The Fall of the Mixed-Grade Advisory

MADDY KIEFER ‘08

Most seniors remember the mixed grade advisories that were disbanded in September 2005. Upon our promotion to the upper school in 2004, we were put in advisories with upperclassmen, which, although daunting at first, was eventually an experience that many of us appreciated. Older students provided us with all sorts of advice for surviving high school, from choosing class to prioritizing our responsibilities. Mixed grade advisories gave us the chance to hear first-hand about the stress of junior year, the complicated college process that followed, and the ultimate decision of choosing which college to attend before we had to experience it ourselves. They weren’t trying to scare us, but, rather, to prepare us. When questioned about what it was like when multiple grades were represented in his advisory, Peter Gow, the Director of College Counseling, who has been working at Beaver for over twenty years, recalls, “I remember some great examples of good advice and important lore being passed down in those meetings from older students to younger ones.” He does believe, however, that “same-grade groups can be great ways for advisors to work together on issues related to grade-level concerns.”

A year later, however, few were happy to hear that new advisories were separated by grade. Toph Tucker, a senior who was in a mixed-grade advisory until last year, says, “I know that the administration worries that older students will intimidate freshmen or some such thing, but having some representation from higher grades was one of the best things about my advisory.” Toph and I, who were both in Mr. Whitten’s advisory for three years, had such an amazing time in our mixed-grade advisory that we were furious that the incoming freshman didn’t get this opportunity. Instead, they were essentially being cut off. We knew that keeping all of the freshmen apart from upperclassmen was a mistake. The freshmen, however, considered themselves lucky. The idea of having to spend half an hour with the “big kids” every week wasn’t appealing, so there were no objections from them. When asked his opinion on being in an all freshmen advisory, Willy Tucker, Toph’s younger brother, states that he was “pretty happy” about being separated from the older students. As a reply to this comment, Toph remarks, “He just doesn’t know what he’s missing.”

One of the benefits of having older students in our advisory was that we were able to make friends in other grades and connect weekly. Mr. Gow recalls that he “certainly saw inter-grade friendships develop.” These days, the only interactions that most freshmen have with other grades are in extracurriculars, where they tend to isolate themselves and simply stay with the other students in their grade. By contrast, we could more easily branch out from the seventy or so people that we had class with every day and enjoy time spent with these other students. Since the end of the mixed-advisory era, there has been an increased separation between the grades. Hopefully this separation won’t reach the extreme that it has with the middle school. For a school that preaches a community without divisions, such separation in advisories is counter productive.

Currently, the only normally scheduled time that upper and middle school students are together is at All School Meeting once a week. Aside from that, upper schoolers occasionally visit the middle school wing to use the computer labs, but high school students are not even supposed to be in the first-floor middle school hallway. We are almost at the point where they might as well be two separate schools.

Although the Middle School is not involved in the current Upper School advisory problem, and although it hasn’t yet reached the tipping point, these issues are becoming a pattern at Beaver. It is important for the school to recognize the negative effects that these changes are having on the student body, and for it to make strides to correct them. The first two lines of Beaver’s school song read, “Stand we now to hail thee/Beaver, loyal and united,” but the unity of our school is at risk of deteriorating. If the school administration continues to make these choices to separate the grades even further, however, the only occasions that the grades at Beaver will mix will be in the hallways. If it reaches that point, our small school will seem all the more lonely, and our close-knit community as we know it today will cease to exist.

Mixed-grade advisories increasingly a relic of the past

MADDY KIEFER ‘08

Most seniors remember the mixed grade advisories that were mostly disbanded in September 2005. Incoming freshmen used to be put in advisories with upperclassmen, which, although daunting at first, was eventually an experience that many of them appreciated. Today, this system is almost entirely phased out. For more information, read the editorial, “The Fall of the Mixed-Grade Advisory.“

Beaver Basketball Starts Season With Big Road Win

DANA SPIGELMAN ’08

In a season where Beaver returns only one starter and two rotation players from the previous year Beaver answered a lot of questions with a big win on Friday night at Concord Academy. With an 8-0 run right out of the gate Beaver set the tone from what would be an up and down game. Due to a barrage of three pointers from star guards Ephraim Herskovitz and Logan Furr and commanding point guard play from Chris Quinn Beaver jumped out to a 20 point lead early versus Concord. However, the game settled down at the end of the half, with Concord shaving the lead to 15 points.

