Why I dropped off Facebook ?

Recently, I decided to drop off Facebook and deleted all my relationships on the site. Here are some of the reasons why I decided to get out of Facebook :

1. Facebook doesn't care for my privacy. They keep changing privacy settings and make it my (the user's) problem to go fix the settings. I have better things to do in life than deal with this crap. Take a look at how Facebook has been encroaching on your privacy http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/04/facebook-timeline

2. Facebook is neither public nor private. It's somewhere in between and that makes me really nervous. Facebook's walled garden makes it private to the rest of the world but within the garden everything is public. http://techcrunch.com/2010/09/20/facebook-not-now-follow/

3. Facebook is like a big black hole. They don't let you export your contacts or posts; they make it almost impossible to move away from Facebook; they suck you into their hole.

4. Facebook doesn't give a hoot about your relationships. You treat your friends, colleagues, family and acquaintances all the same. But, in reality they are not the same. There are special people and not so special people. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrlSkU0TFLs )

5. Facebook is boring. I am sorry to all my friends on Facebook but this huffingtonpost post sums it up http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-ostroy/i-hate-facebook_b_178867.html

6. Facebook is a monopolistic social information empire and, monopolies and empires are never good for society.

In conclusion, I am going to stay away from Facebook and stick to Twitter(public) and Email(private).

Ciao.

Update 1: What a coincidence that I wrote this blog on "National Unfriend Day".

Update 2: Debt collectors utilize Facebook to embarrass those who owe. Read more...

Update 3: Dec 1, 2010: Facebook's 'Like This' button is tracking you Whether you click it or not. Another reason to hate facebook.

Update 4: Jan 18, 2011: Another example of why Facebook can be dangerous to your privacy online. Man Mines Facebook For Security Questions, Nabs Nude Photos From Email

Update 5: Jan 18, 2011: Facebook has done it again; they don't give a sh** about your privacy. Third-party apps now have access to your address and phone number.

The Pain and Benefits of Critical Thinking and Drive

As is standard procedure in Corporate America, I had my annual performance review done by my manager. During the year, I had performed well on all fronts except on my relationships with some of my peers. I had done an excellent job of delivering business critical projects and managed a large, very successful team of engineers. But, my relations with some of my peers did not pan out well during the year.

My poor relations with my peers has been the only sore point during the year. I attribute this to my low tolerance for mediocre work and poorly designed engineering solutions. One of the key reasons for my success has been my ability to do quick critical analysis of business and engineering problems, work aggressively on solutions and drive them to a closure. But, this critical analysis and aggressiveness has cost me my relationships.

This coming year, I intend to take better care of my relationships. Critical thinking and drive is very important in the world's largest technology startup. But, these same qualities hurt people's feelings. No one likes to hear that their designs or implementations have flaws. No one likes to hear that they are not moving fast enough.

A colleague of mine (yes, I do have good relationships with some of my peers just not with everyone) has advised me to read The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle.

I hope to read the book during the holidays and will post a review here.

Ciao

Update 1: Dec 5, 2010: Boycott Amazon for dropping WikiLeaks and not standing up for freedom. Removed Amazon book information from my website and closed my Amazon Associates account.