This week they released the names of over 90,000 registered sex offenders who had profiles on their website.  Ouch.

They were subpoenaed to disclose this information after a report put out in January by the Internet Safety Technical Task Force, and now they’ve taken action to remove all of these bad guys from their network.

The presence of sexual offenders online – with easy access to photos, video and communication with minors – is something law enforcement officers and children’s advocates have been struggling with for years.  MySpace’s disclosure is just a sobering reminder that this problem is far from being solved.

Other social networks have been under the radar as well, and though the exact numbers have yet to come out, it is expected that Facebook’s sex offender population will be much lower than its competitor’s.

Unlike visitors on MySpace, Facebook users can’t just log on and have access to anyone’s profile page. In most cases all you get to see is a thumbnail photo and a name, unless you are formally accepted as a “friend”.

However, that doesn’t mean Facebook is predator-proof.  Outsiders can still send private messages to people who aren’t their friends, and sometimes users aren’t very careful about who they accept.

It’s also important to note that Facebook’s default privacy settings allow not only your friends to view your profile, but anyone belonging to your “networks“.  This means that if you’re part of the UBC network on Facebook and you haven’t changed your settings, all UBC students, faculty and alumni are able to view your profile.

All this predator talk got me thinking about my own privacy settings.  I never thought too much about it before, knowing that I had to officially accept people to be added to my contact list.  That was enough security for me.

So, I logged in and went into my settings.  Sure enough, everyone at the University of Western Ontario (my alma mater) still had access to my relationship status and my party photos.  Who knew?

There are several other adjustments you can make in your privacy settings, from controlling what information is displayed to certain contacts to allowing external search engines to look up your profile.  Saphos, an international Internet security company, offers users a detailed overview and helpful tips for setting up privacy options.

As an independent, generally web-savvy twenty-something, I’m not overly afraid of perverts stalking me online.  I’m more concerned with my Dad getting an account and checking up on me from across the country.  I’ve declined him as a friend before, but now that I know I can tailor what he sees of my profile, maybe I’ll give him a second chance…not that I have anything to hide.

But don’t worry guys, Facebook could save us from the depression.

The online network’s top execs put on their suits and ties last week for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where they showed international experts just how good they could be for business.

We’ve seen how their online cross-promotions and marketing tricks are changing the face of advertising.  These campaigns are really effective, but why stop there?  It’s about time Facebook approached the elite of the business world and said “Hey, let’s get serious.”

At the forum, the company was pushing its new real-time polling system, which can give companies a plethora of consumer data in the blink of an eye.  It’s like a massive online focus group, and it gets instant results.

CNN interviewed Facebook’s marketing director Randi Zuckerberg, who seemed happy with the response in Davos:

“When you look at the audience you can really see this eureka moment in their eyes when they see 2,500 responses come in three minutes,” she said. “It’s been really interesting to see how Facebook users are guiding some of these discussions and the way that global leaders are now looking at this as a place for insight and to get a real time pulse.”

Good for Facebook.  They’ve found another way to build on their empire and create lucrative opportunities for businesses around the world.

As a consumer, however, I find some of this a bit disconcerting.  The UK’s Telegraph reported more thoroughly on this new system and it appears that the market research tool takes advantage of users’ private details and messages.

My first reaction to this article was “How dare they!?”  Then I remembered that they’ve been feeding off of users’ online conversations for a while now.  If you post a message on your wall about spring break, you’ll start seeing vacation ads on the side of your browser.  As soon as your relationship status changes to “engaged“, advertisements for bridal shops and florists take over the screen.

Google’s Gmail does the exact same thing.  Their AdWords software uses “contextual targeting” to pinpoint users who type product keywords in emails or web searches.  This, to me, is even scarier than being targeted based on public wall posts.  I hoped at least my emails were private…guess not.

The one small comfort I take from this sneaky business is the hope that maybe it will help provide an extra little boost for the economy.  By accepting Facebook’s antics and sacrificing my personal privacy, let’s just say I’m doing my part.

*Other links: Check out TechCrunch’s response to the Telegraph article.

Photo courtesy of www.lilwayne-online.com

The live video for “Prom Queen” features a bare-chested Wayne (or “Weezy”, as his homies would say) jumping around to a simple riff, holding an electric guitar and yowling about a high school romance.  SPIN magazine dubbed the tune “unlistenable” – but Weezy has a lot of young fans out there, and millions of them logged on to check out his…fascinating…foray into what he calls “rock”.

Musical tastes aside, I think it’s important to address the increasing use of Facebook as a major publicity tool for artists.  It’s not that these online record label gimmicks surprise me.  Of all the industries using social networking to their promotional advantage, the music business was one of the first.

The shift here involves which social networks the labels and artists are relying on for this publicity.  MySpace has always been known for its ties to the music industry, from gaining exposure for new bands to shamelessly promoting major-label artists.  Despite a few copyright issues, YouTube got in on the action as well, becoming a vehicle for emerging artists to showcase music videos and eventually working with major labels on promo campaigns.

