There are many reasons not to join Facebook, or to leave if you are already on it. I won’t even try to list them all, but here are some: its addictive potential, its cavalier approach to user data and privacy, the substitution of ‘Facebook’ friends for real friendships, even the difficulty of leaving the service after you have joined.

More widely, there is the very real question of whether there are such things as ‘online communities.’ Personally, I don’t think such communities exist in any real sense. That applies to ‘net churches’ as well as to networks like Facebook. When I read lines like, ‘They met on Facebook,’ I find myself asking, ‘How is it possible to meet someone in the truest sense of the word, in a virtual environment? Facebook and its ilk have trivialised this most basic of human engagements. I could go on, but lack of time and space prevent that.

Getting out of Facebook is more difficult than getting into it,  and simply using the ‘deactivate account’ option does not actually remove your account or data. But help is at hand. If you’ve decided to leave Facebook forever and close the door behind you, here’s a simple guide to doing just that.

The same site also provides a guide to help you understand your use of Facebook, and whether it is demanding too much of your valuable time. You can see it here. If your relationship with Facebook has changed from one of the service as your servant, to that of Facebook as your master, it’s time to quit.

As for me, I’m not on Facebook, or any other social networking site, for that matter. And it really doesn’t hurt...

But there are still three places where you’ll find me on the net: here, Radstock and Seedtime. As for keeping up with other friends, there’s always good old email or actually putting ink (OK, printer ink, in my case) to paper and writing a letter. I do both, and I think they’re great! So much more conducive to real relationships than anything Facebook can offer.

*Picture courtesy of rocketly