Here's the dark side of Facebook PLACES. It just went live on Wednesday last week -- so the Bartman decided to give it a whirl.
I was celebrating a killer July sales month so I decided to have a dinner party and I invited some of my younger friends in their 30's. All of them iPad, iPhone, or Droid toting, digitally connected REALTOR colleagues.
We headed over to Blue Corn Cafe off Jefferson and I-25 for blue margaritas.
The wait staff had arranged a large, long table for all of us. when 90% of our group had arrived I had announced I had checked them in on Facebook Places as they arrived to I could inform the rest of the group.
Foursquare lets you check in and tagging people with GPS like check-in programs like Foursquare and now Facebook Places isn't a bad thing, right? Well... as I learned today (Sunday) it depends on who you talk to. Because it CAN be a huge violation of your Privacy.
Here's what happened.
I now have more than 1,000 Friends on Facebook. Combined with my friends and colleagues I invited to dinner on Friday, we probably shared more than 17,000 friends/contacts.
As my friends arrived, I checked them into Facebook places without their permission. Informing the rest of the incoming gang where we were and who showed up.
When I informed the group I had added them -- 5 out of the 11 were upset. One of my friends was completely torked. He had told his wife a small white lie. He told his better half that he had work to do.
She is an avid user of Facebook. (whoops, my bad! )
So he imagined his wife waiting at home for him at the front door -- holding the frying pan to beat him over the head immediately upon his arrival.
Another problem didn't surface until the next day. My post on Facebook Places showed up in more than 100 newsfeed websites. I never meant to broadcast this to a ton of websites. What the Hell was I thinking?
Ooops. Here I am reading about my dinner party and who I checked in as the arrived at the door. Why does this have to make the news feeds? I had no clue. Suffice it to say, I got a few upset phone calls this weekend. Fortunately, the newsfeeds dump stuff quickly and I personally wrote 11 of them asking them to please clear the news about my party which was now a train wreck that I wanted to forget.
Who's responsible for this problem? Marrk Zuckerberg, CEO and jerk at large from Facebook. Apparently he just can't seem to stay out of trouble. In April, Facebook announced the LIKE button feature which violated a lot of people's security by openly allowing anyone with the skills to hack your personal calendar online and access content you might not want others to have.
What's WRONG with Check In Networks like Foursquare and new Facebook Places? Plenty of you've been stalked on line by thieves.
My checking my friends into Facebook Places sends the clear message to a whole new crop of smart theft rings, I call; DiHeads ( Digital Housebreakers with Droids or DHD's )
One of my colleagues told me this is a real problem and he showed me a website, PleaseRobMeshowed the darker side of Check in Websites. I invite you to click and visit that site. If you use Twitter, Facebook or Foursquare -- this will scare the living daylights out of you. And it needs to wake all of us up -- because we have to be careful with what we do online.
Because thieves will watch you and wait for you to leave your home. The process might take weeks or months of stalking. But one day, you go home and you learn sometimes too late, that you need to be more careful with what you post online.
Below is the video on YouTube that shows you how to deactivate the Facebook Places and prevents people from ADDING or letting them Check you in, too.
Tsk. Tsk. I like Facebook.
But it seems that Facebook never really thinks alot about how their new products will affect personal security. Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook's founder/CEO) blindly spends millions of dollars in new products that can harm you.
They screwed up in April on the privacy issues. And now... here we go again.
Below is the YouTube Video that Facebook Places is now under your control.
Wow! I had no idea. This is way too much shared information. I clicked the like button for Facebook, so, hoping that more people read this blog! I sent it to a few of my family members and friends, also. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Bart, this is the reason why I rarely share where I'm going on social media. I'll talk about where I've been once I'm safely back at home or in my office. Some friends call me paranoid - I disagree. I'm just careful.
I think some of these social networking sites can be used properly but lately I have found myself from withdrawing just because of privacy issues and some of the issues above. My husband does know where I am at all times (well most of the time but I never lie to him about my whereabouts.) I am scared of the notion of a break in.
Great Post....Leo LaPorte and Amber McAuther talked about this on their pod cast some time ago. It has come back to various of Leo's pod cast shows because it is such a problem.
Yet I still to this dayhave not fixed my face book.... ahhh well I don't have anything to steal anyway.
I just read about Foursquare and immediately thought of these issues. Does not make sense to me. How lonely we are to do this junk..come on. Business promo is great, but "friends" are way more important and shouldn't be thrown about so lightly. Thanks for the heads up.
