Facebook Privacy Issues - With Facebook having been constantly criticised on its ever changing privacy issues it is becoming more and more difficult to make sure that everything that you are posting on Facebook is secure and safe. But it seems that Facebook has even more severe and privacy infringing issues on its plate. Recently Facebook users have found out that they are being tracked by internet cookies by Facebook even after they log out! This is the ultimate infringement of privacy of any user of Facebook. This means that Facebook can track its users even once they log off the website. This means that Facebook is tracking what their users are doing on the internet from watching YouTube videos to knowing the news articles you read.

This is not one of the first Facebook privacy issues but is definitely the most severe case in recent history and with Facebook being the current social networking tyrant it would be a huge case against Facebook if it is found guilty of tracking their users. Currently Facebook is saying that it is not using any of the information that it is gathering from tracking users. But many users are filling to sue Facebook for tracking them. With their biggest gripe being why would Facebook gather information if they do not want to use the information at all? This will make it difficult for Facebook to wiggle out of this lawsuit without being highly compromised. And with this not being the first time that Facebook has been alleged with privacy issues it seems to be like a sign that maybe Facebook’s days are now numbered with everyone moving to the much more fresher and more intuitive Google Plus it will be difficult for Facebook to continue to be this ignorant to its numerous privacy issues and stay on the top of the social networking ladder.

With the latest Facebook f8 keynote which was eerily like the Apple keynote both style and presentation wise from the way the place was set to the way Mark Zuckerburg went about the keynote it was what now seems like Facebook’s last attempt to try and fix its way with all of their problems. And although Facebook did try to fix the numerous problems that it seems to have it did not do enough of a refresh and change to its already overpopulated website. With the addition of some new features such as the Facebook timeline which seems like a useless Facebook gimmick to make users think that Facebook is still fresh and intuitive. And although it might have worked on some users most of the users are able to identify that these new Facebook improvements are just more gimmicks that don’t really deliver on any of the promises that Facebook was expected to do. And unfortunately when you are the ultimate social networking site and you don’t actively listen and update your website then it is probably best that you pass the torch to some other company who is much more capable.

Facebook has far too much competition and not enough fresh and young ideas that will help bring us to the next level of social networking. This means that unless Facebook deals with its numerous issues especially the privacy ones it will be only a matter of time before Facebook becomes nothing more than a fad making it nothing more than a MySpace copycat fad that everyone forgets about. Especially since Facebook is on the top of the totem on social networking it will be a great pity for Facebook who was truly a great company before they become “lazy” and started to stop updating the site with anything really effective to and useful to the user.

And unfortunately the way things are going Facebook will not be able to take the blow that Google Plus will deal it. And after knowing how efficient and user related Google is it will be a very difficult war for Facebook to stay alive after Google Plus gets to its prime and Facebook starts to slowly lose users. Due merely and merely its lack of security to its users making it a ticking bomb with no real hope unless they fix their biggest issue privacy. And with this current allegation against Facebook it seems less likely than ever that Facebook will continue to stay the social networking king. However there is some very minor hope for Facebook if it can deal with its killer problem of privacy issues. But until that day comes there is no real hope for Facebook. Till then all Facebook users can hope for the fact that Facebook deals with its privacy issue sooner than later. Especially if it’s too late for Facebook to get its users back. And with the Google Plus beta now over it seems less likely than ever that Facebook will be able to keep their users for long.

Facebook Privacy Issues

Google Plus Privacy - With Facebook’s atrocious privacy issues what is Google’s game plan to improve their issues with the same issue. But early beta users are saying that Google Plus is having a lot of the same privacy sharing contact issues as Google Buzz was having. Although this is not 100% confirmed yet it is still said to be an issue and that Google knows about it. Although the issue isn’t as severe as it was with Google Buzz it is still there and that is not good news for anyone who was hoping to go to a privacy issue free system.

Especially since the whole Facebook debacle has recently just blown up so it is becoming more and more of an issue for social networking sites. But with Google having spent so much precise time fixing and tweaking Google Plus even before its beta you can stay assured that no matter what issue that arises Google will do its very best to fix it as soon as possible and as unnoticeably as possible. As not to alert any unnecessary media coverage about the flaws of the system. But having of said that Google is prone to having issues with privacy weather it is Google Buzz or the search engine itself. Google has been a target of the hordes of privacy issue complaints.

