http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/social-networking/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:00:13 +0000 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:00:13 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/social-network-geeks-arent-cool-just-angry-losers/ At some point in the past decade, geeks became cool. Like the products they created, geeks began to be marketed as friendly and helpful types that everyday people could turn to to solve problems or get more out of life. Sometimes they even seemed to be attractive to women. The Social Network should go some way to ending all of this. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/social-network-geeks-arent-cool-just-angry-losers/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/social-network-geeks-arent-cool-just-angry-losers/#item4244 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:00:13 +0000 In recent months, and especially the last week, there has been a noticeable shift in public sentiment against Facebook. The controversy surrounding the company’s decision to change its privacy settings have been further amplified by the murder of 18-year-old Nona Belomesoff. As I write a Pakistani court has banned Facebook in the entire country over a page encouraging users to post caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. But since when did all this become Facebook’s fault? Why do we put such an onus on a corporation to act so responsibly with our details rather than questioning our acquiescence to handing over that information in the first place? Why is it we seem to be laying a portion of blame on Facebook for awful human behaviour rather than questioning where it grew from in the first place? http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/how-it-became-facebooks-fault/ In recent months, and especially the last week, there has been a noticeable shift in public sentiment against Facebook. The controversy surrounding the company’s decision to change its privacy settings have been further amplified by the murder of 18-year-old Nona Belomesoff. As I write a Pakistani court has banned Facebook in the entire country over a page encouraging users to post caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. But since when did all this become Facebook’s fault? Why do we put such an onus on a corporation to act so responsibly with our details rather than questioning our acquiescence to handing over that information in the first place? Why is it we seem to be laying a portion of blame on Facebook for awful human behaviour rather than questioning where it grew from in the first place? feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/how-it-became-facebooks-fault/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/how-it-became-facebooks-fault/#item3120 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:00:13 +0000 In recent months, and especially the last week, there has been a noticeable shift in public sentiment against Facebook. The controversy surrounding the company’s decision to change its privacy settings have been further amplified by the murder of 18-year-old Nona Belomesoff. As I write a Pakistani court has banned Facebook in the entire country over a page encouraging users to post caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. But since when did all this become Facebook’s fault? Why do we put such an onus on a corporation to act so responsibly with our details rather than questioning our acquiescence to handing over that information in the first place? Why is it we seem to be laying a portion of blame on Facebook for awful human behaviour rather than questioning where it grew from in the first place? http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-need-to-be-able-to-act-when-online-alarm-bells-ring/ The internet offers a world of opportunities. But it also brings some new threats a lot of parents and young people don’t adequately understand. The tragic murder or 15 year old South Australian girl Carly Ryan by a 50 year old Victorian man who travelled to Adelaide after grooming her on a social networking site brought home to many of us how badly our outdated laws deal with the new threats posed by the internet. The fifty year old killer had pretended to be a 20 year old youth online in order to win over Carly’s confidence. With the support of Carly’s mother Sonya I introduced into the Senate a Private Senator’s Bill which would make it illegal for an adult to misrepresent their age while communicating with a minor online. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-need-to-be-able-to-act-when-online-alarm-bells-ring/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-need-to-be-able-to-act-when-online-alarm-bells-ring/#item3119 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:00:13 +0000 In recent months, and especially the last week, there has been a noticeable shift in public sentiment against Facebook. The controversy surrounding the company’s decision to change its privacy settings have been further amplified by the murder of 18-year-old Nona Belomesoff. As I write a Pakistani court has banned Facebook in the entire country over a page encouraging users to post caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. But since when did all this become Facebook’s fault? Why do we put such an onus on a corporation to act so responsibly with our details rather than questioning our acquiescence to handing over that information in the first place? Why is it we seem to be laying a portion of blame on Facebook for awful human behaviour rather than questioning where it grew from in the first place? http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/surrendering-to-social-media/ When they hear that I don’t have a Facebook account or a Twitter page, some people look at me as if I’ve just announced that I want no part of some fundamental convention of society. It’s the same reaction that I would get if I told them that I don’t own a pair of underpants or a toothbrush. They look at me like I am some sort of commando-going, halitosis-suffering maniac who must be stopped for the sake of all mankind. