Anonymous Speaks Volumes About Google+
July 20, 2011 by admin
Filed under Lingerie Events
Say what you will about the pros and cons of Google+, but there’s no denying that the arrival of the new social network has shaken things up considerably.
We’ve seen a battle arise over ownership of Facebook users’ contact information, for instance, including Facebook’s short-lived attempt to deactivate Open-Xchange’s OX.IO export tool, among others.
Then there was Google’s decision to shut Twitter traffic out of its social search results in favor of Google+. More recently, we’ve seen Facebook pull the plug on Google+ ads.
Now, as if even more excitement were needed, none other than Anonymous has announced that it’s planning to create a Google+ rival of its own.
‘Our Gmail Is Also Gone’
“As some of you know we got banned from Google+ due to some of our content,” the hacktivist group wrote in a blog post over the weekend.
In an earlier post, the group included a screenshot of the notification that its “Your Anon News” profile on Google+ had been suspended and noted that “our Gmail is also gone.”
Anonymous, of course, has gained tremendous notoriety for its hacktivist attacks on corporations and governments around the globe, including its recent targeting of U.S. government contractors.
In any case, “what we didn’t know at the time is that we were just one of a handful of Anonymous accounts that was silenced,” the group wrote. “This is the sad fact of what happens across the Internet when you walk to a different beat of the drum.”
‘Welcome to Anon+’
In response, Anonymous has started to build its own social network, according to the blog post.
“This is one social network that will not tolerate being shut down, censored, or oppressed–even in the face of blackout,” it asserted. “We the people have had enough…enough of governments and corporations saying what’s best for us–what’s safe for our minds.
“The sheep era is over,” Anonymous concluded. “The interwebz are no longer your prison. Welcome to Anon+.”
Also mentioned in the post is an “operation” launched by “a few people” against Google+, though no details were provided as to what that may involve.
‘The Project Is for All People’
AnonPlus, meanwhile, can now be seen in its earliest stages online through an “info dump of a site” that’s been put up simply to dispense information, it explains. “Soon the actual site will go up and you can begin to interact with it.”
AnonPlus is not intended to be used only by the members of Anonymous, however.
“This project is for ALL people,” the site says. “This idea is a presstorm idea and only takes the name anon because of the Anonymity of the social network.”
The site’s tag line is “Social Networking Anonymously,” and updates are being provided via Twitter.
A Locked-In World
It seems a fairly safe bet that AnonPlus won’t be a serious competitor to Facebook and Google+, at least not for mainstream users in the near future. After all, the whole point of most social networking is to keep in touch with those who know who you are; anonymity would defeat much of that purpose.
It’s also likely that Anonymous would have found itself kicked off Google+ at this early stage of the game regardless of its content, since that’s what Google’s been doing to pretty much every organization that has tried to join before its business profiles are ready.
Still, the group’s move underscores a fundamental need for openness that just hasn’t been satisfied so far by either Facebook or Google+. Both networks have an inherent interest in controlling and containing users’ information and interactions, and that includes the businesses that participate on the sites as well.
Need for Openness
It remains to be seen what specific limitations Google will put on companies and their interactions with current and potential customers through its new business profiles, but–simply by virtue of the fact that the whole thing is controlled by a single entity, and Google, no less–you can be sure some limitations and plenty of potentially “creepy” integrations will be there.
I don’t think a return to a completely anonymous Internet is the answer. I’ve been hoping open source Diaspora would gain enough traction to be a real contender; in the meantime, I do like Google+ better than I’ve ever liked Facebook.
But we need a more open alternative. A centrally controlled social network is no better than a centrally controlled society.
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Proust: A social network for self-reflection
July 20, 2011 by admin
Filed under Lingerie Events
Proust prompts you to dig deeper and bare your soul, in turn learning more about your closest family and friends. A refreshing take on social networking, or too pretentious for the Facebook generation?
For a certain generation, Facebook functions as a sort of digitally pieced-together autobiography. Of course by its nature, such a compilation is anything but thorough and segments of our lives deemed unimportant or uninteresting (read: Anything before college) largely gets left out. And given the nature of Facebook friends, there’s little room for personal posts of any sort – unless you want to be that guy.
A new social networking site wants to fill that hole. Proust, a product from Barry Diller’s IAC, launches today. According to the site, Proust is “a place for families and close friends to share the stuff that really matters. It’s a place to capture our life stories, thoughts, and aspirations and spark meaningful conversations about who we are.”
At its core, Proust is a philosopher-meets-ancestry enthusiast’s take on social networking, and takes its name from Marcel Proust and his Proust Questionnaire. It directly challenges what comes naturally to Facebook users: Posting only the most surface statements and updates about ourselves. There’s no questioning or exploring yourself with the typical social networking site, and given its purpose, that’s okay. But Proust thinks there is a place for that, saying that instead of combing through the mindless self-centered posts that flood Facebook and the like, you should actually get to “know the ones you love” using this site. It also gives social networking fans a chance to do what they love most: Talk about themselves. No one’s above this, but Proust is at least directly giving users the opportunity to share personal details and customize the format as they see fit.
You can access Proust by creating your own account or using Facebook Connect, everything you do on the site can be shared via Twitter or Facebook as well. You have the option of making your story public or private. If you choose private, it will only be shared with those you invite. Then you are asked a series of questions, including “Who was your first kiss?” and “Do you have any nicknames? How did you get them?”. Along with your answers, you can tag people or list locations, upload pictures and video, or even date the event. If you prefer, forgo the questions altogether and pen your own stories. All this information is aggregated into your personal storybook, which you can view by location, date, people, or media content.
What’s interesting about Proust is that it claims to be a way to know the people you love better – but don’t you already know how many siblings your closest contacts have? Or who their first love was? If you’re close enough to your inner circle that you do, Proust is merely a fun, digital way to sift through that information. But if you don’t, it could actually be a very personal, insightful experience for you. As the Internet identity narrative becomes increasingly vapid, it’s refreshing to find an option for self-reflection and discovery, and to share that.
At the same time, the information you document on Proust is extremely personal (i.e., “Who was the first person who broke you heart?” Really? Does that seem like a trap to anyone else?). If the thought of that data leaking outside of your best friends and family sounds horrifying, you’ll probably end up skipping quite a few questions and rendering the experience rather pointless. Sometimes, things are better left either unsaid or said – but not saved on the Internet. Proust’s team assures users that privacy is its focus, but there’s always a risk you run when you give up your information. And this it’s not credit card numbers or addresses – it’s deeply personal, potentially embarrassing or incriminating items.
Is it a Facebook killer? Not a chance. A Google+ killer? Absolutely not. But it is possibly the most honest way to share and learn with those you know and trust.