Just about everyone on the web has heard of Face Book. Heck I thought it was a great idea when I first signed up. I mean I have moved around a lot and I thought it would be cool to catch up with long lost friends and such. But you know, I never felt quite right using Face Book. I mean I’d like to think that I have been around when it comes to the internet. When using Face Book I just never had that “warm fuzzy feeling” (this is how we describe things in bomb disposal when things are going right – if you don’t have it something is about to go wrong).
You see I just couldn’t figure out how Mark Zuckerberg and his investors from Face Book were making any money. Sure they had advertising on the site but who clicks those anyways? (Judging by my AdSense stats not many) However Face Book kept getting bigger and bigger and here I was getting more and more Zombie, Werewolf, Vampire, and who knows what else requests. It seemed odd to me that all these Face Book applications required access to your profile and such. Then it dawned on me – data mining. Face Book was one vast Data Mine!
What is data mining you ask? Well briefly it is extracting useful information from a large amount of information. Basically Face Book knows your age, your geographic location, your relationship status, your education, your profession, your mood (if you choose to update it) and a bunch more. Not only do they know this about you but they also know this about all your friends as well. This is valuable stuff if used in the right context. I mean this is marketers gold! Don’t kid yourself that they are not selling it either. Don’t believe me? Check out these videos.
I don’t know about you but having my information sold like that just makes me feel dirty. As of January 6 2007 I have deactivated my face Book account. When Face Book asked me why (a nice courtesy to keep you in their evil clutches). I wrote a them a nice note about how data mining ranks up there with spammers.
As always I want to hear what you think, good or bad.
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That is fascinating! Who is that guy in the video? “I buy souls – ha ha ha.” Scary! I think you’re right with your devil graphic up there. Are MySpace and LinkedIn the same? hmmm.
Grin, I never did like facebook.
I am on there, but mainly for people to find my webpage
I don’t particularily care for the guys (mainly Middle Eastern) sending me – uhm – weird messages.
Especially when I once had a “nice” picture of me on there in a white top in summer on a balcony……
just signed up via your link on entrecard, we shall see
I never thought of it that way before. Although when you do, it suddenly makes perfect sense why they need to know so much about you in the beginning, and then suddenly you’re bombarded with 5 billion requests; the last of which I received was a blatant attempt to suck in more unsuspecting users. I am now really reconsidering deactivating my account, and telling everyone I know why they should too.
you’re absolutely right, guess CIA is in the picture as well
Ive never had that “warm fuzzy feeling” feeling from facebook either. Have only had my account a few months but struggled to take any interest in it. Definitely dont like the odea of having my info sold!
I am not sure who the guy in the video is but having worked on data mining projects in the past, his words rang true.
Another great data mining scam is the Air Miles Rewards cards. Just think of all the things they track when you use that.
Like the saying goes “Nothing in life is free.”
Facebook is sort of a necessary evil for me right now. I never did understand the attraction. It really is something I want to watch carefully, I don’t think for a minute that they have my best interests at heart.
FaceBook never did it for me. I have an account with an old school e-mail that isn’t in use anymore, but I can’t even remember my login details as of now :S
Liza S.’s last blog post..GW2
I am in the business, any info they collect is purely for advertiser. They need to know their demographics well. So does other social networking sites.
Google are doing the same by analyzing your search behaviour. .they will know upfrom that you are looking for a car to buy whenn you are indeed. This is how they make money, targetted marketing . If facebook or other social networking website didn’t do such, then no point of creating one. To me they are brilliant! But for us Users especially, be smart , don’t put so much of info about u in any social networking sites.