The Expeditionaries spent their Cinco de Mayo morning talking social at the monthly breakfast meeting of the Social Expedition. Dave Barger of LunaWeb spoke with the group about new Facebook features and online privacy.

(Fun fact: it was Dave’s 62nd presentation in the last two and a half years on social topics, to more than one thousand people.)

Dave talked us through all of the new plug-ins being offered by Facebook to connect the site and its features with sites across the web. The first one on the agenda has already been adopted by around 50,000 sites, and Dave says it will likely be the most game-changing tool of the group: the universal “Like” button.

A user simply needs to grab a snippet of code and plug it in to a site to see the now iconic “thumbs up” appear on a page. When someone visits the site and clicks the button, an item will appear on their personal activity feed and the news feeds of their friends on Facebook, just as it would with activities and interactions within the four walls of the site itself.

Other plug-ins Dave discussed included a comments tool, which will bring the function of commenting — as you would on Facebook in response to a photo, video or note — to external sites, allowing users to leave text comments and, of course, linking that activity back to the user’s news feed.

The fan page widget has gotten a new name, as well, and is now called a “like box.” Other plug-ins include the activity feed, Facepile, Live Stream, Login with Faces (Facebook Connect reborn) and Recommendations.

After the plug-ins, the discussion turned to privacy. Facebook’s recent partnerships with external sites like Yelp and Pandora have made public information that many users thought was only being shared among their friends and connections. Dave noted that one of the main problems with Facebook’s privacy settings is that users have to choose to opt out rather than choosing to opt in.

He walked us through the steps a user would need to take to access privacy settings and discussed each section and potential implications of each — for example, information your friends can share about you. You may think you’re protected because you’ve tightened up your personal security, but your profile details can still find their way out into the public through your friends.

Generally, Dave advised against putting anything remotely sensitive on Facebook; even if you think you have that portion of your profile locked down, Facebook could change the rules of the game at any time, leaving you exposed.

If you want to learn more about online privacy, Dave recommended OnGuard Online, EFF.org and DotRights.org.

Dave wrapped up his presentation with some highlights from his recent trip to SOBCon, including the advice “Quit collecting blueprints and start building something.”

Join us for our next meet-up on May 20, Twilight Camp at Davis Kidd’s Bronte Bistro, and be sure to mark your calendar for next month’s breakfast, happening Wednesday June 2.

Tags | Dave Barger, facebook, LunaWeb, OnGuard Online, Privacy, Social Expedition Breakfast