[kwlug-disc] Quit Facebook Day..

[unsolicited]

According to urban legend (as I can't think of a better reference), 
and it seems to have been born out most of the time ...

If you are inclined to run open source, you are probably more inclined 
to be respectful in FOSS consistent manners.

[On the other hand ... ssl is intended to make things impenetrable. 
Perhaps not the FOSS consistency desired in this instance? But for 
sure, you can look at the source!]

-----

Let me ask you this ... what itch is it that Facebook scratches for 
you? That might provide some direction.

Part of why I ask is - apparently a frequently asked question is "Why 
aren't you doing this on Facebok?", usually in relation to something 
that makes absolutely no sense to do on facebook. (I most certainly am 
not saying this is true for you Oksana.)

I guess what I'm saying is, if someone asks me "What is facebook?", I 
really don't know how to answer. It's this 'thing', out 'there', it 
has and does 'stuff.'

So, what is Facebook? (To you?)


Oksana Goertzen wrote, On 05/31/2010 1:15 PM:
> I guess I made the assumption that an open source option would be
> more careful with personal data.
> 
> I was wondering if anyone found a good alternative that they liked
> that had better privacy policies.  I could then list on my Facebook
> page.. follow me to ....  ;)
> 
> On Mon, May 31, 2010 at 1:12 PM, Khalid Baheyeldin <kb at 2bits.com> wrote:
> 
>> On Mon, May 31, 2010 at 12:59 PM, Oksana Goertzen <ogoertzen at gmail.com>wrote:
>>
>>> So what are the alternatives to Facebook?
>>> What do other people like? Anyone using an open source alternative?
>>>
>> First, here is the link to their site http://www.quitfacebookday.com/
>>
>> They mention alternatives, but not the ones that I list later.
>>
>> The problem is not an open source alternative or closed source.
>> The issue is that they have your data, and not that they close their
>> source. And they accumulate the data and use it in ways that are
>> "too creative" to be comfort.
>>
>> The problem is where else are all your "friends" are?
>>
>> Facebook has been the only way that I reconnected with people from
>> grade school (that is quite a few decades ago). So, it has the critical
>> mass that keeps it going.
>>
>> Since you asked about alternatives, I will mention them here
>>
>> First, there is the Salmon Protocol which makes for unifying conversation
>> on various sites/services.
>> http://www.salmon-protocol.org/
>> This means applications that support that protocol will be able to sync
>> with each other no matter what these applications are.
>>
>> Then you have Appleseed, which is an Open Source Facebook wannabe
>> http://opensource.appleseedproject.org/
>>
>> And then there is Diaspora, which is vaporware at this stage, though
>> people gave them money to work on it.
>>
>> http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/196017994/diaspora-the-personally-controlled-do-it-all-distr
>> http://www.joindiaspora.com/
>>
>> Again, the issue is that of privacy, not of closed source, and that they
>> have critical mass.