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Facebook Opening Up For The Public

Posted by Zonk on Tue Sep 12, 2006 07:48 AM
from the getting-to-know-you-getting-to-know-all-about-you dept.
The Internet Privacy
Krishna Dagli writes to mention a BusinessWeek article about a move by Facebook to open up to the public. Up until now, in order to join Facebook you had to be an alumnus from certain High Schools, Colleges, or companies. Soon, individuals living in any one of 500 'geographic regions' can sign up. From the article: "People who joined Facebook because it was primarily a school-focused network may feel that it's losing a key distinction. As with the 'news feed' announcement, reception to this overhaul will come down to how well Facebook communicates. For the average student at New York University, for instance, little changes. The only people who can browse his profile before were other NYU students and that will stay the same. The change simply allows for 500 new groups to form that all operate independently on the Facebook platform. No one can browse all 9 million registered users."
Update: 09/12 16:29 GMT by Z : Fixed latin conjugation. Mrs. Tomlinson would be so proud.
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[+] Facebook Changes Provoke Uproar Among Users 426 comments
coastal984 writes, "Facebook, the college (and now, high school and professional) networking site, launched changes to their web site this morning, provoking a massive and immediate response, and not the one the company had hoped for. Hundreds of protest 'Groups' formed, the largest of which have over 10,000 members, and sites like this student portal sprang up to pour scorn on the recent changes. The biggest gripe is the new "News Feed" on every page that tracks recent changes, activities, and comments made by everyone the user is connected to, such as a change in a user's relationship status." These details were all public previously, but it was only through intentional browsing that they would be discovered. In the words of one user, "Stalking is supposed to be hard."
[+] Facebook Scrambles after Unexpected Privacy Fumble 196 comments
bart_scriv writes "Facebook is responding to the recent uproar among its users by deploying better privacy protections and control, as well as being more open about future changes. This could be a case study for other social networking sites on how to avoid or deal with similar problems in the future." From the article: "A week before launch, when asked if he was concerned about a privacy backlash, he appeared surprised, saying, 'No, these people share stuff already and they get something out of sharing.' They've shared all right. And Facebook is listening. On Sept. 7, the site is ratcheting up privacy protections--the result of around-the-clock coding. On their privacy settings page, people will be given greater control over what items will or won't be included in news feeds." Relatedly, an anonymous reader writes "A recent Reuters article mentions that Facebook user Igor Hiller, 17, a freshman at University of California, Santa Barbara is organizing a real-world demonstration next Monday at Facebook's downtown Palo Alto headquarters." Read below for Zuckerman's Open Letter to the community.
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Facebook Opening Up For The Public 50 Comments More /

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  • This is differnt? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Siberwulf (921893) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @07:49AM (#16087849)
    How is this different than MySpace now? other than the fact that now sexual predators know that a majority of the memebers are coeds?

    • Re:This is differnt? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by keyshawn632 (726102) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @08:30AM (#16088040) Journal
      Eh, besides the ability to make your profile really tacky by having a god-awful color scheme, flash, and a music stream; only noticible difference [between facebook and myspace] that I see is that you must 'friend' the other person in order to see their entire profile.

      However, If you're not their 'friend', their name still comes up in the search engine and you can still see their name, school, a profile picture/avatar, and who they have listed as their friends. Although the information coming up in the search engine seems like a bit much, you can configure it so that your information does not come up in the search engine.
      The caveat with that, though, is that no one outside of your school network can make a friend request to you. You would have to initiate all friend requests.

      As a college student and facebook user, Facebook jumped the shark a long time ago .
      (adding high school, companies onto there, the status updates...)

      I'm not looking forward to having random middle-aged men sending me friend requests on facebook (I got these even as a male on myspace, and the college ladies will have their inboxes filled... *shudders*)
      • I'm not looking forward to having random middle-aged men sending me friend requests on facebook (I got these even as a male on myspace, and the college ladies will have their inboxes filled... *shudders*)

        Good thing you added in that parentheseed part, you almost got added as a friend to a bunch of middle aged nerds' user pages!

