I have family and also friends and colleagues all over the world, and Facebook is an excellent way to stay in touch, including being able to one-on-one live chat. BTW, Ric, my daughter Elyn is now living close to you, in Geneseo. She’s working for a law firm in Bettendorf (she got her 2nd law degree last Xmas…smartarse!)
I dont think facebook could be used for one specific thing or to represent a group. The problem with facebook is all the bells and whistles. If someone postes something on facebook it just goes into one catagory. Next thing you kow you have 5 pages worth of posts in 1 hour. Especially the more people you have. Then you also get stuck with reading comments from others that are not train related. For example if I were on your facebook you would then get every comment I make train related and none train related. Its hard to set up like a forum site. If you want to get the younger crowed you will also get the teen trolls. Your better off starting a forum site like yahoo groups or what about the blogs? I use facebook mainly to connect with friends even then it is a pain because then you get invites for mafia wars etc…
Guys - I agree it is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends. My question was the value of posting train related pictures and comments there from our train club instead of here or our club’s website. I don’t totally understand it, but it seems that that is what a couple of our train club members seem to be advocating and I’m not understanding the reasoning.
Dave,
I’m actually a little disappointed there wasn’t more, but that is by design. It is kind of part of the job. If you do any question on any Illinois State Tourist Site of sailing or marinas, my name is supposed to be one of the first you get. Some type of marketing bull, but it works. I get inquiries from a Navy Pier kiosk in Chicago all the time and that is over 5 hours north.
Phil,
I looked up where your daughter lives and works, hardly know where those places are. I’ve only been that way a couple of times. Related to the distance between you and me, it is close, but in reality it is about 5 hours of hard driving from here. If you get up here, it will be close enough for a visit. 
Tell your daughter, you have a friend close by if she needs anything. I still remember the offer you guys made to my Son when he was in the Marines and may have been heading your way.
Shawn,
I understand your statement that I would get your train related comments and other comments. No offense, but I don’t want to get your other comments. We are friends to talk about Large Scale trains and that is why we gather here.
Ric - To answer your question, I don’t believe a Facebook page for the club could replace their website or postings here on LSC. As Ron stated, it might be another venue to help get the word out, but it can’t replace what you are currently doing. If the members are suggesting Facebook as a means for inter-club communication, that may be valid, but email is still cleaner and more to the point for such communication.
Our club(River City RR) has a page, but it hardly ever gets any posts. I’m on Facebook to keep in touch with my kids but that is about it.
I have a facebook account (Bruce hasn’t found ME yet…) and I think folks here have it pretty well pegged: Great for staying in touch with a bunch of people … not so great for focused hobby stuff. I don’t use my comment line much simply because of the 100 people or so I am connected to, most aren’t train folks … and it’s hard to find stuff that EVERYONE will even “get.” If someone asked me about my trains, I’d point them at LSC or one of the other sites … so the rest of the folks from high school, college, where I work now, and my fire / ambulance friends back home wouldn’t have to sort through it. There are strengths to both… but it’s really kind of like looking for specs on a K-28 in your local public library … might find a book or two on steam locomotives that had a picture… but if you want real information and drawings, etc… you need to find an archive or museum someplace that specializes in that kind of thing… no aspersions cast on the library, but it’s just not specialized enough.
Or, put another way … most of us wouldn’t buy a computer from “Staples” … but that doesn’t mean there’s not a lot of useful stuff there.
Matthew (OV)
PS. use m brown 87 at earth link dot net on facebook to find me… only enter it so it looks like an e-mail address.
PPS. I don’t even bother with my friend counter, and had to go look when I wrote the above… I actually know all those people, which shocks the heck out of me; I had no idea I would have so long a list (though, by facebook standards, not so much.)
Brian Donovan said:
I signed up with Facebook a few months ago. I did send a note to some old high school buddies but that's about it except for one funny thing - I am now friends with five other "Brian Donovan"s.-Brian
Oh no not more than one Brian… GOD help us all… HE HE EH
On Facebook, via Bruce I found Bob and figured out where he’s been… He’s back to racing SCAA open wheel cars 
BTW - Even Fr. Fred has a facebook account - go figure.
Ric Golding said:
Guys - I agree it is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends. My question was the value of posting train related pictures and comments there from our train club instead of here or our club's website. I don't totally understand it, but it seems that that is what a couple of our train club members seem to be advocating and I'm not understanding the reasoning.Dave,
I’m actually a little disappointed there wasn’t more, but that is by design. It is kind of part of the job. If you do any question on any Illinois State Tourist Site of sailing or marinas, my name is supposed to be one of the first you get. Some type of marketing bull, but it works. I get inquiries from a Navy Pier kiosk in Chicago all the time and that is over 5 hours north.
