Slashdot Mirror

No, Really. The proof is here: http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6214/1220/1600/ dodo.0.jpg

Published Wednesday, December 14, 2005 by Jacob | Post to Del.icio.us

If you are an active Internet user and under the age of 25 (or 30), you probably fit in one of two categories; either [1] You have tried social networking, but didn't really get what the buzz was about, or [2] you get it, you dig it, and you sit for hours scouring, posting comments and photos, and clicking refresh obsessively.

Everyone has heard of Facebook. At almost 2 years old, it's growth is staggering.

Take a look at the Repeat Usage statistics, in particular and tell me that this isn't a craze bordering on obsession. 70 percent of users return on a daily basis to a site that really isn't all that dynamic. There are no blogs; just personal info, a place to post blurbs on users' "wall", and now pictures. With websites like Facebook and MySpace gaining an almost-disturbing amount of popularity, it seems that our desire for networking has trumped our sound-thinking, skepticism and desire for privacy.

I started thinking about this issue recently, and the question just keeps popping up: Why do we place so much trust in the creators of these websites? Since the emergence of "Web 2.0", it seems that with a simple "We're not evil, try our Beta" everyone is falling over themselves to shell out as much information as it takes.

Stop and think about Facebook for one minute. A 21-year-old Harvard student starts a networking site for college students, and now there are over 5 million users, many of which have probably never looked at the Privacy Policy. After all, Facebook is fun, so they freely post their name, address, school, concentration, political affiliation, friends, plans and even photos in which faces are linked to profiles. Comforted by the idea that this info isn't crawled by search engines, the fact remains that membership is only limited by the ownership of an ".edu" e-mail address (the Wall Street Journal expressed concerns about this, in fact).

What about the Privacy Policy? In the Help Section of Facebook it says, "Facebook respects your privacy. We don't distribute your user information to third parties" followed by "Read more about our Privacy Policy." Click the link and it says oh yeah, one more thing: we just might share your info, and it "may include sharing information with other companies, lawyers, agents or government agencies." This is a pretty typical policy, actually. It's in the section entitled "The Information We Collect" that it gets a little disconcerting.

When you visit the Web Site you may provide us with two types of information: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected by us and Web Site use information collected by us on an aggregate basis as you and others browse our Web Site.

It goes on to explain cookies, etc., but then ends with this vague third mode of data collection:

I'm not sure what that means, but I do remember something about AOL's updated terms of service.

I'm not usually big on conspiracy theories, but I point out Facebook's privacy policy to highlight some other interesting aspects of this company. It has been just a few months since Accel Partners anno

Published Wednesday, December 14, 2005 by Jacob | Post to Del.icio.us

If you are an active Internet user and under the age of 25 (or 30), you probably fit in one of two categories; either [1] You have tried social networking, but didn't really get what the buzz was about, or [2] you get it, you dig it, and you sit for hours scouring, posting comments and photos, and clicking refresh obsessively.

Everyone has heard of Facebook. At almost 2 years old, it's growth is staggering.

Take a look at the Repeat Usage statistics, in particular and tell me that this isn't a craze bordering on obsession. 70 percent of users return on a daily basis to a site that really isn't all that dynamic. There are no blogs; just personal info, a place to post blurbs on users' "wall", and now pictures. With websites like Facebook and MySpace gaining an almost-disturbing amount of popularity, it seems that our desire for networking has trumped our sound-thinking, skepticism and desire for privacy.

I started thinking about this issue recently, and the question just keeps popping up: Why do we place so much trust in the creators of these websites? Since the emergence of "Web 2.0", it seems that with a simple "We're not evil, try our Beta" everyone is falling over themselves to shell out as much information as it takes.

Stop and think about Facebook for one minute. A 21-year-old Harvard student starts a networking site for college students, and now there are over 5 million users, many of which have probably never looked at the Privacy Policy. After all, Facebook is fun, so they freely post their name, address, school, concentration, political affiliation, friends, plans and even photos in which faces are linked to profiles. Comforted by the idea that this info isn't crawled by search engines, the fact remains that membership is only limited by the ownership of an ".edu" e-mail address (the Wall Street Journal expressed concerns about this, in fact).

What about the Privacy Policy? In the Help Section of Facebook it says, "Facebook respects your privacy. We don't distribute your user information to third parties" followed by "Read more about our Privacy Policy." Click the link and it says oh yeah, one more thing: we just might share your info, and it "may include sharing information with other companies, lawyers, agents or government agencies." This is a pretty typical policy, actually. It's in the section entitled "The Information We Collect" that it gets a little disconcerting.

When you visit the Web Site you may provide us with two types of information: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected by us and Web Site use information collected by us on an aggregate basis as you and others browse our Web Site.

