the facebook terms of use change.... and coming back to the old TOS!

Rage has got many of the facebook users, and some have already left the giant website, because of the recent change of the Terms of Use; it is not necessarily a change, mainly a clarification of the way things actually work for a while now.... Mark Zuckerberg "clarifies" in the post on his blog entitled "On Facebook, People Own and Control Their Information" that basically says:

• once you place a picture/post/message on facebook, or any kind of information that is shared, two copies are made: one in your account and the other in the other person's account. Even if you delete your account, your copy of the information is deleted, but the other person's copy still remains(the content/picture/text still stays on). It actually sounds pretty logical; this system is also used by the emailing websites....
• there is a clash between:
  - I want to share my information with the whole world, yet to fully control it, to turn it off/delete it at any time;
  - At the same time, this shared info should be available to other services, to be used by them...
  These two are not possible YET - why not trying to work on making it possible? It may be a revolutionizing thing to do.... and it will help/benefit so many!

Basically, just like before and just like all the other services that are online: once you place some content online and it is seen/indexed, no matter how much you want to take it off, you can't do it thoroughly! I had a blog, personal blog stefan misaras, and I deleted it a long time ago - it still comes up in the search results! The same with facebook - the only problem is that on facebook people actually put their whole life - pictures, friends, talks, comments, opinions, games - which can provide enough information to anyone about you... and that is scary! The truth about facebook? - a short clip from 2006.
This is actually a very realistic issue of the web2.0 and the development of the "sharing the information, not hiding it" - everyone can have access to your personal details without working for CIA!
Other reactions online about this update of the Facebook TOS:

• Facebook's Terms Of Use Draw Protest - InformationWeek - just stating the facts... no solution...
• Facebook's Terms of Use Go From Bad to Worse - the photo attorney discloses that the facebook tos was not like that before - now everyone using facebook grants full rights to facebook site over all his information!
• Facebook policy changes draw thousands of protests, Chicago Tribune, tells us that on the 4th of february the facebook tos changed, and the consumerist pointed this out - this triggered all to actually take a closer look at the facebook terms of service...
• the standard transmits Mark's message concerning the update, and then... the protests that are still taking place.... people basically implore the guys at Facebook to revise their TOS.... and there is a group called: "People Against the new Terms of Service", to which the guys at Facebook started: "Questions for Facebook".
• Facebook users upset by change in terms of use - the baltimore sun, tells us the story and the implications: though you may wanna leave facebook now, the site still owns your data/pictures/personal info.
• New 'Facebook' Terms of Use Spark Protests - no more total control over your personal data on facebook;
• Facebook is the owner of your personal information now! - and that is so true...
• Facebook updates Terms of Use; Internet freaks out - in IT world, which notices that these TOS were more or less the same, but there are other stipulations that should scare us, like:
  - to use your name, likeness and image for any purpose, including commercial or advertising - this means the Facebook users can be used in their adds, etc...(or worse);
  - the classical "We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to change or delete portions of these Terms at any time without further notice. Your continued use of the Facebook Service after any such changes constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms" - gives the Facebook users no right to comment/say anything about/in the modification of the facebook TOS at any time...
• Facebook's Terms Of Use Draws Protest - osnn; and Facebook, terms of use & privacy - the buzz;
  
• Facebook’s terms-of-service change has users abuzz - Goldman said the language in Facebook’s terms of use “runs directly contrary” to the tacit agreement the site has struck with its members. Users generally trust that their profile photos won’t turn up on a roadside billboard without their permission, or that their blog posts won’t be published in a bound volume and sold for profit.
• Facebook Terms Update Creates Heated Debate - at webmasterworld - I like the conclusion: "In short: Don't post anything, anywhere, unless you plan on losing ownership of it. I've removed my images and anything else which I want to maintain ownership of."
  

