I3 Facebook group

[Jeffj]

It comes up repeatedly that the Facebook group is a great resource. There are also many poeple that won't use Facebook for valid reasons, primarily privacy concerns. In case anyone is on the fence, its completely possible to use Facebook solely for the i3 group without providing any personal information. Here is 1 path that will work to get access to the group (with a caveat):

1. Create a new gmail account (or any other mail service). Gmail lets you create an account with any name you want (I just created an account called [email protected] to test this out), and does NOT require any personal information. You have to enter a birthday, which can be any date you choose. Just make sure it indicates you are 21 or older. You do not need to provide a phone number or any other e-mail address to GMail.
2. Create a Facebook account and use the GMail account you just created to validate the Facebook account. Facebook also asks for your birthday, but you can enter anything, and you do NOT have to enter any personal information, other than the e-mail account you just created.
3. Get the Facebook generated e-mail and validate your account.
4. In Facebook, search for the i3 group and request to join. Its a "closed" group so that people who are heavy facebook users don't have their personal pages cluttered up with all the posts happening in the group.

Here is the caveat:
Tom Moloughney (one of the admins here) is a moderator of the facebook group along with a few others. One of the moderators has to approve your request to join. Tom has stated that anyone can join the group, its only closed to prevent clogging peoples personal pages. However, you must be accepted by Tom or one of the other moderators to gain access to the group. If you are going to do this, you might drop a PM to Tom on this forum to explain what you are doing and he'll likely approve your inclusion in the group. I can't speak for Tom, but he seems pretty open to letting anyone in the group that is not spamming, doing commercial solicitation, etc.

Some of you may still have issues with Facebook. That's fine. Its your choice. But you CAN access the group without ever giving any personal information to Facebook.

Note: I don't know if this will work for those of you outside of the US (and probably Canada), as local rules may make GMail and Facebook behave differently. But there are many non-US people in the Facebook group, just as there are many non-US users in this forum.

 

[Technicks]

I've noticed that searching facebook for the i3 group doesn't really return the correct group. Please provide a link for everyone to use. I think i have the right one, but in case i don't, i wouldn't want to have the wrong link here.

Additionally, I do think that this forum is more helpful as it is significantly easier to search it, and (even though the admin doesn't do this), important posts can be stickied to the top!

 

[Jeffj]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/BMWi3/

Not trying to pull anyone away from this forum. Its extremely helpful. The facebook group is very, very active, however, and there are many questions and information that are posted and resolved there that I never see show up here. You are right, though, searching in Facebook is rather difficult.

Just another resource to take advantage of.

 

[psquare]

Just another resource to take advantage of.

Totally hear what you're saying, but I'm quite happy just using this forum. It fulfils all my i3 needs and stops me from searching/visiting yet another SocMed site.

 

[Ross]

There is also a UK i3 Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/bmwi3uk/

 

[spinball]

Thanks JeffJ. Through personal experience I think you are missing a step between #3 and #4 where facebook requests a phone number to validate your account. Your phone number is intensely personal is indeed the main way facebook will use to link you to other people (which defeats the entire point of being anonymous). Only one phone number can be used per account. Remember facebook's main goal is to make sure all user accounts represent 1 unique individual because that makes their ad system have more value for their customers (advertisers).

So if you can follow those steps and do not get prompted by fb to enter a phone number, then you're golden! However if, like me, you get prompted (tried several times) then you're SOL unless you want to upload a "government photo ID" which I find even more invasive than a phone number.

Also, I have seen the fb group and there is simply far more information there, from a far larger cross section of society, and less bickering/trolling as well. Search on facebook also works better than this site (phpBB or whatever this site runs is is simply archaic in comparison). So by all means choose your battles, and though I strongly dislike facebook I cannot argue that the fb group is easily the best resource I've seen on the i3.

 

[i3atl]

...unless you want to upload a "government photo ID" which I find even more invasive than a phone number.

Agreed - I wouldn't upload a copy of my ID either.

 

[Jeffj]

I actually tried the experiment yesterday before posting, and I was able to successfully create a gmail account without entering my phone number, and then used that gmail account to create a facebook account, where I definitely did NOT enter a phone number, just the e-mail I had just created. I got the fb response e-mail to verify the account, did so and voila, Rex Bimmer now has a facebook account (he also applied for membership in the BMW i3 group, but alas, has not yet been accepted - the facebook name is probably hitting Tom and the other mods as being a spammer).

 

[spinball]

Yeah I'm sure it's possible in some cases, but what exactly are those situations? No one knows exactly what causes new accounts to require a phone number or ID and those secret rules are constantly being tweaked.

But hey, if someone wants to create a fb account and send me the username/password along with the same for the associated email that'd be great! :lol:

 

[TomMoloughney]

I actually tried the experiment yesterday before posting, and I was able to successfully create a gmail account without entering my phone number, and then used that gmail account to create a facebook account, where I definitely did NOT enter a phone number, just the e-mail I had just created. I got the fb response e-mail to verify the account, did so and voila, Rex Bimmer now has a facebook account (he also applied for membership in the BMW i3 group, but alas, has not yet been accepted - the facebook name is probably hitting Tom and the other mods as being a spammer).

Jeff, I never even saw that name come up for approval. Reapply and I'll look out for it.

 

[Jeffj]

Sure thing Tom. The facebook account is Rex Bimmer. I'll hit the join button now.

 

[Jeffj]

Status now says pending. Guess I only thought I hit the button before.