For anyone who doesn’t quite understand the issue with the Google Plus privacy here is a little rundown of what the issue is. Although there is no problem in massively sharing content on Google Plus there is a problem in sharing if you want to share some sort of content that is just between you and one friend for example. Well that content will not stay between the both of you but instead will be able to be leaked to everyone else using Google Plus this can become a huge issue of it really does exist. And if not fixed before the end of the beta Google plus could very well end before it really even begins.

Other than that Google seems to have none of the terrible plagues that Facebook seems to have. Whether it’s the privacy setting issues or the more terrifying user information being leaked/sold to company’s issue. As with all of the recent Facebook debacle concerning these very issues and especially with them not fixing these issues that they know that they have it is becoming more and more apparent that Google Plus does have a great shot at reigning as the new top networking site without becoming a major threat to its users. And without any real privacy issues plaguing the already fantastic Google Plus interface it would be nothing short of a pity if Google Plus does not lift off because of a minor issue with privacy details.

Recently Google has said that the “bug” that was in the Google Plus system has been fixed and that the issue will no longer plague any of the Google plus users. Google has also made sure to ease up its Google Plus privacy controls so that it is much easier for users to both understand and fully control their Google Plus account. This a great sign for Google Plus users about the support and reassurance that Google is providing for all its users. It also reconfirms the fact that Google really has invested a lot of time and money not to mention effort in the Google Plus project not to fully support it. And the fact that Google fully comes up and faces that it indeed did have an issue and that now it has fixed it shows how grown up the company is regarding issues especially issues that are as important and extreme as privacy controls.

This act also shows that Facebook seems to have limited days now and that if Google seems to support both its users and customers like this it will easily overcome any of the challenges that it currently has such as the user base. With privacy settings behind Google Plus it is now possible for Google to finally have a legitimate social network that really works. Especially since Google has spent most of their time fixing and preparing this system that is without a doubt a much better system and user interface then Facebook has or ever had.  Really showing you a much brighter and better future for social networking and the issues that arise when a company has to deal with other people (users) private information. And without a doubt it can be said that from all of the possible companies that could have a social network Google would be the most fitting to have one. And with Google plus Google really is showing that it has more than just internet brand name but responsibility and this is especially seen with Google fixing its privacy issues.

Google Plus Privacy

Google Plus Games - With the recent launch of Google Plus many people have wondered how will it stack up against its biggest rival (Facebook) well although Google has in short fixed all the issues that people had with Facebook such as privacy issues, cluttered interface and the once Facebook`s best feature easy to use website functions. But what people tend to forget about is the somewhat popular Facebook gaming. It ranges from Farmville to Mafia wars. Well Google doesn’t like to be left out of the action so Google has announced its new social networking website to have its very own titles of games along with many games that you might already know about and love.

Google is trying to keep all of the games web based and most importantly within the Google Plus website as to keep you socialising and connecting with all of your friends for as long as possible. Titles that Google is planning to include in its repertoire of games include but are certainly not limited to Angry Birds, Zynga Sudoku along with Zynga Poker as well and lastly there is Bejewelled Blitz which has been the same game since it was first launched. Although these are all of the current titles expect Cityville the popular city building game from the makers of the uber famous and fun Farmville to come to Google Plus very soon.

Google Plus has been a very long and testing project for Google and with all of the pressure of beating Facebook at its own game as well as having a product that deserves to be given the Google name. Google Plus has a lot better an integration of games on it allowing users to really get the best out of the social networking site. Hopefully Google Plus won’t go the Facebook of abusing you into posting game results and scores to your friends, family etc. This is why you can be guaranteed that although games may be less on Google Plus they will altogether be a much better experience than Facebook has you used to and the top reason supporting this is the fact that Google has invested 200 million dollars in Zynga. For the four of you who don’t know who Zynga is here are some of their game titles Mafia wars, Cityville and Farmville. All of these titles are major time consumers on Facebook and Zynga is easily the biggest gaming company on Facebook. With the 200 million invested from Google probably for Google Plus exclusive titles you are sure to get some quality games to play from Google Plus.