Respectfully, this is not Facebook's fault. That is like saying that it is GM's fault that you got into a car accident because they allowed you to drive recklessly. What I see a lot of from "older" Facebook users is that they dive in head first to things like quizzes, check ins, and status updates, and then get mad later that something made them look foolish. Learning how to use something before diving in headfirst may be a better strategy than getting yourself in trouble and trying to find someone else to blame.
Bart, thank you for the informative post. I think people wil benefit from knowing how to deactivate the features mentioned. However, I couldn't disagree more with where you place the responsibility for your mishaps. Using your logic, the families of the kid who electricuted himself should be upset at Thomas Edison for inventing electricty! Mark Zuckerberg should be commended for adding another (FREE) tool for people to use. Just use the tool correctly and safely and there should be no issues. It's no different than using fire, electricity, ovens, etc. They all CAN be dangerous but they are usefull when utilized properly. On another note, how is the market in Sant Fe?
I don't even know what four square is and it sounds as if I might be better off not knowing. My husband sometimes teases me and says that I am technologically challenged, but I disagree. I think I know just enough to increase my business but not enough to get myself into too much trouble:) But thanks for the warning. I am like Jackie #3. I do not mention where I have been until after I am home and I constantly preach that to my daughter.
Thank you for a timely and informative post. I fully agree with Heidi, Jackie and Scott - common sense should tell you that broadcasting your whereabouts is an open invitation to thieves. Likewise, common sense should have told you that it was not your place to broadcast your friends' whereabouts either. You need to take responsibility for your own actions rather than blaming FaceBook.
That said, the tutorial on how to block others from doing what you did is great information. I appreciate that you've shared your own "oopsy" to help get the information out.
Was it not YOU that posted your friends onto Facebook Places? How can that be someone elses fault? Perhaps you should take responsibility for YOUR actions.
I would agree with Heidi except for the fact that GM designs a product with consumer protection and safety by default. Facebook has consistently 'enhanced' their service with newer features that are added to existing users' accounts with the default setting set to 'bare it all'. This does not put the user's safety and protection first and foremost no matter how safely or recklessly the user 'drives' his/her Facebook profile. Therefore, I agree with Mark's position.
At the same time, I agree with Mimi in the sense that in the end the user has the option of either using or not using certain features, or for that matter the entire service. There are many other places we can network (LinkedIn, Myspace, etc) so if Facebook isn't cutting it, we can dump them for something more in line with our senses and sensibilitites.
Bart it's a shame you didn't consider your friend's privacy before you put them on blast throughout the social media sphere. While I love to be on the bleeding edge of social media's experiments, I've learned it's wise to run a few tests before jumping right into publishing, especially because the nature of social media is viral and most times - "real time".
Great Reminder. I never thought I was setting myself of to be robbed or worse. Facebook & Twitter are perfect for Stalkers -- they can easilly follow your every move.
This is why we recomend not to get involved with building a begilian freinds you never met anywahere, or any other backdoor technique: instead you must be the source of a properly syndicated, constantly refreshed feed of topic specific content, which grows your social media presence organically, and potentially virally!
Precisely why I don't do Facebook & Twitter. You have virtually no control over who sees your info. You have slimeballs that you would never speak to on the street sign up as your friends and no way to get clear of it all. Best to just avoid the hassle. If I want to tell a select group of friends or colleagues something important--I use that old fashioned media known as email--I can control precisely where it goes and who sees it.
Bart, you violated the privacy of your invitees. period. disabling features will not change the fact that you thought it permissable to reveal, in any fashion, the whereabouts or activities of your friends.
you state that "it seems that Facebook never really thinks alot about how their new products will affect personal security." you did this, not them.
has our society devolved so greatly that we cannot go to dinner without making it a self promotion event. ick! every moment you spent updating this silly thing was time you ignored your invited guests.
this is a great illustration of the ridiculousness of 'social media', perhaps the purest waste of time since video games.
You are. Look in the mirror. Not sure why you would have to check people in to tell others when the others would clearly see who is there when they show up. Guess you have to think ahead to see whose privacy you may be affecting. Plus, if others would only show up to the party if seeing that certain folks have already checked in, those are the kind of people who I would rather not show up at all.
All the techno innovations arriving nearly daily it seems, are great and no doubt have the potential for good. But as anyone who has been a victim of Identity Theft, Fraud, or some other scheme can tell you, Privacy issues are something to be taken seriously. We now live in a digital world and one must keep up or be left behind. But the fact remains that technology available to the general public today far outstrips the average user's understanding and technical ability. This is where problems arise. As I've been preaching to my children since they became tech-enabled, once you put something out there on the web, it's there to stay. Think about the future ramifications before you post that photo, write that comment, etc.
