What will Facebook announce today?

Facebook is becoming way too invasive. I am getting afraid to log into Facebook and websurf at the same time b/c I am afraid what information it is collecting from websites I visit. And the website is becoming too complex and has sporadic glitches. I'm pretty sure within the year I will be moving onto something else.

Screw all the added functionality.... I'm still waiting for a DISLIKE button.....

Who cares?

I too am getting rather Facebook wary... have been for a while... this year may see the end of my Facebook use as well...

WHAT'S THE POINT OF ALL THESE ADDED FEATURES IF YOU STILL CAN'T SEARCH FOR PEOPLE IN YOUR AREA?? ORGINALLY THEY DID THAT FOR PRIVACY, BUT NOW THERE SELLING YOUR INFO TO 3RD PARTIES?!?

i agree with you Robert FB is way too invasive. If you have the application on your mobile phone it shows FB profile pictures of whomever calls you. It taps into your calendar , reminders or events..That is way too much connectivity for me..They already know all of ur friends..SMH

Who cares what Facebook is announcing next. I stopped using Facebook a while ago. For every friend I've found, I've had a friend request from a person who I didn't want to by found by (ex-boyfriends, in-laws who I cut ties to, etc.). About 75% of the friend request I get are from people I don't even know.

They take too much information from us, and what they give us back is mostly crap. Why would I spend a hour reading notes from my friends and playing dumb games with them through Facebook when I can actually go out with them instead?

yeah, All I want is that dislike button and they can keep everything else. More is not always better.

Best thing they could say is there closing

What facebook is doing is a welcome develpment to social network.

Dislike button! Dislike button!

I would like an option where I don't have to see the icons and junk for all the stupid games people play on FB. I don't care if someone collected a gem on Treasure Island or found another egg. It drives me crazy.

Facebook is dying! Switch to Twitter and 4square instead!

All this big brother watching you stuff is taking Facebook away from the original intent and that is networking and photo sharing. I will leave when it endangers my privacy any more than it is now.

I guess no has heard of prefernces;
I do not allow my contacts aka phone book on my iPhone to synch with GN by simply un clicking that feature on iTunes under info;
If you don not want people to find you then you can just not click on allowing FB to allow google to let people find you
Hence if a Person is NOT on FB and in your area you cannot find them;
like waise if youwant no one to find you via the connectivity between google and FB AND twitter the you set your preferences.
I have no one finding me that I do not want via twitter, Face book OR google, it is a matter of sitting down and taking maybe 3 minutes to check what you have not made secure and un check preferences to be found

Quoting Robert, above:

"Facebook is becoming way too invasive. I am getting afraid to log into Facebook and websurf at the same time b/c I am afraid what information it is collecting from websites I visit. And the website is becoming too complex and has sporadic glitches."

I tend to agree with you. I'm more concerned for some very young people who are on FB (some are below the required age) and others who are very careless and unsophisticated about their online habits – some are going to learn the hard way that they should be more careful and more private online. Parents who are allowing their kids to have FB pages need to monitor their kids' Facebook usage!

SS, you can hide much of the icons and junk. Hover next to the person and click "hide" and it will give you the option to hide that particular game

That said, FB is getting entirely too creepily invasive, I agree

SS: You can. In your news feed click on the HIDE button when you see a Mafia Wars or Farmville update. That will hida ALL updates from that game. It's a very useful tool.
I'd like a DISLIKE button too!

so wait, is this an announcement about a potentail announcement?

The "Place" function sounds kinda scary – perfect for feeding a crazy person's stalking needs...

They make it very hard to un-subscribe from Facebook;keep hounding younot to quit.They make false assumption about people totally based on pictures they luike or don't like.They need a negative button where we can state our dislikes.They refuse to listen to their customers dislikes.They also intrude into your personal business;other web sites you have WITHOUTyour poermission.

I'm with Big Rich. A "dislike" or "leave me alone" button would be helpful.

There is already a dislike button of sorts. Anything you don't want to see on your news feed (particular person, stupid game updates, etc...) can be hidden. Hover over the post in the top right portion of it. A Hide button appears. You can hide the person altogether or just a particular type of post...

to SS:

You can just get status updates from your friends and skip all the notices from the games they are playing. On the left hand side of your FB page, click on Friends, then click on Status Updates, you then will only see real status updates and no game updates.

Chancie – Not everybody that we keep in touch with live next to us.

SS – There is an option ... it's called the HIDE link next to a post. It gives you the option of hiding that person or all messages from that particular application.

i wish they would still require a college email address. I have no desire to befriend extended family members and the like. If you simply decline their friend request, the next time you see them they want to know why. I know I'm probably in the minority, though.

Let's be real already. As "Dislike" button would cause hard feelings between "friends". If someone "disliked" something that was personal to me or a picture I posted I would really be annoyed. I would remove the person immediately from my list.

People are going to have to learn to be more savvy about using the Facebook preferences. The majority of people who use an ATM know to stand where you can't be watched, or don't go up to one if others are hanging around it. Likewise, it's going to have to become second nature to occasionally look at the privacy settings on your social networks and make sure you're only giving out what you choose to. It's not Facebook's fault, as long as they make opt-out provisions available. If they don't, then that's another issue.

Why are so many of you complaining about FB. If your not a crook or member of the mafia I would not worry about invasive. You obviously don't know about setting. In fact why are you commenting? You whould be somewhere else. For me I have re-connected with a lot of friends including one from 49 years ago. Thank you FB.

