Facebook 'safe' function.

[Racing roadkill]

Generally speaking I don't particularly like Facebook. I'm a bit split in my opinions on this 'safe' function thing though. After last night's shenanigans in London, Facebook activated this again. It's a good thing, for people who were genuinely involved, or directly affected, but ( and here's my issue ) I got an update, from someone I know on Facebook, who I know was the best part of 100 miles away (because she had been posting on Facebook at about the time of the attack, in the location she was in ) and the update was her using the Facebook 'safe' thing, to inform everyone that she was okay, after the attack in London. WTAF. Has anyone else found people who were no where near London, telling everyone how safe they were?

 

[summerdays]

I had one friend use it, who as it happens is on holiday in Scotland (photos posted on FB), but he normally lives and works in London, and is an Swiss national so it maybe an easy way to let any of his friends and relatives from home know he is safe.

 

[srw]

One of my facebook friends, who lives near London and family in the US, posted. That sort of thing makes sense - people who live near London work in and go out to London, and if you just know that someone is "near London", and don't know the area, you might have the wrong impression about their risk exposure.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

The old system was "no news is good news". I guess everything must be instant now so @srw has it ^^^

 

[Crackle]

The old system was "no news is good news". I guess everything must be instant now so @srw has it ^^^

I still work on that one. Son1 is in London, he did eventually text his mother when he woke up.

 

[Sandra6]

I didn't even know that was a thing.
Nobody I know uses it.
Two of my children were in Manchester - my son was evacuated as his student digs are very close, but daughter was in Birmingham - but they both contacted us to let us know they were ok, which is how I knew something had happened as I was in bed.

 

[Onthedrops]

My youngest is currently in London.
Middle child arrived home las5 night and woke us to tell us there'd been another one.
Mrs OTD goes into worry mode and tries ringing the youngest with no reply (02:00 am, no surprise there then.)
Youngest rings his mum this morning totally oblivious, but at least we know he's ok.
As for the safe status, didn't know there was one. Good idea for those in the vicinity.

 

[ColinJ]

My sister believes that no news = good news. I'm not sure how being too dead or critically injured/ill to answer the phone is good news, unless you don't actually like the person in question!

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

I still work on that one

Yep - me too. Daughters sometimes get in touch...........

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

woke us

Well that's a no no for sure!

 

[Brains]

The FB safe feature has It has it's uses.

I was talking to Mrs Brains outside London Bridge tube station as she called to say the proverbial had hit the fan, I then heard the shots over the phone.
She activated the FB safe feature. Given that she had just left a party in a pub in Borough High St as it was breaking up with 30 colleagues, many of whom did the same, we know who is not caught up.
However, given the number of casualties and the location I have a horrible feeling that there maybe someone I know.

During the 7/7 attack day my brother, sister and myself were all very close (I was at Aldgate before any of the emergency services, my sister in Kings Cross underground and my brother at Cavendish Sq) the phone networks got closed down, which meant the first my parents knew was as they walked across a beach in Cornwall some 5 hours after the attack was when their mobile phones went mad with some 30 text messages saying we were all OK. (They had no idea what we were all OK with)

As an aside I lost a friend on 7/7, he was sitting next to the bomber on the bus, which meant that in my wife's office of 7 people, between them they knew 3 people affected

 

[Racing roadkill]

On the 10th of April 1992 I was walking up Fenchurch street, when some Irish builders delivered a truck load of ANFO to the Baltic Exchange. There was no Facebook, and mobile phones were gigantic things, with suitcase sized tag along units. It took ages to get the message to people who needed to know, that I wasn't affected ( other than a ringing in my ears caused by the noise of the blast). There were no snowflakes, no internet 'likes' or any other rubbish. How times have changed. It's very much a double edged sword, the Facebook attention seeking thing can be used for good, or just to seek attention, such is modern life I guess. >switches old man mode off<

 

[Milzy]

Facebook is hell right now. I told a friends wife that I didn't agree that every single officer should carry arms and she said don't ever use my status as a soap box. You're not welcome and then blocked me. What's wrong with a friendly debate?

 

[srw]

Facebook is hell right now. I told a friends wife that I didn't agree that every single officer should carry arms and she said don't ever use my status as a soap box. You're not welcome and then blocked me. What's wrong with a friendly debate?

Most internet politics discussion makes the politics section of this forum look like the pretty good-natured place it is, really.

 

[John the Monkey]

Most internet politics discussion makes the politics section of this forum look like the pretty good-natured place it is, really.

That's life all over though. That fellow who accosted Tim Farron was pretty much the real life version - yell your view at someone until you get bored, and then bugger off. Political "debate" has coarsened, and I don't think it's entirely the internet's fault.

(Sorry for the thread derailment).