iYair Landau is the former president of Sony Pictures Digital and the director of a new animated short opening today called "Live Music." We asked Landau to share the story behind Live Music's creation as the first production from a href="http://www.facebook.com/massanimation"Mass Animation,/a a worldwide crowdsourcing of animation on Facebook done in partnership with Intel, Dell, Autodesk and Reel FX Entertainment./i br /
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When moviegoers sit down in select theaters tonight to see the opening of the new animated feature "Planet 51," they first will be greeted with a 5-minute, computer-animated short that resulted from the collaboration on Facebook of 58,000 people from 101 countries. Set in a musical instrument shop, the short "Live Music " tells the story of Riff, a rock 'n' roll guitar, who falls in love to the wrong song but ends up with Vanessa, the classical violin of his dreams. br /
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What makes this short unique is that it is the first result from an ambitious project called a href="http://www.facebook.com/massanimation"Mass Animation/a to collaboratively create animation on Facebook. Started in August 2008, Mass Animation enabled animators from around the globe to join the creative process from anywhere. They could animate with tools and models provided through Mass Animation, submit and view them through an application on Facebook and vote on the best animated shots. In the end, 51 animators' shots were selected for inclusion in "Live Music." br /
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As someone who's been involved in moviemaking for 19 years, I was passionate about Mass Animation because I realized it could open the animation process to a wider array of creative people. The premiere of "Live Music" marks a milestone for animated film because it shows that you can have an impact on the creative process no matter where you live in the world. Social media-and specifically Facebook in this project-enabled us to connect with animators we never would have reached before. br /
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As participating animator Cyrus Cords put it, "In the middle of Minnesota opportunities like this don't happen." br /
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The selected animators hailed form 17 different countries-ranging from Australia, Brazil and Russia to India, Kazakhstan and the U.S. -were between the ages of 14 and 48, and were composed of over 20 percent women. br /
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Animator Gregory Naud of Belgium said he found the experience motivating. "It's cool to be part of a big international project," he said. "For those who don't have the chance to work in USA, for example, it was a great opportunity." br /
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I hope you'll be as inspired by the short as we were in creating it through mass collaboration on Facebook. Take your own peak behind-the-scenes of its production by checking out the a href="http://www.facebook.com/massanimation"Mass Animation Facebook Page/a and watching the video below. Don't forget to download "Live Music" today from iTunes and for your mobile from a href="http://www.myxer.com"Myxer/a to watch the full short.br /
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iYair is stoked about the release of "Live Music" and grateful to all the talented people who made it happen./i br /
img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/FacebookBlog/~4/4NHqR2rZm6g" height="1" width="1"/

On Nov. 5, we wrapped up a week-long notice and comment period for a proposed revision to our privacy policy. This was a continuation of our ongoing effort to run Facebook in an open and transparent way. The goals of the revised policy were to make it more accessible and easier to understand.



We've spent the last week reviewing each and every one of your comments. While a lot of people participated, the total number of people commenting did not reach the threshold of 7,000 that makes a vote necessary according to our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. Because of this -- and the fact that many of the comments were positive -- we've decided to adopt the revised policy. We'll be posting it in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish soon.



In the coming weeks and months, we plan to build on the progress we've already made in making the document more accessible by also adding definitions of key terms, screen shots of important pages and informational "learn more" videos. We think these visual resources will make it even easier to understand how privacy works on Facebook.



We received excellent feedback from many of you over the course of the week, and the number of fans for the Facebook Site Governance Page more than doubled. Overall, you supported the proposed changes. For example:

• Most of you liked that we removed more complicated technical and legal terms and replaced them with simpler language that everyone can understand.



• You preferred the structure of the new document, which provides key points at the beginning and easy links to jump to the different sections.



• A few of you asked for a redline version so you could compare the proposed revision to our current policy and see exactly what's changed. We weren't able to provide one this time because the policy was completely rewritten, but we think it's a great idea and are committed to doing it for future proposed changes to our governing documents.

