When does social networking not work -- when it opens its user base to spam and displays your preferences, private thoughts and maybe even your private locations to search engines, blogged by Joyce Schwarz, JCOM, www.joycecom.com, author & emerging entertainment analyst.
Look at these headlines about Facebook-- they are going to (or perhaps already do) let search engines crawl member names -- and perhaps even member profiles? I know that they have announced new advertising models in Wall Street Journal that will be attached to profiles...but this is outrageous. I suppose if I search deep down in Facebook -- they have the right to do whatever they want with what I post there...but putting my info as a member of their Social Network on a search engine to spam etc is simply not tolerable.
Recently I stopped using Twitter when I did a search for my name on Google and saw that my 'twittering' was being made public. It's one thing for me to tell my pals that I'm looking out at the Marina in Marina Del Rey -- it's another to see it blasted across the world c/o Google and other search engines.
SOCIAL NETWORKING IS NOT WORKING when it violates my privacy and my trust with the social network. So far I have not gotten any email from Facebook telling me I'm going to be open to search engines -- but soon it will probably just show up. That's why I tell all of my clients to check Google every week -- for listings of their name and their company's name...you can't be too careful. Of course it's almost impossible to delete a Google listing or other search engine...but I can certainly delete my Facebook account or drop my Twitter account-- which sounds pretty good right now.
Telegraph.co.uk -
The privacy of the social networking website is threatened. Chris Stevens explains how to avoid embarrassment The news that Facebook will be making its member list available to internet search engines is sure to send a shudder of fear through its users ...
Facebook changes raise privacy concerns
Facebook Profiles to Become Searchable
Comments