I Hate Facebook Pages

So the Guardian reported on the 2nd of March that Sophos lifted the lid (if it really needed to be lifted) that the free iPad page on Facebook was a total scam designed to get vast numbers of people’s contact details to spam with… spam!

The “iPad Research Program - Test It and Keep It! Get your iPad!” page on Facebook  no longer exists.

My amazement is how many people fall for pages like this – surely people have even the modicon of sense required to realise “this page is just out for my name and my friends names to make money”. It’s pure social engineering to forward these spam pages, and what I find more depressing is that so many of these pages actually work brilliantly for this purpose.

I’m going to turn my attention to the moronic drivel that is now clogging Facebook later on. These spam pages are more annoying as they treat people like idiots for their own gain (though these pointless pages do more often then not go on to spam their members, so the net effect is the same).

The Facebook Pages creation has lots of categories for the types of things that qualify and warrant a full-blown Page. These are usually things that actually exist. Abstract things like “You smell good. Hug me.”, “The best way to break up…” and “Mocking someone in a voice that sounds nothing like them” do not actually exist physically as a product or service and therefore are unsuitable to be enshrined as a Page.

One side thought – do you need to be a “fan” of something to show that you might from time to time do it or agree with it. And another thing… does EVERYTHING need to be represented on Facebook?!

I for one am tired of having my Facebook home screen cluttered by this inconsequential, moronic drivel that people just happen to sign up for as they drift past, without any thought on the impact on their friends who have to trawl through such garbage. Engage your brains before becoming a fan, please.

All I’m really interested in is status updates, event attendance and maybe even new photo albums. I really have no interest if you’re a “fan” of the mediocre joke that was in last night’s Gavin and Stacey or whatever.

What bemuses and astounds me even more is that these pages usually post updates of absolutely no relevance to the title of the page, and either spam their members with pointless, unrelated nonsense or just post milestones to arbitrary numbers of sheep that happen to be fans also, as if people actually care.

The bottom line for the scam pages at least is that if you are invited to one of these groups or pages, reject it and report the page for being a scam. I did, out of principle (not for the iPad page but for one that purported to be for a “Facebook Gold” account, which is equally bogus). That page has also been removed. I would’ve joined the anti-group for this, but it would be hypocritical in my fight against pointless Facebook pages. Don’t be a sheep who just follows the crowd - stop joining these pages!

People are not really stupid, but seem to act unbelievably so when online. Remember: if it’s too good to be true, it almost undeniably is.