The Facebook Ubiquity

[Albrecht Smuten]

I made my personal FB profile couple months ago so I could friend certain girl and see her photos (stuffed my profile with pictures of me playing on a big stage first, of course)...
I don't use it anymore, though I use my band profile, because it's so much easier to maintain and update (with pics and videos), than regular website (so you don't need an admin). And I'm always logged in, so I have no trouble browsing facebook, when I come across a link.

As for privacy - it's all about what you choose to share with the world. The relationship status for example (some people are just unbelievable - the whole world knew that my (now ex) wife's status "Was complicated" before I did).

 

[sergiodeblanc]

the whole world knew that my (now ex) wife's status "Was complicated" before I did).

lame.

 

[JustRob]

Facebook is responsible for turning my passing interest in PRS into a loyal customer.

 

[Albrecht Smuten]

lame.

What? Me not knowing it?

 

[MOBirds]

I'm reading these comments about controlling your privacy and have to add the caveat that it's a bit of work when the Zuckster keeps rolling out "features" that they can monetize and you're always opt-in by default. I had an account for about a year while paying my younger sisters way through college. Helped me keep up on how/what she was doing. But every single time some new functionality came out that I had no interest in I had to scour the internet finding out how to opt-out of the latest thing. It was never easy, and although they started to make improvements there when I finally decided to pull the plug, it was still too much work for what little use I had for it. I think you can still "tag" people in photos/videos without any way for them to untag themselves. I know a woman who was tagged in a raunchy soft-corish video because she slightly resembled the woman in it. She is the music director for her church... so didn't go over well and it was quite a hassle to get herself disassociated from something she was no part of. That's the nasty stuff you can't control at all because you can't prevent others from linking you to things you a) don't want to be, or b) are in no way linked to.

 

[rugerpc]

I think this discussion is important, but I ask responders to respect the positions and opinions of others here and resist the urge to label them. We all have our own motivations and our own safety zones.

 

[veinbuster]

Without facebook, how would I know what Hank just got tattooed on his butt, or what Mary is having for dinner.

With a bit of thought about what you want to share, and with who, it serves a purpose. I travel quite a bit and find it a convenient way to avoid completely losing touch with people I'd like to maintain a relationship with.

 

[BostonGuitar]

I have used FB to great effect for the last few years mainly as a music promotion tool, while also connecting and being witty and entertaining with many old friends, aquaintences and music fans which very much generates interest in my musical ventures. Much like I am an owner of my guitars, I own my FB. What I mean by that is that I NEVER put any family/kids pictures or information on FB, and I make sure I peruse the privacy/security options on a monthly basis to make sure I am ON TOP OF those settings which keeps me pretty well insulated.

 

[Blackbird]

Wow, everyone is hung up about the privacy issues, I've got my settings turned up so there's no problem. The only entity that could possibly grab my personal information (which I chose to share with my friends, or a selection of my friends) is facebook themselves. They already have my information, which I willingly put on their website, so what's the big deal?

I don't put my home address on there, my credit card details, my tax file number, my drivers licence number etc, it's just a collection of my photos, thoughts and interests. Hmm... kinda like on there, but hang on, ANYONE has access to this, not just my "friends." If there's a privacy issue, then it's not facebooks fault, it's the users for posting the information in the first place, and not controlling it properly.

What could someone possible do with the information I post on facebook? They can't steal my identity, pillage my bank accounts, kill my dog etc. Where's the risk?

Who here used Google products? Gmail? You do know once you're logged into gmail, anything you search on is recorded ("collected") in their database? I'm more worried about Google data collection than I am with facebook, but having said that, if you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to worry about.

Completely agree with this post. For people worried about Facebook stealing your information or personal privacy issues, well, you have the ability to control what you share. The very least you have to share is an email address. And even then you can get a ghost yahoo or gmail account for that purpose. Then you can still surf facebook, watch videos, see posts from PRS, creep on women, etc...without rendering your personal information as vulnerable.

As Justin pointed out, there are entities that you come in contact with everyday that are monitoring, storing, and mining your information for trends and strategy. Your purchase history at WalMart for the last decade is stored in a database just miles from where I live. Google is maintaining your search logs and email history. Apple and your carrier can track and log your physical movements from location to location. The erosion of privacy is nothing new and facebook is the least of worries.

There are certainly people that have abundant faith in the internet and post way too much personal information on Facebook. But even for the cautious user it's a great tool to use that requires very little risk or committment.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

What? Me not knowing it?

What I mean is that I think it's lame that some people use a very public forum to air their dirty laundry before talking to the involved parties first. That must have been a real kick in the face, and you are a fine gentleman that deserves better.

 

[Boogeyman]

Wow, everyone is hung up about the privacy issues, I've got my settings turned up so there's no problem. The only entity that could possibly grab my personal information (which I chose to share with my friends, or a selection of my friends) is facebook themselves. They already have my information, which I willingly put on their website, so what's the big deal?

I don't put my home address on there, my credit card details, my tax file number, my drivers licence number etc, it's just a collection of my photos, thoughts and interests. Hmm... kinda like on there, but hang on, ANYONE has access to this, not just my "friends." If there's a privacy issue, then it's not facebooks fault, it's the users for posting the information in the first place, and not controlling it properly.

What could someone possible do with the information I post on facebook? They can't steal my identity, pillage my bank accounts, kill my dog etc. Where's the risk?

Who here used Google products? Gmail? You do know once you're logged into gmail, anything you search on is recorded ("collected") in their database? I'm more worried about Google data collection than I am with facebook, but having said that, if you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to worry about.[/QUOTE



I agree 100%. I liked the PRS FB page and ended up linking to this forum somehow from FB...i dont remember exactly how, but I'm here haha. Its as safe as anything else out there on the net if you use it wisely.

 

[Albrecht Smuten]

What I mean is that I think it's lame that some people use a very public forum to air their dirty laundry before talking to the involved parties first. That must have been a real kick in the face, and you are a fine gentleman that deserves better.

Thank you, Sergio, you're very kind.
(though it's yet to be seen whether I'm really that much of a fine gentleman, as I'm cooking some sort of artistic retaliation for quite a time now. Not that tasteless if I can say so myself, though)