Sarah, as described in her Facebook account was 27, attractive, a Democrat, and in a complicated relationship. She had more than 480 friends, yet no one really knew her. Sarah K. Noonan was a fake. She did not exist. This phony Facebook account was created by an advertising agency as a test. The agency was wondering… Is Facebook an effective tool for advertising, or is it mostly smoke and mirrors? (Image from The Miami Herald – link on image – and RIP Sarah account on Facebook)
No one knew the phony Sarah, but the account found it easy to add new friends, almost 20 per week. Facebook doesn’t allow phony accounts and works to shut them down, but there are likely a lot of Sarah’s out there. Do you have friends like Sarah that you’re sharing personal information with? Read the full article from Bridget Carey, McClatchy Newspapers, at timesfreepress.com.
There appear to be a couple of lessons in this story; security and privacy. A large percentage of people accepting Sarah as a friend – opening up their personal information on Facebook – without having a clue who she was. Chasing the hype. Facebook may be a good marketing tool, but understanding the pros, cons, and foolery behind it might even be better.
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