Looking for me on Facebook? I’m no longer there…

~ Carolyn Thomas

by Carolyn Thomas  ♥ @HeartSisters  ♥  March 22, 2018

With security issues, data breaches, and downright creepiness going on over at Facebook, this morning I made the decision to deactivate and delete my two Facebook accounts (both my personal one, and my book one). If you follow me in either space, I’m not there! When I mentioned this morning that today was THE DAY I was going to delete my accounts, one of my Facebook followers asked:

“How will we connect with you when you post new Heart Sisters blog articles?”

I invite her (and you) to simply subscribe to my blog (right hand side bar). You’ll get an email when a new blog post is up (typically every Sunday morning).

And unlike Facebook, I promise not to sell any of your information. . . 

And you can check in here on updates about news, events or reviews about my book, “A Woman’s Guide to Living with Heart Disease” (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2017). You can also contact me by leaving a message here.

Deleting your Facebook account is not easy. And there’s a difference between deactivating it (what Facebook hopes you’ll do because it’s just temporary) and deleting (which is what they hope you won’t do because it’s permanent).

If you’re on Twitter, I’m there. Check out the #DeleteFacebook movement there that many of us have already embraced; you can also learn how to delete your own Facebook account in these helpful instructions at Wired magazine. 

Meanwhile, my plan is to enjoy the extra time I’ll have on my hands because I won’t have any further need to be checking and rechecking and updating my Facebook accounts anymore.

Studies suggest, for example, that people who go without Facebook for just one week report being significantly happier overall – simply because they are more present!

♥

Published by Carolyn Thomas

16 thoughts on “Looking for me on Facebook? I’m no longer there…”

  1. I dropped them too. They would pick and choose what you posted that they promoted, it was like a game to them. Family members lined up our laptops and went to a mutual friend, each of our page views were different. After deactivating and clicking the do not contact me, I’ve gotten 2 e-mails& 2 texts. They then tried the get you back on with Messenger trick.

    Local Dallas news reported they still track ex users and even people who have never had an account. I am appalled at what we know they have done and shudder to think of what we have yet to find out. I too “un friended” FB.

    I miss my Heart Sisters pages. WomenHeart Inspire is a health info alternative, you can find many heart friends there too.

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    1. Hi Jana – you’re right, Facebook clearly does NOT want us to delete our accounts. The first screen you see when you click “Delete” is a big montage of photos of all your Facebook friends (Ann will miss you! Joe will miss you!) That bizarre reluctance to even allow us to change our minds and quit Facebook makes me feel queasy. You actually have to APPLY to delete your account, as if they might come back and say ‘Ah, no! You can’t leave…” Every other app or website or subscription you join online makes it simple and straightforward to ‘unsubscribe’ at any time.

      Time is the nicest benefit to me after deleting my account. It’s only now after a full month that I realize just what a time suck that site was for me every day. It feels like a load has been lifted from my shoulders!

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  2. I would ask you to come back to FB because of the potential to reach people who need the information you provide.

    Consider this: I was 57, out of shape, overweight, losing muscle mass when my nephew’s wife liked a post on FB. It was her personal trainer who was about to open the gym that has changed my life. All because she liked a post!

    Just a few weeks ago, the mother-in-law of a different niece died suddenly, in her sleep, of a massive heart attack. She’d been feeling unwell for months, and I so wish she’d seen all the information you provide.

    People need an easy way to connect with you.

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    1. Hi Wendy – thanks for your message. I can’t imagine ever going back to FB. Since I wrote this post after deleting both of my Facebook accounts, I have reduced my daily workload considerably! That’s really important to me as a person living with ongoing cardiac symptoms. And even though I no longer share my own posts on a FB page, every one of my blog posts here on my site contains a list of ‘share’ buttons at the end so that all readers can still share my posts on their own Facebook pages.

      There already is an easy way to connect with me – and it’s right here, just as you did now.

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  7. I need to delete but deactivated my account last year as I got hacked and my friends thought I was sending all these awful violent videos and posts!

    The only thing I miss from FB was your group!!!!!!! Then I found you this way!!!! So thank you Carolyn!

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  8. Bravo. I gave up Facebook a year or two ago because it was so mean, but the latest revelations about the cavalier use of our data is shocking. I miss seeing pictures of distant family but it’s worth it for the peace of mind.

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  10. Well, congratulations Carolyn – welcome to the REAL world where things are more likely to be what you think they are because you can see people’s faces when communicating – in real time!
    Gail B

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