It goes on to explain cookies, etc., but then ends with this vague third mode of data collection:

I'm not sure what that means, but I do remember something about AOL's updated terms of service.

I'm not usually big on conspiracy theories, but I point out Facebook's privacy policy to highlight some other interesting aspects of this company. It has been just a few months since Accel Partners anno

I see several comments here about paying the $5/month and hosting the site yourself. Makes since to me, and I've been doing that for quite a while now. I've recently starting using blogging software from blogger.com for my personal site instead of writing my pages from scratch because it makes it really easy to put up new pictures of the kids. However, I'm not sure how I feel about committing to a particular site like Blogger, even if I do host the site myself, as the blogging community shifts and twists as it grows.

What software is out there that's easy to set up that's more of a homegrown solution? I know of Moveable Type, but is there something else that the Slashdot crowd uses?

BTW: Am I the only one who thinks the term "blog" grates on his nerves much like "information superhighway" does?

--Lance

who invented the thong?
Whoever he was, he needs to be bought a beer... that is, before he's shot in the head

I think growing human parts on animals is our best bet (like this mouse with a human ear on it). However mice would be too small for a whole face. How creepy would it be to drive by a herd of cows with human faces growing all over them???

I love my cat so much...I just want to make sure he's happy and healthy (see pic)http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1719/632/16 00/Simbaholic%20034.jpg http://christellize.blogspot.com/

and another example of referrer blocking:

this link http://photos1.blogger.com/img/151/1595/1024/ackba r.jpg you can get to without a referrer, but not if you get there from slashdot.

I've now seen this a few times. If I come into a site linked off a popular site, like slashdot with referrer logging on, I get blocked, but if I come in without a referrer, the resource (page/image/whatever) is available.

tricky tricky. this will stop referrer logging right quick -- people will turn it off, and then lots of sites will be SOL on tracking where people are coming to them from, if you can follow that.

Sorry, you're far from the first :-)

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/58/1396/400/bush%25 20or%2520chimp.jpg

Except on the Internet, it doesn't cost you a million bucks to open a small shop to make some money to open a second so that 20 years later you have a $35 million profit margin and can begin developing a Microsoft competitor. You can start blogging today!

Apparently, He left brain cells out of Muslims. Islam in action against Christians

That's OK, they're just infidel Christians.

"Religion of Peace" my ass.

Apparently, He left brain cells out of Muslims. Islam in action against Christians

That's OK, they're just infidel Christians.

"Religion of Peace" my ass.

Really... Only the first three letters?
I managed to find all six.

I actually used it in one of my paintings.

- Kevin Stansell

MySpace does the best job of 'bringing it all together', though (blogs, message boards, friends, profiles

I won't argue the kudos for bringing it all together. Nonetheless, MySpace has done a breathtakingly poor job on every individual component. Blogs are better handled at Blogger and elsewhere, photos are best shared at Flickr and elsewhere...

MySpace consolidates poorly implemented technologies into a single package, but I have little confidence that good integration is better than good implementation (of individual technologies).

Here's the URL in case you need a little help:

http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16536839&p ostID=112779058558034361&isPopup=true

link, redux

Here's the URL in case you need a little help:

http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=16536839&p ostID=112779058558034361&isPopup=true

link, redux

Anyway, there are several dispatches about snipers, UAVs, counter battery radar, ....

How do you "hack" the terrorist mind? The 1-24th infantry regiment created 'social engineering' traps (honeypots?) for terrorists and terrorist snipers. For example a fake IED explosion with fake US casualties and a scrap US Army vehicle created a lure for both the terrorists and the media stringers ...

The Deuce Four soldiers left quickly with the "casualties," "abandoning" the burning truck in the traffic circle. The enemy took the bait. Terrorists came out and started with the AK-rifle-monkey-pump, shooting into the truck, their own video crews capturing the moment of glory. That's when the American snipers opened fire and killed everybody with a weapon. Until now, only insiders knew about the AK-monkey-pumpers smack-down.

Mike Yon's "Ground Truth" dispatches

MilBloggers

Belmont Club's - a 30,000-foot view of what is going on

Armor Geddon - a John's Hopkins neuroscience grad (?) who gave it all up to drive tanks and blow stuff up - cool video also

Blackfive - a freak who enjoys jumping out of planes

countless others; although Hugh Hewitt gives a decent review of such here

Anyway, there are several dispatches about snipers, UAVs, counter battery radar, ....

How do you "hack" the terrorist mind? The 1-24th infantry regiment created 'social engineering' traps (honeypots?) for terrorists and terrorist snipers. For example a fake IED explosion with fake US casualties and a scrap US Army vehicle created a lure for both the terrorists and the media stringers ...

