This week's Whaaaaat? Wednesday goes to a guy who gets the great idiot award.
In Bradenton, FL, (incidentally, I've been there on more than one occasion), a man asked a stranger at a Starbucks if he could borrow the laptop real quick to check his Facebook.
Now, this question is innocent enough, and not offensive. I've been asked the same before. The man's answer is also not uncommon. I would have said no, too. I don't even let my friends on my laptop, much less a complete stranger.
What earns BOTH of these people spots on my Whaaaaaaaat? Wednesday entry is that, upon hearing no:
1) The stranger grabbed and ran off with the laptop. He's now facing felony charges of, get this, robbery... by Sudden Snatching?? Bet that hasn't ben tried in a while. Really... FB? Was FB REALLY worth felony charges??
2)Dude?!?! How the HECK did he manage to snatch AND RUN OFF WITH your laptop?!?! If it was mine, his hands wouldn't have even been able to make contact with it, ,much less grab and run off with it!!
The other Whaaaaaaat? Wednesday is a late entry that I received from a friend of mine, gnimsh. This kid is.... Whaaaaat? The second half is even better than the first because he breaks out the steering wheel! Just watch. Seriously.
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1901368
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Time Out Tuesday
Time for another Time Out Teusday!
This week: Friend's ex girlfriend. The Scarlet Woman. Upskirters.
1) I have a friend whose ex girlfriend won't leave him alone. She's always asking him this or that, nagging about certain things, getting him to make decisions for her. She doesn't seem to get that he broke up with her because she was like this. The other night, they got into a bit of a fight. I won't divulge any extra details, but suffice it to say this girl needs some time to herself to reflect on who she is and that she needs to fight for things and learn on her own, without running to him when she wants to know something, and without getting nasty and snippy wth him when he's done something she's jealous of.
2) The Scarlet Woman. She used to be a friend of mine, but I got wise. I confided some things to her and she tuned around and spread nasty rumors. She systematically worked her way in with every single person I talked to regularly (especially my male friends) and convinced them to believe lies about me. She's come back recently for grad school, and she's already starting back at this. She's gotten herself right in the center of a group of the poeple I feel quite comfortable around and made such a spot for herself, that sometimes I will come up and she makes me feel like I've invited myself into someone else's circle. She definitely makes me feel like there's no room for me, and it just plain sucks. I'm the girl that always crashes guy's night at the Name Of Sports Bar. I'm the girl they laugh with like one of the guys. Not you. And sure, I don't mind if you want to join us. That's great because you're fun. Join us. But joining us doesn't mean replacing me, talking about me in ways that make them alienate me in exchange for you. That's just nasty and unnecessary.
3) Upskirters. Recently, there's been a lot of panty shots on the internet. With the advent of cell phone cameras, blue tooth, etc, it's become easy to snap a shot up a woman's skirt without her noticing. These shots are now being posted all over the internet, and that's just ridiculous. Stop it, you pervs. Women already have enough to worry about without needing to be afraid of panty shots being taken in broad daylight.
This week: Friend's ex girlfriend. The Scarlet Woman. Upskirters.
1) I have a friend whose ex girlfriend won't leave him alone. She's always asking him this or that, nagging about certain things, getting him to make decisions for her. She doesn't seem to get that he broke up with her because she was like this. The other night, they got into a bit of a fight. I won't divulge any extra details, but suffice it to say this girl needs some time to herself to reflect on who she is and that she needs to fight for things and learn on her own, without running to him when she wants to know something, and without getting nasty and snippy wth him when he's done something she's jealous of.
2) The Scarlet Woman. She used to be a friend of mine, but I got wise. I confided some things to her and she tuned around and spread nasty rumors. She systematically worked her way in with every single person I talked to regularly (especially my male friends) and convinced them to believe lies about me. She's come back recently for grad school, and she's already starting back at this. She's gotten herself right in the center of a group of the poeple I feel quite comfortable around and made such a spot for herself, that sometimes I will come up and she makes me feel like I've invited myself into someone else's circle. She definitely makes me feel like there's no room for me, and it just plain sucks. I'm the girl that always crashes guy's night at the Name Of Sports Bar. I'm the girl they laugh with like one of the guys. Not you. And sure, I don't mind if you want to join us. That's great because you're fun. Join us. But joining us doesn't mean replacing me, talking about me in ways that make them alienate me in exchange for you. That's just nasty and unnecessary.
