IsCool

HEY FaceBook, This is So NOT Cool - Telling me I haven't Talked On Facebook Lately With Someone Who Is Dead

Facebook's new way to annoy users is this feature that attempts to get you to re-engage with your friends, think of them as "friends" that you haven't spoken to in a while.

In theory, not a bad thing to try and automate.   Those college buddies in France or New York you haven't talked to (facebooked with) in a while, why not re-connect.  What could go wrong?

Well, in this case, Facebook decided to try to get me to talk to someone that is dead.

A family friend. 

In this case a very well known family friend with a long record of public service.

This from his New York Times obituary:

Kenneth H. Bacon, a former journalist and Pentagon spokesman who devoted his last years to highlighting refugees’ problems and urging policymakers to find solutions, died Saturday morning at his summer home on Block Island, R.I. He was 64 and a resident of Washington.

Now, I don't know about you, but I certainly don't want to be reminded that I haven't "talked" lately to a family friend that is dead.

What if I was his son?  Or his Wife?

Facebook has some serious rethinking around this feature.

I know that I do not want to be given a suggestion to get back in touch with any family member that may have died.

Facebook.  Get with the plan.

UPDATE:  Facebook has a way to deal with this.  I think.  Here it is.

Post Secret

Where was I these past years?  Under a Rock? 

No one told me about this amazing project, Post Secret.  A place where people send up to 200 anonymous post cards a day to one guy who posts the best on line and in books.

Here is the author on the Today Show earlier this month.

This is so #IsCool.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

T-Mobile's Dance in Liverpool Street Station - #IsCool

This is pretty cool.   T-Mobile took over London's Liverpool Street Station for a few minutes with "everyday" dancers and captured the results on video for a commercial. 

Here is the result:

.

Elf Yourself

Elf Yourself is back this year (3rd time).  This time with JibJab, the guys who brought you the famous Kerry / Bush cartoon in 2004.

It is pretty cool and amazing from a viral perspective.  Maybe a little too cool.  This afternoon the application:

1. Did not load
2. Loaded slowly
3. Crashed my browser
4. Finally loaded

Then, once it played I was give the chance to download the video because the video will dissapear 1/15/2009.  I thought, cool, I can download it for posterity and clicked there.  I was bummed to find out that the download would COST MONEY!  I Felt tricked and duped.

Even worse?  When I tried to go back to the "free" page I had to start all over again.

So, verdict?  Cool, but losing the really cool aura.

Here is my son, enjoy the disco!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards