Is Facebook’s Social Graph Beacon 2.0?
April 28th, 2010 |
With its incredible growth (200 million to 400 million users in the last 12 months), and announcement at its April 21 F8 developer conference of new capabilities, Facebook seems to have become, as Chris O’Brien of the San Jose Mercury News says, “the most important company on the Web.”
The most far reaching announcement is the introduction of what is called the Social Graph API, a convention that allows developers (anyone with a Web site or a blog) to easily embed “Like” buttons and other functions on their sites, allowing users to “bring” their Faceboook identities wherever they go on the Web, outside of Facebook’s walled garden.
“With Facebook users comes their friends; incorporate these connections to make your product more engaging. Social plugins like the Like button and the activity feed enable you to offer social experiences with just a line of HTML. The Graph API enables you to integrate the social graph into your site in deep and compelling ways.”
I’ve added a Facebook “Like” button on this blog and it is insanely easy to do. I did so because I see the value of connecting my blog more closely with my Facebook friends, and because I wanted to understand how all this works.
All of this raises interesting privacy concerns. Facebook now knows a lot more about where people go when they are not actively on the company’s site, how long they spend there, and what they liked.
People may recall Facebook’s Beacon debacle, in late 2007. Eerily, the controversy over Beacon was, according to PC World, that:
“Beacon will report back to Facebook on members’ activities on third-party sites that participate in Beacon even if the users are logged off from Facebook and have declined having their activities broadcast to their Facebook friends…(and) users aren’t informed that data on their activities at these sites is flowing back to Facebook, nor given the option to block that information from being transmitted.”
Facebook seems to have been diligent lately in letting people know loud and clear, via its blog and other channels, about changes to privacy and other features. (I’m not saying people necessarily liked these changes.) I can recall one privacy feature recently though that I only became aware of through Facebook wall posts, though these could have originated from official announcements.
Facebook’s Social Graph API will surely add interesting capabilities and a different user experience, wherein users, no matter where they go on the Web, will feel like they’ve never left a Facebook page.
Unquestionably, this could be one of the most important changes to the way the Web behaves, particularly as Facebook is approaching half a billion users and is, as AOL once was, practically synonymous with the Web. Facebook isn’t the only company to embed functionality into remote sites, it’s just the biggest, fastest growing and most influential.
As we all adjust to this new way of doing things, there are a couple of things that need to happen:
- Consumers need to be informed of their privacy options on Facebook, and maintain control over them. This can be difficult, as it is very complicated and rapidly changing.
- Facebook must openly communicate any changes in its privacy controls, and more importantly, report any breaches in privacy, and quickly correct them.
- The FTC needs to pay closer attention to what’s going on in social media and social networking to get ahead of the curve and at least understand, if not regulate, new technologies and the effect they have on consumer privacy rights.
Tags: Facebook, F8, Social Graph API, Like Button, Beacon
| Sphere This |
Joel, can you define consumer?
What about Producers?
Facebook is an excellent platform for the innovations of multi-media web art, as it presents in a way that is accessible to all kinds of demographics, not just those who are art history experts.
What about Musicians? The iLike and ReverbNation platforms seem to have potential as major game changers in the music industry, with an effect that reaches all the way to HD Radio and what music gets played and who, rightfully, gets paid.
Are these users considered “Consumers” on Facebook or are there different types of users.
I have seen a lot of beautiful changes in the entertainment industry as a result of facebook and twitter. Special mention of Foursquare and Brightkite for the magic they help create.
Coming from the school of thought that, “If you build it, they will come,” what are the rights of those who are building new forms of entertainment and actually going a step beyond podcasting or webisoding, but actually presenting real-time Interactive SerioComicDrama. Kind of like The Three Stooges in real time, on the web and in real entertainment situations, like Dueling Pianos.
Forgive my grammar and spelling. I’m trying to put the last pieces of a beautiful puzzle together.
Comment by Cristinella — April 30, 2010 @ 12:36 am
Joel,
a consumer: Someone who eats Cherrios.
a producer: Someone who watches a monitor as the box of Cherrios is filled and sealed shut.
Cristinella I thought that is what D&D is… still kind of 2d. I find some of the stuff on U-Tube knid of entertaining. I just don’t think I am unless, your real board.
Comment by Paul Pannabecker — May 6, 2010 @ 6:55 am
Producer: If it’s not about money, it’s about ego
Consumer: If it’s not about human relationship, it’s about entertainment/curiosity.
The Internet: Enjoy! and Use at your own risk. (Need a label on the package…)
Guru: “Banter, but don’t get too serious.”
Hi Joel!!
Comment by Jeff — May 6, 2010 @ 8:43 am
[...] 0. It is only a matter of time until both the Facebook Application Developers and Facebook Users join together and tell Facebook “there is no taxation without representation” while requesting Facebook both to amend its terms of service for enhanced privacy and allow application developers to rely on business models that are not subject to Facebook’s whims. The sanction, if not understood, is not mass removal of accounts, but blocking Facebook’s 3rd party services when not browsing in Facebook, therefore harming Facebook’s new found business model. [...]
Pingback by The Facebook Tea Party — May 19, 2010 @ 12:51 am
[...] 0. זה רק עניין של זמן עד שגם מפתחי האפליקציות של פייסבוק וגם משתמשי האתר יתאחדו ויאמרו לפייסבוק ש"ללא ייצוג אין מיסוי" ויבקשו מהרשת החברתית גם לשנות את תנאי השימוש לפרטיות הגונה וגם לאפשר למפתחי האפליקציות לבנות על מודלים עסקיים שאינם מבוססים על גחמותיה של פייסבוק. הסנקציה, אם אינה ברורה מאילו אינה הסרה המונית של חשבונות מהרשת החברתית, אלא חסימת שירותי צד ג’ של פייסבוק באתרים בניגוד לרצונה של פייסבוק, כך שהמודל העסקי החדש של פייסבוק יקרוס לתוך עצמו.. [...]
Pingback by יהונתן קלינגר | מסיבת התה של פייסבוק :: Intellect or Insanity — May 19, 2010 @ 1:07 am
[...] 0. זה רק עניין של זמן עד שגם מפתחי האפליקציות של פייסבוק וגם משתמשי האתר יתאחדו ויאמרו לפייסבוק ש"ללא ייצוג אין מיסוי" ויבקשו מהרשת החברתית גם לשנות את תנאי השימוש לפרטיות הגונה וגם לאפשר למפתחי האפליקציות לבנות על מודלים עסקיים שאינם מבוססים על גחמותיה של פייסבוק. הסנקציה, אם אינה ברורה מאילו אינה הסרה המונית של חשבונות מהרשת החברתית, אלא חסימת שירותי צד ג’ של פייסבוק באתרים בניגוד לרצונה של פייסבוק, כך שהמודל העסקי החדש של פייסבוק יקרוס לתוך עצמו.. [...]
Pingback by מסיבת התה של פייסבוק « creamdela.com — May 23, 2010 @ 11:24 pm