When Facebook was introduced in 2004, it lacked the same musical focus as sites like MySpace.  But as it has grown, it’s acquired several applications dedicated to the industry.

For example, the iLike application gives users access to media, updates and concert info about their favourite artists, as well as connecting them to other Facebookers with similar tastes.  There are also countless fan pages and collaborative marketing campaigns like Lil Wayne’s that let industry bigwigs tap into the online goldmine.

While MySpace is still the go-to network for up and coming musicians to get their stuff heard, I can’t help but feel the tension as Facebook starts making more news in the music community.

Regardless of the online music scene, it’s clear that Facebook is winning the social networking battle.  Recent stats from Comscore place Facebook far ahead of MySpace in terms of traffic, and its everyday presence in the media makes the site’s popularity seem even more overwhelming.  Even Yahoo’s new CEO, Carol Bartz, has commented on Facebook’s success over its predecessor.

The social media giant is no stranger to corporate and major-label synergy.  All Facebook needs now is a solid, specialized application for artists to create profiles to upload and showcase their own music.  Then it’ll be one step closer to taking over the musical world.

They can both, fairly easily, be organized as Facebook events.

This was proven in a recent New York Times article that looked into the use of social networking websites by young activists as a tool for gathering support for political causes and for planning protests or rallies.

The article focused on political involvement amongst youth in the Middle East, citing Facebook as a major forum for mobilizing Egyptian citizens in campaigns against Israel.

A simple group search on Facebook turns up a number of English-language anti-Israel groups from around the world, each one with thousands of members.  According to the Times, many more of these groups exist in Arabic, and they have been especially active during the conflict in Gaza over the past few weeks.

The most well-known of these groups, representing the April 6 Youth Movement, has about 70,000 active members (a few of whom have been jailed for participating in protests and strikes organized online).

Egypt’s youth movement is not the only one using Facebook as a tool for mobilization.  There are countless groups representing activist and political organizations in Canada and across the globe.  “Causes” and “Protests” are even listed as potential categories when a user creates a new Facebook group or event.

It makes perfect sense to use social networking sites as a platform for engaging in political activism, especially in repressive states where oppositional groups are threatened by the government.  Facebook offers a space for like-minded individuals to discuss issues and plan events while minimizing the risk of interference by the authorities.  It can also provide a sense of anonymity…at least for those careful enough not to post their real information online.

Different types of unauthorized public events, like the annual longboarders’ Board Meeting in Toronto, tend to be organized primarily online for similar reasons.  It is a cheap, quick and easy way to get the word out and unless somebody spills, the cops won’t find out beforehand.

Additionally, social networking sites allow individuals to form groups based on common interests and political perspectives, which ensures that the message gets to the right people.

Police officers and government officials are smart enough to have figured out what’s going on, but there’s only so much they can do by logging in and snooping around.  The vast number of groups and events listed online make them very difficult to track, and it’s hard to tell which groups should be taken seriously – many of them never amount to anything.

There have been a few non-political incidents, such as “National Kick-A-Ginger Day“, that have prompted police investigations after the fact.  However, it’s almost impossible to lay charges before such an event takes place and there are often complex issues involved in determining whether or not group administrators can be held accountable.

As thousands of people worldwide have discovered, Facebook’s remarkable ability to “rally the troops” can be a convenient way to plan a great party…or a violent uprising.  Just make sure you consider the consequences before you RSVP.

Photo courtesy of Facebook.com

CNN is teaming up with Facebook in its coverage of Obama’s presidential inauguration, allowing Facebook users to update their statuses and monitor their friends’ reactions while watching the inauguration live on CNN.com.

Apparently, CNN and Facebook are taking a Twitter-like approach to this partnership.  They’re encouraging users to update their statuses frequently and respond to both their friends’ updates and to the news.  These short messages are exactly the type of communication Twitter promotes so their users can be constantly informed about what their friends are doing and thinking.

Twitter is often described as “microblogging”, and until now I hadn’t really thought of Facebook as being in that category.  However, updating your status on Facebook does seem to serve the exact same purpose as posting a 140-character Twitter note.

To me, status updates seem kind of pointless unless you have something really important that you want everyone to know.  It’s a convenient way to let people know if you lost your cell phone and got a new number, for instance.  But I don’t need to be notified when my friends are “going to the gym, then to the store, then home, then watching The Hills”.  I guess that’s why I never signed up for a Twitter account.

Microblogging on Facebook or Twitter can be a valuable platform for discussing issues and exchanging commentary in brief messages.  And from time to time, it’s nice to see an interesting update or a humorous remark in someone’s Facebook status.  The problem is that these microblogs can also – very easily – become an outlet for complaining.

“Jack is…stressing out over what to make for dinner! Boo hoo”.  Sound familiar?  So many Facebook users fill their status fields with whiny comments about some trivial issue to invoke sympathetic responses from their friends.

Then again, I shouldn’t talk.  I know I’ve probably posted a few updates like that myself.

I’m hoping that the Facebook updates during CNN’s inauguration coverage will create a meaningful discussion, but it seems like CNN is just trying to capitalize on its connection with this vast social network.

