ATS Is On Facebook

Originally posted by LeBombDiggity

My only concern is that if you become too dependant on someone else's dollar, you start dancing to their tune and eventually forget your own. I'm confident the membership here would never let that happen.

But when we speak out against this, we just get told that we're holding them back from progress and other such mockery.

Surely there has to be another way of promoting ATS than selling out and going over to facebook?

Originally posted by LeBombDiggity


I guess smaller, independent website owners are now faced with the same dilemma. Hosting a site this large doesn't come cheap and it's got to be paid for, somehow. New members mean more clicks, more clicks mean greater revenue. And in this difficult economic environment I think it's the lesser of two evils to take the advertisers buck and remain independent with your head held high. I defy anyone to read SO's OP and consider him an enthusiast for new direction, but what's the alternative ?

Yeah ,. I laughed when the comment was made about how this was in essence, a financial move and it was replied as 'Why would you think that"

Perhaps there are those who are just looking to get a piece of this pie!

Facebook is now worth as much as $33.7bn based on secondary market transactions, giving the privately held company an implied valuation greater than the market capitalisations of publicly traded internet stalwarts such as Ebay and Yahoo.

Common stock in Facebook is trading as high as $76 a share as investors scramble to get a piece of the company before it files for an initial public offering, which analysts say could be the biggest technology IPO since Google’s $1.67bn flotation in 2004.

Facebook’s ‘value’ soars as investors seek pre-IPO stake

Originally posted by 12m8keall2c

Originally posted by blupblup




Why is "the money" always the first consideration or reason assumed for these type ventures into new arenas of awareness and exposure?

ahhh yeah,.
this is about the pie,.
no doubt in many minds




lets keep in mind this was from the site administration.


[edit on 25-8-2010 by Lil Drummerboy]

This thread has just turned silly.

Answer have been given. Some just are refusing to take them at face value.

As Mr. Overlord explained, data mining has been going on for quite some time now and Facebook, despite what some of you think, is small potatoes. VERY small potatoes.

Mr. Overlord's post about grocery savings cards worries me a bunch more then facebook ever did. At least with facebook I have the option to cherry pick what I want know. If I want to save money at the store I have to tell them what brand of bread I buy, how often I need to restock on toilet paper, what my beer of choice is, if i prefer durex to trojan, the list goes on and on. These things are truth. What we post on facebook....well no one knows how true it really is. I can put my location as Wallawalla. But I could really be in Calgary. I can say I'm a female with a hot bod, but really I'm a fat old man.

Come on people. Your info was already readily available for "The Evil Powers That Be" on this site. If you think the ATS has the power to keep the CIA out...you are sadly mistaken. I'm sure even Mr. Overlord knows he is at the mercy of whatever new tech they have. They strive to keep our info safe, but at the end of the day, they can't guarantee it. No website owner can.

I also find it VERY hard to believe that everyone complaining here has never put in their name to a site such as amazon. Or how about your favorite store that is no longer in your area. Or what about that one store that has that special brand of cookies that you just can't live without.

We are in the internet age folks, like was said before, if you REALLY have something to hide you have zero business on the internet. You are already found, and the MIB will be at your door momentarily.

I seriously doubt that 99.99999% of you guys have ANYTHING worthwhile to hide. You are not that important. You just plain do not matter to the NWO, Illuminati, PTB, etc. etc. etc.

I don't even think Mr. Overlord matters that much to them. Like I said, he, just like the rest of us, are at their mercy on the internet. We are already screwed.

And, might I add, it seems that most people's problem should not be with ATS. Let us not forget they are a business. They want to expand as far as possible. If you REALLY have this big of a problem with Facebook, start writing letters to your congressman. They have the power to make it so we have legal recourse in the event all your super secret private info that can be found anywhere doesn't get into the "wrong" hands...whatever those are.

Get a grip people.

reply to post by iamsupermanv2


So because some ruthless bastards are stealing your infor on a large scale. You will forgive those that steal our data on a moderate scale.

This is not acceptable, this is called social conditioning. So much so, that those few of us who do resist it are getting mocked.

Just adding my voice to the protest..

This really is a stupid idea. Im all for ATS moving forwards and heading into mainstream media, spreading the word and all that.

But why combine a conspiracy site (thats mainly anti-government and where we have anonymity when we post) with a site that carrys our personal info. It doesnt take much to link usernames to real names. This is just asking for trouble.

