Chief Privacy Officer for Facebook, Erin Egan, posted a blog on Friday 23 March, 2012, that highlighted Facebook’s concern at people abusing their authority by requesting user details and passwords. It seems a number of employers have been requesting both current and prospective employees to hand over their Facebook account passwords. Facebook is outraged that employers would even think of doing such a thing as this totally contravenes the privacy policies set out by Facebook.

Egan wrote: “If you are a Facebook user, you should never have to share your password, let anyone access your account, or do anything that might jeopardize the security of your account or violate the privacy of your friends.  We have worked really hard at Facebook to give you the tools to control who sees your information.

As a user, you shouldn’t be forced to share your private information and communications just to get a job.  And as the friend of a user, you shouldn’t have to worry that your private information or communications will be revealed to someone you don’t know and didn’t intend to share with just because that user is looking for a job.”

Egan also made a convincing argument as to why employers are at risk when they ask for employee passwords: “We don’t think employers should be asking prospective employees to provide their passwords because we don’t think it’s the right thing to do.  But it also may cause problems for the employers that they are not anticipating.  For example, if an employer sees on Facebook that someone is a member of a protected group (e.g. over a certain age, etc.) that employer may open themselves up to claims of discrimination if they don’t hire that person.”

Facebook has “made it a violation of Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities to share or solicit a Facebook password.” They also state that if need be, they would take legal action should the need arise, against anyone infringing on their Privacy Policy.

While I appreciate Facebook’s sincere concern at these privacy violations, and Egan has written a convincing blog addressing the issues, I can’t help but feel that this blog was not the best place to address the issue. I am quite sure that those already infringing on the privacy policies of Facebook, probably don’t know what the policies are, or even care what they are. This leads me to believe that they probably will not even read Egan’s blog, but maybe that’s just the pessimist in me and Egan’s blog will in fact change the actions of these employers who, in infringing the Facebook privacy policies, clearly have no respect for the privacy of their employees or potential employees.

“Facebook has always been committed to being transparent about the information you have stored with us – and we have led the internet in building tools to give people the ability to see and control what they share.
But we can also always do better. I’m committed to making Facebook the leader in transparency and control around privacy.”

This quote comes from a blog written by Mark Zuckerberg on 29 November 2011. The blog was written in response to the announcement made by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) that Facebook has agreed to settle the charges made by the FTC that Facebook has deceived their users. The FTC was particularly concerned with the fact the Facebook has made promises about the security and privacy of their users information but has failed to live up to these promises.

In Mark Zuckergerg’s blog, he agrees that Facebook has had some problems in the past and has not always notified users about changes that would change their privacy settings and more. He also states that they are doing everything they can to ensure that this does not happen again; including undertaking to do biannual independent audits of their privacy practices to confirm that they are indeed living up to the commitments they make.

Some of the other requirements of the settlement as laid out by the FTC state that Facebook is:

– barred from making misrepresentations about the privacy or security of consumers’ personal information;

– required to obtain consumers’ affirmative express consent before enacting changes that override their privacy preferences;

– required to prevent anyone from accessing a user’s material more than 30 days after the user has deleted his or her account;

I find it quite refreshing that not only has Facebook agreed to the settlement but also seems to be taking this all very seriously. Whether it is a brilliant PR strategy or an earnest desire to be better and keep their users feeling safe, Facebook has played its cards right.

Zuckerberg starts his blog by saying:

“I founded Facebook on the idea that people want to share and connect with people in their lives, but to do this everyone needs complete control over who they share with at all times.

This idea has been the core of Facebook since day one. When I built the first version of Facebook, almost nobody I knew wanted a public page on the internet. That seemed scary. But as long as they could make their page private, they felt safe sharing with their friends online. Control was key. With Facebook, for the first time, people had the tools they needed to do this. That’s how Facebook became the world’s biggest community online.  We made it easy for people to feel comfortable sharing things about their real lives.”

I’m quite sure this settlement agreed to by Facebook will not deter any users or potential users from using Facebook, but rather encourage people to do more and say more. Rather clever, don’t you think?

I want to extend my sincerest thanks to Twitter for it’s new image sharing feature. Really, I mean it.

Now, you can share images on Twitter directly from your “What’s happening?” Tweet box.

It’s easy, quick & painless. The new feature is also compatible with yfrog, Instagram and Twitpic, so you need not fear that your current uploads will “disappear”.

Twitter has also added image galleries of the most recent images that a user has uploaded onto Twitter as well as having recently shared their image upload API to third-party developers.

Want to know how you can upload images directly from your Twitter account? It’s easy, just follow these steps:

Step 1: Create a regular tweet in your “What’s happening?” tweet box. Then click on the little camera icon in the bottom left-hand corner.

Step 2: Twitter will prompt you to upload an image from your machine. Your image will appear in your Tweet as a link.

Step 3: Tweet and voila!!

Google has tried hard over the years to develop a social network that is the equivalent of their search engine, but nothing seemed to make the cut. Their first attempt, Orkut, may have been a success in Brazil, but seriously, how many of us outside of Brazil have ever even heard of it? The second attempt was Google buzz, which I’m sure most of us have actually heard of, but not for the reasons Google was looking for. Google Buzz become infamous last year over privacy concerns, and so was not at all successful. Now, however, comes attempt number three, and this time, according to reports at least, Google just might have a winner.

Google+ was released in its beta version for selected people a couple of weeks ago, and already has received some good reviews. In the words of MG Siegler from TechCrunch, “If Google Buzz Is a black Hole For Sharing Traffic, Google+ Is The Big Bang”.