I like to watch the chat & blogs, and just leave myself logged in. I am very discouraged that people can see when I'm logged on and will initial chats with me, we need an invisible setting !

Facebook is a stalkers manual tool. It's pretty lame. I mean, you got people texting through their mobile phones through facebook now. Pretty soon everyone in the world will quit talking on their cell phones. Also what is the point with the privacy blocking info when I thought Face Book is a tool to find others? lol How will family members find other family members if they're privacy is set for them not to be found in searches?

Myspace when it came out was the best. At least you could have fun building a web page and let whoever on your page and play music on your site.

@ Steph I – obviously your speech, grammar and spelling have been adversely affected by your addiction to social networking. Just the kind of people we want filling the job market!

Looks like the votes are in, only Facebook isn't listening. Definitely becoming too invasive and waaaaay too much junk & stupid games. I'm still waiting for them to announce fees for Facebook. It's inevitable.

Way to ruin a good thing, FB!

Facebook tracks the same cookies as any other marketing or advertising service does. Even CNN is tracking the sites you are visiting to better display advertisements so marketers can reach out to the markets their products have a fit for. The information gathered is keywords from other sites and your general locale. The website is the publisher and they sell space just like billboards. Instead of waiting months for compiled data to better market, it is done instantly.

There are many security features and help available to use them. Facebook goes out of their way to protect the privacy of it's users along with the privacy of minors. Facebook even went as far as blocking user profiles from their own employees to ensure everyone has the same experience.

Facebook is free and must continue generating revenue through advertisements so it can continue to be free. If you don't like it then leave it. However, there are not many social media websites that keep everything as tied together as they do. For a start up venture, I believe they are doing quite well outside of latency issues which are brought on by high demand from it's site.

Facebook in my eyes is slowly but surely taking over the world. It allows people to be in every aspect of your personal, social, and professional life. I believe it is getting out of hand. Using your phones GPS so people can see where you are at all times is overboard! Lets be realistic people! People don't need to be up each others asses 24/7 this is getting ridiculous. The website started as a harmless social network for people to talk with friends, close and far, and to share photos with one another. Now it is inching it's way into every inch of your life. It's ridiculous! End of story.

Ok, people I'm sorry that I have to agree and disagree on some things. But mainly, my comment is that FB helped me to connect with relatives that I never knew about that live from east to west coast. It also helped me re-connect with long lost friends and family. I agree that we don't need to see updates about game status', etc, and parents kids under the age of 18 really don't need to be on FB AT ALL! And they sure as heck don't need a "place" button. Don't we have enough rapist, murderers, child molesters and pediphiles in the world today!!!!!! This started out as a great social networking site and I'm afraid that if they don't find away to clean it up and get it under control it will be in the "where are they now" site pile!

DISLIKE!!

I agree with DeDe. What people are complaining about are things that can be fixed with changes to settings and preferences. Spend a little more time looking to see how you can change things and less time complaining. But then again, some people shouldn't be allowed to wander out in the big scary world of the internet.

facebook is getting way too invasive like others are saying.

I have family who are completely computer illiterate, who follow what I do/say on facebook.

Short of blocking everyone but your friends on facebook, you have no privacy. They need to make it much more customizable for privacy.

Kim – There is an invisible setting for chat. Just click on the chat box, then click 'options" and select 'go offline'. You stay logged into FB, but no one can see/initiate chats with you.

The addition of a "locator" that lets people on Facebook track where you are is a potentially dangerous thing. I've seen multiple news reports where people were burglarized because they posted that they were going out to dinner or something and their "friends" and/or anyon who could access their page knew they weren't home. But that's if you're stupid enough to advertise the fact that you're away from home and if you either make your page public or are ego-driven enough to drive up your friend count by adding "friends" you don't know that well. But if this feature were automatic...that's not a good thing.

"anyone", sorry about that.

Facebook has been the source of so much personal turmoil for me ever since I opened an account. I was more or less forced into it by my friends. I used to get phone calls from people who had my number or messages from people who added me that I hadn't talked to in ten years. That's all fine and well, but when you get these calls at 2AM and it's a "friend" snapping on you because you went out to a place close to them and didn't invite them to that movie when, incidentally, it was a date, it just gets all too creepy. I'm constantly stalked and not by girls who like me. I'm stalked by "friends" who know my every move based on status updates, a photo someone posts of me or a comment someone makes. Once I heard rumour of Facebook adding a places feature that uses your phone's GPS, I figured it was time to jump ship. I had 340 "friends". And yes, I do remember ever last one of them from school, work and in passing. I decided to delete the one I had no interest in dealing with and I ended up with 26 "friends" on my profile. They all have my phone number and eMail. After seeing that South Park episode where Stan goes through hell because of Facebook, I finally deleted my account. No more guilt trips from "friends" about leaving. I've been Facebook free for seven days. I missed it the first two days. Now I feel like I'm a little less spied on!

Personally, I think this invasive feature know as "places", whether it can be "disabled" or not, will be a heavy Facebook killer and, eventually, make the blasted site extinct!

Thanks to my experiences with Facebook, I'll never join another social networking site as long as I live.

