Quit Facebook Day

Most people thought of Monday May 31st as Memorial Day and nothing else. But it was also designated by some as “Quit Facebook Day.”

Lately, the widely popular social networking site has come under fire for its policies concerning privacy, that it’ discloses information about users without their consent, and that it makes efforts to block such disclosures very difficult. Comments earlier in the year by Facebook’s creator Mark Zuckerman that “some aspects of privacy are a thing of the past,” did not help matters. In the past, it changed it’s terms of service to appear that once a user shared content on it, it had total control over it. But when faced with a formal complaint with the US Federal Trade Commission, it backed down. But only months later it was once again getting accusations.

So it was probably inevitable that some people would respond by pulling the plug on Facebook. But two people, Joseph Dee and Matthew Milan, took it a step further by asking people to do so all at once on one single day, May 31.

“Sick of Facebook’s lack of respect for your data?” the site www.quitfacebookday.com/ asked viewers, “Add your name and commit to quit! Why are we quitting? For us it comes down to two things: fair choices and best intentions. In our view, Facebook doesn't do a good job in either department. Facebook gives you choices about how to manage your data, but they aren't fair choices, and while the onus is on the individual to manage these choices, Facebook makes it damn difficult for the average user to understand or manage this. We also don't think Facebook has much respect for you or your data, especially in the context of the future.”

It was brought up that for those quitting to preserve their privacy, it might already be too late. They would still have peoples’ information, and mine it. And there were those who thought the website was a waste of time to begin with , and people should get off privacy issues or no. Ironically enough, some “Quit Facebook” pages sprang up on the social networking site itself. The main one was tagged by several thousand users. A few pro-Facebook pages sprang up, but they were outnumbered and heavily outmanned.

Response to the call to quit was small. A poll taken on the day showed only about 11 percent of the users surveyed had even heard of “Quit Facebook Day,” and only two percent committed themselves to quitting. One user commented that he couldn't quit because his job depended on use of the site.

Despite it’s problems, Facebook was listed by Google as the world’s most popular site. But it still faces trouble. With the legal questions continuing to dog it, a survey made by an IT security firm suggested 60% of users polled had considered quitting.

Sources: PC Magazine, PC World, Facebook

Bixyl Shuftan

Linden Labs Purchases “Avatars Unite” Social Network Site “For MMOs”

On January 29, M Linden announced on the Second Life blog that Linden Lab had acquired “Avatars United.” They were now the owners of the “web-based community site designed especially for avatars” through buying the company that runs it, “Enemy Unknown” of Sweden, “We’re proud to announce that they are now part of Linden Lab.”

M Linden explains that “Our goal is to extend and support the great work done by so many on their SL-related blogs and Web sites, because they are a powerful network in themselves. We want to give you more tools, feeds, and connection points to build even more richness and depth into the experience of SL.” Buying up Avatars United, M Linden says, “will soon start to give Residents new and better ways to connect with each other and with the rest of the world.”

Of those with no connection to Second Life already on Avatars United, M Linden says they will continue to be supported, “we're committed to keeping this ideal of a place where avatars from multiple worlds and games can come together.” They also promise to respect the privacy of those “who keep a strict separation between SL and the rest of the Web.”

Taking a look at the website, one can put up pictures, install applications, or give gifts to others using Avatars United own virtual currency, as well as posting updates. There do seem to be a few minor bugs, such as the "Feed Reader" application not being able to work quite right.

It is noteable that M Linden’s blog post states that among Linden Lab’s future plans is “Optional registration and sign-in using credentials from other properties (Facebook, Yahoo!, etc.)” For those who have been asking for integrating Second Life with popular social networks, a welcome move. Looking at the comments to the blog post, one called it, “the first thing since Havok4 that I’ve seen done right.”

One question is how Avatars United will compete with other social networks that already have large numbers of Second Life residents, such as Flickr, MySpace, and SLprofiles. Time will tell how Linden Labs’ move into social networking turns out.

For the complete blog post and comments, Click Here.

This is just like RL (2)

(This is the second half of a piece comparing similarities between life in SL and in RL.)

Why do couples go down the drain in Second Life? Why? And sometimes, why so quickly? As strange as it may sound, my answer will be to tell you guys that there isn't that much difference between a relationship here than in real life.

I took a lot of time to examine my own partnership, the way I behave here, and the way other people do. It leads me to leave that although some users may "role play" - thus be exceptions - our human nature ends up showing around here.

Someone who cherishes individual independence will be extremely annoyed by someone who is needy or controlling. Two strong minds may clash after their "honeymoon" time. A guy's lack of tact when talking about other women can make his partner feek uncomfortable. The list of grievances can go on for long, but you get the point. Those are very human traits and the only difference between what we see here and our RL relationships is that there are computers and Internet access between us.

I think that the chief reason why many partnerships end up failing is stalemate. After some great times together, partners neglect each other. If they are involved in business, they spend all their time together working. If they don't meet often because of their separate activities, it isn't any better. Can you see the big picture there?

In short, just as it is in RL, not having "quality time" is what breaks the union. When couples meet, they go out, explore, dance, sit down, talk and have fun. They can do some work and spend time away from each other, but there is some form of balance. They want to enjoy themselves. Once routine breaks the pattern and makes quality time disappear, some cracks start showing up in the relationship.

This may leave you wondering if the whole thing is worth it. Just as RL partnerships are, yes. But this sometimes mean that you have to "work" on your couple if you want it to succeed. Going to dance in a club or exploring a cool sim, just like in the "old days", or just hanging out wherever you feel comfy, is the solution to get the "magic" back. If you don't want it, it may mean crossroads.

Hey, who said that virtual worlds were that different? They are just like RL.