# I pit facebook **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 18, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732 "2011-09-18T18:56:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732/41 "2011-09-20T13:25:20Z")
I think the OP’s biggest mistake was in thinking he could post a thread about Facebook on the SDMB without it immediately getting taken over by the “HAW HAW FARCEBOOK SUCKS LUSER” brigade. I will pretend this is a grown-up discussion and share my thoughts anyway, though. Namely, that what pisses me off the most about Facebook’s recent privacy-setting changes is that the documentation for it is poor to nonexistent, and that they made a lot of default changes without user confirmation or input. I mean, I think it’s reasonable to assume that if a user has set their photo albums to “Friends only” that they are probably not going to be thrilled to find them all set to “Friends of Friends” or “Public” by default suddenly. Also, auto-adding people to “smart lists” is stupid. I get that they’re trying to incorporate some of the features from Google+, but the thing about G+ is that you make your own circles and decide who goes in them. This seems like a pretty obvious way to do things. Why the hell would I want Facebook to auto-populate my lists for me? Plus which, the lists that they themselves created are non-deletable and will auto-add people randomly based on FB’s criteria. WTF? ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732/42 "2011-09-20T14:09:07Z")
> [@Jeneva](#): > > I guess my daughter is the exception to this rule, heh. But then, our relationship has been mainly long distance for years, so we find Facebook to be a fun way to keep in touch. She likes it when I “like” and post on her goofy posts. The posts you see, anyway. 😉 > [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I think the OP’s biggest mistake was in thinking he could post a thread about Facebook on the SDMB without it immediately getting taken over by the “HAW HAW FARCEBOOK SUCKS LUSER” brigade. > > I will pretend this is a grown-up discussion and share my thoughts anyway, though. Namely, that what pisses me off the most about Facebook’s recent privacy-setting changes is that the documentation for it is poor to nonexistent, and that they made a lot of default changes without user confirmation or input. I mean, I think it’s reasonable to assume that if a user has set their photo albums to “Friends only” that they are probably not going to be thrilled to find them all set to “Friends of Friends” or “Public” by default suddenly. Also, auto-adding people to “smart lists” is stupid. I get that they’re trying to incorporate some of the features from Google+, but the thing about G+ is that you make your own circles and decide who goes in them. This seems like a pretty obvious way to do things. Why the hell would I want Facebook to auto-populate my lists for me? Plus which, the lists that they themselves created are non-deletable and will auto-add people randomly based on FB’s criteria. WTF? TL;DR FACEBOOK SUCKS LUSER ? MOAR LIKE LOLSER AMIRITE// ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732/43 "2011-09-20T14:49:20Z")
Oh **Clockwork** , I wish I knew how to quit you. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732/44 "2011-09-20T15:21:25Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Oh **Clockwork** , I wish I knew how to quit you. Look in the privacy settings. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732/45 "2011-09-21T02:59:52Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > I was thinking more along the lines of, if I had the money, and I was job searching and found out I was disqualified because of something innocent that I **posted privately** on facebook that was revealed publicly because of a software glitch I would consider it. emphasis mine. Here’s where you’re making a h.u.g.e. mistake IMO. There is NOTHING private when you post it on FB. You know from the get-go that whenever you post anything on the internet, you run the risk of it being discovered by the wrong person. This time you happened to catch it but other times it could go without your notice. Right now you could be disqualified from a position because a friend tagged you in a pic of a drunken toga party. If it goes on the net, it no longer become PRIVATE. It’s been that way since the advent of BBS. Just suck it up and quit thinking the internet is some some kind of private blog that you can use at will. It’s not and never will be. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732/46 "2011-09-21T11:40:42Z")
You want to sue the FREE and 100% VOLUNTARY social networking site because you posted stupid shit that you don’t want your mom to see? Yeah, good luck with that. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732/47 "2011-09-21T12:48:25Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Oh **Clockwork** , I wish I knew how to quit you. No you don’t. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732/48 "2011-09-21T13:46:26Z")
**⇔** **Vinyl Turnip** is ambivalent about this. ---
**Author:** ![Dunkelheit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dunkelheit/32/248_2.png) [@Dunkelheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunkelheit)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732/49 "2011-09-21T13:55:34Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > The posts you see, anyway. 😉 She’s pretty open, I doubt she’s hiding much from me. Her grandma, maybe. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732/50 "2011-09-21T13:56:16Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > … Just suck it up and quit thinking the internet is some some kind of private blog that you can use at will. It’s not and never will be. I’m not sure there’s such a thing as a “private blog”, either. Oh, wait. I have one… it’s the notes to myself that are in an analog notebook in my back pocket. (Ok, private until it falls out. Or I get pickpocketed by a tell-all journalist…) ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732/51 "2011-09-21T14:26:01Z")
I don’t care about the security settings thing (I don’t post anything that I wouldn’t want people to see) but I hate how they keep changing the damn layout. They changed it again last night and it’s so fucking ugly. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732/52 "2011-09-21T15:12:17Z")
