Facebook Too Big?

[Dragonfly Whisperer]

No Facebook for me. People tell me all the time I should be, but I have no desire or time. I am busy enough as it is. I use my internet time for research and educational things. Also I don't need my privacy invaded. I do not trust these sites, nor do I put any personal/financial info on my computer.

 

[Pan]

I don't trust Facebook either.

"Dragonfly Whisperer". Good name. I'm a moth whisperer.

 

[bobpbx]

Well, I never did dip in. Things change quickly, no?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57563002-71/for-teens-facebook-is-old/

 

[Boyd]

I still don't use it. And I was suprised to learn that my kids (New Yorkers in their early 30's) don't regularly use it either.

 

[Teegate]

My kids don't either. My youngest looks it over and finds people to show me though. She is quite good at that.

Guy

 

[46er]

My kids tried it, then got rid of it. It is my opinion that at some point in the future Facebook will implode. Many fans will be lost, wandering the streets at night clutching their keyboard. Some may even resort to self mutilation, others to rioting. It won't be pretty.

I still have not tried it and still have no reason to.

 

[Ben Ruset]

I probably reach more people on the NJPineBarrens.com Facebook page than I do on the site itself. Facebook may eventually implode and go away (just like Myspace did) but I think the writing is sort of on the wall for standalone websites like this one.

 

[Boyd]

Speaking of "too big"... 240 billion photos online and 315 million new photos uploaded every day. They are running out of space.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/facebook-tossing-old-pics-cold-200948886.html

"Facebook has more than one billion users...so we are coming to this problem sooner than other people, but as more and more people have connected lives...finding ways to store data with greater efficiency is going to be important to everyone," said Michael Kirkland, a Facebook communications manager.

Basically, the new "cold storage" centers-which are still in construction-will be five times more energy efficient and will allow users to access old images anytime without noticing any difference. "There will be almost no user impact. I qualify that at saying that we are still in the process of developing this," Kirkland said. "The idea here is to find a way to store backups or older photos that don't see any activity and to back up in a way that is very energy efficient and won't impact users."

 

[46er]

Speaking of "too big"... 240 billion photos online and 315 million new photos uploaded every day. They are running out of space.

When I was working, one of my responsibilities was the companies data storage. One of the reasons I have very little hair left. I wish them luck. If I were a user of their stuff I would make certain I had good backups I recommend Cobian.

 

[bobpbx]

Here's a good article. One man's rant, or truth?

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/25/opinion/rushkoff-why-im-quitting-facebook/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

 

[Boyd]

I dunno, it's pretty much the same thing that I said at the beginning of this thread...

it really has nothing to do with friends telling each other about dinner. It's about companies that want to sell things to you and lots of dollars are at stake. The old cliche is still true... follow the money.

 

[Dragonfly Whisperer]

Well, I commented on this 1 year ago. Still don't have it. I did get a Twitter account as I want to do tweets for the nursery as well as a blog, but still no desire to do FB.

 

[GermanG]

While I still have no desire to maintain a personal page I have recently been struck by the impact these sites can have. The owner of PineyPower.com recently publicized several hikes and trips offered by the Ocean County Parks Department on her Facebook page, since social networking sites are currently blocked on county computers, for fairly obvious reasons. We received several calls for registration within hours of the initial posting, followed by many more as time went on, from people who learned about the programs from that source. Several programs that had less than the minimum number of participants required to run ended up being filled to capacity.

Times are definitely changing fast, but as someone who still pours black powder down the muzzle of his deer rifle and prefers to use antique wooden moulding planes over a router when building furniture, I'm somewhat bewildered by the quickly changing technology. It isn't that I'm incapable of learning my way through it, but rather just don't have the drive to do so. Luckily, younger and more techno-savy replacements are in the wings, as my retirement light is visible at the end of the tunnel. Then it will be goodbye desk, hello pines!

 

[manumuskin]

I have given up trying to keep up with technology.Thats what I have grandkids for."Git over here Sonny and fix this contraption"

 

[Boyd]

Well, so much for Apple's Safari being the most secure browser. Google and other major companies have found a way to circumvent your privacy settings. http://www.businessinsider.com/google-tracking-apple-users-2012-2

Two years later, Google has settled complaints about this issue for $17 million. That's barely even pocket change for Google of course.

http://www.macrumors.com/2013/11/18...-states-in-safari-privacy-circumvention-case/
_____________________

Google to Pay $17 Million Settlement to States in Safari Privacy Circumvention Case

Monday November 18, 2013 4:27 pm PST by Jordan Golson

Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia have agreed to a $17 million settlement with Google over the company's circumvention of privacy settings in Safari, reports PCWorld. Google previously agreed to a $22.5 million settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to settle a similar case between the company and the federal government.

