Is there a way to use Facebook without giving up my privacy?

Eira wants to join because she is missing out on things, but doesn't want to build a profile

Is it possible to be a passive user of Facebook? I want to read announcements relating to friends and colleagues, and maybe post comments, without building a profile with photos, a timeline and so on. I have managed perfectly well without joining, but occasionally miss useful information that is not available elsewhere. Eira

What's known as "lurking" - being a member without actively participating - is very common. To quote Jakob Nielsen, "In most online communities, 90% of users are lurkers who never contribute, 9% of users contribute a little, and 1% of users account for almost all the action." This is known as the 1% rule, and it's obviously a gross generalisation.