PonyPotato

I just took another look at my privacy settings and happened to check out my application settings.. and there's a TFP facebook app? And I have used it in the last month? WHAT?

I'm deleting it, by the way. This really bothers me. Along with the post telekenetic made about the spammy text in copy & paste - that was really bothering me, too.

__________________
"Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark."
— Henri-Frédéric Amiel

Jetée

Man, so much privacy.

If I had half a mind of what it actually did and was useful for, I'd delete it, too. (I'm referring to the actual website of Facebook, if not apparent.)

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As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

—Mohandas K. Gandhi

Cynthetiq

If you log out you'll see that you can connect to TFP with your Facebook credentials. It allows people to log on and not have to give their email address or go through the process of registration.

It doesn't post to your account or any of your friends. I had originally wanted that to be the idea behind it as part of shift last year but felt that not many people would want to share TFP with their real life counterparts.

It never took off via facebook logins, but many use the gmail login. Gmail login has netted us the most traffic and a number of new regular users.

---------- Post added at 10:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:56 PM ----------

I'd like to add, unlike the cut and paste, the Facebook app you had to accept as part of the terms of service that I had to agree to. It isn't automatic unlike the Yelp personalization.

When you log on with any of the login systems, it asks you if you want to associate your account with the login system. You are free to opt out at any time and revoke the association.

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I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

SecretMethod70

The Facebook app on your profile was due to a bug in Facebook, not TFP. For a few days after they unveiled their new "Like" system, visiting any site that offers the ability to connect to Facebook caused that site to automatically be listed in your Facebook apps. Look at your apps, and you'll probably see a handful of others leftover from that bug as well. I removed about 10 sites when I went through.

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Le temps détruit tout

"Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling

PonyPotato

I only had a couple in there - TFP and Lilith Fair.

What bothers me most about these features is that I don't recall ever seeing them announced. I know that you guys are always making changes, but unless I stay on top of every single thread Cynthetiq starts, I often don't see what is going on until it affects me, usually not in a pleasant way.

I certainly have never used facebook to log into TFP (nor would I ever), nor did I agree to any terms of service for the app - I guess I got caught in the bug.

I understand that you want to get people back to TFP via links and develop the site further, but I feel like this stealthy facebook app (even if it's due to a bug, had I known the app existed I would have known to look for it sooner) and especially the stealthy copy/paste link text should have been announced beyond the mods. I'm really starting to re-think both TFP and facebook participation - as much as I like the communities, stuff like this gets under my skin.

__________________
"Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark."
— Henri-Frédéric Amiel

SecretMethod70

Facebook login has been available for a couple years now. It only matters to people who are logging in to the site and specifically choose to click the Facebook button to log in - just like every other site on the internet that gives you the option to log in with Facebook credentials. The only reason you saw TFP on your Facebook account at all is because Facebook, unfortunately, is a pretty buggy website (that same week, a bug was also revealed which allowed users to spy on anyone else's Facebook chats). The bug lasted for a couple days one week ago, so the app was barely on your account, and even if it were there for a year it doesn't actually do anything. It doesn't allow us to see any data, and it's not shown to anyone else. This is making a mountain out of a molehill.

As for the copy-paste addon, it's clearly visible when you paste your text and, again, it's the same thing that is used on a ton of other sites across the internet. It takes 2 seconds to delete the extra text if it really bothers you that much.

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Le temps détruit tout

"Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling

PonyPotato

Yeah, it takes two seconds - IF YOU KNOW IT'S THERE. I've seen a quote I liked in a signature, copied it to send it to someone, pasted it into an IM conversation (which doesn't often show me all of the text if it's beyond the small area of the input box) and hit enter automatically, then unintentionally (and embarrassingly) linking them to a TFP thread that had nothing to do with the signature quote I was trying to send them.

Now I have to stop and proofread my instant messages to make sure no links made it in there. It mortified me that first time and I missed a link another time, but luckily it was with someone who WASN'T MY MOM.

__________________
"Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark."
— Henri-Frédéric Amiel

Cynthetiq

PP, you can opt out of the cut/paste mod. I provided the link at the other thread.

__________________
I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

PonyPotato

I have opted out.

What I am bothered with is the lack of public knowledge of these features. Do I need to watch your posts every day to find out what you implement, or do you even announce most of these changes publicly?

__________________
"Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark."
— Henri-Frédéric Amiel

Cynthetiq

I announce changes publicly when I know that there is a major visible change.

I did not and still do not believe that the facebook connect change was worth announcing because most people never log out of TFP. A few people finally noticed that facebook connect was an option when I forced everyone to reset their passwords. It is for new users finding our site who feel that the registration process it too hard or too much trouble to fill out.

I did not believe that the cut/paste mod was also intrusive. I installed the mod on March 24, 2010 and it is almost 2 months until someone said something or anything about it.

I don't have a central location for people to subscribe or locate about changes to the site for the general public, but I will try to come up with something for the members.

I'd like to reiterate that the staff including myself are very approachable and I try hard not to be defensive sounding. When people ask us about TE elements we're quite responsive and respectful, why wouldn't we be for discussion about this kind of stuff as well?

---------- Post added at 10:34 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:25 AM ----------

I'd like to also say thank you for letting me know your concerns.

__________________
I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

Redlemon

Thanks, I had not heard about that FB bug. There were a number of apps that I didn't want in there.

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I can't read your signature. Sorry.

telekinetic

I would contest that. This is the only site I visit, including the 30+ forums that I am on semi-regularly, that has that a copy-paste intercept mod.

And I totally agree with Pony Potato, this is completely unintuitive hijacking behavior, noone thinks that they to have to proof-read something they just copied. If I'm sending someone a snippet in instant message, I just select, copy, ctrl-v, enter! I don't re-read it.

Also note, as it wasn't clear, that the opt-out procedure has to be done on a per-browser basis. I have six computers I use regularly, each with a couple browsers, so not all of them are 'opted out' yet (this one, for example, isn't).

Edit: Also, it undoes the 'opt out' if you clear your cookies.

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twisted no more

Cynthetiq

As a tech person, I assume you read Wired.com as it's also used there. If you use AVG's website, it's peppered in there depending on what parts your looking at.

I happen to be a NYPost and NYDaily News reader so it was where i encountered it for the first time.

As far as not reading cut/pastes, I've always been in the habit since many times, my cut pastes seem to not cut paste the browser, but still have my MS Clipboard information which usually has work information in it.

__________________
I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.