Comments on: Like Beacon, Facebook’s ‘News Feed’ feature was also hated to begin with too http://benmetcalfe.com/blog/index.php/2007/11/22/like-beacon-facebooks-news-feed-feature-was-also-hated-to-begin-with-too/ The Virtual Investor Fri, 16 May 2008 10:35:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: rmuser http://benmetcalfe.com/blog/index.php/2007/11/22/like-beacon-facebooks-news-feed-feature-was-also-hated-to-begin-with-too/#comment-377298 rmuser Thu, 29 Nov 2007 11:08:18 +0000 http://benmetcalfe.com/blog/index.php/2007/11/22/like-beacon-facebooks-news-feed-feature-was-also-hated-to-begin-with-too/#comment-377298 I must agree that Beacon flagrantly violates users' expectations. When people browse around the web, the last thing they expect to see is an unrelated site telling them they're sending information about their activities to their Facebook account. In the minds of users, a site is a site, all of them discrete. The idea that Facebook knows what you're doing elsewhere on the web is frightening to them, and rightfully so. It's even worse that consent is assumed. They could just as easily not show the little notification in the corner, and not show information about it in news feeds, and just surreptitiously collect information on everyone's activities around the web, leaving them none the wiser. Beacon functions more like an XSS attack. That's what people are afraid of. I think a more suitable analogy to news feeds could be made if Facebook had added an API, or perhaps just an RSS feed, that allowed users to embed their news feeds off-site and opted their friends into it by default. That would be a violation of privacy and expectations of a similar magnitude. I must agree that Beacon flagrantly violates users’ expectations. When people browse around the web, the last thing they expect to see is an unrelated site telling them they’re sending information about their activities to their Facebook account. In the minds of users, a site is a site, all of them discrete. The idea that Facebook knows what you’re doing elsewhere on the web is frightening to them, and rightfully so. It’s even worse that consent is assumed. They could just as easily not show the little notification in the corner, and not show information about it in news feeds, and just surreptitiously collect information on everyone’s activities around the web, leaving them none the wiser. Beacon functions more like an XSS attack. That’s what people are afraid of.

I think a more suitable analogy to news feeds could be made if Facebook had added an API, or perhaps just an RSS feed, that allowed users to embed their news feeds off-site and opted their friends into it by default. That would be a violation of privacy and expectations of a similar magnitude.

]]> By: Jason http://benmetcalfe.com/blog/index.php/2007/11/22/like-beacon-facebooks-news-feed-feature-was-also-hated-to-begin-with-too/#comment-368600 Jason Fri, 23 Nov 2007 09:31:41 +0000 http://benmetcalfe.com/blog/index.php/2007/11/22/like-beacon-facebooks-news-feed-feature-was-also-hated-to-begin-with-too/#comment-368600 I don't agree, I think the difference between beacon data and other 'profile' data on the FB news feed is huge - for a couple of reasons: user expectation, and opt-in vs opt-out. When I put/change some info on my FB profile I know its going to be made public. That is what the user expects to happen - and they opt-in their data to be used. Purchasing/viewing/playing/whatever something on a site unrelated to FB, then having that data in the news feed is unexpected, and appears to occur automatically leaving the user to have to opt-out (via a checkbox, from what I've seen). I don’t agree, I think the difference between beacon data and other ‘profile’ data on the FB news feed is huge - for a couple of reasons: user expectation, and opt-in vs opt-out.

When I put/change some info on my FB profile I know its going to be made public. That is what the user expects to happen - and they opt-in their data to be used.

Purchasing/viewing/playing/whatever something on a site unrelated to FB, then having that data in the news feed is unexpected, and appears to occur automatically leaving the user to have to opt-out (via a checkbox, from what I’ve seen).

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