Is racism acceptable on Facebook applications?
To me, the most appealing aspect of the internet is its real-time environment: just a few clicks and you’re done.
The other day I encountered a situation that I thought would be a great example of the real-time web, but was stunned that events didn’t pan out that way.
I was using my Facebook account for the first time in a couple of months and, after I’d reactivated my account, was presented with the ‘my network activities’ page. I checked out what my friends had been up to and, half way down the page, I came across this (I’ve blanked out the personal information).
At first, I couldn’t believe that the application had been approved by a such a major website (I never take off my ‘digital’ hat!). But the more I looked at it, the more disbelieving I became. ‘Nigga’. An image of Hitler. And the phrase: “unfortunately it looks like a black man took this quiz...”
I was offended, but not mad. So I emailed one of my contacts at Facebook with the same image, suggesting they might want to remove the application, or at the least get the creator to modify it before someone tipped off the press or it spread across the web like wildfire. I thought I was doing Facebook a favour — it’s a brand I like.
I assumed I’d get a ‘thanks for pointing this out – we’re on it’ email and that would be my good deed for the day. Instead I received an email telling me the procedure I should take to make a complaint — i.e. go to the application’s Facebook page and fill in a lengthy set of questions.
I didn’t do that.
Instead I thought of all the backlash businesses have received via platforms such as Twitter, and why Facebook didn’t have a no-nonsense removal procedure for applications that contain racist language. Sure, there’s an argument that if you allow applications to be removed simply because people are offended, there’d be chaos — but this wasn’t simply about whether people were offended. It went much deeper.
Sadly, Facebook have disappointed me with their reaction. When digital offers such a benefit, such as real-time activity, it should be used in situations like this. It can still be: but if this image were in print media then it would be out there for good.
I might just Twitter about this...
Twitter leads as social networks enter the search game
Twitter recently announced that it has changed its title tags for profiles, making a big impact on how high these pages are ranked in search engines.
The news can be either good or bad, depending on who you are! For those who want visibility, it will be a blessing. Others are going to have to adapt.
If you tweet for informational purposes then the changes couldn’t be better. But if you tweet about your mother-in-law’s annoying habits or why your colleagues could give David Brent a run for their money, then you’d better wise up to increased search engine exposure.
Let’s take a look at the changes, using the US President as an example. I used the Wayback Machine to view his profile, as it appeared in 2007. Take a look at the title tag in my browser.
2007 Format: Twitter / Username
In contrast, today’s format looks like this: Full name (username) on Twitter
Small change – big results!
So, what can you expect when you search for someone’s personal name?
If they have an online presence, you would usually see their profiles on social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and My Space amid Google’s first two results pages. With the recent changes, however, you’re likely to see a person’s Twitter page rank highest of all.
It makes me wonder what Twitter will do next, as I’m certain we will see a few more changes made to benefit search.
Interestingly Google has also undertaken a Pagerank update that has slashed the ranking of many Twitter pages. Twitter itself has risen from rank 8 to 9, but most profiles have dropped – from 8 to 6, from 7 to 4 and so on.
Staying on the same topic, Facebook announced yesterday that it is also changing its link structure. The site plans to use the usernames as the URL extension instead of the current, randomly assigned number.
For example:
Facebook has posted:
We're planning to offer Facebook usernames to make it easier for people to find and connect with you. When your friends, family members or co-workers visit your profile or Pages on Facebook, they will be able to enter your username as part of the URL in their browser. This way people will have an easy-to-remember way to find you. We expect to offer even more ways to use your Facebook username in the future.
Is this recognition that Twitter is one step ahead of the game, having already propelled ‘Tweeters’ to higher search rankings than MySpace and Facebook profiles?
Either way, it’s safe to say that the changes are going to have a big impact, just as the Twitter changes did. And from my point of view, it’s great that these social sites are finally becoming more search friendly.
The opinions expressed herein are the personal opinion of the author and are not intended as statements of fact and do not represent the view of Coastdigital Limited in any way
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