Facebook confusion

2 Facebook terms proved to be woefully inadequate for me yesterday.

The first was "friend/unfriend." I noticed that a coworker unfriended me on Facebook. I have my guesses as to why and it's not a big deal to me. I don't think I've ever added a coworker on Facebook since I generally keep a more distinct line between my work and personal lives, but she had added me and I accepted the friend request.

But we aren't "unfriendly," so to speak. I've unfriended people who I'm not unfriendly with before too simply because we weren't close or I thought they posted too many rants, but when you put it in terms of "friend/unfriend," it makes it sound a lot more dramatic than it really is.

The second term was "like." Congresswoman Betty McCollum was in our office yesterday and our CEO posted a link to a Facebook picture of her with one of my colleagues. I was looking at it on my phone and went to "like" the picture but instead liked Betty McCollum's actual fan page. Suddenly my Facebook news feed said, "Joey White likes Betty McCollum."

I quickly unliked the page and wondered how many of my friends who saw that were scratching their heads. But what if I had actually wanted to follow Betty McCollum's Facebook page? What if she were my congresswoman and I didn't actually like her and wasn't friends with her but wanted to keep up to date with what's going on in her office?

Come on Facebook, help us out. I think more neutral terms like "connect" would make a lot more sense for what we're really doing with Facebook and it would make a few situations a lot less awkward.

Social media responses to Osama bin Laden's death

As soon as the White House announced last night that Obama would deliver a national security-related statement, speculation over the reason erupted. Presidential announcements just don't happen at 9:30 PM on a Sunday (or 10:30, for that matter, which is closer to when Obama eventually gave his statement).

Twitter let the cat out of the bag on the news first. Donald Rumsfeld's chief of staff tweeted,

So I'm told by a reputable person they have killed Osama Bin Laden.

That was tweeted at 9:24 PM and was retweeted by someone I follow at 9:28 PM.

Over the course of the next few hours, that news was confirmed in President Obama's address and reactions flooded Facebook and Twitter.

Here were some of the most noteworthy posts of the night from people I follow:

9:38

I would say 'Mission Accomplished' but it's been done and it isn't.

9:47

If anyone has a horribly embarrassing bit of news they'd like to bury, now would be an excellent time to disclose it.

9:48

I'm already bored with the Osama dead story. So 4 seconds ago!!! What do I gotta do to get a Charlie Sheen update!??

9:50

Osama Bin Laden is dead? I want to see the long-form death certificate.

9:56

Learned Osama Bin Laden is dead via Twitter at 9:34pm. Learned Osama Bin Laden is dead via NBC at 9:48pm. #twitterFTW

9:58

Take that Osama!

9:59

Does this mean less airport security ridiculousness?

10:01

Saddam, Usama, next.. [Posted to Facebook by Michele Bachmann's Chief of Staff]

10:02

[Waiting for Obama to make his statement] Obama is just busy printing up a "Mission Accomplished" sign.

10:07

[From comedian Jim Gaffigan]I In lieu of flowers Al Qaeda has asked that you buy tickets to one my shows http://tinyurl.com/6lnykv

10:08

Osama may you rest in hell...

10:10

I've never been so happy to hear that somebody has died. Woot woot!

10:13

Seriously? He was in Pakistan? Pakistan: How could you do us like that, bro?

10:20

Hey @BarackObama please start talking. CNN is embarrassing themselves.

10:22

Lara Logan: "You have to get Bin Laden to win, but getting him doesn't mean you've won." Great way to put it.

10:23

Anyone tweeting partisan bulls*** right now is totally missing the point. #usa

10:25

i'm honestly gonna go out and buy an american flag tshirt right now just so i can wear it to school tomorrow. USA USA USA

10:36

I'd celebrate our troops coming home from Afghanistan but Hussein's been dead for 4.5 years & they're still dying in Iraq. :(

10:41

Foursquare confirms that Bin Laden just checked-in @ Hell.

10:45

Nice job @BarackObama , CIA, and armed forces. Pakistan, I'd like to talk to u in my office.

