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There is a reason I do not add any Facebook Application.

The reason is simple, they take too much of user data and provide very little in return. The concern then extends to what these unknown service providers do with this data. The concerns may be valid or not but it does not help matters when the provider of applications such as Farmville and Mafia Wars brag about their essentially illegal methods. You might want to read more about the latest in Facebook privacy .

If you are concerned about these applications , you can remove them by going to the Applications page and clicking on (x) on the right of the application you wish to remove.

You might also want to have a closer look at your privacy settings and see what is best for you. The following is a slightly stricter and restricted version of controlling what is visible to your connections and applications.

• Data or Information that you would prefer to restrict from a Facebook Application – To make the change in your profile, click here
• Information that you would prefer to restrict on the News Feed and Wall –  To make the change in your profile, click here
• If you prefer to restrict your appearance in Facebook Ads –  To make the change in your profile, click here
• If you wish to restrict who can view photos, videos etc –  To make the change in your profile, click here and to change contact details click here
• If you wish to restrict your profile in Facebook Search –  To make the change in your profile, click here

Absolute power corrupts. So does Absolute information.

There are enough examples of breach of policy and that there needs to be oversight to ensure things remain in control.

There is already enough about information collection practices that is worrying. Should the customer not have a way of knowing what Google, Facebook, or any other provider has collected?

Should the customer not be aware of the data sharing practices of an organisation ? Specifically who has it been shared with and for how long ?

If the information is likely to be misused or is being misused, what is the recourse of the individual ? After all a “free” service does not mean that information can be freely used or there is no recourse.

The damage caused to an individual can be irreparable by an “inadvertent” mistake of the company.

Here are some questions that have bothered me and have formed the basis of a study :

1. Is this “No Longer an Autonomous Island” bit completely transparent ?
2. Will the customer know what data is being shared and with whom?
3. At what stage does the data actually get shared ?  When the customer uses a services on another platform or even before that ?
4. Does the customer have to agree to a single privacy policy or multiple for each site ?
5. What happens to the third party “friendly sites” of partner sites. Do they get any data or benefits ? Can a customer stop it?
6. Is there a tool provided by any of the platform sites to manage information across the network?
7. The companies seem to get all the benefits but how does the customer benefit , other than not having to enter the information more than once?

Would like to know your thoughts on the same or join the conversation at Internet Evolution.

Perhaps the concern with Social Networks is that they can make the entire network of a person vulnerable to some sort of a problem. Not just beacon, Facebook also faced some issues with programmes such as Zoost.

Should one consider P2P networks as Social Networks too ? They are a source of significant privacy breaches. These were covered in a very comprehensive report on Techweb . Credit card details, Social Security Numbers, RFP’s and more were found to be floating around in these P2P networks.

A new advertising related service which has got the attention of ISP’s and Privacy groups is Phorm.  While the service itself says that the customer information is anonymously tracked , but the worrying factor is when it is layered with ISP information could it become a privacy threat ? Add another layer of social and mobile networks and it could be very interesting!

Nicole made a very interesting point on credit card information being shared on Amazon. I think we are sort of resigned to using credit cards online and offline. And one hopes that fraud does not take place. What if , however, these sites and banks decide to mine data and do a mashup. Hypothetically speaking if a bank or card company wants to know the social network profile of its customers and their transaction and other habits. Will we accept it ?

Also, what role do organisations such as Truste and others play in the social networks, ISP’s and Banks story. In a world of mashups, how do trust certifications work.  Conversely  is there an organisation that a customer signs up for that can certify the security of customer information.

New formats, bigger stores highlight the growing optimism of the day. Do customers think any of these are drastically and demonstrably different ? For that to happen one would need to measure up to the high expectations of customers and consistently deliver a great experience. It is a good time to focus on these resolutions .

