Facebook Is Down

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Posted by timothy on Thursday September 23, 2010 @09:26AM from the is-life-without-scrabble-life-at-all? dept.

Phil_at_EvilNET writes "Jeff Bertolucci of PC World reports: 'Thousands of Facebook users this afternoon (US Pacific Time) are reporting that the popular social networking site is down. It's unclear when the outage began. PCWorld has not been able to reach Facebook for comment, but Mashable reports the company has confirmed the outage.'"

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Facebook Is Down by gstoddart · 2010-09-23 09:15 · Score: 4, Insightful

And nothing of value was lost. :-P

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Lost at C:>. Found at C.
1. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · 2010-09-23 09:28 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Yes. I genuinely find it a useful tool for keeping up with people and arranging events.
2. Re: Facebook Is Down by newviewmedia.com · 2010-09-23 09:31 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  In other news worker productivity shot up by 150%
  
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  www.newviewmedia.com
3. Re: Facebook Is Down by jareth-0205 · 2010-09-23 10:03 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Agree with you 100%. Good to know I was not and will not affected in any way. Does anything serious get done on Facebook?
  Wow, what a phenomenally smug statement. Why does everything have to have a "serious" use? Social tools are useful and valid things, and 500 million users think so. Or are you more enlightened than every one of them?
4. Re: Facebook Is Down by JorDan+Clock · 2010-09-23 10:08 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Right. Because it's so much easier to call everyone you want to invite to a large event and then make a note of everyone who is going to show.
  
  Seriously, your phone isn't better and you're just trying to act like you're superior for not using Facebook. It has its uses, which are very numerous, and a lot of people don't use it just for Farmville.
5. Re: Facebook Is Down by bogaboga · 2010-09-23 10:10 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Social tools are useful and valid things, and 500 million users think so. Or are you more enlightened than every one of them?
  Donno! That's why I asked. And trust me...if there is something useful that cannot be done [better] any other way, I will join. I haven't found anything so far, so enlighten me.
6. Re: Facebook Is Down by Lucky75 · 2010-09-23 10:20 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  a.k.a stalking
  
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  DNA -- National Dyslexic Association
7. Re: Facebook Is Down by D'Sphitz · 2010-09-23 10:23 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Didn't you get the memo, it's like super cool to hate popular things?
8. Re: Facebook Is Down by Mister+Whirly · 2010-09-23 10:26 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Does anything serious get done on Facebook?
  About as much serious stuff that gets done on Slashdot.
  
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  "But this one goes to 11!"
9. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · 2010-09-23 10:39 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  The Onion needs to update this: http://j.mp/aLzoqi with "Internet Nerd Constantly Mentioning He Doesn't Use Facebook"
10. Re: Facebook Is Down by interkin3tic · 2010-09-23 10:45 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Nothing of hard value was lost, but my mental state really took a nosedive. Honestly, about 6 times I caught myself thinking of status updates relating to facebook being down, wondering why I hadn't changed it, and then realizing that I'm a moron.
  Between that and realizing how pathetically addicted I am to frittering my time away on facebook (as opposed to slashdot) has been so depressing that I think I'm going to go home early and play some videogames. Which won't help, so I'll turn to beer.
  Ah beer, you never give me DNS error messages...
11. Re: Facebook Is Down by MightyYar · 2010-09-23 10:46 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  My phone works better and I don't have to wait for a response most of the time.
  A phone is great for calling/texting other people who you are in active contact with.
  For finding out what happened to all those kids in your eighth grade class photo? Not so much.
  I simply posted a class photo on Facebook. Within a few days, everyone save one person was "tagged" on the photo and accounted for. Whether you personally value that kind of information has no bearing on just how cool that is from a geek perspective. That kind of information would have taken me weeks 10 years ago, and everyone would think that I was crazy.
  