@Kim–when you turn off chat, you are invisible to others. You can read their wall posts, but they can't see you are online. However, you can't see who is online either. That's only fair–

I LOVE FACEBOOK~~come on guys...there is nothing that can be told that you don't put out there to begin with, you know. You are a fool to put any information out there that could be used against you in whatever way.
I use Facebook for what it is intended for...ENTERTAINMENT!!
I mean for Gods sake would you go on TV or Radio and tell the stuff you
people put on Facebook? OF course not......so why do it on Facebook?!

If your kids are ALLOWED on Facebook...you should monitor your kids page and wall. My kids is my friend so I can see everything he posts. I also have his profile bocked to FRIENDS ONLY>this way he only talks to the PEOPLE HE KNOWS. COME one PEOPLE this is not rocket science!! Parents still have to DO THEIR JOB!

THANKS FACEBOOK – I THINK YOUR GRRRREAT!!

Who cares what FaceBook is announcing next.

What I get out of this is, from now on you should always log out of Facebook before you leave the site, unless you want it spying on you wherever you go and whatever you do on the web.

Use the settings people! Everything that people are complaining about can be resolved in settings or hiding what you don't want to see. For example, I hate all the game updates. I hide them and don't see a single one. I have not been available online for chat in months. It's easy to take yourself offline. You have to learn to use settings with any application or program. The same will be true with any new features like location. If you don't want people to know where you are don't use the feature. It can be very useful to some of us so I am all for more features. Options are always good if you know how to use them.

Facebook has privacy settings. You can set your privacy level so high that even if someone searched your name, YOUR profile wouldn't show up in the search. If you are that wary about Facebook becoming some kind of international spy agency then just don't use it.

I wish they would announce that Facebook is shutting down.

The best thing Facebook could do, in my opinion, is ramp up its search feature for finding friends. I've moved around quite a bit and it's very difficult (if not impossible in some cases) to locate old friends that have common names. Even Myspace, when I used it, had a better search function – at least you could limit your search to a geographical area or an age range, male/female, etc.. I'm blown away by how inept Facebook's search feature is.

For anyone that doesn't like the "places" feature, or anything else for that matter, don't participate. You can block yourself so you don't show up in Google searches, you can block specific people so they can't find you even on Facebook, you can keep your profile pretty locked down, and you can hide people or games easily. The ability is there to customize what you see quite readily, if people only look. Personally, I think having a "places" feature is walking a shaky line. People (thinking teens in particular here) are not going to be careful with that and as others have mentioned, it has the potential to be a great tool for molesters and stalkers. But, you can choose not to use it at all, so if you're worried about it, opt out of it, which is what I will be doing.

i'm going 2 like webbook, i guess

Why would you want people to know where you are all the time? People step away from the computers and phones and enjoy life sometimes. You don't need to be on call 24/7 with your friends. I swear people are starting to turn phones into a second job.

I nearly was hacked yesterday by a FB posting from a friend. It was about a video that I was supposedly in and I was to click on a "YouTube" link. But when you click on the link it unleashes a virus that then sends the same message to all of your contacts in FB. Luckily my Norton Antivirus 360 stopped the virus before it attacked my computer. I am also getting bogus notices that are nothing more than spam ads. I am ready to drop FB and all other similar sites as they are no longer safe.

I finally realized I did not like the sociology experiment that FB had become for me. It is the ultimate time waster, and I've cut down. Realize though that deactivating your account only puts people on "hold" until you log back in again, ~ your account does not really go away ~ I defriended almost everyone and am much happier. It is a great way to keep in touch...but I realized I've moved on from most of these people in the past for a reason. Nice to say hello...but see you at the next reunion.

Facebook is a great social networking site. If you feel it's invasive, take a look at your security settings. Also, just limit the information you want to give out about yourself. You don't have to post much information at all in your info page, plus you can hide it. If you're worried about the cookies getting left behind, clean out your cookies folder. Tehre's a lot you can do to protect yourself and still enjoy the benefits of the site.

They need to bring back the "FAN" button this "Like" button for these different pages are rediculous.. Bring back the "Fan" button!!!!!!

@ Anti-Microsoft – I don't have my phone number or address on the Info page of my Facebook profile. And I don't receive calls, mail or unexpected visits from anyone. The people who I want to have my information have it, so maybe you simply placed too much personal information on your profile. You may have known everyone who was your Facebook friend from high school, etc, but how well do you actually "KNOW" them? Leave phone numbers and addresses off of your Info page and you won't have problems like you're describing, unless your friends aren't really your friends after all... Common courtesy would dictate that if someone asks one of your friends for your phone number, your friend should ask you first if it's OK to give it out. Unless common courtesy has become extinct. Oh wait, never mind, it has.

DELETE

@ Anti-Microsoft.

Seriously... you saw the episode of South Park... now go back and read your complaints... and you mean to tell me you don't feel ashamed at yourself for taking this crap so seriously, and you don't realize that the people that bugged you on FB are actually pretty f'n dumb and possibly not-so-well-adjusted themselves?

I understand the annoyance you have... but I don't get how its all facebook's fault. Its PEOPLE'S fault... people are f'n strange and take crap like this too far.

i like all these comments regarding the privacy options. i'm being sarcastic. the fact of the matter is that the privacy settings should be an "opt in". it would be better for the default to keep your information private and have you "opt in" to what information you want publicly broadcasted. but in my opinion, the defaults are to share all your info and you have to find the privacy option to "opt out". a new facebook user would not know of these "opt out" options. the live-eat-and-breathe user would. and that is scary. but like others said, those who don't like it will stop using facebook. heck, i loved it when it first came out, but now i haven't posted a thing to in over 8 months after it got too complicated.

