Facebook launched a redesign today, one that creeps out almost everyone I know.
Instead of simply filling out your profile and putting it up for all to see, facebook now gives you a feed on all your added friends – so you know not only when Kevin joined the “Mothafucking Snakes on a Plane” group or Rachel added pictures, but you also are now updated that Brett is now single or that Evan declined to go to “Steve’s Move In Party.”
I know that none of that information is particularly private, considering the community wide nature of Facebook, but the fact that there is a running RSS-type feed of all your Facebook activities is disconcerting – sure, Brett might now be single, but in changing his personal status on the website, Brett has now inadvertently notified his 500 “Friends” that Karen dumped his ass. It’s not cool.
Anyway, my big complaint isn’t that Facebook has this new system – it’s got its plusses – but the way they implemented it. They simply put everyone’s changes up, from roughly the beginning of August to the present before anyone had a choice, and the News feed posted all of that activity. They changed the privacy options to control what goes on the feed, however the system was implemented before A) anyone could enact the privacy options and B) anyone was actually aware of the privacy options. Everytime you accept a “poke,” an invitation, or change anything in your profile, the news feed picks it up.
That results in situations like this:
FriendofErrantRemark (1:13:26 AM): ahhh this is so weird
errantremark (1:13:56 AM): I don’t like it – you can’t really control what goes up there
FriendofErrantRemark (1:14:03 AM): that is so humiliating for her
errantremark (1:14:10 AM): like, if you get invited to something, you can’t quietly say no
errantremark (1:14:16 AM): really?
FriendofErrantRemark (1:14:24 AM): you cant even quietly break up
FriendofErrantRemark (1:14:28 AM): jesus christ
FriendofErrantRemark (1:14:45 AM): my friends paul and nancy split
errantremark (1:15:01 AM): yeah, I know
Here’s a pic, so you can see what I mean:
See what I mean? It’s not so much an invasion of privacy, just a bit creepy. Facebook should be about networking friends and keeping in touch – it’s greatest trick is that when people are out of school, they can still check in on what friends might be up to. It’s a phone book, not a bullhorn.
I’ve already deactivated my account – it’s a shame Facebook’s feed doesn’t show that on its updates, because I have a feeling it would be one of the most regular updates ever.
UPDATE: Here’s the canned response Facebook reps send to complaints:
From: Christina from Facebook <info@facebook.com>
Date: Sep 5, 2006 9:28 PM
Subject: [rt.facebook.com #730517] Facebook Suggestion
To: jgburton@buffalo.edu
Hey,
We understand that some people are unhappy or concerned about the recent changes to
Facebook. Your feedback is welcome and appreciated because our goal is to make a website
that is in line with our users’ expectations. As we consider future changes and modifications,
we will certainly keep everyone’s opinions in mind. We think, however, that once you become
familiar with the new layout and features, you will find these changes just as useful as past
improvements such as Photos, Groups, and the Wall.
We introduced News Feed and Mini-Feed because we wanted to make it easier than ever
before to see interesting, relevant pieces of information from the world around you. News
Feed automatically generates the most recent news stories about your friends so that you
have a resource available to guide your movement throughout the site. Mini-Feed allows you
to quickly and easily see the latest developments in the lives of people whose profiles you
choose to visit.
What is important to remember with all of these features is that we are not allowing anyone
to see anything that they wouldn’t normally be allowed to see. For example, if you join a
secret group, any friends that are not members will not receive a News Feed story about this
action. Similarly, when they look at your Mini-Feed, they will not be able to see a story about
you joining the group. The settings that are established on the My Privacy page and the
settings that apply to Photo albums, Notes, Groups, Events, etc. dictate the stories that are
displayed in News Feed and Mini-Feed. Although there is no option to completely turn off
Mini-Feed, all users have the option to hide individual stories. If you select the ‘X’ button to
the right of any of your own stories, that content will no longer be visible to anyone viewing
your Mini-Feed. Facebook prides itself in giving users complete control over the information
that they share with others. Let us know if you have any questions about the privacy settings
that we offer.
Thanks for using Facebook!
–
Christina
Customer Service Representative
Facebook
THANKS FOR BEING AN ARROGANT JERK XTINA.