Google+ has unashamedly used some features of Facebook, such as the +1 button being the equivalent to the “like” button.

“Circles” are also a major feature in Google+. Like the “groups in Facebook, circles allow you to arrange your friends depending on your relationship. Every friend you add has to fit into certain circles in order to be added as your friends. You start off with four basic circles, Friends, Family, Following and Acquaintances, and you can add more circles as needed. You are the only one who will ever know what circles each person is in, and they can be in more than one circle.

Another interesting feature is Hangout, a video calling system that allows up to ten people to talk to each other in a group. Facebook’s announcement of Skype integration for one-on-one video chat doesn’t sound so impressive after that, I must admit…

Sparks is a content sharing feature that sends you information on topics you have selected. It seems to be a bit like a mixture between Stumbleupon and Google Alerts.

Unfortunately most of us will have to wait a little longer to try it out. Initially, it was available to just select invitees who could then invite others to join, but there was such a massive amount of people clamoring for invites that it was closed the next day. However, you can still register your interest on their site, so that as soon as it opens up again you are notified.

It is well-known that there is a war going on between Facebook and Microsoft on one side, and Google on the other. Google has long had the upper hand when it comes to search engines, but hasn’t quite been able to compete with Facebook when it comes to social media, especially since Facebook recently passed 750 million members.  This may just be their chance…

Having joined the social networking site Facebook three weeks ago, I have realised that I am uniquely suited to helping people make the most of their Facebook experience. This is why I have created a guide to the site, hopefully you will all profit greatly by my experience.

(more…)

On Monday morning (2 May 2011) I was talking to my younger sister, who was also on Facebook at the same time. Suddenly she said, “Did you know bin Laden is dead?” I’ll admit, I was a bit sceptical, knowing that news sites are not her usual haunt on the internet. “No, really, it’s all over Facebook.” And that was how I too learnt about the death of Osama bin Laden. Not through the radio, or TV, or any type of news site, but through Facebook posts. (more…)

Have you ever been the victim of a Facebook scam? Usually when I see an email scam, (Your distant relative in North Eastern Guatemala has died leaving you a fortune! Send me money so I can arrange for you to get the entire fortune!) I think it is so obviously a scam, that how could anyone fall for it? Not so with Facebook and other social media scams. (more…)

With the internet now allowing anyone with an internet connection the ability to be a news reporter, what will happen to traditional news sources like newspapers and news on TV and radio?

There are already reports from many newspapers that circulation is dropping as more and more people opt to go online in order to find information for free that they would normally have to pay for. (more…)

The launch of the new MySpace, just a few short months ago, does not seem to be saving the network’s declining traffic and revenue streams. Nor is it going to save MySpace from the News Corp. chopping board.

This week, MySpace laid off 500 of it’s employees, across the board – amounting to an astonishing 47% of it’s total staff base.

At the time, Mike Jones, CEO, stated that the decision had nothing to do with their new product, ““Today’s tough but necessary changes were taken in order to provide the company with a clear path for sustained growth and profitability,” Jones said of MySpace’s recent re-vamp. “These changes were purely driven by issues related to our legacy business, and in no way reflect the performance of the new product.” CNET

However, just a few days later, Jones confirmed that News Corp. is looking for a way to off-load the failing project. Many rumors had been flying around, that the parent company was looking for a buyer for MySpace, and it is very sad to discover, that some of them were true.

Spokesperson for MySpace, Rosabel Toa, revealed to Bloomberg just recently, that “News Corp. is assessing a number of possibilities including a sale, a merger and a spinout….. The process has just started.”

I consider MySpace’s shift in focus last year, to be a very brave attempt at saving their bacon, however, it might have been the thing that killed it for them.

Listening to the forums, it seems like the general public is not all that sorry to see MySpace go down this path – which, for me at least, indicates just how much popularity MySpace is losing.

I wonder who is brave enough to invest in MySpace now? Once acquired, will the face and shape of MySpace change yet again? Or will it be dissolved into a new & exciting venture by some big player out there? Only time will tell.

Looking at the new layout for MySpace.com, I can’t say that the content or look of the site has appealed to me much, however, I suppose that this is because I haven’t been a teenager for quite a number of years now.

Through a youngsters eyes, the revamped MySpace is a place where you can get the latest & hottest news on pretty much anything going on in the entertainment industry. The design of the social site is quite simple, and offers a variety of different themes to users who wish to spice up their MySpace experiences.

The content is all about the latest going’s on in entertainment. MySpace users can share and discover news on the latest movies, music videos, events, celebrity gossip and as well spend hours and hours playing online games with each other.

Some of the new features enable MySpace users to:

• Connect with other MySpace users who share similar interests;
• Create & display their creations on their profiles as well as share them using the tools available to them;
• Enjoy MySpace’s content as well as content from around the web;
• To simplify, as well as enhance their social entertainment experience. Users can choose to use MySpace in the traditional grid-view – which is much a magazine layout, the traditional list-view, or, they can choose play view and watch their content, share it, forward and re-size their updates;
• Personalise their newsfeeds according to their tastes and interests and more;

As someone, who has a teenage sibling, I know that what I have described above, is a much favoured pastime amongst this age group.

So I really do think that MySpace has the makings of something great here, if they can pull it off. Facebook is playing in a different field now, so MySpace can safely market itself to Generation Y and re-establish itself as an online social media & entertainment hub.