I Can't Quit You - Facebook

You see, I use you, Facebook, as part of my job. I'm a journalist and Web producer, and as soon as this blog goes live, I'll be posting a link to it on my professional Facebook page as well as the personal page, not to mention Twitter and Google Buzz, etc., etc.

So unlike the hoards of people that are dropping off Facebook like flies off a hot windowsill (and here are 10 good reasons to do it), I'll still be on site, buzzing around, hoping I don't get burned.


But Facebook, I'm not afraid of you. I know that a lot of my personal information is already out there on the Internet. Just Google my name. And when I surf the Net, I see ads come up for items that I've recently explored on shopping sites. Like those refrigerators. (Listen, I'm buying it at a local scratch-n-dent store, okay? So quit showing me the LG Stainless Steel French Door refrigerator in the right margin. I've got it covered.)

And I'm also used to having to "opt out" of choices, as opposed to opting in. Just this morning, I bought a magazine subscription for my roommate as a birthday present and I was told in small print that by making the purchase, which was just a 1-year subscription, that I was agreeing to renew the subscription annually and authorizing them to charge my credit card indefinitely or until the end of time, whichever came first.

So I'm not shocked by your behavior. You're pushing the limits, and I suspect that in a couple of years, no one will care. Sure everyone is all up in arms today because it's new and people feel threatened. But you're betting on the future, aren't you Facebook? We'll all become complacent drones in a society where all of our demands are met by us just existing. Bring on the Soma.





Nonetheless, I'm taking precautions, Facebook. And it's not that difficult, despite some of what I've already read suggesting that I have to spend hours and hours digging through menu choices and [GASP!] clicking on links. WHEW! I'm out of breath just thinking about it.

But here's what I did.

1. I didn't download any apps. I don't play your damn Farmville or Mafia Wars games.  
2. I took Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, a writer at PC World, advice and went to my profile page where I edited down the basic information that shows up under my photo. 
3. Next, I went to Account > Privacy Settings > Personal Information and Posts and chose "Only Friends" or "Only Me" for the items. I clicked on photos and chose the same.
4. I made similar choices in Contact Information and Friends, Tags and Connections.
5. I noticed under Privacy Settings > Search that the most private choice in the pull down offerings was "Only Friends," for who can see my search results on Facebook. I'm unable to chose "Only Me." Why is that, Facebook? I think I know [dataCOUGHmining].
6. And thanks to this scary story from Dan Tinan, a writer at ITWorld, I paid special attention to the line item controlling what my friends can share about me.
7. Lastly, I followed Vaughan-Nichols' advice regarding your Instant Personalization Pilot Program and decided to not "Allow select partners to instantly personalize their features with my public information when I first arrive on their websites." You tried to stop me when I unchecked the box. Don't act like you didn't. I saw the pop-up box with it's warning, and my heart skipped a beat thinking that I might be missing out on something REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT. But I'm better that, Facebook. I'm stronger than you.

I know that these efforts might not be good enough. One day I may regret not walking away. But know this: I got my eye on you Facebook. I got my eye on you.