I hope they add an adult section! Giggity!

Yes, I think I would have been the first "Facebook Divorce". It's no place for married people who have connected with ex's and other bulls***!!!!

DISLIKE BUTTON!!!!

One last note: hacking, viruses, facebook not safe = You have too many "NOT REAL" friends. Instead of using FB as some playground where you can be friends with your grandma, Batman and Elvis Pressley... keep it to people you really know, the people you really want to keep in touch and communicate with. Too many of you are lonely and seek attention and that's why you have so many damn friends and post stupid crap all day long. Facebook is not therapy, its only going to make you lonelier.

I find Facebook and all this technology very interesting. However, I personally wouldn't want anyone, even my friends, to have my GPS location, or to know when I "check into" restaurants etc. While there are numerous privacy settings, majority of people don't know how to use them, or that they even exist. I can only hope that this won't invite predators and stalkers... that is the first thing that comes to mind when reading this article.

I will stick to using Facebook when I am at home and bored, not as a tool to tell everyone my wherabouts when I'm not at home. I feel that being mysterious is much more interesting, but to each their own.

Yeah.. reminds of that one time when I logged in to a website....... what no reminescing scene?? Whats gives!?

Most people I know spend WAY too much time on this site. I tire of hearing about what someone had to eat. You shouldn't have to click to hide someones Mafia wars score... you should have to click to ACCEPT it. And then there's the selling of your name to advertisers. Anyone getting a Tony Roma's ad in spanish? That you can't unsubscribe to? Ever post a comment on a website that can only be sent through Facebook? Then it shows up on your page and no one knows what you are talking about? I predict that this site will become more and more intrusive, all the while posing as a benign networking site.

Facebook has been making changes to its site for over a year now that I haven't agreed with. I dislodged myself from Facebook and I'm happy to say that my life is so much less dramatic. Any my computer has little to no viruses!

The more they open FB the more acceptable to "hackers" it becomes!! I know, it happened to me! They can so "No, not FB", but the information that was hacked was only on FB.......

Yes, click on the hide button to get from getting all the games....

Regarding the post from ss:April 21st, 2010 11:30 am ET

I would like an option where I don't have to see the icons and junk for all the stupid games people play on FB.

There is a "Hide" function where you can hide all posts from games or applications that you don't care about. I use it all the time.

June, Owens, you obviously have very little tolerance for people. So what if grammar and spelling is a bit off? It's the message that's important. Just because someone has an issue with typing and/or spelling, it doesn't make them dumb. Have you ever heard of learning disabilities? Perhaps you, yourself, have ADHD since you can't seem to concentrate on the subject at hand, and only want to pick on others' spelling/grammar/typing abilities.

Now, on to the subject at hand: Facebook has several settings you can select to choose your level of privacy. I, myself, had a stalker ex, so I simply selected the most private settings there are and also asked Facebook to ban them from seeing anything having to do with me. If you search for me, you won't even see my picture on my profile. ALL my info is for Friends Only. I am not in the least worried about what info Facebook collects about me. If they want to know where I work, if I'm in a relationship, my age, if I spent time in Mexico with my boyfriend, if I just painted my hallway, or even what other sites I visited, who cares? What is the worst they can do? Take away my birthday?

I used FB to reconnect with many old friends & some family I hadn't been in contact with. While I do agree that things appear to be broadcasted over the FB network, there are privacy settings for virtually every aspect of FB. You just need to take a little time to READ and check off the settings you choose.

Oh and I do play Mafia Wars, Farmville & Farmtown. I have grouped my "real" friends & family into a separate list because I have over 4,000 "friends" that I play the games with. My "Friends & Family" group does not see any of the gaming updates. It's all quite simple, really.

If you have nothing to do but comment on how much you DISLIKE FB or disagree with what it's all about, close your account and be done with it! Quit whining people!

If you think you have any real privacy to begin with, you live in a dream world. Wake up, get over your little "My info is SO secret!" complex, and get with the open modern movement... transparency in living is the future, not secreted coveys of personal info. If they want your info – they will get it (or are you actually naive enough to think that just because there are 'rules' in place to protect you, they are adhered too? if so, I'm so so sad for you).

You all need to stop complaining about privacy. Adjust the settings. Still waiting for the DISLIKE BUTTON though!

Never ever post your email address, phone number or physical address on any social working network or any network that shares such information. If you want someone to have your phone number send it to them in a private email. Never let anyone know you are going to be away from your home for any extended period of time, even if it is to go to the grocery. Check your privacy settings, do not let anything be viewed by everyone. I think the places feature is opening up a bag of worms. You have to be smart to use these sites. If you have friends and family who don't know what they are doing, educate them. You can hide anything you want on your home page, if someone makes a comment you don't like on your post, just delete it and don't get into an argument. If someone is giving you a hard way to go and they don't take the hint, delete them as a friend. Facebook keeps changing but they don't pay attention to the people on FB and what they want.

Why is everyone complaining about the privacy issue? Nobody is forcing you to use any social networking at all, in addition you have privacy options on Facebook. I use it for fun. Plain and simple.

I deleted my account a month ago and couldn't be happier! Those same drama idiots you had in high school tracked you down, became your friend, then spewed thier drama online for everyone to see. EMBARASING!! And I agree, no, I do not care if you need a shiv to whack someone on mafia wars! Oh no, you've had a lost cow wander onto your farm. Really? I mean REALLY? I've heard now that you can stalk people on there? Be notified when certain people do everything short of peeing (unless they announce they are doing so on their status). My girlfriends call it "stalker status", I call it sad.

