Here’s how I open today’s column in the Star-Ledger: “Facebook is a big, sprawling mess, and there’s no saving it.” Yes, this is something of a rant, and it was a lot of fun to write. The column was based on a simple idea: Could I figure out Facebook’s privacy settings and other options in about an hour or so? Of course, the answer was no. Facebook is a complicated, privacy-crushing beast, especially now, with so many websites using “Like” buttons (hey, I’ll probably add them to this site soon!) and the Facebook Connect universal login system.

So, the column, which got big play on the front page. Read it now.