Plus you have all the security issues with facebook.

I thought we were considering our own social network site (Tinbook or something) or did I just make that up. lol. Do we need a social network site ?

I wont be getting involved with the whole facebook thing. Crazy idea.

But I am looking forward to ATS2010.

reply to post by iamsupermanv2


It's not only privacy matters that are of concern - it is also a matter of principle and integrity. Whether it was the intention or not, ATS has been dragged into an association with a notorious Corporation that is known to be backed by some pretty shady characters. Many members opposed this proposal when it was first pitched to the membership. People raised very valid concerns objecting to ATS being apart of a social-networking site such as FB and it seems our concerns have fallen on deaf ears.

Unless this is, in some bizarre way, an attempt to "keep your Friends close but your Enemies closer", I do not see how somebody that really cares about this forum and what it stands for could side with the enemy.

(As others have stated, unless there is something going on that we are not being told about then it seems like this is being done for the wrong reasons and does not have the support of the majority of ATS members.)

[edit on 25/8/2010 by Dark Ghost]

reply to post by mr-lizard


No I am saying it really is not that big of a deal to begin with.

You have some huge fear of people knowing...what?

Things on Facebook or what you buy at the store, is nothing that I could not over hear you talking to your friends about. Or hear if I tapped your phone. Or read if I had a virus in your computer.

Your issue is not with ATS. Your issue is with the service. Take it to facebook.

And like I said....if you have THAT MUCH to hide...you are already screwed. You lost. Best start running. They already got you.

reply to post by iamsupermanv2
on many points you are correct,.
and the funny thing is that my local grocery store is now in the process of changing over the grocery card to a direct link to the person using it..
Im gonna see if I can use my relatives address just for kicks.

you can't blame us for refusing this transition,. we all know how bad facebook has been with personal info,.
this is part of something I hate,. corporate greed..
and now ATS will be associating with the sorts.
they can tell me it is harmless and not to worry,..

Superman, even you say, get used to it , it is the way is is,.
Sorry, but I will not become part of the conformists watching the hypnotist put them under the " all is ok, all is good" spell
I may stay here and go on like business as usual
but will always be aware,..

No to FACEBOOK







[edit on 25-8-2010 by Lil Drummerboy]

[edit on 25-8-2010 by Lil Drummerboy]

Sometimes, less is more,
just sayin



[edit on 093131p://bWednesday2010 by Stormdancer777]

reply to post by Lil Drummerboy


Mr Drummerboy I think you fully get my point.

Maybe saying get over it is harsh. But it's the best way to put it as far as I see.

We have two options right now: Deal with ATS being on facebook, remembering you DO NOT have to use it. You WILL NOT miss out on anything. And knowing that if they wanted to find you, they already did.

Or...just leave.

It's be vigilant, or don't deal with it. Those are the only options. It's obvious the Staff has made their decision. Like it or not, it's what happened.

This is hopefully going to be my last comment on the matter... although, let's face it that's unlikely.

My viewpoint is that ATS as an institution is being dishonest here, some have noted the disparity between "We are not promoting facebook" and the fact that the front page of ATS is promoting facebook...

I have found the responses of those that run ATS - specifically to my posts have been somewhat ungentlemanly and in a couple of cases (as I see it) attempts at baiting...

Originally posted by yeahright
Why would you even go there? Somebody always has to take it to the next insulting level.

That little ineptitude isn't particularly a great example of baiting, but it adds nothing to the discussion, it's a statement I would be embarrassed to make myself.

Originally posted by 12m8keall2c
reply to post by jokei

 

merely addressing the points of interest/contention ... no need to quote the entirety.

This however, was regarding my question about quoting, ATS sometimes has a habit of over-quoting, but to dissect 2 or 3 sentences, so as to very much change the feel and intent of the response I had... I wasn't angry about this, but it's a tactic seen by those with a weak argument - I was sad.

It's interesting to note that others have picked up on this tone too, yes there's some of us arguing "12-15", how many registered members rarely post though, let's judge this by the amount of people that have actually posted in this thread - it seems a fairly even split. Are we to take this as an example of the general view of ATS? I don't think so, considering there are only about 50 or so different members that have posted here so far that would be foolish to take the temperature of ATS on this matter one way or the other, it is also rude to attempt to vilify the nay-sayers on this basis.

