Staples launches Facebook shredder app

(Image provided by Staples)

Staples Inc., the Framingham-based retailer of office supplies, is promoting its line of shredders with an "I Shred U" facebook application.

"Have you been a victim of bad photo tagging on Facebook?," Staples said in a press release. "Perhaps it was that old prom photo sporting your signature big 80’s hairdo? Or those pictures from the company holiday party you hoped would never resurface? Now you can have the last laugh, with the launch of the Staples I Shred U Facebook application."

According to Staples, "I Shred U! allows Facebook users to tell their friends how they really feel about those bad photos, by shredding it to bits via a virtual shredder and sending it back with a personalized message."

The press release added, "To keep the fun going, users can 'trick out' photos from their Facebook albums by adding mullets, mustaches, speech bubbles, and more."

Photos can also be thoughtfully accessorized with buzz saw or toilet flushing sound effects, the release added.

“The Staples I Shred U! application is a fun way to bring the Staples brand to life in the Web 2.0 world,” Eric Cayton, senior category manager of merchandising for Staples, said in a statement. “We’re leveraging the Facebook phenomenon to showcase the virtual power of Staples brand shredders, and more importantly, save the world from some incredibly dreadful photos!”
(By Chris Reidy, Globe story)