facebookin'

I have no friends on facebook.

That would be because I'm not a member of facebook.

I don't really get the fascination with it.

I thought it was because I'm over 40.

Way over 40.

I just have no desire to become a member of facebook.

Maybe because I'm afraid I'd like it and stalk people and become addicted to it.

I was addicted to Tetris some time in the late '90's so I know it's possible.

And I already spend plenty of time on the internet.

Plus, who knows, with my limited tech skills, I'd likely click the "add world as friend" box.

FYI - facebook facts . . .

> has more than 400 million active users (about 6% of the population)

The 400 million sounds like a lot, but the 6% kinda puts it into perspective. After all, only between 25 and 30% of the world have access to the internet.

> users spend over 500 billion minutes per month on the site

I think that's close to 45 minutes per user per day. Considering Americans watch something like 6 to 8 hours of TV per day, I guess 45 minutes seems like nothing.

> 70% of users are outside the U.S.

Actually the most users from one country is the U.S., but that 70% adds up and they come from everywhere - Australia, Canada, Sweden, Chile . . .

> age group 35-54 grew 276% in the last 6 months of 2009 and this demographic is basically doubling every 2 months

Well, I'm definitely in that age group.

Here's an interesting article.

Everyone hates the IRS. And, when it comes to universal loathsomeness, Facebook ranks even lower. According to results from the 2010 American Customer Survey Index (ACSI), Mark Zuckerberg's social networking goliath scored a 64 out of a possible 100 points, putting it below the IRS, airlines and cable providers. In a statement, Facebook spokesman Jonny Thaw said the site didn't have much of a chance to look over the survey's methodology, but admitted that "clearly we have room to improve." Larry Freed, president and CEO of ACSI sponsor ForeSee Results, believes that a lot of Facebook's consumer complaints stem from the site's demographic expansion in recent years. As the network has opened its doors to more age groups, Facebook has been forced to deal with a substantially larger consumer base, many of whom don't take kindly to the company's persistent site renovations. Although the social network's privacy policy remains controversial, Freed tells the Wall Street Journal that many consumers had issues with Facebook's expanded online advertising strategy, as well.

News of Facebook's poor showing, strangely enough, arrives as the site prepares to announce its 500 millionth member sometime this week. So, how does Facebook manage to attract users while failing to satisfy them? According to Freed, the company is simply the only game in town. Sure, there are other social networks, he admits, but none seem to offer the same quality of experience that consumers find on Facebook. MySpace, for instance, scored even lower than Facebook in the ACSI report. Until something better comes around, then, it looks like Facebook will continue to enjoy a steadily growing customer base -- even if it's full of unhappy campers.

Maybe I'm missing something.

Doesn't this defy all logic when it comes to customer satisfaction?

Maybe I'm just the "Reluctant Facebooker".

I know a couple of people in our house who are calculated in those 500 billion minutes mentioned above.

And they aren't all named Ross.