Actually, according to this and this, Mark said in one of his last posts something like: the facebook TOS /bill of rights are coming back/being reverted to the previous version - which are similar... - where he specified:

Our next version will be a substantial revision from where we are now. It will reflect the principles I described yesterday around how people share and control their information, and it will be written clearly in language everyone can understand. Since this will be the governing document that we'll all live by, Facebook users will have a lot of input in crafting these terms

Good stuff.... yet I still think that we have to be a little more careful as to what we post online, what we share with our friends, even the pictures.... though the intentions of both the ones at google, youtube, msn, yahoo, facebook and myspace are "clean" - "we want to just provide a medium for you to do what you really want, and all information is safe with us" - whether it is about pages online/searches and search trends/history, videos about/with you, blogs and information, or pictures/wall posts/comments - it is not that "clean"....

looking for a job - helpful websites

I was looking for a job for a little more than 3 months, and here are some websites that I would recommend; sorry, most of them are (or contain mainly) IT related job websites....

• justlondonjobs - jobs just in London; you can search through the available jobs, and you can also subscribe to their newsletter - they send you, according to your desired keywords and area of expertise, periodical newsletters about the available jobs;
• cwjobs - one of the most recommended websites - IT jobs, permanent or contract IT jobs; you can upload your CV and then start applying for jobs(after you register with them); you can add a letter of intent for each job you apply for. Browse jobs by employer, location, keyword, popular keywords, etc; establish email alerts;
• totaljobs - find jobs all across the UK in areas such as: Accountancy, Aerospace, Agriculture, Fishing, Forestry, Banking, Insurance, Finance, Catering & Hospitality, Construction, Customer services, Call centres, Education, Electronics, Engineering, Manufacturing, Utilities, Graduate, Health, Nursing, Human resources, IT & Internet, Legal, Management consultancy, etc. They also have programs for graduates, and all kinds of tips, CV checker, advanced searches, company search, career health search, salary checker, etc.
• jobs.ac - job search in research, science, academic, universities, MB and PhD's, managerial, clerical, etc. Solid jobs with lots of things to prepare in order to apply.... but you get the answer(many times is NO, unless you are really the proper one for the job);
  
• monster - simply the best. All recruiters check the CV's posted on the monster.com/co.uk, and then they call you. You can apply at jobs once you register(simple process), update your CV, write some letters of intent, and then... apply! My conclusion is that many apply thru it, yet most of the recruiting companies call you based on what your CV says.
• guardian jobs - One of the best resources, safely find out and apply for jobs, many jobs are for the local councils and goverment agencies, universities, etc; usually, if a job is posted on the guardian jobs, then it is a good job&serious...
• cv-library - register your CV, and search for the jobs you want to apply - jobs in IT, office, retail, management, construction, administration, contractor, engineering, sales, etc.
  
• jobsite - their job is to give you a job; search for jobs or simply subscribe to receive jobs by email, with an account; sectors: accounts&finance, banking, construction, IT jobs, graduate jobs, sales, retail, recruitment jobs, etc. Search by sector or by location;
• jobserve - search for jobs in the UK. Lots of jobs. And you can subscribe to the newsletter or set some alerts, and find more jobs, I would say, than other websites. It's kindda' hard to unsubscribe though... Search thru the list of areas(Catering Jobs, Bar Jobs, Chef Jobs, Hospitality Jobs, Hotel Jobs, Customer Service Jobs, Call Centre Jobs, Customer Service Manager Jobs, etc), or by the post-code or county....
• computingcareers - IT director, IT manager, programmer, developer, project manager, IT consultant, internet/web developer, helpdesk, technical support, security, marketing, etc - some of the fields in IT they post jobs online; you can also receive alerts by email;
  
• careerbuilder - jobs, careers and employment - UK jobs; upload your CV, apply for the jobs you consider that they fit your CV, and search through the existing jobs; areas: all kinds of areas(accountancy, banking, construction, graduate, healthcare, IT, education, engineering, travel, marketing, sales, retail, etc.)
  
• jobtrack - register with them(email and pwd), fill in your CV or upload it, and start searching/applying for the jobs posted. They partner with StudyFromHome and the HotOnLine network - jobsite specialists; also, with the FullerCV - free CV reviews, CV advice, CV writing and templates;
• ukjobs - together with killerjobs - lots of jobs in lots of areas of expertise, search for jobs in domains such as accounting, constructions, IT, defence, retail, health, etc - you can also subscribe to job alerts by email;
  
• exec-appointments - looking for executive jobs? Here you have executive search, executive jobs, management jobs, in areas such as: construction, accounting, aviation, insurance, interim, goverment, healthcare, dubai, education, engineering, etc. Sponsored by the Financial Times, for joining you need to pay....
  
