Comments on: About Face(book)

By: Roy, Chicago, IL

Roy, Chicago, IL — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 17:51:25 +0000

While some people have clearly hit the panic button with Facebook I don’t recall anyone amongst my friends (on or off Facebook) making a big deal of all this. Obviously, some people have more free time to write articles than others…

By: Sarah, Shoreview, MN

Sarah, Shoreview, MN — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 16:24:30 +0000

Obviously, mistakes have been made in the past and will continue to be made in the future. But the bottom line is that the individual user is in control of the information they post on Facebook and other social networking sites. Any missteps on the part of Facebook have been quickly remedied, not in the least because of the very vocal user base.

I’m not sure if those critics of the advertisements and “Newsfeed” feature have actually come in contact with the site. Is it all second-hand information? I have been a Facebook user since it was first offered for my college, in 2004. I have witnessed its growth. The ads are mostly unobtrusive, pushed off to the side in boxes. Security is tight and easily controlled by the individual user. You have complete control over who can see your profile, and even who can find you in a search. You can control which of your actions on the site are public, and what information you want on the actions of your friends.

You can block your profile from certain people completely, or create a limited profile for those you don’t want having full access. Only those in your network (divided by schools, cities, and workplaces – you must join the networks, and in the case of school networks, must have a valid email address from that school.) have the option of seeing your profile EVEN when you grant complete open access.

The restrictions are even greater for teenagers joining under a high school network.

I’m careful of what information I make available, even to my peers. It’s about personal responsibility. I once heard the analogy that if you’re not willing to shout what you write online to a roomful of strangers, in shouldn’t be online. It’s a good ruler.

Really, Facebook has worked hard with its customers to create a safe and useful networking site. I can more easily keep in touch with friends that have scattered to the far-reaches of the country, or even the other side of the world. No, these types of sites should not usurp the genuine connection of face to face conversation. But if used properly, they can be a tremendous asset.

By: Al, Mineapolis MN

Al, Mineapolis MN — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 15:05:37 +0000

Purely impressionistic but from the news reports I read about Mark Zuckenberg it seems to me that the kid does not have a fully formed ethical compass. This is a bit dangerous for a business that traffics everyday in its youthful customers’ personal and intimate information.

By: Jon, Halifax NS

Jon, Halifax NS — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 23:55:36 +0000

Facebook is great it will never die

By: Billy,Vancouver,Canada

Billy,Vancouver,Canada — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 14:24:26 +0000

College Students, You can keep FaceBook! Perhaps when you grow up and realize that you are exposing yourself to predators and criminals as well as all the world, maybe after you have had your ID ripped off or been attacked or threatened by someone who has been cyber-stalking you, you might change your tune! For God's Sake, go out and meet with your friends, don't sit down at your puter and message your pal 4 doors down. Go for a walk, a trip or pick up the phone. Technology is isolating you from your friends and family and the world as a whole, not renewing your friendships. And does no one remember the Dot-Com crash. It is going to happen again. You mean to tell me that even Microsoft would kick out cash for part of FaceBoook even though the only actual worth of the operation is the expected revenue and the idle meandering of the FB users?? If wishes were fishes, people..... Get out now!!

By: Stathis, Plano, TX

Stathis, Plano, TX — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 20:23:29 +0000

It’s a fad, clearly, but as with all fads, some underlying need exists, namely the opportunity for a degree of easy social networking. What value do members get from Facebook? I guess a good time. Is this (a good time on Facebook) a universal concept? Absolutely not, it’s only relevant and appreciated by the people who consider spending time there worthwhile. Will it sweep the nation? Absolutely not. It will reach a critical mass and then stagnate and eventual decline in membership either due to lack of incremental interest, personal-time constraints (as people move through life’s demands) and, frankly, boredom. The only reason sites such as MySpace and Facebook exist is beyond marketeters have found a bonanza going after a progressively younger demographic, which the lion’s share of these sites’ memberbase.

So the short answer is: it will survive, in one form or another, for as long as marketers see value in advertizing and spending after the member demographic.

By: Kimberly, Jackson, Mississippi

Kimberly, Jackson, Mississippi — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 19:19:35 +0000

It’s ridiculous to think that anything could ever fully bring down facebook, its a fad, and all fads go out of style after a while, true, but I have friends that i have found after 5+ years on facebook, 10 years ago it would have been nearly impossible and preposterously time consuming for me to try, plus the majority of FB users i would venture to say are in the 18-25 range, very few of this group would be aware of the that any major change had occured,however part of the fun is “spying” on people, so facebook would lose a lot of its appeal if the users were “told on”

By: Cody, Des Moines, Iowa

Cody, Des Moines, Iowa — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:34:31 +0000

Thats the great thing about facebook, if a feature is added and everyone hates it, soon enough the executives know about it through petitions and have the ability to remove or add fixes to the new feature. Nothing is final and flexibility is what gives a good company longevity

By: Dilia, Falls Church, VA

Dilia, Falls Church, VA — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:47:32 +0000

I just started using facebook 3-4 months ago; and besides the pictures/ email, the other features are annoying. I believe those feautures are for teenagers. I am a professional worker/grad student, and most of those features are silly for me. (I am 30 years old).
In my opinion, they should have different sites ( depending on age, hobbies, work ect).

