Giving in, reluctantly

[dreamshark]

I still hate and distrust you, Facebook, but it looks like I'm never going to be able to see my daughter's trip pictures if I don't join. Don't think I like it. Grrr.

Anyway, I gave in last night and opened a Facebook account. Under an alias. With no personal information and every privacy setting on max.

I now understand where all that *(^&%#-ing Facebook spam is coming from. When you start to open your account, the very first screen in the setup wizard cheerfully invites you to provide Facebook with not only your email address (required to confirm the account) but your email PASSWORD!!!! Apparently if you are stupid enough to provide this, FB goes to your email account and uploads your address book, which they proceed to use as their own personal spam resource. Oh. My. God. You can skip past this screen, as it turns out. But isn't it interesting that the very first piece of information that Facebook asks you for is a list of all your friends' email addresses? Hmmm.What does that say about their business model?

Anyway, now I need a few friends so I can see how that part works. So, beloved friends and family members, if you have started saying things like, "I've posted pictures of xxxx to Facebook," you may be getting a friend request from Agnes Gooch. If you friend me, I promise you that I will not be broadcasting your pictures, thoughts, personal information or email addresses to the world.

=== Love, Agnes

Comments

[mle292.livejournal.com]

Okay Agnes, I've sent you a friend request (assuming that your profile picture is of some cats on a hot tin roof).

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. Must be a different Agnes. There will never be cats in my profile picture, I assure you. I just changed the icon on this entry to my FB profile picture. I can friend you, but how do I tell which one you are? I can see how people easily lose track of who their FB friends really are. Too many people with the same names.

[mle292.livejournal.com]

I have a profile picture of a grumpy, stone cat and I am in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN network. Otherwise, my security settings are pretty aggressive.

[huladavid.livejournal.com]

I shall friend you as soon as I can, dear Agnes.

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

I've friended you, so all you have to do is agree. Thanks.

I'm actually Agnes L. Gooch

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

And the userpic is... Agnes Gooch (google her if you care).
But I didn't actually create this account with the intent of being found - it's a stealth account for investigating how Facebook works, and to allow me to see other people's pics if they insist on using Facebook to share their photos.

I will friend you, if that is agreeable.

Re: I'm actually Agnes L. Gooch

[buttonlass.livejournal.com]

Lovely. I shall now delete the first comment to get my full name out of the public. Sometimes I'm not so bright.