• agency: majorplayers - very active agency, finding jobs for people especially in the Digital area - advertising, PR, design, creative services, media, research, etc. They took an interest in me, and then... the credit crunch came....
• redcommerce - register your CV, choose the keywords, and they will send you alerts by email; SAP recruitment, SAP jobs, SAP software;
• premiergroupuk - a recruitment company specialising in technology staff;
  
• reed - yes, they're big, good, many branches, etc. Yes, you can apply for jobs and search for jobs once registered, yet no contact data of the recruiter is given out, and I applied for more than one hundred jobs and I heard from less than 5 of them... Search jobs by location, sector, recommeded jobs, or refine the search starting from the first page;
• iprofile - register free your CV, then apply for some jobs online;
• careers4london - web based facility dedicated to assisting the recruitment and job search process for Jobseekers and Employers operating in London and surrounding counties by providing a premier website advertising across all sectors.

and many many more.... as I find them, I'll list them here. Maybe they are useful...

about ranking... and about facebook....

soon and very soon, I'm going to be no1 in the google searches for stefan misaras or/and misaras stefan. I was writing about this in a post: Stefan Misaras, getting my name back, where I was noticing I was in the 1st 10; now I'm no2, with stefan-misaras.blogspot.com :) - at least in google uk. Just being behind the entry of this blog at blogflux - I needed to go and delete the previous blog entry I had on their directory.... Anyways, my rankings are going up a little... :)

now about facebook... I'm not too good at networking, never managed to stay with a forum for too long, I don't have an account on myspace(that's good!), but I like facebook :) So, I have been asked if I know all the friends in my list(>600, and growing...). Here are some of my comments about facebook in general and this issue in particular:

• On facebook, you can find and add old friends, like the ex-classmates from high school, from grammar school, from university, etc.... and you can simply find them by "people finder". Only these ex-mates alone can come up to even 100, if you remember them....
• then the current friends, the ones that are around you right now, workmates or friends....
• then there are the family members of the closer friends, the ones that you know.... on facebook you can also meet new people! Though you may know them "virtually", you can pretty much know them by either watching their pictures, writing on their wall, emailing them, chatting with them, etc.... About this now, you can either add "everyone's friends as your friends", or maybe choose some, just some, that you really want to know. I prefer the second choice....
• If you are a brother/sister in the church life, meeting with other believers, then the number grows exponentially, and the reasons to use facebook also grow - you add the brothers and the sisters, and then check out their friends, where you find other saints.... and the reasons to add them would be:
  - more fellowship and encouragement together by checking on one another, posting some good comments on the pictures, encouraging....
  - knowing the saints in the Body, being happy with them, and sharing with them....
  - being yourself encouraged - sometimes it so happens that you can't attend a meeting, or even a meeting in another part of the world - well, you see pictures and read notes of encouragement and sharing of what the other saints enjoyed, and you simply jump in...
  - you can know the saints' families and family life, and the family-type church life!
  - the young people - which we all are - are all on facebook, and it so happens that you are there too, if you are online.... why not talk to each other? Every little contact between saints can be a little simple dispensing of the Triune God!
  
• things that can damage you or discourage you(which you can counter-attack or stand against):
  - seeing that others have so many friends or posts on their wall/pictures/videos/tags, etc - jealousy.... we believers are actually one in the Body of Christ, and so we can rejoice with one another or even weep with one another... yet there is another person in us, the old natural man, that does not feel good when he's neglected: let's neglect this one, and focus on the One, Jesus Christ! He's The ONE!
  - seeing others' pictures of doing lots of fun stuff, or even some stuff that you don't think that someone should do, etc.... either to judge them or criticize them can be in us.... yet we can pray for one another. Why not use the facebook medium to know one another in order that we may remind the Lord about one another?
  - comments and posts that can either touch you - criticize you - de-appreciate you.... uhm, that's a tough one,... everyone can write whatever they want, right? And you can't delete other's comments unless it's your wall/photo/video.... I may "spiritualize" it a little, but this website, facebook, can also help you to be exposed to see what you are, and how you feel when the others expose you, and even to turn to the Lord when this happens! Why not bring this to the Lord, and remind Him? Lord, what do You think about this? And why not take it, even though it may be not correct what's being said about u? Living Christ is not limited to.... the special environments; even with the rising of new environments or realms(online or offline) we can learn to enjoy the Lord, and.... die to ourselves....
  