In the second half the shooting touch went cold and Beaver started to play sloppy, committing six fouls in less than five minutes of play to open the half. The mistakes resulted in foul trouble, forcing backups Cam Bloy, Arian Fararooy and later Jahrad Delossantos into big minutes. With Concord cutting the lead to nine Beaver was never rattled and fought back. Among other big plays Logan Furr was fouled twice beyond the arc, making 5 of 6 free throws to help secure the victory. In a 74-62 victory, Beaver showed a lot on opening night, not only getting 38 points from Ephraim Herskovitz and 19 points from Logan Furr but also getting key contributions from starters Deon Bragg, Justin Conway and Chris Quinn to supplement the two scorers and put away a scrappy Concord Academy team.

Image: Boys Varsity’s third game
Image credit: Toph Tucker

Across the Universe is imaginative, but lacks universal appeal

CARRIE WIDMER ‘10

The film Across the Universe is a story of young love in the sixties, narrated by the songs of The Beatles. Jude and Lucy, the two leads, are appropriately named and played well by Jim Sturgess and Evan Rachel Wood. (Jude, not coincidentally, comes to the United States from Liverpool, the homeland of the Beatles.) Jude and Lucy meet and fall in love unexpectedly. The film begins with disappointing and unimpressive song and dance numbers. However, just when the audience is ready to abandon the film, Bono makes an appearance singing, “I am the Walrus.” This colorful, psychedelic number depicts the Summer of Love (1967) wonderfully and is a turning point that saves this movie.

Instead of simply telling the predictable love story of boy meets girl, this film tries to illustrate the reality of being young in the sixties. It is an enjoyable twist on the typical love story. Once Lucy becomes heavily involved in the anti-war movement, her relationship with Jude becomes tumultuous. “Revolution” shows Jude’s frustration toward his girlfriend who shows more passion for the Vietnam War than for her boyfriend.

Two of the most fantastic and imaginative pieces in the movie, regard soldiers in the war. “I Want You So Bad” shows an Uncle Sam poster that literally comes to life and grabs the young men who are drafted. “Happiness is a Warm Gun,” another standout performance, shows the suffering of soldiers and the nurses who care for them. Other high points include “Falling,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and the grand finale, “All You Need is Love.” These great numbers stood out in my mind because of their originality—I’d never seen anything quite like them.

Across the Universe has received mixed reviews. Ultimately, it’s a question of taste. This is a film strictly for those who love either over-the-top dance numbers or the Beatles. Otherwise, it would probably be a painful 131 minutes. If you prefer straight plays to musicals, you shouldn’t waste your time. If, however, the Beatles dominate your car’s mix tape, you will never want it to end.

Image from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Across_the_universe.jpg

Varsity Soccer: What a Season

TYLER STARR ‘10

Boys Varsity Soccer’s record is not an accurate indication of their season. They finished the season 1-9-5, with several close games that did not go their way. The team enjoyed only nominal luck throughout the entire season. Whether it was injury, poor officiating, or missed opportunities, Boys Varsity had no breaks this term.

The season began with Lamarre Rey’s departure from BCDS. His departure left a hole at keeper. Luckily, senior Chris Rush stepped up and became the new keeper for the team, doing a great job replacing Rey.

The team was plagued by injuries all season long. They started without Oliver Hunt ’11, who was lost for the season due to a knee injury suffered last summer, and Angelo Cabral ’11. Hunt was one of the top scorers at Shady Hill in 2006 and would have been a great addition to the team. Excluding Arian Fararooy ’08, every starting player has been taken out of a game due to some form of injury. Some could call it lucky that only a few starters have had to miss a game due to injury. Angelo Cabral ’11, Oliver Hunt ’11, Tyler Starr ’10, Marco Fabrizio ’09, Gabe Reich ’09, Will Searle ’09, Chris Rush ’08, and Zach Levandov ’08 have all had to sit out at least one game. Injuries varied from a sore groin to a partially torn MCL to a concussion.

