[HacktionLab] how to get your email contacts from facebook account

[m3shrom]

> This could be very useful in helping people to escape FB
> I am going to use myself as a test case. I'll let you know how i get on.
> 

This is going to be a great workshop!!!!

It works but it's a pain to do the last bit. It's clear that they don't
really want you to do this.

You can get the contacts into yahoo from facebook in the following way.

Create a yahoo mail account or log into one you already have (it may be
heasier to create a disposable one for this process.

Log into Facebook & Yahoo mail

Go to http://address.yahoo.com

Go To Tools > Import

Click on Facebook Icon

Click 'OK' when asked ' Do you want to share your contacts with Yahoo'
in the pop up window.

This should transfer your contacts across. It may take sometime for them
to appear.


*** Export contacts out of Yahoo into a CSV file

Normally you can export your contacts as a csv type file which would
make it easier to export into different formats. However seemingly they
don't want you to be able to do this with the ones exported from
facebook as if you try then you download an empty file (boo!)
So to get around this we are doing to do a bit of format hacking.


Go to http://address.yahoo.com

go to Tools > Print

Select Entire Address Book & Basic View

Click Display for printing

This will show you a web page with all your contacts and email
Use your mouse to select and copy all of these contacts

Then open a very basic text editor like gedit, bluefish or notepad

Paste in the content of your clipboard. You'll get entries in this kind
of format.

****a La****
b****ng at reelrebelsradio.com
	
Paul ****
b******ovies at yahoo.com
M***s B******le
b***********catpress at hotmail.com
	
W**y ****ds
b*******up at hotmail.com


This is a bit annoying but with a bit of find and replacing you should
be able able to get it into a format like this.

P**** ****t,bi****es at yahoo.com,
Ma**** Bj*****,b*******s at hotmail.com,

Names and emails on on line

You should then be able to paste this information to a spreadsheet so
that First Name Second Name and email for each column and then you can
save this as a csv file.

It would be great to know how to create a script to do this kind of
thing. Or an online form if we are going to do this as a workshop as
this part of it is kind of annoying.

*** Import CSV to Thunderbird

Then open Thunderbird, go to address book tab
Got to Tools >  Import
Choose Address Book from options
Click Next
Select Text File
click Next
Browse for your csv file
Match up the 'Address Book Fields' with the 'Record Data to import'
(this will make sense when you see it)
click Next

Your Facebook contacts are ready for you to use in Thunderbird.
You can now email them telling then that you have a new aktvix email
accound, network23 blog and indy.im microblog and invite them to do the
same.