Games are more fun when played with friends, which is why they are among the most popular activities on Facebook. We're excited that beginning today the social game experience is coming to Xbox Live, so now you can play Xbox games with your Facebook friends.







More and more services are integrating with Facebook to make it easy for you to connect with friends wherever you are -- including websites like Digg, devices like the iPhone and desktop applications like iPhoto.



The Xbox Facebook integration allows you to take part in some of the most popular activities on Facebook directly from your living room on your television. With Facebook for Xbox, you can update your status, browse updates from your friends and view photos on the big screen. You also can link your Facebook profile to your Xbox Gamertag to find your Facebook friends and connect with them on Xbox Live. It's never been easier to discover friends you never even knew played Xbox.







Keep in mind that Xbox will respect the privacy you set on Facebook, so you can control who sees your activity. The new Facebook for Xbox can be added to your Xbox 360 through a system update now.



As social gaming continues to grow, we look forward to people playing games with their friends on consoles, mobile phones, the Web and their desktops.





Gareth is on his Xbox viewing recent photos and playing games with his Facebook friends, all from his television.

In October, we called attention to National Crime Prevention Month in the United States to raise awareness about cyberbullying. This week is National Anti-Bullying Week in the United Kingdom, and we've teamed up with media outlets BBC Radio 1, BBC 1Xtra, and other sites like Bebo, Habbo, MSN, MySpace and YouTube to address this important issue again. While only a small fraction of people will ever experience abusive behavior on Facebook, we're committed to promoting an environment where everyone can connect and share comfortably.



For more information on how to handle bullies, check out the BBC's new Facebook Page and website. You can show your support for the "bullyproof" movement and receive a free badge to post on your Wall or send to a friend.



We want to ensure that people understand how to address cyberbullying if it occurs on Facebook, so here are some useful tips from our Help Center:



Accept Friend Requests from People You Know

In order to prevent harassment from strangers, be careful to accept friend requests only from people you know in real life and remember to report any messages or profiles that look suspicious. Facebook is based on a real-name culture, and fake profiles are regularly disabled when they're reported to us. Only confirmed friends can post to your Wall or contact you via Facebook Chat, so if you're worried that someone will make inappropriate posts or send offensive messages, just ignore that person's friend request.



Use the Block Feature

A block prevents specific people from viewing your profile. When you use this feature, any ties you currently have with them will be broken, and they won't be able to contact you through Facebook. You can block another user by listing his or her name in the "Block People" box at the bottom of your Privacy Settings page.



Report Abusive Behavior

The most efficient way to report abuse is to do it in the same place it occurs on Facebook. For example, if you receive a harassing message in your Inbox from someone who is not your Facebook friend, you can report it by clicking on the "Report" link next to the sender's name as you are reading the message. If you receive an harassing message from a Facebook friend, you should remove that person as a friend and report the message. Reporting a message will automatically add the sender to your Block list. You can also use the "Report/Block person" link that appears at the bottom of the abusive user's profile. Reports are confidential and the user being reported does not know about the report. After a report is submitted, we will investigate the issue and make a determination as to whether or not the content should remain on the site based on our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.



Customize Your Privacy Settings

Facebook offers granular privacy settings that allow you to customize what information you share and with whom. By customizing the settings on the Privacy Settings page, you can control who views your information, dictate who can find you in searches, and see your Wall, profile and photos, among other things.



Respond to Abusers in the Right Way

Cyberbullies often seek a reaction from the people they harass. When they fail to get one, they often will give up. Rather than respond to a bully via an Inbox message, a Wall post or Facebook Chat, you can delete offensive posts from your Wall or messages from your Inbox and then use the Block or Report functions to resolve the issue. To delete an offensive Wall post, select the "Remove" button that appears in the upper right-hand corner. To delete a message from Inbox, simply click the "Delete" button at the top of the message. Only confirmed friends can post to your Wall or send you a message through Chat. If you are receiving posts and Chat messages you don't like, you should consider removing the sender from your friends list.



