It is awesome! Launched by Facebook a few hours ago is the Skype-style video chat feature. Thousands worldwide just got the taste of this great new feature by the social media site. The much awaited feature is indeed a great improvement to messaging system.
Seconds after it was confirmed released, I immediately tested it with a friend and as I was on it, I can't help but wonder the imminent dangers of exposing yourself on such a new and cool application.
The first one that entered my mind are the criminals. Most of us don't really know most of the friends we have on Facebook. Security analysts have warned us before of the precautionary measures to avoid exposing ourselves to criminals who, have not been slow to catch on at all. When they migrated to Twitter and Facebook, I wonder now.... will there be dangers on this new feature too?
Joining social networking sites is really fun and entertaining. I am hooked on Facebook and Google+ and I don't really care about who's going to be better that these two. I'm just one who likes to get in touch with friends once in awhile. However, we do have to be concerned of some of the dangers or what-not-to-do's and the biggest issue will be PRIVACY.
As always, it will be a problem. Although these huge social networking sites constantly find ways to make it secure for us, we are the ones responsible for our own exposures. I can think of only 3 things that can serve as guide on how to avoid getting into trouble when using Facebook Video Calling:
1. Keeping your profile on high privacy is the best solution.
There's a writing there on the top of your FB page that says "Accounts" where you will see the drop-down menu showing you Privacy Settings. Use that. Take good time to read and understand everything.
2. Never reveal anything private to strangers.
As I have mentioned earlier, you never know that it could be a criminal that you are enjoying a video call with. The migration of web criminals can extend to this new feature... starting off with being nice and sweet and eventually gathering information from you... information that can be disastrous. Despite the excitement and thrill of talking to strangers, fraud problems and identity theft might soon bite your ass.
3. Be appropriately dressed when opening a video call even to friends.
Your friends just might video-call you and post an inappropriate photo or embarrassing photo of you. I tested this with my second friend. She came out and I got to capture a screenshot of her that I know wasn't to her approval. I mean, being caught off-guarded can be a disaster. We all don't want such. So, just to warn her, I shared it to her privately and so, she understood what might happen. Just be dressed appropriately and look nice.
There are of course, a lot more as we go on living in an era of internet wonders, but I can only think of these for now....what I see that will pose imminent dangers to us. Try to keep your private life safe. Enjoy social networking! Enjoy this cool feature but... be safe as always!
...I simply cannot imagine it now.
When I joined Facebook in May 2008, I was lonely. I felt like..."My friends are on MySpace and Friendster at the time and I'm among the millions of foreigners... seriously...People I don't know from Adam and Eve!".
Anyways, as I went through my life with Mark Zuckerberg's brilliant new world, I find myself sucked-in too deep. These are now my simple reasons because I don't want to get too "techy" for everyone (I refuse to show I've transformed from a major party animal to a geek ... which I really am now tee hee!):
1. I've seen how other friends and I dragged my own personal friends and acquaintances from other networks to Facebook since 2008. Now, they're all there! How the hell can I leave now?
2. I see more people I know from Adam and Eve now more than before. I see my own family! My sister hounds my wall constantly and my nieces are flooding my homepage all the time!
3. I see the first foreign friends of mine as my lifeline... they've become my family and best friends. Yeah... reading their posts, statuses, etc. told me a lot about their personalities and lives across the globe and that makes me feel I am part of their world too.
4. Mafia Wars... I'm a self-confessed addict! I mean... how can you not love this simple game? It will forever make you wonder why you got hooked in the first place! Plus, I got some best friends hooked too and they're dependent on me for Q&A's as if I'm a moderator of the game! Also, I love my Mafia Wars family :) They are my dream team for Mafia Wars... My Top Mafia!
5. Reading family and friends' posts / statuses brings me joy and some few pain! Loving most and hating some especially those with bad news and pathetic shout-outs... which reminds me constantly that I'm a human being. People comment... people exchange thoughts... it's gossip and I'm loving it!!!
6. What's new and what's hot... I see it all the time there! From wall posts to events to photos to gadgets to movies to causes to news to videos to music to blah blahs... my God... how can I leave this world?
7. I don't normally complain. If Facebook is user-friendly then I call myself a friendly user. I have nothing to complain on Facebook much because I know how to read and follow instructions so that I don't really get my private life spread all over the world! Yes, there is a thing called "Privacy Settings" which I constantly update since 2008. Try searching me on Facebook Search Engine. You won't find me at all unless you see me at a mutual friend's profile. Saves me from adding people I don't know and I don't like.
8. Admit it... Facebook makes you feel you're not alone in this world and you're popular!!! At least, that's how I honestly feel. I am popular among my friends and my family and my mafia family! I am not a loser! LOL!!!
9. I have all my photos there... of my family, of my friends, of my friends' friends, of strangers, of virtual friends that I fancy meeting in real life later on, of my own photography attempts and many more!!! I even lost count of the number of albums I have which is great because Facebook seems to handle infinity! LOL!!! Apart from it, I can tag my friends and it gets a viral effect! It amuses me that even the simplest photo from me can get some prime time in my news feed!!! Fun!!!
10. I discovered I have been messaging people more and more on Facebook than use my email addresses even when it comes to business! I think that the email addresses my personal contacts use in Facebook are more up-to-date than their regular email contact list because they don't effing respond to my emails at times that I end up just doing the "PM"!
So there!!! They are my 10 simple reasons why I can't quit.
