2008 Woodie Awards
The Web site seen round the world
Colleen Flynn '07
Issue date: 9/15/06 Section: Commentary
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I am sure 99.9% of the Providence College population has not been happy to see the new additions to Facebook.com. The News Feed and Mini-Feed features supply an exceptionally detailed list of every Facebook action within your extended network of "friends." These feeds also keep a log of Facebook activity and share it with the world.
Apparently e-mails with information like photo tags and friend requests, for example, were not sufficient within the Facebook universe. Thus, the News Feed posted crucial information such as wall posts, photo additions, group entries, and the new friend relationship between your cousin's neighbor and a total stranger. Not only could you be kept posted about this fortunate event for said cousin's neighbor, but you could also find out information about the new stranger.
The Facebook community erupted in an outburst of fury and indignation. People immediately shut down their updates and stopped posting on people's walls for fear of witnesses. Quasi-witty groups addressing the creep factor of the new Facebook sprung up left and right, as well as serious "official" petition groups to remove the News Feed feature. Word around the utensil island in Raymond Cafeteria spoke of the Big Brother conspiracy within these network sites. People with limited small talk skills could suddenly shoot the breeze about something other than the weather or the Red Sox. Suddenly, Facebook had become a "stalker network," similar to its trashier rival, MySpace. What is next: Knowing you got rejected as a friend? Angled pictures and blogs? What is the world coming to?
Thankfully, creator Mark Zuckerburg addressed the community's concern. Issuing an apology to all of the members of the Facebook network, he made the Mini-Feed optional to those who wished not to possess it. Zuckerberg is extremely passionate about his invention, stating that his goal was to "help people understand what was going on in their world a little better." Apparently, people do not want everyone on the planet understanding their world, so he instituted more extensive privacy controls.
Apparently e-mails with information like photo tags and friend requests, for example, were not sufficient within the Facebook universe. Thus, the News Feed posted crucial information such as wall posts, photo additions, group entries, and the new friend relationship between your cousin's neighbor and a total stranger. Not only could you be kept posted about this fortunate event for said cousin's neighbor, but you could also find out information about the new stranger.
The Facebook community erupted in an outburst of fury and indignation. People immediately shut down their updates and stopped posting on people's walls for fear of witnesses. Quasi-witty groups addressing the creep factor of the new Facebook sprung up left and right, as well as serious "official" petition groups to remove the News Feed feature. Word around the utensil island in Raymond Cafeteria spoke of the Big Brother conspiracy within these network sites. People with limited small talk skills could suddenly shoot the breeze about something other than the weather or the Red Sox. Suddenly, Facebook had become a "stalker network," similar to its trashier rival, MySpace. What is next: Knowing you got rejected as a friend? Angled pictures and blogs? What is the world coming to?
Thankfully, creator Mark Zuckerburg addressed the community's concern. Issuing an apology to all of the members of the Facebook network, he made the Mini-Feed optional to those who wished not to possess it. Zuckerberg is extremely passionate about his invention, stating that his goal was to "help people understand what was going on in their world a little better." Apparently, people do not want everyone on the planet understanding their world, so he instituted more extensive privacy controls.