'Facebook’s gone rogue; it’s time for an open alternative'

Thanks for the feedback

 

But I did, the first few sentences, only.

It was pretty obvious in the first few paragraphs of the article that is was going to be yet another fact less Facebook bash. It would have been more interesting if some "meat and potatoes" had been provided to backup the claims being made. Not to mention the inaccuracies.

So OK you got me to read it.

Simple ones from the article:

In Privacy settings, set "See your friend list" to "Only Me"

Set everything (or what you don't want you boss to see) to "Friends Only" and don't "Friend" your boss.

Even if you "Friend" your boss you can hide parts or all of your profile (excluding name and optional profile picture) from your boss. You could also create a list of "Friends" you want to exclude from viewing your profile.

In Privacy Settings, set See your likes, activities and other connections to custom, for "Make this visible to:" select "Friends Only" ("Only Me" is an option too) and for Hide this from: add add your mother.


It seems to me the most folks making noise about Facebook don't even use it. I do, because my kids do.

 

I'm afraid you are missing the point(s). This is not about Facebook settings, it is about the political economy of the internet and Facebook's increasing impact on the public sphere. For a brief introduction and main talking points, see Alinta Thornton's 2002 essay 'Does internet create democracy?'

http://www.zipworld.com.au/~athornto/thesis6.htm

 

Yes I guess I did miss that point, I re-read it again, guess I must be really dense. I still don't see it.

That article (Facebook’s Gone Rogue; It’s Time for an Open Alternative | Epicenter*| Wired.com) was all most all beat up on Facebook time. A lot of it incorrect.

This could also apply to a lot of other services. I doubt that any open alternative will be any better. It is still going to be about sharing and there will always be folks crying foul (privacy violation). If you don't want to share it, keep it to your self. That is the only way to keep it private.

We have all been manipulated or influenced since time began. The way we act, the clothes we wear, our perception of beauty, manners, ad infinitum... Newpapers, magazines, radio, TV and now the Internet have all played in to this. For example; How is it that bacon and eggs because the stable for an American breakfast (and a lot of other coutries too)? A clever advertising campaign by Edward Bernays in the 20's to promote the sale of bacon.

 

Anatomy of a Backlash, or How Facebook Got an ‘F’ for Facial Recognition

More at: Link

 

'Breeding ground for teen narcissists':

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2390598,00.asp

 

Gee, that sounds an awful lot like the equally BS claim that video games are bad for kids. It's a freaking website, a plague upon the Earth, but a website that no one is forced to join (forced to see plastered all over the web is quite another story). I have a cure for all these problems that Facebook may cause...leave your freakin desk, walk to the front door, step out, and talk to people face to face. Problem solved as far as antisocial. Bullying, nobody is going to stop that. As long as kids and teenagers have existed, so has it. The internet just made it easier for chickens**ts to run off at the mouth. As far as narcissistic, yeah, well, that's called getting over yourself. No website makes you so, it's an attitude issue.

In other words, this is the same BS crap that all these stupid little watchdog groups, and other groups that think they know every damn thing, have been spewing for decades. Remember the whole "parental advisory" mess from the 80s? Yeah, same deal, different decade and media form.

 

I LOVE IT.