News Facebook competitor Diaspora opens

Diaspora, which aims to address privacy concerns surrounding Facebook, is asking for users.

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/bits/2010/11/24/facebook-competitor-diaspora/1

 

Finally, I'll try to join, but I see a problem already if they want to be more than a niche site: They're asking to install Google ChromeFrame if you're on Internet Explorer.... This will drive off many users.

 

I'm still not on Facebook and I won't be joining this either. It's just mostly people you know talking crap from what I can tell, fair enough if people genuinely use it for keeping in touch though.

Diaspora have quite a big challenge as most people are on Facebook, even if they get one person they still have to persuade everyone else they know on there otherwise they wont use it if they don't have anyone else to communicate with.

 

Depends, I'm on it, don't use it much though, but it's great to share stuff and plan events with ease.

 

If I have to install third party software like this GoogleFrame thing, then forget it. Besides, I never use IE, I'm more of a Firefox man.

 

Fail already. Took me 3 attempts to pronounce it, and Im still not sure I can, FaceBook is easy to say and thus spreads through common knowledge very quickly.

Just a little point on privacy, who would write down all thier personal details and put it up in the window at the front of thier house? No one? Thought not. Facebook is as private as you want it to be, IMO.

Alex.

 

Shame that's not what Facebook thinks

I don't have a Facebook account. But I get personalized Facebook advertisements, as Facebook knows what emailadresses my friends have, and when I mail THEM...I get a Facebook-add with their face* in it.
Scary.

Especially scary, if Facebook knows that I send mail to some people (not to their Facebook account, mind you) and can react to that....they monitor me. Ever though I don't have an account with them.

*yes, actual pictures

 

Change that name first - would be a bit complicated for some people

 

No chance. For one, the name is silly and not nearly as catchy as Facebook. Secondly the homepage uses proper English, most users of Facebook would never even think of using the word "whom"... (shair wt u wnt wiv whm u wnt? *shudder*)

 

Thats mad, who is your email provider? they are the ones with privacy issues not facebook...

For that to work, the email address you sent to is forwards to FB from your email provider. FB then check to see if they have it on record. FB then either updates your email provider site cookie or ad cookie with the friends account info, and then downloads that for ad purposes on a subscribed web page to FB's service.

I would change email provider! Im gonna stab at it and say your using Gmail? or maybe AOL? one of the big boys maybe... maybe even hotmail? I use Yahoo and its pretty free of ads save the odd movie film...

...

Your gonna say its Yahoo now arent you

Alex.

 

I think a facebook alternative has to appeal to the lowest common denominator to be successful. Non-tech-savvy people who don't care who harvests their information need to be sold on this somehow. The name is just too strange for anyone but hipsters and literate people.

 

wait, there are people here that actually believe facebook is somewhat private??? xD

i saw this link thru OCN and had to comment on the fail.

facebook is in no way, private, AT ALL.

 

I quite like the idea, but it's not as cool as the equally-uncatchy-named FreedomBox (link).

However, having your own control over your own data is undoubtedly too complicated for most people who are now on Facebook. (Judging from my better half's Facebook "friends" anyway...)

(The name "Diaspora" isn't all that, but I can pronounce it without any problems. Then again, I'm me. )

Amen to that. I've blocked all Facebook-related (and Google-related) URLs on my main computer simply because of the tracking. I have no Facebook account, - and I may just be paranoid - but websites with the Facebook "Like" buttons freak me out. Why would my computer need to connect - and it does (well, did) - to Facebook to read a story on a (publicly-funded, might I add) news website?

 

OK I will have a go...

Die Uh Spore Ah? or Dee Uh Spore Ah or Die Ass Pore Ah

I'm serious I cant say it lol

Alex.

 

Yeah, the name does not reflect the content. Tripped off the bat.

 

Diaspora was an awesome space MMO about 10 years ago )

 

Does seem to sum things up. Fairly play to Diaspora since I'm sure it took them loads of work, but I don't see this as necessary. The whole 'OEGM Fakebook share datta' thing does seem to mainly be a crowd-led over-reaction. You *can* control Facebook privacy settings pretty well (even before they made the recent-ish changes to the settings). But if a user *chooses* to have lax privacy settings, that's their fault/choice.

 

This has nothing to do with e-mail provider or "evil facebook server". In fact it has more to do with your friends registered on FB. There's official FB application where you enter your email address and password, this application then logs to your email account and checks which email adressess are not registered on FB. And then it sends email with invitations to these adressess. It's clear it can't operate without your friends' input.

So you receive "customized" mails only because your friends have stored your email. It's quite easy way to gain trust and it's used by other social networks as well...

Though FB states application will not store your password I'd never ever give my password to anyone...

 

Isn't this the website where a month or so ago it turned out that the entire source code was a complete mess and failed on all fronts with what they were trying to do?

 

What pisses me off about Facebook isn't the company's disregard for your personal information. It's my friend's disregard for my personal information. My Facebook profile is deliberately very sparse on details, but if you want to know what I look like I'm tagged in a number of pictures my friend's have uploaded. Pictures they have now surrendered the rights too and personally identified someone in who had no knowledge that they intended to that that.

Thanks a bundle you morons.