Facebook has a method of making even the initiatives geared towards privacy awkward. I just realised that when you created a group and called it something, it emails folks you added to the group telling them exactly what you did. So, if I have a group of folks who I choose to classify as ‘Casual acquaintances’, they get an email saying “You have been added to ‘Casual acquaintances’ by ‘nourishncherish'”. Sometimes, casual acquaintances don’t have qualms but there are folks there who aren’t casual about slights such as these especially when you spoke so warmly to them every time those 3 times you met them in the last five years.
One automatically cannot have creative groups such as ‘I used to sock them at football’ or ‘Steer clear of’, not that people do, but they may wish to. And that is my point, you can’t tell people that you are adding them to a classification. You have the classifications and you use them, but don’t tell them.
I can’t imagine the number of issues this kind of thing can wreak in the lives of high schoolers for instance. Just imagine what happens when ‘Best friends’ and ‘Close friends’ compare notes at your party?
I don’t know if there already are, but it may just be a good idea to have some sociologists ponder over the technical designs before implementing them.
While we are busy discussing the privacy settings, Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg’s fan page was hacked into yesterday.
http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/01/25/5916863-mark-zuckerbergs-facebook-fan-page-hacked
I can’t imagine the security team’s pressure now!
Nourish-n-Cherish 
haha, this is news to me… Mark’s page getting hacked surely will leave all of us wondering, when his page can be hacked why cant ours? The things that every other company is vying for Social Networks with plunks of money this news certainly wont go well with the Sec team of Facebook.
Privacy and Facebook are always a controversy. I have stopped being addicted to social networks so that I can things a bit private. We all have to be part of it, for sure but not entirely on it.. I have seen people just doing nothing but facebooking as they call it.. you have nice blog.. good going.. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by Hemal. Hope you continue reading 🙂
Yes…part of the reason for its success is that it is so addictive.
🙂 have you read their explanation on their easy on privacy policy ? they want the world to be a more open place!:) Seriously thats what i read!
That would be a lovely policy to have in a utopian world where there are no negative thoughts, no crime and certainly no intent of mal-use. But alas! That isn’t how our society is. Privacy is important, and security even more so.
Sad!
The reason I found it funny is, obv. a modern evil corporate that is structured on feeding people’s curiousity about others(i mean apart from connecting when facebook was founded this is what they counted on) is talking about this philosophy.
Facebook is getting more and more “hack-neyed” eh?
🙂
Nailed it. You put it across in a hilarious way.
Thanks Victor.
you see FB and privacy aren’t friends exactly.They are casual acquaintances who say Hi! to each other only once in a while 😛
Well…facebook is about sharing more with your friends and all that. IT is just that I feel it should give the option to allow people to not share info if they please.
yeah but the option of opting out if you want privacy is a little scary. You never know what new policy FB might come up with.
Gah cannot say FB and privacy in the same sentence.
It difficult to maintain privacy in a social network lol.