Twin Girls Discover News of Their Brother’s Death On Facebook

The Vourlis twins awoke on the morning of their 20th birthday and logged on to Facebook, expecting messages from friends but instead discovered the horrific news about the accident that had taken their brother’s life the night before. My condolences to the Vourlis family, the Naylor family and the Coleman family.

Read the Daily Telegraph article here.

Read the CNET article here.

Read the Mashable article here.

Keep Your Scabs Away From Me

Dear Rad Tattoo Getter,

Please wait until the gel, puss, blood, scrapes and scabs are gone before posting your macho tattoo pictures. Those of us who are afraid of needles might find them interesting if you can wait until that point.

Thanks,

Everyone

Your Friend’s Ex-Girlfriend Is Spreading a Virus on Facebook

Please read this Mashable article about ‘the revenge worm’ that is spreading, like a STD in the dorms, on Facebook. Don’t click the ‘revenge’  link. Don’t get the virus. Mainly because I don’t want to be exposed to it.

Please spread the word about this post. Thanks.

Lesson Learned: Log Out

This is a true story. This actually happened to a friend of a friend.

When using a public computer, make sure you log out of Facebook before you leave. When you are on a Mac, make sure you actually ‘quit’ the application, don’t just close the internet browser. If this hit my Facebook ‘wall’ my grandma would be mortified to say the least.

When Were You Pregnant?

If there is a baby in your Facebook ‘profile photo’, I will assume it is your baby. All of your ‘friends’ will too. We might stalk you for a few minutes to verify the facts and find out how pregnant you got.

(*This t-shirt is available for purchase here.)

Facebook E-Commerce

This article, by Mark Walsh, is about brands transitioning their ‘fan pages’ to storefronts.

‘”Social media is rapidly becoming a critically important vehicle for talking with our customers. Now, with our new iFanStore, we’ve opened up an entirely new sales channel for our seasonal, specialty blends,” said Helen Russell, CEO and co-founder of San Rafael, Calif.-based Equator, in a statement.’

The one thing this article doesn’t mention is the Facebook Marketplace. People have always connected on Facebook. Over time, people started connecting to their favorite brands on Facebook. People also started buying, selling and trading things on the Facebook Marketplace. It would have surprised me if these actions did not converge.

After giving it some thought, I am okay with brands using Facebook as a point of sale. I just hope that those brands don’t lose sight of Facebook’s roots – their first job is to connect with their consumers. Quality interactions with their fans will gain more sales in the end.

‘”What’s often ignored is whether the commercialization of Facebook will hurt its social feel,” said Shiv Singh, vice president and global social media lead at Razorfish.

He suggested that e-commerce activities should be presented in ways that don’t intrude on the conversational flow of Facebook. The success of an e-commerce venture via a Facebook page also depends on the product being sold. “I wouldn’t buy a car from within Facebook but I might buy a T-shirt,” said Singh. Or a pound of coffee?’

Swine Flu is More Trendy Than Gaga and MJ

This article compares the top trends for 2009 on Facebook and Twitter. The fact that Lady Gaga didn’t make the Twitter list and Michael Jackson didn’t make the Facebook list is astonishing to me but the article is far more fascinating than the lists of topics. The article reminds me of the difference between Facebook and Twitter.

I have said before that Facebook is a place for you to connect with people you actually know. For this reason, on Facebook, the exchange is personal. Simply put, Twitter is an information exchange. Twitter has greater search capabilities and less privacy options [than Facebook] so they have the ability to gather more information. I do not care if you know all of the people you ‘follow’  on Twitter and vice versa.

I like it like this.

You Don’t Know Me

Growing up, we are taught not to take candy or rides from strangers. So, I ask this question: Why are people Facebook ‘friends’ with strangers?

Do not feel obligated to accept people’s friendship.  If you question how you might know somebody it is acceptable to inquire via Facebook message and to ask your ‘Friends in Common’. Also, I assume this goes without saying but, do not ‘friend-request’ people who you don’t know. If you don’t know somebody and you request them, you are a Facebook Creep.

If you notice that you are friends with somebody who you don’t know, do not feel guilty unfriending them.

If The Real World Was Like Facebook

If The Real World Was Like Facebook: A user-created photo contest created by Cracked.

Because “Facebook is full of behavior that would get you punched in the real world.”

Abbrev’s

There is a time and a place for abbreviations. Sometimes, abbrev’s are funny, other times they’re convenient. However, usually they are annoying, unnecessary and insincere. Abbreviating a post or a text when you are nowhere near the word limit is pure laziness.

Some of my biggest pet peeves are the most commonly used abbreviations…

• Thx: You really seem thankful. (Note the facetious tone in my voice.)
• Sry: I do not forgive you. I would rather you throw dirt in my face.
• Pls: The answer is no. Do not bother asking again.
• Xmas: No comment.
• Luv: Thanks for demonstrating your undying passion. I probably love you less after receiving this.

When a message is getting to its limit, the first change you should make is to eliminate unnecessary words, then switch and’s to &’s. If it is still multiple characters over, and the information is important, send two messages.