Tech Speak: There Is A Limit To How Much We Share

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1990582,00.html

Contrary to what Mark Zuckerberg thinks, there is a limit to how much we share on Facebook. His idea of "sharing is default" is flawed. Yet the privacy issue is getting to many of us. The main reason is that many are lazy to find out and change the privacy settings. Admit it, Facebook has gotten too big. It's too integrated into many of our lives for us to quit it. Facebook isn't about to change their direction so it's up to us to do the necessary settings change. Look at the bright side, they did give us a choice. Not that we can be sure that they actually keep to their words (hey, no one can sure with Microsoft and Google etc either).


So for goodness sake, unless you want the whole world to know, do something about your settings.

Ramblings: I Like You List

Frankly, I didn't know that Facebook has a very in depth privacy setting option until about early this year. Even after I knew, I couldn't be bothered as it was very troublesome. You can tweak such that every single person can be customised to see what you want to them see.

Last month, I finally decided to do something about my settings after some arsehole stalked my account like a book. The general settings are allowing different preset group of people to see different sets of items on your account. The preset groups are Only Friends, Friends Of Friends, Everyone and Customise. For Customise you can just choose a few people from your friends list, or you can use a list you have already set up. For example, I have a list of all the people from my platoon, from the Student Leader's Board etc.

First I set from default settings of Everyone for everything to Friends of Friends. After a while, I thought it's not good enough so I changed it to Only Friends. Last week, I created a list called "Closer Friends" which only excluded a minority of people so that a few people I have on Facebook yet I don't really know them won't see my wall. Now I've had it. So I'm going to create 2 new lists. One is "I Like You List" and another is "I Don't Hate You List". The I-Like-You-List is done. It's as below.

You qualify to be in my I-Like-You-List if:

1) I look at your photo and I don't say "who's that?"
2) I look at your photo and I don't say "how did we know each other?"
3) You see my Wall, you put in constructive and/or funny comments.
4) You are already in my Close-Friends list.
5) I don't have the urge to beat you up when I see you.
6) I've known you for years and you still remember my name.
7) You ask me to go for your 21st birthday party and I say "yes" without hesitation.
8) You havn't irritated me so much before until I squirm at the sound of your name.

How this list works.
Some people fulfill certain criteria yet not others. For eg. Some people say very constructive comments but I can't remember how I know that person, or I will hesitate to go for his/her birthday party. For this case, he/she will still be in my list. Such situations will be on a case to case basis.

You qualify to be in my I-Don't-Hate-You-List if:

1) I don't hate you.
2) I don't feel like slapping you (whether I was reminded of you or not).


This blog post sounds so self centred. I don't have many friends. And I guess I ought feel grateful if people don't dislike me. But oh well, many things on Facebook shouldn't be shown to half the world. It has to be done. I suggest you do it soon too.

Tech Speak: Social Networks Comparison

http://lifehacker.com/5472223/which-social-network-is-right-for-you

I read this article with interest. It showed me a few things which I didn't know about these 3 social networking websites which I used frequently. I daresay Lifehacker got their facts quite right. The image below, courtesy of Lifehacker, shows how the services fare in each category such as privacy issues and usability.

For me, Facebook is used to connect to my entire social network. This includes primary school friends whom I can't even remember how they look like (thank goodness for Facebook), secondary school friends whom I am the closest with and my other friends from Junior College and work place. As long as I see one's name and don't ask "do I know you enough?" or say "I think you pissed me off before" AND the invitation to be a "friend" was initiated by the other party, I will agree to add this "friend". FYI I very rarely invite other people

Brain Storm: Facebook For Nuts

I refer to the article on Straits Times 13/02/2010 - Racist Facebook Postings.

Now now, there we have it again. Some shit faced brats posted some racist stuff on the net. And by golly, of all places, it has to be Facebook. 2 polytechnic students and 1 youth created this group which used a derogatory term referring to Indians as its name. The kiddos were arrested but let off with a caution. There are 2 issues in this saga.

Facebook is a all powerful entity. Even though other social networking websites like Myspace and Twitter (does Friendster and hi5 even still exist?) has influences on different countries, but Facebook is one that has integrated into most communities. Everyone knows that by now. I mean, who doesn't have a proper Facebook account nowadays. (Okay maybe except you, stop looking at your crouch, I'm talking to you. Shame on you.) That said, most people still do not understand the meaning of being part of a extremely influential and far reaching online social networking service. It simply means that there's too many ways of affecting a person, whether you want it or not, and whether you do it upon yourself or others do it upon you. Say, a person wants to reveal that you were double dating (naughty naughty, but its your personal life, i mean it used to be your personal life), all that person has to do is snap a photo and post it on Facebook. Heck, he can just type some comments, that ought to do some damage. Nothing's personal anymore. The photos you posted of you drunk when you went to club yesterday will be seen by many, even those whom you didn't