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How Do You Use Facebook and Other Social Networks?
Some of the changes that Facebook has made lately to their site has got me thinking a lot about how I use my Facebook account.If you look deeply at the changes made to the privacy settings and terms of service you will see that there is far less actual privacy on Facebook than I think many of us believe.
For a good breakdown of these changes check out this article over at Gogaom – Your Mom’s Guide to Those Facebook Changes, and How to Block Them, with another article here at Mashable – Facebook Open Graph: What it Means for Privacy, and another here.
A lot of tech people, including well respected users like Leo Leport of the TWIT Network, have deleted their Facebook accounts completely, with a mass exodus being planned for May 31. Although I have not gone that far in my thinking yet, but I am wondering about how we use it as individuals, and how we use it as a mission.
Facebook has never really been a place that I have used as a private site, and it looks like I was right to think that way. I reckon that if you put it online you need to realise that there is always a possibility of it going public, either through changes in privacy settings, or through security holes (a recent bug in Facebook allowed users to view their friends live chats).
Depending on where people in YWAM are working it would be wise for some to avoid Facebook. Even if you have your own settings set private, it is very possible that your friends are sharing some of your information thought their applications and with web-sites they “like”. When you activate an application on your page you get this disclaimer:
"Allowing “this application” access will let it access your Profile information, photos, your friends' info and other content that it requires to work."
Note where it says “your friends’ info”, as well as you obviously sharing information about yourself with the application developer. So if we add applications to our ministry pages, like the YWAM International Facebook Page which has over 16,00 fans, are we aware of how much and what type of information we are sharing about those fans? Do we want to put our people at risk like this?
Overall the benefits of Facebook could outweigh the risks, but we need to be aware of them.
What do you think? How are you using Facebook? Will your usage change with the latest changes to Facebook?
Facebook
Something should only go on a thing like facebook if you would gladly stand next to that picture or statement in front of the whole world (people who are your friends, those you don't know and those that are against you.) Things I think about: would this thing hurt anyone (I don't mean in the sense that some people are offended at truth, but is it insensitive or unnecessarily blunt or harsh), would this thing embarrass anyone, what witness of Christ is this giving, is it honoring to God, others and myself? Facebook is never a place to have debates or arguments - too hard to hear someone's heart.
I think these things apply to everyone who uses facebook or similar thing - surely those who are ministering in a closed country or volatile situation would need to be even more careful.
Good Points Trena
Those are some excellent thoughts Trena.
Correction and confrontation are definitely something that needs to be handled in person, or at worst over the phone. Sarcasm and humour is also something that needs to be handled delicately on Facebook. I have found that tone and expression is lost when written instead of spoken. This is especially true for people whom you have not actually had personal contact with and don't know well.
Privacy
Privacy is something that is becoming more and more an issue with the web. With facebook it's usually people getting caught(posting a drunk picture)doing something they're trying to show off or being a troll(posting something to get an emotional response). That can be taken wrong. Google is another company that is dealing with privacy issues. It is pretty simple with facebook, don't post anything that requires you to give an explanation.
Don't Publish anything you want to be private
I follow the basic rule on the Internet that I will not publish anything online that I am not willing to be public. Whether because of exploits in products or through changes of terms of service (like with Facebook) we can not trust that things will not be seen if it's online.
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