Mark Zuckerberg addresses the notes on recently updated Terms of Use
With the heading: “… People own and control their information”, an official Facebook blog was posted earlier today by the man himself Mark Zuckerberg. He literally answered the high cries of the users who were a bit furious at the terms of use that were updated only two weeks ago. I would like to add an excerpt from that update which, I think, may have created some mayhem among the users. That is:
You are solely responsible for the User Content that you Post on or through the Facebook Service. You hereby grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sub-license) to (a) use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute (through multiple tiers), any User Content you (1) Post on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof subject only to your privacy settings or (2) enable a user to Post, including by offering a Share Link on your website and (b) to use your name, likeness and image for any purpose, including commercial or advertising, each of (a) and (b) on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof.
This is taken in a way that you hand in a legal right to Facebook for any content you publish to the service, even if you terminate your account. Factually, the average users of any website are unlikely to be scarily concerned with the ‘Terms of Service’ thing. But, as a coin has two-sides so do have the followers of the site. Mark Zuckerberg gave cleared out the clouds of concerns of that other side of the coin i.e. theoretical and concerned users – with his blog written. Here is what Mark has to say:
A couple of weeks ago, we updated our terms of use to clarify a few points for our users. A number of people have raised questions about our changes, so I’d like to address those here. I’ll also take the opportunity to explain how we think about people’s information.
Our philosophy is that people own their information and control who they share it with. When a person shares information on Facebook, they first need to grant Facebook a license to use that information so that we can show it to the other people they’ve asked us to share it with. Without this license, we couldn’t help people share that information.
Then he begins with his answers that are as followed:
One of the questions about our new terms of use is whether Facebook can use this information forever. When a person shares something like a message with a friend, two copies of that information are created—one in the person’s sent messages box and the other in their friend’s inbox. Even if the person deactivates their account, their friend still has a copy of that message. We think this is the right way for Facebook to work, and it is consistent with how other services like email work. One of the reasons we updated our terms was to make this more clear (clearer).In reality, we wouldn’t share your information in a way you wouldn’t want.
The trust you place in us as a safe place to share information is the most important part of what makes Facebook work. Our goal is to build great products and to communicate clearly to help people share more information in this trusted environment.
We still have work to do to communicate more clearly about these issues, and our terms are one example of this. Our philosophy that people own their information and control who they share it with has remained constant. A lot of the language in our terms is overly formal and protective of the rights we need to provide this service to you. Over time we will continue to clarify our positions and make the terms simpler.
With all this blog Mark put the light on of the works to be done this year – The issues and complexity of Terms of Usage. He ended with the note that he would let the users know with the progress and also would give his thoughts on the openness and the issues concerned sooner than later.
Facebook Reach 175 million Users
Just at the beginning of the New Year, we all came to know that Facebook serves 150 million users in total – around the globe. Just at the time-frame of two months away, we are amazed again at the rapid growth of Facebook with that users’ milestone crossing 175 million users spot. With the rate of almost 50,000 users enrolling to Facebook per day, Facebook continues its well-known progress. I would no more call Facebook the largest global social network because it surpassed that description long ago. It is just gigantic now!
In US, Facebook is becoming increasingly popular among women. And the striking growth was noticed in the category of women who are aged above 50 years at the record of 175% growth. Do you think that the applications like Mom Circle have some hands in that surge? I do think so. Moreover, the growth chart showed that Facebook is growing more with women as compared to men, recently.
With all this traditional growth of Facebook, I wonder what would be the figure at the end of this year?! Well, let’s wait and see.
New Year Delight: Facebook Reach 150 million users
Facebook have reached another milestone with the beginning of the New Year, 2009 by reaching out to 150 million users world-wide. This promises to the great start to New Year. Mark Zuckerberg wrote in his official Facebook blog that:
When we first started Facebook almost five years ago, most of the people using it were college students in the United States. Today, people of all ages—grandparents, parents and children—use Facebook in more than 35 different languages and 170 countries and territories.
Sharing his experience of how this big-bang really started, he further added:
The full potential of the web is to make the world more open, so everyone has a voice and can share what is important to them. With 150 million voices and counting, we can’t wait for the rest of 2009, and we look forward to offering even more ways for you to connect with the people who matter most.
