One More Reason I Don’t Facebook
This person..
“Facebook’s marketing director Randi Zuckerberg, who also happens to be Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s sister, wants to put an end to online anonymity. She believes that Internet users would act much more responsibly online if they were forced to use their real names at all times.“
Ah.
Yes.
Interesting theory. (It might reduce “cyber bullying”.)
But the price? Read the article, here, Facebook: “Anonymity on the Internet has to go away”. (I humbly suggest you read the comments, too..)(Fortunately, I believe I saw that she is leaving/has left Facebook to launch her own “social media company” [ to read more on that, click here] .. But.. Mark Zuckerberg’s views on Internet privacy strike me as even more alarming.. See, Report: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Doesn’t Believe In Privacy.)
I kinda hope Germany follows through.. Germany: Facebook facial recognition feature violates privacy laws.
I know. I know. Facebook is just a tool.. and any tool can be used for good and bad…
- Facebook used to organize UK riots, clean them up
“Facebook is being blamed in part for helping organize the riots in the UK. At the same time, citizens have teamed up on the social network to clean up after the disturbances.”
.. but because I am concerned about my privacy, and how the Internet is being misused (think “data mining”/”information hoovering”, database hacking, spamming, its permanency, etc.), I stay far away from Zuckerberg’s Facebook. (I certainly don’t want privacy going away any more than it already has. Period.)
But, if you are a Facebook user, I strongly urge you to take control, and learn about – and set – the Privacy Controls. To help you, I recommend this How To: Facebook Privacy: 10 Settings Every User Needs to Know.
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Today’s quotable quote: “To know what is right and not do it is the worst cowardice.” ~ Confucius
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• About Tech Paul
I am a Retired computer & network technician. I used to think the machines were pretty cool. Now I don’t.
They’re anything but.
I regularly posted how-to’s and tricks & tips and general computing advice here starting in 2007. (Use the Search tool to find answers. But be aware, many are rather dated.) Sometimes I answered (your) specific questions in an article if I believed the answer was generally helpful to “everyone”. All the writing you see was my own, typos and all. There always is/was an implied “IMHO” in what you see here.
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TechPaul,
Facebook – I avoid it like the plague! I know of too many instances where privacy has been compromised or the service is being used as an online gossip soap opera that causes friends to become enemies… The generation coming up do not know what they do and are insensitive to privacy matters. It can all come back to haunt…
Rick
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Rick,
I am with you on this one. (And I subscribe to the validity of Murphy’s Law.) The Zuckerbergs seem a bit.. intent on “spilling your beans” .. for ‘political’ reasons, and proving some point.. I guess. With hands like that on the wheel, let me off the bus!
Bill P (of WinPatrol fame) writes pretty well on this subject.. (see Facebook May Not Be For Everyone and Can Facebook be Trusted?)
.. hmmm .. “soap opera”.
Got no use for that, either.
And, yes, you’re right about folks not caring.. Boggles my mind. Something so fundamental.
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I just rec. your posting Paul…have not read it yet… except for the title…and that is enough for me to voice my opinion about Facebook. I think it is a deterioration of people and their interests…such a waste of time on all the Nothingness that they indulge in. I agree with both comments here and more…
gaia
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gaia,
Not to subtract from your points, but I know a few folks who are big time into genealogy, and they think Facebook is great for that. But I do want people to be aware of what they may be giving up, and remind them that they cannot rely on others to make the Internet a safe place for them, as those ‘others’ may have a totally different agenda..
If you must use Facebook, (or any other online service) take the time to (learn and) use it as safely as possible, is what I am saying.
But, yes, they say that “Facebook” and “unproductive worker” are synonyms.
But they also hire “social media specialists” just to regularly post to Facebook (seen as “good advertising”).
Sigh.
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Thanks for the post, Paul. I read this about Randi too and heard that she’s actually going to be in a movie sometime soon. I’m thinking she likes being in the public eye and might have a different view of privacy than other people! Thank you for posting the privacy tips— it’s always good to remind people of privacy concerns. If you haven’t joined Facebook, are there any other social networking sites you would consider joining?
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Alexandra Lawrenz,
I succumbed to various “peer pressures” and posted a “profile” on LinkedIn (which is supposed to be a tool for Business Professionals) but really do not do anything there.
I know .. all the hype is about “collaboration” these days.
And everyone is looking for ways to “market”.
Maybe I am just cut from a different cloth, but I have no/none/zip/zero use for “social networking”, and I think it would be an utter and absolute waste of my time. Maybe entertaining for some. And .. maybe.. for some it has actually landed them a job, or increased their earnings — but I have never met anyone for whom that’s true, that I am aware of..
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