{"id":6490,"date":"2018-07-12T05:48:33","date_gmt":"2018-07-12T05:48:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/?p=6490"},"modified":"2018-07-12T05:48:33","modified_gmt":"2018-07-12T05:48:33","slug":"omg-facebook-used-my-data-now-what","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/omg-facebook-used-my-data-now-what\/","title":{"rendered":"OMG, Facebook Used My Data!!! Now What?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"OMG,<\/div>\n
\n

The scare-mongering that\u2019s going around today about data usage is driving me up the wall. When I see people having meltdowns about Facebook using their data to deliver content to them, I\u2019m thinking: \u201c<\/span>WHERE THE F*** HAVE YOU ALL BEEN, under a freaking rock???\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Would you rather be sorting through loads of junk that doesn\u2019t pertain to you as soon as you log onto the internet from your favorite device? Perhaps some stories about sports teams you didn\u2019t know existed, a bit of local news from a community located halfway around the world, or some recommendations for musicians you haven\u2019t thought about in 20 years? Maybe, while you\u2019re browsing, you\u2019d like to see ads for great products that have no relevance to your needs and cap it all off with a fascinating news story written in a language you don\u2019t speak.<\/span><\/p>\n

Okay, some of those examples might be a\u00a0bit\u00a0<\/i>extreme, but if you\u2019re worried about Facebook \u2013 or anyone else \u2013 using data about you to tailor content to your needs, then you\u2019ve been living under that rock for the last decade!<\/span><\/p>\n

Data collection and usage is nothing new, has been going on forever, and will continue. It goes WAY beyond Facebook\u2026it\u2019s banks, credit card companies, retailers, EVERYONE. Once your data is out there, it\u2019s fair game. If you don\u2019t like that Facebook is using your data in a host of ways to customize your experience with the site, then of course you can leave Facebook. But you\u2019d better be ready to stop using credit cards, stop using Gmail or Google, turn off your TV, and maybe just cancel that high-speed internet connection, just to be safe\u2026 and don\u2019t forget about that phone. AND remember\u2026 it\u2019s the marketers who ere \u201cusing\u201d the data to sell you stuff, not the platforms collecting it. You really only have two choices: you can either unplug completely or be conscious of the data you provide and how it\u2019s used.<\/span><\/p>\n

Want a Personalized Online Experience? Then Sharing Data Is a Fact of Life<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

If you read a website\u2019s privacy policy or terms of service, you can often get a pretty good idea of what they\u2019ll do with your information. Even if you don\u2019t read a word, it\u2019s safe to say that most online organizations will be collecting the data that you provide and putting it to work. They may sell it to a third party or keep it in-house and use it to shape your experience with their website\u2026 this has been going on since the first credit card were issued in the 50\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, think about all the information that you provide when you create a profile on a major social channel like Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter. You think they\u2019re\u00a0not\u00a0<\/i>going to use that information in some way? Of course, they are! That\u2019s why, when you log in, you\u2019re going to see different stories, ads, and posts than someone else in your network. Over time, you might even see different stuff than\u00a0you\u00a0<\/i>did in the past, as your interests, opinions, and outlook change.<\/span><\/p>\n

Like many \u201cnew\u201d things in the digital age, the concept of using data to influence the customer experience is really nothing new. Marketers have been doing it for many, many years with case studies, testing, focus groups, and surveys. There\u2019s a difference in how much information we\u2019re providing to media organizations, businesses, and marketers (nd the value we receive in return), but the idea behind that data collection is nothing new.<\/span><\/p>\n

Proceed with Caution, but Proceed<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The biggest problem with data is protecting it\u2014which is a constantly evolving effort. That\u2019s not going to change, so you need to be aware of what\u2019s going on and be careful with where and how you share information. The digital age is moving forward, and I still want to protect my data as much as I can, even if protecting it entirely is impossible. I try to be careful, but I\u2019m not going to live under a rock. For me, the positives of providing that data outweigh the negatives. Aside from the fact that I often like using the websites that require me to provide data, I love the concept of being presented with content that I want to see. I want to see ads for products I might actually use, and stories about topics that really matter to me. It may require sacrificing some privacy, but at least big data does have its share of benefits, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

The bottom line\u2014the sky isn\u2019t really falling. Change is inevitable, and you can\u2019t wish it all away and hide under a rock. Knowledge is power! The challenge is to always be looking to the future. Stay on top of today\u2019s changes so you can benefit from them, and use new technologies to protect yourself as things move forward.\u00a0<\/span>#NoLetUp<\/span>!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Previously posted at\u00a0TedRubin.co<\/a>m<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The scare-mongering that\u2019s going around today about data usage is driving me up the wall. When I see people having meltdowns about Facebook using their data to deliver content to them, I\u2019m thinking: \u201cWHERE THE F*** HAVE YOU ALL BEEN, under a freaking rock???\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tedrubin"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6490"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6490\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6491,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6490\/revisions\/6491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}