It didn't take long for the fertiliser to get into the ventilation: Facebook users arc up over new tracking tool.
Some users of the online hangout Facebook are complaining that its two-week-old marketing program is publicising their purchases for friends to see.
Those users say they never noticed a small box that appears on a corner of their web browsers following transactions at Fandango, Overstock and other online retailers.
The box alerts users that information is about to be shared with Facebook unless they click on "No Thanks." It disappears after about 20 seconds, after which consent is assumed.
Its called inertia mqarketing and you DON'T do it in any half ethical offline business.
"Hi earl, we're going to send you your new Jaguar next week and invoice you in 2,000 easy monthly instalments UNLESS you say no in the next 20 seconds. Damn, even the email spammers haven't stooped to that; although I'd bet it would get plenty of responses.
Users are given a second notice the next time they log on to Facebook, but they can easily miss it if they quickly click away to visit a friend's page or check email.
"People should be given much more of a notice, much more of an alert," said Matthew Helfgott, 20, a college student who discovered his girlfriend just bought him black leather gloves from Overstock for Hanukkah. "She said she had no idea (information would be shared). She said it invaded her privacy."
Yah reckon?
Looks like facebook has decided to go out with a bang, cut their wrists and shoot themselves in the head so they fall into a barrel of freezing acid. Just to be sure.
I expect FaceBook to implode soon, they are making all the wrong moves, must be the microsoft money talking.
Posted by: Branedy | November 24, 2007 at 01:35 AM