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Celebs-only Facebook app? Stars hate it

Mark Zuckerberg take note.

Captain Kirk hates your for-celebrities-only Facebook app, Mentions.

Perhaps before launching future high-tech stuff, you might want to ask William Shatner to test it first.

Shatner, the singer and sometime starship captain launched a blistering attack on his Tumblr account Tuesday, reported The New York Post.

"I’m not quite sure why Facebook released this app," Shatner concluded at the end of a comprehensive review of its features. "It seems to be ill conceived."

If you don't know what Facebook Mentions is, that's probably because you're not famous enough.

Follow the stars

Launched this month, the app is supposed to make life on the social network easier individuals who command large numbers of fans.

They get to swoop in on conversations where fans mention them as well as conduct Q&As from the comfort of — well, anywhere.

According to The Telegraph, other celebrities already allowed into the club include the singer Mariah Carey, the author and entrepreneur Arianna Huffington and the socialite Kim Kardashian, wife of the rapper Kanye West.

She's in the celebs-only Facebook app club

But there are problems.

The first thing you have to do when firing up Mentions? Follow another celebrity, apparently.

And Shatner's suggested celebrity was his old frenemy and social media superstar George Takei. When he saw that, the actor rolled his eyes and followed Robert Downey Jr. instead. "Why force them to follow another celebrity in order to set up this app?"

And despite complaining that the Mentions app is ill-conceived, Shatner concludes: "I will probably use it to post to my Facebook when I’m on my phone but it doesn’t allow for mail or groups."

Bonkers

A spokesman for singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran - the first Briton to sign up - told the Sunday Times: “He did not know this was such a bonkers system.

"He just wants to talk directly with his fans as he can on Twitter. We shall see if he keeps using it."

Sources: mashable, New York Post, The Telegraph

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