I don’t face book or twitter for anybody. Social media is cool if you’re cool. I’m not cool. I’m a curmudgeon and wouldn’t want to friend people who would want to be friends with somebody like me.
Make about 10 Yahoo accounts with forwarders to a real account, Juggle them.
Alternatively, a bare bones hosted domain will allow you to make as many accounts as you want.
If you want more anonymity, buy a Visa gift card for account setup, and use a pseudonym and any old address and phone, it works.
My paper has done the same thing. FaceBook is just one more centralization of personal info about you. I’ve quit it for security reasons. Now employers are utilizing it for business applications and I don’t think that is the way to go. We are rushing headlong into a chasm of which the depths are unknown. And I don’t like it.
Facebook is a dossier that people are happy to compile on themselves, down to every ounce of liquor consumed. The KGB model is sooo dated.
Complain to your newspaper. Sadly, it’ll be in vane but you’ll feel better. They won’t change because they have the mentality of all papers these days that the cool kids have FB. FB is too Big Brotherish. I don’t have an account and refuse to put even a fake one on this computer because of the cookies.
The (Monroe, LA) News-Star has also gone ‘Facebook.’ It must be a Gannett thing. They claim the anonymity of the old system was not ‘fair’, etc, etc.
It’s about money. They get a cut from Facebook for the linkup.
It’s a growing trend with local papers because the old Topix system became a troll-infested cesspool, with lots of vicious, personal, outright libelous posts thrown out amongst neighbors in a community. Threats of lawsuits against the papers are leading them to use the Facebook sign-in process for identification. And yeah, it makes it easier for editors to block out trolls and delete comments, even those properly critical on some things like politics.
They’re doing the same thing on some South African news websites as well. The story was that it was supposed to improve things. All I know is that the comments sections are now just as bad as the pre-Facebook ones - just as many insults, just as much foul language, just as little true debate.....
Recently noticed the absence of ‘comments’ and the only icons were ‘twitter’ ‘facebook’ and the other text applications.
Enjoyed reading the ‘comments’ for entertainment - but many are vicious, racist, sexually perverted and pro-Obama.
Will never join Face-book for obvious reasons stated on this thread.
Yes it is a Gannet paper. I have a Facebook account but it is for my personal use and friends of mine. I don’t use it that often but it is mine. Looking at the comments it has generated on their site it seems like a bad business decision if they make anything from hits. Most of the posters have said they will no longer go to the site.
Ours did the same thing but I have a fake Facebook account I use for those sort of things. It’s an Amish guy! LOL!
My plan is to join FB three days before the world comes to an end (according to ancient Mayan prophecy). What a great way to say goodbye! If I wake up on the morning of 12/22/12 to a fresh blanket of snow, the first thing I’ll do is deactivate my FB account...again.
Set up sepatate facebook page with fake name to be used for public comments.
John Smith maybe?
My plan is to join FB three days before the world comes to an end (according to ancient Mayan prophecy). What a great way to say goodbye! If I wake up on the morning of 12/22/12 to a fresh blanket of snow, the first thing I’ll do is deactivate my FB account...again.
I think the libel issues are real.
But real problem is twofold.
One - most local newspapers dont have a real “web guy” - more often its the network or IT guy that handles the website...most reluctantly. It takes more of a web guy to implement a commenting system that really works - or just implement/integrate any of the better known forum systems.
Two - local papers are horrible at selling online advertising and are already giving away their traffic to syndicated “per-click” advertising. So - they either dont care or dont know what their missing.
All of the MediaNews-Gannett local papers have switched from TOPIX to Facebook for commenting and it has virtually extinguished all commentary. Ironic, as MediaNews-Gannett owns TOPIX as well.
The reality is TOPIX is still there - and the roboblogger regularly posts a smattering of stories from the local paper. The only difference is the comment form isn’t attached to every story.
There is a subtle difference in psychology in every form/commenting system. TOPIX allows out and out anonymous posting - no registration required. Predictably this leads to lots of “drive by” postings (the kind of stuff that opens the doors to libel) - Facebook is the opposite side of the coin. No anonymity.
The best solution has always been the “require registration to post” system. (like FR) That alone cuts out a lot of the drive by stuff you get with “no reg” systems. You have to pick username or “handle” and it follows you with every comment. People who take the time to register tend to want be accountable for their online identities - especially if they’ve taken the time stake out positions or political turf. Registrations are easily moderated, disruptors are easy to block.
In short - limited accountability is enough to keep people in line...and preferred to no accountability(like TOPIX) or total accountability.(like FACEBOOK)
make up some fake profiles with Paul Krudman,Helen Thomas and the Nancyboy PFC Manning for your profile pic.
What’s a newspaper?
It’s not just Gannett-owned newspapers. Our local (Gannett-owned) t.v. station no longer take comments on their site. They refer all comments to their Facebook page.
D&C switching to Facebook commenting
The D&C is very liberal/leftist and their moderating reflects it and it's been open season on conservatives and Tea Partiers on their site. No way would I post using FB!
You’re making a mountain out of a molehill. Just gen up a throwaway facebook account with fake information with a throwaway email address.
I have several throwaway email addresses and a throwaway facebook account just for the purposes of posting commentary.