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/surrendering-to-social-media/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/surrendering-to-social-media/#item2571 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:00:13 +0000 In recent months, and especially the last week, there has been a noticeable shift in public sentiment against Facebook. The controversy surrounding the company’s decision to change its privacy settings have been further amplified by the murder of 18-year-old Nona Belomesoff. As I write a Pakistani court has banned Facebook in the entire country over a page encouraging users to post caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. But since when did all this become Facebook’s fault? Why do we put such an onus on a corporation to act so responsibly with our details rather than questioning our acquiescence to handing over that information in the first place? Why is it we seem to be laying a portion of blame on Facebook for awful human behaviour rather than questioning where it grew from in the first place? http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/dont-kill-off-online-tributes-because-of-bad-press/ Online memorials have been getting a bad rap lately, and in many ways, rightly so. The cruel comments posted on the Facebook memorial page for murdered Brisbane 12-year-old Elliott Fletcher are nothing short of repulsive. Even after the furore over the posting of pornographic images on Fletcher’ s site, insensitive and offensive comments persist. Amid good wishes to Elliott and his family, Matt Jackson has written on one Fletcher tribute page, “im famous, im on the world famous post hahahahaha hi mum im on tv lol.” Scroll down. One of three “fan photos” at that page’s left shows Fletcher in life, grinning under tousled hair, with the words “Woot I’m [sic] dead” written over him in thick red marker. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/dont-kill-off-online-tributes-because-of-bad-press/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/dont-kill-off-online-tributes-because-of-bad-press/#item2511 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:00:13 +0000 In recent months, and especially the last week, there has been a noticeable shift in public sentiment against Facebook. The controversy surrounding the company’s decision to change its privacy settings have been further amplified by the murder of 18-year-old Nona Belomesoff. As I write a Pakistani court has banned Facebook in the entire country over a page encouraging users to post caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. But since when did all this become Facebook’s fault? Why do we put such an onus on a corporation to act so responsibly with our details rather than questioning our acquiescence to handing over that information in the first place? Why is it we seem to be laying a portion of blame on Facebook for awful human behaviour rather than questioning where it grew from in the first place? http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-next-for-facebook-after-its-nightmare-week/ Public outrage over the shocking vandalism of internet tribute sites for two young Queenslanders who died in terrible circumstances has again raised questions over freedom online. The worldwide web next month celebrates its 21st anniversary. It has grown from a single web page to more than a trillion unique pages and is expanding rapidly every day. Social network sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and YouTube transformed the web from largely static pages under a website owner’s control into something more fluid, with people interacting on the websites to create content. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-next-for-facebook-after-its-nightmare-week/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-next-for-facebook-after-its-nightmare-week/#item2508 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:00:13 +0000 In recent months, and especially the last week, there has been a noticeable shift in public sentiment against Facebook. The controversy surrounding the company’s decision to change its privacy settings have been further amplified by the murder of 18-year-old Nona Belomesoff. As I write a Pakistani court has banned Facebook in the entire country over a page encouraging users to post caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. But since when did all this become Facebook’s fault? Why do we put such an onus on a corporation to act so responsibly with our details rather than questioning our acquiescence to handing over that information in the first place? Why is it we seem to be laying a portion of blame on Facebook for awful human behaviour rather than questioning where it grew from in the first place? http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/facebook-responds-shock-at-obscenities-apology-planned/ The Punch has just left Facebook’s headquarters in San Francisco where the company sought to address the fallout from the controversy of tribute pages to dead minors being defaced with obscene content. Following questions earlier this week from The Punch, Facebook’s global communications and policy director, Debbie Frost, told us the company was sending a letter to Queensland Premier Anna Bligh apologising for the incident and addressing the Premier’s letter of concern sent to the social networking giant this week. Frost said the incident was unprecedented in her time at Facebook, adding it was difficult to fathom how people would decide to attack memorial pages in this way. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/facebook-responds-shock-at-obscenities-apology-planned/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/facebook-responds-shock-at-obscenities-apology-planned/#item2493 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:00:13 +0000 In recent months, and especially the last week, there has been a noticeable shift in public sentiment against Facebook. The controversy surrounding the company’s decision to change its privacy settings have been further amplified by the murder of 18-year-old Nona Belomesoff. As I write a Pakistani court has banned Facebook in the entire country over a page encouraging users to post caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. But since when did all this become Facebook’s fault? Why do we put such an onus on a corporation to act so responsibly with our details rather than questioning our acquiescence to handing over that information in the first place? Why is it we seem to be laying a portion of blame on Facebook for awful human behaviour rather than questioning where it grew from in the first place? http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/online-tributes-a-hollow-immitation-of-genuine-grief/ As a new recruit to Facebook, I admit I was not exactly on the first-wave of the online social networking phenomena. It’s not that I’m a techo-phobe by any measure (my blackberry is a constant companion). It’s just that I am not entirely convinced that the addition of a Facebook page will enhance either my work or personal lives.  