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  W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
12. Re: Facebook Is Down by Evil.Bonsai · 2010-09-23 10:49 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  I'm sure productivity went DOWN, since everyone kept trying to refresh/reload..."Maybe THIS time it will work?!"
13. Re: Facebook Is Down by internettoughguy · 2010-09-23 11:13 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  Right. Because it's so much easier to call everyone you want to invite to a large event and then make a note of everyone who is going to show.
  Seriously, your phone isn't better and you're just trying to act like you're superior for not using Facebook. It has its uses, which are very numerous, and a lot of people don't use it just for Farmville.
  Um, yes? You just grab a list of people from your cell phone address book and send a mass SMS, your done faster than you could boot your beige boxen. I really fail to see how FB is superior to other social networking sites, and indeed outside of a fairly limited domain social networking sites are of any real utility whatsoever.
14. Re: Facebook Is Down by internettoughguy · 2010-09-23 11:22 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  My phone works better and I don't have to wait for a response most of the time.
  A phone is great for calling/texting other people who you are in active contact with.
  For finding out what happened to all those kids in your eighth grade class photo? Not so much.
  I simply posted a class photo on Facebook. Within a few days, everyone save one person was "tagged" on the photo and accounted for. Whether you personally value that kind of information has no bearing on just how cool that is from a geek perspective. That kind of information would have taken me weeks 10 years ago, and everyone would think that I was crazy.
  The reason why you like social networking sites is precisely the reason why I dislike them, in that behaviour that was once rightfully considered crazy/creepy is now mainstream.
15. Re: Facebook Is Down by WillKemp · 2010-09-23 11:26 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  And you're better than them because you do your ego wanking on slashdot, rather than facebook?
16. Re: Facebook Is Down by segedunum · 2010-09-23 12:04 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  That's why Facebook has privacy settings.
17. Re: Facebook Is Down by internettoughguy · 2010-09-23 14:05 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  Sounds like an overly complex solution to a very simple problem, namely providing a street address and requesting an RSVP.
18. Re: Facebook Is Down by Anonymous Coward · 2010-09-23 18:12 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  Sounds like you don't have much of an argument, but can't let someone else have the last word....
Staring at the clock! by Kepesk · 2010-09-23 09:16 · Score: 5, Insightful

I can't believe this... Facebook went down so I started working and then I actually finished and now I can't figure out what to do!

Okay, I'm not quite that bad, but we all know people who are...

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Help me fix my brother's injured butt!
1. Re:Staring at the clock! by Anonymous Coward · 2010-09-23 10:37 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  Before ./ and before fb there was usenet to loose yourself in. And before the Internet, there were other "activities" you can do instead of your work, so this is nothing new it is just another tool to distract you.
2. Re:Staring at the clock! by syousef · 2010-09-23 11:25 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  I can't believe this... Facebook went down so I started working and then I actually finished and now I can't figure out what to do!
  Okay, I'm not quite that bad, but we all know people who are...
  As if someone's who's happy to dodge work will magically start working again just because a single distraction is removed. Employees who need to be babysat are a burden.
  
  --
  These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
Re:I'm back in. by Anonymous Coward · 2010-09-23 09:40 · Score: 5, Insightful

Because advertisers cannot match up what I write here with who I am.
I see facebook as basically giving all your personal information to advertisers.
Now if I didn't want to be anon, perhaps I would be more interested in Facebook, but I'm not.
real news story: by pyrocam · 2010-09-23 10:00 · Score: 5, Insightful

"facebook is down" makes top news at nerd related news website
Grow up. by DerekLyons · 2010-09-23 10:06 · Score: 3, Insightful

Nothing of value was lost to you maybe. But I've got a news flash, the world doesn't revolve around you.
I've got a friend nearing the end of a difficult pregnancy and who is approaching labor, and Facebook is her husband's primary way of keeping friends and family updated as to her condition. That may not be important to you, but to a bunch of people scattered all across the world - it's important as hell. We care about our friends and family and staying in touch with them, in good times and bad.
You may thing you're k3wl and l33t for going with the Slashdot groupthink as to the value of Facebook, but in reality you're self centered and shallow jackass.
[Sigh, I know this is going to get modded 'flamebait' and 'troll', but it had to be said.]
1. Re:Grow up. by 'Aikanaka · 2010-09-23 10:14 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  does he not know how to send email?
2. Re:Grow up. by roman_mir · 2010-09-23 10:16 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  Blah blah blah, whatever, if your friend is so important to you have the cell phone ready and call.
  Yes, FB has some value, no it's not important.
  
