Zuckerberg Reveals New Facebook Features
On October 6th, 2010, Mark Zuckerberg and company revealed from within the Facebook Headquarters - a place that resembles my high school cafeteria - three major renovations to the Facebook experience.
First, in order to downplay his portrayal as a self-absorbed monster in The Social Network, which is currently the number one movie in America, the crafty billionaire planted the idea in listeners heads that Facebook now cares about user-privacy and user-control. To achieve this goal, Zuck told the audience that Facebook will finally give a user the chance to "Download Your Information."
When using the "Download Your Information" feature, a user can navigate through the Application Settings section of Facebook, locate a feature called "Download Your Information," and request a downloadable ZIP file to store on his or her personal machine. The ZIP file will contain every piece of data a user has ever posted to Facebook, encompassing such things as photos, messages, wall posts, friend lists, profile information, and anything else imaginable.
What I truly hope happens with the "Download Your Information" feature is similar to that of an alcoholic confronting an overflowing trashcan of wine bottles and succumbing to the reality of his or her addiction. I hope that when a Facebook user takes advantage of this feature, he or she examines this ZIP file for what it really is: evidence of a problem. Remember: The larger the ZIP file, the greater the obsession.
The second announcement Zuckerberg mentioned in his trio of transformations is one that allows a user to control the information sent to third-party websites through Applications. The new "Application Dashboard" feature gives a user the ability to view a command-center filled with Application data that displays what information is being transferred to external websites and when the last time an external website acquired personal information.
Although at first glance the "Application Dashboard" seems like an altruistic move by the former privacy monger, Zuck has made locating the Dashboard quite difficult. Instead of accessible through the sensible "Application Settings" section of the "Account" tab, the Dashboard can be found tucked-away in the bottom left corner of the "Privacy Settings" screen, displaying in 8.5 font-size: Edit your settings. I had to pull out my monocle for this one.
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