The article to which I’m linking explains more about the issues Facebook had last week, which seemed to be about Facebook’s connect API that resulted in shutting down more than a few web sites. This article from Technorati explains it fairly well.

The said Facebook glitch apparently stemmed from the company’s Connect software, a system that lets outside websites sync with Facebook, so people can do things such as post “Likes” or comments back to friends, or log in using their Facebook identities.

The Facebook Connect problem had also apparently caused people logged in at Facebook who tried to visit websites synced to the Connect feature to be redirected to a Facebook error page.

I didn’t actually experience any issues myself, but I do use Facebook to connect with several web sites, like goodreads and some livejournal blogs. I think I use it to connect with Huff Po, too. But for me it’s not a huge issue because I spend as little time at goodreads as possible, and the only blog I’ve frequented regularly on livejournal was Elisa Rolle’s blog. But since Elisa moved, I rarely ever to to livejournal anymore. I’ve had a blog there for a long time and I probably should just delete it. The most traffic I ever get is spam. I just always figure it can’t hurt to keep the address with my name. So I leave it alone.

In any event, here’s more about the facebook issue here, at Business Insider.

It appears users who went to a site that used a Facebook button to let users log in redirected to a Facebook error page. The glitch went away if users logged out of Facebook.com.
We experienced the glitch with several major sites including Gawker, New York Times, CNN, and even Business Insider.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-connect-glitch-2013-2#ixzz2KWmn7tXO

Facebook issued a statement later, which you can read more about at the link above. They basically just blew it off as something insignificant. For all we know, it may have been nothing important. But I have seen a few bloggers shouting to the heavens about how dangerous something like this could be. Of course I wouldn’t take any of them very seriously because their rants sound a little too high strung. But it is interesting that Facebook does have the power to shut the web down in such large numbers, with such large web sites, even for a short amount of time. And I will start to rethink how I sign in to other web sites next time I’m offered the option of just signing in with Facebook. I always did it to save time. But nowadays I don’t think it hurts to be too safe.

And if you don’t know this by now, listen carefully. Never click a link on facebook unless you are 100% certain it’s safe. Links to blog posts, and links to reputable web sites seem safe, and most of the time they are. But I have heard of people clicking links to things like “Win a Free iPad,” and they’ve had to pay hundreds of dollars to fix their computers. Tech help is not cheap.

Freedom To Marry

For those who are not on the Freedom to Marry e-mail list, I try to post about these things just to pass the information on. It’s an important organization with regard to same sex marriage, and they are working hard to change the world.

From my inbox:

2013 is shaping up to be another groundbreaking year for the freedom to marry. Marriage bills are being considered in multiple states, and next month, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear two marriage cases.

That’s why Freedom to Marry is working to raise and invest at least $2 million dollars through our Win More States Fund in battleground states – including Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.

No matter where you live, we all have a stake in winning these battles to set the stage for winning marriage nationwide. Winning in as many of these states as possible will clearly show the rapidly growing momentum for ending marriage discrimination once and for all.

Ryan, will you join us in helping to win these critical marriage battles by making a donation to Freedom to Marry’s Win More States Fund today?

http://freedomtomarry.org/winmorestates

Every dollar raised through the Win More States Fund will be channeled strategically into these critical campaigns where and when they are needed the most, supporting grassroots organizing, television and radio spots, new media programs, lobbying, and more.

Freedom to Marry is embedded in each of the campaigns, putting staff and resources on the front lines to do the critical work necessary to win. As we reach out to you now, Freedom to Marry has already raised $800,000 toward our initial $2 million goal.