Several people have emailed me this morning to let me know the Facebook Ads story has turned into a Facebook meme (rhymes w/cream). A friend in Florida received the note from a friend of his in Hawaii. A reporter in Chicago just contacted me for a story they’re running. (I’ll provide the link when available.) And so on and so on…Here’s what is being passed around:

“I’ve just been told by another Facebook user that Facebook has agreed to let third party advertisers use your posted pics without your permission. Here’s how to counter this: 1. Click on SETTINGS up at the top where you see the log out link, and select PRIVACY. 2. Select NEWS FEED & WALL, and then the tab that reads FACEBOOK ADS. 3. There is a drop down box, select NO ONE. 4. Save your changes. 5. Pass it on.”

On a side note, this note appears to be inaccurate for a couple of reasons:
First, the Terms of Service section is for third party application developers, not third party advertisers.
Secondly, the note mentions “posted pictures” (the ones you post of your family vacations, sorority dances, or hike to the mountains), which are different than “profile pictures” (the ones you see in your friend list).

And again, changing the settings as noted above, only applies to Facebook ads, not third party developers.

As I’ve thought about this craziness over the last week, I’ve come up with four components of why I think stories go viral. Here’s my list.

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4 Reasons Stories Go Viral

  1. It’s a story. “Once upon a time there was a happily married husband and wife…” We all love a good story.
  2. The twist. “Then one day this man was on Facebook…” the plot thickens. What will happen?
  3. People can relate. “Hey, I’m on Facebook too.” (So are 249,999,999 other people.) “This happened to me the other day.”
  4. People like to do good. “Hey, let me send this note to my friends. I’d hate for this to happen to Jeromy or Grant or Glenda or Kawania.”

And there you have it. Of course, most times these things are very organic. I had no idea my post would generate the Digg Effect. I wonder if anyone ever does.

What are your favorite stories/posts? You can leave a comment here. And of course, if you like this story, click on the “Share This” button below.