Frustrating Facebook (or hoping to)

I don’t want Facebook to use my personal data to target me with advertisements, so I thought I’d turn off this feature.   For this you need to go through Settings, to Your Facebook Information, then to Off-Facebook Activity .  I was surprised at the list of companies who have shared my information with Facebook, including Westpac Bank (not a bank I use personally, but I deal with them in my voluntary work).  Most of the sharing was done last year or earlier, but the Christchurch City Council had shared my information with Facebook, just yesterday.  I clicked on Turn off future activity,  and got a warning that I may then be logged off WordPress and Wordscraper, both sites I’m fond of and that I visit daily (several times daily in the case of Wordscraper).  I don’t access WordPress through Facebook, and if I find I’ve been logged off I should be able to log on again.  However, if I’m denied access to Wordscraper I shall be obliged to go and turn the future activity back on.

I’d seen several references to the fact that Facebook was now offering an option to reduce their data mining, but it was the article by Mike O’Donnell in today’s Press that spurred me to actually do something.

I don’t like Facebook stalking me
and sharing my activity

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Favouring Facebook

Several friends choose not to belong to Facebook, or have withdrawn from it because of various concerns, some of which are outlined in the book Zucked.  I consider Mark Zuckerberg has too much influence and too much money, but I like Facebook for four different reasons.

1.  It gives me access to Wordscraper, a scrabble-type game where I play moves several times daily with five different friends.  It was a similar game that first enticed me on to Facebook twelve years ago, at a daughter’s suggestion.

2.  It gives me glimpses into the lives of far-away friends and relatives, especially my daughters in England.

3.  I enjoy the Memories feature which reminds what I was doing on this day in past years.  Most of these posts are from my blog.

4.  It keeps me informed about current events.  I’m choosy which ones I read, but I appreciate the updates from RNZ and Star News.  There are a number of local events that are promoted only on Facebook, and I often find out that friends who eschew Facebook don’t know about these.

So, I’ll continue to follow Facebook for the foreseeable future.  Do you check it too?

I do appreciate Facebook
and regularly take a look

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Blog Bonus

Facebook has kindly added an “On this Day” feature to my News Feed.  Because I’ve been on Facebook for nine years, and blogging frequently for ten years, there’s something in this feature every day.  What shows are the blog posts I’ve made which are automatically re-published on my Facebook account.  Today there are five entries with one dating back to 2008.  For me it’s like reading an old diary and I enjoy it.  While I don’t support some of Facebook’s manoeuvres, especially re advertising, I’m happy to have them sort my posts in this way.  What do you think of the ‘On this day’ feature?  Or do you eschew Facebook?

“I like to read of years gone by
especially as posts multiply.”

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Digital Disclosures

I’m informed by Facebook that an old friend has gone from being ‘single’ to ‘in a relationship’.  She is a woman ‘d’un certain age’, whom I’ve not spoken to for several years.  Six people ‘like’ this announcement.  Should I like it too? 

I’m delighted to think she may have found a new love, but I want to know more before I respond publicly.  These bald statements from Facebook are not always quite what they seem.  I’ll send her a personal e-mail rather than a Facebook comment.  What do you do in circumstances like this? 

“When someone has had a life change
it’s time for more direct exchange.”

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