Facebook Adds 'I'm Expecting' Option: Creepy or Cool?
SodaHead Tech
2011/07/30 19:12:45
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Individuals trying to decide how, when, and who to tell about their pregnancy now have another factor to consider. Should they use the "Expected: Child" option on Facebook?
Users, of the popular social media site, now have the option of adding "Expected: Child" to their list of family members. If they want, they can provide the baby's name and expected due date as well.
Once added, this information will be broadcasted to the Facebook world as an update published to the news feed.
A Facebook spokesperson said Friday that the company views the add-on as "another way people can express their identity and show what's important to them."
But not everyone is crazy about the add-on. One of the biggest concerns about the new feature is what will happen if a woman miscarries.
Facebook updates are by nature very public. When an individual changes their relationship status from "In a Relationship" to "Single" people notice and discuss the change.
A miscarriage is difficult enough to deal with in private, but imagine having to go through it publicly on Facebook.
However, this is not a new problem. While the new feature certainly makes it easier to announce you're expecting, in the past, individuals have used status updates to share pregnancy news.
One women, AngelaM84, shared on the BabyCare message board about going through a miscarriage on Facebook.
"I announced my pregnancy on my Facebook page at something like 6 weeks, which I now completely regret. I wasn't sure how to handle letting people know I'd lost the baby, so I just didn't post anything specific," she said.
"Right afterward, some friends/family who knew made it pretty obvious what had happened with their posts. However, I've had several people write to me asking me how the baby is doing. It is so hard to get those messages/posts."
What do you think? Is Facebook's new "I'm Expecting" option creepy or cool?
Users, of the popular social media site, now have the option of adding "Expected: Child" to their list of family members. If they want, they can provide the baby's name and expected due date as well.
Once added, this information will be broadcasted to the Facebook world as an update published to the news feed.
A Facebook spokesperson said Friday that the company views the add-on as "another way people can express their identity and show what's important to them."
But not everyone is crazy about the add-on. One of the biggest concerns about the new feature is what will happen if a woman miscarries.
Facebook updates are by nature very public. When an individual changes their relationship status from "In a Relationship" to "Single" people notice and discuss the change.
A miscarriage is difficult enough to deal with in private, but imagine having to go through it publicly on Facebook.
However, this is not a new problem. While the new feature certainly makes it easier to announce you're expecting, in the past, individuals have used status updates to share pregnancy news.
One women, AngelaM84, shared on the BabyCare message board about going through a miscarriage on Facebook.
"I announced my pregnancy on my Facebook page at something like 6 weeks, which I now completely regret. I wasn't sure how to handle letting people know I'd lost the baby, so I just didn't post anything specific," she said.
"Right afterward, some friends/family who knew made it pretty obvious what had happened with their posts. However, I've had several people write to me asking me how the baby is doing. It is so hard to get those messages/posts."
What do you think? Is Facebook's new "I'm Expecting" option creepy or cool?
Read More: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2011/07/...
Top Opinion
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Astro-Boy PHAET 2011/07/30 19:27:47
In fact this question is so freaking useless, why am I even wasting my time answering it?
And why are you? Get back to work! :o)
And miscarriages aren't "creepy," they're sad.
Besides, you can delete the information about how you changed the status on your page and it won't show up in the feed.
The way some of the Moms dress make it not a very beautiful thing. If FB becomes a medium for the "Expected : Child" there's no telling where it will go.
wanna see pictures of my cat and dog?
Facebook, stop adding useless tidbits. Seriously.
"This is my baby bump!" "Well it looks like your nachos bump."