Protecting our users is a top priority for Facebook, and we're proud to be a part of this year's Anti-Bullying Week efforts in the UK.





Richard, Facebook's European Director of Public Policy, is a fan of the BBC bullyproof Page on Facebook.

Liz Perle is the Editor-in-Chief of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to improving the media and entertainment lives of kids and families. The organization believes that parents should have a choice and a voice about the media their kids consume. We've asked Liz to share some common sense tips for parents as they navigate technology and the web with their kids.





Where do kids learn about good online behavior? From each other, perhaps. Maybe from a teacher. But parents have a big role to play in making sure their kids use the incredible technologies at their fingertips in responsible ways. For parents, that means not only talking the talk, but walking the walk.



It's really up to parents to explain the basics of online safety and stress the importance of guarding privacy in a world where something shared with one friend online can quickly spread to a vast audience of many others. Parents should be sure their kids understand that anything and everything that people post online can be altered, copied, pasted and sent around to a gazillion friends of friends in an instant.



It's a parent's job to make sure kids understand that everything they do online leaves a "digital footprint" -- the idea that once something is shared online, it's really almost impossible to take it back. Just ask my son about the Halloween photo of him that he thought was so funny in 8th grade. Two years later, it's resurfaced. Let's just say it's not doing much for his dating life.



But what about the parent's side of the equation? Kids learn from their parents, not just from what their parents say but also from what they do. It turns out that parents have as much to do with their kids' online behaviors as their kids do.



At Common Sense Media, we're dedicated to helping kids and families get the most out the powerful digital technologies that run through the center of our lives. Some of this involves helping kids learn responsible behavior, but kids are only half the story. Parents also have some "Rules of the Road" they should be following:

1. Model good behavior. If you're on your phones at dinner or during family events, why should your kids listen to you when you tell them to turn their phones off?



2. Pay attention. Know what your kids are doing online. For instance, talk to your kids about whether or not they're comfortable letting you "friend" them on social networks -- many will be.



3. Impart your values. Right and wrong extends to all areas of life, whether it's online or through a mobile device. Cheating, lying, being cruel -- they're all non-starters, no matter where you are.



4. Establish limits. There's really a right time and place for everything. Set guidelines for when it's acceptable to use the phone, download videos and surf the web.



5. Encourage balance. The Internet opens doors to new worlds. Encourage your kids to explore their own offline world as well, particularly when there is no cell phone or Internet service available.



6. Make kids accountable. Let your kids know that having access to technology is a privilege. Let's make sure they earn it.



7. Explain what's at stake. Let them know that what might seem acceptable today can be embarrassing tomorrow.



8. Do your homework. Get familiar with the websites and services your kids use and the type of content they're downloading. Armed with knowledge, you can find ways to use technology to say "yes" more often.



9. Don't be techno-phobic. Don't be afraid of technology. Learn to text, send a mobile photo, set up a Facebook profile, upload a video. Or have your kids show you how. It's impossible to guide what you don't understand. Not only that, but think of all the anxiety you can avoid by knowing how things work.



10. Lighten up, embrace their world and enjoy the possibilities together. No parents want a digital divide in their relationships with their kids. It's up to you to join the fun and help your kids seize the potential.

The following is part of our series on different ways you can use Facebook to connect with public figures and organizations around the world. Read the previous blog post in this series here.





From reality television to prime-time dramas, I admit it, I can be a bit television-obsessed. I often find myself spending an evening after a long day's work catching up on my favorite television shows. Unfortunately, a busy schedule can prevent even the most devoted fan from catching key plot lines and dramatic twists. Luckily, I can keep up to date on my favorite shows with my friends on Facebook, so I never miss a beat.



