Friendster's "Eww" moment
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We continue to have problems finding direct links to WSJ stories, so here’s a roundabout link to the WSJ story about Friendster’s “Eww” moment, via Dow Jones’ other property, VentureWire (subscription still required):
Heather Gill’s heart dropped when she logged on to Friendster.com in late September and noticed a new section called “Who’s Viewed Me.” Ms. Gill had been using the social-networking site to learn more about her new classmates at Tufts University in Medford, Mass. She was aghast to realize that whenever she looked at someone else’s profile, that someone could see her looking.
“I felt totally exposed without my permission,” says the 28-year-old graduate student. “I was horrified at the thought that this guy or other people in my class would think that I was stalking them or was insecure or needy for friendship.”
New features such as “Who’s Viewed Me” mirror Friendster’s own insecurity….
Story does go on to say that Friendster has since given users an opt-out.
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About the Author, Matt Marshall
Matt launched VentureBeat in September of 2006, with the realization that no one else was covering the entrepreneurial and tech innovation scene with the velocity or depth that he was. Prior to founding VentureBeat, he covered venture capital for the San Jose Mercury News from 2001 to 2006. In 2002, Matt was awarded "Journalist of the Year" by the Northern California Society of Professional Journalists. Prior to working at the Merc, he was a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in Bonn, Germany from 1995 to 1998, and a writer for the Washington Post in 1994. Matt holds a PhD in Government and an MA in German and European Studies from Georgetown University. In addition to VentureBeat, Matt is also the Executive Producer of DEMO, the leading launchpad event for emerging technologies.