*

Members have also made some good points and as to be expected done some decent research as to the validity and integrity of facebook - it seems strange that a hive of conspiracy-minded nuts as ourselves (members, moderators and owners - not singling anyone out here) would jump in bed with the devil...

Regardless of people being "pressured" into joining which I do not think ATS has done, ATS has not pressured anyone into joining facebook, it has however promoted facebook, yet there's a flat denial of this

I'm not against facebook per-se, let's be honest it was inevitable, let's also think that if handled responsibly it could will benefit the ATS community (I think it will) and let's also be honest about the ham-fisted attempt at promoting this union.

I'd like to give some snappy, passionate words to end this with...

I'm just saddened.

*

There may be typos etc, but for integrities sake I will not edit this post.

Originally posted by greeneyedleo
reply to post by mr-lizard

 

Well I understand your reasons for you not joining.
But if others want to join - that is their perogative. I believe everyone is grown up enough to decide for themselves if they want to be part or not.

Thats not the point!!!! The point is ATS overlooked our SECURITY JUST FOR THEIR POCKETBOOKS!!!!

Skeptic said just a month ago that he did not see this happening because of all the security concerns and now he is all for it. He and you are completely ignoring the fact that facebook is a CIA TOOL. Everyone here with a brain can see the info the members just posted on it.

Originally posted by mr-lizard
I can't understand why you want QUANTITY over QUALITY. Unless of course there's something that's being kept from us.

Nothing is being held back, I assure you. We could have simply done it and not announced it... but we didn't. We could have closed this thread long ago, but we didn't.

And I still see no validity in the "quantity over quality" debate as there is no real, empirical, anecdotal, or speculative data that would indicate users of Facebook leave their favorite site to join additional sites for the purpose of discussing topics.

Originally posted by mr-lizard
Why would you willingly ignore 13 pages of protests (much like those in power ignore our protests on the streets) and continue to mock those that DO protest.

My presence here, answering questions, is evidence that the "protests" are not being ignored. However, the relatively few number of people showing their concerns are greatly outnumbered (to a significant degree) by those showing their approval.

Originally posted by Lil Drummerboy
I am seriously concerned about this coupling.

There is no "coupling" in any sense. No Facebook-hosted code is on ATS, and there never will be. We're simply feeding our topics to the Internet's largest audience of people, in much the same way we're feeding Twitter, Technorati, and Google search. And we are not encouraging anyone not already on Facebook to join.

Originally posted by mr-lizard
Surely there has to be another way of promoting ATS than selling out and going over to facebook?

"Selling out" would be more along the lines of encouraging ATS members to join Facebook and placing their "like" code on every page of every thread.

I'm open to alternatives to make more people aware of what our members post... but cannot conceive of anything that has the proven effectiveness of a Facebook fan page.

Originally posted by Lil Drummerboy
Yeah ,. I laughed when the comment was made about how this was in essence, a financial move and it was replied as 'Why would you think that"

We often see a lot of similar comments every time we do something to expand the reach of ATS... even when it's something that is overwhelmingly positive.

We are indeed "in the business of" providing a free high-visibility high-reliability venue by which our members can post anything they like (within the T&C) and have the expectation that a great many people will see it. As long ago as 2004 we made that promise that everything we do from a business-building perspective will always be focused on ways to seek greater and greater attention and awareness of what our members post. There may have been several ways to build awareness of ATS that didn't have that focus, such as hiring professional writers and adopting a tightly focused editorial direction. Our we could have increased awareness of our "top brass" through radio and TV appearances, or even hired a spokesperson. But we didn't go there, we stuck true to our promise of focusing attention on our members, and always will.

Originally posted by mr-lizard
So because some ruthless bastards are stealing your infor on a large scale. You will forgive those that steal our data on a moderate scale.

It's about perspective. One method is voluntary -- what you choose to post on Facebook if you have an account. The other is ambiguous -- everything you buy used to create a for-profit profile of who you are.

Originally posted by John Q
But why combine a conspiracy site (thats mainly anti-government and where we have anonymity when we post) with a site that carrys our personal info. It doesnt take much to link usernames to real names.

There is no "combination" of sites or sharing of data between ATS and Facebook. In fact, we've urged people on Facebook not to reveal their ATS usernames if they have one.