Watching Online



Every September, there are a dozen new television shows that I want to check out, but I only have so much time to tune in each night. One of my favorite websites, Hulu, streams TV shows directly on its Facebook Page using the application Watch Now. This way, I can watch full episodes of the hottest fall shows whenever I want, including "House," one of my favorite medical dramas on Fox. My friends can see how far along I am in the current season of diagnostic mysteries when I share the episode to my Facebook profile.



I also am discovering funny clips that I've missed thanks to my friends. I first heard of the popular joke from NBC's workplace comedy "The Office" about a social networking site called "Book Face" because a colleague shared the Hulu clip on his profile.



Teasers



Sometimes the best part of my day is when one of my favorite shows posts a new teaser for an upcoming episode on their Facebook Page. "Gossip Girl," the CW drama about young Manhattan elites, airs on Monday nights and then posts video and photo previews for upcoming episodes on Tuesdays. The week of waiting to watch the next episode of gossip among Serena, Nate, Chuck and Blair is more bearable when I can see fashions from "Gossip Girl" shared directly on my home page in the meantime.







Wednesdays are equally interesting when the Fox musical comedy "Glee" posts clips from the night's upcoming episode paired with introductions from all of my favorite cast members. Sometimes the show even includes clips of its ever-popular musical numbers like this rendition of "Keep Holding On."



Then there are times when my friends share their favorite TV shows with me on Facebook. For instance, one friend posted that she had seen the future in the "FlashForward Experience." It piqued my curiosity, and when I visited the show's Facebook Page, I was directed to a Facebook Connect-enabled website where I was suddenly immersed in the ABC show's trailer. The site uses the viewer's Facebook photos to create an individualized video after that viewer grants permission . The trailer asks, "Where were you on September 24?" I am definitely looking forward to the answer when I tune into the new science-fiction series.



New Favorites



Although my television schedule is busy with old favorites, I always have room for a new show. Those can be the most surprising. Several of my friends became a fan of the Travel Channel's competitive eating show, "Man v. Food," through an ad they saw on Facebook with the challenge, "5 lb burger, 4 peppers, 25 min." This, I had to see for myself.



I've also seen friends become fans of the new ABC sitcom "Modern Family." The show highlights its "Favorite Modern Moments" in a photo album on its Facebook Page. I laughed out loud at this photo and immediately tuned in through the ABC.com link I found on Facebook.







Annie, an associate on Facebook's communications team, can't wait to see tomorrow's TV line-up on Facebook today.

UPDATE on Thursday, Nov. 5: The comment period for the proposed privacy policy is now complete. While the total number of comments did not reach the threshold to hold a vote, we did receive a lot of good feedback. In the coming days, we'll be reading your comments more closely, and we'll keep you informed on our next steps through status updates from the Facebook Site Governance Page. Thank you all for your participation.



UPDATE on Monday, Nov. 2: The proposed privacy policy now includes the TRUSTe certification seal, which reflects TRUSTe's approval of the policy. Please comment on the proposed policy here by 12:00 p.m. PST on Nov. 5.





Starting today, Facebook's privacy policy is available for your review and comment. This is the next step in our ongoing effort to run Facebook in an open and transparent way. In April, we launched a new system of governance for the Facebook site and became the first company to our knowledge that invites users to both comment and vote on proposed changes to its governing policies.



At the time, we also introduced a new policy document -- our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. This document avoids the legal jargon that most sites typically put in their "terms of service." It articulates the mutual relationship and shared obligations between Facebook and its users as clearly and plainly as possible. We received excellent feedback from many of you over the course of a two-week comment period.



We now are doing the same with our privacy policy. Our primary goals remain transparency and readability, which is why we've used plain language and included numerous examples to help illustrate our points. For example, here is how we explain users' options for modifying or deleting information or content in the current privacy policy on the site:

When you update information, we usually keep a backup copy of the prior version for a reasonable period of time to enable reversion to the prior version of that information. ...

