In today’s Quick Hits,  it’s all about Facebook and Google, so get ready to learn what the “Big Two” are up to below.

–

Teenager Sues Mom Over Facebook Slander

A 16-year-old Arkansas boy is suing his mother for slandering him on Facebook and requesting that a court prohibits her from contacting him. In turn, the mother is claiming that she has a legal right to monitor her son online and plans to fight the charges. The specifics of the alleged slander have not been discussed publicly, but it is worth noting that the boy lives with his grandmother who is his custodial guardian.

Facebook Users Confused Over Privacy Changes

As Facebook works on selling a new change to its privacy policy, the company is still facing criticism over its most recent privacy overhaul. According to GigaOm, Facebook’s Communications and Public Policy director, Barry Schnitt, recently took to the Official Facebook Blog to respond to anger over the old changes, trepidation over the new changes, and confusion over Facebook’s privacy settings in general.

Researchers Call Facebook Stalking “Extractive Social Searching”

When you log-in to Facebook, whose profile do you visit first: your best friend, or your worst enemy? In a recent article at his CNET blog, Technically Incorrect, Chris Matyszczyk discusses some new research done by the University of Missouri School of Journalism that “suggested humans might be, surprisingly, horrible little drama queens.”

According to the research, Facebook users are apt to do two kinds of web crawling, either casual or what they call “extractive social searching.” By measuring test subjects’ physiological responses during the time that they are doing “extractive social searching,” the researchers discovered that people are in a “more heightened state of feeling” and that might explain why Facebook is a place where people tend to rant in a way that they wouldn’t in real life.

Google Promotes Suicide Prevention Hotline in Search Results

Google doesn’t want you to commit suicide, or at least they don’t want you to learn how to kill yourself by doing a Google search. According to the LA Times Technology Blog, if a user types in a suicide-related search term such as “How to commit suicide” Google displays a small red telephone icon underneath the search bar with a message prompting users to call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline if they are considering ending their life. While this is a deviation from Google’s standard protocol, it is one that I think everyone can agree is a good decision.

Google Buzz Offers Privacy Tips for Teens

In his Safe and Secure blog for CNET, Larry Magid discusses Google’s mea culpa over Google Buzz and the company’s recent decision to allow users to reset their Buzz settings. He also shares a video from Google discussing some important safety tips for teens using Google Buzz.