Jefferson's Newspaper

Mecha-Zuck ruthlessly semantifies your profile

By now, everyone has heard about the latest round of FaceBook updates. Without a doubt, some of the changes are really cool and lots of folks will love the way that certain websites will seamlessly adapt their content to suit their tastes and preferences (based on FaceBook profile information). After all, who doesn’t want more relevance on the web? We can also expect just about every major content provider to be adding a “Like” button to their sites within a matter of weeks. I just tested it out on TechCrunch and it is in fact the best social sharing widget I have ever used. On the other hand, as with most FaceBook updates, those concerned with openness and privacy have some legitimate concerns. Rather than paraphrasing what others have already summed up very well, I instead offer a short reading list for those who are interested. Make an informed decision.

• Facebook f8
• Today Facebook, Tomorrow the World (Wired)
• Are Like Buttons Evil? The Open Web Reacts To Facebook’s Not-So-Open Graph (TechCrunch)
• With Open Graph, Facebook Sets Out To Make The Entire Web Its Tributary System (TechCrunch)
• Facebook Open Graph: What it Means for Privacy (Mashable)
• Deceiving Users with the Facebook Like Button (arnab.org)
• How to Opt Out of Facebook’s Instant Personalization (EFF)

As we have seen before, there is always an off chance that FaceBook will adjust their policies in response to outcry from their user base. However, given the current size of their user base and the amount of money FaceBook stands to make from this (in the high krajillions, according to analysts), I really doubt they are losing sleep about a micro-exodus of privacy activists and open web nerds. However unlikely, things can change. So I leave the “Probably” as a qualifier just in case. Also, I have to admit that I am accustomed to the convenience and utility of FaceBook as a way of casually keeping in touch with people you might never hear from or see otherwise. So it’s possible I might just sanitize my profile and stop using FaceBook altogether but keep the account active so I can receive the occasional message from or hunt down (stalk) a casual acquaintance or old friend. Generally speaking though, I think FaceBook as I knew it is over. Knowing what I know, and knowing what they know, I no longer feel comfortable signing into or socializing on the site, and that is not likely to change.

UPDATE:
I took the plunge and deleted my profile for good after letting it sit unused for a couple weeks. Below are a few more of the articles that contributed to that decision, which was made easier still by the fact that I was late to join FaceBook to begin with and always found it kind of annoying and ripe for drama in the same way as MySpace (in fact, after leaving MySpace ahead of the exodus, I tried to get everyone to follow me to Twitter, skipping Facebook altogether, but to no avail). Nevertheless, Facebook did/does have its uses and was occasionally really fun and entertaining. I must admit that leaving it behind leaves me feeling a bit disconnected from some casual friends and acquaintances. The good news is that it looks like a real open alternative may be emerging in a new project called Diaspora*.

• Facebook’s Gone Rogue: It’s Time for an Open Alternative (Epicenter Blog | Wired)
• Facebook and Radical Transparency: a rant (apophenia)
• Four Nerds and a Cry to Arms Against Facebook (NYTimes)