Every time there is a glitch in Facebook privacy people complain their confidentiality has been violated.  So I have solved the Facebook privacy issue.  Are you ready?  Here it is:

If you want to keep something private then don’t put it on Facebook.  Period!

Here’s the thing about social networks – they’re social.  Facebook is not the place to have an online chat with your secret lover.  If you want to keep your affair private then do what people use to do and have a “third rate romance low rent rendezvous” at a seedy motel.  And with foreclosures at an all time high there are plenty of abandoned buildings and empty luxury condos to carry on your shenanigans.

And if you are going to do something sleazy and hypocritical then you’re only going to make things worse by trying to justify it on Facebook.  Let’s say you’re an anti-Gay activists who uses your credentials as a doctor to help push homophobic policy.  But you secretly have a thing for rent boys giving you massages while in the nude performing a move called the “long stroke”.  And say your name is Dr. George Rekers, co-founder of the Family Research Council which under the guise of religion leads the charge to discriminate against Gay people.  When you get caught with your hand in the “rent boy” cookie jar then don’t post psycho-babble on your Facebook page that makes you seem certifiable insane.

Click here to read George Rekers’s Facebook post in response to getting caught spending 10 days on a European vacation with a male hooker.  And I challenge you to try and read it with a straight face.  (Sorry, it had to be said.)

By the way, if you are a closet homosexual like George Rekers then you should not parade it all over Europe and the Miami airport.  Why not do your “gay business” in airport bathrooms.  Well, maybe that’s not such a good idea, either.

So let’s keep privacy private and Facebook social.  Complaining about privacy problems on a social networking site is like going to the beach and gripping about the sun and the sand.

On 4/6/2010 a U.S. appeals court ruled against the FCC’s net neutrality regulations.  This is a defeat for Internet freedom advocates and Internet users.  But for big corporations, the same people who crashed our financial systems, this is a large win.

Here are two blog posts I wrote about the Net Neutrality that goes into more detail about his issue.
http://www.biologyoftechnology.com/2009/10/net-neutrality-is-back/
http://www.biologyoftechnology.com/2008/07/net-neutrality-is-a-big-opportunity-for-big-business/

Here’s one of the many videos on youtube.com that explain Net Neutrality.

If greedy corporation get their hands on the Internet to impose their will then you can kiss good-bye to the Internet as you know it.  In the world of a business controlled Web then there is nothing to stop Comcast (or any ISP) from charging tolls and fees to access specific websites.  Imagine a Facebook fee added to your ISP bill because you use a lot Facebook, or certain website painfully slow unless you purchase the “gold level” package from your ISP.  It could happen!

Before you start waving your “No Big Government” banner at me, consider this.  We have laws to protect blocks of land as national parks so everyone can enjoy them.  Otherwise big business would have bought the Grand Canyon and turn it into a billion dollar real estate development exclusively for the super wealthy.  Net Neutrality is a proposed set of laws to provide the similar protection for the Internet.  Without it we could see Internet access controlled by big business and special interest.

This is not a right-left political issue.  This is a free speech issue.  So before you hop on whatever political train-of-thought you ride, I strongly encourage you to think this through for yourself.  Be a free thinker and support a free Internet!

Here’s a great video that shows how social networking can help your business.  And it’s fun to watch.

Click here to view video on mobile device

There are two good reasons NOT to join Facebook Groups protesting that Facebook will start charging users.
1. These claims are false. Facebook has deny any rumors that they will charge users
2. These groups can lead you to malicious sites that can infect your PC with viruses and spyware.

Here is a Facebook page that puts to rest the rumors about Facebook charging users:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Face-Book-will-never-charge-users-The-facts-the-truth/262579709805

Here is another link from telegraph.co.uk dismissing these rumors:   http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/6973757/Facebook-dismisses-rumours-of-charging-plans.html

And last but not least, checkout the snopes.com article dispelling this Facebook falsehood:
http://www.snopes.com/computer/internet/fbcharge.asp

More important, these phony FB groups have more nefarious intentions – to infect your PC with nasty viruses and spyware. Here’s a message from Facebook warning about these groups.

The rumor about charging $4.9…9 or £3.99 or £14.99 a month is totally made up. However, confusion is not what the scammers seek: members of the group are directed to external websites that are capable of installing malware. Some of the sources can even download 25 different infections automatically upon visit.

If you did join one of these groups then you should eliminate it from your Facebook account and run a full anti-virus scan on your PC ASAP.

If you do not have an anti-virus program then stop, drop, and roll…and click on the following link for instructions on how to get the free version of the AVG anti-virus software.
http://www.techadvocate-solutions.com/techtips/2009/12/09/avg-anti-virus-9-update/

I think it is awesome that Facebook provides FREE online services to hundreds on millions of people all over the world. But it puzzles me why people rise up in protest at just the rumor of Facebook potentially charging users. Even if Facebook charged $4.99 a month this calculates to just 16 cents a day! Yet we pay A LOT more to use cell phones and landlines. Makes you think!

