Prying Eyes on Facebook

At one time, one of the great allures of surfing the Internet was that one could do it with complete anonymity. Today, the anonymity we all enjoyed while surfing the web are long behind us.

Advertisers caught on long ago in how to increase their sales by finding out our secret search habits.Over the years, privacy issues have been a major concern for consumers and consumer advocates who look to maintain users right to privacy from marketers seeking information about every site a consumer visits.

On November 6, 2007, social networking site Facebook added a privacy-busting feature called Beacon that tracks sites that Facebook users visit. The motive is to place advertising in front of the members based on the sites they visit. Facebook has already signed up several participating companies for this program.

Originally, Beacon was deployed without the owner’s consent. Now after all the controversy, users can opt out of the feature. Even more alarming is how Beacon gives Facebook's members a heads up on participating sites their friends visit. For example, if you searched a participating site to buy your spouse a gift, your secret wouldn't be such a secret once Facebook emails friends about your purchase.

I'm amazed. Nothing seems to be sacred anymore in this age of information. Many believe the government and private sector are encroaching on the privacy of others an inch at a time. Whoever knew that Big Brother had a little brother waiting in the wings.






Photo Source: Gadgetell.com

Robert Sutton's Vision of a Civilized Workplace

Trou·ble·mak·er: a person who consciously or unconsciously causes trouble.
-Merriam-Webster Dictionary

The A-word. I didn't say it, but Robert Sutton has with his upfront perspective on ridding the workplace of bad employees. We've all experienced them--the office troublemaker that cost companies thousands of dollars in turnover and many of its employee’s sleepless nights.

BNET highlights a timely new book, "The No Asshole Rule" by Robert Sutton that guides employees and companies in how to deal with rogue employees. This book will undoubtedly strike a nerve with many hard working Americans today.

A few years ago, after venting to a close friend, not associated with the company, about the indignation I felt concerning some actions a senior manager had taken with regards to company policies, and how oblivious it seemed upper management was to their schemes, a friend made a poignant statement that he believed the worst corporate managers know how to allude getting reprimanded or even getting canned.

His observations lead me to do a little research in the areas of workplace politics and management. There is a litany of books on this topic. All had a similar conclusion that bad employees and managers are a major cause of turnover in most companies. For a more detailed posting on what the expert’s reveal, look for a follow up posting soon.

Also, see BNET Video.

Source: BNET