How facebook works with the Well-Trained Mind Community

[Sebastian (a lady) 9,327]

This is a screenshot of the badge is on the forum homepage.

 

One of the pictures on that badge is somebody that I know IRL, although I do not know her very well. Facebook chose to show me that person, because they know that we know each other, and it gives preference to displaying pictures of your friends and/or your friends' friends. The fact that it tries to link us together is not an accident at all. I actually already knew that she's a member here, but if I didn't, I would now. Finding her posts would not be all that difficult.

 

I can also click on the other pictures in that badge and find out who they are and where they live. Depending on their facebook settings and how much information they have shared in both places, I may very well be able to match the fb name to the WTM name, especially if I'm a longterm regular on the boards and know a lot about the members from the things I've read here. People have always felt free to share more about their personal lives here because the likelihood that what they shared would get back to people in other compartments of their lives was relatively minimal. Compartmentalizing is very important to many of us. It is the goal of facebook to destroy all those compartments. They would not be at all concerned if meeting that goal were to damage or destroy the community which exists on this site, and I believe that linking the WTM site closely to facebook could do just that.

 

Promoting the forum and reaching out to the greater homeschool community are certainly understandable goals. Meeting those goals, however, by using automated tools provided by a company which has as its' goal the desire to have everyone use facebook communities and pages to communicate with one another, may not be the best way to achieve your goals. Facebook is not in the business to promote forums. It wants people to post on here and then link to facebook so that people depend on facebook more and more for the information. They want the discussions which happen here to MOVE to facebook. They promote the idea that forums are no longer relevant and facebook is all we need. Well, it's not all I need, and I really hope that you will all rethink linking the Hive so closely with facebook. You are risking a lot for the convenience of having people share posts with one click and log in in a hurry. :(

 

 

All of the above is very well said. On the snapshot of PHP followers one of the icons leapt out, because it was a family member's. Well and good for me, because we're on good terms. But that isn't the case in every family, not even every extended family with homeschoolers.

 

This is a close connection with a company that makes its money, not buy selling something to me as a customer, but by selling information about me to other people (mostly companies who are marketing to me, but there's no reason why their customers should be so restricted).

 

I am headed over to tighten up my FB settings (since new "functionality" always seems to be introduced with the user opted in). While I'm there, I will probably have to unlike a couple PHP related pages.

 

The choice to link up disparate parts of a board member's life needs to rest more squarely with the member and not with automated algorithms.

 

FWIW, we started our homeschooling while stationed in Germany. We could homeschool because of the Status of Forces Agreement between the US and Germany. And yet, there were officials on base who were recommending (as official policy) that US families not be outside during the school day or make a big deal of homeschooling if they lived off base.

 

Back in the day of the old, old boards and early days of the recently old boards, there were board members who were German citizens or residents who were not legally permitted to homeschool. The anonymity of the internet (and the board format) gave them the ability to get homeschooling advice and use WTM as an online support group. I am not convinced that the safety of families like this or others who just want or need to keep more compartments in their life.

[Susan Wise Bauer 100,170]

I can see that the FB connection is a hot topic, and we'll remain responsive to the community--of course. If the majority of our regular users don't want a FB link, we'll rethink it.

 

Having said that,I'm going to repeat something I started saying five years ago and KEEP saying.

 

This is the internet. I know some people who post here think that their family/friends/stalkers/random acquaintances won't see their posts. This is not true. This has NEVER been true. You should be in the moderators' shoes for a little while. We *constantly* get emails from people saying, "Can you please take down my post about X? I'm afraid my family will see it!" And *every* *single* *time* that happens, I'm appalled by the lack of understanding about message boards it displays. When you post something here, it can be instantly copied and pasted. It can be cached by Google and pulled up even after it's been deleted. It can be saved in a screen shot.

 

That has nothing to do with this site's security or privacy settings. It's because when you post something on a message board, any message board, anywhere, it is instantly public information.

 

With or without a FB link, that is true of THIS message board. And it's always been true.

 

Queen Zarga is completely right. Check your FB security settings carefully. Don't use personal information in your WTM username or signature. Don't put your picture up. If it were me I wouldn't put the ages of my kids or my hometown. (Kind of pointless in my case, because I'm a semi-public figure and anybody can already find that out--but has anyone noticed how little personal information I share about what my kids are doing and what they're up to? In fact, I stopped doing those "day in the life" posts when my kids got a little older because I wanted to protect their privacy.)

 

FB or not FB, posting information about your mental health, your spouse's shortcomings, your hatred of your boss, or how you'd like to kick your teenager out of the house is a REALLY BAD IDEA. It's just not safe.

 

SWB

[Miss Marple 1,831]

I understand, but we have about 80 to 100 new people registering a day, and they come in through links on google and facebook.

