Saturday, February 27, 2010

Snakes as pets

As exotic pets, snakes can be fascinating, but also a daunting undertaking. If you want to talk to the enthusiasts, this group is definitely well worth a visit. There are not that many threads on the discussion board, but two 'Ball Python Care Sheet' and 'Snake Care FAQs' are highly informative on what caring for a snake actually involves. More about unusual quirks of snakes and just who has what, can be found on the wall. In the gallery, you will find more than a hundred images of snakes such as rainbow boas, West African Gaboon Adders, red tailed rat snakes and pinstripe morph ball pythons. Don't be fooled by the fact that some of them have such homey names as 'Mum', 'Dad' and 'Kate'.

What's great about this group: It will probably answer a lot of the questions you've had about keeping snakes as pets.

Update (29 October 2023)
The group Snakes as Pets Support Group is tiny (less than 50 members), but public. I'm not sure if it is the same group. To visit or join, go here

Thursday, February 25, 2010

If you remember this you grew up in the 1890's

Every once in a while, I stumble upon a group that's a true winner. This one has an authentic and original theme, to which members are true, with great ingenuity and lots of fun seem to be had by all. In the information section, you can study some details of what life was truly like in the period. The discussion board includes threads such as 'Did you attend the fair?' (meaning the Worlds' Fair in Chicago in 1893, in case you've forgotten) 'Most humorous trend?', 'Most Memorable Moments?', 'The New Adventures of Queen Victoria', 'The Consumptive Look', 'Where were you when McKinley was shot?' and 'Music memories from 1890's'. In the gallery you will find images from products of the period as well as plenty of authentic black and white photographs from the period. The wall posts are lots of fun, too.

What's great about this group: Its authentic atmosphere.

Click here to go directly to 'If you remember this you grew up in the 1890's'.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Underwater Photography

I love discovering groups that open up new worlds to me. Especially if they are worlds I might never get to visit in real life and are filled with breath-taking beauty. This group explores the deep - the realm of exotic creatures such as batfish, scorpion fish, clown triggerfish, freckled hawkfish, red sea raccoon butterfly fish and blue ribbon eel, to name but a few. Although the group has only
a few hundred members, it features many unusual images. There are also links to video clips and other internet resources featuring underwater photography.

What's great about this group: take a dive into unknown splendor.

Click here to go directly to 'Underwater Photography'.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

eBay

Do you buy and/or sell on eBay? Then you might want to check this group out. Threads on the discussion board include 'EBay Income Possibilities', 'Untrusted Buyers', 'Misleading Sellers', 'To all the ladies that sell on eBay.....', 'not being able to leave true feedback as a seller' and 'Powerseller tips and tricks to boost your ebay sales'. There are images of items for sale in the gallery and plenty of links to e-bay products and other e-commerce sites.

What's great about this group: Learn more about eBay before getting your feet wet.

Click here to go directly to 'eBay'.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Sheep

Bet you didn't expect me to tackle this one, but then, life is full of surprises. Sheep are a metaphor for dullness, uniformity and the herd instinct. Yet there is something irresistible about a green pasture (sloped if possible) dotted with ewes and lambs, as you can see in the gallery. Not much on the discussion board, but it includes threads such as 'Rearing lambs', 'where do i get a sheep?' and 'Bathing sheep?' Wall posts include calls for advice on specific sheep-related issues and also speculation on their suitability as pets, along with plenty of enthusiasts singing their praises. Enjoy, if you like them, and, even if you don't, check out a few pictures of sheep grazing just to soothe your spirit.

What's great about this group: there's more to sheep than you think.

Click here to go directly to 'Sheep'.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Transgender

For most of us, gender and identity are inevitably interwoven and we seldom spare a thought for those whose souls seem out of alignment with the bodies they were born to. If you can relate, take a moment to explore this group.

There isn't much activity on the discussion board, but typical threads include 'new tg online clothing store', 'Bill Maher equates crossing gender lines with insanity' and 'frustration'. There are over 80 photos in the gallery, mostly of members dressing up. On the wall, you will find links to other internet resources, such as shops, ezines, blogs, books and transgender communities.

What's great about this group: it's a resource for a fringe community.

A word of caution: If any gender option other than heterosexuality makes you queasy, then give this one a miss.

Update (25 October 2023)
This post was written over a decade ago, when transgender activism was far less prominent in mainstream community. There are, I suspect, now many more platforms for transgender persons and allies to connect and it is no longer the "fringe community" I called it 13 years ago. I am not sure if the group I profiled survived, but I've wondered whether they could know be called The Facebook Transgender Alliance. The group is over 15 years old, has 25,000 plus members and is now private. Go here to request access. 

Sunday, February 14, 2010

DIY

This seems to be an extremely useful group. Threads on the discussion board include 'Stretch your own shoes :)', 'Tire sandals.', 'Home-made External Hard Drive', 'Old House key crafts/art', 'Make your own hand creme' ,'Make your own martini' and 'Does anyone know how to deal with pigeon poo?!' The gallery showcases some completed projects. In wall posts, you will find links to useful websites, video tutorials and also advice on tools, etc. This is still a fairly small group (less than 1000 members), but it has great potential.

