Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Cutting off my nose to spite my Facebook

Do you remember when I wrote about my conflicts with reconnecting with those who used to be friends, In Real Life, via Facebook?

Well, I stayed in FB and became quite the addict. I absolutely enjoyed checking it often to see what IRL friends and bloggy friends were doing, Right Now. I loved seeing what they wrote in their 25 and 44 things and One Word and For The Moms. I loved seeing pictures of their life and adventures and families. The chat feature was probably the best I've ever messed with.

Then FB went and did this. They changed their Terms Of Use to claim "license" to anything and everything I ever posted (public and private), allowing them to reuse, reprint and recycle MY content for their purposes without any further consent from or compensation to me.

Not cool, Facebook. Not cool at all.

I posted the link to the article and wrote on my Wall about how upset I was. Through a bloggy friend (yo!) I was invited to join a protest group. I invited every single 80+ FB friend to join this group. Within a couple of hours, a status report said that 14 of those friends had already joined this group.

Late last night, while FB chatting with a friend from high school, I saw that FB had temporarily reversed their Terms Of Use to where they do not claim that license on my FB account and anything and everything I put up there.

I copied and pasted these new/old TOU and saved them within a document that had a screenshot of their reversal and apology.

Immediately, I removed every photo tag that referenced me. I deleted every single picture and video I had posted. I deleted all my personal information. I deactivated my account.

I can go overboard in protest, it's not a new realization. I don't watch John Travolta or Tom Cruise for similar reasons. Same for Dixie Chicks and Kanye West. (While they can worship and speak however they choose, I can spend my money and time however I choose also.)

So, today, I have gone into FB withdrawals.

I wonder if my friends will miss me.

I wonder if they even noticed my last post, telling them I was jumping ship.

I wonder if that post is still out there, telling FB exactly how I feel.

I wonder if my high school reunion will get planned without me. No, I won't be going. I just would like to contribute my opinions and attempt to ruin it for those FB friends who weren't real friends in real life. Not that I'd really try to sabotage their fun, but thinking about it is fun for me.

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There's a very large man with very long, ugly, black hair and YELLOW EYESHADOW on Letterman singing with a very bad voice about a baby boy.

ADD much?

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How much sleep should a mom, whose husband is back at work, in Connecticut, expect to get when both her kids are on prednisone?

Surprisingly, they're sleeping great. Me? Not so much.

3 comments:

Karen said...

What?! That is a violation of privacy as far as I'm concerned. I think if everyone withdrew from FB for a day or two for sheer spite they might get the picture.

Super B's Mom said...

You know...I'm thinking of doing the same thing with FB and Myspace. I don't this whole mess one bite. And honestly? I've been spending way too much time on FB lately - when I should be doing important stuff.

Maybe this is my sign to give that stuff the boot?

Super B's Mom said...

Ok - so apparently I can't type. That's supposed to say "I don't like this whole mess one bit."

Maybe I should actually be working instead of reading blogs...