3) Upskirters. Recently, there's been a lot of panty shots on the internet. With the advent of cell phone cameras, blue tooth, etc, it's become easy to snap a shot up a woman's skirt without her noticing. These shots are now being posted all over the internet, and that's just ridiculous. Stop it, you pervs. Women already have enough to worry about without needing to be afraid of panty shots being taken in broad daylight.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Feeling Generous
I got this from Sweltering Celt, http://www.theswelteringcelt.com/blog , and I've been in such a great mood lately, I decided to do it too!
Here it is: The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.
This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It’ll be done this year. {might be a little while}
4. You have no clue what it’s going to be (frankly, neither do I at this point) and you can not make requests. Who knows? Not you, that’s for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.
The catch?
Oh, yes, there is one of those. The catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog.
The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!
Here it is: The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.
This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It’ll be done this year. {might be a little while}
4. You have no clue what it’s going to be (frankly, neither do I at this point) and you can not make requests. Who knows? Not you, that’s for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.
The catch?
Oh, yes, there is one of those. The catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog.
The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Friend Friday
Friday's theme is where I talk about how awesome my friends are! I'll showcase a new friend of mine each week to tout the awesomeness of. Names have been changed to protect the innocent. If their online ID is semi-public, I'll use it. Otherwise I will refer to them with pseudos. :)
Today's friend? TheJadeGeek. AKA JalenJade. AKA my boyfriend. :) He is without a doubt amazing, and therefore the first Friend Friday post is dedicated to him.
He and I started off as friends typing. We got to talking, though, and realized how much we had in common. We'd both said how bad we were on the phone, and yet that first phone call was filled with conversation and lasted for hours. We've talked almost every day and night since.
I tend to get a lot of magazines in the mail for free. I never complain because so far I get free Glamour, Shape, Vogue, Elle Decor, Forbes, Inc, Fast Company.... and Bridal Magazine.
I remember this night so clearly. I love gorgeous, formal dresses. It's a weakness of mine. I think that a girl can't help but feel beautiful when she's dressed in clothes designed to work with her curves, to show off her body, to make her the most gorgeous woman in the world. Wedding dresses do just this. So I was thumbing through thw magazine, and ended up visiting some of the designers' websites. I was sending links to him, comparing dresses on which ones we each thought were exquisite.
He mumbled something that he didn't want to tell me. We have a rule, though, that if you start a thought, or give any indication that you've had it, you have to finish it. I finally, finally pulled it out of him. That was the night that he confessed to loving me. It was also the night that I confessed to loving him. We sat on this for quite a while though.
Eventually, that love couldn't be sat on anymore. He took care of me. Every single night, no matter how neurotic, paranoid, or ridiculous I got, he called. He called to tell me he loves me, he will still love me in the morning, sleep peacefully. He made time for me, and he showed me every single day how much he loved me, how much he still loves me. He makes me feel like I am worth something, and because of this, I am learning to have confidence in myself.
And so we ended up together. He is mine, and I am his, and we love each other deeply. I know I will love him every day of my life, and he continues to show me that same love every day. Our relationship grows stronger every day.
We are still such great friends, too. We watch television together, we spend time in each other's presence... even if we don't say or do anything, we just know the other is there. We talk a lot about just general things, sharing laughs, miserable days, and anything that comes to mind. He is my best friend.
I couldn't ask for a better friend. He's what I've been looking for all this time. He doesn't really like super-public mushiness, and I, while being slightly more okay with PDA, tend to share his sentiment on overly mushy and sappy couples, so you likely won't hear another entry like this... ever. But this is Friend Friday so I have made an exception to that rule and hope that he won't mind that it was made, just this once.
I love you, JJ.
Today's friend? TheJadeGeek. AKA JalenJade. AKA my boyfriend. :) He is without a doubt amazing, and therefore the first Friend Friday post is dedicated to him.
He and I started off as friends typing. We got to talking, though, and realized how much we had in common. We'd both said how bad we were on the phone, and yet that first phone call was filled with conversation and lasted for hours. We've talked almost every day and night since.
I tend to get a lot of magazines in the mail for free. I never complain because so far I get free Glamour, Shape, Vogue, Elle Decor, Forbes, Inc, Fast Company.... and Bridal Magazine.