Maybe if more time and effort was spent teaching the kids to play outside instead of sitting infront of the CPU or TV, this kind of useless information wouldn't be posted for comment!

I will never join a social network... If someone needs to know where I am, they can call me.

As a way to connect with friends and acquaintances, or get the word out about a personal project, FB is fine.

Unfortunately, the folks at FB are not providing a service out of the goodness of their hearts, they're doing it for the dinero.

When the time comes that I cannot control FB access to my private information, that's when Craig Holm finds (or starts) another social network service.

Everyone! While I certainly agree that FB is slowly but surely becoming entirely too invasive, there are ways to protect your privacy and hide almost anything you don't want to see! Take a moment now and go to your privacy settings and block/hide applications/games/etc that you don't wish to see. I can't believe people still don't know you can block your profile from the public! Additionally, "Kim" mentioned wanting to be invisible to the chat function and you most certainly can change that too. Hover over the chat feature and you'll see the options.

Still, if FB doesn't cease and desist with their obsessive need to force FB users to be integrated with web functions, advertisements, and other exposing tactics, I will also say sayonnara to FB without a flinch.

I'd like to see more useful privacy options – I have an estranged relative on my list of friends, and I'm able to mask certain things, but I can't hide my friends posts on my wall from that person. I don't mind my statuses being seen, but I'd rather not let my friends comments on my statuses be seen by every one, allowing me to protect my friends privacy somewhat via my page.

Too much junk on there; too much of everything! It makes my head spin. I'm thinking about quitting too!

Hmmm Do all of you who compalin that facebook is too invasive not realize that the app is only as invasive as you allow it to be. I get an alert on my phone when someone send me a message. if i chhose to reply then that's my choice! I see no need to chain myself to facebook by logging in from my phone, uploading ridiculous pictures of my every move or share mye very thought with my circle of friends and acqauintances!
Guess that's why I don't have that problem!

[...] What's Coming Up at Facebook's F8 Conference [...]

why would you want a dislike button?
if you dont like somthing just keep it yo yourself, danngggg
or leave a comment on the (comment, picture, post) that say "Dislike"

Facebook is for people who have no real life. It is for people who who spend most of their time on the internet at work rather than giving their boss a day's work for a day's pay.

Sounds like they are getting ready to start charging for using Facebook.

The best thing to come from facebook.com is lamebook.com

@slen:

Sure, if someone wants my information bad enough, such as phone #, address, place of work, etc. they can get it. But why make it any easier by posting personal info on facebook? That is just inviting danger. Not to mention the additional facts that people can find out about you – your wherabouts and GPS location, the salad you ate for lunch. These are new tools for predators which weren't available until this new wave of technology.

And for those who enjoy posting their personal information on facebook - to each their own, but I just can't feel sorry for you if it gets you into trouble.

All in all just use common sense people.

Myspace died long ago, Facebook took over, Twitter is useless and boring, the end.

Will this make it easier for me to stalk teenage girls?

Facebook generates enough revenue that I doubt they would ever begin to charge users. If they did, anyone under (is it 18 or 21?) do not have credit cards and would cease to use it, unless of course their parents were willing to pay for it, which I doubt. Another "free" networking website would take its place... I am not concerned.

Take all these stupid games off of there it is very annoying and I don't care about somebody sending me a hug or a drink every five minutes.

I want a social networking site that nobody will bother me on. I want one where people don't play stupid games or tell me when they go to the store to buy some milk.

If you are so concerned about privacy, then what are you doing on a social networking site anyway?

Facebook is not invasive, because I've turned off all the invasive features. Some similar things, like Foursquare, are potentially dangerous. Long-term social media users know the surprising prevelance of internet stalking. It's not a good idea to share the level of info that FB wants you to share. IMHO, both FB and Twitter are just more fads, like blogging was 5 years ago. Not that it's all bad – I met my wife through blogging. But don't mistake social media for living. As one person said, turn off FB and go out with your friends instead.

It has be interesting reaching out to high school friends but this is getting out of hand.I don't want EVERYONE to know where I am. It has consumed the last of my days. I'm done! Bye FB family & friends.

my facebook usage has dwindled to nearly nothing. I log on just long enough to see what old classmate I never really liked is trying to friend me, then I'm back to the real world.

It's only invasive if you let it be. Either put your information on there or don't, it's up to you. No one is forcing you to do or reveal anything.

SETTINGS, people. I've been on facebook for five years and I've gotten ONE spam friend requests and NO random chat requests or anything. That's because I accessed the settings and made them as private as possible. I've got 500 some friends–all people I know–and it's a fun way to keep in touch with old friends and various relatives.

That said, these new features are kind of wearing me out. Just stop trying to change already, facebook. Leave it as it is.

Oh, and @Mike Cahill: I assume you're being sarcastic. Hilarious.

I may delete my account soon. Privacy for me is a big issue.

you forgot one: facebook is selling your private personal data to third parties and so you will see your private profile info appearing on other sites. Yep, its all there in the new user agreement. No opt-out is available.

I don't mind Facebook....it helps when you now how to use it! I don't get many request at all from people I don't know, and if I get a request from someone I dislike I have no problem saying NO...lol. If your settings are set-up in way you prefer most of the problems I am reading can be avoided fairly easy.

