From an interesting thoughtpiece from Scott Karp at Publishing 2.0, where he compares strengths and weaknesses of Google vs. Facebook, the latter interpreted as a closed environment. Here’s a review (direct quote) of the main arguments, with the scary part being what you sign away using Facebook:

Scott Karp:

* Google is a gateway to the WHOLE web, while Facebook is a gateway to what’s inside Facebook

* Most people probably assume that if they can’t find something in Google, then it doesn’t exist online

* A teenager’s friends may ALL be on Facebook, but EVERYONE who uses the internet (including those teenagers) has an email address

* Your email belongs to you, but Facebook messages belong to Facebook

From the Facebook terms of service:

“When you post User Content to the Site, you authorize and direct us to make such copies thereof as we deem necessary in order to facilitate the posting and storage of the User Content on the Site. By posting User Content to any part of the Site, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to the Company an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, excerpt (in whole or in part) and distribute such User Content for any purpose, commercial, advertising, or otherwise, on or in connection with the Site or the promotion thereof, to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such User Content, and to grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing.”

* Email delivery generally is not dependent on a single service (although a given address may be dependent on a single email server), while delivery of Twitter direct messages and Facebook messages is dependent entirely and exclusively on those services