Yes, really. You should now see Share buttons at the end of each post here. This might be a Draft Blogger feature only for now. I got a pop-up announcing it when I logged into Draft Blogger today. At this rate, I doubt there's a blog feature out there that Blogger hasn't added, at least in its draft platform. The enhancements they've added this year have made me very happy.
~~~o0o~~~
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Facebook Food for Thought
Two interesting statistical developments regarding Facebook caught my attention. First, though it's been well publicized that Facebook has been growing its user base by leaps and bounds, the fastest growing demographic on FB is the 55 and older crowd, which includes me (I think I missed that cutoff when I joined). The second item of interest is that despite its popularity, FB is now one of the most reviled entities, joining cable companies, airlines, and the IRS. These two items led me to wonder what FB thinks its doing with all the privacy gaffes of recent months.
Granted, a lot of the things people on FB complain about are more rumor than fact, or a few facts twisted into something else, something ominous that suggests FB is out to steal your identity or at least make it easy for others to do so. One such example is the phone number panic of 2010, which has been all over my friends feed. People have discovered that *gasp* their phone numbers have been made public! Of course, mine wasn't because it isn't on FB. Nor were those of my friends who chose to make theirs friends only or private. Yet I have one friend who insisted FB added her number from somewhere (perhaps an online database) because she never gave it to them. She's since suggested it got there via an autofill feature of her browser when she registered and she never noticed. At least, I think that's the gist of what she said. And that can hardly be the fault of FB.
Where FB is at fault is in assuming everyone views privacy and social media the way they at the helm do, mainly Mark Zuckerberg and his team. They feel, understandably so, that the more info that's public, the greater the user experience. FB, like most if not all social media, is built around sharing info, from interests to likes, from background to the workplace. It's the foundation of finding people you know or once knew and how you can meet people you don't know who share your interests.
But they made things opt out rather than opt in. They do a poor job of publicizing changes and then in their explanations, somehow confusing things even more. And even though they've done better recently, they still have to contend with the folks out there who love to stir things up. There's also the whole viral aspect of how word is spread online. The panicked do a much better job passing on their fears and the rumors than FB does in getting the truth out. And because there's a hint of truth in those rumors, the rumors take on a life of their own that the explanations never can fully dispel.
One thing FB needs to understand is that their demographic is no longer concentrated on the 20-somethings, teens, and even 30-somethings who treat privacy as just another commodity. They're comfortable with giving up some of it to get something else. But older folks, we boomers and our elders and even that generation who came just after us (the 40-somethings), aren't so quick to go that route. Too many older people don't understand this brave new world they've entered (either by jumping in, tentatively sticking a toe in, or getting pushed by a child or grandchild) and they want assurances they and their information are being treated with the proper respect and so far, FB is doing a poor job of that. It's hard being or trying to be all things to all people when the needs of each group vary widely. But that's what FB is dealing with, a user base from children (under parental supervision) through adulthood to the older citizens of the world.
The sooner FB realizes and appreciates the changes to its user base and the needs of its older demographic group, the better for FB and for we older folk who have discovered so much to love about the service. It's so easy to reconnect with people we've lost touch with. And it's free.
Maybe that's the crux of the matter. You get what you pay for. And when it comes to playing online, caution is key. And making sure your settings and posts are what you feel comfortable with putting on the internet for anyone to see, because even if private, glitches happen. I remind people regularly to check their settings, but I shouldn't have to. And I wouldn't, if FB would do a better job of it.
~~~o0o~~~
Granted, a lot of the things people on FB complain about are more rumor than fact, or a few facts twisted into something else, something ominous that suggests FB is out to steal your identity or at least make it easy for others to do so. One such example is the phone number panic of 2010, which has been all over my friends feed. People have discovered that *gasp* their phone numbers have been made public! Of course, mine wasn't because it isn't on FB. Nor were those of my friends who chose to make theirs friends only or private. Yet I have one friend who insisted FB added her number from somewhere (perhaps an online database) because she never gave it to them. She's since suggested it got there via an autofill feature of her browser when she registered and she never noticed. At least, I think that's the gist of what she said. And that can hardly be the fault of FB.
Where FB is at fault is in assuming everyone views privacy and social media the way they at the helm do, mainly Mark Zuckerberg and his team. They feel, understandably so, that the more info that's public, the greater the user experience. FB, like most if not all social media, is built around sharing info, from interests to likes, from background to the workplace. It's the foundation of finding people you know or once knew and how you can meet people you don't know who share your interests.
But they made things opt out rather than opt in. They do a poor job of publicizing changes and then in their explanations, somehow confusing things even more. And even though they've done better recently, they still have to contend with the folks out there who love to stir things up. There's also the whole viral aspect of how word is spread online. The panicked do a much better job passing on their fears and the rumors than FB does in getting the truth out. And because there's a hint of truth in those rumors, the rumors take on a life of their own that the explanations never can fully dispel.
One thing FB needs to understand is that their demographic is no longer concentrated on the 20-somethings, teens, and even 30-somethings who treat privacy as just another commodity. They're comfortable with giving up some of it to get something else. But older folks, we boomers and our elders and even that generation who came just after us (the 40-somethings), aren't so quick to go that route. Too many older people don't understand this brave new world they've entered (either by jumping in, tentatively sticking a toe in, or getting pushed by a child or grandchild) and they want assurances they and their information are being treated with the proper respect and so far, FB is doing a poor job of that. It's hard being or trying to be all things to all people when the needs of each group vary widely. But that's what FB is dealing with, a user base from children (under parental supervision) through adulthood to the older citizens of the world.
The sooner FB realizes and appreciates the changes to its user base and the needs of its older demographic group, the better for FB and for we older folk who have discovered so much to love about the service. It's so easy to reconnect with people we've lost touch with. And it's free.
Maybe that's the crux of the matter. You get what you pay for. And when it comes to playing online, caution is key. And making sure your settings and posts are what you feel comfortable with putting on the internet for anyone to see, because even if private, glitches happen. I remind people regularly to check their settings, but I shouldn't have to. And I wouldn't, if FB would do a better job of it.
~~~o0o~~~
Friday, July 02, 2010
Stats
Blogger in Draft now comes with stats. I can see the new Stats tab now. Looks nice. I hardly look at my blog stats, anymore. Actually, I can't remember when I last checked, and that includes Google Analytics. This will be a lot easier.
~~~o0o~~~
~~~o0o~~~
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