No body wants their activities tracked and tailed, let alone without our consent and secretly. This is what Facebook is doing to all its members, your online activities are tracked by this social networking site system trough cookies stored in your web browser.

All your browsing history and your location are traced, and this tracking cookies is happening to us whether we are logged in or logged out. So whenever you visit another web sites, that have FB social applications enabled, such as Like buttons to Open Graph app, Facebook will identify the browser is you are, not an anonymous user, tracking your activities.

And if you are logged-out, you are still not saved, because Facebook merely alters its tracking cookies system, NOT deleting them. So, your account info and other unique identifiable tokens are still present in these cookies to be tracked.

And you know what? The cookies is set to never expire, so Facebook stores your data for good (source: LifeHacker).

And the purpose of this is of course to sell the collected tracking data to advertiser in other for the relevant ads. Fortunately we can do something to deal with this inconvenient situation by stopping Facebook from tracking your browsing activity and gives your privacy a proportional protection. Last but not least, keep your browsing habit only to yourself.

And in this post I share number of web browser extensions and a mobile phone app to stop Facebook tracking your online activity and protecting your privacy.

Web browser extensions to block Facebook cookies-tracking:

1. Facebook Privacy List for Adblock Plus originally created to block Ad, however this extension can also block Facebook plugins including Like button. Install it for Firefox or Chrome.

2. Facebook Disconnect for Chrome. If you visit any website that has Facebook plugins such as Like button, those Facebook plugins will then track your data and subsequently notify Facebook about your browsing activity, and this what the extension is all about, to disconnect the communication and stop Facebook for being notified. The job can be done, even you are logged into Facebook.

So turn off of your data to them. And the Facebook Disconnect has amazing feature, is a switch on/off, that means you can enable the extension while browsing the internet and then disable it afterward.

3. Disconnect for Chrome and Firefox, in overall this new tool has similar ability with the other two, however this Disconnecting-tracking extension is not limited to Facebook disconnection, it also blocks tracking cookies from another web sites like Twitter, Google, Digg, Yahoo. Of course the intention is obvious is for users privacy concern.

4. Cookie Monster this handy Firefox extension will give a proactive cookie management on a site or domain level basis, 3rd party cookies included. You can instantly access to enhance the cookie functionality from the status bar of this extension.

5. Facebook Blocker. It is an browser extension to simply stopping all the Facebook social plugins such as Like buttons or Recommended list, from appearing on your browsing and disabling those FB scripts from logging your browser history. This extension supports the following browsers:

• 1. Safari 5.
• 2. Chrome.
• 3. Firefox 3+
• 4. Opera 11.

Mobile phone app to block Facebook cookies-tracking:

•  Tinfoil for Facebook .If you don’t want Facebook mess with your privacy and browsing activity, then put this social networking into sandbox while browsing using your Android-powered phone.

Hope this post helps you to protect your browsing history and blocking FB from tracking your online activities.

So you already have a Google Plus account and so far feeling good about what you’ve found and played, however there is something within yourself keep dragging you back to Facebook, that’s a normal situation, since it’s been years you are attached with it willingly or unwillingly.

If that is you are experiencing right now, I have a solution (or may be make a situation worse for your future decision to Google Plus) to cure your Facebook environment homesickness, simply go back to Facebook OR bring Facebook interface to your Google Plus page.

Yes you can glue Facebook to Google PLus, wait it is not synchronizing purpose, but installing Facebook-like design to your Google Plus, exactly like this one:

Yes that’s Google Plus, and want to have it’s set to your page? Then you need a browser app namely UserStylish (visit the page here). And it’s supporting Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, once you have it installed to your browser, then load your Google Plus Page and see the magic it brings to your page.

Remember it is a browser app, it appears to browser you use ONLY. Do you like it?

And go to the page if you want to create Google Plus badge and page.

See you in the next posts.

Why use Google plus anyway? When we have Facebook, and other similar networking medias? The answer is totally depends on what kind a person you are and what do you need from a social network. Those names basically brings a similar utility — is connecting people for their own benefit — however, in the process it’s not that simple.

