For all you Facebook users

[#1]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/4413483/Networking-site-c...

Quote

Facebook is planning to exploit the vast amount of personal information it holds on its 150m members by creating one of the world's largest market research databases. In an attempt to finally monetise the social networking site, once valued at $15bn (£10.4bn), it will soon allow multinational companies to selectively target its members in order to research the appeal of new products. Companies will be able to pose questions to specially selected members based on such intimate details as whether they are single or married and even whether they are gay or straight.

[#2]

That's one reason I refuse all invites to join such groups.  Thanks for the nod on this one Oldjim.

[#3]

I dabbled with it, found it bored me senseless and asked them to delete my records but think this was the ultimate aim as I don't think its making money from the ads that are served on profile pages, a great of which seem to be these reverse billed SMS services.

[#4]

good reason not to join up.

[#5]

Lets hope it goes down the tube as there will be a lot of good quality server hardware for sale if it went bust and I might be in the market for a couple of servers then.
Not to mention the blatant abuse of personal data.

[#6]

joined it but never used it & have junked the email account I registered on it with - they can send as much spam as they like 

[#7]

I am afraid it is vital to me to keep up with what is happening around the world with people I know. It may not be as bad as Jim says in practice if it happens. I will wait and see.

[#8]

Just be careful as Mark Zuckerberg must be getting desparate as his original business plan obviously isn't working out how he'd planned.
Remember that the site is hoded on US based systems so is not subject to UK data protection.

[#9]

I've already got a whole raft of scatty questions and answers saved up for the day

[#10]

Quote from: dgdclynx

I am afraid it is vital to me to keep up with what is happening around the world with people I know.

What's wrong with emails, telephone calls and even letters?
All these social network sites worry me about possible abuse and misuse - yet another large database we could all do without?
I understand that even prospective employers check out potential interviewees on FaceBook and the like before actually offering an interview. I feel that's just plain wrong!

[#11]

I suppose though as a potential employer you'd want to know if a candidate's hobbies included getting drunk (usually stated in less polite language of course) as you aren't really paying them to do that and then ring in sick are you?
But yes I agree about the whole databse thing and frankly I'd rather people made the effort to communicate with me rather than updating my status on sites such as this or twitter as if you cant be bothered to pick up the phone, e-mail, text or IM then why should I bother.

[#12]

Many years ago when I was involved in industrial relations cases it was decided that what a person does outside of work  can't be taken into account in the workplace unless it has a direct effect on his job or job performance.

[#13]

Hmmm
Would agree with that to a large extent artmo but I don't think seeing the antics of the 18-30s on programmes such as Ibiza Uncovered did anything to instill confidence in employers which is probably why they look on such sites considering that a large proportion of this age group use them.

[#14]

If every time you went to the pub, shops, cinema, restaurant, etc you found yourself being spied upon by your prospective employer checking up on your actions you'd be put-out at the least and, more liekly, angry and appalled.
That's what they'd be doing but in a virtual way.

[#15]

Put it this way also.
I worked with someone for a short time and all she did was mess about on facebook while everyone else was taking phone call after phone call and e-mail after e-mail.
People complained to the boss and in the end she gave the woman her marching orders, so to put it another way, if they are highly active on facebook it could POSSIBLY indicate that ther work is less important to them.