my nation has 900,000,000 citizens and, as near as i can tell, they can all fit in my laptop. my nation has its own form of money, a movie about its beginnings* and a handsome prince and princess.
prince mark zuckerberg and bride priscilla chan honeymooned in italy just after the much anticipated facebook i.p.o. insta-millionaires were gravely disappointed as the share price opened at $42 and has plunged to $27. but every great nation has initial problems.
this past month, facebook held an election on proposed privacy amendments. i don’t know about you, but i figure i have no privacy on facebook. but some students in ireland disagree with that notion and filed a complaint with the irish data protection commission which is in charge of regulating facebook in europe. the students claimed “hey, that picture of me drunk on the couch that my ex-girlfriend posted and then i made her take it down, that’s my privacy we’re talking about!”
on may 23, 2005 tom cruise declared his love for katie holmes as he trampolined on a couch on the oprah show. i’m sure HE’D like to say he owns that and then he would burn it. tom is known for being very reserved, secretive, almost like a scientologist. oh, right, he IS a scientologist.
so facebook held a vote on amendments to its privacy policies. the amendments allow for what items are automatically public on facebook, what items facebook owns (anything you post) and what happens when you deactivate your account (facebook keeps all of it in perpetuity). the data is important because it allows for facebook to target advertising. and get revenue. which might help that stock price slide. i’ve seen a lot of posts complaining about privacy and facebook policies. if i had known about a chance to vote on this, i would have.
three hundred and fifty thousand people voted, just four percent, and overwhelmingly they were opposed to the privacy amendments. the company had said that it would consider the vote binding if more than 30% of its users voted.
*the social network chronicled the brave prince mark battling to free people everywhere so that they can connect. and actually, i believe that is exactly what mark zuckerberg actually intends. as he has been quoted as saying, “we don’t build services to make money–we make money so we can build better services!”
arlynnpresser 
June 9th, 2012 at 3:40 pm
I was on face book about eight months. Only at my grand daughter’s request. Had been asked to upload many of my Viet Nam personal photo’s that my friends wanted to see. Then found out that they wouldn’t be mine anymore. I reseached the policy of facebook and closed my account. I would like to see your next poll ask this question: “Which will end first? Facebook or the marriage?” What really bothers me is that I believe there is a need for such a function as facebook for people. I just don’t believe they should have any right what so ever to own what people post. P.S. I found you on Huffington Post. And am glad I did. Have been a huge fan since that day.
June 9th, 2012 at 10:03 pm
uh oh, edward, does this mean facebook owns me too? and thank you! there is a need for facebook and i really think mark’s heart is in the right place. but the policy about ownership is deeply disturbing. i’m glad you closed your account if that is what keeps your pictures yours!
June 9th, 2012 at 4:20 pm
FB is a game changer no doubt. how the game plays out may portend an ever larger scope of social consciousness and hopefully awareness
June 9th, 2012 at 5:46 pm
You are very into facebook. I would probable buy if it stays or gets a little lower. Long term outlook good.
June 9th, 2012 at 7:40 pm
Don’t want paper bills ?
Register to manage your account on-line 24/7, at http://www.unificationmovement.org.uk
email : roninfo@btinternet.com
Call 0447810262 609
A world of peace is an ideal we all long for long but unless we find it within ourselves first we will never find it elsewhere …
even now , I am filled with love that I have not yet been able to give !
June 11th, 2012 at 4:56 pm
Great post, thank you for sharing! I guess the key is to choose comments, posts, photos and the like that you wouldn’t mind going public, and keep the rest private. 😀
Pink.
June 12th, 2012 at 1:04 pm
I just don’t get the financial model that supports Facebook. I have never, ever bought anything because of a visit to Facebook. My personal opinion is it will go the way of MySpace once someone comes up with something better. And my mother taught me if you don’thave anything nice to say about someone, don’t say anything. So about Mark Zuckerberg…
June 12th, 2012 at 1:33 pm
i think mark is an extraordinary man who has created something and i don’t think he cares whether it makes money. but he does care about whether it gives value to its users. but i agree, tony, that the business model is not really working here.