Personally, I feel that 2009 would be a bit more difficult and challenging one for Facebook. They have really done better than the best in 2008. Now they have to do even better than that, so I guess pressure would be on! We witnessed some marvelous changes in 2008, getting more exciting news for the developers, rise and fall of great applications, amendments for the developers specially demographic-restrictions for their apps, and above all- the highlight of the year, Facebook Connect.
Mark Zuckerberg asserted in the blog:
If Facebook were a country, it would be the eighth most populated in the world, just ahead of Japan, Russia and Nigeria.
And you really get thrilled with this, don’t you? This far explains a lot how essential Facebook has become in past few years. After all, this has been tagged as the biggest and famous networking site!
Facebook launches five more Languages
Facebook has launched five more languages. New languages include: Croatian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Portuguese and Vietnamese. With this, Facebook now supports almost 40 languages around the globe and there are more than 60 languages that are under development process.
Ten months before, Facebook had launched an application platform for the users to translate the site into their native languages. Hence, Facebook language application platform has been busy managing and supporting the translation process.
The process may seem to be an easier one, while it is not. Coming up with the appropriate idioms and the phrases of the different cultures is time-consuming and needs vast knowledge of the people and their linguistic trends hailing from the different parts of the globe.
As one of the most leading social networking sites, Facebook assures the site to be available to every user- in every language. Bringing all the people together at one platform is not an easy task but Facebook is committed in making a social-circus of the people coming from various cultures, traditions and creed. Almost 70% of the Facebook users are from the outside the United States, so this is why Facebook works on the Languages as well to provide frank atmosphere to its users around the world that really feels like home-like.
‘Facebook Connect’ goes Live over the web
Finally, ‘Facebook Connect’ is Live for all the developers who wish to integrate this into their web-sites. Mark Zuckerberg asserted in the Official Facebook Blog that:
Now the race is on! As Google also launched Google Friend Connect in BETA version just a day before Facebook Connect was officially launched for the web-sites. Over 100 websites have implemented Facebook Connect during the testing period or will release their implementations soon, in Facebook Connect testing period sites like CNN the Forum, CBS’ The Insider, Citysearch, Redbull and many more already integrated Facebook Connect into their sites. Facebook Connect has generated impressive results for the web-sites as 50% more involvement was observed than prior Facebook Connect integration to those sites.
Facebook Connect makes it easier for users to authenticate on sites, as there is no need to create a new account on every new site they want to join due to Facebook Connect feature. Now this feature of Facebook will be directly involved head-to-head with Google’s Friend Connect. Lets see, who will have more grip with the integrated site.
Make Calls from Facebook
BabyTel have recently launched an application ‘TELEPHONE’ that enables Facebook users to make free VoIP calls via Facebook. Besides, making calls – it enables you to send instant messages and voice message as well to all your Facebook friends on line. This application is supported with the eggphone and has the ‘desktop application’ feature. With this desktop-app feature, Facebook users do not need to log in to their Facebook account to run the application.
With so many interesting features like making calls, sending text messages, voice-mail, organizing the contacts in groups and call-history, the app provides the great deal of access to communicate between Facebook users.
Another fascinating feature that ‘Telephone’ offers is ‘Telephone+’. When the users upgrade to this feature their calls will get forwarded to their mobile phone, allowing you to get your calls directly to your cell-phone as your contacts do not have to know your number to make you a call with this. So what you guys are waiting for? Get the app by clicking below and start making calls to those friends who you never thought to talk due to call-expenses as BabyTel offer you free-spree for the calls!
Black Friday kicks-off virtual gifts on Facebook
“After Thanksgiving, Black Friday kicks off the unofficial shopping delight around the globe. This time, Facebook users can also shop around some gifts for their friends and relatives at their favourite net-working community, Facebook. Dell, eBay and Sephora have started some fascinating gift capmpaign of giving away some virtual gifts for the Facebook users. Wendi Zuckerberg stated in her blog:
“The shopping buzz extends everywhere –- ads in magazines and billboards, websites dedicated to finding the best sales and of course, Facebook. Just as Facebook helps you connect with the people you care about and share information, you can also use Facebook during the holidays to get the most out of your shopping experience.
