Posted on 11/28/2011 3:28:23 AM PST by shoff
I would like to enlist the knowledge of my fellow freepers. My local rag the Journal News who doesn’t even allow excerpts to be posted has just changed their comments section to only allow Facebook postings. They give some lame excuse about some people are upset at the postings and it is not fair it is anonymous. Since you have to sign up with a valid e-mail address they are not really anonymous. Besides the attempt to stifle dissent through intimidation why would they do this? Is there something I am missing? Note this paper published the names and addresses of all the registered gun owners in the area. I would post there and correct the lies that the liberals would post. I probably will not post anymore since I have some privacy concerns. I have noticed some other papers have the same policy.
I don’t face book or twitter for anybody. Social media is cool if you’re cool. I’m not cool. I’m a curmudgeon and wouldn’t want to friend people who would want to be friends with somebody like me.
Make about 10 Yahoo accounts with forwarders to a real account, Juggle them.
Alternatively, a bare bones hosted domain will allow you to make as many accounts as you want.
If you want more anonymity, buy a Visa gift card for account setup, and use a pseudonym and any old address and phone, it works.
My paper has done the same thing. FaceBook is just one more centralization of personal info about you. I’ve quit it for security reasons. Now employers are utilizing it for business applications and I don’t think that is the way to go. We are rushing headlong into a chasm of which the depths are unknown. And I don’t like it.
Facebook is a dossier that people are happy to compile on themselves, down to every ounce of liquor consumed. The KGB model is sooo dated.
Complain to your newspaper. Sadly, it’ll be in vane but you’ll feel better. They won’t change because they have the mentality of all papers these days that the cool kids have FB. FB is too Big Brotherish. I don’t have an account and refuse to put even a fake one on this computer because of the cookies.
The (Monroe, LA) News-Star has also gone ‘Facebook.’ It must be a Gannett thing. They claim the anonymity of the old system was not ‘fair’, etc, etc.
It’s about money. They get a cut from Facebook for the linkup.
It’s a growing trend with local papers because the old Topix system became a troll-infested cesspool, with lots of vicious, personal, outright libelous posts thrown out amongst neighbors in a community. Threats of lawsuits against the papers are leading them to use the Facebook sign-in process for identification. And yeah, it makes it easier for editors to block out trolls and delete comments, even those properly critical on some things like politics.
They’re doing the same thing on some South African news websites as well. The story was that it was supposed to improve things. All I know is that the comments sections are now just as bad as the pre-Facebook ones - just as many insults, just as much foul language, just as little true debate.....
They don’t get a cut from fb. That’s absurd. I am a developer and it’s part of their free sdk. It’s literally a drop in block of code that makes the page easier to administrate.
Their paper, their rules. Start your own if you don’t like it.
Bump from a fellow non-cool curmudgeon who feels Facebook is evil.
Recently noticed the absence of ‘comments’ and the only icons were ‘twitter’ ‘facebook’ and the other text applications.
Enjoyed reading the ‘comments’ for entertainment - but many are vicious, racist, sexually perverted and pro-Obama.
Will never join Face-book for obvious reasons stated on this thread.
Yes it is a Gannet paper. I have a Facebook account but it is for my personal use and friends of mine. I don’t use it that often but it is mine. Looking at the comments it has generated on their site it seems like a bad business decision if they make anything from hits. Most of the posters have said they will no longer go to the site.
Funny you should mention it I have a column on examiner it gives you the choice to post on Facebook or not. I realize it is their paper their rules I was just curious why make this change? Why risk losing readers and posters?
Ours did the same thing but I have a fake Facebook account I use for those sort of things. It’s an Amish guy! LOL!
Of course they get a cut from facebook, don't be naive.
My plan is to join FB three days before the world comes to an end (according to ancient Mayan prophecy). What a great way to say goodbye! If I wake up on the morning of 12/22/12 to a fresh blanket of snow, the first thing I’ll do is deactivate my FB account...again.
Set up sepatate facebook page with fake name to be used for public comments.
John Smith maybe?
My plan is to join FB three days before the world comes to an end (according to ancient Mayan prophecy). What a great way to say goodbye! If I wake up on the morning of 12/22/12 to a fresh blanket of snow, the first thing I’ll do is deactivate my FB account...again.
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