Those links are from members sharing and mainly Google indexing the content of the site. We receive about a million visitors a month from people who are looking for anwsers to questions about home schooling and classical education. I guess the point is that we are already hyper public, but you may have not noticed it.

 

The sharing of the communty is to reach new people who need a resouce for classical education and home schooling. There are millions of home schoolers in the US alone and they need the value that we bring.

 

Strangely I've quickly moved from feeling like a part of a community to simply a piece of a marketing scheme. I'm not going to jump overboard just yet, but at this point in my life, I really don't NEED a lot from the community - all are in college albeit 2 concurrently. So jumping ship won't be a big deal. I was hoping to be able to help others as they are walking this path as others helped me, but I'm afraid that the philosophy or motivation of the "board change" may not fit my lifestyle any longer.

[beaners 1,741]

I think getting rid of the Facebook feed that was shown in the screenshot upthread would be a good idea. I am very aware of how "out there" and available everything on the internet is. Linking to the list of people who "like" PHP from the forum itself just seems to make it *too* easy to jump in and start nosing around other people's business.

[PeterPan 24,886]

Speaking of lol, where are the smilies??

 

They're gone. No one is smiling. :glare:

 

Actually, there is a really nice smilie menu. It popped up when I hit quote and went to reply. It's by the font/size options.

[Halcyon 5,932]

 

 

Halcyon, can you post what you posted on the other FB thread (I believe it was after you posted the above)? You said you didn't log in here through FB yet when you liked a post it showed up on your FB wall. If this is the case, then what Chucki said may not be true:

 

Sure. What I said in the other post ws that despite NOT logging in here with Faceboook, when I clicked the FB link at the bottomm of the page to be sure the thread DIDNT post on my fb page, I found that indeed it HAD posted on my facebook page. I dont know how the two even linked together. Technically, I should be two totally different people as I have never 'connected' the two.

[melbotoast 1,644]

I haven't been able to find smiles on the mobile version.

[Jenny in Florida 13,086]

Strangely I've quickly moved from feeling like a part of a community to simply a piece of a marketing scheme.

 

Agreed.

 

I've found myself using Facebook less and less since the move to Timeline, just because I don't find it as pleasant. I've also been irritated by the fact that so many people are using it just or mostly to promote businesses and causes, rather than to actually communicate. So, finding that the overlords of this "community" are seeking ways to integrate the site more directly with Facebook is not a plus in my book.

 

And all of the comparisons folks are making to how "other sites already do this" aren't reassuring to me, since I don't use any of those sites.

 

I've unliked Peace Hill on Facebook and tightened my privacy settings there. And, for now, my plan is to mostly read here without singing in and see how that feels to me. But, yes, I, too, am already feeling less connected

 

Look, I guess those of us who stopped to think about it were capable of figuring out that providing these boards for free meant the owners had a right to do with them whatever they wished. It's just a little off-putting to figure out that we have now become the product . . . or the bait.

.

[Serenade 2,802]

If I don't "like" anything, do I have to worry if stuff I post here shows up on my Facebook? I have a Facebook account, which I pretty much don't use. I check it maybe every month or two. But I want to be sure that what I post here doesn't show up over there. Is simply avoiding the "like" button enough to do that?

[PeterPan 24,886]

There was one thing not mentioned in the OP. If you are logged into Facebook, FB tracks your web usage across all sites that have FB "like" or "share" buttons. Period. I don't know if they are still doing it, but they used to track users even if they were logged out. Every thread here now has a FB "share" button.

 

Twitter and Google both have clear opt-out policies.

 

ETA: You don't have to click the share button to be tracked, its presence on the page is sufficient.

 

Ok, this is blowing my mind. I guess I sorta knew the "like" here and the "like" on FB were copyrighted and probably protected (not inadvertent overlapping of unrelated processes), but now you're telling me that IF WE'RE LOGGED INTO FB, then it's tracking and metering and harvesting data from every single thing we post on the WTM boards?!?!?! Are you FOR REAL? Somebody REALLY thought we'd be ok with this and ambivalent about it? We have varying stages of technical lunacy here, and you're telling me that the people who aren't savvy enough to understand all these privacy issues just get everything they say on what previously had been a private board tagged, logged, cookied, archived, and tracked into a totally public forum that people we don't like (but who impose themselves socially onto the stinkin "friend" structure of FB) can now see? You're telling me you totally eradicated our ability to say ANYTHING privately here and didn't even give the less technically savvy a heads-up?!?! For real?

 

My lands. We should have all been told ahead of time exactly what was happening and been given explicit instructions on exactly what privacy settings were necessary in FB to prevent this. And the crummy thing is, I don't think it is possible to totally prevent it. FB is NOT to be trusted. I went through everything when I joined and set it all to a very tight level of privacy. They add buttons and options and opt you in unless you come back and keep altering. You turn your back and you've lost your privacy again.