The Landmark game may have been the worst game of the season for the team. Despite standing as the team’s only victory, four starters got hurt and three did not play the next two games. Ten minutes into the game, Tyler Starr ’10 suffered a concussion. “[Tyler] and the other player ran into each other then both toppled backward,” Murray Hershkowitz ’10 recalled. Angelo Cabral and Andrew Emmons ‘08 suffered foot injuries and came to practice the next day on crutches. In addition, Chris Rush sustained a mysterious arm injury. Andrew Emmons was able to play with the pain in the next game, and, fortunately, Chris Rush only missed the next two games. Unfortunately for starters Tyler Starr and Angelo Cabral, their injuries were season-ending.

The team also had several close games. They had five ties and three games where they only lost by one goal. While time was running out in their second game against Pingree, five shots were taken that either hit the cross bar or were deflected by a player. In their first game against Landmark, they fought back from a three-goal deficit to make it 3-4 and with one minute left missed a crucial free kick. In their second game against Bancroft, Beaver was winning with ten minutes to go but fell apart at the end and tied the game. Coach Cabral does have an answer for these close games: a month long trip to a soccer academy in Portugal during the summer. Whether or not that is the solution to the team’s problems, it is a start.

Though the team had a losing record, you have to look at all these factors to fully understand the hardships of this long season.

Spotlight: The Water Fountain Roundup

TOPH TUCKER ’08

Not all Beaver water fountains are created equal. In fact, they used to be downright erratic. Many of you must remember that before this year, the water fountain in the library was incredibly overpowered and super-sensitive. The fountain by the preschool used to be dismal. Ah, but remember the old one by Sawtell Gym? (I reckon very few of you do.) I was always a fan of that one, although I seem to remember a bit of controversy about that.

Since then, the fountains have become markedly more consistent. Here’s my roundup. Frankly, there’s not a lot to say. The water quality generally seems identical. But I include the peak stream height (measured from the point it leaves the faucet), accessibility information (according to the Americans with Disabilities Act), and some other interesting information. Most of you will know all this by now, but it’s critically important information for newer students.

Miscellaneous Trivia

All fountains are manufactured by Halsey Taylor, “Satisfying thirsts since 1912”–a mere 8 years before Beaver was founded!

These are all technically water coolers, not water fountains, because they do refrigerate the water. They are all intended to provide water at 50° F.

The brand name of the water fountain/cooler by the cafeteria is “Voyager.” Ironically, a painting entitled “The Voyager” hangs over the library fountain.

1st Floor, Arts Building [double set]:

OVL-II-SER-Q; meets legal accessibility requirements

Peak stream height: 8 cm (tall one) / 10 cm (short one); somewhat disappointing water; note that they cannot both run simultaneously, but instead are reduced to a slow trickle.

1st Floor, by the “cafeteria-style dining hall”:

HTV8Q 1; meets legal accessibility requirements

Peak stream height: 8 cm; nice and cold and quite satisfying, but the whole unit is awfully low; buttons are easiest to press, but also easy to accidentally bump into.

1st Floor, by the preschool [double set]:

HAC8FSCBL0; meets legal accessibility requirements

Peak stream height: 10 cm; pretty good water; unlike the OVL series, both can function simultaneously without interruption.

2nd Floor, Arts Building [double set]:

OVL-II-SER-Q; meets legal accessibility requirements

Peak stream height: 7 cm (both); essentially identical to set on 1st floor, except for stream height; again, they can’t run simultaneously.

2nd Floor, Middle School Wing:

S500-5D-1* (*best guess); does not meet legal accessibility requirements

Peak stream height: 7 cm; all around, pretty average; an old favorite of mine from my middle school days; thumb-push button is not as easy as, say, the HTV Series; height can be an advantage for some and a disadvantage to others.

2nd Floor, Upper School Wing:

S500-5D-1; does not meet legal accessibility requirements

Peak stream height: 7-8 cm; all around average; sister fountain to the Middle School Wing one. It lacks the small stool that the Middle School fountain features.

Library (“The Voyager”)

WM8AQ_1Q* (*best guess); does not meet legal accessibility requirements

Peak stream height: 9-10 cm, impressive but still a serious downgrade from last year; aside from height, the water is downright delicious; likely the best water fountain in the whole school; height of the unit is especially nice; button action is superb.

