This is a very interesting exercise as I have not taken time to read the Terms of Service or the Privacy Policies of various social software sites before.
I downloaded the terms of all four softwares and read through them. Linkin was the first one that I assessed as I belong to this site. When you join Linkin you give them permission to copy, publish, remove, use for commercial purposes. That was a bit of a surprise to me. They do not sell personal information, but they collect all information to go into your profile. Linkin belongs to TRUSTe’s Privacy Seal and they participate in the USA EU Safe Harbor Privacy Framework. This Social Software site is for adult professionals who share opinions and information with other professionals. This site is not appropriate for children.
Facebook was the second Social Software site that I looked at. I have a Facebook account that I use to keep in touch with my children, close friends and colleagues. I probably look at it twice a week and seldom make comments. (Too busy). Anyways, reading over their Terms of Service, I was pleasantly surprised that they say that individuals own all content and information and have control with whom to share. Joining Facebook though gives them specific permission to use any photos, videos etc. that is covered by intellectual property rights, subject to one’s privacy and application settings. Once you delete your account, any photos go into the recyling bin, but they do say that removed content may persist in backup copies for a period of time which they did not specify. This Social Software is not appropriate for children 6 and 7 years of age.
The third Social Software I examined was Delicious. I did join it a few years back and have used their services off and on. After reading through their Terms of Service I now know that they claim what’s yours is yours, however by joining you grant them certain rights in your member content. The member content is owned individually but they reserve the right to copy, reproduce, modify, adapt, distribute, etc. any content that is yours. They also have a very strict copyright policy on The Service and Service Content. Also, they will only accept members 13 or older. Many Terms of Service are similar Facebook. I found out that Delicious was just sold to AVOS from Yahoo and they say that if you were a member prior to the sale they will honor all previous agreements.
Picasa owned by Google is interestingly similar to Delicious. In fact their Terms of Service have the exact wording. “By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services.”
I didn’t find any reference to the age of members. Since this site involves downloading pictures on a network it wouldn’t be advisable for younger children to participate.
I have already participated in a few Social Software sites so would I join others or continue with the ones I am in? The answer is probably yes. As I read in the introduction the reason people participate in these sites is it supports the desire of individuals to be part of a group and it provides avenues and means to mass amateurization. Each of these sites provides a specialized service that is helpful when using the Internet. When looking at each sites’ Term of Service I was surprised how many terms there were for protecting their rights. Picasa even had a section for helping parents educate their children to safety issues.
Implications for using Social Software sites in education is expanding as teachers are including many opportunities for their classes to engage students in online experiences that include discussion forums, sending emails, and chatting with friends. Social collaboration is a valuable experience that contributes to a meaningful community of knowledge builders. Sharing and learning within social sites can prove to be beneficial. Caution for privacy issues and understanding Terms of Service of Social Software sites is an important aspect to their use.