I read about PleaseRobMe recently and not only found it amusing but also thought those kids were actually performing a great public service by raising awareness of the downside of being such an "open book". (I just don't get the point, OR SEE THE VALUE TO ME, of letting the universe know precisely where I am at every moment in time.) I just believe one has to assess the potential for benefit versus detriment, before engaging in some of these activities, regardless of how cool, hip, or cutting edge, they appear to be.
Bart - living proof that no good deed goes unpunished :o)
Personally I'm tiring of seeing every step made by every person I know. You had an Americano at Strbucks - happy for you, but do I want to know about it - not so much! You just checked in at Cafe Hausmann - enjoy - but quit pestering me with it . . .
This is especially important for us to think about when we friend clients -do we really want them enjoying our varied and sundry daily schedules?
I agree that this is more of a user problem than a product problem. I have had a lot of success with Facebook and had very few complaints. The biggest problem that I have had is to un-friend people who continue to tag me at parties. I have not really found a good use for "places" yet, but if I do, I will be considerate of my friends.
Thanks for the post. I do not, however, stand in line with those who blame Facebook for their privacy issues being exposed. Frankly, if you are not familiar with all of the aspects of the application my advice is to not use it. That said, I use Foursquare periodically linked with Facebook and have seen that 'pleaserobme' site a long time ago. It doesn't phase me a bit. I like my friends, family and clients seeing that I'm at a condo complex showing that day, or having lunch with a lender, etc. There is always someone home at my house so it doesn't jeapordize my security in any way.
Rememer that as all this new technology rolls out, we shouldn't throw out the baby with the bathwater!
Bart, I appreciate your opening up this dialog for an important discussion. I would like to respectfully offer the following:
I appreciate Heidi's take and parallel on this matter. While privacy hasn't been set to the default, blaming the leaders at Facebook for your lack of knowledge on location-based social media isn't appropriate. Location based is a WHOLE new game with huge potential in the the on-line arena. There are numerous safeguards in location-based SM to remember.
1. Don't befriend anyone of foursquare you do not know. While it may be easiest just to click ACCEPT, do your due diligence in discovering how you are connected with someone who is not immediately recognizable.
2. If you are traveling or your home is empty, simply don't check in elsewhere.
3. Don't tag people in your check-in on facebook. If they want to be "seen" with you there, they can check themselves in. (Since this post doesn't explain to those who aren't familiar with "Places," the broadcast of friends at the restaurant wasn't pushed out by facebook automatically. This tagging was a manual process done by the user.)
4. When requesting friends on foursquare, use an accurate, easy to recognize photo of yourself. Don't accept people who have graphics, icons or abstracts as photos if you don't readily know them.
On a positive note, location-based SM is a great way to connect with your local businesses, as a form of Chamber of Commerce 2.0, and with your clients as a real-life contact management system. One of mine showed up randomly at a lunch to say hi when she saw me check in on foursquare. It was a great reunion and client touch.
For those who don't understand this technology reading this blog, I hope you will take some time to learn more about it, watch the people who you respect in technology using it CORRECTLY, decide if you would like to participate, THEN decide how you will incorporate it into your daily life as a fun thing, a business thing or a brand-build.
Remember, when you check-in you're giving people permission to say hi, visit, stalk you, whatever...but remember YOU choose to participate.
Wow! Who would have thought? It's amazing what the nefarious among us will do to cause us problems. I never thought of anything bad like this. Maybe it's because I don't seek to cause harm to other people. Now I'll have to rethink the way I do things on FB and Forsquare. Too bad that evil lurks among us. Thanks for the reminder.
I agree with those that suggest perhaps you are shifting the blame a bit more than is fair. Although I do agree that making "full on" the default position is not a good idea. Your post is very helpful, I didn't even know facebook places existed but will now go and disable it as instructed. I don't get much of this new technology - I am working on getting it to work for me but still am befuddled by why anyone would care where I am all the time (and so don't include those type of posts) and I certainly don't have much interest in where everyone else is either. Why would anyone care what restaurant you were at??? It all seems so high school to me... guess I am showing my age...
I changed my settings earlier this week to remove places from my Facebook. My biggest issue is Facebook is not that they keep coming up with new ideas, but that they never TELL you ahead of time that they are opening you up to privacy invasion. They just do it and you hope your friends let you know about it.
Great stuff. I knew and had my worries on some apps but... Man, we need to be careful and just remember how what we say can be heard by everyone and to your point ANYONE! Yikes...
I don't use Foursquare or any of the other sites that work like this. I just don't like the idea of posting that I am NOT at home, gee, come rob me. I know a lot of people that do use the sites and really like the premise behind them, tho. Of course, I'm also the kind of person that opts out of most new things that FB offers, don't need my privacy invaded, let me share what I want with who I want, NOT with who you think we want.
