This weekend: world-wide Facebook boycott
p2pnet news view Advertising | P2P:- Facebook is a strange online entity.
As far as its owners and shareholders are concerned, it exists for one reason only: to make money for its owners and shareholders through different advertising mediums. Whether users like it or not.
But users have a completely different idea of how things are, and the way they should be. They see Facebook as a means of keeping in touch with each other, and forcing various government and commercial elements, including Facebook itself, to toe the line. Whether government and commercial elements, including Facebook, like it or not.
Their latest effort — users, that is? They don’t like the site’s new look and literally millions of them around the world are determined to make their feelings known via a massive boycott this weekend, ie, October 18 and 19.
They plan to turn Facebook into a barren advertising wasteland for two days.
And they can do it.
Among other ‘initiatives,’ including News Feeds to ‘update’ members on what their friends were up to, founder Mark Zuckerman thought he’d hit the perfect solution with an application called Beacon.
He’d use it to follow Facebook users around the Net and then sell the data to advertisers, who could use them to better target said users.
However, the huge and continually growing numbers of Facebook adherents saw Beacon as a serious intrusion on their privacy and forced the site owners to abandon it.
Zuckerman et al are still trying to find an effective way to satisfactorily milk the social networking site, and in the meanwhile, its users continue to be powers under themselves, the latest demonstration of this taking shape of a new uprising aimed at Facebook’s extreme makeover.
Users started a group initially called 1,000,000 against the new Facebook layout. But it’s doing so well they’ve renamed it 5,000,000 against the new Facebook.
“Another group called ‘Petition Against the New Facebook’ has more than 1.6 million backers, while the group ‘I hate the new Facebook’ has 1.5 million supporters,” says Computerworld, going on:
“It’s likely that there is a lot of overlap among these groups’ supporters, but if the largest group contains all of those opposed to the new design, that’s still a significant number of unhappy members.”
Here’s how the organisers are laying things out »»»
Event InfoHost:
1,000,000 AGAINST THE NEW FACEBOOK LAYOUT!
Type:
Causes – Protest
Network:
Global
Time and PlaceStart Time:
Friday, October 17, 2008 at 11:55pm
End Time:
Monday, October 20, 2008 at 12:05am
Location:
(USERS ACROSS THE GLOBE)Description
For everyone confused: It’s simple!
1- – - RSVP to this PROTEST event and invite everyone!
2 – - – The weekend of Oct. 17-20 – DO NOT LOG INTO FACEBOOK!
(You don’t need to be anywhere specific to do this. Simply DON’T log in!)
Facebook’s reaction? The usual. An insincere, mealy-mouthed, effort at spin »»»
We’re flattered to have such passionate users provide feedback on the new site design, and we’re pleased to see them sharing their views, which is what Facebook is all about. We are still working on the site and are committed to making Facebook better for all users.
Stay tuned.
(Thanks, Robert)
Computerworld – Facebook boycott called as millions blast new design,September 30, 2008
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October 17th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
“We’re flattered to have such passionate users provide feedback on the new site design, and we’re pleased to see them sharing their views, which is what Facebook is all about. We are still working on the site and are committed to making Facebook better for all users.” said by Facebook
I think they meant “We’re flattered by the money gained by invading our users’ privacy, and we’re pleased to see them giving up more info about themselves that we can sell, which is what Facebook is all about. We are still working on data-mining, and are committed to making Facebook a waste of time for all users. Just one weekend? That’s it?”
October 17th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Myspace is better
October 17th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
I dont understand why cant these people just quit using facebook? I stopped using it a few months ago and nothing has changed in my life.
October 17th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
You get used to things. I’ve never used Facebook nor any of the other social sites. You see I got this thing against those who want to invade my privacy. Who want to use my data for making money but the key here is “it’s my data” not theirs. They didn’t pay me for the data and I am not willing to give it to them. So Facebook, Myspace, or whatever has never been on my horizon as a place I want be.
As always, when it comes down to making money, corporations and many websites have an entirely different view of what constitutes privacy as opposed to the individual the data belongs to. More times than not, they are in direct conflict. Why else would some sites need 2500 words or more in a EULA? Not but one reason I can think of, to have somewhere to hide the fine print that round-aboutly describes what they really have in mind. Instead of just saying it in print, they have to bury it because they already know if you read and put two and two together, you would absolutely not want their services.
October 19th, 2008 at 11:51 am
@Reader’s Write
True, just do what I do though.
Employment History = Kizer Soze from 1908 on
Movies = MPAA sucks
Music = RIAA sucks
TV = MPAA sucks
Religion = Religion sucks
In short, a person can still use Facebook and other social sites without ever giving up any personal data. Although the data I give up is definitely guite accurate, MPAA/RIAA and religion do suck.
December 19th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Facebook, and the other social media site have become the tool Internet, and Network Marketers are using to connect with like people, for the purpose of finding some who are interested in what they are doing or their business opportunity. It’s called Internet Attraction Marketing, or Web2.0, and it’s being used more and more by MLMs.
Until the next marketing tools come around, Internet, and Network Marketers will continue using Facebook, MySpace, Wowzza, DirectMatches, AdlandPro, and many other, even if they don’t like the changes. They will adapt to the changes.
October 5th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Facebook is, along with everyone else’s, on my SH_T list………Is anyone out there considering paying them a visit on their listed address at 1601 S. California Av. In Palo Alto?