And the thing is, in this job, the two are often inextricably linked. MPs are public figures - albeit very minor ones. And - after sharing weekends, evenings and most waking hours with either my local constituents, my parliamentary colleagues,  Industry groups and stakeholders within my shadow portfolio responsibilities -  I’d kinda like to keep a little bit of me just for my nearest and dearest. Call me old fashioned (and I’m sure many of you will) but I prefer to share my personal trials, triumphs and trivia with those I am closest to, rather than the-acquaintance-of-an-acquaintance who I met once at a function and who has now requested to be my “friend”. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/online-tributes-a-hollow-immitation-of-genuine-grief/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/online-tributes-a-hollow-immitation-of-genuine-grief/#item2491 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:00:13 +0000 In recent months, and especially the last week, there has been a noticeable shift in public sentiment against Facebook. The controversy surrounding the company’s decision to change its privacy settings have been further amplified by the murder of 18-year-old Nona Belomesoff. As I write a Pakistani court has banned Facebook in the entire country over a page encouraging users to post caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. But since when did all this become Facebook’s fault? Why do we put such an onus on a corporation to act so responsibly with our details rather than questioning our acquiescence to handing over that information in the first place? Why is it we seem to be laying a portion of blame on Facebook for awful human behaviour rather than questioning where it grew from in the first place? http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/five-questions-for-facebook-after-tribute-pages-defaced/ Update 7am: Despite the company’s statement yesterday, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh and federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy say Facebook needs to explain itself. The Punch is still awaiting a response to its questions put to Facebook’s press office. Update 4.45pm Wednesday: Today there are at least two groups live on Facebook - one of which has over 3400 members - calling for the death of the man accused of Trinity Bates’s murder. If this happened in a newspaper or on a major news website the editor would be at risk of going to jail. Update Wednesday 2.45pm : Facebook has published a statement about obscene content on the tribute pages to Elliott Fletcher and Trinity Bates on its website. It is printed in full below. We’re yet to hear from them. Facebook’s statement: feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/five-questions-for-facebook-after-tribute-pages-defaced/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/five-questions-for-facebook-after-tribute-pages-defaced/#item2469 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:00:13 +0000 In recent months, and especially the last week, there has been a noticeable shift in public sentiment against Facebook. The controversy surrounding the company’s decision to change its privacy settings have been further amplified by the murder of 18-year-old Nona Belomesoff. As I write a Pakistani court has banned Facebook in the entire country over a page encouraging users to post caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. But since when did all this become Facebook’s fault? Why do we put such an onus on a corporation to act so responsibly with our details rather than questioning our acquiescence to handing over that information in the first place? Why is it we seem to be laying a portion of blame on Facebook for awful human behaviour rather than questioning where it grew from in the first place? http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-does-the-web-know-about-you/ This simple graphic illustrates one way the internet can be used to get an insight into a person, by analysing publicly available information associated with a name. I’ve chosen, for no particular reason, Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull. Through the rest of this post are similar profiles of a range of Australian public identities. You can enter your own details into the Personas tool here. If you feel uncomfortable watching the process of this tool scouring the web for information about you, that’s the idea. It was designed to show you have a publicly available profile which you cannot control. Developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, it’s intended to highlight not just how you are seen on the web, but “for the viewer to reflect on our current and future world, where digital histories are as important if not more important than oral histories.” feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-does-the-web-know-about-you/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-does-the-web-know-about-you/#item1255 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:00:13 +0000 In recent months, and especially the last week, there has been a noticeable shift in public sentiment against Facebook. The controversy surrounding the company’s decision to change its privacy settings have been further amplified by the murder of 18-year-old Nona Belomesoff. As I write a Pakistani court has banned Facebook in the entire country over a page encouraging users to post caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. But since when did all this become Facebook’s fault? Why do we put such an onus on a corporation to act so responsibly with our details rather than questioning our acquiescence to handing over that information in the first place? Why is it we seem to be laying a portion of blame on Facebook for awful human behaviour rather than questioning where it grew from in the first place?