As games are becoming more of a social network must its good to see that Google isn’t trying to go overboard with their new gaming scheme. Which will assure it to be a more legitimate experience both for socialising and gaming as it won’t have the same “nag factor” that Facebook has started to make everyone accustomed to. For example when playing a game on Google plus you won’t constantly be told to post it on Facebook etc. much like you won’t on any really gaming platform Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Steam online. This helps Google Plus become a better choice for gamers who just want some casual gaming without having to be harangued to an inch of their life to post things that really just end up being ignored by all of your friends on Facebook. With this attitude and the reliability of customer and product service that Google has insured throughout the years you can be certain that at the very least for social online gaming Google Plus will be a miles ahead of their Facebook equivalent. And with the Zynga deal you are certified some top notch and quality games to help you kill time or just relax while socialising with your friends.

Verdict- Google has taken a very calculated and well thought out step with their new social networking site and knowing exactly what their competition was and what the competitions limitations and barriers were. Google has really taken the online social experience to a whole new level which hopefully will continue to stay fresh and up to date unlike Facebook. Furthermore Google knows its market and with that Google has taken its first major step into gaming. This is great news for all of those casual and hard-core gamers out there who prefer to have online flash games rather than their more expensive and more time consuming alternatives. And with their partnership with Zynga Google has shown that they only hope to increase their involvement in the gaming industry. Hopefully this will mean a lot of great new games to play on your Google Plus account which so far seems like it will not only be much bigger than Facebook but a lot more refined and longer lasting too. We can hope that Google plus games will be better than Facebook games!

Google Plus Games

Facebook Timeline - With the increased pressure on Facebook to stay as the reigning champion of social networking Facebook has finally given its website a complete re-haul with an all new design and features so that Facebook can keep fresh and in with all of the new changes that are becoming every day in the social networking world. And to do this they have introduced “Timeline” a Facebook virtual scrapbook if you will with a lot of uncertainty and confusion behind its reason and cause. Although Facebook hopes that these changes will help it stay as the undisputed social networking king it seems difficult. As many of the features that they have launched are already behind the curve and with the exception of one (timeline) they are all very much aimed at the same idea of less clutter and more information on Facebook. Although this is great news it shows that although Facebook is looking at all its fault it is not staying as innovative and class leading as it is. And unfortunately that is all that the much hyped and awaited Facebook f8 event proved. With the main importance of the event being given to just two factors. The Facebook redesign overhaul which although is great was to be expected as every company changes their interface design after a certain time as to keep the product fresh and this is more than necessary for websites.

Facebook Timeline

Although Facebook tried to make it seem more than a redesign and more of a way to make Facebook seem as much more personal site it was evident that the changes were there only for system performance and less clutter which was a major issue with the now “old” Facebook. This is where Facebook brought in its new and “innovative” feature the Facebook timeline. Summed up timeline is nothing more than a virtual scrapbook that is available to be seen by all your friends and families. With the Facebook timeline Facebook hoped to show that it was still cutting edge with the latest trends and ways of the ever growing social networking world. Which is why it was given so much importance throughout the f8 event which seemed a bit too eerily like an Apple keynote event. Timeline is hoping to make a personal lifetime of the users profile with all of the major or important achievements and milestones of the user in one place with a time and date set to each and every event. These events could range from everything like the day you graduated to a status update that got a lot of likes from your friends and family. Although initially Facebook will start you off with a timeline for your profile you will later be able to customise your Facebook timeline with events that you thought were important enough to be on the Facebook timeline you can also delete things from the Facebook timeline that you thought did not deserve to me on the timeline. But although is all good and well a virtual timeline displaying all of your achievements, milestones, events etc. did anyone in the engineering department or creative department in Facebook think what was the point of this feature? Sure it’s a nice thing to have once a year or when you want to display all that you have achieved and done through the year or more realistically just that year. But what is the point of having this on your Facebook profile 24/7 for everyone to view for? It is just not something that would be of much of an importance to anyone using Facebook. And this is why I think that in the long run this will be a complete Facebook flop as the Facebook timeline features no real importance in any way to any other aspect of socialising or connecting on Facebook. And the fact that this was Facebook’s Google Plus killer idea shows that it might just be time for Facebook to hand down the torch to Google Plus which seems to have a lot more creative and innovative ideas about the future of social networking.  Thus the Facebook timeline disappoints me  as I was expecting a lot more from Facebook now that their worst nightmare had become real (Google’s  Google Plus) . And with Google plus this close to opening to everyone and getting out of beta I really thought that Facebook would bring out something that really will assure themselves on top the of the social networking website ladder but unfortunately Facebook has brought over lukewarm products to an industry that is working and growing at a far too rapid a speed to be just reinvested in a website with some mild new features and a site redesign. With Google plus this close to opening to public I would not be surprised if Facebook turns into the new MySpace by the end of 2012.