10:49

Many soldiers on my flight. Passengers shaking their hands. Lone naval officer now getting praise as we learn seals carried out attack

10:50

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Fans at the Mets-Phillies game began chanting "U-S-A! U-S-A!" as the news of Osama bin Laden's death spread through Citizens Bank Park on Sunday night.

10:52

Rah rah US. Gratuitous flag waving. Three cheers for Obama. Now can we get the TSA to stop groping Americans? Kthx.

10:58

Hope US military team responsible 4 Osama bin Laden’s capture & death R identified. They deserved 2 B publicly celebrated.

10:59

Crazy to think it took 10 yrs. 1/3 of my life.

10:59

Gas prices will be back to $2.00 per gallon tomorrow right?

11:21

phillies fans break out into chants of USA, USA, USA...got chills!

11:25

May 1st, 2003: George Bush gives "Mission Accomplished speech aboard USS Abraham Lincoln

May 1st, 2011: Barack Obama actually accomplishes mission

11:29

"I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure." -Mark Twain.

11:48

God have mercy on his soul.

11:54

the four words OBL probably wasn't expecting to hear...I never knew you

12:06

In front of the white house a few thousand people are here, great friendly celebration!

12:19

[Same person from previous tweet in front of the White House] Crowd is chanting "obama obama you f***ing killed osama"

12:31

Wow! That's amazing. Someone tweeted raid. RT @henrim: This is unreal. @reallyvirtual live tweeted the Osama raid. http://bit.ly/irso4Z

7:50

Remember on Sept 12, 2001, when you saw people in some places abroad celebrating death? Exactly. Don't be like that.

9:05

He was a demagogue and mass-murderer. But rejoicing in or celebrating another person's violent death is f***ed. Let's quietly move on.

Many Christians seemed to find themselves wondering if they should celebrate or feel sadness for the loss of Osama bin Laden's soul.

I think Proverbs 11:10 may provide some direction on this:

When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.

Of course, others have noted Ezekiel 18:23:

"Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked," declares the Lord GOD, "rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?"

I didn't agree with everything that was said last night, but I enjoyed the summary of individual analyses that Twitter and Facebook provided.

I also thought the proverb, quoted by someone on Twitter, was a good reminder that celebration is part of this experience. Osama bin Laden was an evil man who destroyed the lives of many people. His death marks a victory in the war that is worth celebrating.

Social media tutorial

In case this social media thing doesn't make sense to you...


(via Tastefully Offensive)

How private are your Facebook photos?

UPDATE 2/11/11: It appears that Facebook has put at least one measure in place to help prevent issues. As you can see below, the image from Facebook no longer sources into this post. It appears they now prevent hotlinking of their images. However, you can still access private photos by clicking the direct link to the photo. That's something that they likely can't prevent.

I had an extensive discussion with a friend recently about posting pictures of our kids online. He won't do it, going so far as to require friends to remove any photos they have on Facebook or elsewhere that include his kids.

First, I'm not a paranoid person, so the privacy issues aren't a huge concern to me. I try not to make it easy for you track me down, but really, a Google search or two and you could be knocking on my front door. That goes for most people.

Second, I argued that even if you're paranoid, Facebook's privacy settings allow you to restrict who sees your photos.

I recently realized this second point really isn't entirely true.

Below is a photo I took with my phone and posted on Facebook. I took it on Saturday as my kids looked out the window at our big snowfall.



When most people send someone else a link to a Facebook photo, they simply copy the URL. For this photo, they would send this: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=606953874260&set=a.570112459750.2102325.184901250. However, you would be unable to view that photo unless you're friends with me. My Facebook privacy settings don't allow anyone but my friends to see my photos.

However, the photo above is sourcing directly from Facebook's servers. Here's the direct link to the photo: http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1168.snc4/151092_606953874260_184901250_34727626_5009187_n.jpg. That link probably isn't familiar since there's no "facebook.com" in the link. The only indication it comes from Facebook is "fb." You can view that photo just by clicking that link, regardless of whether or not you're friends with me on Facebook.

Now, only my friends can access the page in my Facebook photo album with this photo. They're the only ones who could right-click on the photo, click "Save as..." and save it on their computer. They're the only ones who could right-click on the page, click "View page source" and get the link to where the image is hosted on Facebook's servers.

