Kurt McKee

lessons learned in production

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Hey there! This article was written in 2006.

It might not have aged well for any number of reasons, so keep that in mind when reading (or clicking outgoing links!).

Facebook backlash

Posted 8 September 2006 in Facebook and feed

Has anybody not heard that Facebook added feeds to almost every page? They're a really simple addition, and quite brilliantly executed. Problem is, people are flipping out over them. Huh?

Facebook's feeds are doing something that's incredibly useful: they aggregate information into one page. I check that page, and I'm done. Unfortunately, people don't like seeing their personal information on display like that. Here's the thing, though, guys: it's already public information. You, and you alone, put it on Facebook.

I see people joining "I hate Facebook's feeds!" and "No more Facebook feeds!" groups. People are writing notes saying things like "Boycot Facebook!" and "The layout's confusing, and its infringing on our privacy!" Get over it. You want to boycott Facebook? Stop using it. You can spend your newfound free time learning how to spell two syllable words. It's a good skill to have.

If you really want to boycott Facebook, close your account.

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