Facebook will on Wednesday launch the Open Graph applications it first debuted last September, sources told AllThingsD. These are the apps, made by outside developers, that “frictionlessly” and continuously share users’ actions back to Facebook after a user has given permission once.

The new apps behave similarly to the “read,” “listen” and “watch” Open Graph applications that have already rolled out in the past few months, which include the Washington Post, Spotify and Hulu. So every time your friends read an article or listen to a song, you might now learn about it on Facebook, and possibly even join them in reading or listening at the same time.

Facebook: “frictionlessly” tracking your every move.

via @applespotlight

A program launching Tuesday enables users to instantly connect with a crisis counselor from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline through Facebook’s “chat” messaging system.

If a friend spots a suicidal thought on someone’s page, he can report it to Facebook by clicking a link next to the comment. Facebook then sends an email to the person who posted the comment encouraging that user to call the hotline or click a link for a confidential chat.

• The new look is very clean. The tweets are on little sheets that sit above a textured background. I like this, as the old app felt really cluttered to me.
• The swipe feature from Tweetie 2.0 is gone. In fact, this new app feels nothing like Tweetie.
• That said, this new app feels fast. Moving between tweets and other screens involves no waiting on my iPhone 4.
• The compose button has a little feather on it. Adorable.
• The tabs across the bottom include Home, Connect, Discover and Me. Direct Messages are now buried under the Me tab.
• The Discover tab is pretty useless for me. It includes search, Stories, trends (including promoted ones), recommendations on who to follow and more. Seriously, I’m never going to use most of this stuff.

All in all, it’s clear to me that Twitter is trying to steer people toward areas of the service where things like promoted trends and stories can be seen easily. While that’s understandable, I really am not a fan of it taking up so much room in the iPhone app. With no way to re-arrange the default tabs across the bottom, I’m stuck with something I don’t want — Discovery — and am left with something I need — Direct Messages — too far away.

I’m sticking with Tweetbot on my iPhone.

Update: Chris Herbert pointed out that the Me tab has a few tricks hidden away.

The social networking service Facebook has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it deceived consumers by telling them they could keep their information on Facebook private, and then repeatedly allowing it to be shared and made public.

[...]

The proposed settlement bars Facebook from making any further deceptive privacy claims, requires that the company get consumers’ approval before it changes the way it shares their data, and requires that it obtain periodic assessments of its privacy practices by independent, third-party auditors for the next 20 years.

Way to go, FTC. That’s sure to keep Facebook in line.

via The Last Revivalist

via The Brooks Review

I just came across this story on Macworld.

First of all, I understand that Macworld has to post stories from its sister publications. I’m not a fan of cross-posting, especially when its off-topic, but I get it.

What I don’t get is the story itself. If you don’t like the new Facebook, close your damn account.

Social standards and norms are constantly evolving and the inclusion of technology is a part of this evolution. Part of the shock may be how social interactions are shifting from physical space to the more abstract and formless space of the web.