[beaners 1,741]

Sure. What I said in the other post ws that despite NOT logging in here with Faceboook, when I clicked the FB link at the bottomm of the page to be sure the thread DIDNT post on my fb page, I found that indeed it HAD posted on my facebook page. I dont know how the two even linked together. Technically, I should be two totally different people as I have never 'connected' the two.

 

I think this works the same way "liking" a page on a news site would. The social media options at the bottom require you to be signed in with the social media site. So if you weren't signed in to Facebook, it probably wouldn't have worked? I don't go around sharing news links that way, so I'm not 100% on that.

 

I just want to add the conversation, I've had a Facebook account since they first came out. Remember when you had to be a member of a handful of colleges to be able to register? Yeah, that far back. So my concerns are not necessarily because I'm tech or social media phobic and just need to "get with the times."

[beaners 1,741]

doublepost

[PeterPan 24,886]

If I don't "like" anything, do I have to worry if stuff I post here shows up on my Facebook? I have a Facebook account, which I pretty much don't use. I check it maybe every month or two. But I want to be sure that what I post here doesn't show up over there. Is simply avoiding the "like" button enough to do that?

 

And the reverse question: if you *like* a thread here on the boards, will it pop up, not only on *your* FB page, but on the pages of your "friends"?? Seriously I have "friends" on my FB page with whom I have NO INTEREST in sharing ANYTHING I'm thinking in the homeschooling realm.

 

And although there was no absolute privacy, to eradicate that barrier, to where one accidental peck on a button we don't understand let's FB know who we are here on the boards and start harvesting all our info and sharing it with the world, is just abominable. Our discussions that had been semi-anonymous are then easily searchable years from now by future employers of our children, colleges, etc. etc.

 

You've got to fix it. Please. You can have all the marketing you want. Just don't make it such that techno-idiots and people who don't realize the implications are doing things they didn't want to do.

[PeterPan 24,886]

There was one thing not mentioned in the OP. If you are logged into Facebook, FB tracks your web usage across all sites that have FB "like" or "share" buttons. Period. I don't know if they are still doing it, but they used to track users even if they were logged out. Every thread here now has a FB "share" button.

 

Twitter and Google both have clear opt-out policies.

 

ETA: You don't have to click the share button to be tracked, its presence on the page is sufficient.

 

Ok, this is blowing my mind. I guess I sorta knew the "like" here and the "like" on FB were copyrighted and probably protected (not inadvertent overlapping of unrelated processes), but now you're telling me that IF WE'RE LOGGED INTO FB, then it's tracking and metering and harvesting data from every single thing we post on the WTM boards?!?!?! Are you FOR REAL? Somebody REALLY thought we'd be ok with this and ambivalent about it? We have varying stages of technical lunacy here, and you're telling me that the people who aren't savvy enough to understand all these privacy issues just get everything they say on what previously had been a private board tagged, logged, cookied, archived, and tracked into a totally public forum that people we don't like (but who impose themselves socially onto the stinkin "friend" structure of FB) can now see? You're telling me you totally eradicated our ability to say ANYTHING privately here and didn't even give the less technically savvy a heads-up?!?! For real?

 

My lands. We should have all been told ahead of time exactly what was happening and been given explicit instructions on exactly what privacy settings were necessary in FB to prevent this. And the crummy thing is, I don't think it is possible to totally prevent it. FB is NOT to be trusted. I went through everything when I joined and set it all to a very tight level of privacy. They add buttons and options and opt you in unless you come back and keep altering. You turn your back and you've lost your privacy again.

[Spy Car 16,322]

 

 

Ok, this is blowing my mind. I guess I sorta knew the "like" here and the "like" on FB were copyrighted and probably protected (not inadvertent overlapping of unrelated processes), but now you're telling me that IF WE'RE LOGGED INTO FB, then it's tracking and metering and harvesting data from every single thing we post on the WTM boards?!?!?! Are you FOR REAL? Somebody REALLY thought we'd be ok with this and ambivalent about it? We have varying stages of technical lunacy here, and you're telling me that the people who aren't savvy enough to understand all these privacy issues just get everything they say on what previously had been a private board tagged, logged, cookied, archived, and tracked into a totally public forum that people we don't like (but who impose themselves socially onto the stinkin "friend" structure of FB) can now see? You're telling me you totally eradicated our ability to say ANYTHING privately here and didn't even give the less technically savvy a heads-up?!?! For real?

 

My lands. We should have all been told ahead of time exactly what was happening and been given explicit instructions on exactly what privacy settings were necessary in FB to prevent this. And the crummy thing is, I don't think it is possible to totally prevent it. FB is NOT to be trusted. I went through everything when I joined and set it all to a very tight level of privacy. They add buttons and options and opt you in unless you come back and keep altering. You turn your back and you've lost your privacy again.

