Shalit opens Facebook page

Former captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit reportedly has opened a Facebook page. The Facebook page is not open to other social media users, according to reports. He reportedly only has a few Facebook friends, including his sister and some close friends.

His profile picture is slightly blurry.

Facebook was not in wide use when Shalit was abducted more than 5 years ago.

Meanwhile, Arab-Israeli lawmaker Ahmed Tibi said he has been receiving death threats on his Facebook wall. Tibi has filed a complaint with Knesset security. The comments included “You’ll be dead soon” and “your end is near.”

The threats come after Tibi delivered a speech in Knesset last week, criticizing fellow lawmaker Anastasia Michaeli for dumping water on Ghaleb Majadle.

(Source: stljewishlight.com)

You’re No One Till Somebody Tweets You: Happening Hashtags

Since Twitter, unlike Google, doesn’t quantify search results, the contest will have to be judged only by the frequency and freshness of the tweets that appear. To avoid comparing apples and oranges, I used only full names in hashtags, so keep in mind that other permutations of a personality’s identity may be getting more traction.

(Source: thejewishweek.com)

Opinion: Shalit.com

What’s unprecedented about the Shalit case is not the deal itself, but the level of attention it has received. What has changed since 1985 — in fact, what has changed even since Shalit was captured five years ago — has been the media.

More than 30 Facebook pages have been devoted to gaining freedom for Gilad Shalit. The largest of them has 304,233 “Likes.” The Facebook pages are in French, Italian, Russian and Hebrew.

Hundreds of YouTube videos have been posted about Shalit, including one that shows him in captivity. Hundreds of thousands of people have viewed these.

Millions of Tweets have gone out pushing for Shalit’s release. The social media campaigns have helped launch billboard and other grass-roots campaigns in New York, Los Angeles and elsewhere.

It took Gil Sitty just 30 days to get $10,000 contributions from 181 people so that he could mount a “Free Gilad” billboard campaign in Manhattan that 1.2 million people saw.

(Source: jewishjournal.com)

How #GiladShalit Became More Famous Than Gilad Shalit

“Rabbi Jason Miller, who writes extensively about the intersection of Jewish themes and technology, said he learned about the deal Tuesday from a New York Times Breaking News alert, and quickly Tweeted it to his 2,357 followers. It was, in a way, coming full circle, as social media have been used extensively to raise awareness of Shalit’s plight. “The hashtag #FreeGilad is one that I have been using for at least three years now,” said Miller.”

(Source: thejewishweek.com)