Still, if you don't have to even have a Facebook account to view a photo posted on Facebook's servers, how easy might it be for someone to access other photos on those servers?

I'm still not paranoid and I won't quit posting photos to Facebook. I am reminded, however, that regardless of privacy settings, once anything is posted on Facebook I have to assume that anyone may see it.

Social media: do I have to follow you too?

Facebook, Twitter, and even blogs all have a common question: If you follow, friend, or link me, am I obliged to do the same in response?

Each social media platform is unique in how its participants interact with one another. While Facebook has the option of hiding or assigning limited profiles to friends, I have no problem ignoring someone I'm not really friends with. Twitter has the "follow" concept where you can follow without being followed back and vice versa, and my policy is to follow only those I actually read.

Blogs are a little more free-reign. If someone is reading my blog, am I obligated to read theirs? If someone has linked to my blog from theirs, am I obligated to link to their blog from mine?

As with Twitter, I only link to blogs I actually read. If I quit reading a blog, I remove it. I'm not a fan of everything I read on every blog I follow. I rarely agree with MN Democrat and there's an occasional quote at Overheard in Minneapolis that's saltier than I care for. But there's enough humor and insight for me to keep reading and if I ever quit, I'll remove them.

I've been de-friended, unfollowed, and had links to my blog removed. I can only think of one time that it's ever bothered me, and only because it was from someone who had been one of my biggest supporters and then dropped me without saying a word. But for the most part, it doesn't matter to me. What I say isn't really that interesting to a lot of people. The potential audience for a few paragraphs of who-knows-what each morning is pretty limited, especially when that content doesn't fall neatly into any single category.

I'll keep cranking out material in my typical WYSIWYG fashion - What You See Is What You Get. I'll try to improve at what warrants a Facebook status, tweet, or blog post and what doesn't. Obviously I hope that what I have to say is valuable enough to keep bringing you back. If it doesn't, I'm glad I could at least entertain, inform, humor, or perhaps frustrate you for a short time.

Thank you cards: email or snail mail?

I've sent and received many thank you cards, but I received one on Sunday like none I'd received before. Our friends threw a birthday party for their 1-year-old a few weeks ago and we attended. The kid had to have some bath toys!

The thank you card we received on Sunday didn't come in the mail. It wasn't given to us in person. It wasn't really even a card. It was a PowerPoint attachment sent via email.

I thought it was awesome. We've sent our Christmas letters over the last few years via email on Christmas Eve. If people want to read it they can read it in the body of the email or open the attached PDF if they want the photos included. We keep up with email addresses much better than snail mail addresses. Oh, and the best two parts: 1.) It's free and 2.) No trees (or recycled paper) are used.

It's great to see others willing to start using email to send what used to be sent via snail mail. You don't have to wonder if the intended recipient saw it or if their spouse got the mail and filed it away in the "to be read later" drawer. You can guarantee the date (and time) of delivery. You can easily interact with it. I frequently receive email responses to our Christmas letter.

I know there's probably still a cultural stigma that some have with email. I'm sure there are people who frown on our emailed Christmas letters. But the content of the message remains the same whether it's sent via email or snail mail.

So props to our friends for the emailed thank you. I certainly don't have a problem with snail mailed thank yous and I'm sure we'll continue to send them, but I love to see electronic communication accepted as an equivalent alternative to snail mail.

Social media and email will never replace the phone or in-person conversations, but they should be sufficient to replace many other written forms of communication.

A punctuation problem

The more communication moves to text-based formats - instant message, text message, email, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc. - the more people try to come up with creative ways to express their emotion. One of the most common - and often annoying - is the exclamation point.

Here's an example of what you may find in a text message response or Facebook response:

Thanks! Have an awesome day! I can't wait to see you!

Here's what the same response looks like without the exclamation points.

Thanks. Have an awesome day. I can't wait to see you.

This just lacks some of the pizazz that the exclamation points bring. The bland periods say, "I guess I sort of care."

So, we use exclamation points, and as our left pinkies wear out, we find that one exclamation point isn't enough, so we make it 3 or 5. If we find our a friend is expecting a baby, we throw 10 exclamation points in there.

