Facebook advancing beyond Google?

[Red]

If you've dismissed Facebook as a simple online social tool, you may want to re-think how you integrate your e-business into the web that Facebook is weaving...

New changes this week at Facebook:

Facebook makes it easier for users to share interests across web - CNN.com

How Facebook won the web - CNN.com


*for those of you out there with online ANYTHING, consider adding the open-source "Like" button for your site... it's one single line of code.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Bond]

You better read this if you're a facebook user:
Has Facebook just become the Evil Empire? What's wrong with the new "Like" button. - Philosophical Zombie

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I was going to install a "LIKE" button this week! Gotta do more research!

 

[andviv]

also, in a related way --cause I said so-- take a look at this post:

Is Facebook the new internet and how soon before Microsoft tries to buy it ? « blog maverick

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Red]

You better read this if you're a facebook user:
Has Facebook just become the Evil Empire? What's wrong with the new "Like" button. - Philosophical Zombie

The thing is, there has ALWAYS been this ability to "track" users from the applications they use, be it voluntary or not -every time you fire up an app (be it Microsoft Office, Adobe, etc), it pings a server under that publishers control & checks for errant, duplicate or just plain fraudulent copies of that software running -there are even checks & balances in place on closed LAN's regardless of internet connectivity.

Back doors to the major operating systems have ALWAYS been a visceral part of the OS -whether admitted to or not. It's the "price" we pay for utilizing the service and for having access to a global potential for a customer base.

If you're a true paranoid, you can always utilize a proxy browsing service to ensure your privacy... but who's to say they're not tracking your movement as well? :coolgleamA:

 

[Bond]

The thing is, there has ALWAYS been this ability to "track" users from the applications they use, be it voluntary or not -every time you fire up an app (be it Microsoft Office, Adobe, etc), it pings a server under that publishers control & checks for errant, duplicate or just plain fraudulent copies of that software running -there are even checks & balances in place on closed LAN's regardless of internet connectivity.

Back doors to the major operating systems have ALWAYS been a visceral part of the OS -whether admitted to or not. It's the "price" we pay for utilizing the service and for having access to a global potential for a customer base.

If you're a true paranoid, you can always utilize a proxy browsing service to ensure your privacy... but who's to say they're not tracking your movement as well? :coolgleamA:

Well the difference with this is that they can access all my data available on facebook...

 

[Icy]

Bond why does it matter if they can access your information on FB? Most (probably all?) information you'd willingly distribute in a person to person conversation so why does this medium make you nervous?

Frankly, being able to get information like this is in a way great because it's very easy to then figure out new ideas for businesses (by gathering data based on many peoples opinions very quickly). So what if they can tailor the ads in a way that would be things that you may actually interested in. Isn't that great that you can find things that are interesting without having to go searching yourself?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[rxcknrxll]

The thing is, there has ALWAYS been this ability to "track" users from the applications they use, be it voluntary or not -every time you fire up an app (be it Microsoft Office, Adobe, etc), it pings a server under that publishers control & checks for errant, duplicate or just plain fraudulent copies of that software running -there are even checks & balances in place on closed LAN's regardless of internet connectivity.

Back doors to the major operating systems have ALWAYS been a visceral part of the OS -whether admitted to or not. It's the "price" we pay for utilizing the service and for having access to a global potential for a customer base.

If you're a true paranoid, you can always utilize a proxy browsing service to ensure your privacy... but who's to say they're not tracking your movement as well? :coolgleamA:

I think there's a significant difference between anonymity and privacy that we all need to get familiar with. People mistake the two all the time, but they are completely different.

 

[rxcknrxll]

also, in a related way --cause I said so-- take a look at this post:

Is Facebook the new internet and how soon before Microsoft tries to buy it ? « blog maverick

It's an interesting post, but for FB to become as ubiquitous as Google is a stretch to me. although I see the authors point. I do think that social media in general is going to replace search. personal referrals from trusted sources of info are the best way to filter information.

but is Facebook going to be the market leader in social media? I have actually experienced a significant decline in user experience and know many people who are using FB less and less. Facebook is going the way of Myspace if you ask me. It's hot as hell right now, but in 3 years it will have matured and "matured" is internet-speak for "fizzled out".

 

[Bond]

This is not about tailoring ads.
This is about sharing all your info and of your friends with a third-party.
What will happen from now on is that information that i share with my friends will be available to a partner. Even if i opt-out they still will give my info because my friends may still share it publicly...
Right now they have 3 partners (Microsoft Docs, Yelp and Pandora) but more will come and i have to manually block them all if i don't want them to access my data.
This is a really big deal...
Look at the link below:

Protect Your Privacy Opt Out of Facebook’s New Instant Personalization – Yes You Have to Opt Out | Librarian by Day

"Allowing instant personalization will give you a richer experience as you browse the web. If you opt-out, you will have to manually activate these experiences. Please keep in mind that if you opt out, your friends may still share public Facebook information about you to personalize their experience on these partner sites unless you block the application."

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Red]

And there's the beauty of it all: Facebook is voluntary. And on top of that: opting in or out is also voluntary.

 

[Bond]

And there's the beauty of it all: Facebook is voluntary. And on top of that: opting in or out is also voluntary.

