Hello friends. This week, I wanted to write about another Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application, but something crossed my mind while talking to some of my friends which I think is more important to share, and should be treated as a matter of urgency. Of recent, job interviewers are increasingly asking for your password or for you to log in to Facebook during the interview. Many potential interviewees would be turned down because of what is on their profile or account. The big question now becomes: Should I deactivate my Facebook account? Now, there is a big difference between deactivating and deleting.
Deactivating your Facebook account is a temporary action; the feature puts your profile into a dormant state, preserving its content while making you invisible on the site until you reactivate your account.
I’m getting extremely tired of hearing people say that they are deactivating their Facebook accounts because they are not self-controlled enough to stay off of Facebook long enough to get their work done. The reality is: These people know that people will be pondering why they are off Facebook, and this will draw attention to them, especially when they become active on Facebook again. In fact, I have actually seen people declaring “countdowns” to the day that they are going to deactivate their accounts. Yes! It’s that outrageous!
Facebook does not have to consume so much of your time that you need to deactivate your account. If you don’t have enough control and discipline when on Facebook, then just close your account for good! Delete it! If you are a secondary school student, and cannot control and manage your time wisely, then you may not even need a Facebook account in the first place. Find time for some community work!
Sometimes, I get the feeling we in Guyana live in a hyper-linked world, and it is quite unheard of for someone from anywhere not having Facebook. Some of my clients want to have Internet access to use Facebook only, though they don’t know much or nothing about it. As long as they have a PC or tablet, Facebook is it! Whatever happened to novels!

So, why would people want to deactivate their accounts?

Overuse: Because there are so many ways to share on Facebook, the social networking site can become time consuming. If you find that Facebook is taking up too many minutes of your day, using deactivation lets you break the habit of constantly checking your account without losing the comments and photos you’ve gathered. With any luck, once you reactivate your account, you’ll be used to staying away from the site for long periods.

Underused: Rather than using your profile too much, you might find that you’re too busy to check your account. Even if you are not using your profile, friends may still try to communicate with you, generating email notifications. Instead of continuing to accumulate comments and posts from your confirmed friends, deactivate your account to put a pause on your communications. Reactivate your account once you are ready to devote the time required to respond to Facebook messages.

Job searching: There might be times when you don’t want to be found on Facebook, such as when you are actively applying for a new job. Students, read that sentence once more. While you don’t mind your friends seeing recent birthday pictures, or that your favourite movies involve a lot of swearing, your future boss might see the information in a different light. You can change your privacy settings to hide the majority of your profile’s content, but unless you deactivate your account, certain information is always available, such as your profile picture.

It’s no fun: Even though social networking is increasingly usual, it’s not for everyone. If you just don’t “get” Facebook, deactivating your account lets you disappear for now. Perhaps in the future, more of your friends will join the site, or you’ll feel differently.

I must admit, though, that one day after one of my friends deleted his Facebook account, he was diagnosed as suffering from Facebook Withdrawal Syndrome (FWS).
The signs and symptoms of this syndrome are: Sweaty palms; confusion as to why the Facebook icon on your iPhone or tablet is not there; and curiosity as to what the people who you don’t really talk to in person or on the phone or even associate with are up to.  The important thing to know about it, however, is that it is temporary, as in ‘short-lived’.
To counteract this fast, contact a friend or someone you actually care about and talk to in real life on a regular basis; and this can be done by phone, in person, by text, or by email. The best way, however, is face-to-face. Usually, this treatment will suffice; in extreme cases, though, FWS may lead to relapse and reactivation of Facebook.  It may take multiple tries to rid oneself of the addiction to Facebook, but with support, and in-person contact with real friends, full remission can be achieved.
You as a person need to know your balance, and how good you are at managing your time; if you deactivate or delete your account, it might help you more to manage what you do on Facebook, and on the Internet in general. At the end of the day, it’s all in your hands; play it safe!