Today Facebook announced three very interesting and useful features. First, you now have the ability to download ALL of your Facebook content – photos, videos, posts … the works!
They also launched a dashboard to help you manage your connected applications, which I will cover in tomorrow's post.
And they dramatically enhanced the groups feature – which less than 10% of us were using anyway. That's going to change, as the new Facebook groups create some interesting collaboration opportunities.
I'll cover groups in great detail after I've had some time to work with them more – but no later than Monday.
This is Interesting
For now, let's focus on what's involved with backing up your Facebook content. The following video created by Facebook explains the necessary steps. It's a simple procedure of downloading all of your information to a Zip file. Now you have a copy, and so does Facebook.
Take special note of the fact that once you move that information to your hard drive, it is now available to anyone that has access to your computer. What is interesting is that Facebook created this feature to make people more comfortable with privacy. However, this may actually make your more vulnerable.
Take Good Care
Hard drives not only have good memories, but they are also transportable. This means information you create and share with friends within the walls of Facebook can now potentially find a wider audience. And that audience could be decades removed from now.
I'm sure a lot of people will feel good about the fact that can own what they have shared with Facebook. And there is certainly some merit to that.
Yet, privacy will continue to become a elusive creature as this social network evolves.
So, as always, take good care.
If this has been useful – be a friend and click on that Facebook Like button to share it with YOUR friends!
Until tomorrow, Jeff
When Microsoft Live Skydrive and Google Docs introduce folder uploads, which neither has said that they will do yet, you could upload into those storage systems and keep your FB info there, which is a lot more secure than 99.9% of PCs. I’m going to do that, I have alerts set on those events as I’m keen to backup into the “cloud”.
You can also use http://www.backupify.com/ (I have no affiliation with them) to backup your Facebook, Twitter, GMail, Google Docs, Flickr and other services for free.
Adrian – I am familiar with backupify but have not used it. Thanks for sharing it here.
I also have not yet had the time to use the new Facebook back-up, however, my guess is it pulls in more data than backupify – otherwise, this would have been a non-event.
I’m catching up on work and just may go ahead and give it a try today. I’m told you need to allow about an hour for FB to process it all for downloading.
Jeff
Walter – I went 100% cloud about a year and 1/2 ago. I sure sleep better as a result.
So, we both agree on that.
While there is a fee involved with Rackspace, that is I back-up because it’s automatic and all of the data is easily available on my iPhone using their app.
Jeff