OT: Orkut

If any of the regulars want invites onto the new Google phenomenon Orkut
mail me and I'll get you one. If you're not enough of a computer geek to
know what Orkut is (ie you haven't been reading Slashdot or the Register
lately and missed it), you probably don't want an invite.

Now returning you to your regularly scheduled service...

Al.

Alasdair Allan wrote:
> If any of the regulars want invites onto the new Google phenomenon Orkut
> mail me and I'll get you one. If you're not enough of a computer geek to
> know what Orkut is (ie you haven't been reading Slashdot or the Register
> lately and missed it), you probably don't want an invite.

No thanks. I don't do spyware.

- Keith

Alasdair Allan wrote:
> If any of the regulars want invites onto the new Google phenomenon
> Orkut mail me and I'll get you one.

My daughter assures me it is THE place to be.

nigelH

Nigel Hewitt wrote:
> Alasdair Allan wrote:
> > If any of the regulars want invites onto the new Google phenomenon
> > Orkut mail me and I'll get you one.
>
> My daughter assures me it is THE place to be.

It is indeed the "geek" invite of the month...

Al.

Keith S. wrote:
> Alasdair Allan wrote:
> > If any of the regulars want invites onto the new Google phenomenon
> > Orkut mail me...
>
> No thanks. I don't do spyware.

No actual software gets installed (its server side only), so its
not really spyware...

It is spyware in the same way as any of these online communities is
spyware, that to use them you give up personal information. However,
the only thing you _have_ to divulge is an email address, there isn't
any mandatory data to register/use it. Most people using IM (of whatever
flavour) will havedivulged as much to register for that.

The terms&conditions and privacy policy are a bit "Hmm!", but I've seen
worse...

That said, I've been quite suprised about how much personal info some
people have been willing to let out! I certainly haven't entered anything
into the site that isn't readily available from my (many) websites, so I'm
not that worried. I don't really buy the Google conspiracy theory the
Register and some of the Blogosphere seems to be trying to sell.

Al.

On 5 Feb 2004 19:43:44 GMT, Alasdair Allan <aa@ukrecscuba.org.uk>
wrote:

>If any of the regulars want invites onto the new Google phenomenon Orkut
>mail me and I'll get you one. If you're not enough of a computer geek to
>know what Orkut is (ie you haven't been reading Slashdot or the Register
>lately and missed it), you probably don't want an invite.

You don't need to be a computer geek. You need your head examining.

To whit: http://www.orkut.com/terms.html

No ta.

>Now returning you to your regularly scheduled service...

And there I was assuming you were a charter service...
--
ferret
Best before: see end

On Thu, 05 Feb 2004 22:37:07 +0000, Alasdair Allan wrote:

> That said, I've been quite suprised about how much personal info some
> people have been willing to let out! I certainly haven't entered anything
> into the site that isn't readily available from my (many) websites, so I'm

And of course you don't actually have to tell the truth.

Jason

--
http://www.scuba-addict.co.uk/ for the UK viz database and trip reports
about Australia, the Caribbean, Spain, the Maldives, Bali and the UK

ferret wrote:

> You don't need to be a computer geek. You need your head examining.
>
> To whit: http://www.orkut.com/terms.html

It's not actually the terms, it's the fact that it is a
data mining scheme like Nectar. Basically they want to
know as much about you as possible, but in particular
how to contact you. Then they gather data on you; in
the case of Google every search can be correlated back
to you. This gives them information to either use for
themselves or to sell to others about your interests,
so they can try and sell junk to you.

I'm just surprised so many people fall for it.

- Keith

"Alasdair Allan" <aa@ukrecscuba.org.uk> wrote in message
news:bvu6dg$110fp9$1@ID-188041.news.uni-berlin.de...
> If any of the regulars want invites onto the new Google phenomenon Orkut
> mail me and I'll get you one. If you're not enough of a computer geek to
> know what Orkut is (ie you haven't been reading Slashdot or the Register
> lately and missed it), you probably don't want an invite.

Terms:
"By submitting, posting or displaying any Materials on or through the
orkut.com service, you automatically grant to us a worldwide, non-exclusive,
sublicenseable, transferable, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right to
copy, distribute, create derivative works of, publicly perform and display
such Materials. "

Hmm... Yeah right.

Alun Harford

"Jason" <jason.usenet.nospam@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
newsan.2004.02.06.19.35.44.724736@ntlworld.com.. .
> On Thu, 05 Feb 2004 22:37:07 +0000, Alasdair Allan wrote:
>
> > That said, I've been quite suprised about how much personal info some
> > people have been willing to let out! I certainly haven't entered
anything
> > into the site that isn't readily available from my (many) websites, so
I'm
>
> And of course you don't actually have to tell the truth.
>
> Jason
>

Am I :

1 a 23 year old male in New Zealand.

2 a 58 year old female from the Ukraine living in Brazil :)

3 a 19 year old male in Florida

4 a 14 year old female in Sydney Australia

5 a 20 year old male in India

6 all of the above.


now which one is the REAL me?

:)

rhys