Agreed, last night’s layout change sucks, as did their change from a couple weeks back to stop showing you posts of people you hadn’t interacted with on FB for a while. For the latter, that means you wouldn’t see any updates from people who rarely posted, or if you liked reading someone’s news feed but didn’t see much reason to like/post to them very often. Oh, and then recently changing the default for **all** of your friends to “see most posts from this person” instead of “see all” and let you not miss anything while you’re considering whether or not to tweak your settings individually for every single one of your friends. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732/53 "2011-09-21T15:15:23Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > You want to sue the FREE and 100% VOLUNTARY social networking site because you posted stupid shit that you don’t want your mom to see? I already clarified that that isn’t the case, but feel free to continue this idiotic pile on. WTF does “voluntary” have to do with anything, almost ALL consumerism is “voluntary” do you think that is a good argument? So if I use my credit card at a website and they accidentally publicly post my credit card and address, it’s “voluntary” so I can’t complain right? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732/54 "2011-09-21T16:41:12Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > I already clarified that that isn’t the case, but feel free to continue this idiotic pile on. WTF does “voluntary” have to do with anything, almost ALL consumerism is “voluntary” do you think that is a good argument? So if I use my credit card at a website and they accidentally publicly post my credit card and address, it’s “voluntary” so I can’t complain right? :rolleyes: Not only can you complain, but you have a cause of action against the credit card company because they violated their privacy and consumer protection laws. However, no consumer protection law will help you you if you leave your wallet on the store counter. Facebook doesn’t have a fiduciary relationship with you. It hasn’t even accepted money from you. Your expectation of them to protect your information should be little to none. And if you’re that freaked out that your mom will find out what you’re doing, maybe you should re-consider your behavior. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732/55 "2011-09-21T16:55:05Z")
The fun part of todays world, trying to decide in real time what information might be sensitive and whats public, and what might come back to haunt you in the future. I said screw it and set up a second fb page for the rents and anyone that might be offended and made it publically accesible. Neither page is linked to the other, so future employers or anyone else that may require access to my fb page gets the generic sandbox, while keeping my real fb semi private. Thats what i would advise the op to do as a short term measure, migrate family and others that you may need to keep from seeing sensitive posts to a new fb, and tell them your just cleaning up and deleting people you dont need yada yada. Migrate a few real contacts as well to make it look the part, but ask em not to post and why. Declan ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732/56 "2011-09-21T17:50:54Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > And if you’re that freaked out that your mom will find out what you’re doing, maybe you should re-consider your behavior. I admire either your pure and clean lifestyle, or your open and accepting relationship with your mother. I have neither. There’s a shitload of stuff I do on a daily basis that I don’t need or want her to find out about. I even – you may want to sit down for this – post about some of it to my friends on the Internet. ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732/57 "2011-09-21T18:04:59Z")
Hey newlook Facebook, I’d like to thank you - now that I’ve deactivated my account in disgust and frustration, I’ll have a lot more time to spend on housework, thanks! ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732/58 "2011-09-21T18:14:46Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > There’s a shitload of stuff I do on a daily basis that I don’t need or want her to find out about. I even – you may want to sit down for this – post about some of it to my friends on the Internet. Then I suggest that you gracefully accept the consequences of both. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732/59 "2011-09-21T18:56:49Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > Then I suggest that you gracefully accept the consequences of both. I’ve reviewed your suggestion and will be filing it in the appropriate location. As always, we thank you for your input. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732/60 "2011-09-21T18:59:10Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I’ve reviewed your suggestion and will be filing it in the appropriate location. As always, we thank you for your input. Nice. 🙂 I appreciate your wisdom. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-facebook/596732.md?page=4)