Tag Archives: Google

Facebook Gets Criticized by Experts for New Privacy Options

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Facebook, one of the biggest social networking sites has recently launched a new privacy setting tool for their millions of users. It did not take long for privacy and security firms and experts to comment on Facebook’s privacy move and some have advised against using the new privacy setting.

facebook-03 Although Facebook has described the changes as something that would set a new standard when it comes to user control, experts see an underlying goal. This is to make the users share more information which makes Facebook’s search partners – Google and Bing become more valuable.

Frontier Foundation made a comment on the changes and stated that the Facebook privacy transition will only have users share more Facebook info with everyone and this can be a “worrisome development that will likely cause a major shift in privacy level”. They also mentioned that the changes actually limit the amount of user control over personal data.

The security firm Sophos emphasized that readers should read the terms of these changes carefully and said that “If you don’t read carefully you could find that every post you make on Facebook, and your personal information, is visible to everyone in the world who has a computer rather than just your Facebook friends.”

Facebook_Publisher_Privacy_ControlThe privacy changes at Facebook were said to set significant issues for those who are unable to review these settings carefully. Millions of users have already been greeted with the new privacy tool and they either have made changes or ignored it and moved on to using the site the way they always have, unaware of the consequences of the changes that they have made.

Trend Micro, another security firm stated that the controversy over these change is a good sign. “I like that there is controversy about these settings. It shows people at least notice that there is something going on.”

For those who are concerned about their privacy and security, it is best that you get to read and understand the privacy guidelines on the site. To be on the safer side, place your private photos, information and connection somewhere else.

Facebook Pages or Facebook Groups – the Big Difference

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Facebook is one of the best sites used for social media marketing but there are people out there who are confused as to which they should create in order to use the social networking site to their advantage effectively. The confusion is based entirely on the Groups and Pages features of Facebook. Even senior media marketing consults are confused since both have overlapping features. Add the constant changes Facebook makes to their Pages and the whole issue becomes more complicated.

Here are some factors that you should consider when it comes to choosing which is right for your project:

  • Interaction – because of Facebook Group’s security features and size limitations (under 5,000 members) they are more set for personal interaction. While Facebook Pages on the other hand do not list the names of its administrators and are thought of more as a corporate entity. The content of Facebook Groups is an extension of personal actions while content in Pages does not need to be linked back to you personally.
  • Updates – for Groups, as long as they are below 5,000 members, you can send messages to the members that will appear in their Inboxes. For Pages, they can send their updates to their own Page and will also appear in the “Updates” section of their inboxes. Unlike Groups, there are no limits on how many updates you can send or how many fans you must have.
  • Control – Groups have more control over who can participate. The permission settings can help you restrict access to a group or person. Access to Pages can only be restricted by age and location.
  • Moderation – both Pages and Groups can be mediocre when it comes to how things are posted and who can post. If someone posts spam or something negative in your Group or Page you will have to remove it manually but you have the option to remove the member who did it.
  • Advertising – advertisements can be bought to promote both Groups and Pages. But Pages have the benefit of having exposure through the fan connection that they have as they can be posted on their walls.
  • One more difference that can help you is that Pages are indexed by major search engines like Google while Groups are not.