New Facebook Tool Could Prevent Suicides

One of the guilty pleasures of being on Facebook or any other social networking site, is the ability to 'peep' in on the lives of our friends and even total strangers. We get to share their goods times, funny moments, and even an embarrassment or two.

However, there have also been times when a personal or family tragedy has played out that makes us take a pause.

There have been well publicized cases of FB members talking about things like suicide, and then carrying it out for all the world to see. Facebook is taking that seriously, and will now offer intervention.

A program launching today enables users to instantly connect with a crisis counselor from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline through Facebook's "chat" messaging system. If a friend spots a suicidal thought on someone's page, he can report it to Facebook by clicking a link next to the comment.

Facebook then sends an email to the person who posted the comment encouraging that user to call the hotline or click a link for a confidential chat.

The service is Facebook's latest move aimed at improving safety on its site.

Facebook says the goal is to get a person in distress help as quickly as possible.