Facebook Offers Easy Commenting Alternative

Spice Consumer writes "Facebook has just unveiled a 'new system (that) lets website owners replace their current commenting system with Facebook's simply by dropping in a few lines of JavaScript.' How widely adopted this new system becomes could greatly affect Facebook's already entrenched position on the web and further compromise individual users' privacy."

Comments

I have seen this several times already

[peragrin]

and all it does is prevent me from posting comments.

Something to do with me not having a facebook account but my voice is being stifled because I am not an attention whore.

Re:I have seen this several times already

[timeOday]

Yeah, I already created a Facebook profile (which I didn't have before) for nothing but this. But I also don't want my postings from different sites linked together. I just want to have the content stand on its own. So I guess now, a different Facebook profile for each site to which I comment?

One good thing could come of this - most sites' comment systems are terrible, and facebook might get it right eventually. Currently, many sites can't even show a threaded discussion, or have no concept of moderation, or (in the case of CNN) don't even enable you to find responses to your own comments! (That's what caused me to quit posting AC on slashdot and get a profile in the first place back when). CNN calls their board "soundoff", which is true - it really is just designed to let people blurt out some garbage and move on, rather than conversing at all.

I don't know how much of this is fixed by facebook's system, but if it becomes a big thing for them I assume they will make it work well sooner or later.

Re:I have seen this several times already

[Shikaku]

How do you think they make money?

They track every like button you click for ads, who clicks it, the demographic of what you entered, and more.

Also using any of the 3rd party apps can open information to that developer.

Citation:

http://www.facebook.com/terms.php

#
About Advertisements and Other Commercial Content Served or Enhanced by Facebook

Our goal is to deliver ads that are not only valuable to advertisers, but also valuable to you. In order to do that, you agree to the following:

      1. You can use your privacy settings to limit how your name and profile picture may be associated with commercial, sponsored, or related content (such as a brand you like) served or enhanced by us. You give us permission to use your name and profile picture in connection with that content, subject to the limits you place.
      2. We do not give your content or information to advertisers without your consent.
      3. You understand that we may not always identify paid services and communications as such.

Re:I have seen this several times already

[houghi]

I am not on it. I even have the following in my hostfile:
127.127.127.127 www.facebook.com
127.127.127.127 facebook.com
127.127.127.127 static.ak.fbcdn.net
127.127.127.127 www.static.ak.fbcdn.net
127.127.127.127 login.facebook.com
127.127.127.127 www.login.facebook.com
127.127.127.127 fbcdn.net
127.127.127.127 www.fbcdn.net
127.127.127.127 fbcdn.com
127.127.127.127 www.fbcdn.com
127.127.127.127 static.ak.connect.facebook.com
127.127.127.127 www.static.ak.connect.facebook.com

Also I have found lost friends without facebook and they have found me because we were really interested in finding each other.

All these old friends were nice to talk to, but it was nothing more then:" How are you doing? What are you up to now?" Other old friends never went out of sight for a reason.

My privacy is much more worth then old friends or even lost family.

Re:I have seen this several times already

[jemmyw]

Since i use facebook i found lost relatives, family, old friends.
Facebook helped me a lot.

This sounds like an advert. Facebook employee?

Re:I have seen this several times already

[Runaway1956]

Uhhh, dude. This is Facebook. Shouldn't it be, "And get off my WALL!!!" (I'm not sorry, I coulda resisted, but I didn't.)

Re:I have seen this several times already

[jkmartin]

Even if Facebook doesn't sell it, they keep everything you ever do. Case in point:

Eight months ago I was looking for an (actual) friend on Facebook. He did not have an account. Two months ago the friend signed up for Facebook. I immediately began receiving notifications that I should add this person as a friend. He hadn't contacted me. I hadn't contacted him. We don't have any interests or friends in common and we live in different states. Our only connection was that 6 month old search I did.

And that doesn't even touch the fact that since the Facebook commenting system isn't threaded it loses all value. Wow, you mean I can look through 20 pages of inane bullshit with occasional @friendsname references? Sign me up!