I remember this night so clearly. I love gorgeous, formal dresses. It's a weakness of mine. I think that a girl can't help but feel beautiful when she's dressed in clothes designed to work with her curves, to show off her body, to make her the most gorgeous woman in the world. Wedding dresses do just this. So I was thumbing through thw magazine, and ended up visiting some of the designers' websites. I was sending links to him, comparing dresses on which ones we each thought were exquisite.
He mumbled something that he didn't want to tell me. We have a rule, though, that if you start a thought, or give any indication that you've had it, you have to finish it. I finally, finally pulled it out of him. That was the night that he confessed to loving me. It was also the night that I confessed to loving him. We sat on this for quite a while though.
Eventually, that love couldn't be sat on anymore. He took care of me. Every single night, no matter how neurotic, paranoid, or ridiculous I got, he called. He called to tell me he loves me, he will still love me in the morning, sleep peacefully. He made time for me, and he showed me every single day how much he loved me, how much he still loves me. He makes me feel like I am worth something, and because of this, I am learning to have confidence in myself.
And so we ended up together. He is mine, and I am his, and we love each other deeply. I know I will love him every day of my life, and he continues to show me that same love every day. Our relationship grows stronger every day.
We are still such great friends, too. We watch television together, we spend time in each other's presence... even if we don't say or do anything, we just know the other is there. We talk a lot about just general things, sharing laughs, miserable days, and anything that comes to mind. He is my best friend.
I couldn't ask for a better friend. He's what I've been looking for all this time. He doesn't really like super-public mushiness, and I, while being slightly more okay with PDA, tend to share his sentiment on overly mushy and sappy couples, so you likely won't hear another entry like this... ever. But this is Friend Friday so I have made an exception to that rule and hope that he won't mind that it was made, just this once.
I love you, JJ.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Whaaaaaaat? Wednesday
So the Wednesday theme is Whaaaaaaat? Wednesday. Something totally random, hilarious, or just plain stupid will be posted.
Today's first Whaaaaaat? Wednesday is the state if Utah. Why?
> Cookout on the Highway!!! On the same day (though, sadly, different interstates) a beer truck crashes, spilling beer all over the interstate, and a hamburger truck crashes, leaving hamburgers all over the highway. Bystander quoted as saying, "There was meat everywhere." No... really??
http://www.kutv.com/content/news/local/story/Wheres-The-Beef-Truck-Crash-Litters-Freeway-With/7wEGHe02WEyMw6bf2ww7Ow.cspx
> Undone by Undies! A heroic woman chases down a burglar (or should I say up... a hill...) and finally nabs him by his underoos! That's right - she gave him a wedgie so bad he conceded. A tip to you hoodlums out there: not only are saggy pants NOT a cool fashion statement... they also hinder your speedy getaway.
http://www.kutv.com/content/news/local/story/Would-Be-Burglar-Snagged-By-A-Snuggie/Or7tjQbUq0KwbAlMRhLQBg.cspx
> Wal-Mart Wedding?! As TheJadeGeek points out, I forgot to mention the couple wo married in a Wal-MArt to save money. "Don't forget the Southern-Utah couple who wanted to save money so they got married in a Wal-Mart. (Where the groom works.) http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=5601062 Total family size now, 9. 2 kids from him and 6 kids from her." Wow, that's worse than the Brady Bunch meeting the Jeffersons!
The next Whaaaaaat? Wednesday award goes to Southern Illinois University. Why? They plagiarized a report decrying plagiarism! http://techdirt.com/articles/20090207/1751003685.shtml Relly? You couldn't at least creatively rephrase it with your Thesaurus tool?
The final Whaaaaaaaat? Wednesday of the week goes to the cat lady. Not Angela - the other one. Everyone loves Hello Kitty these days, and it's become a bit of a cult classic. Along with transition from cute kiddie to cult classic came the introduction of Gothic Kitty - a black and grey, and much less perky, Hello Kitty model. This woman is selling real life gothic kittens. I know some might find it hilarious, but I am definitely against cruelty to animals.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D96DHNDG1&show_article=1
Today's first Whaaaaaat? Wednesday is the state if Utah. Why?