 

I would "Like" this post, except for...well you know.

 

Bill

[Joan in GE 457]

Having said that,I'm going to repeat something I started saying five years ago and KEEP saying.

 

This is the internet. I know some people who post here think that their family/friends/stalkers/random acquaintances won't see their posts. This is not true. This has NEVER been true. You should be in the moderators' shoes for a little while. We *constantly* get emails from people saying, "Can you please take down my post about X? I'm afraid my family will see it!" And *every* *single* *time* that happens, I'm appalled by the lack of understanding about message boards it displays. When you post something here, it can be instantly copied and pasted. It can be cached by Google and pulled up even after it's been deleted. It can be saved in a screen shot.

 

That has nothing to do with this site's security or privacy settings. It's because when you post something on a message board, any message board, anywhere, it is instantly public information.

 

With or without a FB link, that is true of THIS message board. And it's always been true.

 

Queen Zarga is completely right. Check your FB security settings carefully. Don't use personal information in your WTM username or signature. Don't put your picture up. If it were me I wouldn't put the ages of my kids or my hometown. (Kind of pointless in my case, because I'm a semi-public figure and anybody can already find that out--but has anyone noticed how little personal information I share about what my kids are doing and what they're up to? In fact, I stopped doing those "day in the life" posts when my kids got a little older because I wanted to protect their privacy.)

 

FB or not FB, posting information about your mental health, your spouse's shortcomings, your hatred of your boss, or how you'd like to kick your teenager out of the house is a REALLY BAD IDEA. It's just not safe.

 

Thank you Susan!

[Susan Wise Bauer 100,170]

"Everything they say on what previously had been a private board tagged..."

 

MESSAGE BOARDS ON THE INTERNET ARE NOT PRIVATE.

 

Yeah, I'm shouting.

 

I've asked John to take down the FB share link. We have too many other things to take care of to sort through this right now. But did you all just hear me?

 

THIS IS NOT A PRIVATE BOARD.

 

IT IS ON THE INTERNET.

 

Please don't share things on this board that you don't want the world to know, whether that world is FB-connected or not.

[Parrothead 6,958]

Ok, this is blowing my mind. I guess I sorta knew the "like" here and the "like" on FB were copyrighted and probably protected (not inadvertent overlapping of unrelated processes), but now you're telling me that IF WE'RE LOGGED INTO FB, then it's tracking and metering and harvesting data from every single thing we post on the WTM boards?!?!?! Are you FOR REAL?

This has been fb policy for fb members since its inception. They follow you around whether you're logged into fb or not.

 

Somebody REALLY thought we'd be ok with this and ambivalent about it? We have varying stages of technical lunacy here, and you're telling me that the people who aren't savvy enough to understand all these privacy issues just get everything they say on what previously had been a private board tagged, logged, cookied, archived, and tracked into a totally public forum that people we don't like (but who impose themselves socially onto the stinkin "friend" structure of FB) can now see?

This has never been a private board.

 

You're telling me you totally eradicated our ability to say ANYTHING privately here and didn't even give the less technically savvy a heads-up?!?! For real?

 

My lands. We should have all been told ahead of time exactly what was happening and been given explicit instructions on exactly what privacy settings were necessary in FB to prevent this. And the crummy thing is, I don't think it is possible to totally prevent it. FB is NOT to be trusted.

No, I don't think anyone can trust fb for anything.

 

I went through everything when I joined and set it all to a very tight level of privacy. They add buttons and options and opt you in unless you come back and keep altering. You turn your back and you've lost your privacy again.

 

[C_l_e_0..Q_c 935]

Please don't share things on this board that you don't want the world to know, whether that world is FB-connected or not.

 

 

And please don't share anything on FB either, even in a private or secret group. It's also not private!

Even email isn't private. If you send someone an email, hundreds, if not thousands of tech people can read it. Most of the time they choose not to. But they can. As long as it's typed on an electronic keyboard, it's not private.

[BatmansWife 637]

Sure. What I said in the other post ws that despite NOT logging in here with Faceboook, when I clicked the FB link at the bottomm of the page to be sure the thread DIDNT post on my fb page, I found that indeed it HAD posted on my facebook page. I dont know how the two even linked together. Technically, I should be two totally different people as I have never 'connected' the two.

 

 

Thanks for explaining. I must have misunderstood. I thought you clicked the Like button on the side...the one by every post. Now I see it was the FB button at the bottom.

 

So, now the question again is....if you click the Like button on the side of each post, is that "safe" and only shows up here....not on FB? Now I'm confused more. :willy_nilly:

[Parrothead 6,958]

 

 

I've asked John to take down the FB share link. We have too many other things to take care of to sort through this right now. But did you all just hear me?

