Many people think of facebook as the hugest success story, the innovation in the world of social networking ! Even though myspace was there and others were there, but facebook had its way!

Here are my few cents on this subject !

A social networking with a group of brainiacs to adventure such a risk and yet gain a success, did they lack programming tips ? Cause since they started, and bug after another was discovered.

Mainly, those bugs, are to invade your privacy, and methods people found ot by tricks or by chance to gain access to other people’s profiles.

Let’s face it, if it wasnt public, it would have been just another match making website and people wouldnt dare to introduce themselves and get rejections before they even know who they are trying to be friends with.

This is the case where facebook succeeded, they let, by chance or by intention, people sneak peak others profiles, and when they made it harder, they let other options appear here and there, just to allow you and your network to expand.

Whats the catch ?
Besides the obvious reason, which is popularity and monies coming in, the method approached as i think google invented, give free stuff till people are stuffed, and then sell ad space !
That worked well…
Whats the other catch?
This is personal opinion and dont take my word on it… but i do tend to try things before i signup using my real info and stuff like that !
My first trial , years ago was using a true email address of mine yet with fake info..
Next step, went to update those info , wow… you cant change your name

Why would a social networking disallow you from changing your name? you can simply create a new one… but again, phsycologicaly speaking, most users would tend to type their real names, and when they do its saved,  it just gives fb more accurate users base about their users.
But why would they tend to do that ? Why would they intentionally and publicly post your info and strive to make it as much accurate as it is, while most people used to tend to hide their identities online, fb has blown the cover !
Is it why other networks are striving to buy it ?
Or maybe why fbi didnt have issues or problems getting a deal to collect information from it?
We have heard for many times, many local agencies, do collect info using fb !
Think of it,
You have been there, posted openly about their religious views, political standings and networking views.
Have you been online in the past years ? Do you remember how much would it have took you to trade pics and images and videos or even real phone numbers and contact information with people you met online ?
Oh well, now you are posting them, by will, and publicly !

Now lets see, facebook yet claims to have its privacy as number one, for a novice user, this is a scam !
What do you expect from a novice user to go to security and privacy settings to disallow others from viewing his information unless they became friends with him, while the default setting are “viewable by network” which alone is a public posting.

Nothing easier than going to same network even if u had to create an extra fb account for that to check it out, depending that many people forget to change it.

Photos by friends of friends? What the heck… so my friend can post a photo tagged, and that will lead to my photos my albums and things it should be private

PS: if you really want things private , you dont post them online

Am only discussing the contradictions in the privacy “theory” and the fact that you are by will, posting them online, just because you read its private… when facebook default setup, is actually setup to make your profile viewable.
Am not going to post links on how to contrust urls to view parts of non friends profiles, but many are already there on the net, and just using a slight url changes, you mostly gain a bit or more info than you should have .
Recently, the uconnect social networking owners have re-initiated the law suit regarding the idea of facebook being stolen by the owner of fb from his roomates few years back…  but we have witnessed few of such stories and whatever the case, they are led no where…

Here are few horror stories from the past till the day …
http://www.xssed.com/news/81/Facebooks_Reset_Password_page_suffers_major_XSS_flaw/

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/23/facebook_xss_flaw/

http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/786?ref=rss

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7090096.stm

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=167529

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/26/sniffing_private_facebook_info/

As there is no need to update or list the old no more working bugs for now, maybe ill be updating this post about newer bugs or even current tips and tricks about fb, which i use shyly !