> Cookout on the Highway!!! On the same day (though, sadly, different interstates) a beer truck crashes, spilling beer all over the interstate, and a hamburger truck crashes, leaving hamburgers all over the highway. Bystander quoted as saying, "There was meat everywhere." No... really??
http://www.kutv.com/content/news/local/story/Wheres-The-Beef-Truck-Crash-Litters-Freeway-With/7wEGHe02WEyMw6bf2ww7Ow.cspx
> Undone by Undies! A heroic woman chases down a burglar (or should I say up... a hill...) and finally nabs him by his underoos! That's right - she gave him a wedgie so bad he conceded. A tip to you hoodlums out there: not only are saggy pants NOT a cool fashion statement... they also hinder your speedy getaway.
http://www.kutv.com/content/news/local/story/Would-Be-Burglar-Snagged-By-A-Snuggie/Or7tjQbUq0KwbAlMRhLQBg.cspx
> Wal-Mart Wedding?! As TheJadeGeek points out, I forgot to mention the couple wo married in a Wal-MArt to save money. "Don't forget the Southern-Utah couple who wanted to save money so they got married in a Wal-Mart. (Where the groom works.) http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=5601062 Total family size now, 9. 2 kids from him and 6 kids from her." Wow, that's worse than the Brady Bunch meeting the Jeffersons!
The next Whaaaaaat? Wednesday award goes to Southern Illinois University. Why? They plagiarized a report decrying plagiarism! http://techdirt.com/articles/20090207/1751003685.shtml Relly? You couldn't at least creatively rephrase it with your Thesaurus tool?
The final Whaaaaaaaat? Wednesday of the week goes to the cat lady. Not Angela - the other one. Everyone loves Hello Kitty these days, and it's become a bit of a cult classic. Along with transition from cute kiddie to cult classic came the introduction of Gothic Kitty - a black and grey, and much less perky, Hello Kitty model. This woman is selling real life gothic kittens. I know some might find it hilarious, but I am definitely against cruelty to animals.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D96DHNDG1&show_article=1
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Time Out Tuesday
Someone got me thinking about weekly postings as a way to ensure that Your blog constantly has new content. I thought... why not every day? So I bring you.. Timeout Tuesday!
Each Tuesday, I will write a blog entry that details anywhere from 1 to 5 people I dealt with over the past week that I would like very much to place in the Time Out Box for one offense or another. Since it's the inaugural entry, we'll go with 4.
My boss. The woman. IVF Lady. Facebook. Bailouts.
1) The woman. I will simply call her this, and keep details to a minimum, because I don't want it to be gossip; rather, just a Do Not Do This lesson. There's a boss who just cut his pay by about 15% in order to keep his staff from having to take cuts or get laid off. This Woman is on his staff. Her job description has shrunk significantly since she was hired, but her pay hasn't reflected this.The boss been incredibly lenient with her. She was originally hired as an interim until he found someone to replace the last person in this position, and he hired her as the permanent replacement conditionally upon getting a degree in the field, which he agreed to pay for. She decided to change the degree to a different field without consulting him and became upset when he said the company could no longer pay for the education. She started spreading a lot of lies and drama and generally making trouble for the rest of the staff. She was asked by the boss and the board to resign, and since then it has gone to Hell. Literally. She's got people glaring at the boss and ignoring his wife socially. The chair of the board was accused of drunk driving and arriving drunk to meetings, when he never drinks outside of his own home. She had her youngest son spread it among his friends who have parents that know the boss, etc. I spoke out against her actions, and because my boss is friends with her, my boss chopped my hours, and is now trying to spread rumors about my character and ethics. It's just.... this woman claims to be a Christian example, has a position of leadership inside the church. Seriously, lady? I'm a Christian and you've made me hate Christianity, so I can't even IMAGINE what effect this has on outsiders to the faith, who don't differentiate between Jesus and the Church. Time out box. Now!
3) It's a tough call on who I want to go to time out more here - the IVF lady or the people who actually allowed her to have that much fertility treatment when already on "The Dole."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1142566/The-mother-baby-bumps-Octuplets-mum-bares-ENORMOUS-stomach-just-days-giving-birth.html
That article pretty much sums it up situationally. I am all about repro rights for women, but... Come on. She's on welfare. There are a ton of potential parents all over the county who are trying very hard to have kids, who would dote on these kids and love them and support them - without welfare - that are being denied this treatment, or are being told that they just don't have enough eggs, sperm, etc. So why does this woman get so many chances when these other women are being denied? That does not compute with me.
4) Facebook. Specifically their frequent privacy and TOS changes. Regardless of whether they do or don't claim the right to your content indefinitely - even after it's removed - they still get a Time Out. If this is all a misunderstanding, as they claim, and they don't -really- claim your content interminably, then all they have to do is add the sentence back to their TOS to reassure users. That's it. If they don't plan on using it for evil either way, and it doesn't make a difference to them whether it exists or not, then what's stopping them from issuing a revised edition of their new TOS that includes the sentence in question. It's stupid and stubborn to not replace it, and it has caused more hassle than if they'd just come out and said, "Oops! We messed up! We're adding it back in as we speak."