Phil,
I looked up where your daughter lives and works, hardly know where those places are. I’ve only been that way a couple of times. Related to the distance between you and me, it is close, but in reality it is about 5 hours of hard driving from here. If you get up here, it will be close enough for a visit.
Shawn,
I understand your statement that I would get your train related comments and other comments. No offense, but I don’t want to get your other comments. We are friends to talk about Large Scale trains and that is why we gather here.
Ric That would be one of the disadvantages to facebook. You wont have a choice. As long as you except someone as what they call a friend, and only those people can see your facebook, you get stuck reading everything they post train related or not. If I want to see your facebook site you have to except me as a freind. By doing that you also now get stuck reading everything else I post to my other friends. The best thing is set up your own account and play with it. You will find it difficult to keep something like facebook on topic. In your case keeping it train related. I think your best bet is to set up a yahoo group account. With yahoo you can have them spread the word through their other group site etc…
Matthew (OV) said:
I have a facebook account (Bruce hasn't found ME yet....) [snip]PS. use m brown 87 at earth link dot net on facebook to find me… only enter it so it looks like an e-mail address. [snip]
I must not understand how to do the search. I couldn’t find you…nor using the other address I have for you (31)…
I couldn’t find him either.
Getting flooded with friend requests since this thread started. I hope no one is offended if I ignore them. I really don’t want to see hundreds of posts a day from people I only know casually through this forum.
Jon Radder said:
I couldn't find him either.Getting flooded with friend requests since this thread started. I hope no one is offended if I ignore them. I really don’t want to see hundreds of posts a day from people I only know casually through this forum.
This is exactly why the forums are a better place for our train discussions.
I use Facebook to keep up with the kids. My son is stationed in Rota, Spain, with the US Navy, and I’m able to keep track of him through his wife. He is a computer geek for the Nav, so you would think he knows how to use email, but Nooooooo! http://www.freerails.com/images/emoticons/gerg.gifhttp://www.freerails.com/images/emoticons/Crazy.gif:lol:
Steve Featherkile said:E-mail is old school now. Why e-mail when you have facebook, tex messaging etc....
I use Facebook to keep up with the kids. My son is stationed in Rota, Spain, with the US Navy, and I'm able to keep track of him through his wife. He is a computer geek for the Nav, so you would think he knows how to use email, but Nooooooo! http://www.freerails.com/images/emoticons/gerg.gifhttp://www.freerails.com/images/emoticons/Crazy.gif:lol:
Jon;
I’d get out of that “Fartbook” account, if I could find out how…I have no use for it at all.
Guys,
I thank all of you for your input. You have supported my feelings that it is not what I’m interested in. Yes Jon, Jan can be your friend.
I’m still learning. One thing I discovered that might be appropriate for your club is the Fan Page. I just started one for the CVSRy at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Candlewood-Valley-Scenic-Railway/167706565609
A Fan Page doesn’t have friends, it has fans. You don’t see all the junk the fans post to their friends, only the related content - wall posts and comments to your posts. You can post pictures and videos just like a regular facebook account. There is also teh option of a discussion board.
The CVSRy page is very empty at the moment, but I’ll populate it with some pictures, etc as I have time.
Thanks for the permission to be Jan’s friend
I have a facebook account. Love it. I can post what is on my mind no matter what it relates to.
I have a website. Christmas lights and garden railroad on the website.
I do the club website www.GGRRC.org the one Ric belongs to.
and if you google Geoff George i’m like third on the list. Bumms me out I use to be number one untill someone moved in on my name and fame. 
Facebook and LSC are two differnt things. It would be like comparing apples and orgens. can’t do it.
how ever the club did get a new member from facebook. he found the facebook page it took him to the club site and from there he called are VP and now is going to join the club. So I guess it worked.
correction
google “geoff george” and I have moved up to the number two spot.
9 million plus results so I guess I can’t complain to much.
I avoid Facebook, Myspace and other sites like them. LinkedIn is about the only one I use and it can be iffy as well. You just need to be careful.
On the other hand, as a employer or potential employer I use those sites to see what kind of people we are about to hire (or not) and to see what our employee’s are doing online. It’s pretty much the best tool out there to find dirt on people. Credit checks are pretty much pointless/useless. Background checks are even pretty limiting because they only show things that somebody already got busted for. But social networking sites present a window to see things from an entirely different perspective.
Jon.