    • Re:This is differnt? (Score:5, Funny)

      by Garse Janacek (554329) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @08:38AM (#16088069)
      Well, facebook generally doesn't make the backs of my eyeballs feel like they're on fire, the way the page design on myspace usually does...
      • Yeah, myspace pages can get pretty bad, although many of us have been using CSS techniques and div overlays to make the pages decent. And for me, being on myspace is more of a matter of convenience. I can send a bulletin out to friends all out once quickly (and vise-versa), and if I meet someone, I can tell them to send me a "myspace." Little commitment or risk, and a universal medium. Pls I don't have my cell phone number out there to the world.
      • There's quite a few states out there with age of consent still at 18 years old. Many of the freshmen I went to college with were 17 still.
        • If the kids in these backwards states are being taken advantage of, perhaps the fault is not with MySpace, but with the 'life lessons' being taught at home?

          Age of consent is 18? So you can drive a 3000lb flying hunt of steel...but you can't fuck? What kind of half-wits thought that one up?
          • I find differing ages for sex/marriage and for viewing/making pornography to be even more stupid. You're allowed to have sex with whoever you want at 16, with the exception of those in a position of power over you, and you're allowed to marry and so forth. But you're not allowed to buy porn. You're allowed to take part in sexual acts, but not to view them.

      • Re:This is differnt? (Score:5, Insightful)

        by dfghjk (711126) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @08:39AM (#16088081)
        Didn't know the victim had to be underage for someone to be a "sexual predator".

  • No more open than it was before (Score:4, Insightful)

    by finkployd (12902) * on Tuesday September 12 2006, @07:54AM (#16087869) Homepage
    People, if you have no caught on to this yet, a lot of employers have people at a lot of schools pulling facebook profiles for their HR dept. Some undergrad they pay, nephew of the CEO attending classes, a staff member, whatever. Your facebook profile WILL be seen outside of the fantasy restrictions you think facebook puts on it. They are under no obligation to honor those restrictions anyway, they could open up the whole thing tomorrow to the world and there is nothing you can do about it. The content you put on it is theirs, not yours, and they can license it to whomever they want or distribute it as they see fit. Read the ToS agreement.

    Finkployd

    • Re:No more open than it was before (Score:5, Insightful)

      by garcia (6573) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @08:19AM (#16087993) Homepage
      This goes for anything that you post publically including your blog, your gallery, your Slashdot posts, your old usenet posts, your random Dodgeball history, etc.

      Be aware of what you are posting out there and that it is likely that it will be archived *forever* in some way for others to look at.

      We're not all going to get off as scott free as Arnold, Bill, and George when we're looking for a job and someone has evidence of our past history in hand.
      • This goes for anything that you post publically including your blog, your gallery, your Slashdot posts, your old usenet posts, your random Dodgeball history, etc.

        True, but the thing about Facebook is the information is not public in the sense of viewable by all - so if it turns out that they then retain the right to publish the information to all, then that is something to be worried about. This isn't the same as Slashdot making your Slashdot posts public, because they're already public, and you know that w
        • True, but the thing about Facebook is the information is not public in the sense of viewable by all - so if it turns out that they then retain the right to publish the information to all, then that is something to be worried about.

          It's the Internet. Anyone and everyone can get the information that is out there regardless of the easily circumvented restrictions put in place by the website.
      • This goes for anything that you post publically including your blog, your gallery, your Slashdot posts, your old usenet posts, your random Dodgeball history, etc.
        At least you continue to own the copyright to these things.

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by Quaoar (614366)
        Funny story:

        We were looking for a room-mate to replace a roomie of mine who was moving out. We post an ad on Craigslist, this dude responds and comes over to meet us. Everything seems fine...the guy is nice, polite, seems like he would have no problem playing the rent...

        We tell the guy that we'll probably let you move in, but we have to talk to our other room-mate first to make sure he was cool with it (he wasn't home at the time). On a hunch, I type in the guy's name on Google...

        First hit turns up

        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by ericspinder (146776)

          So I guess the lesson is, the Internet can completely ruin your reputation, and close doors where you wouldn't expect it to.

          The second lesson is that names are not unique. If you didn't have corroborating evidence of his identity, such as SS number, age, previous addresses, it's just as likely that you held one man to account for another man's poor reputation.

          There are background checks available on the Internet which are fairly 'cheap' (well, a lot cheaper than 2 months of back rent), and I would highl

      • Re:No more open than it was before (Score:5, Insightful)

        by aussersterne (212916) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @12:05PM (#16089576) Homepage
        Ahhh, once again someone suggests that we should all hide our personhood behind the facade of "vanilla-flavored, grey-colored worker" in order to sustain a living. Well you don't live forever, folks. So if you make nothing to leave behind you now but the pinstripes on your suit, that's all that will remain of you once you're gone.