LOL - was reading all of these posts and agree with the ones that state, I really don't want to know that so and so is at Starbucks, oops, now they are at Borders Books, and hey, they went to the gym this morning.....
Bart - I'm still thinking of that poor guy who told his wife he had more work to do....what happened when she learned via Facebook that he was out having margaritas? Too funny. Yes, I know there's a dark side to all of this....and I'm paranoid enough on my own not to look at that site PleaseRobMe. Social media is like my right arm and I wouldn't give it away for anything...as for that Zuckerberg dude, I love him. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be getting a bunch of business off of Facebook. As that dude on Hill Street Blues used to always say....Let's be careful out there!
My wife teaches computer software in schools, mainly to high school students. They also touch on security and laws, like sexting. As Heidi, #11, said, this is not Facebook's fault. The user needs to understand the program, before they jump into it with both feet. The problem is, your 14-17 year old hasn't thought that far (as well as alot of parents).
Thanks for letting us all in on what this new portion of Facebook does, good and bad, so we/I can decide for ourselves......and our kids!
I changed my settings earlier this week to remove places from my Facebook. My biggest issue is Facebook is not that they keep coming up with new ideas, but that they never TELL you ahead of time that they are opening you up to privacy invasion. They just do it and you hope your friends let you know about it.
I'm glad that you learned a hard lesson for me, though I would never go through the trouble of 'checking people in' to facebook for an event anyway. Seems like a lot of pointless work to me. The blue margaritas sound nice though!
The old fashioned method of using email is as safe as Facebook places if your account is hacked in any way. Just ask Sarah Palin. For that matter, the act of simply turning on your cellphone often reveals where you are, often with great accuracy. Who has access to that data? Criminal elements never, never have anyone on the inside of those data centers, right?
Predictability factor for being away from home for a while? With Facebook places: 95%, without Facebook places: 94%. Anyone can watch you drive away. Don't forget to turn on the security system.
I went to San Diego last night. I'm going to Simi Valley in a couple of hours. Come on over and rob me but please don't wake up the pit bull. He gets all excited and noisy and it really upsets the dobermans.
I prefer to separate my business from my personal life. I use LinkedIN for business contacts, and facebook for personal use, until recently... I'm aware of some of the newer privacy features of facebook, which may help, but in the past year or so more and more people, especially Realtors® it seems to me, are using facebook for both personal and business... blurring those distinctions must have it's consequences!
I've been using Foursquare for a little bit now and really do enjoy it. I look at it as a way to promote local businesses. I don't normally check in from national stores - just my local places. Plus, I have my account set up to where I have to approve people to follow me. I think the safe part comes in when you don't put every single stop on your Foursquare. I have a friend who'll check in from every place they go - all day long. That's just asking for trouble. I'll do a check in maybe once a day and that's it.
I disabled Facebook Places as soon as I could and I don't use the locations option on Twitter. That's what Foursquare is for.
Well said by Heidi (#11) and now Brian in #21. I use Foursquare quite a bit and have no qualms using it at all. I would not use FB Places as I feel it's just a sad imitation of Foursquare anyway, but if I did I certainly would NOT take it upon myself to check someone else in at a location. That would be pretty presumptuous of me, don't you think? If they want to check in, they can do it themselves.
I knew this was coming but after reading these comments I plan to disable Places and anything else that invades my privacy. Twitter is just a waste of time unless you're 12 years old and really care that someone is going for ice cream. This is a really good post and I appreciate the time it took you to write it.
Thanks! I have not uses Facebook places, but do use Foursquare. I will now turn Facebook Places off per the instructions on your video. I have way too many friends to be posting all these check ins. & having people check me it!
I used FB and Twitter, but come on. Why does everyone need to know where you are and what you are doing all the time? I try to post what I did after the fact. Yes it can be an invasion of privacy and even a security issue.
Thanks for hte info ... I followed the video and disabled the links as instructed. THe meaning of Privacy is just that - it's private, no one needs to follow anyone that closely!
I've always been aware of the Big Bro aspect of social media...I don't put every waking thought I have or ever let anyone know where I am...I only mention places I've recently been....never, ever, telegraph a vacation ahead of time, or any lengthy time away from your home, anywhere on the web...I particularly never tweet my whereabouts no matter what (I don't really tweet at all)...a friend of mine got robbed 17 years ago and within a week they caught the culprits...seems they where casing her comings & goings then one morning she left and one of them followed her with a Motorola walkie-talkie and kept the ones with the truck at her house abreast of her whereabouts the whole time (17 years ago!!)...we're making it easier for these dirtbags, not harder, and part of the reason is our blind following of the herd into social media...do your due diligence with this stuf...it's a brave new world.
