There seems to be a lot of commotion surrounding the new revisions to the widely used facebook. I find the whole debate rather interesting. It made the news on /. last night. It also got student portals requesting a return to the old style.

I, for one, like the new face lift, or at least most of it. Being able to see who posted what to my wall is nice. I don’t care to see who posted something on some one elses wall though.

Seeing who joined what groups is kind of interesting. You can see what groups are new, and what they’re all about. Otherwise you don’t really know about the new groups (or at least people like myself who don’t use facebook much at all).

Seeing who changed their profile picture is pretty sweet. It gives you the chance to see the “new” them. I like that.

Seeing who has new pictures of themselves up could be useful. However, I don’t like it. It says has added new photo’s. Well, if you look at the photos they are of a bunch of people I don’t know. So I don’t think that’s necessary.

Seeing who wrote new “notes” is fun. It allows you to see the updates, which is a good thing. I like it.

Putting the info of who broke up with who, or who is attending what, is a little overly stalkerish. However, I think that facebook in general allows people to be stalkerish. It just allows for easier reading of that information. If you are that worried that people will see it, then don’t put that information on the internet. It seems simple to me.

I like the mini-feed on the person’s profile page. You can see what they’ve added, removed, changed, etc. It’s simple, it’s easy, and it’s convenient.

I think people don’t really realize that any information you put on the internet is public knowledge. As Bethel states in their recent announcement (FYI, only Bethel people can get there):

Online communities can help students connect with each other in many positive ways. We acknowledge how important these connections can be for you during your college years. We advise you, however, to use discretion when posting personal information on the Internet. Be aware that your information is not private and that your personal safety can be compromised by posting information about your whereabouts and activities.

In addition, any information posted by you or approved by you on the Internet, including in online communities, may be used by the university, future employers, or law enforcement personnel in the ordinary discharge of their duties. Any negative information may be used to your detriment, ranging from minor embarrassment to serious disciplinary proceedings that may lead to sanctions, up to and including separation from the Bethel community.

People who don’t like the new facebook setup because it makes your information more visible have little grounds to stand on (in my opinion).  You put the information out there and you say “Okay, do whatever you want with it.”

People who don’t like the new facebook setup for cosmetic reasons have a decent opinion, but change isn’t all bad.

I’d like to see a few options out there to edit what you see on your “home page”.  I don’t really care who added photos of who, so give me the option to not see it.

Overall I like the new face lift, but I’d like to have the option of customizing it a little bit.

Now that this is on my facebook (thank you facebook notes), feel free to comment!