

Google on why Orkut should not export email contacts (10/26/09) - kmavm
http://techcrunch.com/2009/10/26/orkut-slows-hemorraging-to-facebook-by-making-friend-export-tool-nearly-useless/

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axavier
Relevant quote from Google:

"Mass exportation of email is not standard on most social networks - when a
user friends someone they don’t then expect that person to be easily able to
send that contact information to a third party along with hundreds of other
addresses with just one click"

Lets recap:

1\. Users use data exporter en masse to abandon Orkut.

2\. Google breaks the exporter. Supposedly a bug, coincidentally when people
are actually now using it.

3\. Google changes the exporter so emails are no longer included.

4\. Google says social networks shouldn't be expected to allow mass email
exportation.

5\. 12 months pass

6\. Google breaks the gmail exporter to Facebook. Social networks apparently
are now expected export all e-mails. Press eats it up.

Look, I'm not arguing that email exporting should or shouldn't be allowed. I
don't really want my friends giving my email to Farmville so they get a golden
banana, but it's not the end of the world. What I don't get though, is people
talking about this like Google is some godly force of good, championing the
rights of users against the evil Facebook.

Please. Google is getting scared, and made a calculated business decision to
try and slow down Facebook's growth. The rest of this is BS PR spin and
Techcrunch sensationalism to fan the drama fires.

