Facebook: Constantly Changing

http://web.archive.org/web/20051231142817/http://www.facebook.com/

A recent article in the New York Times brought something to my attention that never really occurred to me before; why does Facebook CONSTANTLY change? About a week ago in school I used an internet archive website and while I was on this website I thought it would be interesting to see all the different layouts my favorite social networking site has had since it was first introduced. The results were nothing like what I expected, there were at least 100 different links to click on that would show you an example of the homepage layout at the time. Whenever Facebook introduces a new feature, like what I blogged about earlier this week, people tend to notice it, either learn to like it or choose to hate it, and then after a while they just forget that it was ever new and it becomes compatible with everything else Facebook has to offer. Looking through the archives made me realize how much Facebook has changed itself, and the fact that the original Facebook layout brought back satisfying memories of 6th and 7th grade also made me question whether or not these changes are, in fact, constantly ameliorating the networking site.

Also, one of the most controversial changes Facebook has made recently is the alteration of their privacy settings. Click here to watch a video explaining.

A New Interest

While I was researching iPhones for my previous blog post, I developed a new interest in them, and gained a new appreciation for the technology they have been developed with. There are some really incredible applications one can download for as little as 99 cents.

In the NY Times' tech section I found a slideshow of some of the popular and modish applications that have recently been developed.

click here to see the slideshow

Also, the Apple iPhone Application website opened my eyes to the world of the iPhone,

I still love my Blackberry though.

The Battle

Blackberrys or iPhones? Possibly one of the most frequently asked questions since the two very different mobile phones were released. While Blackberrys are more practical with their QWERTY keyboards and easy access email, iPhones have some applications Blackberrys can only dream of. I personally adore my Blackberry, there is never a second when it's not in my hand (bad, i know), but after coming across a few very opinionated websites my views on iPhones and their applications are beginning to change.

This is an entire website dedicated to comparing Blackberrys and iPhones,

click here

And on the same topic, here are some very invigorating websites I found,

click here

and click here

and if you're still interested, click here.

Live Facebook

"Facebook just made one of the biggest changes to the site's user experience since the introduction of the News Feed three years ago. News Feed was the place in the very center of the site where all the activities of a user's friends were displayed in reverse chronological order. That feature is now called the Live Feed and the News Feed has become a filtered display of activity highlights instead. In September 2006 the News Feed was a radical idea; thousands of Facebook users revolted against the idea that all their friends would be shown every photo they uploaded, when their relationship status changed and other information as soon as it was available. Today we live in a different world. Almost everything is social and the new challenge is tackling information overload. That's what Facebook just did today and it's going to be very important for the future."


"The New Facebook News Feed and What It Means" By Marshall Kirkpatrick, Published: October 23, 2009


How is Facebook going to be able to handle all the live feed on their networking site? And will this change the way social networking affects everything? Now instead of just highlights people are shown every single thing you are doing, saying, uploading, and more. Can this new feature help or hurt? It will be interesting to see if this feature works for one of the largest social networking sites in the world.

Volunteering

Sunday October 18th was ASL Community Service Day. A few of my friends and I signed up to help clean up the banks of the River Thames and we were given boots, gloves and even bio-suits because it was such a dirty job. The organization that helped supply all of this was called Thames21.

I found their website very interesting and full of information. It allows people to donate online, which I think is a very important technological advancement charities have today. Also being able to provide information to anyone via their website is something that charities in the past could not do and I think this advantage will help society to become more aware of (and hopefully become involved with) all the charities that are out there.


Thames21 Website:


This is where our site was located

Green Living

Many people recycle, some are more consistent than others, those who are passionate about the environment would usually wonder if what they are doing is enough. Does simply separating paper from plastic justify? For many, yes, because recycling requires effort which (unfortunately) many are not willing to put in, but for those who are serious about recycling and protecting the environment, there are 10 easy steps one can follow that will ultimately help towards the process of complete "green living".

Top 10 Easy Green Living Tips

Author: laurachilds, Published: October 15, 2009 at 9:50 am

1. Change your grocery shopping purchases to include more locally grown, organic, and in-season foods. Avoid pre-packaged, pre-processed meals.