5) Bailouts. Okay, so times are hard and people are spending less. You didn't. You overspent, and as a result you laid people off, so now they have even less to spend. Then, you go and you cry for mercy to the Congress, who bails you out for fear of losing all the lobbyist money they get from you to keep their cushy position. Okay, I really feel like crying, "No taxation without representation!!" and tossing some tea into the Atlantic. Yeah, I know, we have representatives that We the People voted into office. But we voted them in under the understanding that they are OUR representatives there to serve OUR needs. (Yes, I know none of us actually expect this, but theoretically...) When we have very little disposable income, when we are being laid off, it is NOT in our best interest to keep bailing out these companies. Let them bail themselves out. We're a capitalist nation (again, theoretically) and as such they should find a way to bail themselves out, be bought out, whatever. Either way, it's not on me and my tax dollar to bail them out of their "crisis" when their executives are still making more money in a few months than I make all year. So, time out to you, Congress, and time out to you as well, Executives. Try living on half your salary and putting the other half back into your company. If all of you did that, you wouldn't need us to bail you out, and you'd still have more money than the average American worker.
As TheJadeGeek pointed out, "Capitalism without bankruptcy is like religion without Hell." -Unknown
Each Tuesday, I will write a blog entry that details anywhere from 1 to 5 people I dealt with over the past week that I would like very much to place in the Time Out Box for one offense or another. Since it's the inaugural entry, we'll go with 4.
My boss. The woman. IVF Lady. Facebook. Bailouts.
1) The woman. I will simply call her this, and keep details to a minimum, because I don't want it to be gossip; rather, just a Do Not Do This lesson. There's a boss who just cut his pay by about 15% in order to keep his staff from having to take cuts or get laid off. This Woman is on his staff. Her job description has shrunk significantly since she was hired, but her pay hasn't reflected this.The boss been incredibly lenient with her. She was originally hired as an interim until he found someone to replace the last person in this position, and he hired her as the permanent replacement conditionally upon getting a degree in the field, which he agreed to pay for. She decided to change the degree to a different field without consulting him and became upset when he said the company could no longer pay for the education. She started spreading a lot of lies and drama and generally making trouble for the rest of the staff. She was asked by the boss and the board to resign, and since then it has gone to Hell. Literally. She's got people glaring at the boss and ignoring his wife socially. The chair of the board was accused of drunk driving and arriving drunk to meetings, when he never drinks outside of his own home. She had her youngest son spread it among his friends who have parents that know the boss, etc. I spoke out against her actions, and because my boss is friends with her, my boss chopped my hours, and is now trying to spread rumors about my character and ethics. It's just.... this woman claims to be a Christian example, has a position of leadership inside the church. Seriously, lady? I'm a Christian and you've made me hate Christianity, so I can't even IMAGINE what effect this has on outsiders to the faith, who don't differentiate between Jesus and the Church. Time out box. Now!
3) It's a tough call on who I want to go to time out more here - the IVF lady or the people who actually allowed her to have that much fertility treatment when already on "The Dole."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1142566/The-mother-baby-bumps-Octuplets-mum-bares-ENORMOUS-stomach-just-days-giving-birth.html
That article pretty much sums it up situationally. I am all about repro rights for women, but... Come on. She's on welfare. There are a ton of potential parents all over the county who are trying very hard to have kids, who would dote on these kids and love them and support them - without welfare - that are being denied this treatment, or are being told that they just don't have enough eggs, sperm, etc. So why does this woman get so many chances when these other women are being denied? That does not compute with me.
4) Facebook. Specifically their frequent privacy and TOS changes. Regardless of whether they do or don't claim the right to your content indefinitely - even after it's removed - they still get a Time Out. If this is all a misunderstanding, as they claim, and they don't -really- claim your content interminably, then all they have to do is add the sentence back to their TOS to reassure users. That's it. If they don't plan on using it for evil either way, and it doesn't make a difference to them whether it exists or not, then what's stopping them from issuing a revised edition of their new TOS that includes the sentence in question. It's stupid and stubborn to not replace it, and it has caused more hassle than if they'd just come out and said, "Oops! We messed up! We're adding it back in as we speak."