I just don't get it. Why would I want anyone but my husband (and only for security reasons), know where I am at all times? Although I come off as being extroverted, I cherish my privacy.
I have other people living in my home (my husband, 2 adult children and a grandchild) - I certainly don't want theives breaking in surprising them because they see I'm out and about. Of course, if they were good casers, they'd see that it is rare that our house is ever vacant.
And I'd never, ever take it upon myself to enter other people's location without at least asking them. Although I use Facebook and have a local fan page for my main community, I'm not hooked to it and don't even have it downloaded on my Droid.
I've also never understood Foursquare so haven't joined up. I just don't want my friends, family and clients knowing everything I'm doing or going and what times I'm doing it or going there.
Facebook gets more confusing to me all the time. I think I don't like it much.
Why would I want to tell anyone where I am and what I'm doing all day? Talk about boring reading! Anyway, if I'm busy doing something, why would I want to get on line and talk about it?
Bart doesn't appear to be an "older" user, Heidi, but he jumped in without imagining the difficulties he was causing others. Thanks for the heads-up - I'm diving in to disable and protact my privacy.
I rarely comment anymore to posts but Bart, yours was a great read. I am only in my mid 40's and do embrace the new technologies out there but I am not a fan of social media at all.
I know I am in the minority but I don't feel it's a matter of if, but a matter of when someone will hack your computer or rob your home with this kind of knowledge. We live in a world with many opportunists up to no good.
Be careful out there. Facebook can be a great tool, but like any tool, it can be used to hurt people.
I would hope nobody ever takes it upon themselves to tell the world my whereabouts as I will do so if I feel others need to know not you or anybody else. Blame yourself for this unfortunate situation.
Thanks for this information. Facebook once again steps in it! To those that say "Take Responsibility" how the heck does the casual Facebook user, non-geek know that Facebook has "opted" you into something you may not want. The attitude that it is okay for Mark Zuckerberg to set up this free tool is wrong.
Initiate something in an opted out status and let people know it is available. The auto opt in only benefits Facebook and those that do not value their privacy.
Thanks everybody for the great feedback and shout backs on this issue.
Chuck C. is bringing up a good point. Why is it that WE HAVE TO OPT out of things like this every time Facebook comes out with a new widget that involves PRIVACY?
It's like being LISTED in the phone book. Right?
The last time I checked, lumberjacks get paid to cut down trees. Lumber mills charge money grinding the trees up and making rolls of paper. The phone company has employees that get paid for doing what they do and the printing firms pay their people to print ink on paper and the phone comapny pays the US Mail to deliver the Yellow Book to your home.
And then, 92% of us take this 9-pound yellow brick and we toss it in the trash can. The irony is that all of this costs a lot of money, we don't use the phone book and we use Google instead.
And if you want to be unlisted in that phone book -- the phone company has the temerity to charge you $5 bucks to be UNLISTED.
So -- let's pay Facebook $5 bucks a month to be permanently OPTED OUT of ALL of their new "Privacy Violating CRAP," products they come out with next.
If we want to opt in, we will OPT in. But rolling out a new service and forcing all 5 million people to have it turned on automatically without our permission is simply another violation of your privacy.... isn't it?
Well, at first, I thought- what kind of relationship does this guy have with his wife that he's going to a dinner and getting "in trouble" for where he is, or "busted" for lying?
Then I read further and realized the implications. I don't even THINK of this stuff. I am amazed at the time and energy spent by would be thieves on this. They are certainly clever. If only their power could e used for good.
GREAT ARTICLE on the potential pitfalls of FaceBook. It can be dangerous territory, especially if you are "FaceBook challenged" like me. I've had my share of bonehead FaceBook debacles, like posting a very personal message on some one's WALL instead of sending it as private message. I caught it the next day and deleted it but it was up for 24 hours all the world to see. Ouch!! Had to find my amusement on that one! Never, never use FaceBook after a few glasses of wine! Not a good combination:) Someone I know was taking a trip out of the country and posted her entire Itinerary on FaceBook. Also not a good idea. There are some crazy individuals out there and we need to be careful about what we post and where we post it.
Thanks Bart - I had already heard about my friends checking me in, but not about the other 2 - thanks s much for taking the time to share this - it is so very important especially with so many young mena and women - teenagers - posting their every breath! It's a field day for predators! I'll make sure all of my nieces, nephews and their friends know to take these precautions.
