FACEBOOK - How can you protect yourself from the elders?

jwfacts

I am a member of Facebook and have been able to locate a few long lost friends, including some are exJWs.

I have also linked up with some active and inactive JWs on facebook that I still keep in touch with. However, this means that other JWs are able to see who I associate with. This has got already one person in trouble. Do you think elders may start to use Facebook to track what the sheep are doing and who they are associating with?

I have noticed that some of the JWs have a lot more "worldy friends" on Facebook than JW friends. I personally think Facebook and similar sites are one more nail in the Coffin for the WTS. People stay JWs often out of fear of loneliness of being discarded to the world, and these sites help a person see how easy it is to meet people and become frineds of all walks of life.

jgnat

At one of the Witness conventions last year (I can't remember if it was regional or district) Facebook was mentioned by name, and not in a good way. That was enough for me to go check it out myself. I bet a lot of Witnesses did, too.

I agree, Facebook allows people "of all kinds" to mix freely without elder supervision.

How do you keep the elders out? Set your privacy settings high, and pick your friends wisely.

Richie doesn't. He has hundreds of friends. But that's always been his style.

free2think

I was thinking the same thing the other day. Im on facebook and a jw 'friend' tried to add me, i used to be good friends with her but now i just cant trust her as she turned other friends in. But i am also friends with a few df'd people and ones that have left, so at the moment i have a lot of security settings so no one else can see my page, lol.

DJK

I had a facebook page and from my experience there you couldn't see anyone's profile page without giving them a poke. They would then have to let you in. If you don't use your own picture for your avatar, a visitor that you refuse to let in might not know if it's you or someone else with the same name.

StillGroggy

I would say that your active JW friends are in danger of being discovered. If they have other active JW friends on their list, they could easily be sold out to the elders, especially if they decide to end their facebook account for the furtherance of the lord or something like that, they could get your friend's canned.

Do what I do, have a JW account and an ex-JW account.

bite me

I think that is all a pile of doodoo. I think if someone wants to use facebook or myspace, let them. It is not up to man to judge what one can do or not. If a person is responsible enough let him/her use use it. It is a great too to find friends and family that one may have never seen or have not seen in a long while. Is what the WTS wants is for friends or family members never to reunite? That would be pretty cold. Unless the person is using facebook or myspace in a crime there is no harm in it.

I forget who posted it but he or she said that they already got in trouble for using it. It is not school you are dealing with, you are dealing with man trying to control the behavor or doings of an individual. That is not right. You should think and act for yourself. Guidence is okay, but to have to follow every rule of , oh you cannot do this, or you cannot do that (because we are afraid of what you might see). True, they are afraid of what you may really find and the secrets that is being kept from all the people who choose to listen.

WTWizard

This is why I don't use my real name, either here or on MySpace. Pick a nickname or even a bunch of letters/numbers that means nothing to anyone as a username. I did that on another forum: a crap handle and no avatar or one that I picked up online. And killer posts. That will make it harder for anyone to identify you, and they could easily guess wrong a hundred times trying to bust you. And don't put your real name on your profile--your handle will do fine.

If you set your security levels to "High", it makes it that much harder for the hounders to find your real name and details. There is a bonus in this: A high security setting makes extra work for people to set up spam friend requests by running a computer to create a thousand profiles and requesting you as a friend through each one. It also makes extra work for anyone to compromise your computer or use your account to put crap on the site.

Not only that, but I usually give vague details. It could be anywhere within a huge radius, and the hounders are going to probably bust countless innocent people trying to bust me. That's what I want because each innocent person they bust is one potential apostate that wouldn't have otherwise turned. And it will take time and energy away from keeping the others in line.

bite me

You shouldn't be afraid of getting caught for using what is meant to be fun. I put my real pics real info, but have myself set private. That way no one can see me unless they are my friend.

Magick

Do what I do, have a JW account and an ex-JW account.

Holy Dualism Batman!

I wonder how long this split personality lasts after leaving the kingdom hall?

I'm ready to kill off my JW self...but, she keeps judging me and telling me I'm making Jehovah and the angels cry.

kifoy

I'm on Facebook, and have been searching for old (also JW) friends. For example I found my old friend whom I was baptised together with. She left the org just a few years after. And it was great to see her again.

But. I've also found some other old (still) JW friends, who even have a public profile. When reading their wall, about their interests, checking out their list of friends, and so on, it really puzzles me. Are they in or are they out? One even had "partying" listed among their interests. Not the thing I would have done much when being a JW. But since there are so many JWs among their friends, I'm sure they're still in.

But it's really weird. I almost feel honourable compared to that...

kifoy

FACEBOOK - How can you protect yourself from the elders?

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