Bone Eight: Facebook 1

"Blog your thoughts and observations regarding setting up your Facebook account, and ways you think you might use the service in the future. Also, please feel free to blog any feelings regarding the balance of privacy and transparency, the marketing potential of social connections, conspiracy theories about all the personal information Facebook collects, or anything else that may have popped into your head throughout this experience."

So much to talk about for this bone, and what a bone to pick. I agree with Veronica; I am a private person who knows how to email, so why do I want Facebook which invades my privacy (my opinion). Well, I want Facebook so I can learn something new and pass this program, but let's talk about how much information I plan to put out there: not much. In fact, my Facebook is completely made up with my dog's statics (birthday, interests, etc.), which takes care of that transparency issue and raises the issue of how Facebook accounts can cloak all kinds of things-good and bad. Funny that I called (using old technology called a phone) my friends who have Facebook accounts (and rarely use them) to let them know Denver Dog is asking to be their friend and to accept. They all think it's a great joke.

As far as social connections are concerned, it's like the article mentioned: MySpace is the territory of tweens and highschoolers, Facebook belongs to Twenty-somethings, and the rest of us remember what a phone, IM, and email is all about and use it. Personally, I understand that this is a social forum for people younger than me, but just wait until they have a mortgage, car payments, the joys of homeownership, pets, PTA, etc.--all those things that equal a life, not just finding yourself. Does Facebook have a place to keep you connected to family, friends, collegues--sure, but be sure you have a life beyond the computer.

I am sure that Facebook does collect personal data because when I first applied for the Facebook account, I supplied scant information and yet it found my yoga guru as a possible friend. How could it possibly identify her as I said nothing about yoga as an interest? When I added more stats, Facebook connected my dog to possible friends from highschool, TWU, and my guru's friends. That's just too weird and scary. Granted a person can reject your request to be a friend, but the idea that your name and info are just being passed around nilly-willy is not happiness to me.

"You can always go back and edit your profile information later." I doubt I will edit when this program is completed. I will probably delete---but then where does that information go?
LKO