# Facebook – is it me?

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/04/16/facebook-it-me/
- Published: 2009-04-16T09:22:41+01:00
- Author: Kevin Kibble

**Now I’m a great fan of Facebook, I’ve got a reasonable number of friends who invite
me to take part in all manner of new groups and ‘good things’. And I’m happy if 
others want to be my friend too. But Facebook does have a darker side.**

This morning, a colleague pointed out a group that he’d come across – The Royal 
Society for the Persecution of Charity Ar*****es.

I like to think I’m as broadminded as the next guy, but this made me both very angry
and sad. If you look it up and it doesn’t make you angry and/or sad then I don’t
think I want to know you. Not only is it inciting violence against street fundraisers,
its anti-charity in general and full of appalling language (and I can swear a bit).

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I accept that these groups are mostly populated by illiterate cretins who hide behind‘
web names’ in case their employers (are they employed one wonders?) find out, but
at a time when there is focus elsewhere on the freedom and privacy of web and email
users, this kind of abuse offers some interesting food for thought, and ammunition
for those who want to see the web ‘policed’.

Perhaps I have become a grumpy old man of fundraising but I haven’t come across 
anything this bad on Twitter yet – no doubt someone will be able to correct me. 
And besides, isn’t illegally claiming you have a Royal Warrant treason? To Tower
with the *******s!

 * **[US retailer lets donors choose in Facebook charity campaign](https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/05/22/us-retailer-lets-donors-choose-facebook-charity-campaign/)**(
   22 May 2009)
 * **[Mapping the Social Networking world – handy country-by-country data](https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/06/08/mapping-social-networking-world-handy-countrybycountry-data/)**(
   8 June 2009)
 * **[Facebook and Myspace Causes App passes $10 million in donations](https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/07/12/facebook-and-myspace-causes-app-passes-10m-donations/)**(
   12 July 2009)

## Comments

### By: admin

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/04/16/facebook-it-me/#comment-3614
- Published: 2009-04-16T13:48:51+01:00

Yes, that group’s content makes depressing reading. \*Such\* anger! Such incitement
to violence! Such bile (and other four-letter words).

Fortunately, it is also a small group on Facebook… (133 members at present).

The line “Please upload any photos/videos of any recently heavily-beaten charity
workers…” alone reminds us of the difficulties and attitudes that street fundraisers
can face.

### By: kevin baughen

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/04/16/facebook-it-me/#comment-3615
- Published: 2009-04-17T16:01:56+01:00

Hi Kevin

 I agree that the Facebook group you highlighted most definitely takes an unacceptable
line and was probably set up by (jobless) people without girlfriends!

 I did find this little gem of a twitter tool though, which if you do swear a bit(
like me) may make you giggle and at least restore some faith in society’s ability
to have some fun whilst defusing aggression. It’s called [cursebird](http://cursebird.com/)–
enjoy.  It certainly made me laugh.

 Kevin Baughen is the founder of Bottom Line Ideas (www.bottomlineideas.com) and
a volunteer speaker for Cancer Research UK