Opting to "Opt-Out"

I can say that I've tried to use them all when they initially come out.

No, I'm not talking about anti-aging face creams, though now that I am thinking...

I'm actually talking about new communication tools via social media. Things like delicious, Google Wave, Google Buzz, Digg, StumbleUpon, Twitter, Picasa, MS Sharepoint, Lotus Greenhouse, MySpace, YouTube, and on and on and on. It's a moving target, really, this ubiquitous idea of social media for all kind all the time simply means that things will come and go, and furthermore, people won't care once something is gone. Mashable ran an article nearly 6 months ago that touted the top 10 tools for entrepreneurs, and no doubt that list would surely look different if updated today.

So what the hell is Facebook doing now?

An article in the Christian Science Monitor titled, "How long before Facebook users revolt against the latest update?" uncovers the new era of forcing people to "opt out" instead of giving users the chance to choose, when it comes to information that may broadcast more than you are willing to share with your connections; things like online activity that occurs outside of Facebook. And I'm  not just talking about your favorite online shopping destination, but maybe how often you visit an online poker site, banking site, religious site and more. Unless you go in and set it to not show off your habits and preferences, you very well likely will be advertising for your personal vendors very much like a t-ball teams shirts advertise for the local pizza joint and auto store. That's a tough pill to swallow for folks who think they are playing by the rules and using the tool for what it was meant; sharing in a secure environment. You decide what you want to share. You decide who you share it with. That's the goal. That's what we think of when we use Facebook. That's why Facebook has trumped things like MySpace and YouTube. Even the U.S. Military thinks that Facebook offers a secure enough environment for their deployed troops to remain connected to loved ones.

Until you are duped, a regular user will operate under the false pretense that all is well and good. Once you are duped, I wonder if you will trust again.

I guess that's the plight of all things good and evil. I guess I can live with such optimism in the face of such potential farce. But believe me, I will be listening more for those step-by-step instructions on how to "opt-out."

Albert Einstein said, "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science." But really, how much do we really understand about the theory of relativity?

And I'm not even going to mention what I think about his hair aside from the obvious observation that the man would surely benefit from some sort of anti-aging power pomade,  no matter the cost.

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