... Even after removal, copies of User Content may remain viewable in cached and archived pages or if other Users have copied or stored your User

Content. ...

Access and control over most personal information on Facebook is readily available through the profile editing tools. Facebook users may modify or delete any of their profile information at any time by logging into their account. Information will be updated immediately. Individuals who wish to deactivate their Facebook account may do so on the My Account page. Removed information may persist in backup copies for a reasonable period of time but will not be generally available to members of Facebook.

Viewing and editing your profile. You may change or delete your profile information at any time by going to your profile page and clicking "Edit My Profile." Information will be updated immediately. While you cannot delete your date of birth, you can use the setting on the info tab of your profile information page to hide all or part of it from other users. ...



Deactivating or deleting your account. If you want to stop using your account you may deactivate it or delete it. When you deactivate an account, no user will be able to see it, but it will not be deleted. We save your profile information (friends, photos, interests, etc.) in case you later decide to reactivate your account. Many users deactivate their accounts for temporary reasons and in doing so are asking us to maintain their information until they return to Facebook. You will still have the ability to reactivate your account and restore your profile in its entirety. When you delete an account, it is permanently deleted. You should only delete your account if you are certain you never want to reactivate it. You may deactivate your account on your account settings page or delete your account on this help page.



Limitations on removal. Even after you remove information from your profile or delete your account, copies of that information may remain viewable elsewhere to the extent it has been shared with others, it was otherwise distributed pursuant to your privacy settings, or it was copied or stored by other users. However, your name will no longer be associated with that information on Facebook. (For example, if you post something to another user's profile, and then you delete your account, that post may remain, but be attributed to an "Anonymous Facebook User.") Additionally, we may retain certain information to prevent identity theft and other misconduct even if deletion has been requested.



Backup copies. Removed and deleted information may persist in backup copies for up to 90 days, but will not be available to others.

As a recent college graduate, I use Facebook to keep up with the latest news from my alma mater, Pomona College, in Claremont, Calif. For instance, I learned about a happy hour for young alumni via a status update, and I saw photos of John Krasinski, who plays "Jim" in "The Office," on his recent visit to campus.







Pomona isn't the only college utilizing Pages. In fact, in addition to colleges and universities, a number of academic groups are now on the site. We also recently launched a Facebook in Education Page on the site as a resource for teachers, professors, administrators, counselors and others who work in academia.



Here are a few other interesting examples of how educators are using Facebook to connect.



Texas A&M University has connected with nearly 150,000 people through their Facebook Page. They share highlights from the latest Aggie win on the football field, exclusive interviews with the university President and admissions information.



Stanford University uses their Facebook Page to host open office hours for people to connect with professors and luminaries. They solicit questions on the Page and post responses in a series of videos. You can see the most recent edition here with Provost John Etchemendy.



High schools from San Jose, Calif. to Sanford, Fla. also are using Facebook to organize student and alumni events, generate support and excitement around upcoming games and keep their local communities informed about school activities.



Svein Arber, a high school teacher in San Francisco, Calif., created a Facebook group to connect with his Advanced Placement (AP) literature class. Over the course of the year, students write posts on the group's discussion board to analyze the narration style in Phillip Roth's "American Pastoral" and debate whether a character in Albert Camus' "The Stranger" is fundamentally good or evil. Svein also uses the Events feature to remind students of due dates for assignments. "It's been very positive," he said. "I'm able to reach my students where they live."







Other teachers are encouraging students to use Facebook to collaborate with peers across the globe. For example, two high school students from the Loudoun Academy of Science in Sterling, Va. are studying the positive qualities of maggots in collaboration with two students in Singapore, more than 9,000 miles away. One student, Joanne Guidry, told The Washington Post, "When we talk on Facebook, you can't tell they are halfway around the world."



