Facebook 'next-gen' comms (sorta) answer Google beef Facebook's "next–generation" messaging system won't end Google's beef with the social site's data-export policies. But it does make a small step in that direction. Facebook director of engineering Andrew Bosworth has indicated that with the roll-out of the new messaging system, users will be able to export the email addresses …
I'm not sure if I understand this properly, but am I right in saying that they're only allowing you to export your friends' @facbook.com email address, and not their proper email addresses?
To me this still STINKS of Zuckerberg still trying to keep you in Facebook's walled garden. I would like to be able to batch export ALL the email addresses that my firends have put there (without having to copy and paste) so that I can use the OPEN communications platform that we've had for years known as EMAIL with them.
Also, given that Facebook usernames are public their own addresses can only result in a lot of spam. Additionally, I have my own domain name and have absolutely no intention of using Zuckerberg's latest incentive to remain within his cult.
Zuckerberg, you can go and shove your @facebook.com email address up your arse! I don't want your stupid lock-in. The sooner a truely open social network appears without any form of lock-in the better.
"Google has long complained that Facebook did not allow third-party apps to automatically grab contacts and addresses...."
You mean there's a bit of personal data that Farcebook *doesn't* spray all over teh intahtoobz for all the world to see?
A terrible oversight I am sure..........bitch.
I think people are missing a key point here:
" I would like to be able to batch export ALL the email addresses that my firends have put there (without having to copy and paste) "
If you turn this around, are you still as comfortable:
"I would like to be able to friend-request you on Facebook, then download all of your personal details"
Get real!! You build your contacts list on e-mail systems because people GIVE you their email address. Personally, I would be annoyed if Facebook suddenly allowed another user to export my personal data, you'd complain if a Facebook application did it, so don't expect Facebook to do it.
The ethos in using Facebook is that you're only supposed to "friend" people that you've met in real life. All 270 odd people on my "friends" list I have met in real life and I would like them to have my email address - actually I'd rather they ONLY had my email address so that they would use the OPEN communications platform known as EMAIL to contact me rather than Facebook's proprietary lock-in messaging system. To me. the biggest benefit of a social network such as Facebook is that it is a good way to have the most up to date contact information for all your acquaintances.
Allowing an export of contact details is not exposing any more of your data than what your "friends" can already see - the only difference would be that with a proper export system you wouldn't have to copy and paste the details. I don't think applications should have access to this data as the people who run the applications are not people you know - your "friends" are supposed to be people you do know. As for someone you wouldn't want to have your email address (or someone you don't actually know), well Facebook already has controls that allow you to specify who exactly can see your email address - any export of data would obviously obey these same privacy rules.
In summary, YOU GET REAL. People like you are creating pathetic and ignorant excuses for Facebook to continue its policy of lock-in.
Once upon a time I browsed the Usenets because you could find good and interesting information there. Then came the spambots and the downfall of Usenet. With this new play, will FB follow the same path?
Dunno. But I will miss my FB games if it does.
"Google is calling on Facebook to let users export any contact data they put into the service"
What Facebook are saying is that they are not going to let you export the data of other profiles. Your friends Facebook names form part of your profile information. You created your profile and you added your friends one by one. What Google is saying is the same thing ... they just don't realise it :-)
Anot
The recently updated Facebook mail system is not a Gmail killer - that's simply lazy journalism.
These folks do a good job of explaining:
http://lifehacker.com/5690722/why-you-shouldnt-switch-your-email-to-facebook
Who would have thought, Facebook would take a page from Myspace's playbook? I don't really care what social networking site offers it, but I wouldn't waste my time creating and managing any @social_media_conglomerate.com email address. How could it ever properly integrate with my AOL account?
Another thing I don't like is how they seem to be planning to blur email, IM, SMS etc deppending on who you are communicating with. I don't like this. The reason is that I will use a different communication media depending on the situation. e.g. the following communications methods are ranked from most to least intrustive, and from most to least urgent:
1. phone call = most urgent and most instrusive
2. IM
3. SMS
4. email = least urgent and least intrusive
I will pick the method of communication most appropriate to the situation - Zuckerberg is destroying this too.
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