What about moderation? What if that response said this:

Thanks. Have an awesome day. I can't wait to see you!

Would that really be such a bad thing? Can we live with just one exclamation point per paragraph - as a start?

Keeping up with photos and videos

I talked about a few social media platforms yesterday but I didn't touch on platforms for videos and photos. They're a little different from the 6 platforms I covered yesterday and I'm not a power user of the video and photo sites.

Here are the 4 platforms I've used for photos and videos and my brief thoughts on them.

Again, I'm not an avid user of any of these platforms so any additional feedback is welcome.

YouTube
Launched: 2005
I joined: 2010
Users: 43+ million
PROS: Easy video upload and sharing; best mobile video apps.
CONS: Copyright issues prevent most attempted uploads containing music; restriction on length of videos uploaded.
Summary: YouTube is the premier platform for sharing videos. It's used by more people than any other. It's simple. But if you've ever created a video with some sort of musical background, don't even think of trying to share it with friends on YouTube. I love YouTube as a user, but the only videos I upload there are simple unedited clips.

Veoh
Launched: 2006
I joined: 2009
Users: unknown
PROS: Easy video upload and sharing; no restrictions on length or music used in a video.
CONS: No major mobile apps; low usage; poor business direction (went through bankruptcy and sale earlier this year); virtually no access outside of U.S.; viewing a video on their site (as opposed to embedded on another site) reveals a messy page cluttered with ads and other videos.
Summary: I turned to Veoh after frustrations trying to upload a video slideshow I put together that was 23 minutes long and used a number of music clips. The combination of length and music rendered YouTube and Vimeo unusable. Veoh did exactly what I needed it to do. The site itself isn't pretty to look at, but it gets the job done.

Flickr
Launched: 2004
I joined: 2010
Users: 40+ million
PROS: Top photo-sharing site; simple to upload, share, and follow others' photos; more robust than Facebook for photo sharing.
CONS: Limits on monthly uploads may pose a problem for power users.
Summary: I really haven't used Flickr yet, so I don't have much to say from personal experience. I still haven't uploaded a single photo. However, I've used it as a viewer and have been impressed. I'm trying to decide between Picasa and Flickr, so if anyone has input as a user of either platform, let me know.

Picasa
Launched: 2004
I joined: 2010
Users: unknown
PROS: Google integration, including with Picasa desktop; unlimited monthly uploads; simple user interface.
CONS: Not as expansive a user base as Flickr.
Summary: I've used Picasa a little and it's been a simple platform to work with. Picasa's desktop version is actually pretty cool, with face recognition so you can find all photos with a given friend or family members grouped together in one album. Of course, the face recognition isn't perfect and takes a bit of time as you identify all of the faces in your photos, but for the most part, it works pretty well. Given Flickr's dominance in this arena I'm guessing it beats Picasa for features but I'd love to get feedback from those who've used either one on why they prefer one over the other.

Staying connected

I'm an avid user of what has been coined "social media." For those who disdain that term and its overuse, it really just identifies web-based platforms that allow users to easily and quickly share information.

I'm not looking to convert those who see no need for social media in their lives. It's not for everyone, particularly those who become easily addicted to the internet, information consumption, etc.

But for those who are curious what these social media platforms are all about, here's a list of platforms I use along with my thoughts on the value of each one and why I use it.

Each link below will allow you to jump directly to my summary of that platform.

1. Twitter
2. Google Reader
3. Facebook
4. Blogger
5. LinkedIn
6. GovLoop

I considered including video- and photo-sharing sites but they're a little different from the rest of the sites listed here so I'll table them for another post.

Oh, and each hyperlinked title below directs you to my profile on that site.