5) Bailouts. Okay, so times are hard and people are spending less. You didn't. You overspent, and as a result you laid people off, so now they have even less to spend. Then, you go and you cry for mercy to the Congress, who bails you out for fear of losing all the lobbyist money they get from you to keep their cushy position. Okay, I really feel like crying, "No taxation without representation!!" and tossing some tea into the Atlantic. Yeah, I know, we have representatives that We the People voted into office. But we voted them in under the understanding that they are OUR representatives there to serve OUR needs. (Yes, I know none of us actually expect this, but theoretically...) When we have very little disposable income, when we are being laid off, it is NOT in our best interest to keep bailing out these companies. Let them bail themselves out. We're a capitalist nation (again, theoretically) and as such they should find a way to bail themselves out, be bought out, whatever. Either way, it's not on me and my tax dollar to bail them out of their "crisis" when their executives are still making more money in a few months than I make all year. So, time out to you, Congress, and time out to you as well, Executives. Try living on half your salary and putting the other half back into your company. If all of you did that, you wouldn't need us to bail you out, and you'd still have more money than the average American worker.
As TheJadeGeek pointed out, "Capitalism without bankruptcy is like religion without Hell." -Unknown
Monday, February 16, 2009
Facebook or Faceplant?
I'm sure almost everyone is familiar with the Facebook. It started 5 years ago as a networking tool between university students, using 13 pilot universities. Since then it has grown. It is now the globe's premier social networking site. It has garnered attention from reputable businesses and celebrities as well as the average end-user looking to communicate and network. It is used for a multitude of things. Playing games, chatting with friends, posting photo albums (especially of group trips), and networking, are among the common things for an average end-user.
Other users, such as businesses, bloggers, and celebrities, create fan pages along with their personal profiles. They upload their proprietary content as an additional menas of distribution and use Facebook to reach their fans with their new content.
There is another, perhaps overlooked, set of users in this group as well. These people are emerging artists, photographers, performers, and writers. They use Facebook to get their name out, to forge connections, to post their songs to an audience who will take advantage fo free music, and to get a sort of focus group or prescreening of their content to see if it will go over well in the mainstream.
Facebook has recently announced new Terms of Service (TOS). Under their former TOS, you allowed them to have rights to your content for the time that your content was on their site. Here's the exerpt.
"When you post User Content to the Site, you authorize and direct us to make such copies thereof as we deem necessary in order to facilitate the posting and storage of the User Content on the Site. By posting User Content to any part of the Site, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to the Company an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, excerpt (in whole or in part) and distribute such User Content for any purpose on or in connection with the Site or the promotion thereof, to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such User Content, and to grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing. You may remove your User Content from the Site at any time. If you choose to remove your User Content, the license granted above will automatically expire, however you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content."
This might sound like a lot of legal, wordy mumbo jumbo to some of you, so let me explain. The long sentence that tells you what youg rant them boils down to this: Facebook has a right to use your content for their site promotion. They can take any part of it to use in other areas of the site, in commercials and marketing, etc. The end of the paragraph says that this right ends as soon as you remove that content form their website. They're allowed to keep an archive of your work, but they no longer posess the rights to use or distribute this.
The new TOS reads exactly the same, but it removes this sentence:
"If you choose to remove your User Content, the license granted above will automatically expire, however you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content."
Essentially, this grants them the rights to your content indefinitely. When did this happen? February 4th. This is causing a huge uproar because, based on the way it was written, you are helpless to stop this. They indefinitely own any content you have posted. Sure, you can close your account and never post anything more to Facebook..... but they've already claimed the right to all the things that you posted under the prior TOS because today's version says they posess everything.
What can you do about this? It depends on your situation.
If you don't have content you feel like you want protected, then carry on as usual but beware of what you post in the future. Chances are, the majority of Facebook users will not be affected by the new TOS. Afterall, they can't distribute or use your personal information based on thier own privacy clause, which has not been changed..... YET.
If you haven't posted anything between February 3rd and now, you're more than likely fine as well. Do NOT post anything more, and if a dispute arrises, you can say, "This content was posted before the TOS were changed. It was posted under the acceptance of the prior TOS, and therefore cannot be used." You will have the fact that you did not post anything once the TOS was changed to your advantage in this case, and Facebook will have a very hard time explaining how they can legally justify using that content when you never opted in to the new TOS and clearly did not approve of it, as nothing was posted since.
