flash use question

Hey guys.

I recently got a Sony hvl-f43am external flash for my a700 but I found that I'm not sure how to angle it. I've been under the impression that you want to bounce the flash off of ceilings when photographing people and so I angled the lens upwards at 45 or more depending on where my subjects were. I found that the flash was still washing out people's faces or giving a nasty glare. Eventually i just shot the flash straight upward and that seemed to work better but I'd never seen this done before.

How do I know the degree to which I should angle the flash? Is there ever a time to shoot it straight at someone?

The one with the girl had the flash straight up and the one with the guy had the flash bounced at about a 45 degree angle

Thanks guys!