FACEBOOK’s TERMS OF SERVICE: BECOMING SLEAZIER?

I’m reluctantly being sucked into the Facebook vortex.

I had little interest in joining, much less being active, in Facebook. However, when you start receiving emails through Facebook from people that you actually know and would like to stay in contact with, then you have little choice.

One of the things that repelled me when I initially joined was the intrusiveness of Facebook and its numerous third-party applications. Third-party applications are applications that are not part of Facebook but are written to work with Facebook. Third-party applications offer those features that make Facebook more interesting.

An example is SuperPoke. According to Wikipedia, “poking" is Facebook’s analogy to the action of “tapping and/or softly jabbing another person using a finger, stick, or similar object to gain their attention."

SuperPoke was made by slide.com. According to slide, “SuperPoke lets you do stuff to the people you know. And you can do almost anything: try high-fiving, dropkicking, or throwing a sheep at your friends!”

All this is well and good but I’m concerned about all the personal information that is being divulged. It’s one thing to interact informally with another person in private but it’s an entirely different matter if you use a third-party channel (such as Facebook) to do that interaction.

This issue has been debated previously and will undoubtedly be discussed more in the future. However, my nephew linked me to a recent article in the online edition of New York Times that caught my attention. Entitled “Facebook’s Users Ask Who Owns Information," the article revealed that Facebook recently changed its terms of usage.

The pages, called terms of service, generally outline appropriate conduct and grant a license to companies to store users’ data. Unknown to many users, the terms frequently give broad power to Web site operators.

This month, when Facebook updated its terms, it deleted a provision that said users could remove their content at any time, at which time the license would expire. Further, it added new language that said Facebook would retain users’ content and licenses after an account was terminated.

Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, said in a blog post on Monday that the philosophy “that people own their information and control who they share it with has remained constant.” Despite the complaints, he did not indicate the language would be revised.

The changes in the terms of service had gone mostly unnoticed until Sunday, when the blog Consumerist cited them and interpreted them to mean that “anything you upload to Facebook can be used by Facebook in any way they deem fit, forever, no matter what you do later.”

It appears that young Mr. Zuckerberg has learned the art of doublespeak.

Be aware of this especially if you’re young and impulsive. You want to minimize the amount of anything adverse to return and haunt you in the future. It may, for example, hurt your chances of becoming the President in the future. ;-)

IMPROVING ON YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

It’s that time of the year again. “I’m really going to lose weight this time.” “I’m going to devote more time to my family.” Instead of resolving specific issues how about a sweeping makeover instead?

This makeover is explained in a classic book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

If you’re ready to do that, read the book or listen to the recorded version. The book is a blueprint for personal development. It’s easy to understand, it's effective, but it requires your commitment to work.

Don't let the challenge daunt you. It’s worth it. It contains a remarkable set of inspirational standards for everyone who seeks to live a full, purposeful and good life. Its lessons are applicable today as they were yesterday and tomorrow.

It explains human principles and values that together create the foundation for your personal success. It shows how your success depends more on your character than on your personality. It explains how underlying characteristics such as integrity, courage, and patience determine your future more than your outward behavior.

“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” has sold more than 15 million copies in 32 languages and 75 countries and was ranked as the top best seller by the New York Times and Business Week. It was named as one of the two most influential business books of the last century by Executive magazine. It's author, Dr. Stephen Covey, has been likened to a modern-day Plato. Dr. Covey teaches that each of us can live our best life possible by living a principle-centered life. Practicing those seven habits will let us do that.

As the title implies, the blueprint for personal development consists of seven habits. Here they are:

Habit 1 - be proactive

Take charge of your destiny. Hold yourself accountable to yourself. Learn to control your environment, rather than have it control you. Your greatest power is the power to make choices. All choices have consequences. If you want good things to happen, make good choices. Above all, hold yourself accountable to yourself and yourself alone.

Habit 2 - begin with the end in mind

Identify what your values are. Imagine yourself going to a funeral wake. Four persons will deliver eulogies for the deceased. One is a family member, the second is a co-worker, the third is a neighbor, and the fourth is a fellow church member. You peer down at the deceased and realize that it’s you! Now, on a sheet of paper, write down the key words you would like them to say about you. What you’ve just written down are the values that matter most to you.

Habit 3 - put first things first

Now that you know what matters most to you, organize and implement those activities that bring you closer to those things that matter most. Any other activities that don’t are unnecessary and may even be bad for you.

Habit 4 - think win-win

Your achievements largely depend on the cooperation of others. Think win-win. Both of you must gain something from a transaction. When both of you are assured of that, you improve your chances of cooperation.

Habit 5 - seek first to understand and then to be understood.

Of all of our human skills, the most important one is communication. Think about it. We communicate four different ways: (1) by writing, (2) by reading, (3) by speaking, and (4) by listening. Of the four, we’ve all been taught the first three. But how much time was spent learning how to listen? This habit teaches us how to listen—how to first understand the other person before anything else. Practice this and watch how your relationships develop and stay positive.

Habit 6 - synergize

Cooperate. This habit fulfills habits 4 and 5. Synergizing creates a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. You’re usually able to find a better solution together than if you solved it yourself. Or achieved a greater goal than if you attempted it yourself.

Habit 7 - sharpen the saw

Constantly renew yourself. Your self has four parts: (1) your spiritual self, (2) your mental self, (3) your physical self, and (4) your social/emotional self. All four parts need to be fed and developed. Take the time and effort to do that.

Take the challenge. Practice the seven habits and amaze yourself. Good luck and have a fruitful New Year!