I would rather prefer it was opt-in...
Also even if you opt-out you still have to block each app...

Imagine the government decided to put all your information on the web and then would tell you you can opt-out if you want, how would you feel about that?
And more, if you opt-out you still had to go to each department (IRS,military, etc) and block each one from sharing your data...

To better understand what's going on read this:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/1948...your_privacy_everything_you_need_to_know.html

 

[Red]

but the gov't isn't putting all your information on the web, YOU are VOLUNTEERING it in order to utilize an online application. YOU created your facebook account. YOU input all the fields that were optional. We get up in arms about a service we don't have to utilize in the first place & then get huffy when the FREE application doesn't work the way we want it to.

ps: maybe it's my age, but I've already gone through the anger/resentment/futility stages of having my personal information out on the web... with things like zabasearch.com and criminalsearches.com, there's more than we realize already out in public records.

But I will tell you, I'm grateful for that information when I'm researching a potential date -a lady can never be too careful these days... Hello Mr. I-Already-Have-Two-DUI's and no I wont' be meeting you for happy hour.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[MJ DeMarco]

It's hot as hell right now, but in 3 years it will have matured and "matured" is internet-speak for "fizzled out".

But what if it doesn't? What if it becomes as ubiquitous to the internet inasmuch as Google? Imagine an internet without Google. Some argued the horseless carriage was a fad ... or talking pictures ...

 

[Bond]

but the gov't isn't putting all your information on the web, YOU are VOLUNTEERING it in order to utilize an online application. YOU created your facebook account. YOU input all the fields that were optional. We get up in arms about a service we don't have to utilize in the first place & then get huffy when the FREE application doesn't work the way we want it to.

Sorry but i'm sharing my info with my friends using a service that Facebook provides for free with a set of privacy options available at the time i joined.
Facebook now is putting my information out there to their partners first and then i can sort off opt-out because that's not a real opt-out, your info will still be out there to the partners through your friends and to prevent that you need also to block all the partners from getting your data...
It should be the other way around, they can create the service and give their users the option to join the service...

 

[Rem]

Whether we think it's right or not, the reality is no matter what we choose to do outside of our own homes, be it virtual or physical, can be monitored. People should be aware of this and act accordingly. If you don't want people knowing stuff about you, don't put out information over the phone, cell phone, text, internet sites, chat rooms, emails, etc.

It is unfortunate but that is how it is.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Icy]

This is not about tailoring ads.
This is about sharing all your info and of your friends with a third-party.
What will happen from now on is that information that i share with my friends will be available to a partner. Even if i opt-out they still will give my info because my friends may still share it publicly...
Right now they have 3 partners (Microsoft Docs, Yelp and Pandora) but more will come and i have to manually block them all if i don't want them to access my data.
This is a really big deal...
Look at the link below:

Protect Your Privacy Opt Out of Facebook’s New Instant Personalization – Yes You Have to Opt Out | Librarian by Day

"Allowing instant personalization will give you a richer experience as you browse the web. If you opt-out, you will have to manually activate these experiences. Please keep in mind that if you opt out, your friends may still share public Facebook information about you to personalize their experience on these partner sites unless you block the application."

I understand then. Yeah, I don't really use Facebook for anything than to keep up to date with whats new in some friends lives. Not the place where I try to make conversation or anything so anything that I put on there I'd have no problem sharing in person (except some PM's on in...). So I didn't really consider that side of it.

I saw in the newspaper today how companies are starting to utilize coupons through FB groups and part of what looks like the barcode sometimes contains info like your user ID. I see why that information could be beneficial to companies, but doing that without notifying the people starts to get iffy for me..

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Well I installed the "Like" button -- guess we'll see how it works!

 

[rxcknrxll]

But what if it doesn't? What if it becomes as ubiquitous to the internet inasmuch as Google? Imagine an internet without Google. Some argued the horseless carriage was a fad ... or talking pictures ...

I dig. anything is possible. It's just not about facebook vs google as far as I can tell. It's about access and filters. The reason i argue that FB is on its' way toward fizzling out is because in order to be sustainable, a platform needs to be as transparent and targeted as possible. Facebook is the opposite. In order to monetize, it has to become more and more obtrusive.

Users will always opt for an easier to use and more transparent space whenever one is available, and technology makes networking way too easy now for Facebook to be able to sustain their antics for very long. Users are getting more and more savvy every day. There are already a million small social networks that house way more meaningful content than facebook to individual users. There just isn't currently a pressing need for people to seek them out. But that is changing. Niche communities are hot. I find way more value here on Fastlane than on the whole of Facebook. It's transparent, well-moderated, highly targeted for my personal interests and easier to use. And all this site requires is passion and an install of vbulletin. Pitch 100,000 highly targeted and passionate niche communities against Facebook, and I honestly think Facebook is going to fall apart. We're not there yet, but it's coming.

As more and more communities start to pop up and technology makes these things more and more accessible, sites like Facebook won't go away but their clout will be greatly diminished. The mall is still a favorite hangout spot for many millions of teenagers, but that doesn't change the fact that the business model of the shopping mall is in trouble.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Bond]

Like Button