Not long after the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., several people set up tribute pages on Facebook to encourage donations to help affected families. Some did so out of the kindness of their hearts, while some were just trying to cash in. Facebook has agreed to take down Sandy Hook tribute pages that people feel exist solely to exploit the tragedy.
Lisa Raphael (left), the social media producer at Katie Couric's daytime talk show Katie, is one of our featured speakers in Mediabistro's upcoming Social Media Marketing Boot Camp, an online event and workshop starting June 6, 2013. Lisa will share a case study on how the hit show uses Twitter to build interest and buzz around upcoming segments. Learn more about our our twelve event speakers and register here. After a deadly mass shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut, people all over Facebook offered support for the families, teachers, and everyone else affected by the tragedy. Through Causes, a social donation and awareness platform, an online card for those left in the wake now has nearly 2 million signatures — by far the record for a petition on that program. The petition has also been shared on Facebook more than 4 million times.
Not long after the initial shocked reaction in the wake of a deadly mass-shooting Friday in Connecticut, several Facebook users posted a statement from actor Morgan Freeman, pleading with the media to stop using the shooter’s name. While the sentiment is heartfelt and valid, it apparently did not come from Freeman.
Not long after the name of the shooter who killed nearly 30 people — including 20 children — was released following a tragedy Friday morning at a Connecticut elementary school, many people rushed to Facebook to find the social media profile of Ryan Lanza. The Facebook profile of a Ryan Lanza from Newtown, Conn. was posted all over the Internet, with roughly 9,000 people sharing his profile photo. However, the early reports were erroneous, and it was later confirmed that the shooter was 24-year-old Ryan Lanza’s 20-year-old brother, Adam Lanza.
Wondering how you can help those affected by Hurricane Sandy? Facebook can help. The American Red Cross has been using its Facebook page to post information about shelters, as well as to accept donations for the cause. The social network also reminded its users on the East Coast that posting status updates on Facebook from mobile devices is a quick and easy way to let loved ones know they are safe.
What’s in a name? Plenty, if you’re following the debate between Facebook and the city of New Haven, Conn., over the latter’s page on the social network.
Responding to Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen’s issues with privacy concerns in general and photo tagging in particular, Facebook is running online ads instructing users on how to opt out of the feature.
Facebook’s photo tag suggestions feature comes under fire again, this time from Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen.
