My experiment in Facebook whitewalling - where I delete my account every time I log off

** Update 26 Nov: after two days of trying this I have updated my post. See the bottom of the post for my experiences **

A new way of using Facebook is emerging, mainly amongst teens. It's called whitewalling, and it is when users are concerned about the content posted on to the web about them without their control. With whitewalling, the user deletes all messages, wall posts and comments once they have been read. There is literally no trace of them. 

Many whitewallers actually delete their entire Facebook account when logging off and then reactivate it when logging on next.

This means: 

• No photos, comments or messages appear when the user is offline (think about the impact on offline messaging - ie email - being killed off completely)
• No history of activity, so nothing to see when looking up discussions, activity, photos and chatter (think about the impact on how organisations use the web to research and understand consumer trends)
• Total control and reassurance that nothing nasty will appear online (for people who live their lives online, this is a huge reassurance)
• Users cannot even be found when not online. Their online identity does not exist if they are offline

I brought this trend up with a client earlier this week and they were fascinated at the potential future impact of this trend on the communications function. And now I am too. So I am starting an experiment in whitewalling myself. 

I have a new Facebook account, and will be adding the kind of friends to it that I have not been connected to with my main Facebook account in the past - namely the kind of people I do connect with on Twitter and Linkedin. Friend me if you like - my whitewalling Facebook account is here. Here's what it looks like: 

Every time I log off I will delete the account. When I log back on, I'll reactivate. And through the day, I will delete things as they appear. 

I'll let you know how this goes, to see if the effort is worth it and how it changes things. 

Update 1: 

After two days of whitewalling, here are my observations. 

1. This is really easy. Deactivating when you log off requires 20 seconds extra. And reactivating takes no time at all. It's the same as logging on. This is nothing for a teen who wants to ensure comments amongst friends don't get in front of the parent / teacher / snooper or stalker / wrong friends / enemies / etc. Everyone they know is on Facebook. Or for the worker who wants to keep their personal and work lives manageable. For the whitewaller, Facebook is essential. Everyone they know uses Facebook, and this is their way of managing security and privacy in a way that Facebook does not facilitate. 
2. Deactivating your account does not delete your friends or any content. This all springs back into place when you reactivate. 
3. I'm finding from my new friends that I didn't used to be friends with (I've added them since my experiment) that a LOT of people mix work with pleasure on Facebook. I don't. I share family photos, suffer the embarassment of bad photos, etc. But almost no work-related connections on there. People who share everything however seem to be the people that get whitewalling the quickest. Those that don't get it tend to be people who do not rely on Facebook at all, or those who have a well-managed friend group.
4. Broadly speaking, I'm surprised at how simple this is and how good this feels to keep the wall clean, keep my inbox empty and keep my security online. If there's demand from people to do this then social networks must cater for it or suffer. And organisations need to adapt to the white wall of user generated content (or lack thereof). 

Update 2: 

How to whitewall for yourself. Instead of logging off, do the following: 

1. Click on Account / Settings
2. Click on Deactivate Account (you'll be presented with four photos of friends who will miss you!)
3. Select a reason then click confirm
4. Type password and confirm with the on-screen code

To re-activate: just log on. It all comes back!

Comments

[Psigrist]

Hi Drew - I love the pioneering spirit! But I wonder what you may discover with this experiment. The concept of whitewalling seems very straightforward, and I'd worry that you'll lose off-Facebook benefits like quick logging-in and (particularly as I like movies) seeing what my friends have liked on Rotten Tomatoes. But I look forward to hearing about your experience, particularly if you discover unexpected benefits such as your friends actually asking what you've been up to next time they see you!

[Anna]

Fascinating, I'll be interested to find out how you get on with this.

[S]

I just don't see the point. People just need to start learning how to use the privacy settings correctly.

[scot]

Drew thanks for posting - love stuff like this.

Mark, I agree that it does seem to add time to accessing Facebook, but I don't know whether the extra time is much of an issue for teens.

Certainly, erasing negative comments about you/you've posted about teachers, family etc might be a bigger priority.

Or deleting any trace of involvement in protests.

Think teens use facebook a little bit differently than late 20/30 somethings. More of a 'message to all' scenario, in conjunction with free IMing on Blackberry.

Perhaps leaving a diary-like trail isn't so important.

Interested to see results of your experience, Drew.

[Paulmwatson]

It is an interesting technique. If it grows in usage though I can see Facebook either making it harder to deactivate (turning a 20 second activity into a 5 minute one should be enough to stop all but the most ardent) or change deactivation into deletion, forcing you to reregister instead of just relogin.