After reading this article about copyrights implications of user content in social media, I realize that it is important to read the term of use (TOU) before clicking the AGREE button. I think I have this assumption that almost everyone use it, so, it must be safe to just agree with the terms and start right away!
The Facebook’s TOU consists of 14,000 words over eight separate pages and would take at least 2 hours for a quickest reader to read it!
Honestly, I didn’t read the TOU when I registered my Facebook account about 6 years ago. I’m not aware of the possibility that Facebook or other users to use and exploit the text, pictures, or anything that I uploaded on my Facebook. I now know that I’ve given the rights to Facebook to use any intellectual property content that I post! I’m beginning to think about closing or deleting my account. But wait, Facebook asserted that “this IP License ends when you delete your IP content on your account unless your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it“. In other words, I have no control on my content even after deleting my Facebook account 😦
So, do you read the TOU?
Thinking about Web 2.0 
I think many of us just shrug our shoulders and think “Well, everyone else is using it so it must be OK. I’m in good company, whatever happens.” In other words, I think few people read them closely and most leave it to others to figure out if there’s going to be a problem. It’s kind of like crowdsourcing the issue.