One thing I really liked about Yahoo! 360 (ask me for an invite if you have not got one) is its implementation of access control. You can choose from multiple level of privacy for different sections of your Yahoo! 360. For example, you might want everyone on 360 to see your real name, restrict your residential address to only your 2nd degree friends, and then further restrict your primary email address to your first degree friends. Access control applies to not only your basic info, but also your full profile, your “Blast”, your lists and groups, and your blog.
Access control on blog is fantastic, especially when your blog is used mainly as a personal journal/diary whose writing might not be suitable for public consumption. Want only your close friends to know what you have been doing last weekend? Want to blog about your thoughts on certain complicated issues, but do not wish to share with everyone? Easy. And Yahoo! 360 does all the authentication and user management for you.
Moreover, when the privacy level is set to only your first degree friends, you can further restrict the visibility of your blog by your friend “Categories”. You can allocate your friends to one or more categories, or default to “Uncategorised”. Now let’s see. Shall I start a personal blog there that actually blocks everyone who knows me personally from reading it?
Hmmm…
Well, in that case, you might as well write in a book and keep it under your pillow. You see, although you can block everyone from reading your personal blog, there is one big brother which still has access to it, Yahoo. Call me paranoid but I just think that people these days put too much trust on Friendster, Google, Yahoo, etc by giving their personal information.
No I think you’ve got me wrong. While Yahoo and Google are both too “powerful” in this information age, I don’t think they really care about the things I write (except maybe what AdSense Google can put on this page to earn some profit for them). I am talking about blocking those invisible campers who actually want to peek into your life, but you rather have them go away…
Hey Scott,
Good to see another Aussie going hardcore on the Social Computing.
I have a keen interest too and am currently working on a dnn (ASP.NET) Social Networking Tool (Yes another one).
I found your site looking up Social Networking API on Google. I percieve the same need for an API to cut out redundecy etc… too
Hey, any chance of inviting me to Yahoo360 would really like to check it out.
Cheers,
Cameron
Melbourne Australia