Google took advantage of a loophole in Safari's privacy settings designed to prevent placement of third-party cookies by default, using invisible web forms to trick Safari into thinking that users had interacted with Google's ads and thus allowing cookies to be placed on the device.

"Consumers should be able to know whether there are other eyes surfing the web with them," [New York Attorney General Eric] Schneiderman said in a statement. "By tracking millions of people without their knowledge, Google violated not only their privacy, but also their trust."

Google said it was pleased to reach the settlement. "We work hard to get privacy right at Google and have taken steps to remove the ad cookies, which collected no personal information, from Apple's browsers," a spokeswoman said by email.

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin were all involved in the settlement.

 

[bobpbx]

I'm moving closer to it boys. I'm enjoying the anonymity right now, but can see where seeing some old friends would spice up my life a tad. Should I go on, the disease is reversible, right?

I said I had an open mind about Facebook, and well, I've been on at least a year now, and I do really like it. I love that people who have had (or hid) historical photos in the closets forever are sharing them with the rest of the us. I really like the groups "Things that aren't there anymore--South Jersey Edition", and "Ocean County Memories--established 1850". I'm really digging seeing and commenting on the old photos. It seems people are saying to themselves "well, why not share, it's better than gathering dust".

Plus, my granddaughter is so cute and I get to see her photos all the time. So, here we are. I'm glad I jumped in.

C'mon, any of you other naysayers on this thread jump in yet?

 

[manumuskin]

Been on about eight years now.I hate it at times.Still can't figure out how some of it works.Like you i like the groups and the fact I have gotten in touch with folks i haven't seen since i was a kid.If anything will lock up my computer though it's facebook.The way they have all the videos starting as you scroll past them now gives my computer conniptions.I hear there is a way to stop the auto starting of gifs and movies but i can't figure out how to do it.Also i can't believe a lot of the crap folks put on there about their personal business.I"m ashamed to read some of it and wouldn't dream of putting crap like that out there.Like every thing else in life it has it up side and down side.Like cell phones in the woods.They can save your ass but who wants to hear the damn phone ring in the woods?

 

[Ben Ruset]

I said I had an open mind about Facebook, and well, I've been on at least a year now, and I do really like it. I love that people who have had (or hid) historical photos in the closets forever are sharing them with the rest of the us. I really like the groups "Things that aren't there anymore--South Jersey Edition", and "Ocean County Memories--established 1850". I'm really digging seeing and commenting on the old photos. It seems people are saying to themselves "well, why not share, it's better than gathering dust".

Plus, my granddaughter is so cute and I get to see her photos all the time. So, here we are. I'm glad I jumped in.

C'mon, any of you other naysayers on this thread jump in yet?

West Jersey History is another really good Facebook group that I enjoy. Peter Hamilton's West Jersey History site has a page named the same as well.

 

[this_is_nascar]

I enjoy it for certain things. Love the various support groups I belong to. I enjoy getting news and weather from the sources I choose to use. I have very few people that I actually have friended. I don't bother with them in person, so no need to really concern myself with them on FB.

 

[Boyd]

A friend from Europe got me to join about two years ago as a way to stay in touch. I don't spend much time there, usually just check in once a day before bedtime. I have caught up with some old friends and some former students from my days teaching at SUNY. I don't go looking for "friends", they have all found me. It's funny, my daughter and son in law (in their mid 30's) gave up on Facebook a number of years ago. But my daughter came back recently as a way to stay in touch with old childhood friends.

Generally speaking, I don't think Facebook is a positive thing. It's an advertising platform, plain and simple. I really dislike the way they prod you to keep checking in. Try going away for a day or two. You start getting aggressive "alerts" to entice you back and they get more and more ridiculous, like "did you see the picture that so-and-so posted" or "what's-her-name commented on somebody's update".

There have been some interesting articles about facebook, basically they have tapped into our tendency for addiction. And I fiind it especially disturbing that so many people use facebook as their primary source for news.