it may be that the negative reasons would exceed the positive ones, and humanly speaking can simply distract you away(besides taking your time) even from the enjoyment of the wonderful Person of the Lord Jesus... what then? The answer, I would say, is in the vital groups - get someone to pray with, even about this! Bring it to the Lord! The answer is not to solve the problem/bring the best reason, but to simply gain more of Christ in everything!
So let me say it: Lord, I consecrate my time spent on facebook to You for Your economy! Sanctify this time! May this time be profitable for You for the sake of Your Body! Bind any evil thing or any spoiling thing! Lord, I just love You! I love You and Your Body much more than I love any other thing!

cool links online

from link to link, from site to site, here are some cool links I discovered online:

• intrigued by this article, I found out more about GPS location applications for phones and smartphones, like:
  - where.com - location-based application chock-full of widgets that deliver essential information about what's around you; available everywhere - WHERE delivers the best in local information from Eventful, Yelp, GasBuddy, Zipcar, ShopLocal, Starbucks, Buddy Beacon and more. Download even for iphone! :)
  - loopt.com - transform your mobile phone into a social compass; connect with friends, share your location, and explore new places. Get started, download loopt even for iphone! :)
  - google latitude - See your friends' locations and status messages and share yours with them. See where your friends are, in real time; Enjoy Google Latitude on your phone, computer, or both. Soon on iPhone also!
• reading this article, I find out more about blinkx - video search, now with TV shows/channels search! To see the news or entertainment, business or sport videos, with the possibility of either watching pre-determined playlists or choosing your own topics - all online! The most viewed clips on youtube or the latest news - internet videos! Inform me, entertain me, give me my own channel - choose...

and more coming up....

london under snow....

It actually snowed, and it is still snowing, in London! And this time the snow is up to 20cm high! :) Of course, just like any big city, London is not prepared for such things; I remember Bucharest when it snowed.... besides the accidents that took place, the traffic was almost completely jammed! But because of experiences like these, the cities that are snowed on are learning:

• acquiring some special machines-devices to remove the snow from the roads,
  
• spreading salt & sand in order to reduce the slippery effect for the cars;
• enforcing the rule that: every store/flat/house owner has to take care of the snow on the sidewalk in front of their venue(and not throw the snow on the road, but maybe deposit it in the backyard or around the trees, in piles);

and other practical things... Now in London/UK it has not been such snow for more than 15 years, as I heard, so let me list some of the effects/observations of what's the people's reaction to it:

• yuppy yey! Many schoolers and high-schoolers have no school today, either by the order of the authorities(see Cambridge schools not in session) or by simply not going to school(but going ski-ing or making snowmen...);
• yuppy for some employees - like some of my workmates - they simply can't get to work, because of the road condition and the trains not working.... traffic jams... (and some can spend some more time with their families, or again, making snow-men....);
• no busses in Central London - at least I saw none, and I tried to wait for 43, my "favourite" bus, but it didn't come... WOW - all London busses have been withdrawn today, because of the adverse weather conditions...(actually, I would not like to see an accident in which a double decker is involved.... in the snow....)
  
• the tube - lots of incidents, closures and suspended lines/itineraries - see what bbc says about it, or the tfl updates. Some of the tube/train stations are either closed or severe delays are taking place, so crowds of people waiting for the train is a normality....
  
• @work, at least in our shop... less customers, because of the weather outside(who would travel now, especially by car?), yet the online orders are working even better! :) Now everyone is in front of the PC, looking online for things to buy....
• @work - my favourite part - working from home, remote, by the existing networking protocols and remote working softwares out there.... unfortunately, it's not my case today;
  

Sorry I don't have pics to post from London, but soon on facebook there will be some(check out what BBC says about the chaos in London because of the snow...). London under snow reminds me of Bucharest under snow... :) Finally, the snow is here! :)