Outside the Library

WM8AQ_1Q; does not meet legal accessibility requirements

Peak stream height: 7 cm; sister fountain to The Voyager, but not nearly as good; still, a major improvement over past years, when getting more than a trickle out of it was nearly impossible

Language Wing / S5 [double set]

HACBL-A L/R; meets legal accessibility requirements

Peak stream height: 10 cm (both); can run simultaneously; sister fountains to the preschool pair

Conclusions

“The Voyager,” in the library, is the one clear standout in the crowd. Others are satisfying; some are disappointing.

Average quality has improved dramatically over the past few years. Of course, accessibility remains an issue, and quality could easily lapse again. I hereby call for a survey of the school’s water fountains every four years, in order to ensure that future generations can enjoy the same consistent water supply that we do today.

Personally? I recommend we get a few of Halsey Taylor’s Explosion Proof Coolers. You know, just in case.

P.S. I realize that I am missing the water fountains in the gyms. This is just for the main building, but don’t worry, that’s coming soon!

Update 6/Dec/07: corrected a couple things pointed out by Nick and Mr. Manning. (Unfortunately, the “cafeteria” language in the poll is already set in stone.)

Senior’s niece featured in Gap contest; vote now!

Senior Kelly Kretschmar’s niece Marley has been chosen out of 860,000 submissions to be one of five finalists for the next babyGap model! Help her out–vote every day until December 15 at the follow site:

http://www.gap.com/castingcall

Musharraf’s moves a step back for democracy in Pakistan

TAYLOR HAIGLER ?08

On November 3, General Pervez Musharraf, president of Pakistan, imposed statewide emergency rule. He explained it as a necessary move in the fight against terrorism. Musharraf suspended the constitution; ordered Pakistani police to patrol the streets of the capitol, Islamabad; censored the media; and ordered the arrests of over a thousand people, among them human rights activists, political oppositionists, lawyers, independent news reporters and even teachers.

Musharraf, in addition to being the president of Pakistan, was also the army?s Chief of Staff. He had promised to relinquish his ties to the military before November 15, when he was expected to take oath of office for a third five-year term. Under the constitution, Musharraf couldn?t run for another term while serving both as president and as a military leader. In an interview three months ago, General Musharraf said that his army uniform was his second skin: ?How can I possibly take it off?? Some speculate that the declaration of emergency is tied to rumors that the court was planning to rule against Musharraf. More recently, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry reported that the Supreme Court believed that Musharraf had no power to suspend the constitution

Musharraf has dismissed several independent-minded judges, including Chaudhry, from the Supreme Court. Musharraf told the Associated Press last week that he expected the new court to quickly endorse his re-election, and he was right. Last Wednesday, Attorney General Malik Mohammed Qayyum said that Musharraf would quit his army post and be sworn in for a third term.

Government officials have reiterated that the declaration of emergency was necessary in the country?s fight against terrorism and that it would not derail Pakistan?s progress toward democracy. The chief election commissioner has confirmed that parliamentary and provincial assembly elections will be held on January 8, 2008. ?[Musharraf] has vowed to ?do his utmost? to end emergency rule before elections in January,? says United Kingdom Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Benazir Bhutto, the former Pakistani prime minister who favors democratic rule in Pakistan and who had hoped to be reelected in January, strongly opposes Musharraf?s recent course of action. She led hundreds of people in a demonstration outside Parliament on November 7. At a news conference, Bhutto encouraged the people of Pakistan to join the movement against Musharraf?s emergency rule. Since then, Bhutto has been placed under house arrest and authorities have barricaded her street.

Bhutto has urged western governments to pressure Musharraf to discontinue what Bhutto calls a ?military dictatorship.? The United States, Britain, France and other concerned nations have responded and are urging Musharraf to lift the emergency declaration and return to a constitutional government.

During a phone conversation with Musharraf, President George Bush said, ?The United States wants you to have the elections as scheduled, and I want you to take the uniform off.? The United States is Pakistan?s most important ally and the U.S. has not yet taken steps beyond criticizing Musharraf because anything more might disrupt the partnership with Pakistan in fighting Al Qaeda.

