Posted on 03/23/2014 1:10:30 PM PDT by JoeProBono
Philly's not Camden (NJ). Philadelphians know that, and so do New Jerseyans across the Delaware River. So, it's been a mystery to many Facebook users why posts from Philly are often tagged as being "in Camden" or "near Camden."
When Temple University alumna Helen Heath Mosher comes back to visit Philly, she said she encounters the oddity: Facebook identifies her posts as being "near Camden."
"I'm just kind of mind-boggled that Facebook can't tell the difference between Camden and Philadelphia," she said. "That they can't figure out which side of the river I'm on just bothers me."
The faulty Facebook function has also gotten the attention of state Rep. Brian Sims, D-Philadelphia.
"On the list of problems that legislators should be addressing, I don't think this one's particularly high on the list," admitted Sims. Yet, as a proud Philadelphian, he wants to get it fixed.
And so, on a recent visit to Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California, he mentioned the problem.
"It was something that they have clearly heard about. And, in truth, it's actually not a Facebook issue per se. It's an issue of satellites and geo-location," Sims said, "but it is something they are working to correct."
The Facebook mix-up isn't just a matter of civic pride.
Graduate Hospital neighborhood resident Brendon Shank said he's had to explain to his mom -— who's in Indiana — that he's in Philly, not just "near Camden." While it would be great if it were corrected, he said he's kind of attached to it.
"It's one of those funny quirky things, and, you know, Philadelphia is nothing but rife with funny quirky things that, you know, sometimes we want to change and sometimes we don't," he said.
Sims said he plans to have follow-up conversations with the folks at Facebook about the problem near Camden ... er, um, in Philly.
I’d be more ashamed if they placed me in Philadelphia.
(Ducking for cover)
Well, from what I understand, Camden has become a cesspool. It’s right up there with Detroit, Gary Indiana, East St. Louis Illinois, etc.
Everybody loves Camden. This is a town you can be proud of!
http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/apocalypse-new-jersey-a-dispatch-from-americas-most-desperate-town-20131211
Apocalypse, New Jersey: A Dispatch From America’s Most Desperate Town
(No jobs, no hope - and surveillance cameras everywhere. The strange, sad story of Camden)
The first thing you notice about Camden, New Jersey, is that pretty much everyone you talk to has just gotten his or her ass kicked.
Instead of shaking hands, people here are always lifting hats, sleeves, pant legs and shirttails to show you wounds or scars, then pointing in the direction of where the bad thing just happened.
“I been shot six times,” says Raymond, a self-described gangster I meet standing on a downtown corner. He pulls up his pant leg. “The last time I got shot was three years ago, twice in the femur.” He gives an intellectual nod. “The femur, you know, that’s the largest bone in the leg.”
“First they hit me in the head,” says Dwayne “The Wiz” Charbonneau, a junkie who had been robbed the night before. He lifts his wool cap to expose a still-oozing red strawberry and pulls his sweatpants down at the waist, drawing a few passing glances. “After that, they ripped my pockets out. You can see right here.”
Even the cops have their stories: “You can see right here, that’s where he bit me,” says one police officer, lifting his pant leg. “And I’m thinking to myself, ‘I’m going to have to shoot this dog.’”
More at the link!
Camden makes Philly look good. It is that bad.
“No you di’int!”
That’s nothing! They’ve got me located in Texas! If only!
Our GPS had us lost in Camden for 2 hrs at 2am.
Wasn’t a pleasant feeling.Alot of Drug Deals goin down etc. The affluent buy there drugs there. Philly is just across the WW Bridge
and Camden is about 4 miles from my drive on the Jersey side. We go through Camden to get to the Hospital there at times when my Lady’s daughter has to be admitted. It’s a third world Country Fo Sho!
Probably interesting but I won’t give RollingStone a hit any more than I will the NY Slimes.
I’m glad you survived Camden, OMG.
I can’t help but observe that you were lost with a GPS. They are useful devices, but, they do have their limitations.
I’m a resident and a Caucasian. Having once served in Camden’s government, I can tell you that rampant racism and corruption make it very near Camden.
FMCDH(BITS)
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