SafetyWeb, part of the newest wave of social Web monitoring products for parents, has created a useful service for Facebook users themselves: an app for finding and getting help for all sorts of problems. It's a very simple little app that, with two clicks, places a "Find Help" link in the left-hand column of your home page (under your profile photo). Click on it, and you go to a page that … [Read more...] about New help app for Facebook users
Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Grassroots suicide prevention in Facebook
A Canadian woman's effort to keep a San Francisco man from committing suicide is becoming something of a movement on Facebook. Days after Kimberly Furnell of Nanaimo, B.C., created a suicide-prevention Facebook group on June 5, it had 47,000 members, the Vancouver Sun reports. She'd seen a message in the anonymous postcard site PostSecret.com that read in part, "I have lived in San Francisco since … [Read more...] about Grassroots suicide prevention in Facebook
Reachout.com: Substantive help site for teens
"We Can Help Us" is the welcoming (and welcome) message of a just-launched suicide-prevention campaign created by the US government's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Inspire USA Foundation, and the Ad Council. It's great that there are press releases and radio and TV spots will hit the wires and airwaves, but even better is ReachOut.com, a welcoming … [Read more...] about Reachout.com: Substantive help site for teens
A summit for saving lives
I learned so much last week at a two-day gathering in Washington called a "Summit to Save Lives." SAMHSA, the US government's Substance Abuse & Mental Health Administration, brought together activists in the areas of suicide prevention, healthcare, social media, online safety, and government to develop strategies for growing the presence in all social media of information and help for anyone … [Read more...] about A summit for saving lives
Facebook friend saves suicidal teen
A girl in the US saw a suicidal comment from a UK boy on her Facebook friends list, and within three hours he was found and taken to the hospital for treatment, The Daily Mail reports. "Shortly before 11.30pm [last] Wednesday [the 16-year-old boy] wrote: ‘I’m going away to do something I’ve been thinking about for a while then everyone will find out'." His friend knew the school he went to but not … [Read more...] about Facebook friend saves suicidal teen