Have You Backed Up Your Facebook Account?

The other day I wondered if Facebook had the option to backup your account. I mean in this day and age, you probably have some pictures and status updates that you don’t have anywhere else but Facebook. So what happens if your account gets compromised or their a glitch at Facebook were your data is lost?

You can backup your Facebook account and leave your worries behind by following simple steps in the video below. Essentially you are going to your account settings and clicking on “Download Your Information”. Thanks to Garrett Haas for the link.

See how you now can download everything you’ve ever posted on Facebook and all your correspondences with friends, in a few easy steps.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150292657680484

Facebook Privacy Changes

The other day I logged into Facebook and was prompted with what looks like an attempt at being clearer at security. The message said, “Use this [checkboxes] to manage who can see and comment on posts you share, including ones with location, if you add it. When you change this setting, it will stay how you set it for future posts until you change it again. Posts (including check-ins) from old mobile Facebook apps will use your new default privacy setting. Also, we’ve changed the label for “Everyone” to “Public,” but your posts will still reach the same people.”

Are you concerned that Facebook will one day decide to publicly trade your private information/images? Or are you just happy to be on a social network that is vibrant?

Facebook Facial Recognition Feature

Your Facebook pictures will be scanned for facial recognition. Remember in all the 1990s spy movies where the investigators always had some super computer they'd use to find their suspects? Now Facebook will save you the trouble of tagging your friends in photos and do it for you automatically. Privacy experts are outraged. According to the following CNN article, Google was researching the technology but decided to not move forward due to privacy issues. Facebook on the other hand decided that the feature would enhance their user's experience. What do you think? Is this a good or a bad thing?

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/social.media/06/07/facebook.facial.recognition/index.html

Blogs are Dead

A recent pew study released says that “Blogs are Dead!” Last year Wired stated that “The Web is Dead” and now blogs are passe. The study attributes the loss to the gravitation to Facebook and Twitter. It states that “only half as many online teens work on their own blog as did in 2006, and Millennial generation adults ages 18-33 have also seen a modest decline.” More people are having success posting their thoughts, videos, podcasts, etc… up on social media website. But why can't you have your cake and eat it too?

I am constantly surprised that people forget that Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo are free websites. What do you get for free? I guess if you are posting to free Blog websites, then my point is moot. However, if you are a blogger then you need to figure out how to bridge the gap between the two mediums. The bottom line is that when it's free, the social networks like Facebook are free to do what they want with your information. One day the event will occur where they go out of business or they are sold. Where is your website?

Here is a recent article from the Daily Blogger that stresses “Why brands shouldn’t trust Facebook“. It's not about what's the hottest trend, it's about what makes most sense for your business. Relying on free is never the answer and Facebook is free.

Facebook Privacy Setting Change

A couple of days ago, Facebook rolled out a new privacy setting called “Instant Personalization”. The new settings shares data with non-Facebook websites and it is automatically set to “Enabled”. To disable it, follow the instructions below.

Go to Account>Privacy Settings>Applications & Websites>Instant Personalization>Edit Settings and UNCHECK “Enable”. By the way, if your friends don't do this, they will be sharing information about you as well.

The Social Network

I saw the movie “The Social Network” a couple of weeks ago and I give it two thumbs up! The movie is based off the non-fiction novel The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal by Ben Mezrich. Spoiler Alert: It depicts the founder of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg as a liar, thief, back-stabber, and revenge driven college kid that does everything to win.

I am personally fascinated by the mere fact that before Facebook there were already popular social newtorks like MySpace and Friendster. However, Zuckerberg applied a new concept, the ability to create your own private network, to an existing concept and virtually blow the others out of the water. This is the same event that happened when Google arrived on the search engine scene to Alta Vista, Dogpile, Microsoft Live and Yahoo. If you have a concept for website, you can out perform the competition with a better product.

http://www.thesocialnetwork-movie.com/

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Facebook Account Deleted?

The other day a friend on Facebook had their account totally deleted. He was actively using his account and had hundred of friends. There have been reports that your FB account can get randomly deleted, but this is usually done on SPAM activity. He discovered the reason for deletion is most likely due to not cleaning out your inbox of messages or sending out too many friend requests. They do not give specific details of why his profile was deleted but they did make one thing clear that the decision is final and you can not appeal.

Have you ever had your Facebook account deleted? What was the reason you were given?

Why Is Facebook So Huge?

Are you a Facebook addict? Are you constantly checking your Facebook status on your phone? Did you give up watching TV to devote time to Facebooking? If you are one of the millions of Facebook elite, then you may be able to answer this question, “Why is Facebook so huge?” I started asking this question to almost everyone I know and below are the common responses.

Why is Facebook So Huge?

• Easy to use
• Fun place to hang-out
• Use as picture collection
• Ability to reconnect with old friends

Why do you think Facebook is so popular? Can you add any more reasons?
Facebook mentions on Leading Hands

8 Tips To Protect Your Facebook Profile

PC Magazine recently released eight tips to protect your Facebook profile.

1. Know Your Terms
2. Set Controls for Your Updates
3. Hide Your Facebook Profile from Google
4. Disable Facebooks “Instant Personalization”.
5. Prevent People from Tagging You in Photos
6. Set Privacy for Every Album
7. Hide Your Contact Info
8. Delete Facebook Apps

Read the complete article
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2363178,00.asp