        I got on the subway this morning with just such a pack of yes-men. I couldn't tell them apart. Suits, hairdos, shiny little shoes, bland ties. They are all dead, unimportant, lost to history, no matter how big their bank accounts. They don't even matter to their friends or families beyond being "breadwinner." They could just as easily be any other hollow suit.

        No thanks. If you want me to be a hollow suit, I don't want to work for you. Take your money and go rape the third world somewhere.
    • Only a member or alumnus of the institution can see more than picture and name. Otherwise you have to be given permission by the person.

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by finkployd (12902)
        Riiiight. So please re-read my post.

        Employers can easily find an alumnus (thank you for using the correct plural btw), current student, or staff member, who for a fee (or just because they are friends) will print/save-to-pdf/cut-and-past/etc. job applicant's profiles. Do YOU trust every single person in your university with a university email address?

        Finkployd
    • So you're going to tell your employer about your alias finkployd?

      None need to know mine that I use here and other places, besides I've stumbled upon it being used by others.

      Tinfoil hat, check

      • Re:No more open than it was before (Score:4, Informative)

        by Jacer (574383) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @08:30AM (#16088038) Homepage
        It's true... I have a friend that finished school two years ago. His employer asked him to create a facebook account and check the profiles of a handful of applicants from my school. Scary prospect.
      • Do you have evidence?

        Not sure what you are requesting evidence about...

        That employers have people checking facebook accounts?

        A more relevent question is "what evidence can a random homestarrunner fan on the internet provide that a skeptic cannot easily dismiss?"

        You can believe me or not, my happiness does not depend on it. You might want to ask yourself this though: "how could someone possibly believe this is NOT happening?"

        Do I have evidence about Facebook's ToS? Yes: Facebook's ToS.

        Finkployd

  • "An alumni"? (Score:4, Funny)

    by Simon Garlick (104721) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @07:58AM (#16087893)
    Latin, motherf*cker, do you speak it?!

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by operagost (62405)
      Not only that, but you don't need to be an alumnus-- you can be an undergraduate. It was my impression that most of the Facebook users are undergrads.

  • No one? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by cerberusss (660701) <slashdotNO@SPAMvankuik.nl> on Tuesday September 12 2006, @08:02AM (#16087906) Homepage Journal
    No one can browse all 9 million registered users."
    No one, except the owning company.

  • We don't need another Myspace (Score:5, Insightful)

    by thoriphes (984506) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @08:05AM (#16087923)
    There are already sites like MySpace and Friendster in the scene, we don't need Facebook to become one of them. The beauty of Facebook was that it was somewhat of a closed community where people were on the same level, if you will. College is a society on its own and Facebook allows the sharing of a lot of commonalities and close-knit ties with people in your campus as well as others. If you open the floodgates for the public, you'll just bring in an onslaught of stalkers (the newsfeed only makes things worse). There's already been quite the resentment for allowing high-schoolers to sign up for Facebook, what now for the common public?

    • Re:We don't need another Myspace (Score:4, Interesting)

      by OakDragon (885217) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @08:27AM (#16088024) Journal
      The beauty of Facebook was that it was somewhat of a closed community where people were on the same level, if you will. College is a society on its own and Facebook allows the sharing of a lot of commonalities and close-knit ties with people in your campus as well as others.

      I think you hit the nail on the head here. (I know you're right; you agree with me!) This is the way I have observed college students using Facebook. (I haven't been a student for a few years, but I know some.) I think this might actually hurt Facebook in the long run. Call it over-reaching, feature creep or what have you. Companies often kill the golden-egged goose because they begin to want silver and ruby eggs, too.

  • Let me sum it up by saying... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Billosaur (927319) * <wgrotherNO@SPAMoptonline.net> on Tuesday September 12 2006, @08:07AM (#16087929) Journal

    ...whoop-dee-dooooo! If you find some use for it, great, but the fact is, I can build my own personal web site to do all the communicating with others I need, and I can control the content, and I don't have to worry about the vagueries of someone deciding to change the rules. Facebook, like MySpace, is overrated.

  • Coming soon: (Score:5, Funny)

    by shoptroll (544006) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @08:08AM (#16087933)
    I bet there's going to be a merger at some point. Coming soon: FaceSpace!
    • And then, a few merger-generations later, we'll find the weblog ecology split down the middle: FaceSpaceLiveXangaBlogFriender and .Mac.

  • Humor (Score:4, Interesting)

    by SirLestat (452396) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @08:11AM (#16087948)
    Look at what I found just this morning, what a coincidence: http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1707663 [collegehumor.com]. That is also why I try not put any personal information on the web.