Thanks for the information and definitely something to be cautious about as we all venture into joining anywhere and anything that will help us "network" and improve our businesses. ~ Susan
Thanks for posting your faux pas so that the rest of us can make an informed decision. I appreciate your candor, and I'm sure a LOT of people other than yourself have learned something from this!
Thanks for the post. I didn't even think about it but I have made the changes. I am not that well connected, in my opinion, but never want to take a chance with security.
Not for nothing...but why are you Facebooking when you are at a party? You should be interacting with your guests and put the technology down for the time being. The problem is not Facebook's, it's yours and it seems to be a growing trend with a lot of people. Why is it necessary to log every event in ones life? Crazy. However, congratulations on your sales!
I love Gabi's response above. It calls out one of the features of social media I just don't understand. Anyhow, good note and worth thinking about some of the unintended consequences of your actions.
Bart, Great post and unfortunate situation. But, I have heard of similar things happening. Sometimes we are TOO connected and it's so important not to broadcast to the entire world that we are out, and that our houses are empty for the evening.
Don't you just hate it when you think you're doing A GREAT JOB/THING, and something in technology screws it up? I thought it was very COOL that everyone knew where everyone else was!
Hi Bart
Thanks for the post. really never liked this whole idea about facebook and other social sites and this is one of many reasons why.
The people need to be informed and hopefully wake up
!
Thanks again
Thanks for the info, Bart. Luckily I'd heard the same from a friend yesterday and was able to make the changes before any damage was done. But I do not agree with #11.....it is Facebook's fault because they don't exactly advertise these changes very well and as others have said, we should NOT be automatically "opted in" to them. Very timely post!!
It seems to me that if you put down where you are when you want people to know, and do not broadcast who is with you if they want privacy it should work ok.
Wow, As much as I use facebook I never even though how it could actually effect so many others in a negative way. Thanks for your information it certainly was an eye opener to me and I will without a doubt share this with others.
Actually, Facebook does continue to add features that reduce security. Though we have the options to check or uncheck security features as we learn about them, we are also continuing to do things that affect our secuity unaware. I like several others never tell where I am and when I'll be gone. I do love to share where I've been. Facebook, Twitter, Active Rain and the others can be great tools, but we all need to use a bit of common sense. If you choose to tell a thief when you are going to be away, do you really expect him to wait to rob you until you are back? As for giving information about other people, that is worse than telling things about yourself. To have the privledge to utilize this format, we need to show courtesy and common sense.
Bart, congrats on the featured.
I received a warning about the potential abuse from FourSquare and FB Places from a tech-geek blog I subscribe to. He was checking his "friends" into all sorts of places, strip clubs, planned parenthood clinics, all with the intentnion of educating folks the potential for abuse is there. And it is real.
I hate FourSquare, I do not care when you stop for gas, get your haircut and grab some McDonald's. No one does. And some people go to that extreme. (Not saying you do, I'm just saying.) I understand that at some point, there may be some end user incentive for being the Mayor of Wal-Mart, but until then, I am a skeptic. I am not an introvert, Big Brother hand wringer or overly concerned that someone will break into my house while I dine at Olive Garden, but I see alot of potential for more bad than good coming from this tracking technology
Interesting timing......just has a daughter of a good friend post on FB that she thought there was someone on her porch last night and was very spooked because her husband is in the military and currently out of the area. I responded by letting her know there are several people that target homes to rob when people post they are out of town on vacation and she should not be letting the world know her husband is not home.
It is our own personal responsibilty to share only what we would like a potential dangerous stranger to know on our social media wesbsite!
I am a Facebook fan for business and personal use-- but can see the implications of Facebook Places-- will change my settings. Thanks for the post and the video too! Kathy
Really. All of this is common sense. When you choose to post things to the world, you should already know you are opening yourself up to trouble. We are not teenagers who have been brought up with these warnings, because we already should have known! And I am sure when you signed up for Facebook, you were required to read their terms and agree to them, as did I. I bet they had all kinds of waivers in there about the changes they could "potentially" make!
There are so many possible dangers with having people know where you are and where you are not, that I would not want others reporting my whereabouts for me. I know that some of these programs are very popular and I can see how they might get addictive. I have to take safety in to consideration first.
Bart, thanks so much for this post! I just finished updating my Facebook profile with the new privacy settings. A wonderful and much needed post indeed.
Thank you for posting this and the video showing how to opt out.
The truth is, Zuckerberg has made it clear that he doesn't care about fb users privacy. He is in it for the money and can make money selling our private info. I saw him say this on a video. I just wish I could remember when and where. He was quite smug about it. I understand it's a free network, but these types of things seem like an ambush.
P.S. I agree that you should not have checked your friends in without their permission. If for no other reason, security. Also, understand you were not aware it would be broadcast as it was.
