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This exchange ticked me off: Q: It used to be that I could limit what strangers saw about me to almost nothing. I could not show my profile picture, not allow

This exchange ticked me off: Q: It used to be that I could limit what strangers saw about me to almost nothing. I could not show my profile picture, not allow them to “poke” or message me, certainly not allow them to view my profile page. Now, even my interests have to be public information. Why can’t I control my own information anymore? –sxchen, New York A: Joining Facebook is a conscious choice by vast numbers of people who have stepped forward deliberately and intentionally to connect and share. We study user activity. We’ve found that a few fields of information need to be shared to facilitate the kind of experience people come to Facebook to have. That’s why we require the following fields to be public: name, profile photo (if people choose to have one), gender, connections (again, if people choose to make them), and user ID number. Facebook provides a less satisfying experience for people who choose not to post a photo or make connections with friends or interests. But, other than name and gender, nothing requires them to complete these fields or share information they do not want to share. If you’re not comfortable sharing, don’t. Why should I have no choice in whether or not my photo is public?

Gormo 16y ago
They're pretty presumptuous they are about what kind of experiences people join Facebook to have. If Facebook is a less satisfying experience for people who choose not to post photos, then why have those people chosen not to post photos? If people are unanimously less satisfied without posting their name and list of connection to the entire world, then why do some people deliberately keep that information private? Instead of adapting to their users' actual desires, Facebook is forcing their own vision on everyone. I can't see this working out well for them in the long term. They're trying to consciously exploit the network effect they've been lucky enough to develop over the past few years, but are severely overestimating the value they create and the loyalty of their users.

Gormo 16y ago

They're pretty presumptuous they are about what kind of experiences people join Facebook to have. If Facebook is a less satisfying experience for people who choose not to post photos, then why have those people chosen not to post photos? If people are unanimously less satisfied without posting their name and list of connection to the entire world, then why do some people deliberately keep that information private? Instead of adapting to their users' actual desires, Facebook is forcing their own vision on everyone. I can't see this working out well for them in the long term. They're trying to consciously exploit the network effect they've been lucky enough to develop over the past few years, but are severely overestimating the value they create and the loyalty of their users.