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GOOD Changes With Facebook For Once

This is my friend Chris Bowie.  This is how I’ll always remember him…surrounded by beautiful friends-sipping Apple Pie Moonshine from our class reunion weekend last summer. We lost Chris to…

This is my friend Chris Bowie.  This is how I'll always remember him...surrounded by beautiful friends-sipping Apple Pie Moonshine from our class reunion weekend last summer.

We lost Chris to a sudden heart anneurysm last month.  Although we were not close friends, his loss has really rocked me.

One of the great things about Facebook: you never have to remember someone's birthday. However it occurred to me that as active as Chris was on Facebook, its inevitable that I'll be getting a birthday reminder.

I've already seen it happen before with another classmate who committed suicide 2 years ago.  I've since been informed by FB on his birthday.

And, it hurts.

Yesterday, Facebook announced that they will use artificial intelligence to detect the profiles of dearly departed users, removing their birthday notifications.  Most of the time, any change they make is awful.  This one will actually be appreciated.

On a related note, Facebook also plans to create a "tribute" section, where friends can leave messages and photos to those who have died on their accounts.

That will be nice.

For once...NICE JOB Facebook.

Charlie Nance is the Afternoon Drive co-host (along with his wife) of "The Charlie and Debbie Show" at WSOC, Country 1037 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The couple have been with the radio station since 2006. Charlie has won the prestigious CMA (Country Music Association) Award for Radio Personality of the Year and has been a finalist for the Country Radio Hall of Fame four times. Prior to his time in Charlotte, Charlie (along with Debbie) spent more than a decade hosting successful morning radio shows in Greenville, SC; Augusta, Ga; and Birmingham, Al. As a content creator for Country 1037, Charlie writes about dream lottery windfalls, sports, restaurants and bars, and travel experiences in North and South Carolina.