If you are a Facebook user would you consider their service worth 16 cents a day? Let me know your thoughts by posting your comments.

Traveling for Holidays?  Want free Wi-Fi?  Google, Yahoo, eBay, and Microsoft are all getting into the Holiday spirit by offering free Wi-Fi to Holiday travelers.  Here are the details.

Google will offer free Wi-Fi from Nov. 16, 2009 to Jan. 15, 2010 on Virgin American flights and in the 47 airports listed in this link.
http://www.freeholidaywifi.com/

EBay will provide free Wi-Fi on some Delta planes during the week of Thanksgiving.   Check with Delta to see if your flight is on the freebie list.  Users will be taken first to eBay’s holiday page, but they will be free to roam from there.

Since September, Microsoft has given away Wi-Fi access at some hotels and airports, encouraging users to make a query on the company’s new search engine, Bing.

Starting Nov. 9, 2009, Yahoo is giving away Wi-Fi access in Times Square in New York.

There is much speculation as to the real reason why companies are giving you this Holiday gift.  Perhaps it is because we have all been good boys and girls.  Or perhaps they are using this as a chance to test Wi-Fi services they plan to offer in the future .   Don’t mean to be Scrooge, and I’m not doubting that you’ve been good this year, but my money is that this a beta test wrapped in a Christmas bow.

If you do use one of these free Wi-Fi giveaways, make sure your anti-virus programs is up-to-date!

Facebook now has over 300 million users.  The US population is 307 million.  Let’s face it; Facebook is a force to be reckoned with.  So it only makes since to include Facebook in your marketing strategy.

Facebook is changing the cyber landscape at an explosive pace.  In a September 16, 2009 announcement, Facebook CEO Mark Zukerberg declared the social networking website has passed the 300 million mark.  Just 2 months ago Facebook announced that they had reached the 250 million user milestone.  A growth rate of 50 million users in just 2 months means Facebook is adding about 800,000 per day!

Here are some other Facebook facts:
- About 70% of Facebook’s users are outside the US
- There are about 90 million Facebook users in the States
- The fastest growing Facebook demographic is adults 35 and older (Ironic since FB started as a place for college kids to keep in touch.)

But what many consider an even more impressive Facebook landmark is that it is now making money.  This puts Facebook ahead of the original goal of being profitable by 2010.

Facebook can help you make money, too.  Businesses of all sizes are including Facebbook in their online marketing strategy as much as Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  Will we see a new online term called Facebook Optimization (FBO)?

If you have questions about how Facebook, Twitter, or other Social Networking can help your organization contact TechAdvocate Solutions at:
http://www.techadvocate-solutions.com/contactus.php

Fox News can legally lie to you.  A Florida Appeals court ruled in favor of Fox News, owned by media baron Rupert Murdock, that there is nothing illegal about lying or distorting information by a major press organization.  Their main defense was the first amendment.  Talk about fair and balanced!

But you won’t hear this in Fox news.  You’ll get it from bloggers, underscoring the power of the Web as the real champion of freedom of speech.  So let’s keep it that way.  Don’t let big money turn the Internet into a place like Fox News where the truth is tainted by corporate and special interests.  Support Net Neutrality.  For more info see my post at:

http://www.biologyoftechnology.com/2008/07/net-neutrality-is-a-big-opportunity-for-big-business/

Or see the following website for more info on Net Neutrality:
http://www.savetheinternet.com/

Here are some links on the Fox News story:
http://www.ceasespin.org/ceasespin_blog/ceasespin_blogger_files/fox_news_gets_okay_to_misinform_public.html
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389×6086344

And here’s an interesting video on the topic:

Personally, I feel like I get more news on the “tube” from Comedy Central!

It is the summer season for web browsers and the heat is on.   There are new releases of just about all the major browsers.  But don’t get overheated with the flurry of activity on the browser front.  The real winner is you, the web user.  The crucible of competition purifies the browsers and brings new features that make for a safer and more pleasant web experience.  Who doesn’t like that, well, except for Internet Explorer maybe?

There are new releases of Firefox (http://www.mozilla.com/), Google’s Chrome (http://www.google.com/chrome), Apple’s Safari (http://www.apple.com/safari/), Opera (http://www.opera.com/) and even Internet Explorer (IE) 8 (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/default.aspx).

I admit that I am a fan of the Firefox browser.  And the new Firefox 3.5 update has made me a bigger fan.

Unfortunately, the looser is IE (once again).  I have nothing against IE and it is still the most used browser in the world.  But the news was a blaze this past week with reports of yet another IE vulnerability.  If you use IE on Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 you should see the following links:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/askjack/2009/jul/07/ie-security-flaw
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/972890.mspx
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/972890

Better yet, you should get off IE and on Firefox.

For the techie, here are some links to more detailed browser reviews.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2009/06/new_firefox_released.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/03/AR2009070302636.html