Thanks, Bart. I had posted the info about disabling that FB feature on my FB Wall, but never thought to post it on here. Thanks.
I will let you in on a secret of how I deal with anything that has to do with FB and Mark Zuckerman. First of all, let me say that FB is a great social media platform. A large portion of my clients and customers are on there. But I deal with extreme caution and sketicism with anything coming out of FB. Majority of festures that are added or changed are thought up by Mark and his close circle of friends that think something is "kewl" so they put it in. After all, Mark started FB for himself and his friends to stay in tough; it grew from there. So, do they really care what you think? Nope, unless you're one of the close friends of Marks.
The other purpose of FB is to separate you from you money. I'm sure that the mother of the 11 year old that ran up almost $1100 in credit card charges without her permission playing Farmville will agree. When she wrote to FB stating that she never authorized her 11 year old to charge that amount of money, she was told..."Tought. We 're not returning your money".
Bart:
Great post --which once again has made me rethink exactly why I am using social media. Most of the social media venues have their value for business--if used correctly--although I am still struggling with how my clients or associates will find it interesting or think of me more highly as their Realtor if they know I am "food shopping at Shoprite and the lines are SO long" or enjoying the "best Chocolate Martini ever" at the local happy hour. I know that many of us have embraced the social media--I certainly have--to keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues---I wonder how it might be perceived by others. Aside from the some of the potential issues I can see in mixing social and business "friends" on Facebook, and the security and privacy issues that you experienced and mentioned in you post--I wonder about how clients or potential clients who view are posts see us. Regardless of the value of the content we may be posting, when we seem to be on Facebook frequently--playing Mafia Wars or doing quizzes--or checking in on FourSquare--or twittering--I wonder how many are asking themselves: "Wouldn't be better if they were spending their time marketing my house/ following up on the deal/ giving me feedback on showings--- rather than posting on Facebook/Playing Farmville/checking in on FourSquare? Information can be power, but too much can be counterproductive.
I too have been using foursquare for a while and am very careful with it. Typically check in as I am leaving somewhere unless it is super public and don't always send it to twitter. I never send it to facebook though.
I'm a pretty big user of social media but I can't for the life of me understand of what value or import Places or Foursquare have. So Bart I wouldn't blame Facebook. I would wonder why you found important or useful to "out" all your friends in the first place.
I'm reading a very wonderful book right now that I suggest all of us who are addicted to screens and connectivity read. It's called "Hamlet's Blackberry-A Practical Philosophy For Building a Good Life in the Digital Age". Here's a link to an article and excerpt. Here's what Bob Woodward said about the book. “A brilliant and thoughtful handbook for the Internet age—why we have this screen addiction, its many perils, and some surprising remedies that can make your life better.”
I agree with #11 for the most part, although iI also agree with Bart's 2nd post regarding opting "in" instead of having to opt "out" of things. They could send us all a note letting us know of a new and exciting feature, and allowing us to opt "in" if we choose.
How ever, for your friend that lied to his wife regarding where he was, I have no simpathy!!
Wow, a few people here are really beating you up. Have they never lived to make a mistake and then take responsibility for it? To err is human, to forgive divine. Move on my friend...you deserve it and thank you for sharing your experience.
Facebook is beginning to drive me nuts. I hired someone to help me create tabs in my fan pages and enhance my Facebook pages. So now Facebook thinks there is some kind of security breach.
In order for me to get into Facebook I have to pass a series of tests where they present me with tagged photos of my "Friends" -- then they give me a list of friends from whom to pick. It's like taking a multiple choice test and answering by process of elimination.
It wouldn't be a problem if I really knew all my "friends" -- or if they didn't disguise themselves in their Facebook photos. I keep flunking my own security tests. It's really frustrating. I never was very good at matching up names and faces -- but this is now a reason to make sure you don't "Friend" someone you don't really know.
Like most things in life, this is a tool you need to learn to use before blindly adopting it. I don't blame Facebook for providing options any more than I blame Smith and Wesson for killing people. You can go in and keep people from tagging you in places if you are worried about it. We need to realize we live in a digital voyeurism world where you don't have to be Paris Hilton to have the paparazzy follow you. Michael Phelps taught us to be careful of camera phones and that was well before Facebook Places.
Thanks for the info, eye opener, as for the persons that communacate with million doller corperations can not communacate with thier Partners, sposes, make you think what. were they thinking????
Interesting post, but I don't get it; How can YOU blame CEO Mark Zuckerberg ? Did He Tag anyone, without their knowledge [when they walked into YOUR party] ??
I love my BB Tour and use it to post text, photos and also where I am on FourSquare. I only Tag those within my photos having already asked their permission [or would this too be Mark's fault ?].
