Facebook Friday

Originally published 06/03/2011 on lubbockonline.com

Poachers shouldn't advertise

An AP story story in the Miami Herald tells us of the perils of being a poacher on Facebook. Darin Lee Waldo learned the hard way that Facebook is not the place to brag about your poaching. Or the anywhere on the internet. Especially when the people you're trading photos with are investigators with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Of course, Darin wasn't just bragging about his poaching. He was a felon in illegal possession of a firearm bragging about his poaching on Facebook and inviting government agents on poaching trips. I'm sure he came from a long line of criminal masterminds.

Fireman suing for Facebook firing

Capecodtoday.com reports that former fireman Richard Doherty is suing the town of Bourne, MA for wrongful firing. The city says he broke department policy by posting derogatory remarks about members of the fire and police departments and the leadership. Doherty says he was just doing normal venting like employees do. He may have just been venting, but venting on Facebook isn't like venting to your wife, or with your buddies, as Mr. Doherty found out.

Facebook can be fun, it can be useful, but it can also be the knife you hold to your own throat. Be careful what you do with it.

Facebook Friday: Woman brags about barfight; Burglar posts picture on victims page

Originally posted 05/06/2011 on lubbockonline.com

Not so free brawling

Ruth Ramirez smashed a glass into the face of another woman at a Chicago area bar, then decided to brag about it on Facebook. The woman's face needed 32 stitches and she filed a police report. Now Ruth is sitting in jail waiting for someone to raise money for her 100,000 bond while her child wonders where mommy is.

Just turn yourself in

I thought I blogged about this back in December, but I can't find it. It bears repeating, anyway. Rodney Knight, Jr. broke into the home of Washington Post writer Marc Fisher last December and stole money, a coat and 2 laptop computers. One of the computers belonged to Marc's son, and Mr. Knight snapped a picture of himself wearing the coat and holding the cash with the webcam on the laptop. Then he posted the picture on the sons Facebook page. Well, his trial is over and he's been sentenced to 44 months in prison. Hard to convince a jury you didn't do it when you hand the police a picture of you with the stolen goods.