What's great about this group: there's lots of useful information.

Click here to go directly to 'DIY'.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Chocolate

I have been sorely tempted to feature one of those protest groups that inevitably mushroom into existence whenever Facebook adjusts its format, as their latest changes seem designed to thwart my attempts to continue to find new and unusual groups. As you may have discovered, it is no longer possible to simply browse for groups at random. By trial and error, though, I have discovered that you could still search for groups using a specific keyword. Here's how you do it. Go to http://www.facebook.com/search/? and type in your keyword. However, in order to search for groups, you must then also click on 'groups' on the left hand of the screen.

As tomorrow is Valentine's and lots of people will be seeing too much chocolate, I might be forgiven for compromising a few diets with today's group. Threads on the discussion board include 'The most you've EVER eaten?', 'Which is ur fav. choc?????', 'Making chocolate at home' and 'Chocolate web sites'. On the information page, you will find links to various individual chocolate manufacturers. The gallery features very yummy pictures, including some of unusual chocolate sculptures.

What's great about this group: Share your sweet tooth.

Click here to go directly to 'Chocolate'.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

If 65 Million People join, God will bring back the dinosaurs!

I can appreciate a little irreverence on occasion and the outrageous statement this group makes with its name gets to me. Firstly, are there even sixty-five million users on Facebook? (Sorry, I'm not up to date on the exact numbers). Secondly, can Facebook even support a group with that many users? Thirdly, will God listen to the dictates of a Facebook petition? One wonders. On the other hand, this past week a friend and I were speculating what fun and mayhem could result were one of our favorite bands to inflict their uniquely black humor to a number of non-humorous songs. We posted a thread on their group, and they replied that they were indeed thinking along those lines. One never knows. Back to the dinosaurs, though. On the discussion board, you will find threads such as 'Which dinosaur would you get as a pet?', 'Interesting information, facts you'd like to share about dinosaurs!', 'why extinction, where did they go?' and 'What if?' The gallery includes various cartoons poking fun and dinosaurs and extinctions and also more than a few featuring well-known religious images 'saurified'.

What's great about this group: The title pokes fun at all sorts of things, including Facebook groups.

A word of caution: Some images in the gallery may give offence to deeply religious people.

There are several Facebook Groups with similar names, but they are all tiny, with less than 30 members. 

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

The Venus Project

Some time ago, I featured the Facebook group of one South African who will attempt to live without money for five years. Today's Facebook group is for anyone who embraces the ideas of Jacque Fresco, who advocates a society that rejects the concept of money as a measurement of worth, focusing instead on the abundance of true resources. Threads on the discussion board include 'Problems, Implications, & Solutions', 'Could we all just move to a island and start the venus project?', 'sport & Venus Project', 'Will religion be banned?', 'Population Reduction', 'Errors with this project that lead to it failing' and, of course 'money'. There are also links to other resources. Even if you cannot imagine a world without money, the concept is still worth exploring.

What's great about this group: It makes you think.

Click here to go directly to 'The Venus Project'.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Syria in Pictures

The name says it all. This is another group that is a visual delight, show-casing more than 2,600 photographic images of Syria in the gallery. Included are snowy landscapes, flowers in spring, picturesque street scenes, cars, bicycles, horse-carts and children at play. Any place can be beautiful, if rendered through the eyes of those took pleasure in the time they spend there. Take the time to explore a wealth of breath-takingly beautiful images. The group also includes over 80 video clips. Most wall posts and much of the descriptions are in Arabic.

What's great about this group: The photographs are beautiful

Update (29 October 2023)
There is a private Facebook group called Pictures from Syria, which has about 74,000 members. 

Thursday, February 4, 2010

10 reasons to GET OFF Facebook

Facebook addiction? If you show an interest in this blog of mine, then probably you do spend a considerable amount of time on Facebook. If you want to be reminded of what you are missing, check it out. On the discussion board, you will find threads such as 'You know you're addicted to facebook when...', '11th reason:', 'Before there was face book I......' and 'I'd add a few more'. In the gallery, you might find some cartoons and other images poking fun at Facebook addiction. Obviously, despite its intentions, the group is still 'behind enemy lines' so to speak.

What's great about this group: Take a few moments to reflect on what life was like before Facebook.

Click here to go directly to '10 reasons to GET OFF Facebook'.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

AWKWARD TURTLE

Some months ago, I featured a facebook group about awkward episodes. Today's group has a similar theme, but in this case, it uses the awkward turtle sign as identifying symbol. If you haven't heard of the 'awkward turtle' before, you can find images portraying this distinctive hand gesture by a variety of members in the gallery. You can also look out for a photograph of a completely different type of awkward turtle, one with two heads. On the discussion board, various 'awkward turtle' moments are shared in 'Awkward stories' and other threads include 'Different awkwards', 'Where does the Awkward Turtle originate from??', 'Variants of "Awkward Turtle"' and 'Other Awkward Animals...'

What's great about this group: Everybody has an awkward moment once in a while.

Click here to go directly to 'AWKWARD TURTLE'.