2. Green living means turning off or unplugging appliances while not in use and upgrading any older appliances in your home. This is also going to save you money, our new refrigerator paid for itself in the first 14 months.

3. Change to environmentally friendly compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs). Make this change slowly as some family members may have a sensitivity to these bulbs.

4. Ease up on water usage. Switch to a smaller toilet tank, insulate the tank or add closed lid containers full of water to the tank. Be aware of how often you turn the tap on when the water is just running down the drain (ie., brushing teeth, washing vegetables).

5. Almost every grocery store, warehouse and drug store now offer reusable bags for sale. Buy some, keep them in your car and use them every time you shop instead of the plastic or paper bags offered by the store.

6. Make the word 'disposable' a despicable word in your home. Shun any items that are one-time use only from here on in. Green living is garbage reduction.

7. Switch to natural cleaning products – they really have come a long way in the last five years – that are sold in concentrate form or offer less packaging.

8. Compost your vegetable scraps and grow a garden in your backyard or on your balcony. Compost bins are very affordable and efficient now. You can even compost in an apartment or condominium.

9. Walk, ride a bike, car pool, or use public transportation for your trips to work, evenings out, events or shopping. You'll save the environment and money, as well as reduce traveling stress and traffic jams.

10. Whenever you need a new item for your household, consider purchasing used. Many people are down-sizing, relocating, or selling gifts they received still in the box. Go to local auctions, surf eBay or Kijiji regularly, or scan yard sales when you're out on the weekends.



Although these are small steps and it seems like they would not make a difference to the earth, if every household contributed the impact would be incredible.

Privacy on Facebook

Every day, without even realizing people are sharing countless amounts of private information via their Facebook profiles, and even with the advising words of President Obama to school children about internet cautiousness, people are still contributing to the overexposing networking world. It is also true that companies and employers are using networking sites to vet potential employees prior to hiring them. Good or bad? Well, on one hand it definitely makes you think twice about what you're uploading, however, for those who are less aware of what is on their profiles already, it could cost them a job opportunity, in addition to a reputation.

What is unknown to most Facebook users (with exception, of course, of almost every ASL high school senior, who have put themselves on the highest levels of privacy settings Facebook has to offer in order to prevent chosen colleges from finding the photos of last nights party), is that Facebook does in fact offer privacy settings that can make you literally undiscoverable. The most prevalent problem with these privacy settings is simply that people don't know how to turn them on. To help those less technologically-advanced people out there, the New York Times reporter, Sarah Perez has posted a list of how to keep yourself more anonymous and safer whilst networking.

5 Easy Steps to Stay Safe (and Private!) on Facebook

By Sarah Perez of ReadWriteWeb

Published: September 16, 2009

Step 1: Make Friend Lists

Yes, it will take some time, especially if you're connected to a couple hundred friends already. But this step, while not the quickest, is fairly simple. And it will be one of the most useful things you can do on Facebook.

Friend lists, like they sound, are lists for categorizing your friends into various groups. The nice thing about this feature is that once you set these lists up, you won't have to do it again. We suggest that you put your work colleagues and professional acquaintances into a friend list designated "work," personal friends you're not very close with into a list called "Acquaintances," and people you're related to into a list called "Family." Those three main categories will separate out the groups of "friends" who you may want to hide some information from.

To create a friend list, click on "Friends" at the top of the Facebook homepage. In the left-hand column, click "Friends" again under the "Lists" section. Now you'll see a button at the top that says "Create New List". Click it. In the pop-up that appears, you can name your list and pick members. If you've ever shared an application with your friends, the process of doing this will be very familiar.

When you've finished making lists, you'll be able to use them when selecting who can see what (or who can't!) when configuring the security settings described below.

Step 2: Who Can See What on Your Profile

At the top right of Facebook, there's a menu that many people probably ignore: "Settings." But this menu is now going to become your best friend. To get started, hover you mouse over the Settings menu and click "Privacy Settings" from the list that appears. On the next page, click "Profile." This takes you to a page where you can configure who gets to see certain information on your profile.

Before making changes, think carefully about the sorts of things you want public and the things you want private. Should "everyone" get to see photos you're tagged in? Or would you like to limit this only to those you've specifically chosen as Facebook friends?