 

 

Please don't share things on this board that you don't want the world to know, whether that world is FB-connected or not.

 

Thank you and amen.

[Paisley Hedgehog 663]

I am seeing people's FB status updates on the right hand side of my WTM screen. What??????

[elegantlion 20,808]

Thanks for explaining. I must have misunderstood. I thought you clicked the Like button on the side...the one by every post. Now I see it was the FB button at the bottom.

 

So, now the question again is....if you click the Like button on the side of each post, is that "safe" and only shows up here....not on FB? Now I'm confused more. :willy_nilly:

 

 

Yes, the Like button with the post is specific to this board.

[Juniper 833]

And please don't share anything on FB either, even in a private or secret group. It's also not private!

Even email isn't private. If you send someone an email, hundreds, if not thousands of tech people can read it. Most of the time they choose not to. But they can. As long as it's typed on an electronic keyboard, it's not private.

 

 

This. Ugh. Nothing is truly "private" on the internet. We do our best, we want community, but it is out there. For those of us with FB accounts it was already being tracked over here. I really hope with have not "cut off our nose to spite or face" with this emotive response. Maybe I am just off my rocker, but these forums are wonderful tool, provided for free, Susan has no obligation to consult us on anything.

[elegantlion 20,808]

I am seeing people's FB status updates on the right hand side of my WTM screen. What??????

 

Those are updates done here, if I am not mistaken.

[Farrar 57,419]

So the button is down? Does that mean that for now, you can't connect FB and here anyway?

 

I'm trying to make sure I understand the same thing I think Halycon is asking...

 

I don't mind that everything here is public (duh) and that FB is a sneaky weasel (also duh) and that companies and websites like this one need to promote via FB. What I don't want is for every time I post here for it to show up on FB... Or for anything I post here to show up on FB. I don't care that people could easily find me on both - I just don't want to clutter up my FB page and drive people nuts. That's why I don't "like" things on FB - because it gives them the right to post to everyone's page and make everyone's FB much more corporate. And I hate automatic linking - that's why I won't link my Netflix, Hulu, etc. accounts or play games like Words with Friends, because I hate having that stuff go to my page without my consent every time. So I just want to make sure it's clear how to not link your account and not have your posts here automatically show up on FB. Again, not because of privacy per se, but because I don't want to be a jerk to my FB friends.

[Juniper 833]

I am seeing people's FB status updates on the right hand side of my WTM screen. What??????

 

 

No you aren't. We now have the option to have statuses on here. :)

[PeterPan 24,886]

http://www.facebook....l-plugins��This is the page where FB explains what social plugins are, how they work, what they do with the info.

 

http://www.facebook....p/cookies��This is where FB explains how it uses cookies. There I found:

 

As our

Data Use Policy

indicates, we use cookies to show you ads on and off Facebook. We don't use cookies to create a profile of your browsing behavior on third-party sites to show you ads. However, we may use anonymous or aggregate data to improve ads generally and study, develop or test new and existing products or services.

 

 

Learn more

about the information we receive when you visit a site with a social plugin.

 

http://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=ads This explains some of the ads issue.

 

Lots to try to understand, whew.

[Susan Wise Bauer 100,170]

John just had to turn them off because so many people misunderstood them.

 

They didn't have anything to do with FB. At all.

 

SWB

[nmoira 11,510]

Not quite. Where you you go is tracked, *not* what you do there. The "worst" thing they could do is scrape a few key words from the page you've visited. It's no different in this respect than other tracking cookies, and if you're really worried, there are add-on you can get for your browser that disable tracking altogether. I find it usually more convenient not to, however. Though I do disable FB tracking.

 

My problem with Facebook is lack of transparency and of an opt-out policy. They don't have a good record when it comes to respecting user privacy, and the number of "accidental" sharing breaches is concerning. In most jurisdictions they will not erase your data even after you leave. And I want very tight control of what is shared with whom. I use Facebook very little and have locked-down settings. Yet somehow my handful of "friends" there still knew I'd visited FB because I'd posted on a WTM group there while the boards were down. Did I miss a setting somewhere? Maybe, but it shouldn't be that difficult.

 

 

 

 

Ok, this is blowing my mind. I guess I sorta knew the "like" here and the "like" on FB were copyrighted and probably protected (not inadvertent overlapping of unrelated processes), but now you're telling me that IF WE'RE LOGGED INTO FB, then it's tracking and metering and harvesting data from every single thing we post on the WTM boards?!?!?! Are you FOR REAL? Somebody REALLY thought we'd be ok with this and ambivalent about it? We have varying stages of technical lunacy here, and you're telling me that the people who aren't savvy enough to understand all these privacy issues just get everything they say on what previously had been a private board tagged, logged, cookied, archived, and tracked into a totally public forum that people we don't like (but who impose themselves socially onto the stinkin "friend" structure of FB) can now see? You're telling me you totally eradicated our ability to say ANYTHING privately here and didn't even give the less technically savvy a heads-up?!?! For real?