Originally posted by John Q
I thought we were considering our own social network site (Tinbook or something) or did I just make that up.

And a significant number of people in that thread favored using Facebook. The working name is now "ShadowBook," and there may still be progress in that direction, however, it's more a service to members rather than an outreach intended to promote what our members are saying.

Originally posted by jokei
My viewpoint is that ATS as an institution is being dishonest here

You're wrong. We've been very proactive about informing members of our Facebook page, and forthcoming in responding to concerns.

Originally posted by jokei
Members have also made some good points and as to be expected done some decent research as to the validity and integrity of facebook - it seems strange that a hive of conspiracy-minded nuts as ourselves (members, moderators and owners - not singling anyone out here) would jump in bed with the devil...

"Jumping in bed?" Really? That's a rather broad accusation for what amounts to a simple fan page that promotes the material our members post.

There are a great many conspiracy-minded people on Facebook already. As a "page owner" we can create FB-specific "ads" to promote our page, and enter any number of personal interest parameters for the targeting of those ads. After looking at the possible reach of people who have self-identified interest in ATS-styled topics (UFOs, extraterrestrials, conspiracies, 911 truth, etc.), there's an audience of over 5 million people (who are active users of FB) who voluntarily identified themselves as having interest in the topics our members discuss.

I'm not intending to diminish the concerns of those posting in this thread, but there appears to be a massive number of like-minded people that either do not share your concerns about Facebook or feel it's more important to be there than not.

Originally posted by Sky watcher
The point is ATS overlooked our SECURITY JUST FOR THEIR POCKETBOOKS

No such thing happened. No one is suggesting ATS members join Facebook, and no Facebook code will ever appear on ATS.

Originally posted by Sky watcher
Skeptic said just a month ago that he did not see this happening because of all the security concerns and now he is all for it.

My concerns were related to a tighter integration by using the "share" button (now a Like button) on ATS. In fact, we announced our intentions here, and have done exactly what we said we would.

Well Bill, I will say thanks for acknowledging me,
However I still do not feel comfortable with this move,.
Business is Business
I guess we "nay sayers" will just have to watch and see.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


There are many more than just the few replying that disagree with this. I have followed this entire thread and there was simply no reason to repeat the same words of protest. I am an avid reader and follower of many threads, but I simply dont often reply because my points are made by others. Beleive me the "few" protester here speak for many, many more.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


Your still ignoring the fact that all it takes, for ATS members info to be compromised is to open Facebook while ATS is open or just even still be in the members PC history.

I am far from the only one to point that out to you here and one is an expert. I never thought I would say it but this only points to one conclusion. ATS is another CIA-MI5-6-alphabet soup tool one way or the other.



[edit on 25-8-2010 by Sky watcher]

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


Interesting that you don't address the main thrust of my argument that ATS was promoting facebook - by having facebook posted on the front page (and the various other screencaps that have been posted) and yet outrightly denying that you were promoting facebook.

That is the main thrust of my seeing dishonesty here.

You may well note, that I am not as fussed about ATS going onto facebook thing - just the integrity of what you're saying.

There's a Choo Yung Tea "thing" on the front page - is that an advert or a promotion or...?

Bigger sigh... I'll continue to read and contribute to the threads that interest me - it seems that in contrast to tabloids ATS does have credible articles and sources - from ATS users. Rarely I'll pick up a tabloid, if I do I'll skip through, read the odd article that catches my interest - I never trust the owners behind them, or the media they perpetuate... today that happened to me with ATS.

Guys Facebook is becoming its own closed off internet, similar in way to the sterilized environment that the iDevices are hoping to achieve.

Facebook has 150 million active users, many of whom ONLY interact with the web through Facebook. In that kind of environment it only makes sense for web based publishing firms (of which ATS is one) to establish a presence.

In 10 years time the net as we know it won't be the modus operandi anymore, you can already see how devices are segmenting the web and its only going to continue.

There is no reason why anyone active on this site needs to give up their anonymity, if you dont want people to know your into alternative subjects don't like ATS on your Facebook, if you are that paranoid you shouldn't be on Facebook to begin with.

This websites goal is to reach as many people as possible, ignoring Facebook would be far more of an injustice than the percieved slight some of you are feeling because ATS decided to make use of the larget social engineering network in the world.