We've reached Peak Facebook. Everyone that wants an account has 1 (I canceled mine). Yes, there is growth in areas that don't already have easy internet access; but those markets offer smaller growth and revenue streams. Every new feature adds equal parts functionality and creepiness (though trending toward creepy). Facebook has become the de facto internet white pages, but I can hardly see why this would lead to a valuation of $65 billion. I really haven't even figured out how Facebook makes money (other than taking a cut on the sale of imaginary farm tractors).

I could be wrong. The paranoia of Zuckerberg seems equivalent to Gates so Facebook may stay on top longer than Geocities, Friendster, Myspace, or the half dozen other social networking sites that proceeded it. We should know in 5 years.

Re:I have seen this several times already

[Noughmad]

No, just someone wrong on the internet.

Re:I have seen this several times already

[tomhudson]

However, it's actually a HUGE incentive for sites to start using it. They will get loads of free traffic as people post link to the story to their Facebook wall.

No they won't. All the evidence indicates that almost nobody actually READS most facebook posts. Look at the woman with over 1100 "friends" who posted her intent to commit suicide, and nobody did anything. The few people who actually read it (lets face it, do YOU read everything that's posted?) did nothing, since facebook is considered "junk food for the brain". Actually, more like "junk food lite."

Re:I have seen this several times already

[geekboybt]

You do realize you can put all of those on one line, right?

Re:This is already happenning

[Moryath]

The problem with disqus is that I have yet to see a "comment section" from them more than a day old that isn't completely chock-full of comment spam for Thank You For Writing Such An Article I Really Appreciated These Articles And Encourage You To Write More Signed Edward ((link))...

What percent of the world is on the web?

[tepples]

Keep in mind that 90% of the world IS NOT on Facebook.

Your 90 percent figure might mislead if one doesn't stop to consider what percent of the world is on the web to begin with. We have three groups: A. those with Facebook, B. those with web and e-mail but not Facebook, and C. those without web and e-mail. Switching your comment system from OpenID to Facebook login affects only group B, and I imagine C is far bigger than A and B put together. (But I'm in B, you insensitive clod!)

Re:What percent of the world is on the web?

[tomhudson]

It's much less than 10% of the world who are on facebook. Throw in all the people with multiple accounts, the accounts that haven't been used in months, the accounts created to be rented out as fans at five for a penny, and the people who generate oodles of accounts so they can get more points in their games, and it's doubtful that the number of unique facebook users is more than 1% or 2% of the world.

And we can divide THOSE into 3 groups - people bored out of their skulls looking to waste some time, people so insecure that facebook is their ego booster, and social marketing types who want you to believe that a facebook presence isn't fools gold.

This is too much power

[blind biker]

I am quite upset at all those sites using Facebook's login. Using Facebook for commenting is just another step in the wrong direction of giving Facebook powers over large swaths of the Internet.

And we're not talking of a benevolent, honest company here, either. This is a company that will try any and all unethical tricks in it's toolbox, and back just half a step back after a huge storm of dicontent. Then they'll try again. This is Fuckerberg's domain, you don't want them in control of anything outside of Facebook.

Arrogance of Disqus.

[Animats]

As I wrote to the Atlantic after being blocked for not having a Disqus account, "Why does the Atlantic presume to require me to enter into a contractual relationship with a third party to communicate with your editors?"

The Disqus terms allow them to spam you and to send your information to advertisers.: "We use Personal Information ... to provide you with information and offers from us or third parties that we believe you may find useful or interesting, including newsletters "

The U.S. Government negotiated better terms from Disqus. The Goverment made them take out the bad stuff. If your site wants to use Disqus, demand to use the Federal terms, not the standard terms.

Off topic, but...

[zill]

Google can't index a person's wall.

For hilarity, imagine how utterly confusing this sentence is for someone from the year 1998.

Re:Majority DON'T have Facebook Accounts

[hjf]

Facebook will get replaced by the next "new thing" before too long.

Why?

I mean Google has been around for 13 years, with no signs of being replaced by a "new thing" anytime soon.
Facebook is a different beast. It's the first time I see a "global scale" social network. No one gave a fuck about MySpace outside the US, but facebook is all over the place.