The Deuce Four soldiers left quickly with the "casualties," "abandoning" the burning truck in the traffic circle. The enemy took the bait. Terrorists came out and started with the AK-rifle-monkey-pump, shooting into the truck, their own video crews capturing the moment of glory. That's when the American snipers opened fire and killed everybody with a weapon. Until now, only insiders knew about the AK-monkey-pumpers smack-down.

Mike Yon's "Ground Truth" dispatches

MilBloggers

Belmont Club's - a 30,000-foot view of what is going on

Armor Geddon - a John's Hopkins neuroscience grad (?) who gave it all up to drive tanks and blow stuff up - cool video also

Blackfive - a freak who enjoys jumping out of planes

countless others; although Hugh Hewitt gives a decent review of such here

Anyway, there are several dispatches about snipers, UAVs, counter battery radar, ....

How do you "hack" the terrorist mind? The 1-24th infantry regiment created 'social engineering' traps (honeypots?) for terrorists and terrorist snipers. For example a fake IED explosion with fake US casualties and a scrap US Army vehicle created a lure for both the terrorists and the media stringers ...

The Deuce Four soldiers left quickly with the "casualties," "abandoning" the burning truck in the traffic circle. The enemy took the bait. Terrorists came out and started with the AK-rifle-monkey-pump, shooting into the truck, their own video crews capturing the moment of glory. That's when the American snipers opened fire and killed everybody with a weapon. Until now, only insiders knew about the AK-monkey-pumpers smack-down.

Mike Yon's "Ground Truth" dispatches

MilBloggers

Belmont Club's - a 30,000-foot view of what is going on

Armor Geddon - a John's Hopkins neuroscience grad (?) who gave it all up to drive tanks and blow stuff up - cool video also

Blackfive - a freak who enjoys jumping out of planes

countless others; although Hugh Hewitt gives a decent review of such here

I think you're being a little harsh. They're pretty nice(NSFW).

Here's an essay about why braces are inferior to tab delimiting. I know some people really dislike them, but the article offers quite a few good points (and laughs!). I thought it was a very interesting read.

Phentermine.
Viagra.
Personal Injury Lawyer.
Texas Holdem Poker.

Well, it's just as good as Google's subsidiary at filtering out weblog spam.

...your real name is Gary Larson?

We have the biggest bananna in the southern hemisphere!

SPAM EVERYTHING ZONK:
http://www.randomdialogue.net/aboutme/basicinfo.ph p3
http://www.blogger.com/profile/10483795

ie
http://www.haloscan.com/comments/whoisdialogue/112 572217193425482/

He must learn that his D&D playing slashdot ruining kind isnt wanted!

Praise the jihad!

First take a look at his Slashdot page : www.slashdot.org/~zonk

There is a link to his blog: http://www.randomdialogue.net/

His Mini Biography: http://www.randomdialogue.net/aboutme/minibio.php3

His Blogger Profile: http://www.blogger.com/profile/10483795

His About Page: http://www.randomdialogue.net/aboutme/basicinfo.ph p3

The rest is upto your imagination!

In the wake of recent releases of Google Desktop 2.0 Beta and Google Talk 1.0 Beta, Gmail now is finally open to everyone. Other exciting rumors suggest that Google may even try to compete with Internet Explorer by producing a product called GBroswer. Other Google features include Maps, Blogger, Hello, iGoogle, Google Earth, and Picasa. Now it appears they've produced a new Google Theme Song.

In my reply a little further down, I pointed out Google's rationale for wanting a mobile phone number.

Why use mobile phones? It's a way to help us verify that an account is being created by a real person, and that one person isn't creating thousands of accounts. We want to keep our system as spam-free as possible, and making sure accounts are used by real people is one way to do that.

If you still don't buy it, that's fine, but that's what's going through their head.

I can kinda sorta see their point. What they don't want is a machine mass registering for new accounts from their registration site, and this effectively keeps that from happening.

However, in defense of the other repliers, I think that asking for people's cell phone numbers is a bit over the line. I wish they had just used something like word verification instead.

There may be some connection with Blogger Buzz.

I posted a response to this "article" earlier today which I am just going to paste here:

Normally I try to avoid these articles, but Sharon Housley's RSS Won the Syndication Standards Battle is one I can't avoid. She claims that RSS has overtaken Atom because of support (or lack there of) for RSS by Microsoft and Google.

