I have two things to share with you on this post:  1) dealing with Facebook and other social media hoaxes and

2) news on our upcoming dual themed program (free) on curation & blogging:

Facebook Hoaxes:  

If you re-post this I will do the same for you.

Oh yeah.  A problem phrase right there, among we friends...

First, how to deal with those block text warnings that your friends may be posting in your status such as the current one having to do with the new Facebook timeline & ticker.  (Don't worry, I've been taken in by several of these myself.)

Photo:  Always learning, in school, with social media changes.  First day of kindergarten photo back in the day. 

A current hoax just spotted today is, excerpted:

 

• With the new 'FB timeline' on its way this week for EVERYONE  (true)

•  Please do both of us a favor: Hover over my name above. In a few seconds you'll see a box that says "Subscribed."   (true)

•   Hover over that, then go to "Comments and Likes" ...   (true)

•  ...everyone to see, but MOST IMPORTANTLY it LIMITS HACKERS from invading our profiles.    (dubious, erroneous)

• If you re-post this I will do the same for you.  (dubious, usual personalized text, copied again and again)

• You'll know I've acknowledged you because if you tell me that you've done it, I'll 'like' it.. :o)     (dubious, play on relationships)

 

Paraphrasing ThatsNonsense.com & a referral to this site via Hoax-Slayer on Facebook:

• The hoax is inaccurate, and it also has nothing to do with the Timeline.

• The message is directed at the Facebook ticker (sidebar) and has nothing to do with the timeline.

• (From me)  ANYTHING is hackable, folks.  Follow good security practices and you won't get hacked.  It's the usual fear-mongering here.

• Question anything that includes "if you re-post this..."   The phrase is a HOAX clue.
  

• Facebook is a perfect platform for starting and spreading viral rumours. 
  

Here's the link for the Facebook hoax info.

For the next time:

How I like to deal with possible social media hoaxes, chain letters, suspicious posts such as

• add your name to the top of this list, and get the best apps, recipes, quilt square collection, 

• unless you repost this...demons & bad luck will descend on you within 5 days...

is by doing a simple Google search on key words, such as with this current hoax, use:

• Facebook
• "if you repost this"   (using quotes to capture a key phrase)
• timeline
• hover
• 2011   (use year to avoid dated info)
• (option to use hoax, spam, etc.)

If you want to clean up your Facebook ticker, timeline and update things that you may find not useful, there are helpful guides / blog posts, not hoaxes that can help you do that: 

Guide:  How to Clean Up the New Facebook

NEWS: 

JT Pederson and I will be presenting locally at Lunch Ann Arbor Marketing probably in February (we are attempting to reschedule the date for next week.)

It's about our Lessons Learned in blogging and the newer Curation tools I've been using:

More about the LA2M program and watching it on-line if you cannot attend is here.

Where I'm at these days, including my curation newsletters:

• Leadership: www.Reveln.com  
• LinkedIn:  Deborah Nystrom 

Curating:

•  Innovation & Institutions:  Will it Blend?
• Change Leadership
• Peer Learning

Need to check over your security practices?   I've posted some information here as a sample:

• 6 Steps to Setting Facebook Privacy Boundaries, Where to set the Line? | ProfHacker & Chronicle of Higher Education

• Facebook tightens security with HTTPS, remote logouts - Guards against Firesheeping | Digital Trends

Do you have a view, comment or thought about your own learning about social media hoaxes and using new social media tools?  Leave a comment.  I'll be in touch right here. 

Thanks for stopping by!  ~  Deb

Photo credit:  Deb Nystrom.  More photos on Flickr.com