There also are Facebook applications like Schools, which help students before they even step foot on campus, during school and after they graduate. Incoming students can contact admissions offices and engage with their peers. Current students can get help with homework from classmates and plan club meetings, while graduates can locate other alumni and organize reunions. You already can find schools like Arizona State University, Michigan State University and Becker College through the Schools application.



The Courses application allows educators and students to view class rosters and manage their schedules, while the Flashcards application keeps students language skills fresh by allowing them to to study spelling, French vocabulary and much more.



Now, that's some A+ work. Be sure to check out the recently launched Facebook in Education Page for even more tips on using the Facebook in the classroom, stories about educators and answers to frequently asked questions about Facebook and academia. We would love for you to share your own experiences, as well.





Julie, a specialist on Facebook's user operations team, is moving to Ireland to put her teaching skills to work in Facebook's Dublin office.

The following is part of our series, Facebook Tips, which answers some of the most commonly asked questions about using Facebook. While we hope the tips we share on the blog will be informative, remember that we are unable to answer individual questions here. We'll always direct you to the Help Center for additional information about the topics we cover.





You don't have to be logged in to Facebook to get the latest updates from friends. Email notifications allow you to know when people interact with you on the site, whether through Wall posts, comments, tagged photos or friend requests. Similar to the notifications you see in the lower right hand corner on Facebook, email notifications let you know what's happening even when you aren't logged in.



You can manage email notifications by selecting the "Settings" link in the upper right hand corner of any page. From the Notifications tab, you can choose which actions you want to generate emails. For example, if you want to be notified by email each time someone writes on your Wall or receive weekly email digests about your friends' upcoming birthdays, just check the boxes next to these options. If you'd rather not be notified when people poke you or comment on your photos, just leave those boxes unchecked.



To change the email address associated with your account, select the "Settings" tab. You'll then see your current email address and can select "change" to add or delete addresses. Your Facebook email notifications will only be sent to the address you designate as your "Contact Email," so also be sure this information is accurate.









Melody, a specialist in Facebook user operations, has three new email notifications.

Michael Kaiser is the executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), a U.S.-focused nonprofit organization that works to keep people secure online. The organization focuses its efforts on cyber security education to provide information and tools for people to take control over preventing cyber crimes and attacks. As October and National Cyber Security Awareness month come to a close, we asked Michael to share his thoughts on precautions people should take online.





Many people believe they know their way around the digital world as well as or better than the physical world. Everything from paying bills to phone calls to distant relatives can now be done online. People store some of their most important documents, photos and financial information electronically -- and seem to be more organized than ever. Yet while people may be cyber savvy and on the cutting edge of digital culture, they may not be cyber secure.



It turns out that we are only as protected as the weakest link in our network, so if you don't take precautions, you're not just endangering yourself. You also are impacting your friends and family. For instance, a "cyber criminal" can leave his entire network at risk by using an easily guessed password like the word "password" for his email account. This innocent person inadvertently becomes an enabler of cybercrime by not being cautious.



With a growing number of people online for a significant portion of every day, it's not surprising that more people are particularly visible and vulnerable targets of cyber criminals. Often, a healthy dose of common sense and knowledge about threats are the first step. Keep these 10 tips in mind as you get on the path to becoming cyber savvy.

1. Protect your personal information. Know who is going to see it and understand the value of it and why the other party needs it before you share.
2. Create complex and lengthy passwords that include letters, numbers and symbols. Be sure to change them often, and keep in mind "password1" doesn't make the cut.
3. Don't use public networks to conduct private business.
4. Set your security software, operating system and browser to update automatically.
5. Conduct transactions only on secure sites. Look for "shttp" or "https" in the URL.
6. Use privacy, safety and other settings on social networks.
7. Understand threats and learn more at the NCSA website and the Facebook Security Page.
8. Back up important information regularly to keep your music, photos and work protected.
9. Physically protect your computer, too. If you wouldn't leave your credit card unattended in a public location, you shouldn't leave your computer either.
10. Report cyber crimes.