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October 10, 2008 4:26:48 PM CDT

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Facebook to Ask Users to Specify Gender

Posted Jun 27, 08 3:15 PM CDT in Technology 

(Newser) – Facebook announced a seemingly minor change today: Users will soon be prompted to specify a gender for their “mini-feed” updates. The site has been using the awkward “themself” to avoid gender specificity, but Facebook managers say that doesn’t work so well when the site is translated into languages that ingrain gender into grammar, CNET eports.

"People who haven't selected what sex they are frequently get defaulted to the wrong sex entirely in Mini-Feed stories," said a blog post by Facebook’s product manager. The site realizes, however, that not everyone has a clear gender preference, so there's an opt-out for the gender-nonspecific—thought they’ll have to live with redundant repetition of their names in the mini-feed.

Source CNET

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Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg smiles during a talk at Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
In this photo provided by D:All Things Digital, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, talks during the D6 Conference in Carlsbad, Calif., on Wednesday, May 28, 2008.   (AP Photo)
The Facebook logo is displayed at a news conference in New York in this November 6, 2007 file photo.   (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, file)
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Internet  • Facebook  • social networking  • gender  • gender roles  • translation  • Genderblind


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