It's no longer fresh news that a contingent of social network users have rapidly become disenchanted with the privacy protocols over on Facebook (GOOG). The Internet rumor mill has generated tales as wild as "60 percent of Facebook users are considering deleting their accounts," and "Facebook exodus planned for May 31."

Now let's see if I have this straight here; I am supposed to believe that tens of millions of Internet users initially thought that they could register with Facebook, upload half their personal biographies to the site, and then remain virtually invisible to all but their chosen few friends? Then, it's expected I'll believe that tens of millions of disenchanted Facebook users are going to organize themselves, plan a virtual walk-out, and then successfully execute it? Somehow, I really find all of this difficult to believe. In fact, I think it's a bunch of baloney.

Given my position as a long-time denizen of the dot-com world, with dozens of contacts in new media and venture capital and all of the numbered Webs (1.0, 2.0 and maybe even 3.0), I'm quite frequently invited to things. Some are valuable networking tools, like LinkedIn; others are fun and a bit useful for keeping track of my virtual colleagues, like Twitter. Still others, like AIM, are vital for day-to-day working life.

And then there are the sites where my so-called "friends" hang out. It seems quite ironic that many of the former colleagues and distant contacts who invite me to "keep up with what he and your other friends are doing" were never what I would categorize as "friends." Vexing rivals? Quixotic bosses? Difficult customers? Unhappy underlings? Probably more like it. While I understand that social networking sites like Facebook.com and StumbleUpon and, to a lesser extent, MySpace and del.icio.us and the rest of them, are the rage right now -- and are used by many legitimate corporate types for actual work purposes -- well, I'm highly uncomfortable with the rampant use of the word "friend."

Let's face it: even if I'm pleased because Brian in Legal delivered that contract to me quickly, he's not actually my "buddy"; nor is the receptionist you just hired ready to be asked to join your "circle of friends." Plenty of people with whom I could happily carry on pre-conference-call banter, while I'm sure they're quite lovely, just aren't friends. Flickr gives us a break and lets us designate lots of "contacts," while Twitter has recently changed its nomenclature to count those you are following, and those that follow you. This makes sense to me! This is not presumptuous or uncomfortable.

Just because my name is in your contact list, Mr. and Ms. New Media Executive, it does not mean that you are my friend.

A recent piece in the New York Times discussed the number 1 cause of stress in America: money woes. It also offered a bit of advice on how to deal with it that might run counter to what is traditionally considered good manners: "Talking about it might be taboo, voyeuristic or impolite, but money is our No. 1 stress factor, according to the American Psychological Association, and guess what the research shows can help us enormously? Being open and honest about it. Not just with ourselves (that's a first step), but with other people."

Just as some religions advertise the cleansing power of confession, talking about your financial woes can help you feel better, and even get you on the path to a better place. Here's one reason why: People who are dealing with debt or other financial woes might feel alone and ashamed but the reality is that most people's lives are a financial mess. 70% live from paycheck to paycheck, and people are wracking up debt at record rates.

As Dave Ramsey told the reporter, "When you see Ken and Barbie sitting there, looking like the perfect couple, and then you hear they've had a big fight about money, and they're broke, too, it gives you encouragement."

One of the problems with money woes is that, in this era of consumer credit, it can often be hidden. You might not know that your neighbor leases his car and has a huge HELOC on his home. It's not like obesity, where people wear the signs of their struggle around their waists.

So take a chance. Next time you're feeling stressed about money, tell your friends. You might find that they have similar problems, and you can share war stories and learn from each other. At the very least, it should make you feel better.

Apple ended the day up 50.8 cents at $61.928. That puts the company up almost $10 higher than it was the day before it announced earnings last week -- quite a one week run.

Today saw news that Warner Brothers would be offering TV shows via iTunes. Friends, Babylon 5, The Jetsons, The Flintstones, and MAD TV sketches are all to be added to the iTunes library, putting Apple's lineup of offerings at 150 different TV shows. I had been worried that iTunes TV show lineups would slow down, but it looks like Apple is still the dominant way of getting these.

[Disclosure: I own Apple stock at the date of this post]

Other news from the Milken Conference: AOL Chairman and Chief Exec Jonathan Miller let the cat out of the bag that AOL is considering an online model that makes content -- such as television reruns from Time Warner sister company Warner Bros. -- available for an extended period to let the audience accumulate.

While you may think of Warner Bros. as that benign force that brought us ER, Friends, and The O.C., don't forget that we also owe Warner Bros. for such made-for-TV movies as Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!  and Terror in the Mall, as well as the sitcom Full House.

As for prospects of looking deep into my computer monitor and seeing Bob Saget reprise his Full House role as cherubic widower Danny Tanner -- something I thought I'd left, along with my "Members Only" jackets and Thriller cassette, safely in the 1980's -- well, Minesweeper is looking better and better...

We all know that office water cooler chat can sometimes get you into a little bit of trouble with the "sensitive" people in your company. But while you might expect some normal forms of passive-aggressive co-worker revenge, like taking your stapler, you probably never expected anyone to slap you with a lawsuit for an off-color remark that you offered in jest.

Well, the folks at NBC, Time Warner and a variety of other media parties expect the same thing. And, apparently, a Los Angeles judge agrees with them.

The court decision handed down last Thursday basically suggests that discussing sex in the workplace is sometimes a necessary part of the the job, especially when you are a writer for show like prime-time sitcom like "Friends." (Funny, I don't remember any sex on "Friends." I just remember all of the bad jokes ... but I digress.)

In the lengthy, 48-page decision, the judge reasoned that discussions of sex at the workplace do not constitute sexual harassment. (And the people at HBO take a HUGE collective sigh of relief.)

All I can say is that -- given this decision -- it's good to be a writer. At least according to this judge, I've now got carte blanche to be rude and inappropriate in the workplace.