 

My lands. We should have all been told ahead of time exactly what was happening and been given explicit instructions on exactly what privacy settings were necessary in FB to prevent this. And the crummy thing is, I don't think it is possible to totally prevent it. FB is NOT to be trusted. I went through everything when I joined and set it all to a very tight level of privacy. They add buttons and options and opt you in unless you come back and keep altering. You turn your back and you've lost your privacy again.

[Paisley Hedgehog 663]

No you aren't. We now have the option to have statuses on here. :)

 

Ok. Wow. I about had a heart attack. :glare:

[Walking-Iris 2,014]

Thank you SWB for removing that option. For those of you who would like to tighten your online privacy just a bit more. Go to facebook-privacy settings-games, apps and websites. There you will see a red X. If you turn off that platform then you will no longer be able to log into Facebook from any other website and the two will not (hopefully so they say) be linked. Do this if you DO NOT want to use FB on other websites. This also stops the links between other websites and your friends. I was tired of seeing my friends profile pics on websites telling me that they liked that webpage and turning off this platform stopped all of that.

 

Also make sure that everything you post on FB can only be seen by "friends" NOT "friends of friends" Think about that. If you have 200 friends and each one of them has 200 friends. Just no...Only choose the "friends" option for everything.

 

Also DO NOT open a new tab while you are logged onto FB. Whether a website like this forum or any other is linked to FB or not, opening a new tab while still logged in will automatically start that cookie cache. Then they'll be tracking you. Always log out before clicking on a link. If a friend links a news site I want to read I copy and paste the link from their post--log out--paste in URL. It's slower, but I hate being marketed to and advertised to so it's worth it for me.

 

Also you can opt out of most of your personal information being searchable with Google as well. That won't protect you from your posts on this forum being searchable, but use discretion when you post here. If you wouldn't want anyone to know what you posted here, then don't say it. It's a public forum,not a personal diary.

[PeterPan 24,886]

Not quite. Where you you go is tracked, *not* what you do there. The "worst" thing they could do is scrape a few key words from the page you've visited. It's no different in this respect than other tracking cookies, and if you're really worried, there are add-on you can get for your browser that disable tracking altogether. I find it usually more convenient not to, however.

 

My problem with Facebook is lack of transparency and of an opt-out policy. They don't have a good record when it comes to respecting user privacy, and the number of "accidental" sharing breaches is concerning. In most jurisdictions they will not erase your data even after you leave. And I want very tight control of what is shared with whom. I use Facebook very little and have locked-down settings. Yet somehow my handful of "friends" there still knew I'd visited FB because I'd posted on a WTM group there while the boards were down. Did I miss a setting somewhere? Maybe, but it shouldn't be that difficult.

 

Yeah, that's what I've been trying to figure out. Talk about not having time! I DON'T have time to screw around with learning the intricacies of marketing programs during the week of Thanksgiving when I have guests and noodles to make. Anyways, that's why I posted those links. I'm trying to figure it out myself. As you say, I think the tracking is *claiming* to be aggregate, not individual.

 

You know, I had forgotten about that possibility that something you post on a FB "group" would appear on your page or someone else's page with these feeds and stuff. I really don't know. Another thing to check. I just don't know anymore. And, as you say, I'm trying to find all the privacy junk on FB, and it's NOT easy. I know I've found in the past a way to change who sees what on your FB page, and I can't even find that (such a simple thing!). They have what we would think of us privacy buried in multiple tabs and pages. It's almost sport to them to make it hard to figure out how to change things.

[SkateLeft 1,108]

I have all platform applications turned off in Facebook, which disables the use of that Facebook feed box on the main page.

 

In order to completely disable the integration of FB with other websites (including this one), from your FB profile, go into your privacy settings by clicking it from the drop down box at the top right.

 

Scroll down to "Apps/Games/Websites" and click "Edit Settings." From there, you can disable the integration of FB with other websites.

 

And of course, periodically check your FB privacy settings to ensure that things aren't suddenly changed by new FB "features."

 

Just thought I'd throw that out there in case it's helpful for folks.

 

I agree that nothing is truly private on the internet. As I've said before, googling my name leads to posts I made on Usenet news groups back when the internet was just a bunch of universities and government agencies, and Yahoo was a twinkle in the eyes of two guys at Stanford. Who knew that the stuff we posted in 1992 would still be floating around 20 years later?!

