Hi Facebook.  We need to talk.  Seriously talk.  None of this “My crops need fertilizing” or “such as so likes this”, but real talk.

I’m sick of your twisted “suggestions.”

—-

Let’s have quick walk down memory lane.

I joined “The Facebook” in 2004.  Remember your definite article? Remember the guy?  They were there too.  I joined when I was in college, when THE Facebook was ONLY for colleges.  Wasn’t that a crazy time?  College students could find other students at their school with similar interests, and then we could meet each other. Crazy, isn’t it?

Then you opened up to High School Students, and we all whined.  Why would you let those little brats in with us, cool hip nearly twenty somethings and people with access to college e-mail addresses?  Then you opened up to everyone, and we all whined again, but you ignored us.  Slowly, all hell broke loose.

—-

It’s bad enough I have to deal with friends who invite me to every single one of their events even though I’m not within 1,000 miles of them.  Or my other friends who fill my news feed with apps so shady not even the sun can shine through them.  I can deal with my stupid friends, I made the choice to connect with hem.  What I can’t deal with is your servers trying to play stupid cupid.

I realize that you get money from displaying those ads on EVERY SINGLE page I look at.  And I know you aren’t above giving all that precious data away about me and my friends’ interests to make a buck.  And every connection I make, every app I waste time in, is just another way to earn another dollar.

So, let’s get down to business Facebook, because these “suggestions” are really ways to make a killing business opportunities.  The more time I spend on your site, the more ads I see, the more chance I might click on one of them, and then you get paid and you’re a happy website.

Me on the other hand, I’m losing faith in the little online world I’ve set up.  I’m sick your servers desperately searching for another dollar to keep them alive and feed your coffers.  There’s only so much creepiness I can take before I ditch Facebook for another social network that might be a little more subtle about stealing my time, content, and personal information to make money.

Let this letter stand as a warning.

And one last thing Facebook.  Remember when MySpace was king, and everyone wondered what the deal was with the tiny, clean competitor called Facebook?  On the web usability, content, and transparency are king.  No one, not even Facebook, is safe.