For about a month, Facebook owed you. Well, "you" being the millions of current (since Jan/Feb 2009) Facebook-ers. On Wednesday, after a week of "protest" by Facebook users, the company backed off for the time being, leaving most happy, but with an ominous feel in the air (web?).
Wait, lets back up, you don't know what Im talking about? Facebook is the largest social networking site, where millions of people create their own accounts and share "content" with eachother. This "content" ranges from demographic information, personal information, comments and letters to other Facebook-ers, and photos. A Facebook account is free, and a user shares freely the content of their account, but until recently a user had the option of ending his or her account and removing all of their "content" from Facebook. These "Terms of Service" changed some weeks ago, saying that Facebook would retain copies of archived content, and created a bit of a backlash. Users were upset and claimed that they no longer owned their own pictures, and personal ID, some were worried what Facebook might do with it. (Use photos to post in ads other places on the internet? On a bus? Sell the demographics, addy and phoney to soliciters?) Some called for a boycott (whatever that means), and some claimed they would, or probably did, cancel their accounts. (This is the most ironic part of the story, because people who were upset that Facebook could keep their content after they quit, went and quit and let Facebook keep their content. How was that an effective protest?)
Facebook claims that the policy was designed to keep continuity, which makes perfect sense to me. If a user has an active account, and shares with others regularly, their departure would effect every other user's account with whom they shared content. A photo that person uploaded and shared, and others tagged, would be deleted, and the other users would no longer have that photo. Same with comments; if the user posted a comment for someone else, that comment would be deleted from the other user's account. When joining Facebook or other networking sites a person must recognize that they are contributing to a community that will continue on with or without them, for that reason all content they contribute should be seen as a gift to the community. If a user doesnt feel comfortable giving content to be held for life, they might think again about posting every picture they ever took, or instead posting them on a secure site and providing only links.
The ominous part now: the switch back to the old Terms is temporary, until Facebook clarifies better what they hope to accomplish in the New Terms. My guess, is that they will be much more similar to the just-reversed-new Terms than the old Terms. I guess this serves as a warning/opt-out period, if you arent happy about what the new-New Terms might include, now is your chance to delete without leaving archives of your content for Facebook. If not, well, youve been warned...
http://http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/02/18/facebook.reversal/index.html?iref=newssearch
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
What is that-there WEE-KEE?
The last week has really been a roller-coaster ride for the my library-skill-related confidence.
First, and positive experience: The librarian I work with mentioned my tech-savvy skills to another professor. The professor has a links-only web page hosted by the library for students to use. The professor wanted to allow students to add links to pages and resources they find on their own, to share with other classmates. The librarian said to the professor, it would be a bit of a hassle to have every student email the systems lib to add a link every time they see something interesting, but my intern was talking to me about a new kind of web site called a wiki that maybe you could use. The librarian told me about it, and asked me to email the professor, explain this thing called wiki, and give him some advice and maybe work with him to create one for the class. Its kinda nice to hear someone was bragging on your skillz.
But, of course, the let-down: After sending the most insightful, helpful, easy-to-understand, kind, generously-volunteering-to-assist, optimistic email about what a wiki is and how easy it would be to use, and how to set one up, and where to do it.....I get no response. I guess, when it comes down to it, I lost this professor when I said "You" go to this site..., instead of "yeah, sure, Ill set up this wiki that I don't even know if you will pay any attention to, can I also wash your car in 15 degree temperatures? Wouldn't want that rock salt to harm your paint job."
The next day, feeling good: My wife's professor (she is a student at the university I intern at) said in class that I would be a great person to talk to in the library for help with the coming project. Again, a faculty member bragging on my abilities, this time to her students (and even with my wife in the room, extra points for me if my wife thinks I'm smart!).
That evening, quit now, you cant handle the library: So my wife takes her professor's advice and asks for my help at home. She has a research/intervention proposal for her internship due in the morning and needs more for her literature review. I spend the next two hours trying to understand what it is that the professor wants, telling my wife that this professor has no idea how a research proposal works, saying that the assignment she gave uses terms in the wrong way and therefore my wife should not do it. Eventually, after 2 hours, and no new articles for the literature review, we go to bed. She is irritated that the assignment is too rigid in its requirements and doesn't fit the project she will work on at the internship. I realize I just failed completely at what should have been the easiest reference encounter even, in my own home, with someone I know.
I guess I can always be a researcher, reduce contact with real people to a minimum.
First, and positive experience: The librarian I work with mentioned my tech-savvy skills to another professor. The professor has a links-only web page hosted by the library for students to use. The professor wanted to allow students to add links to pages and resources they find on their own, to share with other classmates. The librarian said to the professor, it would be a bit of a hassle to have every student email the systems lib to add a link every time they see something interesting, but my intern was talking to me about a new kind of web site called a wiki that maybe you could use. The librarian told me about it, and asked me to email the professor, explain this thing called wiki, and give him some advice and maybe work with him to create one for the class. Its kinda nice to hear someone was bragging on your skillz.
But, of course, the let-down: After sending the most insightful, helpful, easy-to-understand, kind, generously-volunteering-to-assist, optimistic email about what a wiki is and how easy it would be to use, and how to set one up, and where to do it.....I get no response. I guess, when it comes down to it, I lost this professor when I said "You" go to this site..., instead of "yeah, sure, Ill set up this wiki that I don't even know if you will pay any attention to, can I also wash your car in 15 degree temperatures? Wouldn't want that rock salt to harm your paint job."
The next day, feeling good: My wife's professor (she is a student at the university I intern at) said in class that I would be a great person to talk to in the library for help with the coming project. Again, a faculty member bragging on my abilities, this time to her students (and even with my wife in the room, extra points for me if my wife thinks I'm smart!).
That evening, quit now, you cant handle the library: So my wife takes her professor's advice and asks for my help at home. She has a research/intervention proposal for her internship due in the morning and needs more for her literature review. I spend the next two hours trying to understand what it is that the professor wants, telling my wife that this professor has no idea how a research proposal works, saying that the assignment she gave uses terms in the wrong way and therefore my wife should not do it. Eventually, after 2 hours, and no new articles for the literature review, we go to bed. She is irritated that the assignment is too rigid in its requirements and doesn't fit the project she will work on at the internship. I realize I just failed completely at what should have been the easiest reference encounter even, in my own home, with someone I know.
I guess I can always be a researcher, reduce contact with real people to a minimum.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)