Sometimes you get a press release you just can't ignore, no matter how much your instincts tell you to hit the delete key and move on. So it happened this morning, when I got an email hawking a new social network called Playboy U. (Yes, that Playboy, the enterprise started by a certain pipe-smoking octogenarian who has dedicated his life to boosting the popularity of silicone.)
Stop salivating. Not only does the site prohibit nudity, it also discourages “high schoolers, old dudes, and your mom” from joining; only college .edu email addresses are accepted. (And, really, Playboy without nudity is like a cheeseburger without the burger.)
Apparently Playboy U is banking on droves of college students abandoning Facebook now that their parents can join. To quote from the email:
College students everywhere felt over-exposed when the popular site, Facebook, opened their pages to the public. Parents were signing on to spy on their children, perspective [sic] employers were going above and beyond the interview to decide on which employee to hire and students' pictures, comments and lives were viewable to online predators..... Unlike other social networks, Playboy U is not looking to capture the world's intrigue, just the students, and these modest goals let students feel their privacy will remain intact, no matter how popular it gets.
There are just two problems with this statement (not counting grammar and punctuation). One is, that's not really how Facebook works. Strangers outside your personal network can access very little information about you.
Playboy U., on the other hand, will gather up your name, location, school, email address, friends' email addresses, messages, and other sordid details you post on its network and happily share them with third-party marketers. At least, that's what its privacy policy says:
In some cases, we will share information we collect (including personal information or anonymous demographic information) with third party companies who may offer products or services in which we believe you may be interested. We also share this information with third parties with whom we partner to co-promote and administer sweepstakes and contests on Playboy U.
In other words, the pix may not be naked, but you will be. (Or you would be, if you could sign up.)
Oh great and all-powerful Hef, why hast thou forsaken us?
Do you belong to a social network? Nominate your favorites below or email them to me here (but unless you look like Kara Monaco, please keep the nude photos to yourselves). Top tipsters qualify for cool swag.