A while back I wrote a blog post on how loud social media has become and my outrage at Spotify for letting everyone know what I was listening to through Facebook. Well now, my personal life and yours is about to get much more public. Beware - Facebook's listening. TO EVERYTHING.
Facebook's Open Graph App launch event got underway yesterday in San Francisco, where over 60 new Open Graph websites and apps are either demoing or launching remotely. Some of these include, Pinterest , Ticketmaster, TripAdvisor and Foodspotting. These apps can publish user activity back to Facebook Timeline, even from offsite.
I 'Want' bacon flavoured drink tablets. Really?!
Along with letting people know what you're listening to, reading or watching, you'll now be able to share things such as what you "bought," are "cooking," where you're "running," and things you "want" or "love." Share anything and see if your friends like it too.
Facebook won't limit apps to which verbs they can use, and each app will have anywhere between 2-10 verbs. "When we say anything we really mean anything," Facebook Director of Product Management Carl Sjogreen said as he took the stage and announced that verbs like "knitting," "shared" are now a part of Timeline story options. I dread to think what other verbs are going to be acceptable.
I don't a have voice. Facebook speaks for me
Mike Keating (Solutions Director, Techenlightenment) said that all brands that thrive on personal interactions or high social value items will work well with Open Graph. Where this is going to be a great tool for brands, for us I think it is just a bit too personal and it's only going to get worse.
Where's Wally? Oh wait, he already posted his exact location, time and date on Facebook.
Say I share my running route with everyone on Facebook; this is a great opportunity for any one (including potential stalkers) to know exactly where I am and at what time. This is not something I want to tell all my friends, not everyone on my friends list is an actual friend, some of them I don't even like or know...but I've been a bit too lazy to cull my list.
I forget.
Additionally, when looking on Pinterest I 'Liked' a photo, forgot I was logged in through Facebook and subsequently forgot it would be shared on my wall. I don't like to share everything I do, so I then had to go back into Facebook and remove the post – this is just too much work if all brands start doing it!
I'm Selective
I do share things, but I like to be more selective about what that is, I don't want this to become an automatic process when I do something online. Say on Ticketmaster I buy tickets to see Justin Bieber in concert, (don't worry, this is something I would NEVER do), but if I did, I'd never want anyone to know about it.
Or, imagine if I'm buying a present for my boyfriend and this comes up on Facebook? Surprise over. I know there's an 'opt out', but as I said before I can forget being logged into Facebook and opting out has slipped my mind in the past.
Where browsing and buying things online was simple, in future I will need to check I'm not logged into Facebook and then opt out of sharing before doing anything – this is a pain and I will probably get tired of it. Additionally, some sites don't give you the option to register with them, but you have to log in with either Twitter or Facebook. So, despite my best efforts Facebook will probably win.
I don't always share, but I like to listen.
As we've established, I don't like to divulge too much personal information, but seeing what other people share online is great, to an extent. I can get some great ideas from things I see on Facebook, I love to see what people are buying, where they find great bargains or what restaurants they might recommend.
I don't however want to know that they had a shave on Monday, 'bought' an inflatable Zimmer frame (iwantoneofthose.com), or are travelling around Thailand (this is just pure jealousy on my part). Some people can provide you with too much information.
So my final thought before lunch @ 1pm, Starbucks, Queen Street, Exeter (just for you stalkers)...
We don't have enough privacy and we share too much, but get used to it. Whether we like it or not it's the future of brands and organisations online.
Facebook is always watching.
What do you think? Am I being too harsh?
How do you feel about this level of sharing?
Comments (0)