Oh no! But I didn't know until it was too late!! I posted things after the 4th!! What do I do??
I am currently working on finding a remedy or loophole somewhere. I am consulting with lawyers regarding the legality of this silent TOS change and the ramifications of logging in unknowingly after it was changes. I have a couple sources who work at Facebook, and I plan on askign them about the new TOS, what it means to users, how they plan on using this content, etc. A followup blog will be posted when I have the information.
Other users, such as businesses, bloggers, and celebrities, create fan pages along with their personal profiles. They upload their proprietary content as an additional menas of distribution and use Facebook to reach their fans with their new content.
There is another, perhaps overlooked, set of users in this group as well. These people are emerging artists, photographers, performers, and writers. They use Facebook to get their name out, to forge connections, to post their songs to an audience who will take advantage fo free music, and to get a sort of focus group or prescreening of their content to see if it will go over well in the mainstream.
Facebook has recently announced new Terms of Service (TOS). Under their former TOS, you allowed them to have rights to your content for the time that your content was on their site. Here's the exerpt.
"When you post User Content to the Site, you authorize and direct us to make such copies thereof as we deem necessary in order to facilitate the posting and storage of the User Content on the Site. By posting User Content to any part of the Site, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to the Company an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, excerpt (in whole or in part) and distribute such User Content for any purpose on or in connection with the Site or the promotion thereof, to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such User Content, and to grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing. You may remove your User Content from the Site at any time. If you choose to remove your User Content, the license granted above will automatically expire, however you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content."
This might sound like a lot of legal, wordy mumbo jumbo to some of you, so let me explain. The long sentence that tells you what youg rant them boils down to this: Facebook has a right to use your content for their site promotion. They can take any part of it to use in other areas of the site, in commercials and marketing, etc. The end of the paragraph says that this right ends as soon as you remove that content form their website. They're allowed to keep an archive of your work, but they no longer posess the rights to use or distribute this.
The new TOS reads exactly the same, but it removes this sentence:
"If you choose to remove your User Content, the license granted above will automatically expire, however you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content."
Essentially, this grants them the rights to your content indefinitely. When did this happen? February 4th. This is causing a huge uproar because, based on the way it was written, you are helpless to stop this. They indefinitely own any content you have posted. Sure, you can close your account and never post anything more to Facebook..... but they've already claimed the right to all the things that you posted under the prior TOS because today's version says they posess everything.
What can you do about this? It depends on your situation.
If you don't have content you feel like you want protected, then carry on as usual but beware of what you post in the future. Chances are, the majority of Facebook users will not be affected by the new TOS. Afterall, they can't distribute or use your personal information based on thier own privacy clause, which has not been changed..... YET.
If you haven't posted anything between February 3rd and now, you're more than likely fine as well. Do NOT post anything more, and if a dispute arrises, you can say, "This content was posted before the TOS were changed. It was posted under the acceptance of the prior TOS, and therefore cannot be used." You will have the fact that you did not post anything once the TOS was changed to your advantage in this case, and Facebook will have a very hard time explaining how they can legally justify using that content when you never opted in to the new TOS and clearly did not approve of it, as nothing was posted since.
Oh no! But I didn't know until it was too late!! I posted things after the 4th!! What do I do??
I am currently working on finding a remedy or loophole somewhere. I am consulting with lawyers regarding the legality of this silent TOS change and the ramifications of logging in unknowingly after it was changes. I have a couple sources who work at Facebook, and I plan on askign them about the new TOS, what it means to users, how they plan on using this content, etc. A followup blog will be posted when I have the information.
Welcome!
Lately, there have been a lot of events going on that I've had some thoughts on, and said, "Hey I should bl... oh, I don't have a blog." Well, now I do.
Welcome to my blog. I shall be posting a bunch of random thoughts, ponderings, etc., on anything I happen to think about. Could be news, tech, happenings in my life, things I particularly enjoy....
I love feedback and suggestions, too, so feel free to leave those. Also, if there's anythign you want to see discussed, I am amenable to user-suggested blog entries. :)
Welcome to my blog. I shall be posting a bunch of random thoughts, ponderings, etc., on anything I happen to think about. Could be news, tech, happenings in my life, things I particularly enjoy....
I love feedback and suggestions, too, so feel free to leave those. Also, if there's anythign you want to see discussed, I am amenable to user-suggested blog entries. :)
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