Comments on: Indian Women: Avoid Orkut, Switch to Facebook http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/ ...reason and emotion, shaken and stirred... Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:23:57 +0530 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Dollar Dude http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/#comment-900 Dollar Dude Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:06:56 +0000 http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/#comment-900 Now facebook is widely patronaged among the Indian women. Orkut is left over owing to its nakedness. Now facebook is widely patronaged among the Indian women. Orkut is left over owing to its nakedness.

]]> By: Anand http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/#comment-899 Anand Sun, 16 Dec 2007 11:34:37 +0000 http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/#comment-899 Facebook sucks..Orkut rocks all the way. And well, most girls I know think the same way too. Anyway, orkut has woken up to the challenge posed by FB and now offers terrific privacy options. And, FB with its recent mishap with Beacon just proved that it is not all that great at privacy too. So, my request: Let's all stay with orkut..it's amazing.. Facebook sucks..Orkut rocks all the way. And well, most girls I know think the same way too.

Anyway, orkut has woken up to the challenge posed by FB and now offers terrific privacy options. And, FB with its recent mishap with Beacon just proved that it is not all that great at privacy too. So, my request: Let’s all stay with orkut..it’s amazing..

]]> By: waqas http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/#comment-898 waqas Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:33:36 +0000 http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/#comment-898 hi he is my site hi he is my site

]]> By: mahendrap http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/#comment-887 mahendrap Mon, 10 Sep 2007 12:51:53 +0000 http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/#comment-887 Strayangel: Thanks for the update from Pakistan. It is interesting - India is mentioned very frequently in news related to Orkut, but not Pakistan... Shefaly: You are bang-on-target: I just felt it so ironical that Facebook did this just a few days after my post! I do believe that the 'default' settings are a critical factor in determining whether simply switching can help or not. If Facebook's or any other site's default options were safer, it can help. Because most of the millions of users are not computer-savvy, they simply go with the default settings. At this point, a comparison of the weakest links between the two sites becomes a comparison between the default settings. I still observe that Facebook's privacy settings are much more granular than Orkut, however their opening up the site to public searches makes a mockery of all that granularity, however minimal the public search information may be. Strayangel: Thanks for the update from Pakistan. It is interesting – India is mentioned very frequently in news related to Orkut, but not Pakistan…

Shefaly: You are bang-on-target: I just felt it so ironical that Facebook did this just a few days after my post!

I do believe that the ‘default’ settings are a critical factor in determining whether simply switching can help or not. If Facebook’s or any other site’s default options were safer, it can help. Because most of the millions of users are not computer-savvy, they simply go with the default settings. At this point, a comparison of the weakest links between the two sites becomes a comparison between the default settings.

I still observe that Facebook’s privacy settings are much more granular than Orkut, however their opening up the site to public searches makes a mockery of all that granularity, however minimal the public search information may be.

]]> By: Shefaly http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/#comment-886 Shefaly Mon, 10 Sep 2007 10:00:04 +0000 http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/#comment-886 Considering this post is from end-August, I am sure you have changed your mind about Facebook's privacy practices being the best-in-class. The site is now open to Google and other public searches (see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6980454.stm). Not just that there are enough fools on Facebook that if a tenacious identity stealer wishes to make a tonne of money, he/ she can browse FB for an hour and extract enough material to screw up a few hundred lives. Privacy and security are only as good as the people using the system; the weakest links are sufficient to bring the whole thing down. I do not believe for a second that those who did not learn to remain 'safe' on Orkut etc will benefit simply from switching their network allegiance. This could also lull them into a false sense of security which is a worse outcome. Considering this post is from end-August, I am sure you have changed your mind about Facebook’s privacy practices being the best-in-class.

The site is now open to Google and other public searches
(see: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6980454.stm).

Not just that there are enough fools on Facebook that if a tenacious identity stealer wishes to make a tonne of money, he/ she can browse FB for an hour and extract enough material to screw up a few hundred lives.

Privacy and security are only as good as the people using the system; the weakest links are sufficient to bring the whole thing down. I do not believe for a second that those who did not learn to remain ’safe’ on Orkut etc will benefit simply from switching their network allegiance. This could also lull them into a false sense of security which is a worse outcome.

]]> By: strayangel http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/#comment-888 strayangel Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:15:12 +0000 http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/#comment-888 I don't know about India, but everyone I know in Pakistan has switched to Facebook. There are already articles in newspapers calling facebook the "new orkut". When that happens, and knowing that when orkut was popular articles about it as a social networking site were rampant, I get the feeling more than just my friends have migrated. I don’t know about India, but everyone I know in Pakistan has switched to Facebook. There are already articles in newspapers calling facebook the “new orkut”. When that happens, and knowing that when orkut was popular articles about it as a social networking site were rampant, I get the feeling more than just my friends have migrated.

]]> By: mahendrap http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/#comment-895 mahendrap Wed, 29 Aug 2007 17:06:43 +0000 http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/#comment-895 Kapil/Oemar: one point you're making is what I'm already saying in #1 in my post: it seems improbable that such a large, established Orkut base will move to a different network! Kapil's point regarding usability is interesting: maybe the non-net-friendly Indians are not used to being power users. That can be one more factor in restricting Facebook's rise and retaining Orkut's popularity. Kapil/Oemar: one point you’re making is what I’m already saying in #1 in my post: it seems improbable that such a large, established Orkut base will move to a different network! Kapil’s point regarding usability is interesting: maybe the non-net-friendly Indians are not used to being power users. That can be one more factor in restricting Facebook’s rise and retaining Orkut’s popularity.

]]> By: Oemar http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/#comment-894 Oemar Wed, 29 Aug 2007 16:24:51 +0000 http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/#comment-894 I would agree with Kapil to some extent. You have to move your network, not just you alone. We all know that making network was a long process on Orkut, searching for friends and all that... I dont think everyone is comfortable with going through that process again on facebook. Not saying that it wont happen, but very gradually. But facebook is not complex at all, just gotta get used to it. I would agree with Kapil to some extent. You have to move your network, not just you alone. We all know that making network was a long process on Orkut, searching for friends and all that… I dont think everyone is comfortable with going through that process again on facebook. Not saying that it wont happen, but very gradually. But facebook is not complex at all, just gotta get used to it.

]]> By: Kapil http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/#comment-892 Kapil Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:10:22 +0000 http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/#comment-892 For starters, I have heard girls complaining about the complexity of facebook and the power it gives you sometimes strikes down the user. So I guess girls are more comfortable with Orkut. besides I think it has to be a social move because you can't move ALONE, you gotta have your contacts moving with you too. For starters, I have heard girls complaining about the complexity of facebook and the power it gives you sometimes strikes down the user. So I guess girls are more comfortable with Orkut. besides I think it has to be a social move because you can’t move ALONE, you gotta have your contacts moving with you too.

]]> By: Orkut or Facebook? at Blogbharti http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/#comment-891 Orkut or Facebook? at Blogbharti Wed, 29 Aug 2007 11:33:20 +0000 http://skeptic.skepticgeek.com/2007/08/28/indian-women-avoid-orkut-switch-to-facebook/#comment-891 [...] Palsule says Facebook is safer than Orkut, especially for women.  Well, we all know how Orkut is being misused, so why do Indians, especially women and girls, [...] [...] Palsule says Facebook is safer than Orkut, especially for women.  Well, we all know how Orkut is being misused, so why do Indians, especially women and girls, [...]

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