Apart from posting status updates, users are given the opportunity to upload their own photos to a gallery on iReport.com, a participatory news site powered by CNN.  They’re also encouraged to buy t-shirts from CNN’s online inauguration t-shirt store.  Like many other businesses, this major news organization is cashing in on the public’s excitement surrounding the new president.

Millions of North Americans will be attending Barack Obama’s inauguration, and millions more will be tuning in on TV and online.  CNN and Facebook have figured out a perfect way to give viewers at home a sense of personal involvement in this historic event…why not make some money in the process?

Photo courtesy of Burger King

Apparently the prospect of a free Whopper from Burger King was enough to prompt thousands of Facebook users to delete several friends from their accounts.  Burger King’s latest ad campaign created an application on the social networking site, offering a free burger for anyone willing to cut 10 friends from their contact list.

The fast-food chain is trying to market their new “Angry Whopper”, a spicier, meaner version of their classic hamburger.  According to the “Whopper Sacrifice” website, the promotion was shut down after a few days and claims to have ended over 233,000 friendships.

Judging by the comments on the Whopper Sacrifice Facebook page, it looks like users from all over the world – including Canada – deleted friends thinking they would be eligible for the free burger.  Unfortunately, they didn’t realize the promotion was only valid in the US.  Well, that sucks.  But it’s not necessarily a big loss…it’s likely their contact lists needed purging anyway.  I know mine does.

This brings to mind a common problem in the world of Facebook…one that the Burger King marketing team cleverly took into consideration.  Think of all the people you have on your list of “friends”.  Then think of the percentage of those people you actually care about.  Haven’t you been waiting for an excuse to delete a few of the names taking up space on your profile page?

You know how it goes.  You meet someone once, add them on Facebook, and then you never even send them a wall post.  There are numerous ”friend requests” that are only accepted because you feel bad rejecting someone. 

Then there are the people you knew back in high school or elementary school, who you think it will be nice to catch up with until you realize you have nothing in common and the only messages you exchange consist of awkward, forced small-talk.  I’m not saying all of these people are useless contacts, but everyone can admit they have a few on their list they could do without.

I have 393 Facebook friends.  Oh my god! I am, like, totally popular!  Not.  In fact, that number makes me feel like a fraud, as there are probably a few people on my list who wouldn’t even recognize me if they walked past me on the street.  As bad as it sounds, I would probably trade a couple of those “friendships” for some complimentary meat.

The catch with Burger King’s campaign is that you can’t get away with the stealthy elimination of these excess contacts.  Friends on Facebook can usually be deleted without their knowledge, but in this case the subject receives a notification that they have been sacrificed for a tasty, jalapeno-topped beef patty.

Luckily, the folks at Burger King have thought of everything.  Facebook users who have been ‘dumped’ can log onto Burger King’s site and send an “Angry-Gram” to their ex-friends.  What will those crazy marketers think of next?

I was one of those people who mocked and rejected Facebook. I didn’t want to be added to the growing population of users chained to their computers to “creep” on other people they were “friends” with, sucking all the gossip they could out of this new, bizarre, and viciously addictive medium.

I had studied media and communications and mused upon the possible advantages and disadvantages of such an online network. Maybe it was the pretentious media student in me struggling to resist the mainstream. Maybe I thought I was too cool for Facebook.

In any case, I broke. Unlike the stronger “haters”, I finally caved and signed up for an account.

I like to tell people I did it because I was working at an office for the summer. I had a computer in my cubicle and very little interest in my job, so Facebook was a welcome distraction. I like to say I signed up because “I had nothing better to do”.

However, I think the real reason had something to do with feeling left out. My friends were talking about things that I hadn’t seen or experienced, and many of those things involved Facebook. I was curious.

There were events being created online, and I wasn’t invited because I didn’t have a Facebook account. There were photos being posted from parties and trips, and I couldn’t log on to see them. I was the only one still forgetting my friends’ birthdays, because everyone else was getting daily reminders online.

As much as I hate to admit it, I wanted to “creep”. I wanted to learn things about people without talking to them. I wanted to look at their photos, see what they were doing and secretly judge them. The very things that made me sneer at the idea of social networking turned out to be the qualities that drew me in.

This was about three years ago. By now, all but two of my originally anti-Facebook friends have regularly updated accounts. We have all joined the throng, and I assume most people did so for similar reasons to my own. Out of the 150 million users Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg now flaunts, I’d say there’s a good percentage who at one point claimed they would never get an account. It’s like they say – if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

It seems as though you cannot be a functioning member of the “Millennial” generation without succumbing to the fascinating appeal of websites like Facebook and MySpace. Online social networking has changed how our generation thinks about communication. It has become an almost integral part of everyday life for students and young adults.

Apart from its necessity in order to be included in groups and event planning, Facebook taps into both an innate curiosity we have about other people as well as a sense of exhibitionism that many try to deny. Motivations aside, the impact of this phenomenon is huge, and I don’t think we should take it for granted.