I am not using social networking site simply to tell my friends what breakfast I ate this morning, or my 1 years old nephew is able call my name. That’s not my jag, at least sharing the so-called trivial updates is not my particular concern — in fact I personally don’t like Facebook because is full of uselessness and the greatest time-waster there has ever been.

Therefore I’d rather to stick in Facebook page rather than my profile page, to be engaging with all people who liked my Facebook page.

So now back to the first question? Why do we need Google Plus, what it’s offering to make it’s worth a try or hooked on it?

Google+ is more about encouraging its users to build the intellectual discussions among the people with similar like, to share ideas and content, and this is easily achieved with Circles. For internet marketers and bloggers, the circles is your wish comes true and Google plus is more accommodating for branding yourself and SEO speaking, it’s included factor to rank your site.

And as for privacy, I know it’s internet, you guard your own pricay, however it would be generous if the social network takes this one seriously? That’s what Google PLus offers.

Google plus provides environments for their users to pushes the constructive dialogues up — not life events, let alone updating your no body cares activities. And Google Plus is less spams media so far, I rarely see a short sentences which simply saying “Nice one!”, which will make the updates look inferior.

Verdicts to use Google PLus or Facebook:

Well here is a quotation from Google Plus sound engineer from Trinidad, Giles Pettipher, I consider the most presented to differs between Facebook and Google+:

“Facebook and Google are two completely different things for me,”. “Facebook is a way to interact with friends and family. Google+ is a way of finding fascinating content I’m interested in very, very, easily, that I wouldn’t even have thought to go looking for.”

Or if can short the quotation to be simpler is: Mind numbing (Facebook) vs intellectu­al stimulatio­n (Google PLus). Also read this post: 5 Google plus features facebook should have will make you see why Google Plus is superior on those aspects than Facebook.

If that so, I go with Google Plus. Have registered yet? You have not, then head to Google Plus and create Google Plus badge and page.

Credit picture: Firm Media.

For Windows Phone 7.5 owner now you can use your own voice to do all activities you use to do using your fingers, yes you can now update your status using your voice and also sending your text messages. Not just that, with this latest feature from WP 7.5 you can also compose and listen to voice.

To active this feature you are required to do a little bit of setup but of course it’s worth it. First thing to start is setting a feature called Facebook Mobile as a connector between your phone and Facebook. Turn on your computer then and do all the steps explained on the Youtube video tutorial below here:

Once you’ve done following all the easy steps elaborated on the video, you can update your FB status from your Windows Phone using your voice and also wall posts, notifications of friend requests, your friends status updates, searching phone numbers. Not just that, with Facebook Mobile you can also upload videos and photos from your mobile phone.

Do you want to activate Facebook video calling feature to give you an ability to make a video call with your Facebook listed friends? Great, so here is the tutorial to do so. Anyway once this feature is activated you don’t need to use the old Facebook chat bar anymore, but of course as long your friend answer your video call.

How to activate Facebook video calling

1. Log-in to your Facebook account after that visit this link: http://www.facebook.com/videocalling, then click Get Started button.

Now you’ll see the video call button both on your friend profile pages and on their names on chat box.

2. Before you can make a video call with your friend, you need to firstly do one thing is setting up the call, this act is one-time. So do so!

3. In the setting up process, you’re going to need to save the video call plugin, then run the downloaded file, once it’s done you can enjoy the video calling!

When you have done the above steps to activate the Facebook video calling, now you can call any of your friends in Facebook. And each time you want to make a video calling with your friend, you need to click the video call button again — like this:

Hope this post useful and helpful!

You might be mad at the latest Facebook Chat Bar which is supposed to increase chatting experience with its additional features such as Video calling based on Skype to present you the unexpected surprise! But, the surprise has turned into problem, because the video calling feature requires special chat bar.

The effect of this newly Facebook chat bar is; we will see the list of those who we chat most or recently interacted friends. In the reality, we want to see the our entire online friends, not just few of them. Because the old chat bar version made us connected more with friends than the current version.

