Group items tagged

Looks like Facebook has figured out a way to tell other companies more about us at the click of a 'Like' button. On the one hand, it's personalisation at its best, having content served up to a user based on what they like on the sites they visit. But on the other hand, users are unknowingly sharing a lot of personal information about themselves to their networks on Facebook and, inadvertently, the company they just visited via a website.

Are we using facebook or is facebook using us?

As a privacy alert, the story reveals that Facebook offers Web sites its users' personal information. As the author explains, if visiting a Web site while logged in Facebook, the user's online activity on it will be memorised through social plugins; custom-designed content based on his preference, accordingly, will be delivered to his Facebook friends who visit afterward, so long as they's logged in, too.

This article discusses how 42 states in the United States now have some sort anti-bullying laws. Despite these laws, and EULA agreements of social networking sites being in places, victims of cyberbullying do not often come forward for fear of not being taken seriously. One of the suggestions for combating cyberbullying is the real life "comeback", although it is warned that this may backfire, which needs to be scripted and rehearsed. Though there are no studies that indicate this is an effective method to combat cyberbullying, this should be exercise with caution. Cyberbullying appears to be one of those case-by-case situations, as the victims reactions - type of person they are - how they handle the situation - whom they come forward to tell to seek help, may be the biggest factors in how an ordeal of this nature should be considered. Sadly it appears that cyberbullies - like in the offline world - like to try and collect followers in the online world, and perhaps one of the better practices is to inform people that they should not be participating in the act of cyberbullying another, and hopefully reducing the motivation to continue.

Privacy addressed by Zukerberg. Shall we believe him? Article goes hand in hand with this week's readings. 

No, I don't agree that Internet Explorer is dead. However, there has been a significant progress in the adoption of alternative browsers, which is a healthy way to avoid a monopoly in browsers, which are the gate to internet for end users.  The decline in the use of IE thanks to the participation of open source browsers is acknowledged here. 

This article discusses the online safety aspects of patients who share their experiences of disorders with others on websites like CureTogether.com and PatientsLikeMe.com, though the privacy does warn not to disclose too much personal detail to ensure online safety. The notion of crowd-sourcing is introduce in regards to shared expereiences can potentitally provide better control of the disorder, as details of the conditions, successes or failures of drug treatments are shared amongst the members. These websites offer early warning signs of drug and health safety problems, the user data is gathered from the member profiles and sold to scientific or marketing research organizations. Much like Facebook, users of any social networking site should enter with caution.