Dolphining is the practice of posting a status message by using someone else's Facebook account. The status message is intended as a prank, and has the purpose of showing the
world that the owner of the account was foolish enough to allow somebody else to access his/her Facebook account. Examples of foolishness include forgetting a personal
computer unlocked, or leaving a mobile
phone laying around.
The
name comes from the fact that the status message has to contain the word "dolphin," or be talking about dolphins. This way, whoever sees the messages instantly knows about its nature and can laugh at the victim.
After realizing that he/she has been "dolphined," there is a strict honor code that the victim has to follow. In particular, the message can be deleted only if none of the victim's friends has liked it
yet. If the post receives at least one like it
will have to be left unchanged and accessible
forever, as a testimony of the victim's lameness in allowing someone else to access her Facebook.