1. Think like the customer – It seems easy but is perhaps the hardest thing to do. Stand in the same queues and expect no favours – to understand the experience that is being provided to customers. Get to know what customers really want. No two customers are the same, understand the difference and ensure that your processes are equipped to handle the difference.

2. Listen to the customer – Measuring satisfaction is not enough. To fully listen to customers measure the core promise, experience at each interaction and finally the relationship . Engage the customers in jointly creating an experience to remember.

3. Engage the Employees – Engage the frontline of the company to deliver more. The frontline feel the pulse of customer expectations everyday. This is valuable knowledge that can be more fruitfully used to enhance the experience and empower the frontline – by enhancing knowledge , skill or responsibility.

4. Lead with the Promise – The brand makes a promise to the customer. Clearly define each and every promise to the customer and ensure that it is delivered. It will require senior leaders and cross functional involvement to come good. Don’t let your customers down. Make experience your differentiator in 2008 and onwards. Being real and authentic is all that is required to build trust.

While working on the above, keep the following in mind :

A. Green Responsibility – The seriousness of climate change has put the impact of a business on the environment on the agenda. From practices in the supply chain to the front end, customers want to know and are beginning to ask tough questions.

B. Transparency and Privacy – The menace of unwanted calls and offers , incidents with data theft and more have been a concern for a while. Simply writing we may share data with partners is not enough. Customers are beginning to ask what are you going to do with the data collected, what information do you share with partners, what is the policy on data protection and recourse. An ambiguous document worded in legal terms is simply not enough. A customer manifesto on transparency and privacy of the customer is a key expectation.

C. Being Mobile – How relevant is the mobile to your brand experience. Ensuring the website works on the mobile is one aspect of the experience. More importantly how are SMS, location based services , self help services are the key to the brand experience. Are you ready for the mobile customer? Seeking information, paying bills, looking up promotions, managing the account are some of the straight forward solutions. Could i look up the nearest chemist in my vicinity ?

D. Co-create Value – Simple loyalty programmes and price offs are passe. Create tangible value for customers by joining hands with like minded companies and creating integrated services and experiences.

While 2008 appears with the promise of a booming economy and better times for India, the world is grappling with several events that may shift perceptions easily. The weakening dollar and the sub prime crisis in the US on one side and on the other side the switch towards eco friendly technologies and practices seem extraneous to the India growth story.

We are part of a larger integrated global economy and sooner or later we will be impacted too. In times of change a loyal base of customers who believe in you, your company and the experience you provide can be powerful allies in achieving long term goals.

My thoughts on Why the Future of Online Advertising Is About Identity by Rohit Bhargava :Social advertising would need to address concerns on privacy. There is still no transparency index to suggest that privacy concerns of customers have been addressed. If anything each new medium just seems to add more questions for a customer.The issue of Social Advertising as a business opportunity may be relevant but the question that should be answered is should a customer reveal their social fabric to a stranger company that has clearly not answered questions on privacy.There is a division of opinion whiz experts on the Facebook media opportunity . A sample reference is the post by Charlene Li on “Close encounter with the Facebook Beacon” . She raises enough disconcerting questions on Facebook and partners. Are we somehow failing our customers by failing to provide the information they need.Also think of the whole question of CRM and its failure. What is the point of all the data when the value proposition could not be pinpointed for that narrow an audience ?If social advertising is to work , lessons from the CRM days need to be learnt , plus the privacy aspect and finally the discussion has to keep the customer at the center of the solution.In my view there is a lot of ground to cover before i would feel optimistic on social advertising. More posts on this topic to follow ….

Key Points to remember about Customer Information1.    Ask customer for information that you plan to make use of.2.    Understand customer likes and dislikes and create remarkable solutions for customers3.    Constantly update this information repository4.    Guard the privacy of your customers as you would guard your own5.    Ensure information that is once taken is shared at different points of interaction6.    Train your front facing teams and your partners to handle this information sensitively and always use this information to deliver a wowIn an increasingly competitive field the company that recognizes these subtle points will win.