Passing around incorrect information is NOT "helping your friends"
By reinydawn
@reinydawn (11642)
United States
December 15, 2009 12:15pm CST
I'm sure everyone on Facebook has seen the zillions of friends status updates this week (or maybe earlier and it's just taking this long to get to my friends) about the new Google/Facebook search. Here's what is being posted -
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passing info along...as of today, Facebook will automatically index all your info on Google, which allows everyone to view it. To change this option, go to Settings -- Privacy Settings -- Search -- then UN-CLICK the box that says 'Allow indexing'. Facebook kept this one quiet. Copy and paste onto your status for all............ your friends ... Thanks for passing along!
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So everyone is all in an uprage again that Facebook is once again violating their privacy. First of all, this doesn't work. Secondly, ANYTHING you post on a website is going to be accessable to Google searches - to the extent your privacy setting are set. For example, if you Google yourself you will get the EXACT same info that anyone in Facebook gets if they do a search for you within Facebook. If your profile is private, they get just that you are on Facebook and maybe a listing of your friends. If your profile is public, they get to see it all.
Since I knew that no one that had been posting this - I have seen it about 8 times since last night - I Googled myself to see what happened. The REAL me showed up as about the 5th entry, and it was my PLAXO account. Facebook was way down the list. There were also some entries for my community since I serve on the board of directors, and a few miscellaneous sites.
So I posted on my status about how people just blindly post things like this without looking into it. A few people (who had not posted it) agreed, and a couple were quite offended with me. One even said that she's now only going to pass on this kind of information to those of her friends who actually welcome her help. ARGH!!! She's not helping them by passing on incorrect information...
So, are you a passer-on-er or a look-it-up-and-get-the-right-info-er?
2 people like this
4 responses
@dmrone (746)
• United States
15 Dec 09
Hi, reinydawn! I did receive this on my facebook this morning, and needless to say i did not pass it on. I went and found out what was going on from facebook, and just ignored what was being sent around. I know the people who sent it meant well, but i rather have the message come from facebook itself if they were going to do something such as this.
@kaylachan (84760)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
15 Dec 09
I'm the type of person who thinks stuff like that is bull. I am on facebook, and I've only seen one alert. Something from facebook about privicey. It was in reguard to them adding new security features and what not, and it took me to my privice page to edit/keep stuff. I left well enough alone. I'm not overly concerned, because I know the internet is a public place. If someone wants information THAT bad, they'll get it one way or another. I don't post information I don't want to share etc. If I care about it, then its not on the net. If I want to put it out there I'll put it out there. Plain and simple.
@chookie1971 (2271)
• Australia
15 Dec 09
I was a passer-on-er as you put it. I saw the notice and went to check. It did say in the option for search engines. I am concern about every one seeing my details as I only want my friends to see it. Whether it may be right information or wrong, I am concern for my details. There are other people out there who were as concern as me.