Become a fan of your favorite stores to get news about sales and special events, create an event around a shopping trip and invite your friends or update your status to tell your friends about a great sale you spotted or a recent purchase. You can also join one of dozens of Facebook groups for people who love Black Friday or give your friends a Facebook shopping gift.”
With this exciting campaign, Facebook users can give away the mentioned free virtual gifts to their friends or relatives. The users would share about their shopping-spree as the shopping galore is about to start.
Dell have come up with a red virtual laptop gift. Sephora gift appears in black and white shopping bag with red tissue while eBay offer a virtual gift box having eBay logo on it, with red ribbon around.
Full-length television is coming to Facebook
Yesterday, Josh Elman – one of the representatives at Facebook Official Blog, amazed the Facebook users by confirming the news to bring in television on Facebook very soon. Now, Facebook Users will have one of the most fascinating experience to watch their favourite shows like Heroes, Grey’s Anatomy and many more while continuing their activities on Facebook. Telee would be available via a new generation of applications that include TVLoop “Addicted to…” applications, and Mesmo TV.
Josh expressed his views in the blog, as follows: “These applications make it easy, not only to watch shows, but also to discuss them, share bloopers, challenge friends’ knowledge of TV trivia, connect with other fans, and see how many of your friends are watching each week. TV on Facebook means that you can share and engage with friends through videos and comments.”
Personally, I feel that Facebook is not a friend-making community network only. It has gone beyond that explanation of entity way ago. It is more like a world with virtual beings and things around. With this, Facebook remains the top-most favourite for the users all around the globe.
Facebook would get $873 Millions for Spam damages
“We’ve all experienced spam – those unwanted and, sometimes, inappropriate marketing messages. The bad guys behind those messages are always looking to find new ways to annoy people and Facebook’s users have been among those targeted. We don’t take this affront to our users lying down.
In a court in San Jose, after a legal proceeding lasting four months, federal Judge Jeremy Fogel awarded Facebook $873 million in damages against Adam Guerbuez and Atlantis Blue Capital for sending sleazy messages to our users. The award is the largest judgment in history for an action brought under Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM).”
Max Kelly, Facebook’s Director of Security, confirmed in the case-judgement of the spam case that was given in favor of Facebook last Friday. With the above mentioned words of Max, in his official blog at Facebook, the sign of victory is shown against the spammers. You guys must have heard about the spam-attack on Facebook back in August, it looks like that the case is finalised and closed, eventually. This judgement surely has been the result of Facebook’s commitment to provide ,its users, spam-free experience at Facebook. Although, Max Kelly expressed his doubts for the compensation to be rewarded sooner as spammers are always reluctant to pay the compensation for the damages.
Moreover, Max encouraged the user-base of Facebook to carry on with their activities at Facebook and showed the determination to fight against spam and provide safe place for its users with following words:
“Everyone who participates constructively in Facebook should feel confident that we are fighting hard to protect you against spam and other online nuisances. We will continue to invest in this area by improving our technical safeguards and devoting significant resources to finding, exposing and prosecuting the sources of spam attacks.”
‘Whats Your iCUE?’ application Launched by NBC News on Facebook
NBC News, one of the leading global sources of news and information in the world, have launched the new application ‘Whats Your iCUE?’ on Facebook. “What’s Your iCue?” is the only video trivia quiz in Facebook with multiple categories, thousands of questions, and videos from the NBC News archive. This is one of the most fascinating addition to the world of Facebook applications- as it offers audio-visual concept of trivia quiz. NBC news have taken the step to provide the information, impart education and test some knowledge of Facebook users in a witty entertaining way. This application has already caught the eyes of over 2, 000 users, till this day, in its first days of launch.
About the marketing, NBC News have already signed LEXUS as their leading sponsor. With this, LEXUS enters into the world of Facebook application entity.
Personally, I feel that the application would grow more limelight in the circle of knowledge-seeking users of Facebook. Interesting part that I noticed was there is already a comepetition running in with the intention to know who is genius! With the featurs like: Test your knowledge through trivia quiz, make your team and compete with others, compare your intellect with others and so on, iCue would inherit more kudos and cheers with the passage of time. The best part of the quiz is: “It never ends.”