Dilia

By: Nadia,Dubai,UAE

Nadia,Dubai,UAE — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:00:35 +0000

I am addicted to FB, but FB should take care of the privacy more, for example any one sent a wall message, all friends will know that, gifts as well, plus some applications useless, for me i love facevbook , because i can help others through it, i have a job group there, call Job Seekers(created by Ana Bas),750+ members, updated, join it please(http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=12182500062)

By: Sam, Minneapolis, MN

Sam, Minneapolis, MN — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 15:39:47 +0000

facebook is going down…

By: Tom, Williamsburg VA

Tom, Williamsburg VA — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 20:56:05 +0000

I first signed up for facebook when I started college. Now, I’m a junior, and I barely use it anymore. It was great as a freshman because at the time the only people on facebook were my college friends and it was a great social communication tool. I switched high schools after my sophomore year, so it was great to keep in touch with friends all over the country who I hadn’t seen in a long time. However, now I’m getting activist emails from a 40-something politician in NY (which isn’t even my state) because he’s got the same last name (creepy) and found me through a simple search. It’s annoying and facebook is going downhill with all the pointless applications. I know that after college I will probably only use facebook to keep in touch with friends, and will ramp up my privacy security. That’s all there is to it.

By: Massachusetts

Massachusetts — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 20:14:16 +0000

Facebook was never as good as Myspace. Their major mistake was allowing normal users to sign up for accounts, as opposed to originally just allowing college students. The “applications” are pointless, boring, and aggravating when you’re just trying to quickly check messages. The entire site is far too cumbersome to navigate on a daily basis. I check mine maybe… once every 3 or 4 months. Myspace, I check every day. Keep things simple. If the applications were gone, the site would be vastly improved. Oh and drop all the ads too – also aggravating and I don’t believe anyone even clicks on internet ads anymore anyways.

By: Brenda, Barrington Il

Brenda, Barrington Il — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 22:49:19 +0000

This is not the first time or even the second time FB sold out. First it was just for us college students – NOT. Thought it was private – NOT (news feeds). Now they sell our information. Trust me… they big corporations invested and they will get thier ROI.

Go to BookwormMe.com. Going back to a private network is the way to go. See you on that site.

By: Chicago

Chicago — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 18:38:21 +0000

I know all of my friends are getting rid of our accounts. What he did was un-ethical.

By: Stephen W., Sarasota, FL

Stephen W., Sarasota, FL — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 04:37:17 +0000

It’s nice to know what your network of “friends” are up to, but when it is one’s own information it’s absolutely unacceptable. Maybe with time our society will accept total transparency, but until we can show everything about ourselves, facebook should hold off.

By: Grant Buckler, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Grant Buckler, Kingston, Ontario, Canada — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 17:04:34 +0000

David Kirkpatrick has it entirely wrong. Facebook did something it should not have done. As the comments on this article indicate, many users didn’t like it. Facebook realized this, made changes and apologized. And this is somehow a story of bad behaviour on the part of the media? Without the press picking up on this, the problem probably would not have been fixed. That’s part of our job, and if David Kirkpatrick doesn’t understand that, maybe he’d be more comfortable in a nice PR job.

By: David, Salt Lake City, Utah

David, Salt Lake City, Utah — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 16:10:08 +0000

No one held a gun to anyone’s head (at least I doubt they did) to put up a Facebook profile. If you don’t want someone to know something about you – hey here’s a revolutionary idea – DON’T PUT IT IN YOUR PROFILE!! And always assume that if you put it out there that ANYONE can see it. Wise up. This isn’t 1998 folks.

Facebook et al are here to stay, but I honestly doubt their ability to make money. Of course if .01% of the members click through, that’s still a 1/2 million users.

By: Becca, Corning, NY

Becca, Corning, NY — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 14:56:23 +0000

I understand that everyone is out to make money, but both facebook and myspace were much better before the advertising frenzy. I wish there was a place where I could stay in touch with my friends without being bombarded every second by ads and companies fishing for my information. The fun of it all has worn off.

By: Jessica, New York, NY

Jessica, New York, NY — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:06:56 +0000

I’m bored of facebook. Myspace much better suites my needs as a stand-up comedian in NYC – facebook has lost it’s original appeal for me….