It’s also why you’re limited on how many “invites” you can send via Facebook applications. Apparently the developers realized people might flee from their service if they were bombarded with random invites constantly (see “MySpace“). Most people still receive several invites from different friends, but the number is much smaller than if there were no limitations on applications.

I rarely accept app invites. The Facebook dev platform, in my opinion, is not safe enough to entrust my information to at random. I take very few steps to conceal my privacy on the web – most of my social networking profiles are completely open and contain a lot of information short of my social security number or a debit card PIN. If you’re intelligent about how you use the web you can get away with this. If you enjoy clicking random advertisements, entering your home address for the prize you’ve !!!JUST WON!!!, or even your phone information, you can’t get away with this. People that want your information have become very skilled at setting up traps so that less tech savy people do all the work for them. They’re not interested in actively targeting individuals, for the most part. Or maybe I’m just naive, believing I have nothing worthwhile to steal.

Uh.. Anyways, somehow this turned into a rant.

At one point or another I’ve accepted family invites via a Facebook relative application. Also, during last fall’s election I had added Obama’s profile to receive news updates on Facebook. The applications on Facebook often send you messages about a friend who’s recommended something for you or wants to be linked to you in some way. Please note that those messages are bullshit.

Obama has added you as a cousin. True story?