Monday, July 26, 2010

Facebook

Well, I have been on Facebook for about two years. Unfortunately, I do not use it as extensively as others who are on it every day and have a vast number of friends. When friends ask me to "be their friends", I usually accept the invitation provided that I know them; however, I do not make a point of asking others to be my friends. I need to get onto this social network more regularly but time to "use it" meaningfully is always an issue. I think that this is a great way of staying connected and finding long lost connections especially school mates from years gone by. It is also a wonderful way of sharing photos.
In October 2009, I went to an information session / workshop called Facebook 101: Privacy and Safety Tips. The workshop facilitator was Chris Vollum who spoke about such concerns as photo sharing, subscriptions, identity theft, privacy settings, etc. It was very informative but also quite scary knowing how your photos could be used by others in questionable ways (photo harvesting). Facebook has upgraded their security; however, unsuspecting users can still be caught in innocent traps using this social medium. Like anything else, it has its good and bad features.
I will try to make better and more frequent use of Facebook just to keep connected and "up" with this form of communication. By using it more often, I hope to become more knowledgeable about its various features and options.

4 comments:

Melissa P. said...

Thanks for your comments, Gizmo. I'll definitely have to keep an eye out for a course such as the one you describe. I hadn't heard the term 'photo harvesting' before.

Melissa P. said...

After reading the article Library Lady recommended, I went home and reviewed my kids' privacy settings for their Facebook photos and we made some adjustments. Thanks for the heads-up!

nance said...

Thanks Gizmo and Library Lady for the info.
N

Giselle said...

Library Lady,
Thank you for this wewspaper article. The photo captures the very concern that was emphasized at the Facebook workshop that I made reference to in my blog.