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  You can't handle the truth.
3. Re:Grow up. by Anonymous Coward · 2010-09-23 10:22 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  Reading updates is not keeping in touch with someone. If you care about the results of the pregnancy there is nothing stopping you from finding out via phone or email when the family feels it's appropriate. Facebook is not a vital communication tool.
4. Re:Grow up. by Mister+Whirly · 2010-09-23 10:31 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Yes, because it is much easier to personally call 50 people and tell them the same piece of information over and over again than it is to send out a group message in Facebook. I suppose you take the time to write everyone actual letters than use email, right? Or is email to you a convenience, but you can't see how Facebook may be convenient in some situations to others?
  
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  "But this one goes to 11!"
5. Re:Grow up. by Score+Whore · 2010-09-23 11:38 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I've got a friend nearing the end of a difficult pregnancy and who is approaching labor, and Facebook is her husband's primary way of keeping friends and family updated as to her condition. That may not be important to you, but to a bunch of people scattered all across the world - it's important as hell. We care about our friends and family and staying in touch with them, in good times and bad.
  I think there are some serious definitional problems here, or perhaps a new generation needs new definitions. But the reality is that for tens of thousands of years life has gone on. People have had all sorts of important events that are of great immediate concern to them, but for their family and friends those events are not of immediate concern. Now I know a bunch of people are going to say "who are you to say it's not of immediate concern." And my answer to that is that if you don't have an action to take that makes a difference, it's not of immediate concern, e.g. my sister being in the hospital in another city going through protracted labor doesn't mean that I don't go to work today. So yes, some things are important but not important to the effect that you have to be kept up to date minute by minute.
  Perhaps it's just a maturity thing, I don't know, but another example might be something like having a strong emotional reaction to the winner of American Idol or the Super Bowl. Yes they're interesting, but in your life (unless you happen to be the winner of American Idol or the Super Bowl) they are of relative insignificance. Part of growing up, I think, is learning when and why to be emotionally invested.
  (As far as facebook specifically, again people have dealt with this for thousands of years without being able to update their facebook status. If you can't tell the people who need to know without using a web browser or an app on your smart phone, then you probably aren't putting enough effort into identifying a solution to the problem.)
6. Re:Grow up. by RocketRabbit · 2010-09-23 11:52 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  What, her Twitter stream isn't enough? How about her email list?
  Relying on Facebook for everything is just stupid, and this should be a lesson to your pregnant friend.
7. Re:Grow up. by Mister+Whirly · 2010-09-23 12:11 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  If you don't ever go to see bands, attend parties, find old acquaintances, know about local events, keep track of people in far away places, etc. then no, I suppose it wouldn't be valuable. But seeing I do all of those things, it is valuable to me. You see, TIME is very valuable to me, and Facebook saves me a lot of time finding out about events I am interested in. Just because your short-sighted view doesn't see any value does not mean the rest of the world doesn't either. I could think of oh, at least 500 million people who may see some value in Facebook.
  
  --
  "But this one goes to 11!"
8. Re:Grow up. by DerekLyons · 2010-09-23 12:43 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  He does. But email is not even fractionally as easy or convenient, either for him to send out updates or for us to discuss among ourselves.
9. Re:Grow up. by Sir_Lewk · 2010-09-23 15:25 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Email is a distributed system that isn't controlled by any single company (or any combination of companies for that matter). As a consequence, email does not go down.
  In short, the story that you are commenting in is the reason email is superior to facebook. You needn't look farther.
  
  --
  "linux is just DOS with a UNIX like syntax" -- Galactic Dominator (944134)
Re:Why is this news? by am+2k · 2010-09-23 10:48 · Score: 5, Insightful

Since a few months ago, Facebook has surpassed Google as the website with the most traffic on the web. If #2 Google.com went down, it'd be here as well, so why not #1?
Re:Closed my Facebook account earlier this week by Anonymous Coward · 2010-09-23 11:23 · Score: 1, Insightful

Anyone who claims that all 400 million people on a website are narcissist is no doubt projecting his own guilt about said condition.
Email does NOT work fine by Gorimek · 2010-09-23 12:23 · Score: 2, Insightful

Email is much less reliable than FB messages. You can never be sure your email won't disappear in some spam filter.
That is one of the main reasons I use FB!