Comments on: Five Facebook Privacy Tricks You Need to Know http://itsfreshground.com/2009/12/five-facebook-privacy-changes/ We create social organizations Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:47:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: Todd Randolph http://itsfreshground.com/2009/12/five-facebook-privacy-changes/comment-page-1/#comment-144 Todd Randolph Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:06:58 +0000 http://itsfreshground.com/?p=451#comment-144 strong words - it's like you asked jason calcanis to guest post! I blogged favorably about the pending privacy changes because I believed they would be beneficial to facebook's users as well as the businesses that want to market to them. good article in the wall street journal yesterday about the real reasons driving changes - so that facebook had something to offer google and bing in terms of searchable content. so kind of a bummer, sure. but what's the real effect? meh. there will be a few more apocryphal tales of broken relationships and lost jobs, but face it - most of the stuff on facebook just isn't that revealing (or interesting) to those not involved with the person. eff, calcanis and fellow ranters claim to be defending the rights of the great unwashed - the great majority of facebook users who never cared that much about their privacy settings and in a few weeks, still won't. I am relieved that they retreated pretty quickly on mandated friend list visibility. it gives me hope that they will turn around on page visibility soon, as well. that said, I do have some issues with how facebook handled things. (1) it's disingenuous to make the "recommended" settings less private instead of more and claim it's what users want. however, I was pleased to see that my privacy settings did not revert - eg, if you cared enough before to adjust your settings, they stayed adjusted. (2) disingenuous changed to deceptive when facebook started showing a popup window on the search settings page in an effort to keep users from unchecking the "make all my stuff searchable" box. the box states that the "rumors" that you cannot control what gets shared on google are false because "only basic information and information you agree to share with everyone will be indexed." fine, but they don't tell you that they have changed the definition of basic information! it now includes more items - things like you friend list and pages you've fanned. (3) I want them to bring back wall post granular controls. previously, you were able to go through a checklist of the types of items that you wanted to go on your wall and/or who could see them - like changes on profile items (like relationship status), that you have commented somewhere or joined something. now it's all or nothing. boo. I have a few posts up about the changes and quick how to's like making one's friend list private. pretty basic stuff, but that's my audience. I like to think the most people are capable of making smart decisions once they have the information to do so. strong words – it’s like you asked jason calcanis to guest post! I blogged favorably about the pending privacy changes because I believed they would be beneficial to facebook’s users as well as the businesses that want to market to them. good article in the wall street journal yesterday about the real reasons driving changes – so that facebook had something to offer google and bing in terms of searchable content.

so kind of a bummer, sure. but what’s the real effect? meh. there will be a few more apocryphal tales of broken relationships and lost jobs, but face it – most of the stuff on facebook just isn’t that revealing (or interesting) to those not involved with the person. eff, calcanis and fellow ranters claim to be defending the rights of the great unwashed – the great majority of facebook users who never cared that much about their privacy settings and in a few weeks, still won’t.

I am relieved that they retreated pretty quickly on mandated friend list visibility. it gives me hope that they will turn around on page visibility soon, as well. that said, I do have some issues with how facebook handled things.

(1) it’s disingenuous to make the “recommended” settings less private instead of more and claim it’s what users want. however, I was pleased to see that my privacy settings did not revert – eg, if you cared enough before to adjust your settings, they stayed adjusted.

(2) disingenuous changed to deceptive when facebook started showing a popup window on the search settings page in an effort to keep users from unchecking the “make all my stuff searchable” box. the box states that the “rumors” that you cannot control what gets shared on google are false because “only basic information and information you agree to share with everyone will be indexed.” fine, but they don’t tell you that they have changed the definition of basic information! it now includes more items – things like you friend list and pages you’ve fanned.

(3) I want them to bring back wall post granular controls. previously, you were able to go through a checklist of the types of items that you wanted to go on your wall and/or who could see them – like changes on profile items (like relationship status), that you have commented somewhere or joined something. now it’s all or nothing. boo.

I have a few posts up about the changes and quick how to’s like making one’s friend list private. pretty basic stuff, but that’s my audience. I like to think the most people are capable of making smart decisions once they have the information to do so.

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