Re: [videoblogging] Re: MySpace Suicide Note -Solution
It sounds reasonable, though it would be tricky to ensure that the contact actually is good and stays good - they'd have to do a round of verification, and check it now and then. However, I should think MySpace would be powerfully motivated - they've had so much bad press and panicky parent reactions that being pro-active in this way could be very welcome. Maybe you can get in touch with the VP for safety or whatever title that was appointed a few months ago? And/or ask danah boyd to do it (I dropped her an IM the other day pointing to your blog). And, again, go after the press attention - not for yourself, but because it's a topic that deserves attention. The holiday feel-good factor alone would probably sell the story right now. On 12/22/06, Zadi [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I've been mulling over a few ideas for the past couple of days and I came up with this: What if MySpace (or any social networking site) had an in case of emergency, contact form that you had to fill out when you signed up? Just like how when you enroll in a school or go to the doctor's office they always make you fill out that tiny form. What if you had to enter the email address or IM/text message info of an emergency contact? How would usage abuse be prevented? Maybe there is a process. You have to enter your contact info and if you're found to be abusing the system, your account is erased. Also, people are less likely to prank a person they don't know (the emergency contact) than they are the person they are targeting, or the site admin. Thoughts? Zadi http://zadidiaz.com http://jetsetshow.com On 12/20/06, Edmund Yeo [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: It's not unreasonable, yeah, just that having a panic button does make people more vulnerable to pranks. Like Whe, I found Britney's Myspace page, now I shall press the 'panic button'... once every single hour! -- best regards, Deirdré Straughan www.beginningwithi.com (personal) www.tvblob.com (work) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[videoblogging] Re: MySpace Suicide Note -Solution
This made me recall the Death of a videoblogger Kevin Kutz hoax last April. When the social lines defining reality from fiction are blurred, less attention is paid. There is then just so much noise. We never found out what Kevin learned from the post other than that he needed sleep. Stan http://hestakaup.com
[videoblogging] Re: MySpace Suicide Note -Solution
Abuse can't be avoided, for the reasons someone stated before. The best bet with a system like that would be to have the emergency information hidden and only accessed via a button on the user's page. Even then, as Edmund stated, there's nothing stopping someone from using the button when it wasn't necessary, not only spamming that one user, but the system in general that would be used to monitor these button-presses. I know you're saying the emergency contact people would be contacted directly, but there would also have to be some sort of system of tracking who dialed it in, especially if there are supposed to be penalties for system abuse. Second, lots of people are going to put in fake information if the form is mandatory. If it's not mandatory, they're not going to put in information at all. Only the people that completely buy into the system and trust it will be able to benefit if something goes wrong with them. On top of that, having the emails/IMs go to an emergency contact person instead of a centralized group that's been charged with handling these things assumes that A) the person on the contact list has immediate access to either IMs or their email, and B) they're willing/able to do something about it, immediately. That's why people get paid to be firemen. Their job is to sit around doing nothing until the moment that they're needed, then they go into action, IMMEDIATELY, and do what they're trained to do. Your system would need a central location that has these contacts 'on file', and is in charge of making things happen, ASAP. I think your idea is a very good one, but implementing it creates opportunities for abuse and you have to take the good with the bad in order to be able to potentially save someone's life. --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, Zadi [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I've been mulling over a few ideas for the past couple of days and I came up with this: What if MySpace (or any social networking site) had an in case of emergency, contact form that you had to fill out when you signed up? Just like how when you enroll in a school or go to the doctor's office they always make you fill out that tiny form. What if you had to enter the email address or IM/text message info of an emergency contact? How would usage abuse be prevented? Maybe there is a process. You have to enter your contact info and if you're found to be abusing the system, your account is erased. Also, people are less likely to prank a person they don't know (the emergency contact) than they are the person they are targeting, or the site admin. Thoughts? Zadi http://zadidiaz.com http://jetsetshow.com On 12/20/06, Edmund Yeo eswiftfire@ wrote: It's not unreasonable, yeah, just that having a panic button does make people more vulnerable to pranks. Like Whe, I found Britney's Myspace page, now I shall press the 'panic button'... once every single hour!
[videoblogging] Re: MySpace Suicide Note -Solution
I've been mulling over a few ideas for the past couple of days and I came up with this: What if MySpace (or any social networking site) had an in case of emergency, contact form that you had to fill out when you signed up? Just like how when you enroll in a school or go to the doctor's office they always make you fill out that tiny form. What if you had to enter the email address or IM/text message info of an emergency contact? How would usage abuse be prevented? Maybe there is a process. You have to enter your contact info and if you're found to be abusing the system, your account is erased. Also, people are less likely to prank a person they don't know (the emergency contact) than they are the person they are targeting, or the site admin. Thoughts? Zadi http://zadidiaz.com http://jetsetshow.com On 12/20/06, Edmund Yeo [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: It's not unreasonable, yeah, just that having a panic button does make people more vulnerable to pranks. Like Whe, I found Britney's Myspace page, now I shall press the 'panic button'... once every single hour!
