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Comment by burningion | Hacker News Reader

This exact same process is what kept me from applying to ycombinator this year. Asking for my Facebook url is the same considering everyone at ycombinator has whatever access they need.

Raised $20k in two weeks on my own instead, for a much less percentage than ycombinator would have.

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You do know that anyone can already look up your Facebook page anyway right?

Y-Combinator isn't asking for you to give them access to log in as you on Facebook, they're asking for a link to your public page.

Is it "public" knowledge that HN user eternalban is actually Mr. X in real life?

Btw, if that is not age discrimination -- "your facebook coordinates, please" -- I don't know what is .. /tongue/cheek

Some VCs sound pretty radical, but I don't think you'll find too many who will make a startup-sized investment without actually insisting on your real life name. :-)

Right, and suppose like me, you don't actually have a facebook page. I have a pretty common name. There's at least 25 people with my same name living in the same city as me. Are they going to believe me when I say I don't have a facebook account?

I'd be happy to rent you mine...

Actually, I wonder if anyone has thought of the options of setting up "clean as a whistle" profiles to then sell to folks who need a presentable site. Tell the new boss that you usually go by an online non de plume, or use your middle name rather than your first name. Of course said service would be "For Entertainment Purposes Only"...

YC asks for your age, too.

wouldn't tongue be in /cheek/?

(just saw this). Man, I labored over that order of precedence and figured (cheek (tongue (..) tongue) cheek) would map to /tongue/cheek /g

Um, you're applying to be FUNDED by YC. They are going to meet you in person. You are going to be talking with them about your entire background.

And somehow it's a problem that they'd get to see your public Facebook page?

I just don't understand this attitude at all.

Non-optional field?

Did they ask for a blog url as well? Was it optional?

Facebook can be used as promotional tool for a business, hence why a Facebook url could be relevant.

Kinda worried that you run your own business and dont understand the difference between a link to your public fb profile and the login information to your fb profile. I guess it can be explained by the fact that you came here to diss YC, why do it in any sort of logical manner when you can say something moronic instead?

No, what worries me is that ycombinator is very tight with Facebook, and that they may access non-public information. Facebook logs a whole lot more info than most people know. Not trying to diss ycombinator at all, just stating how I felt, I apologize.

That's a bit too tinfoil-hatty for me.

Seriously doubt they'll mind at all if you leave out info you're not comfortable sharing.

Asking for a URL is nothing like demanding access to the account. Anything available to the public under your profile could be found with a name search, providing it just simplifies the process.

Asking for a URL is exactly like being too lazy to find it on your own. You want to know? Find it yourself. I'm under no obligation to assist you.

They're under no obligation to fund your start up.

My resumé / CV would be very short with your approach.

Name: DanBC

Everything else: Find it yourself.

<http://duckduckgo.com/>;

<http://www.google.com/>;

Kind of like HN software is "lazy" to turn links (http://www.google.com) clickable -- there's no need for that as you can always copy&paste the address?

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