New Facebook Changes - With the great initial success of Google plus Facebook has decided that its time that they too started to up the ente on their social networking site. As the “old” Facebook was not only starting to look dated compared to Google Plus but was also feeling very slow and sluggish. Well with the pressure of competing with the giant search engine company Facebook went ahead and made its grand redesign event and here is what Facebook has come up with to beat Google`s ever growing social networking site. The major new facebook changes are discussed in this article

New Facebook Changes 

1. Timeline- This is easily the most controversial and biggest change for Facebook with a lot of people feeling quite uneasy and worried about the feature. Basically broken down Facebook wants “Timeline” to be a scrapbook of your life. But instead of only using pictures on Facebook for the scrapbook it will use all of the milestones you have achieved over the years on Facebook in an archived time wise fashion. The events could be anything from your wedding photos to the status update you once posted even places you have visited will be on the site on a map that shows your birthplace and all of the places you have visited. This is a way for Facebook to encourage people to post more and more about themselves allowing them to have an archive of their life a virtual scrapbook would be the main idea here.

2. Facebook’s apps- Yes there are now apps for everything it seems from the iPhone to Facebook now and unlike your iPhone apps these are not to get you away from your phone or life etc. but to connect you Facebook even more as they will automatically post and share information on your behalf on your Facebook profile. Many people myself included think that this is far too much and as always Facebook has assured us that it can be turned off (somehow).

3. Multimedia- Easily the best announcement at the f8 event was that Facebook has partnered up with many companies such as Netflix, Spotify, Hulu etc. this will all be accessible on Facebook so that you don’t leave the website and spend as much time as possible. Another thing to remember is that when you’re watching your guilty pleasure show or song DONT! As all you do on this multimedia “apps” will be shown on the Facebook ticker to all your friends.

4. Like is no more- As with many websites all you could do was press the like button to show your feelings towards an article, video, comment etc. but with the new Facebook improvements you can set any verb into a button so no more slaving around to just the like button. This is a huge step in the internet as we can finally do more than “like” something and express ourselves more than we could with just liking or disliking a post. Also your friends will be giving a better view of the things they “liked” rather than just liking them.

5. Ticker is a lot more useful- The Facebook ticker will be taking up all of the small updates from everyone such as status changes comments likes and photos that they have posted. This is one of the most important factors that Facebook needed to attend to and I am glad that hopefully with the new found responsibility of the Ticker section Facebook will feel less clogged with information.

6. Biggest yet- Facebook is growing and growing fast Mark Zuckerburg gave lots of statistics in his Apple keynote-ish f8 event but none was more jaw dropping and important as the fact that Facebook now has 800 million users from which the most of them are highly active. Not only had this but the daily visits of the website topped at a record breaking 500 million. Which shows us that Zuckerburg is showing us that Facebook is going harder, faster and stronger than ever before.

Final Thoughts- Facebook is growing and this new change in Facebook is proof of just that but will these changes be good changes or will they just plague what now seems to be a doomed website. With Google Plus having just launched and Facebook just now trying to clean up its act about all of the issues it had it seems like a desperate act of hope from Facebook to try and keep its long overdue monopoly over the social networking world. But the biggest question remains is that with these new changes what will Google respond with? And how much of a bite will Google take out of Facebook once it opens its Google Plus to everyone? But for now all we can really say is that although quite late Facebook is headed in the right direction of the next generation of social networking and hopefully it will not get forgotten like MySpace.