BBM forums vs Facebook

[teddyd]

Dear BBM team,

This week I started The Bridge. I am very much appreciative of the work you all produce, including the templates, podcast, videos, and Insta Lives.

I plan on using the templates for the foreseeable future and I am interested in the group programming (specifically powerbuilding) a bit further down the line.

However, there is a big problem. Facebook. I understand the BBM group programming and some active discussions are on Facebook. You have no doubt seen the farce that has come out of Cambridge Analytica and Facebook's lack of regard or interest in people's privacy.

As you have a forum here, and as a way to get people to engage and make it more active, is it possible that the group programming discussions be moved to BBM private forums (I am sure vBulletin forums can be partially made private). Further, why is the BBM Facebook group used for public discussions rather than your own forums? I would rather engage here, as I am sure others would too.

I believe I am not the only one who has this concern and trepidation.

I am interested in your thoughts.

Many thanks
Ted

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

Hey Teddy,

I think that the ease of use of FB and popularity outweigh the potential risks involved. Additionally, we want to bring BBM to people vs. making them come to BBM and Facebook is another channel that we do that through. Facebook is very visible, shareable, and allows for better real-time engagement.

At this time, I have no interest in bringing the group programming discussions/video review/business page discussions to these forums. I do not believe the benefits outweigh the risks at this time.

Respectfully,

Jordan

[corbettstrong]

It is perhaps kind of a hassle and not ideal, but you could create an "shell" Facebook account to use only for BBM access. If you run FB is its own separate browser (e.g. Opera), it won't track you across browsers. In other words, use Chrome or Safari or Firefox or whatever for regular browsing, and Opera ONLY for FB.