Sharon began by saying Microsoft had dumped Atom in favour for RSS. Is it just me or did Microsoft not say that they will support Atom almost 3 weeks ago? She says that Google News feeds having both RSS and Atom is a sign of weakness in the format, even though Google-owned Blogger (and Atom supporter) has always provided a link to FeedBurner for those who prefer RSS instead of Atom. Having both RSS and Atom on Google News isn't a sign that RSS is dominating so much as it is Google providing a choice of format to users. By the way, podcasting is not limited to RSS 2.0 as Atom supports Podcasting in a way that is arguably more powerful than RSS's. Microsoft's lists, another RSS innovation, are also easily done with Atom. Don't forget that the IETF approved the propsed Atom standard while RSS has been fragmented many times by different authors.

With Microsoft calling its support for syndication web feeds, Google refering to them as feeds on Google News and web clips on Google Desktop 2 (as Brad Hill mentions in Google Shuns the RSS Name) it seems likely that other sites will offer syndication through a generic name in more than one format. How all of this can be viewed as RSS winning any kind of standards battle is baffling.

Dana

This may be bit off topic; they got Blogger for MS-Word so that you can use Blogger from within Microsoft Word!!! They have same stuff with Google toolbar.

Blogger has addressed the "Flag" abuse issue. From their own internal "Blogger Buzz" blog (http://buzz.blogger.com/), it says: "From a technical standpoint, we are able to detect when multiple votes come from the same source. We prevent against ballot box stuffing. But most importantly, we're not automatically removing content based on the flags. We're using the feedback from Blog*Spot readers to help assess what the community has noted as potentially objectionable. In the cases where objectionable content has been identified, the most common action is for the support team to 'delist' the blog. This simply means that the blog is not promoted in areas of blogger.com like Recently Updated - but it's still viewable on the web. The content is not blocked or removed in anyway when the blog is delisted."

So for those who are concerned that their "enemies" might use the "Flag" feature to attack their blogs, relax!

Check it:
Keeping Comments Clean

So yes, all links in comments are already set with the "nofollow" attribute, but Word Verification is in addition to that to prevent the comments from being autonomously posted in the first place. Word Verification can be enabled or disabled by the blog author.

A followup was posted on Blogger Buzz trying to explain further just what will happen to flagged blogs. The way I read it was that no blog will be _removed_ unless it violated the Terms of Service, but blogs flagged as objectionable by a wide range of users will be delisted.

... but those are some pretty ugly graphics. Doesn't really sell me on GIMP at all.

... but those are some pretty ugly graphics. Doesn't really sell me on GIMP at all.

I agree with the author of the original article. Microsoft does work. It might have flaws, but what doesn't.

Bottom line is, if I want to get some work done, without a hassle, I will boot xp. If I want to play around, I will boot linux.

Linux is not ready. I have started a blog on my experience and the obvious shortcummings of the so called superior linux.

http://why-linux-sucks.blogger.com/

From the perspective of a guy who pays high insurance fees...

BY GOD! The US Government did something wonderful for the citizens. With a few tax dollars (best I ever spent) and now a volunteer developer force to keep it going in the FOSS community, the government just did the equivilant of developing a free drug that doctor's can prescribe for nearly anything.

It's things like this that will bring down medical costs, not by capping lawsuit limits, or government medical savings programs (which I've seen somewhat in action via a private insurance provider... horrible waste of money if you are a healthy adult, and not very useful if you aren't).

I don't do it often, but I've got to give the government kudos on this. They get a patriotic Jesus thumbs up from me!

Funny, he doesn't look like a minister...

BTW, you forgot the obligatory cs_office screenshot. (With the rest of the motivational poster parodies here

...if it goes up to $6,000,000, does he get to fuck Farrah Fawcett? No, no, wait, let's have time travel first. Better go back to 1975 to do this

Oh no! Yahoo bought something? Are you serious?! Well, long live Google then, because they invent everything in house, don't they?

Dude, Shakira is ludicrously hot.

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/220/1359/640/Shakir a%202.jpg

Unfortunately, these are the Americans that reported that they weren't getting enough food.

This guy is a much, much bigger hacker than that guy in England. Criminoly.

Here you go. No billing address required.

I was waiting for this moment for a lot of time. Google have so many features, but it was missing the page that put them all together. Have a directory, stock market feeds, dedicate search for Linux, email, free blog and lots more ... Oh yeah and don`t forget about google adsense and adwords

One hit wonder?

http://www.google.com/
http://www.gmail.com/
http://maps.google.com/
http://images.google.com/
http://www.google.com/froogle/
http://www.blogger.com/
http://desktop.google.com/
http://labs.google.com/ridefinder/

I realize that some of these use similar technology, but there's clearly a good bit of innovation going on there, as opposed to what's going on at Microsoft.

Would Blogger's post-by-email feature count as an automated publisher? A secure HTTP proxy, like MegaProxy, might be an alternative. I suppose that how anonymous it is depends on 1) how determined the regime is to know what you're doing, and 2) whether the remige is blocking proxies.