I use facebook for the games only, I change my preferences not to follow me or allow things I don't want on it. I also don't use my real name and hae set up email just for facebook only where I don't get other email etc. when they asked for my email address password, I gave it then went to email and changed it again. I just don't allow the internet to be invasive, there are ways I can control it so I do. And no I didn't use my real name or email here either, you could say this site is invasive too!

DISLIKE button

Kim (above) in regards to be invisible. Click on the chat button, there is an option button, click on that, and then there is a button to push to go offline. You don't go offline, but you appear to NOT be onine. And to reappear? Just click on chat again. it keeps your setting too!

I would imagine that any of these features you don't like will give you the option of turning them on or off. It shouldn't be too much invasion of privacy if you can just say no to GPS tracking or whatever else you don't like.

Face book denied me access to an account last week because they said my name was made up. I was supposed to send them a photo id so they could see who I was. Then I found out that they gave Ben Lawden (misspelled on purpose, a known terriorist a page and were debating whether or not to remove it. Larry is fake but Bennie Baby is on a terriorist. Thank you for protecting the public

Ha Ha

Hola Amigos, Facebook mi mejor amigo!!!

No one under the age of 18 should be on facebook period. They don't have to charge someone to be on it but find a way to keep minors off of it for their own safety and others. There are some adults who have no business being on it either until they have been educated about the dangers of social networking.

everyone add me on facebook Brent Falls

What will they announce today?

They add a 250X200 pixel graphic change. Then they will announce they have changed the FaceBook layout. For which everyone knows the layout is crap. Even after the 250X200 pixel graphic change it's much to do about nothing.

While I understand Facebook's desire to remain "relevant" to its users, it is evident that it has been doing so without much thought put into creating an easier and more secure experience for its users.

Much like Google's premature launch of "Buzz", which has been getting all sorts of unwanted attention for poor privacy controls, Facebook has made its privacy settings obscure, difficult for most users to figure out, and worse...does a poor job of clearly educating customers about just how much of their personal information becomes available to the public via third party apps, etc.

New features are nice...however, if you're designing them to attract new users, beware that you risk alienating your existing user base in the process.

There is more drama on this comment page than on facebook. Idiots.

I do not like the fact that everyone can see my friends list. I am not okay with that.

I started using Facebook while in College in it's early years. This is when it was only available to College students. It was great at the time as it allowed me to keep in touch with High School friends, post a quick note to a friend in College, and even setup study groups through Facebook. It was out of the Myspace public realm and I still had a sense of privacy.

Now with everyone able to use Facebook and the Facebook pressure to accept friend request from every person you've ever said hello to it has become more of a liability, especially now that I'm a working professional. The privacy features still need work, for now I shut down half of my Facebook page keeping only my info up. It is too dangerous to do so otherwise, especially with the people you have on your friends who have not yet grown up and still post compromising pictures and dumb wall posts on your page.

Great. Another feature to post to for nobody to read. Whatever sells advertising, I suppose. Yawn.

I had to laugh at all of these comments as I quickly skimmed through them. It is truly amazing what people find to whine about.

Some whine about long lost people finding them that they don't want to be found by. It's a social networking site. Duh. That's what its for. Here's your sign.

Some whine about getting notified about all sorts of game related crap. There is a "Hide Application" button. Duh. Use it. Here's your sign.

Some whine about there being too much private information on the site accessable to all. Duh. Why did you put it up there then? Here's your sign.

Some whine about peoples lack of grammer, punctuation, spelling, etc. While I agree with you in principle (I absolutely hate Instant messaging "textspeak" as I call it – shorthand typing) getting all in a lather about it is silly. Duh. There is a "hide" button. Use it on the worst offenders and will be right in your grammatically correct world again. Here's your sign too.

Sure I hate some stuff about Facebook. Some parts I am indifferent to and others I like a lot. I used to whine a lot too until I got tired of giving myself "I am an idiot" signs and started tailoring my Facebook settings to what I wanted, not what Facebook wanted. I have yet to get a virus, unwanted contacts, blah blah blah... I therefore have plenty of signs left for anyone who would rather complain because it is easier than tweaking facebook settings or contacting facebook with suggested improvements.

WHY IS CNN SCREENING THESE COMMENTS

Kim you can hide yourself from chat. Research it!

Again people need to take the time and set their preferences.

Really!!!??? Just use it for what it is intened and you will be fine. I don't play any of the games or enter any of the contests that you would have to put too much info out there. I just connect with friends and family. I also use it to keep in touch with my college kid. I guess alittle common sense goes a long ways on this one.

OMG, if you don't like it, DON'T USE IT. Simple right??? Geez go complain about something worth complaining about, the economy, the war, the jobless rate, the homeless, the weather. Don't waste your time on something you can simply choose to avoid. WOW, people need hobbies or something if all they have to do in a day is go online and complain about something they don't even like.

"Don't like" should equal not using. If FB is too invasive, stop giving it information. Log off, delete your profile. GO AWAY

all you people do is complain, complain and complain. yet i bet all you and your children, brothers, sister has facebook...

Facebook is just a tool...like any other tool. It's up to you how you use it. That's why you have preferences and privacy settings. No one is forcing you to open your profile to everyone in the world and tell them where you are located.
Depending on your needs, personality, etc. you allow games, people or other applications to appear in your FB page.
It seems to me that if I'm given a knive...I will use it to cut stuff... not to stab people, or if I'm given a match, I would most certainly light my candles and not burn houses. In other words.....The tool is there...is up to you how you use it.

