In an interview for David Kilpatrick’s forthcoming book, The Facebook Effect, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg hints that the writing is on the wall for granular privacy controls:

“The days of you having a different image for your work friends or co-workers and for the other people you know are probably coming to an end pretty quickly … Having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity.”

If I have one positive thing to say about people like Zuckerberg and Google CEO Eric Schmidt, it’s that I commend their frankness.

In similar fashion last year, Schmidt warned Google users:

“If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place.”

Contrary to what Zuckerberg and Schmidt appear to believe, the idea of separating certain private activities, interests, and social relationships from one’s public persona is not a new vice enabled by the Internet. It’s a long-observed social habit. Ethics guru Michael Zimmer nails it:

Individuals are constantly managing and restricting flows of information based on the context they are in, switching between identities and persona. I present myself differently when I’m lecturing in the classroom compared to when I’m have a beer with friends. I might present a slightly different identity when I’m at a church meeting compared to when I’m at a football game. This is how we navigate the multiple and increasingly complex spheres of our lives. It is not that you pretend to be someone that you are not; rather, you turn the volume up on some aspects of your identity, and tone down others, all based on the particular context you find yourself.

Zuckerberg may wish to challenge that paradigm. But whether or not this social behavior should be encouraged or discouraged merits a fair discussion, not an blanket accusation of duplicitous intent.

See also:

• Facebook’s Gone Rogue; It’s Time for an Open Alternative
• The “Quit Facebook” Meme and More
• Why Mark Zuckerberg needs to come clean about his views on privacy

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Among other splendid gifts, I received a new vacuum cleaner for Christmas. In accordance with my personal household inventorying policies, I immediately filled out Hoover’s mail-in warranty registration card. In addition to wanting to know my age, income level, and how often I clean my house, they also wanted to know if I own, or plan to purchase within the next six months:

• a CD-ROM drive?
• a compact disc player?
• a subscription to an online service (AOL, CompuServe)?

Popularity: 9% [?]

I nominate:

WHAT IS BASIC?

Well, as you probably know by now, it’s a brand of cigarettes. With a smooth, rich taste unlike any other.

But to the millions of adult smokers who call Basic their brand, Basic means something much more. It’s the simple pleasures in life.

It’s sometimes laughing so hard you cry. Picnics with big helpings of hot dogs, hamburgers, family and friends. And the way your dog’s always excited to see you, whether you’ve been gone 10 days or 10 minutes.

Basic is people. Simple folks who appreciate things others take for granted. Like having a place to call home, happiness for your family and love for your soul. People who prefer to see life as half full; and if it isn’t, they get up and get themselves a refill.

It’s pickup trucks and picking up a friend who’s down.

Singing the national anthem loud, no matter how bad you sound.

It’s working hard and taking it easy.

But most all, Basic is a brand for folks who believe the best things in life—the things that matter most—aren’t necessarily new or expensive or complicated. They’re actually pretty basic.

Popularity: 1% [?]