It's quite amazing to see the validity-free power Facebook users can experience and exercise on a daily basis as they share, message and post just about everything and anything they want. I can list myself as having attended Harvard, or check in somewhere I'm not with people who aren't with me while updating my status to any ridiculous activity my mind chooses. While this can all be fun and games, the end results can generate some less than credible information (or just pure lies).  

A few days ago, following the capture and death of Osama Bin Laden, a popular Martin Luther King Jr. 'quote'* began circulating on Twitter and Facebook, "I mourn the loss of a thousand precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy." Sounds nice enough right? The problem: it's made up! It wasn't a malicious invention designed to tarnish the words of Dr. King, but rather a mix up. On Monday a Facebook user named Jessica wrote the aforementioned statement and proceeded to follow it with a quote from Dr. King. A few of her friends liked it so much they decided to repost and retweet it, assuming the entire posting was a quote from the great MLK. Within hours Facebook and Twitter were buzzing with a newly popularized MLK quote.

Of course the people at Atlantic Monthly and The Washington Post noticed that something was off and after some research were able to bring the story forth and set the record straight. Now it's not a terrible mistake, but it is a mistake that reveals the power of Facebook and Twitter. Social media can now help legitimize and spread information at rates faster than any other service. This is why this story is so particularly interesting: it could have only worked with Facebook. The quote would have never been as widely received if it would have been shared using email, Myspace, YouTube, texting or the countless other forms of new media. 

The lesson here: situations such as this reveal the unequivocal power and speed with which Facebook and Twitter can spread information and messages. They could very well be the most effective tools you have at your disposal. But the question is, are you using them correctly? Or could you use a helping hand to guarantee improved results?