[elegantlion 20,808]

This. Ugh. Nothing is truly "private" on the internet. We do our best, we want community, but it is out there. For those of us with FB accounts it was already being tracked over here. I really hope with have not "cut off our nose to spite or face" with this emotive response. Maybe I am just off my rocker, but these forums are wonderful tool, provided for free, Susan has no obligation to consult us on anything.

 

I absolutely agree that nothing is truly private on the Internet. However, the two were not intertwined before, why am I picturing an octopus? Anyway, my beef is not with the Internet at large, but with questionable and evolving privacy with facebook and sites that are "shared" with facebook. I operate in facebook in one manner, their features color how I post there. I generally don't post things I wouldn't tell someone in real life. However, it may change how I post here. For instance in real life, if I invite you out for coffee and I know you and trust you I may talk in a different manner. However, if you bring your Aunt Edna along who is known for gossiping about everyone and doesn't understand social etiquette and discernment, I'm not going to have the same conversation with you.

[Elinor Everywhere 662]

 

 

I would "Like" this post, except for...well you know.

 

Bill

 

Liking a post will not send it to anyone's FB page! I think people are blowing this out proportion. I've "liked" several posts and nothing shows up on my FB wall.

[BatmansWife 637]

Yes, the Like button with the post is specific to this board.

 

Oh, thank you!

 

Psst.....I didn't recognize you. But I see you must be incognito. Shhhh......I won't blow your cover.

 

:lol:

[PeterPan 24,886]

Thank you SWB for removing that option. For those of you who would like to tighten your online privacy just a bit more. Go to facebook-privacy settings-games, apps and websites. There you will see a red X. If you turn off that platform then you will no longer be able to log into Facebook from any other website and the two will not (hopefully so they say) be linked. Do this if you DO NOT want to use FB on other websites. This also stops the links between other websites and your friends. I was tired of seeing my friends profile pics on websites telling me that they liked that webpage and turning off this platform stopped all of that.

 

Also make sure that everything you post on FB can only be seen by "friends" NOT "friends of friends" Think about that. If you have 200 friends and each one of them has 200 friends. Just no...Only choose the "friends" option for everything.

 

Also DO NOT open a new tab while you are logged onto FB. Whether a website like this forum or any other is linked to FB or not, opening a new tab while still logged in will automatically start that cookie cache. Then they'll be tracking you. Always log out before clicking on a link. If a friend links a news site I want to read I copy and paste the link from their post--log out--paste in URL. It's slower, but I hate being marketed to and advertised to so it's worth it for me.

 

Also you can opt out of most of your personal information being searchable with Google as well. That won't protect you from your posts on this forum being searchable, but use discretion when you post here. If you wouldn't want anyone to know what you posted here, then don't say it. It's a public forum,not a personal diary.

 

Yes, this is what I've been trying to figure out! I found that first thing, the platform thing. Where is the rest? The friends of friends? I know I saw that once, and now I can't find it on FB. And the google thing, how do we do that?

 

On opening tabs while logged into FB, I hate to be hyper-literal, but do you mean if I *click a link* in FB it tracks me and does cookies? That doesn't shock me. Or are you saying when I'm logged into FB and click my own computer browser to get it to make a new tab that FB, simply by virtue of being logged into at the time, has the right to track me? I don't know if that even makes sense. See I'm lazy, and I leave FB logged in so it's there when I go back. (Maybe that's some horrible security breach?) However I rarely actually have a FB screen *open* if that makes sense. So does FB need to be *open* in a tab or literally just that I logged in ages ago and never logged out? And then it only plants cookies for what I click from FB or what I click anywhere in any tab on my browser?

 

Sorry if that's doltish, but that's literally how poor my understanding is.

[Susan Wise Bauer 100,170]

I think people are blowing this out proportion.

 

 

AMEN to that.

 

***going in search of something a little stronger than my morning coffee**

[PeterPan 24,886]

Liking a post will not send it to anyone's FB page! I think people are blowing this out proportion. I've "liked" several posts and nothing shows up on my FB wall.

 

 

I'm unclear as to whether this is the case or whether it's dependent on the person's FB settings. It *may* be dependent on your FB settings. Trying to read those pages on FB right now to figure out.

[BatmansWife 637]

Yes, this is what I've been trying to figure out! I found that first thing, the platform thing. Where is the rest? The friends of friends? I know I saw that once, and now I can't find it on FB. And the google thing, how do we do that?

 

On opening tabs while logged into FB, I hate to be hyper-literal, but do you mean if I *click a link* in FB it tracks me and does cookies? That doesn't shock me. Or are you saying when I'm logged into FB and click my own computer browser to get it to make a new tab that FB, simply by virtue of being logged into at the time, has the right to track me? I don't know if that even makes sense. See I'm lazy, and I leave FB logged in so it's there when I go back. (Maybe that's some horrible security breach?) However I rarely actually have a FB screen *open* if that makes sense. So does FB need to be *open* in a tab or literally just that I logged in ages ago and never logged out? And then it only plants cookies for what I click from FB or what I click anywhere in any tab on my browser?