The United States is not the only ally whose support Pakistan stands to lose. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in agreement with the United States, also expressed his concern to Musharraf about the state of emergency. The Netherlands has put economic sanctions in place, freezing millions of dollars in financial aid that they had agreed to give to Pakistan. Britain has said that they are reviewing their aid to Pakistan and may withdraw their support if Musharraf continues to impose martial law. Also, the 53-nation Commonwealth suspended Pakistan from its group, calling the situation in Pakistan ?a serious violation of the Commonwealth?s fundamental political values.? This decision is an embarrassment but it does not carry any economic sanctions.

In recent days Musharraf’s regime has released more than 3,400 people who had been detained. In addition to stepping down from his army post, Musharraf has promised that elections will be held in January. Perhaps most importantly, he has promised to end emergency rule on December 16. Musharraf?s recent actions demonstrate that he is listening and responding to the Pakistani people and the international community. One can only hope that from here on, Musharraf can redeem himself and lead Pakistan toward democracy.

Sources and Further Reading:
US Aims to Restructure Aid to Pakistan (New York Times)
World reconsiders Pakistan aid (CNN)
Pakistan under martial law (CNN)

Alan Lightman mixes science and the supernatural

TOPH TUCKER ’08

On November 6, author and theoretical physicist Alan Lightman spoke at the Harvard Book Store. He was there to promote his new novel, Ghost, a tale of a banker who loses his job and is forced to take up a temporary job at a mortuary. When he sees something inexplicable one day, he is forced to confront the supernatural. Mr. Lightman read select passages from the book before taking questions and speaking about his inspiration and beliefs.

Alan Lightman brings a unique approach to the subject because of his background. In 1989, Lightman became the first professor at MIT to receive a joint appointment in both the sciences and humanities. As a scientist, he has made a number of important contributions to the field of astrophysics, including research on accretion disks, stellar dynamics, and relativistic plasmas. Today, however, he focuses primarily on his writing. When asked whether he misses science, he replied, “Oh, I miss it terribly,” but that “science is a young person’s game. After your 30s you’re past your peak as a scientist.”He contrasted this to writing, where experience is invaluable: “Any number of romances I have are not going to help me as a theoretical physicist.”

Lightman’s most famous work is his 1992 novel Einstein’s Dreams, which explores unconventional perceptions of time in the hypothetical context of Einstein’s visions. Ghost, while similar in that it mixes science with a more fantastic element, is very different in the concepts it explores. “I think people have a fascination with death,” he said. “In a funeral home, the boundary between death and living is vivid.” Lightman went on to speak in more general terms: “A lot of religious belief,” he said, “is supernatural. It’s in a being that can violate the laws of nature.” Lightman cited some fascinating statistics: according to one poll, 82 out of 100 people believe in miracles, and 83 out of 100 believe that something lives on after death.

Several attendees brought up the question of the inherent conflict between science and religion. “There are certain types of [belief] that are incompatible with science, but many gray areas,” he said. “A large fraction of scientists believe in God, but miracles are not allowed for almost all scientists.” Miracles, Lightman said, go against the most basic tenets of science—that there are underlying rules to the universe, and that those rules must be obeyed. “But,” he continued, “you can still believe in a god who got the universe started, and then stopped intervening.” Asked about arguing over the existence of something that could theoretically make itself undetectable, Lightman admitted that “a scientist can talk about the existence of God, but only as an ordinary citizen. It… lies outside the realm of science. Anything is possible. I’m not going to argue about that.”

Mr. Lightman acknowledged that science and religion have a lot in common—for one, that they are the two dominant forces that have shaped civilization. Furthermore, Lightman contended that both scientists and believers in the supernatural ultimately rely on faith—faith that nothing can dodge cause and effect, or faith that something can. The motivation behind both sides of the argument is the same: “the desire to have more control over the world. To me, that is the greatest irony.”

To hear someone like Mr. Lightman is enthralling—indeed, I found the question and answer segment to be far more interesting than the excerpts from Ghost. (Of course, it’s not a fair comparison, given that the excerpts were out-of-context, and that a book is naturally a more long-form medium.) He does not just deal in black and white, but looks at things from myriad new and unexpected perspectives. He is no fanatic; he approaches both sides of the debate logically and with a cool head. He does not fall into traditional all-or-nothing stereotypes, and is all the more persuasive for it.