Twitter

Launched: 2006
I joined: 2009
Users: 100+ million
PROS: Quick, easy source of news, politics, sports, and other headlines; great platform for sharing and exchanging thoughts and information; character limit restrains big talkers, forces users to cut to the chase.
CONS: Big talkers sometimes just post multiple tweets; inconsistent use or overuse of Twitter features such as RT, reply, DM, hashtags, etc.; 140 characters isn't always enough; new users often get confused and don't stick with it (this includes anyone who has an account but had no idea what I meant by "RT," "DM," or hashtags).
Summary: I use Twitter daily. It's my source of news, sports, comedy, politics, religious thoughts, etc. I like to be able to scan headlines and click on links to stories I'm actually interested in reading and it's a whole lot faster and more efficient than watching the evening news. I've met a couple of people in the south metro through Twitter. As far as sharing updates with friends, it's sort of like Facebook status updates except it's not considered "stealing" and "unoriginal" to repost others' tweets (in fact, it's encouraged).

Google Reader

Launched: 2005
I joined: 2008
Users: unknown
PROS: Great RSS reader (for those who don't understand that, RSS means "Real Simple Syndication" and is a standard format used to publish information, with Google Reader being an RSS reader that allows you to read anything published to RSS - mostly blogs - in a sort of RSS inbox); simple to add and organize feeds; easy to share posts with other Google Reader users.
CONS: Clunky interface needs to be updated; not very useful for interacting with others.
Summary: I use Google Reader daily. I can't believe it took me until 2008 to start using it. It's so much more time-consuming to click through to each blog individually. Additionally, I like the feature in Google Reader where you can share posts you like with other Google Reader users. It's an easier way to share a post than actually reposting it on your own blog. Google Reader is like an inbox for any blog you read (or any other web content that's available through RSS, such as my city's press releases). New blog posts are "unread" and old ones are still visible but marked as read. I strongly recommend Google Reader to anyone who reads blogs or any other RSS content on even a semi-regular basis.

Facebook

Launched: 2004
I joined: 2005
Users: 500+ million
PROS: Great phone/email/address book; good platform for sharing and exchanging thoughts and information; good for sharing, captioning, and getting comments on photos; there's a "hide" feature for that relative whose updates you just don't care about but who really wants to see cute pictures of your kids.
CONS: Privacy is a persistent concern; settings are confusing and difficult to locate and change; too many "News Feed" changes in the wrong direction; FarmVille, Mafia Wars, etc.
Summary: I typically use Facebook daily. However, if Facebook didn't have the "hide" feature, I probably wouldn't use it (for a while, I actually didn't). When you have everyone from your high school cousins to your grandparents on a platform that offers photos, videos, status updates, messages, wall posts, games, groups, and more, the use of that platform will vary widely from one user to the next. I've hidden enough content on Facebook that I can get through an entire day's worth of updates in 5-10 minutes. Facebook is great for connecting with people you haven't seen in a while. My wife and I have met up with friends and relatives because either us or them was passing through the other's hometown and we never would have known it if it hadn't been for Facebook. Facebook is also great for connecting with people whose phone number or email address you wouldn't necessarily have. I recently connected with an aunt in California through Facebook when I was out there and wound up staying with her for a couple of nights. Facebook's photo sharing capabilities are adequate for sharing pictures of your newborn or your latest vacation, but not nearly as robust as actual photo services like Flickr. Facebook is NOT great if you're friends with people who have no filter on what they will post or people who have nothing better to do than play Mafia Wars all day. Again, the "hide" feature is essential in helping with this problem. In the end, Facebook is better than other platforms if for no other reason than it's the most widely-used social networking platform. I can only think of a few people who aren't on Facebook. I recently had someone in our church who I'd never met send me a message through Facebook to ask about our small group. If you want to say something or show a picture or share a link and you want the highest possible number of people to see it within your circle of friends, Facebook is the way to go.

Blogger

Launched: 1999
I joined: 2006
Users: unknown
PROS: Great way to communicate via a variety of channels, whether video, short thoughts, long essays, pictures, etc.; number one blog platform with many recent changes to keep it competitive with challengers like WordPress; smooth Google AdSense integration; very simple for novice bloggers with enough flexibility for the pros too; easy drag-and-drop templates.
CONS: Comments function is inadequate (I prefer Name/Email/Website format of WordPress to Username/Password format of Blogger); seems to fall behind WordPress in number of advanced users.
Summary: My use of Blogger has varied from daily to monthly, though it's typically at least once or twice a week. Blogs are sort of old school in the realm of social media, but that doesn't mean they're stale. No other internet communication method offers as much versatility. You can keep it short or write a novel, post photos or videos, build a community of commenters or shut down comments and just publish information. Blogger is a simple, easy tool for blogging, and that's really all most amateur bloggers are looking for. Those wanting more robust options often seem to switch to WordPress, but there's not much I've ever wanted to do that Blogger couldn't do for me. TIME recently named Blogger one of the five most overrated websites, saying that Tumblr is better for basic blogging and WordPress for more advanced users. I won't argue with the cool kids, but old habits die hard.

