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Ask HN: Are you with me? Leaving Facebook.

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Re: Ask HN: Are you with me? Leaving Facebook.

#71

Post by nfnaaron »

novum wrote: post #69
nfnaaron wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think Google could do this entirely with blogger, maybe reader, maybe Picassa, and email, and a bit of code. It would be a huge boon to Android phones. Google groups is broken for some people, and I'd stay away from using it as a building block. Lots of people have negative opinions about Wave, me included. I don't even know if Buzz would help in any of this, the launch was so botched I never looked at it; people h…

As someone who's just removed all my pages, likes, and interests from Facebook -- I just don't think they have my best interests in mind -- a network like this is, of course, a wet dream. But there is a tradeoff between privacy and network effects. The network relies on its members connecting and conversing; that's how the network derives its value. Facebook's network is valuable because it is the de facto online ide…

As I mentioned, you wouldn't try to compete with Facebook, since they're the de facto standard. This would be for people who want something different (like Jones Soda). It would likely work best by enhancing the attraction to something existing, like Posterous or like Google's other offerings (including Android).

As for discoverability vs invisibility, you're right, discoverable is more valuable to the network. I think most people would opt for more discoverability than invisibility, but invisibility is a logical setting among a level of settings. And it allows a small group of people who are only interested in staying connected with each other to do only that.

Re: Ask HN: Are you with me? Leaving Facebook.

#72

Post by rajat »

Nope, like many others here, I use Facebook as a public communication medium, which means I don't post private things there. It is not a tool for intimacy; it's a resume that I am handing out to perfect strangers.

Perhaps, over time, had they not compromised their privacy standings, I would have treated it more as a tool for intimate conversations with friends and family. I certainly will not do so now, or ever again. I will treat them forever like a public billboard.

Re: Ask HN: Are you with me? Leaving Facebook.

#73

Post by nfnaaron »

codexon wrote: post #60
pg wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What features should it have? (Or not have?)

Another interesting question would be: how will it make money? Websites like Facebook and Myspace are shunning the simple advertisement model. Selling private data will become the new standard. A website similar to scope and feature like Facebook will probably not be able to sustain a positive cash flow or break even without selling people's data. UNLESS...they cut features like photo storage, or make a technological…

"Websites like Facebook and Myspace are shunning the simple advertisement model."

? Every one of my facebook pages (feed and profile) always has two or three prominent ads over on the right.

Re: Ask HN: Are you with me? Leaving Facebook.

#74

Post by schammy »

I really disapprove of what Facebook has done in the past year or two with privacy. It's disgusting.

However, I don't really "use" Facebook. I have an account but I rarely post anything on it, and I don't use any of the apps. I just use it to see what my real life friends are up to, including many that I don't actually see anymore because they have moved away.

So, their new privacy stuff doesn't really affect me, since I really only use Facebook on a passive level. So I am not deleting my account. But I still strongly disapprove of what they are doing.

Re: Ask HN: Are you with me? Leaving Facebook.

#75

Post by darren_ »

wyclif wrote: post #56
jseifer wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Devil's advocate: If you have a facebook account you really can't stop people from tagging you in "implicating pictures" and the like. You can un-tag yourself after the face or delete things on your wall but there's no guarantee you'll get to that before someone else sees it.

I thought it was possible to not allow tagging to your Wall in Settings?

It is. If you set the 'photos and videos of you' privacy option to just yourself, when you're tagged in a photo it appears on your Wall but only for you. Your friends looking at your wall don't see it. That said, I don't think you can block the actual tagging, which is a shame, although you can manually untag yourself, and once untagged you can't be re-tagged.

Incidentally, you can stop your friends posting to your wall, or commenting on any of your items, or even just block specific friends from commenting or posting.

Re: Ask HN: Are you with me? Leaving Facebook.

#76

Post by paul9290 »

cmelbye wrote: post #40

No, I'm really happy with the service that they provide. If there's something that's actually private, I'm not going to be posting it on the Internet in the first place.

I wonder how many of the hackers here who want to remain private take chances and look to create innovative things that are out of the normal(i.e.Twitter/Blippy)? They seem adverse to change.

Re: Ask HN: Are you with me? Leaving Facebook.

#77

Post by rokhayakebe »

ams6110 wrote: post #64
jamesjyu wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hear hear to that! I'm always puzzled by all these privacy nuts that go on and on about privacy problems with social media sites like Facebook. If something is absolutely private and you do not want to share it outside of one or two people, DO NOT put it on a social media site! Period. In fact, I would go as far as to say never put any critically sensitive information on the web.

Absolutely. I sum it up as: "What happens on the internet, stays on the internet".

"What happens on the internet, sprays on the internet. Fast. And Forever."

Re: Ask HN: Are you with me? Leaving Facebook.

#78

Post by lallysingh »

ivenkys wrote: post #30

I never went in - i still don't understand the point of FB or others of their ilk. If i really want to keep in touch with far-flung family, friends - i pick up the phone or drop an email. If they are important to me i will make the effort. I also don't find the need to advertise on a daily/hourly basis what i am doing or tell people about the cool car/bike/tv/ipod etc. i bought. May be its just not for people like me…

You're stereotyping facebook users pretty bad.

It's a great way to share photos. It's also an ad-hoc mailing list between you and your friends. Post what you want; it's literally up to you. I post photos and links to interesting stuff -- mostly nerdy but my friends aren't terribly surprised by that.

That's it. Seriously, it's not calling you at home and asking what you're doing every hour. You make it what you want.

People like to talk about their lives. You may not care, but it's no different than normal smalltalk.

Re: Ask HN: Are you with me? Leaving Facebook.

#79

Post by tbrownaw »

davi wrote: post #46
gcr wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are describing the Internet. Self-run web sites, blogs, and instant messaging systems: 1. allow you to fine-tune who sees what, 2. do not require extra accounts (save comment systems, etc.), 3. are not tied to any one provider or company and thus will last for a long time.

How do you see the internet providing built-in ACLs? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Access_control_list Even if it did, your assertion is like equating assembly to a high level language. Just because you theoretically can do anything in assembly that you can in a high level language doesn't mean you would want to. I am trying to specify a set of attributes for a non-existent tool that would let me more fluidly publish…

The internet provides something like ACLs using something similar to a password capability model: I post stuff as "tbrownaw" or "Timothy Brownawell" and anyone can know it's me, but I also have logins to various message boards under pseudonyms, which you can only tie back to me if I tell you.
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