So currently each time you log-into your FB account you will see the following image (the chat bar) on the right side of your monitor’s screen.

You are offered to try as the blue buttom says “Try It Now”, Ok let’s try! But no way back, it’s a one way ticket, we can’t switch back to the old chat bar model. It’s a trap! If you find that you don’t like the newly chat bar, means pitty you!

Now you don’t know whether your friends are online, because the bar only shows ones you chat most or recently interacted with. It ignores the rest of your might be hundreds or thousands friends.

No worry, because you can switch back to the old and friendly Facebook chat bar. You can utilize the add-on for your browsers, namely FB Chat Sidebar Disabler. This add-on currently supports three most-used browsers, such as Mozilla, Google Chrome and Opera.

You can install the Chat Sidebar Disabler add-on based on your used browser:

• Mozilla Firefox, clik this.
• Google Chrome, clik this.
• Opera, clik this.

Once the add-on installed on your browser, log-in to your FB account and then activate the old-style chat. See this image:

The result of the FB Chat Sidebar Disabler is amazing, yet the process ain’t painful at all. Now your misery of having the unpleasant chat bar have gone. C ya again!

Are you a type of Facebook and Windows mobile user who doesn’t want to be far away from Facebook social life? There is a new version of XDAFacebook app for you, which already on version beta 4.5. In this latest version, beside sharing your status and pictures, you can share your location worldwide too with the so-called, Places/Checkings.

XDAFacebook utilizes GPS features of your phones to share your current coordinates to your Facebook friends. To help you get the bigger picture on what this app does, the app developer describes; “Try to think about the regular Facebook app and Google Latitude having son”

To find more about XDAFacebook app for Windows Mobile, please proceed to this link.

Previously my blog has promoted Facebook 3.3.3 app for iPhone & iPod touch, the application was updated with better notification UI. However users found it’s hard to upload images to share on Facebook; we know that uploading and sharing pictures are popular activities on Facebook, therefore you can try Video/Photo Uploader for Facebook app.

You can instantly upload your videos and photos to Facebook via your iPhone. Then share them with all of your Facebook friends. There is geotagging feature too to capture your location data. You can also modify your color photos, by make them black or white. There is DoodlPro, you know a fun app which allows you to draw using fingers and face detection.

The current version of Video/Photo Uploader for Facebook app is 1.3 now and these what new:

• ✓ Add location info to Photos. ✓ Optimize for iPhone 4 – Retina display.
  FREE BONUS apps
• ✓ Birthday Reminder with virtual gifts

Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.1.3 or later

To get the Video/Photo Uploader for Facebook visit iTunes and prepare $0.99.  I hope there will be Android version for this app soon, just like Facebook for Android App.

Facebook has re-updated their iPhone app again, Facebook 3.3.3 version, like the previous updates. This time to brings fixes for number of bugs found on the earlier version, fixed memory usage and the better notification UI. But unfortunately, something important that seems to be forgotten by the app developer, is tagging to wall posts and status.

And also some users reported that the Like button seems doesn’t work and other found it’s hard to upload pictures. This app can be found in iTunes, and supports with iPad, iPhone and iPod touch on iOS 3.0 or higher. And it’s a free app.

Facebook is finally launched and unveiled what they have prepared for us, the FB users, the new messages that includes; text, chat and email altogether in one single system. Albeit, Zuckenberg keep saying their new feature is not email, but the functionality of this service similar with the general emails have, except the FB version does not have CC or BCC on the subject form – simply clicking the “enter” then your message is sent right away.

Speaking of “not email” claim from Facebook, you can have your username as the address for your account in this new feature, like yourusername@facebook.com which makes it harder to claim this service is not email. But wait up, it is just a messaging system that includes email as one part of it.

Unfortunately the service is not open for the 500 millions Facebook members yet, you need to request for the invitation first to use it. But don’t worry, it will be rolled out for public in the next few months. So Facebook has answered the circulating question on is Facebook going to launch Gmail-Killer that I posted earlier. And will you leave Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo! and migrate to @Facebook.com?