Sometimes I feel like the last person in the world who is not on some social networking site. Every now and then I get offers or invitations to join a social networking site. I think about it, kick it around in my head for a few days and decide I really do not care to share my whole life with the world.
I now remember that is not completely true. I did open and account on one site. They did not seem to be overly concerned with who I really was, so I made up some information for the site and created an account.
I kept it active for about six weeks, and then let it die a slow lingering death due to inactivity. I am sure by now it has passed into the great data collection point in the sky and made it into a non important database.
It is not that my life is anything more special than anyone else’s life, or I am a fugitive from justice trying to evade capture and incarceration. I prefer to have my life be my own as much as possible.
Sharing information or pictures about what I am doing or have been doing is a fun idea, but I find I can do it quite well using email, or a phone call. Both of them to me are a little more personable, than posting on a site and checking back to see who if anyone has visited and looked at what I put up there.
This week, the subject came up again, I had an invite from a long time friend to join him on facebook. This time I actually thought about it, and did a little checking on the net to see what I could find. I had heard all these wonderful stories about meeting old friends, catching up with schoolmates, etc.
I went to facebook’s site to check it out, that seemed the most logical. At first glance it looks like an official government site, conservative and blue. I was surprised that there were no sample accounts to see – unless I signed up for an account. If you are like most people, that did not slow you down. For me it sent up red flags of caution and fireworks of concern.
I decided to check out some facebook pages, and could not look at any. To even have the opportunity to look at a facebook page, I have to have a facebook account. Hmmm. I found that interesting. I did find these bits of information clicking on the policy link at the bottom of the web page:
- Consent to Collection and Processing in the United States. By using Facebook, you consent to having your personal data transferred to and processed in the United States.
and under statement of rights page, number 13. Amendments…
- “We can make changes for legal or administrative reasons upon notice without opportunity to comment.”
You also may want to read the second to last paragraph of the about page. The paragraph starts with:
- “Examples of the types of information”
Still on the fence about whether to join or not, I thought about facebook videos. It seemed logical that someone made a video of, on, or about facebook. I googled facebook, clicked on videos, and found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
It was not quite the pot of gold I expected though. Here are a few youtube links I watched. I have no idea whether they are accurate or not, nor do I know anything about them other than I watched them.
Facebook and other social networking sites may be wonderful, and I may be too cautious and overly concerned with my private information. It is one thing to know there is a lot of publicly available information on anyone. It is quite another to put so much information in one place.
In facebook’s, and other social networking sites defense, I imagine they are trying to provide a service, and make a few dollars along the way. Who can fault that? The policies they have in place are the most responsible policies reasonably possible, I am guessing.
You, of course will have to decide for yourself, as always, what is right for you and your use. My opinion on this matter is obvious, I choose no thankyou.