Great – tell everyone where you are so that your stalker can stalk you even more and the person that has been eyeing your house can rob you.

While we're at it, let's continue to make FB easier so that people can continue to use it while driving; just like the kid who killed my friend's father was doing. Updating his FB status while driving while simultaneously hitting my friend's father who was minding his own business on the side of the road.

FB is a narcissistic means of communication. Like we care that you just had a grilled cheese sandwhich for lunch or that your kid just went potty for the first time. And you need to know that posting 600 pictures of your kid is a bit much – they're not as cute as you think they are. Really...is this what our society has become?

FB is not a means of "catching up with friends." Let's be honest, it's about finding out who wound up rich, poor, fat, skinny, bald, etc. – after High School.

I'd like a "Who Cares!" button for people's silly updates.

I say, if you do not like the changes with Facebook, then don't use it. It's a free service! If they charged, then I'd understand all the comotion. But come on people. It's free. So move on if u don't like it.

hey there john, did you want facebook to say they're closing or there closing?

wheres the dislike button anyways?

Besides the security implications of facebook collecting and selling where you've been, why would you want to broadcast where you are physically. That would be a good source for finding out who is not home. I think I will always tell all my "friends" that I'm home cleaning my guns no matter where I am or what I'm doing.

Ok, I admit it, A lot of my facebook "friends" are not really my friends. Oh sure I went to school with them, worked with them, or mabey I served in the military with them, but their information was private and becoming their friend was the only way to get that info. LOL. I was just nosy.

@ junior: You know keeping it too yourself is not exactly what facebook is about...

Watch out, JustWondering, you can find yourself blocked for good from CNN comments and you won't even know why!!

The same people complaining on here or the same ones that jump on and update their status with some narcissistic message hoping for replies. Our society is made up of sad cynics.

DISLIKE button

Heck! I was hoping they were going to announce they'd found a solution to non-related people hacking their way into people's facebook pages!
That's what we REALLY want. If we had some comfort that only our FRIENDS could get on our pages, that would be cool!

I've reported a spammer 73 times now, and he's still sending me messages on Facebook.

Every time Facebook changes their site, they make things worse. I still want to go back to the old design.

A "Dislike" button is too negative. Just write "dislike" in the comment field; it's funnier anyway.

And quit complaining. Facebook is free. Learn how to use it and filter what you don't want to see or be seen. Often the people who harp about privacy are really people who don't want it known they have few friends.

Check out http://www.fightfacebook.com.....

Facebook puts way too much responsibility in the hands of children who are not ready to face it. Its not about parents allowing their children acces or not, computers are available in most libraries and Facebook has no parental controls in place to restrict children registering and creating a profile. We have laws which prevent kids from buying tobacco, alcohol and other things. We need controls around facebook. Its responsible as a medium which has enabled mass orchestrated bullying events, character assassination and ultimately suicides. Wake up people.

I've been on facebook since 2004 and have been through all the changes, but now my grandma is on there and that's pretty sweet, because now she feels more connected to my life and I don't feel so bad about being too busy to write and call frequently.

FB searches your address book for friend suggestions based on the email address you provide to facebook. For example, if your primary email account is with Comcast and that account's address book contains all your contacts, then friend suggestions will be made for everyone in your address book. If you don't want all the people in your address book (relatives, associates & the like) to find you then list a yahoo or gmail email address on FB that does not have all your contacts in the address book. I have a yahoo email address just for facebook and I have no email addresses in the address book. Once I made this change I stopped getting friend suggestions I did not want.

Wow, why is everyone so gloomy today? Facebook v29.0? If you had a real life you wouldn't be complaining about it. Now someone is going to hit me back and tell me to shut it or something.I read these comments and the general consensus is everyone, at least most everyone likes to comment negatively. I don't really care about Facebook and I hate the dumb games everyone plays, It's a pretty good tool for catching up on what my friends and family are up to. Even if it is a rope and a lead pipe in mafia wars. God save Andy Rooney is all I can say. If he would leave a comment here, that would be something to read.

Invasive? Uh, YEAH!

I posted pictures of a whitewater rafting trip and within one week all of the ads along the side were rafting related. I joined no clubs, fanned nothing in regards to rafting.

Big brother is most definitely watching...that said....I'm not signing off! I just don't put anything out there I wouldn't want all to see anyway!

@redhead: I find that pretty creepy too. But I don't even use fb all that often and that kind of thing you described (ads related to something you've posted or searches you've done) happens to me online all the time. You're not going to get rid of Big Brother that easily!

My family refuses to go into Facebok

Why is so many people still whining about a stupid 'dislike' button.

A 'dislike' button is completely useless. Why do you need one? There's absolutely no reason to add one. If you don't like something, just move on to the next update and get over it.

For every friend request, you get one you don't want Then simply don't friend them. And you CAN adjust your privacy settings. My account is so private you can't see anything about me unless I friend you, and I'm not friending you unless I actually consider you a friend in REAL LIFE. It's that easy, folks.

What completely escaped from every news story and even from most announcements on facebook is the ability for pages to adopt user names now. I think the only requirement is you need to have more than 25 fans. Well... it was 25 fans, now I guess you just need 25 people to like it. I just snagged /MotorcycleNetwork for my fan site for http://www.irondingo.com

It seems silly for facebook to remove fans on their pages. We used to use the fan site to make updates and announcements and get more community involvement. I'm wondering if people will remain as active if they're no longer fans and instead just people who like the site.