As to your Friends that lied to there Wives or others... YOUR fault [again], but perhaps the kettle shouldn't be calling the pot black !
Post what you want ...about Yourself or Your activities... and if a guest wants to be included/tagged with You- that should be THEIR option ! unless Mark Z was also invited.
Just my thoughts...
Steven Zimmerman Realtor ABR GRI / Prudential Best Realty / GULF HARBORS , FL 34652
Morals of tagging/not tagging etc aside. It's great to have someone tell us non-mavens how to use the tools. I wouldn't check anyone else in to a place... nor would I want someone else to check me in... If I want the world to know that I'm surfing in Maui, climbing Everest, dancing on the Great Wall, I'll be sure and make the announcement personally. So, I've taken the steps to prevent it. It's not anyones fault but it would sure be nice if it was an opt-in, vs and opt-out sort of a thing.
I think some of you are being really hard on Bart. He knows he made a mistake, admitted it, and because of him, I have been educated on how to NOT let this happen to me. Thanks for the post. Like some others have mentioned, I generally only share where I've been and not where I am.
Foursquare allows the user to limit who can see their locations. The other day I received a request from a very peripheral aquaintance to become Foursquare friends or their equivalent. This is someone I volunteer with, but not someone I socialize with. I immediately deleted the request. Why would I want to know when he and his wife are at McDonalds? However, I have enjoyed playing with Four Square when visiting cities where I do have friends with whom I'm trying to connect.
Thanks for the heads up, Bart. In this new social media world, we really need to look out ofr ourselves and others. I've viewed the video and made any necessary changes I hadn't already.
This article is a great personal safety reminder! Location-based services that are based on highlighting a person’s location for social purposes can be a double-edged sword.
On the one hand it does enable you to connect with people in a whole new way, which is the basis for social networks like Facebook. On the other hand, like you outlined in your article, checking into places can be a great personal safety hazard.
So thank you for highlighting the risks associated with using Facebook Places, and spreading the message for safety!
Thanks for the heads up! I'm sorry this put a damper on your celebration. Wouldn't the world be a better place if everyone just earned an honest living instead of hurting or taking from others?
Oh, and sorry, I have no sympathy for your friend that told the "white lie". Honesty is always the best policy. If he can't be honest with his wife, can he be honest with his clients???
I have always been leery of the apps that follow your location because I have been stalked in the past (not as a result of FB, thank God.) But thank you for your timely and well-written post on this issue. I hope you don't mind the re-blog!
Bart, Thanks so much for sharing this. I had no idea that by default anyone could check me into Places. I've used the video you shared to change my own privacy settings.
Oh come on. This is a real scare piece. You cannot be stalked unless your profile is wide open.
Unless you're concerned that one of your friends is the would-be robber?
This is settled with some simple privacy settings.
I suppose the author has never used the tagging feature of Photos? If you can't trust your network to do the right thing...then that's a statement of your network and on you.
For an alternative view of the power & potential of connecting with Facebook Places with tagging :
"Why the F&#% Would I Want To Check-In With Facebook Places?"
http://scorely.squarespace.com/facebookplaces
You're late the party by a few months. When this article was written, Facebook was caught red handed once again blanketing all of their members with this violation of personal security.
My Mom thinks I'm at the movies. I told my wife I was going to be working late. What in God's good name gives Facebook the right to let my friends TAG me on-line and say "I saw Bart at the local bar with a couple of cute ladies."
Does being a member on Facebook automatically mean I have to be a part of their Check In Network?
No. And it's a violation of my personal rights.
As I pointed out, you CAN opt out of some of these things. One of the important points made (again, several months ago) was what you've said. You can OPT out. But back then, you had to know what to do as Facebook continues to assume things for millions of people without giving us any choice when they first throw the switch.
Check in networks have their place. For usefulness, it's a great way for parents to see their teenagers check in where and when they say they will be.
But for some privacy advocates, Check in Networks have it's Dark side. PleaseRobMe.com is one site that shows the "dark side," of this trend. And more importantly people like us (work Real Estate professionals) are among millions of people who don't use Check in Networks like FourSquare.com
As an author and a real estate coach, it's my job to put my neck on the chopping block and TEST new things. As I did on this experiment. Some of my colleagues thought what I did wasn't cool. One of them was pretty pissed off about it.
I learned my lesson and I document the "Good, Bad and the Ugly," side of Social Media for the greater good.
I learned a valuable lesson many years ago:You can make money or you can make excuses. But you can't do both.
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This is interesting.......I have just started playing around with Foursquare. I will definitely go check out the website you have linked.