Facebook Graph Search: Thanks, Zuck - I am so excited about spending the weekend sorting out my Activity Log - Shelly Palmer

Download your free copy of the Shelly Palmer 2013 Consumer Electronics Trend ReportRemember quotlikingquot a group on Facebook called quotBig Booty Rulesquot You will when someone uses Graph Search to find it and youThe biggest news in the tech world this week was Graph Search Facebook39s first true attempt at search It39s an quotinside baseballquot name for a very interesting search tool Graph Search is not a web search but rather a people search you39re able to enter phrases in regular English like quotmy friends in California who like pizzaquot and Graph will show you relevant results Graph Search currently focuses on photos people places and interests but Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said it will expand to cover more areas soonGraph Search is only in beta right now and available exclusively on the Web version of Facebook but soon each and every one of Facebook39s billion users will be able to find friends and others around the world who likes any given topicWant to compile a list of all your Facebook friends who have two heads eat their young on Thursdays and are Martian It39s easier than ever thanks to Graph SearchWe39ve Got Work to Do amp8211 Serious Real WorkJoking aside what this means is that each and every one of us is going to have to spend hours sorting through our Activity Log sooner rather than later making sure nothing that we39re not ready for the world to see is on there Isn39t this exactly how you wanted to spend this weekend You know the scariest part There39s no way to opt out Perhaps a Homeland marathon is in order this may take a whileWhy Activity Log rather than your TimelineBecause just deleting something from your Timeline doesn39t really delete it Go to Settings Privacy Settings Use Activity Log Sorry it39s the only wayWhy Can39t I Opt OutAbout a month ago Facebook made a tiny change that made it impossible for users to opt out of search At the time it didn39t mean much amp8211 you could lock your profile down and still fly pretty much below the radar But now that subtle tweak is a lot more insidious Zuckerberg said that privacy is of the utmost importance Is this the first time he39s ever said that and that only the content you39ve shared with friends friends of friends or the public will be found in Graph SearchBut what about that picture of you and a group of friends from New Year39s after you39ve had a little too much to drink You hid it from your timeline but did you actually delete it Did your remove the tag The friends you39re with in that picture are still taggedamp8230 and now their friends can find that photo in Graph SearchSuddenly we need to become experts of our Activity LogFacebook says we39re going to be able to review our Activity Log before Graph Search goes worldwide You better get started on that right away otherwise you39re going to be in a world of funWhat Will You Be Known ForI quotlikequot about 100 things on Facebook I have Facebook friends who like thousands of things Maybe 999 of those things are innocuous but what about that band you liked in college that made the news after sacrificing a live rabbit at one of their shows Do you want to be associated with thatWithin hours of the announcement Gizmodo had already culled together a list of people who are now sharing horrible things about themselves thanks to Graph Search Don39t let yourself become known for liking a page you thought was funny a long time ago but in retrospect is inappropriate or offensiveSoamp8230 What Do I Do About ThisTo best protect yourself you should do what you should have been doing all alongamp183 Make sure your default preference is to share with friends only amp8211 this cuts down access to your interests and photos most dramaticallyamp183 Go through your likes with a finetoothed comb Make sure anything you39re not 100 percent behind is unlikedamp183 Untag the photos you don39t like Request inappropriate photos be taken downThe most important thing to do though is to stay on top of things Facebook has a nasty habit of tweaking its default security settings without really letting us know Your account may once have been locked down exactly how you wanted it to be but one settings change suddenly opened up a new world to your innermost memories Stay awareWhat Else Does This MeanIt just became a lot easier for advertisers to create targeted marketing Going back to that earlier example when you search for friends in California who like pizza between Jack and Jill39s pages is an ad for California Pizza Kitchen How convenient and how profitable for Facebook Our searches our profiles and our lives have become cheap endless data pools for companies around the worldCreepiness Times TenTo bring the scare factor to a whole other level maybe you39ll remember that back in September Facebook started tracking and logging each and every one of your searches Google has been doing this for years so don39t get your knickers in a knot The search data was never made public amp8211 it39s there as a record for you if you39d ever want it for some reason amp8211 but many Facebook users were shocked to see the list of friends they39ve quotstalkedquot show up so naturallyThe Huffington Post has the easiest way for you to purge your historyTo review your search history go to your Facebook profile navigate to the quotActivity Logquot button on the righthand side of the page click the quotSearchquot tab in the column on the lefthand side of the page and gasp in horror To find the quotSearchquot tab you may need to click quotMorequot under the section that begins with quotPhotosquot You can delete individual queries or clear the search activity by clicking quotClear Searchesquot at the top of the pageIt39s amazing actually awe inspiring how much Facebook stores about each of us And remember data is more valuable in the presence and context of other data There will be logs of everything we do forever So if you put it on the Internet it39ll be available forever New words to live by quotLike at your own riskquotDon39t get trapped Protect yourself and your reputation Take control of your Facebook today Thanks Zuck This is exactly how I wanted to spend my first weekend getting home after CESShelly Palmer is Fox 5 New Yorkamp8216s Onair Tech Expert WNYWTV and the host of Fox Televisionamp8217s monthly show Shelly Palmer Digital Living He also hosts United Stations Radio Networkamp8216s Shelly Palmer Digital Living Daily a daily syndicated radio report that features insightful commentary and a unique insiders take on the biggest stories in technology media and entertainment He is Managing Director of Advanced Media Ventures Group LLC an industryleading advisory and business development firm and a member of the Executive Committee of the National Academy of Television Arts ampamp Sciences the organization that bestows the coveted Emmyamp174 Awards Palmer is the author of Television Disrupted The Transition from Network to Networked TV 2nd Edition York House Press 2008 the seminal book about the technological economic and sociological forces that are changing everything Overcoming The Digital Divide How to use Social Media and Digital Tools to Reinvent Yourself and Your Careeramp160York House Press 2011 andamp160Digital Wisdom Thought Leadership for a Connected World York House Press 2013 For more information visit shellypalmercomRead all Shelly39s MediaBizBloggers commentaries at Shelly Palmer ReportCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates MediaBizBloggerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

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Facebook Graph Search: Thanks, Zuck - I am so excited about spending the weekend sorting out my Activity Log - Shelly Palmer

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Facebook Graph Search: Thanks, Zuck - I am so excited about spending the weekend sorting out my Activity Log - Shelly Palmer

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