Poll on the FB/Twitter Linkage

[wlotus]

Someone has created a poll asking people's input on the FB/Twitter link feature.

http://community.livejournal.com/thequestionclub/86168785.html

From what I understand, the LJ staff is aware of and watching this poll, so feel free to add your input to it.
ETA: Yesterday evening LJ

Comments

[audrabaudra]

Ah ha, I see buttons.

"Comment Form" with "Facebook" as an option. Is that the source of the trouble?

Voted "awful idea" and "YES, I'm worried about my privacy!"

LJ and the Terrible, Horrible, Awful Idea

[wlotus]

That is a different button. :-) The ones I am referring to are located just below the text box where you type in your comment, provided the CSS fix I installed (all hail docjeff!!!!) doesn't get rid of them in the LJ style you are using.

[wlotus]

I didn't finish my thought. :-) Underneath the comment box there are two check boxes that allow you to choose to have your comment reposted to your FB and/or Twitter accounts, if you've linked those accounts to your LJ account. You can repost comments you make to other's blogs, even if the blog post you are replying to is protected. Your comment, along with the blogger's username and a link to their post will appear in your FB and Twitter feeds. While others will not be able to see a protected post if they are not on the access list, they will see the content of your comment and may be able to determine what the post was about from that comment. (We won't even get into direct quotes from the post!)

[sandokai]

It's pretty lame, but at the same time I am not sure it's a huge deal. Someone can only repost their own comments, right? I guess I wouldn't want a lot of people out there to know that I'm Sandokai, but I'm not sure I understand how this would be a severe privacy violation.

[wlotus]

On the one hand, it is no different than someone cutting and pasting the contents of someone else's protected post onto a public forum, thus breaking that person's trust. On the other hand, it makes it that much easier for the person to do it. And there is also the fact that some people deliberately keep their LJ anonymous and entirely separate from their Facebook/Twitter identities. If someone knows them in both places, shares mutual acquaintances, and cross-posts, all hell could break loose in that person's professional or personal lives.

Then there's just embarrassment. If you posted in a protected post that you are recovering from (just as an example) a herpes outbreak, and someone who knew you in both places had their, "I am SO sorry about your recent herpes outbreak!" comment cross-posted to their Facebook page, I don't think you'd be all that happy that mutual acquaintances might be able to trace that comment back to your LJ and figure out who you are.

[sandokai]

Yeah....

I would hope after the age of like 15.... people just wouldn't do something that stupid!

The concept is silly though. Why repost the comments one makes to someone in a context-less new context?

[wlotus]

Some people do things like that because they are mean, or they just had a falling out with the poster, or they simply are not thinking of the effects it can have on the person. Where cutting and pasting someone's private information to a public forum is a deliberate act, cross-posting of comments makes it easy for genuine mistakes to happen

[catling]

OMG.... icon love. *laughs until she cries* That's just beautiful.

Thank you for the poll linky too, but OMG, the icon... bwahahahahaha...

[wlotus]

That icon is the best! :-D

[far_gone]

If you go here:
http://www.livejournal.com/manage/settings/?cat=privacy
and disable pingbacks, does that fix the problem??

[wlotus]

Pingbacks are something entirely different. Enabling pingbacks allows you to receive notifications when someone else links to your blog entries.