Alan Lightman is a great physicist, a skilled writer, and a fascinating speaker. If his track record is any indication, Ghost—when given the time it deserves—will be another fascinating read.

Image from:
http://www.mit.edu/~humanistic/faculty/lightman.html

Why Facebook will rule the world—and why it won’t

TOPH TUCKER ‘08

Facebook is one of those sites that changed the internet—and Beaver—forever. It’s not even four years old, and it has only been open to high schools for two years. Yet in that time, it has become ubiquitous. Once it may have looked like a fad, a lightweight site letting friends share messages and photos. Now it stands at the brink of total world domination. Sort of.

In mid-May, 2007, Facebook unveiled the Facebook Platform. In doing so, it took a giant leap forward in becoming a major force on the internet. Facebook was now a platform just like Windows or your cell phone. It wasn’t merely an online application; it was a stage upon which any developer could build something new and exciting. This may have gone unnoticed by many longtime members, but suddenly, Facebook was gaining incredible popularity with tech-savvy adults beyond the student sector. In that sense at least, it was no longer a Xanga or MySpace. It was a Google.

Facebook has long looked like a prime acquisition target for companies like Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft. It made headlines in March 2006 by supposedly turning down a $750 million offer. At the time, that seemed generous; after all, MySpace (which dwarfed Facebook in user count, and still does) had sold for just $580 million. Facebook was reportedly holding out for a ridiculous-sounding $2 billion.

Things have changed. YouTube sold in October 2006 for $1.65 billion; suddenly MySpace seemed like a steal. Acquisition rumors continued, but founder Mark Zuckerberg wanted to keep the company independent. Still, speculation that Microsoft or Google would buy at least part of Facebook reached a new high last month. Sure enough, on October 24, the AP reported that Microsoft had landed a deal to buy 1.6% percent… for $240 million. (The deal also lets Microsoft serve all Facebook advertising worldwide.) Don’t feel like doing the math? All right: that values Facebook at $15 billion.

(Where’s the benefit to Microsoft? Many analysts saw this as a desperate move meant to just keep Facebook away from Google at all costs; one headline read, “Facebook Takes the Microsoft Money And Runs.” More on that later.)

The Facebook Platform was just the beginning. Armed with more cash than you or I would know what to do with, Facebook now wants to know everything you do.

And now, we move it to highly speculative territory.

All About The Ads

Google, it is often said, is not a web services company. It is an advertising company. Search, Gmail, Maps—it’s all just a way to keep your eyes on their ads. Advertising is how they make money.

“Making money,” once a staple of the business world, has been a tricky thing for some new internet companies. One might call it downright unimportant. In today’s climate, you can build something cool and make millions, even with negligible revenue and no monetization plan. People start businesses in the hopes of just selling out to Google. For a while, Facebook looked like it could be one of those companies. No longer. The fact that Microsoft only scooped up 1.6% is just further proof of that.

So how will Facebook make money? No, those $1 gifts won’t do it. It all comes down to advertising. And while traditional banner ads (like what Facebook currently runs) are all well and good, Facebook isn’t satisfied. Like Google, they know they have the chance to be an advertising platform unlike any other.

The key to attracting advertisers is information. Tons and tons of information. Google brought to the table unprecedented amounts of information. They know what you search for, what emails you get, what maps you look at. They can target ads extremely well, and thus sell ad space for much more money. They also provide invaluable information about the ads themselves: if people click on them, who clicks on them, when people click on them.

Now think about Facebook. Suddenly Google’s data about you seem trivial. The amazing thing about Facebook is that it merges reality and the internet. On Facebook, you’re not ILoveYoda235. You’re Toph Tucker. On Facebook, you don’t interact with whatever random Canadian happens to stumble upon your latest lip-synching video on YouTube. You interact with your real friends, from the real world.

