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Me and Facebook

Facebook has been getting under my skin in recent months.  Don't worry, I am not going to delete my account, though I have been mighty tempted to do so.

First, I have become very frustrated with how long it takes for my blog posts to show up on Facebook.  Facebook allows me, on the "Notes" page, to import an external blog.  I did that a few months ago and I loved it.  People were able to comment and see my blog regularly without having to go to the blog itself.  However, the time it takes to show my blog posts has become frustratingly erratic.  I publish something on the blog and it could be 5 minutes, 4 hours or, recently, 2 weeks for it to show up on my Facebook page.  It annoys me to no end.

As a result I have unlinked my Blogger account from my Facebook page.  My blog posts will no longer be located in my "Notes" on Facebook and you will have to visit my blog to read the posts.  I'm still going to tell people that I posted, however, by linking to each individual post with a status update (thanks for the idea, Brian!).

I will also, eventually, delete all of my blog posts that are saved on Facebook.  This will not effect my blog itself, just my Facebook "Notes" page.  This segues into the second reason I am annoyed with Facebook: their privacy settings.  I do not want to keep my old posts on Facebook's servers because I do not want them to be used in some sort of marketing data.

It isn't just my "Notes" page that has been affected by their privacy settings.  I have had to alter my privacy settings at least 5 times in the past 3 months in order to keep my information private.  Consequently, I have deleted almost all of my personal data from my Facebook page.  I do not want to ignore Facebook for a week, only to return and discover that all of my data has been made public again.

I've read some great articles lately about Facebook privacy issues:

  • BoingBoing had a terrific post about the privacy issues in Facebook's new "Connections" feature (located here).
  • Silicon Alley Insider presented a great list of the top ten reasons you should delete your Facebook account (located here).
  • Lifehacker posted a how-to article about deauthorizing applications in the wake of Facebook's new privacy policy.  You applications can see information you may not want them to see  (located here).
  • Lawyerist, a blog for lawyers, points out the pitfalls of Facebook in a work environment and the importance of keeping an eye on your privacy settings (located here).
As a result of my reading and my own beliefs in personal privacy, I have deleted a lot of my personal information.  I urge you to do the same but I understand if you do not feel as strongly as I do about it.  I am constantly amazed at the amount of people that make their Facebook "Walls" public along with all of their photos.  

Let me know what you think.  Am I crazy and overzealous to delete most of my private data from Facebook?  Am I a hypocrite for doing that when I have a blog?  Have I deleted too little?  

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