channel to wish 'friends' happy birthday. What's the point of wishing? is there any point? NO. personally, i wish people there because i say the prompt on FB telling me that it's so and so's birthday today. we get wishes from many many many many friends but how many of them do we really know? How many of them really wish from the bottom of their heart? It's really right, we can just use the PM should we want to speak to our friends. And definitely, we behave differently when there are many people looking at our actions. It's just showing other people that we are nice by posting a happy birthday on their wall.

I agree with her. I don't appreciate when someone wishes me a happy birthday out of obligation. If you want to do that then you can do it genuinely. If someone really wants to wish me a happy birthday they can do so with a means outside of the de-personalized social dump that is my facebook wall. I only want people to do that if they really mean it.