| OK hands up everyone who has heard of the | | | | good, as there are a number of reasons why |
| phrase Web 2.0? Everyone, good, means that we | | | | you should be aware of how they and other |
| are all paying attention then. Unless you | | | | applications like them work. |
| have either juts arrived on Planet Earth from | | | | |
| the Planet Zanussi or have been sheltering | | | | As I switch on and log into my Facebook |
| under a rock for the past couple of years | | | | account (yes I have one) I can't help but |
| then you would have been hard pressed not to | | | | notice the growing number of cute and cuddly |
| have heard of the phrase Web 2.0? | | | | wee applications that keep cropping up when |
| | | | people sent me items. Now this is all very |
| It was supposed to be the panacea to all | | | | nice and it does indeed keep you all warm and |
| Internet ills and the ultimate answer to all | | | | fuzzy inside to know that people care but |
| marketers' dreams. It was also supposed to | | | | there is a more insidious side to all of |
| make our daily lives and the way we interact | | | | this. Every time you try and open a "hatching |
| with each other online so much more complete | | | | egg" or a growing plant" you are asked to |
| and intuitive. | | | | download and open an application to run these |
| | | | gifts. Hidden behind the scenes in some of |
| Well if we are honest the jury is still out | | | | these applications are bots and crawlers who |
| on most of these issues as yes good old Web | | | | are unleashed onto your hard drive, email in |
| 2.0 and its sites do tick some of the boxes | | | | box or wherever they can go to "mine" |
| but as in all good things when it comes to | | | | personal data and store this data. Yes folks |
| mankind, why do we never quit when we are | | | | you have just been the victim in some cases |
| ahead? | | | | of the first stages of Identity Theft. In the |
| | | | worst cases your hard drive may be infected |
| By this I mean that there are some cracking | | | | and you are on the slippery slope to your |
| sites out there with some extremely useful | | | | data being harvested and the hard drive |
| features and functions but as in all cases, | | | | roasted and fried. |
| sooner or later along come a bunch of folks | | | | |
| who proceed to screw it up for everyone else. | | | | Not a nice picture is it and one that the |
| | | | folks behind Facebook (and others) are less |
| Hands up those who know anything about | | | | likely to portray? The trouble is that a lot |
| Facebook? | | | | of these applications are third party |
| | | | applications that are not hosted on |
| Good, lots of you and this is good as it | | | | Facebook's own servers and as such Facebook |
| means that the PR people behind Facebook have | | | | and its personnel have no control over what |
| been doing their job so bonuses all round, we | | | | is going on by and large. |
| can all afford to stand up properly for a | | | | |
| change! | | | | Welcome to the hidden dark side of Web 2.0, |
| | | | where it is all too easy to submerge yourself |
| Hands up all of you who understand properly | | | | into a collective consciousness and forget |
| the way that all of those nice cute little | | | | about how you may be exposing yourself to |
| applications on Facebook work when all your | | | | hidden theft. |
| mates keep sending you cute and cuddly little | | | | |
| virtual friends and flowers, exploding eggs, | | | | Now if you are the victim of this type of |
| plants whatever? | | | | Internet Mugging and yes you have suffered |
| | | | data loss as a result. What are you going to |
| Hmnnnn. Not quite as many as who answered in | | | | do now? |
| the affirmative the first time round. Not so | | | | |