Comments on: Facebook Public Search, New?

By: Liz Lawley

Liz Lawley — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 12:15:00 +0000

I think the sudden “discovery” of this is due to the announcements that showed up on FB login pages this week with links to where you could tweak privacy settings.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 03:17:00 +0000

I understand the trepidation on the part of facebook users but I wonder if it's not a bit thick headed. Let's remember that facebook is part of the internet and the internet's primary function is to make data accessible.

In the early days of mass internet usage, back when AOL was all the rage and the world hadn't even heard of in home broadband, it was axiomatic that one did not put anything on the internet that they didn't want seen by basically the whole world.

Did this attitude change because, if it did, I think a lot of people are deluding themselves.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 02:48:00 +0000

Yes, I think both sides are a big deal. I put things on Facebook in part precisely because they aren't world-searchable and cached forever.

I don't put highly private things like bank account numbers and am well aware that it is a relatively public forum, but I do expect Facebook to keep things within the walled garden.

Also, for people who have a personal site and a Facebook site, Facebook should not compete with their personal site's ranking.

By: fred

fred — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 17:27:00 +0000

Agreed. I don’t really see why it is a big deal either. It was a big deal when FB leaked your profile w/o telling you, but this is sort of a news non-starter. Perhaps proof that anything FB enters the echochamber easily these days.

They also talk about FB outcompeting the identity aggregator sites (Spock, etc). Those sites are so not in Facebook’s league – comparing them is like comparing a tee ball team against the Yankees.

By: Bertil

Bertil — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 17:08:00 +0000

I don’t think it’s a big deal for search: after all, isn’t “everything” and “everyone” (at least, most photos) already on Facebook?

However, it’s context-relevant. Not because things will have to change, but because Facebook tells to people something they understand: you can be found through Google & the little box in the corner, or just the little box — but they drive them to the Privacy option page, with a grasp on the challenge. This means they can teach more people how important are these features; I am tempted to believe any problem is solvable through this page. . .