Underneath each section on this page (basic info, personal info, status, etc.), you can designate who gets to see that particular bit of information. For anyone not using custom lists (see step 1), the best thing to enter here is "Only Friends." Anything else opens up your profile information to people you may or may not know. For example, choosing "Everyone" makes that info public, "Friends of Friends" lets your friends' friends see it, "My Networks and Friends" opens up your info to anyone in your networks - that means anyone in your city, your high school, your college, a professional organization you listed, etc.

You can also block certain groups from seeing these sections, too. On any item that offers an "Edit Custom Settings" option, you can click that link to display a pop-up box where you can choose people or lists to block (see where it says "Except these people"). If you haven't made custom lists as explained in step 1 above, you can enter individual names here instead. (Sorry, mom, dad, boss - this is where you get blocked.)

Step 3: Who Can See Your Address and Phone Number

Did you list your address and phone number on Facebook? While that's a handy feature, you may not want everyone you friended to have this information. To access this configuration page, you follow the same steps as above in step 2 to display the Profile Privacy page. You'll notice that the page has two tabs at the top - click on the one that reads "Contact information."

As previously described above, you can again use the drop-down lists provided to designate who gets to see what and/or block certain people or lists from viewing this information. The sections on this page include "IM Screen Name," "Mobile Phone," "Other Phone," "Current Address," "Website," and your email.

Step 4: Change Who Can Find You on Facebook via Search

Sick of getting friend requests from old high school pals? While for some the beauty of Facebook is that it lets you reconnect with everyone you ever knew throughout your life, others find this intrusive and annoying. You're not friends with any of these people anymore for a reason, right?

As it turns out, you can still enjoy Facebook without some folks ever knowing or finding you thanks to the search privacy settings.

Click on the "Settings" menu on Facebook's homepage and then click "Search" on the following page. You'll be taken to a Search Privacy page where you can specify who gets tofind you on Facebook. Want to be wide open? Change the "Search Visibility" drop-down box to "Everyone." Want to keep it a little more limited? Select "My Networks and Friends," "Friends of Friends," or "My Networks and Friends of Friends" instead. Don't want anyone finding you on Facebook? Change it to "Only Friends." That means only the people who you've already friended can find you in a Facebook search.

On this page, you can also configure what information displays when your info is returned as a search result (e.g. your profile picture, your friend list, etc.). In addition, you can check and uncheck the boxes for network-based searches too. For example, if you don't want anyone from high school to find you, uncheck the box next to "people in high school networks."

Step 5: Stop Sharing Personal Info with Unknown Applications

Remember when we told you about what Facebook quizzes know about you? Using Facebook's default settings, you're unknowingly sharing a plethora of personal information (and your friends' info too!) with various Facebook applications and the developers who created them. The problem is so bad that the ACLU recently created their own Facebook Quiz to demonstrate how much information an app has access to.

It's time to take back control! From the Facebook homepage, hover your mouse over the "Settings" menu and choose "Privacy Settings" from the drop-down list. On the next page, click "Applications" then click the tab that reads "Settings" which is next to the "Overview" tab. (Oh, and if you want to really be freaked out, read that overview!)

On this page, you can check and uncheck boxes next to your personal information (picture, education history, wall, religious views, etc.). This controls what applicationsyour friends are using can see about you. Yes, your friends' apps can see your personal info if you don't make this change! Believe it or not, you don't have the same control over your own apps. The best you can do is head over to the Applications page and delete the apps you're not using anymore. (Use the "X" to remove them.) You see, once you authorize an application, you're telling it that it's OK to access any information associated with your account that it requires to work. While some developers may only pull what's actually required, many others just pull in everything they can. Scary, isn't it?

Conclusion

While this is by no means a comprehensive guide to Facebook security and privacy, these five steps can help you get started in creating a safer, more secure, and more private environment on the social network.

However, if you choose not to take any precautions, then you'll only have yourself to blame when an errant wall post or naughty photo makes its way online and straight into Grandma's News Feed, or worse, your boss's. These days, it's better be safe than sorry, so go ahead and delve into those settings!