 

Sorry if that's doltish, but that's literally how poor my understanding is.

 

 

I don't have the answers....I'm wondering myself. I recently got FB to join a private group with my sisters and my mom (6 of us total). I always stay logged in and generally always have the page minimized at the bottom of my screen so I can just check it several times a day to see if anyone posts. :blink:

[nmoira 11,510]

It's probable it wasn't the WTM group (Swellmama's)I used. I forgot I posted to the Fresh20 board while there. No one had mentioned which group they'd seen my post to.

 

 

 

 

Yeah, that's what I've been trying to figure out. Talk about not having time! I DON'T have time to screw around with learning the intricacies of marketing programs during the week of Thanksgiving when I have guests and noodles to make. Anyways, that's why I posted those links. I'm trying to figure it out myself. As you say, I think the tracking is *claiming* to be aggregate, not individual.

 

You know, I had forgotten about that possibility that something you post on a FB "group" would appear on your page or someone else's page with these feeds and stuff. I really don't know. Another thing to check. I just don't know anymore. And, as you say, I'm trying to find all the privacy junk on FB, and it's NOT easy. I know I've found in the past a way to change who sees what on your FB page, and I can't even find that (such a simple thing!). They have what we would think of us privacy buried in multiple tabs and pages. It's almost sport to them to make it hard to figure out how to change things.

 

[PeterPan 24,886]

BTW, this is a much simpler issue, but why does the board screen pop up to active if I've changed to a different browser tab while waiting for the boards to load? So for instance I have 12 browser tabs. I switched over to a different tab waiting for the post to load, and then the WTM board tab popped back into active even though I hadn't switched to that. I need to know how to fix that. I know it's just a setting, but it's annoying.

[BatmansWife 637]

AMEN to that.

 

***going in search of something a little stronger than my morning coffee**

 

 

Poor Susan! You might need to grab some headache medicine while your at it. A nap would be nice too, even though it's not even noon yet.

[elegantlion 20,808]

I'm unclear as to whether this is the case or whether it's dependent on the person's FB settings. It *may* be dependent on your FB settings. Trying to read those pages on FB right now to figure out.

 

 

It's not the like button here. That has nothing to do with facebook, that is a board specific feature. The privacy concern is with the "share" button that was at the bottom and also very prominent on the mobile site. The like button is like the old rep points, but that's a whole other can of worms.

[Parrothead 6,958]

Not quite. Where you you go is tracked, *not* what you do there. The "worst" thing they could do is scrape a few key words from the page you've visited. It's no different in this respect than other tracking cookies, and if you're really worried, there are add-on you can get for your browser that disable tracking altogether. I find it usually more convenient not to, however. Though I do disable FB tracking.

 

 

 

Would you mind posting the name of the add-on? Can it be used for firefox?

[Susan Wise Bauer 100,170]

PEOPLE. Please. The "like this" button is a forum tool. The status updates were forum tools. Our forum tools have nothing to do with Facebook. We don't want to have to disable them, like John already had to do with the status update, to calm things down.

 

All we had was a button where you could share a thread on Facebook. That was it. Now it's gone.

[BatmansWife 637]

PEOPLE. Please. The "like this" button is a forum tool. The status updates were forum tools. Our forum tools have nothing to do with Facebook. We don't want to have to disable them, like John already had to do with the status update, to calm things down.

 

All we had was a button where you could share a thread on Facebook. That was it. Now it's gone.

 

 

Thank you for explaining!! I'd Like your post with no hesitation, but you don't have a Like button. :sad:

[melmichigan 2,896]

PEOPLE. Please. The "like this" button is a forum tool. The status updates were forum tools. Our forum tools have nothing to do with Facebook. We don't want to have to disable them, like John already had to do with the status update, to calm things down.

 

All we had was a button where you could share a thread on Facebook. That was it. Now it's gone.

 

 

Thank you SWB. I appreciate having the Facebook button gone just because I avoid everything Facebook like the plague. I do like the "like this" button, it saves me from having to reply but still lets the person know I like what they are saying. I think it could be a valuable tool, I enjoy feedback if something I've said made sense or was helpful.

[beaners 1,741]

PEOPLE. Please. The "like this" button is a forum tool. The status updates were forum tools. Our forum tools have nothing to do with Facebook. We don't want to have to disable them, like John already had to do with the status update, to calm things down.

 

All we had was a button where you could share a thread on Facebook. That was it. Now it's gone.

 

 

I think people are also concerned about the Facebook feed that appears directly above the spot where those status updates were on the index page, and shows the Facebook names and photos of people who "like" Peace Hill Press.