  • Let the Stalking Begin (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Deinhard (644412) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @08:13AM (#16087956)
    I'm much removed from the social networking sites such as FaceBook (by time) and MySpace (by desire) but it seemed to me that the main advantage of FaceBook was that it was a relatively safe place for HS and College students to meet and interact.

    Now, with the addition of millions of potential users, it seems (as others have said) that the site should become MyFaceBook.

    Why can't site operators (even those that pay millions for established market share) realize that they can make a reasonable profit within niche markets? That was the entire purpose behind the original "Virtual Community" concept of the late 90s. People can belong to multiple niches and can receive targeted messages based on the site they are currently visiting.

    I could keep moaning and bitching, but it would just lead to a rant...
    • It still is a niche market, now with 500 more niches.
    • In all fairness, they are not really "opening it up" to the public. They are simply adding more (500 more) "niches" that hapen to be non-school related. As long as those niches are workplaces or similar (and not NAMBLA or similar), I think it will be fine.

      FaceBook is not allowing people to search or browse outside their shares, just providing their service to more people.

      Think of it this way, FaceBook was a shelf with many different containers. People could only search within their containers. FaceBook is n

  • Replace Facebook (Score:3, Interesting)

    by dorango (1001897) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @08:16AM (#16087972)
    A group of students decided to replace Facebook with a student built and operated site... If Facebook really has lost touch with its userbase, perhaps these guys can offer a decent alternative to MySpace/Facebook for students. http://digg.com/software/Outraged_Students_Replace _Facebook [digg.com] I signed up, it's a little low on features, but they've only had a week. I think it's something to keep an eye on. -Dorango
  • It's beyond me wy Facebook is doing something like this a a week after pissing of at least a ninth of its active membership. Last week browising all the outrage groups that sprung up, many people said that they felt the site lost its way when it let High School students join. While allowing outside access to Facebook is quite clearly the best buisness route to take, the question that comes up is whether or not it alienates its original niche? The immediate answer is no; college sutdents still will use Face

  • Biggest problem with facebook (Score:3, Informative)

    by falcon5768 (629591) <Falcon5768@NosPAm.comcast.net> on Tuesday September 12 2006, @08:25AM (#16088020) Journal
    was the fact it NEEDED my university email to allow me to join. My school doesnt allow allum to have free email addresses, only students. While its cheap to get it, I saw no need to have a 5th email address. But facebook refused to let me sign up as a allum without one, so I said fuck it. Maybe if they would understand that not all schools allow thier students to keep emails then maybe more people might sign up to it.
  • I'm a college student on Facebook (yes, I'm sure you can find the profile if you look, there's nothing bad on there). I know that I, and many of my facebook friends are in these geographic regions networks as well as college networks. I'm in the Washington, DC one, for example, so that means that now people who just live in DC can view my profile, not just college or high school students from DC. I don't think most college kids realize that.

  • Townies...!!! (Score:4, Funny)

    by DeusExMalex (776652) on Tuesday September 12 2006, @08:28AM (#16088030)
    Great. Now I get to be harrassed by townies on the Internet, too. Profile = private.

  • No one? (Score:2, Informative)

    by TheSeventh (824276)
    > No one can browse all 9 million registered users.

    Except of course, for the site owners, and the government. Thanks to GW and the DHS, the government has access to all of Myspace, facebook, friendster, etc. Because you know terrorists are big on facebook. They like to create groups like "Facebook is for infidels" and "I just started a jihad 5 minutes ago".

    Consider anything you put on there easily enough open to anybody. It's not difficult to create university email addresses, which is why places, f
  • I have no idea why Facebook and Myspace are so popular when an actually useful social networking site like dodgeball exists. No stupid comments, no stupid bulletins, just a website used to help meet up with your friends and get out of your house!
  • Around here (Stanford), Facebook is only used at all by the undergrad girls because they know it's only college students, and thus they don't feel total vulnerable posting private info. The guys only use it to stalk them. And both are just clueless kids really, but smart enough to avoid MySpace at least.

    Or at least that's the impression I get, I'm too old to "get" why posting private info is ever good, and the campus directory works fine for me, and IS private.

    So I'd say Facebook is now R.I.P. Women will le

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by tmjr3353 (925558)
      You can join regional networks once you're already a member, but you can not sign up through a regional network yet. The drop-down box still only lists: college, high school and work as candidates.

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