Facebook is an interesting social networking site and I use it from time to time to keep up with what my “friends” are up to. I came across a couple of interesting articles that reflects some of the advantages and disadvantages about Facebook. The first article looks at how Facebook can be used as a medium for pressure groups to exert some influence. The second revisits the controversy surrounding Facebook’s cavalier attitute towards personal data.Internet law professor Michael Geist explains how the Fair Copyright for Canada Facebook group, was able to delay the introduction of a new law in Canada.
2007 has been Facebook’s year. The growth of social media, led by Facebook, has taken the world by storm.Since January, Facebook has added 250,000 new users each day with nearly 60 million people worldwide now using the site.The hyper-growth does not tell the whole story, however. While these issues have shone the spotlight on some of the challenges of social media, the lasting lesson of Facebook may come from a series of events that unfolded over the past two weeks in Canada.They demonstrate that Facebook is far more than just a cool way to catch up with old friends; rather, it is an incredibly effective and efficient tool that can be used to educate and galvanise grassroots advocacy, placing unprecedented power into the hands of individuals.n December 1st I launched the Fair Copyright for Canada Facebook group, with limited expectations. This seemed like a good way to educate the public about the Canadian government’s plans to introduce new copyright reform within a matter of days. I sent invitations to a hundred or so Facebook friends and seeded the group with links to a few relevant websites.What happened next was truly remarkable. Within hours the group started to grow, first 50 members, then 100, and then 1000. One week later there were 10,000 members. Two weeks later there were over 25,000 members with a new member joining the group every 30 seconds.The big numbers tell only part of the story. The group is home to over 500 wall posts, links to 150 articles of interest, over 50 discussion threads, dozens of photos and nine videos
Like a lot of folk I have been concerned recently about the way Facebook acquires and uses personal data. Especially the Beacon feature which allows Facebook to trace and broadcast where you had been shopping online. This created a real furore and eventually Facebook backtracked a little. If you use Facebook I would recommend you turn this feature off in your privacy settings.However it is not so simple as that as Andrew Brown, who got so annoyed with Facebook’s privacy policy, that he wanted to leave Facebook altogether. However as he points out in an article in the Guardian it is not that straight forward Facebook is like Hotel CaliforniaThe lyrics of the Eagles old song seem appropriate. You can checkout any time you like, But you can never leave!
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