Comments on: Facebook Beacon isn’t in the user’s interest (that means you)

By: » Various Marketing Conversation Top 20 Lists - Marketing Conversation - New Marketing and Social Media by Abraham Harrison LLC Marketing Conversation - New Marketing and Social Media by Abraham Harrison LLC

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 10:42:31 +0000

[...] Facebook Beacon isn’t in the user’s interest (that means you) – 17 comments [...]

By: Lux

Lux — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:21:18 +0000

I couldn’t agree more…

I had the same thoughts on the very first announcement of the facebook ad programme.

Facebook: from social-network to control-network…

I also see a lot of satisfied comments after the recent apology, but I think: screw that too!

Users shouldn’t be satisfied until the system has become opt-in only.

Even then,I would still have a lot of reservations, but we live in a free world so everyone can decide for his/her own good…

By: » An Apology to Amazon: They aren’t part of Facebook Beacon Marketing Conversation - New Marketing and Social Media by Abraham Harrison LLC

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 00:54:21 +0000

[...] Comments Patty Smith on Facebook Beacon isn’t in the user’s interest (that means you)Marc Karasu on Social media is driving online reviews which will drive communityFacebook is NOT for [...]

By: Patty Smith

Patty Smith — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 20:34:14 +0000

Hi Jonathan –
Just a reminder that Amazon.com is *not* participating in the Facebook “Beacon” program.
Thanks.

By: » Beacon is better, now wait and see… Marketing Conversation - New Marketing and Social Media by Abraham Harrison LLC

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:48:32 +0000

[...] Abraham Harrison Loves Baby SealsRachael loggie on Will Facebook Ruin Christmas?Quinn Stevenson on Facebook Beacon isn’t in the user’s interest (that means you)Web Worker Daily » Archive WWD Coffee Break – B2B media, Social nets & Beacon « on [...]

By: Quinn Stevenson

Quinn Stevenson — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 23:54:05 +0000

Boy, did you nail this one. Until this, we were the most important part of the equation. As customers that is. No longer. We’re sheep to herd. By Facebook and their partners. Great post.

By: Why Facebook? Social Networking for Fun and Profits! » Blog Archive » Facebook Beacon - What’s All The fuss?!

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 08:52:14 +0000

[...] Facebook Beacon isn’t in the user’s interest (that means you) by Jonathan Trenn [...]

By: blogstring.com » The Beacon: Clever or Creepy?

blogstring.com » The Beacon: Clever or Creepy? — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 02:07:24 +0000

[...] on this best sums up the problem with forcing the customer to be responsible for opting out, from Jonathan Trenn: We, the customers, don’t have a choice in the matter. Sure, we can opt out per transaction – [...]

By: The Ongoing Battle: MySpace and Facebook » The Buzz Bin

The Ongoing Battle: MySpace and Facebook » The Buzz Bin — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:14:21 +0000

[...] now there is the problem of advertising (ABC political ads for one), privacy while shopping online (Beacon) and I’m sure more to [...]

By: Ana

Ana — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 17:41:51 +0000

Facebook is annoying to begin with because it lists everything everyone is doing/has done/will do. So it is not surprising that it would push this much more.

I agree that it is unethical for the user not to be given the option to opt in (and sometimes not even out). It is sleazy marketing.

By: Ipod Iphone and MAC » Facebook Beacon isn’t in the user’s interest (that means you)

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 23:56:21 +0000

[...] Freelance designer and artworker in London wrote an interesting post today!.Here’s a quick excerpt I keep on trying to legitimize the reasons that Facebook is using to justify their new marketing program, “Facebook Beacon”. But it’s just not happening. It keeps on coming back to user relationships, user privacy, and user benefit. You know, the USER. If you’re not sure what Beacon is, it’s basically this. Facebook is setting up agreements with online retailers that aren’t part of Facebook to have the retailer directly send information of what people buy on the retailer site to their “friends [...]

By: Stevie Wilson

Stevie Wilson — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 21:59:00 +0000

I have it on my Gather.com post as Jonathan Trenn, also it will launch on coolpicking.com and also on la-story.com as Jonathan’s post

By: Chris Abraham

Chris Abraham — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 21:33:35 +0000

Yes! It is Mr. Jonathan Trenn. On that note, I am going to hire us a designer to redesign this template to really feature the bloggers, with their bios and photos and so forth. Until now, sorry Jonathan — I have these posts go off to Twitter as me, but it is all you! :)

By: Stevie Wilson

Stevie Wilson — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 20:48:03 +0000

ooops. my apologies Jonathan.. I wil correct that immediately!
yikes..
I was so busy reading that I didn’t catch that.

By: Shama Hyder

Shama Hyder — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 19:45:13 +0000

Jonathan-

I have to say I agree. I have been focusing on Facebook as a social media marketing method for a few days now over at AfterTheLaunch.com.

The only way Social Media Marketing works is if you let the individuals have a choice. You have to be willing to build a community around a brand, rather than spamming people.

It is permission marketing (Seth Godin’s tem) at its best….or in this case… at its worst.

By: Jonathan Trenn

Jonathan Trenn — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 19:25:47 +0000

Actually Stevie I wrote it. You can seem my name in very tiny gray letters beneath the headline. Sure, they’re barely legible.

But at least you didn’t think that was written by Abe Harrison. ; )

By: Dayngr

Dayngr — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 19:18:49 +0000

Excellent explanation and very thorough post. I didn’t fully understand how Beacon worked before and now that I do, I can honestly say I won’t be using it – AT ALL. This is a perfect example of using social networking in one of the worst possible ways. In my opinion anyway.

By: Stevie Wilson

Stevie Wilson — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 19:16:37 +0000

I have to agree Chris that ithis is an egregious breach of ethics and privacy. I don’t WANT everyone on Facebook to know about my purchases. I use Facebook for friends but I have a lot of business contacts too and it’s no one’s business but my own what it is that I buy. If I find that my personal purchasing habits have been spread across facebook, I would certainly be making a phone call to the VP of Facebook User Relations (and don’t think I can’t get the phone number. Since I can reach a VP, CS/operations at Microsoft directly, I can get to Facebook’s people too.. It’s because MS has a stake in Facebook that I mention this. I am an excellent researcher)

I would find that it would be something to blog about as a huge negative– and because I have friends and business associates on my page– imagine how they all would feel about finding that their online purchases were being strewen across the Facebook without their permission.
Facebook better rethink this situation as more of a OPT IN rather than an OPT OUT and I won’t shop Overstock now thanks to this 411. (and I was planning to do so)

Watch out for a blog at 3 locations on this subject. Facebook, wake up and smell the coffee– make sure you aren’t burning yourselves..
Stevie