LinkedIn

Launched: 2003
I joined: 2008
Users: 75+ million
PROS: Focused on professionals; provides great summaries for candidates applying for a job; good way to maintain a connection to business partners without using Facebook, which is usually too personal for that.
CONS: Not very interactive; many users don't engage much once they've signed up; the interface could use a face lift.
Summary: I use LinkedIn monthly at most. If you aren't a white collar professional, you probably won't find much use for LinkedIn. If you are a white collar professional, you still may be hard-pressed to find much regular use for it. I use it as sort of a professional contacts list and to keep up on updates like job changes with those I know. I think it's professionally more helpful to at least have a profile in place than not as it provides a quick, easy online resume. TIME recently named it one of the 50 best websites in 2010, so that's saying something.

GovLoop

Launched: 2008
I joined: 2010
Users: 35,000+
PROS: Great network for government employees, contractors, etc.; simple, easy-to-use interface.
CONS: Those with no involvement in government will see little use in it; still growing a user base, though it's growing quickly.
Summary: I typically use GovLoop on a weekly basis. GovLoop is intended to get government employees, contractors, educators, and others together and collaborate to make government run better and be more efficient. Of course, if you're outside of government, you probably haven't heard of it. I work with government agencies so I'm engaged with GovLoop but I probably don't find the same kind of value that government workers do. Their weekly email updates are very helpful for keeping users engaged and there's a great community of users exchanging ideas and information.

No, I don't need your help

Stupid spam...

I thought I had a solid spam blocker on my email account. It's rare something gets through.

So why have two emails made it through in the last day with the same theme?

The subject of the first: "Joey, Find singles in your area looking for some fun"

First, I live in a town of 1104. If I was that desperate to find singles in my area, I'd take a walk through town. Better yet, I'd go to the cafe. Someone there could give me the name of every single woman in town for sure.

Second, I'm not interested in "mate1" helping me find someone. Thanks anyway.

I'm not real interested in whatever "Dream Mates" has either. Their subject: "Did you have any big plans this weekend?"

Actually, the weekend is already over with. Thanks for the suggestion though. Especially the following thought from them: "You have better things to do than reading this email. Like taking your DREAM date to dinner, or..." a whole lot of other things I probably wouldn't want to do as much as hiking through a state park....

What gives?

First, if I really wanted to find someone online, "Dream Mates" or "mate1" wouldn't be my first choices. Besides, they have this thing called Facebook. If you haven't heard of it, it's like MySpace. If you haven't heard of that, good.

Second, if my only friends are under lists such as "buddies," "friends," and other similer monikers, well, that's sad.

Third...ah, I don't need a third. Two is enough.

Now, time to fix my spam blocker....

Goodbye MySpace.com

Just think of all of those college kids who won't be able to keep up with their friends two doors down from them in the dorms. What are they going to do now?

They might actually have to walk 15 feet down the hall!!

Texas College Bans MySpace.com

(AP) Del Mar College students now have to use computers outside the school's system if they want to visit the popular Web site MySpace.com.

The community college has blocked the site in response to complaints about sluggish Internet speed on campus computers.

An investigation found that heavy traffic at MySpace.com was eating up too much bandwidth, said August Alfonso, the school's chief of information and technology. Forty percent of daily Internet traffic at the college involved the site, he said.

This kid has a good point.

"We pay for school and the resources that are used," said Zeke Santos, 20. "It's our choice, we're the ones paying for our classes. If we pass or fail, it's up to us."

However, those same kids who say, "I'm paying for it," often blame the school for their academic failure.

As for me, if you want to track me down, you won't be able to find me on MySpace. You'll have to go back to the stone age of email.