Philadelphians tired of Facebook placing them ‘near Camden’

Philly’s not Camden. Philadelphians know that, and so do New Jerseyans across the Delaware River. So, it’s been a mystery to many Facebook users why posts from Philly are often tagged as being “in Camden” or “near Camden.”

When Temple University alumna Helen Heath Mosher comes back to visit Philly, she said she encounters the oddity: Facebook identifies her posts as being “near Camden.”

“I’m just kind of mind-boggled that Facebook can’t tell the difference between Camden and Philadelphia,” she said. “That they can’t figure out which side of the river I’m on just bothers me.”

The faulty Facebook function has also gotten the attention of state Rep. Brian Sims, D-Philadelphia.

“On the list of problems that legislators should be addressing, I don’t think this one’s particularly high on the list,” admitted Sims. Yet, as a proud Philadelphian, he wants to get it fixed.

And so, on a recent visit to Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California, he mentioned the problem.

“It was something that they have clearly heard about. And, in truth, it’s actually not a Facebook issue per se. It’s an issue of satellites and geo-location,” Sims said, “but it is something they are working to correct.”

The Facebook mix-up isn’t just a matter of civic pride.

Graduate Hospital neighborhood resident Brendon Shank said he’s had to explain to his mom -— who’s in Indiana — that he’s in Philly, not just “near Camden.” While it would be great if it were corrected, he said he’s kind of attached to it.

“It’s one of those funny quirky things, and, you know, Philadelphia is nothing but rife with funny quirky things that, you know, sometimes we want to change and sometimes we don’t,” he said.

Sims said he plans to have follow-up conversations with the folks at Facebook about the problem near Camden … er, um, in Philly.