Always amusing to read comments about Facebook...ANY comments. I signed up in January....I was told I'd pretty much have to sign up there if I wanted to see photos or get updated about what's going on with certain family members. Yeah, I caught up with a few friends from high school – that was a plus, at first. But then I never really heard much from my family, and there wasn't much action on my wall from the old high school friends....so I figured it was cool to say "Hi, thought about you over the years", but that may have been all the more there was to say. The FB novelty died off and I discovered that some things were better left in the past.

I think it's sad that people have to resort to using a website just to stay in touch with family and friends. After not getting much interaction from the people on my friends list, I decided I just didn't "get it"....you know, the whole FB thing. So I deactivated my account a few weeks ago...waited the 14 days for my account to be permanently deleted...and you know what? Life goes on. I think it's sad that people have to resort to using a website just to stay in touch with family and friends. If you can take the time to surf Facebook and post comments on everyone's walls, then you can take the time to send me an email with some photos attached, or even send a card via snail mail. If you don't have the time to do that, or just don't feel like it, well guess what? I don't feel like taking the time to publicly expose my personal info on a website to make it easier for you. Facebook is a huge toy for many of the people I've seen on there.....they just want to play games and post cutesy messages on each other's walls. Sorry, but I have my substantial things I'd like to do with my time.

@redhead

agreed. one time i google searched some info on muscle milk and all of a sudden all my ads in facebook pertained to fitness.

to all you people who think you private information is safe just b/c Facebook give you the option to click on a button are kidding yourselves. to all of you who say you have nothing to hide?....well, you just lead boring drama-free lives.

FB needs to stop making so many changes. They also need to make it user friendly. We should be able to search for friends in certain areas, not the whole world.

To the person who hates seeing the games and stuff people play and post, on that post, go to the right side and hit HIDE and then HIDE "GAME NAME" and you won't see them anymore.

Facebook is awesome! I visit facebook everyday. I dont think it is way to invasive. Maybe it might come abit invasive. But right now it is fine. As long as you know how to act on facebook and use it the right way it should be fine.

RACHEL: How do you remove/opt out yourself from Google searches?

I am personally against the GPS "Place" option, that is I hope it will be an option anyway. I travel for work, I'd rather people not know where I am 24/7. Facebook will most likely have an option to not show the "Place", at least one can only hope. I want to be found for family & real life friends, so hiding completely is not really an option.

I guess the jist of it is, if you don't like Facebook, then leave. I may do that if I feel my privacy is in any way, shape or form compromised.

From another news site:

"Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the new tools will allow users to see personalized versions of other websites they visit. It'll be based on the things they have shared on their Facebook profiles, such as their friends, bands they like or news stories they have liked."

Gee...I wonder how they are going to accomplish that without sharing information you've submitted into facebook to other websites or vice versa. Ths must be the successor to their Facebook Beacon. Oh well. It was fun while it lasted. Facebook is after all free to do wha they want with their property. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to delete all my photos from facebook before they consider it their property...

Am I the only person that puts false information into the internet? Or leave some stuff out?

FACEBOOK IS JUST TRYING TO MAKE IT'S SITE MORE COOLER AND EXCITING FOR PEOPLE TO USE

Facebook's new like technology is surely to be scene across the web – everywhere

http://www.sency.com/facebook-like.htm

I think geolocation sharing needs to be treated like a KING.. as in it has to know the difference between its PUBLIC face and a PRIVATE face... because when the spectacle of billboarding your location is over, really it comes down to SAFETY right?

I mean, FANS are cool but STALKERS are not... SO... the best case scenario
YOu use FB and it's apps to showcase your best most interesting moments and visits (without being TOO specific about addresses)

and
You use EchoEcho (the only permission based location app) to share exact time and place with your family, the guy you're supposed to meet for a drink because your mom said he was new to town and is a friend of her cousin and he MIGHT be cute etc..

To think that there is one mentality for location sharing is ignorant. FB is for gleeful careless and FUN postings but when you want to talk about REAL friends and family, you have to go to something like Echoecho.

Amen to SS's comments. I don't give a flying f- about those stupid games and it's like trying to kill a swarm of gnats with a flyswatter using the Ignore feature. For every one I kill, there are 3 more.

Who wants to use Facebook as it is owned by the Russians and Linkedin is owned by Chinese! It is all a matter of collecting information on us, where we are, what we are doing and who we know.

Hello, Everyone needs to get up with the times. If you dont like the new changes then.... dont use facebook. Facebook is an awesome tool within society today. I am a highschool student and all my friends facebook all day ( When we have service ) There are many things to see and do on Facebook.... How can you not like it ?

I hope Facebook doesn't go away. It is unfortunate that it seems to be drifting away from its intended purpose. I moved away from my friends and family in another state and we love to use it to stay in touch, view pictures, etc. I hope it doesn't become just another trend that dies, I'd hate to see it go because it is easy to use and really works for what we use it for. Sometimes our lives are busy and it is easy to get on FB and quick see what is happening in everyone's life that week, I may catch up with them better through calls or emails when I am less busy the next week. Aren't there other people out there that just use it as another tool to stay in touch? Why does there have to be all the 'fluff'?

I really like and appreciate your blog. Cool.