And you share enormous amounts of information. Location, age, events, thoughts, photos, videos, favorite movies, and so on. Amazon.com is another site with fantastic information about you. Their product recommendations are eerily relevant already. Now imagine if everything could be brought together. According to one article, that’s what Facebook wants to do: unite their own information about you with information from various partners. Best ad network ever? You bet… and chances are, Microsoft’s in on it. (Incidentally, these items could also show up on your News Feed, if you let them—e.g., “Toph Tucker bought Transformers DVD at Amazon.com.” There’s also a chance that the plan could involve some form of revenue sharing with users.)

Now, don’t get paranoid. Facebook does its best to be enormously respectful of privacy. Take a nice long look at the Privacy page some time. What other web site gives you that level of control? With great power comes great responsibility; Facebook seems to take that to heart. As long as you pay close attention to those settings, you can make as much or as little information public as you want. So don’t think about this from your perspective. Make that page your best friend and don’t worry. Just think about this from Facebook’s perspective.

Checkmate?

Google, for one, has certainly given this plenty of thought. They are rarely beaten, and the fact that Microsoft got the Facebook deal was quite a surprise. They’re no dummies; they don’t want to be outmaneuvered.

So, six days after Facebook’s big deal with Microsoft, Google fought back with “OpenSocial.” The gist of it, in the context of this article, was that a dozen or so players in the social-networking field were teaming up on Facebook by coming up with a standardized system for developing applications and sharing data. Then, on November 1, MySpace joined the party, along with two other guys you don’t care about. Popular technology news site TechCrunch declared ‘checkmate.’

Suddenly, in a matter of days, Facebook seems to have gone from tech darling to social networking pariah. Association with Microsoft tends not to help your reputation in the blogosphere, and having Google so obviously target you is often the nail in the coffin.

But Facebook is resilient. Whatever deals Google makes with MySpace, the fact of the matter is that Facebook is now very firmly entrenched. It’s much harder to switch away from it than it would be to switch away from, say, Google, because there’s no easy way to transfer all your friends, photos, applications, message history, and so on. (With Gmail, at least you could archive your mail and export your contact list.) Facebook has the momentum.

(It’s also worth noting that the first OpenSocial application was hacked within 45 minutes.)

—and why it won’t.

So will Facebook rule the world? Will it know everything you do, and use that to target advertising like never before? Does it have the opportunity to unseat Google and control the entire internet?

Well, no. Not really. It’s a significant player to be sure, and it is certainly a threat Google (and anyone else that gets in its way). But these sorts of companies come and go. The only way to see how it’ll pan out is to wait.

Amazon.com, Google, MySpace, YouTube, Facebook—they’re all huge (especially Google + YouTube). But none of them rules the world. Indeed, Facebook has a long way to go before it even reaches the Amazon.com/Google level. It’s easy to forget that MySpace is still significantly larger, with 107 million unique visitors in September, compared to Facebook’s 73.5 million. Facebook has been gaining quickly, but OpenSocial very well might reverse that trend.

The next few weeks will probably say a lot about where all this is going. Facebook is poised to announce their advertising plans as early as Tuesday. The OpenSocial initiative is only just getting started, and it’s possible that Facebook itself could join at some point. If one thing seems clear, it’s that no one is even close to checkmate.

Update: 2 Dec. 2007

Sure enough, on November 7, Facebook launched a number of new features that more or less amounted to what was expected. It launched new advertising tools (though the ads only run on facebook.com, and Microsoft is uninvolved) and “Facebook Beacon,” which brings information from outside web sites into your News Feed. The features are taking a lot of heat–the ads for being cluttersome, and (even more so) Beacon for invading privacy.

Further reading:

TechCrunch
Facebook Takes the Microsoft Money And Runs.
Details Revealed: Google OpenSocial To Launch Thursday
Checkmate? MySpace, Bebo and SixApart To Join Google OpenSocial (confirmed)
First OpenSocial Application Hacked Within 45 Minutes
Facebook, Your Move
Facebook’s Social Ad Network: What We (Think We) Know So Far
Ok Here’s At Least Part Of What Facebook Is Announcing On Tuesday: Project Beacon

Other
Wikipedia: Facebook
AP: Microsoft Deal Values Facebook at $15B
allfacebook.com: Facebook Launching the Google Adsense Killer
Scobleizer: Back into the walled garden