Social media platforms, get used to them

Social media is being used for several different reasons in several different ways. In an article titled, "Using social media in business," by Nick Churchouse, he points out that, "Each platform has its own characteristics, and it is pointless, if not damaging, to use the wrong one."

He also points out that a lot of people are scared of social media as they were when the web first started out. Social media is sometimes misunderstood, but if used correctly, it can be very beneficial.

The sooner social media is embraced, the better off we will be. Social media platforms are the new entities, get used to them.

Full story: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/3155819/Using-social-media-in-business

The forgotten Friendster

Long before MySpace and Facebook was Friendster. But how soon it has been forgotten as other social media sites gained popularity.

Friendster which is headquartered in California and turned down a $30 million buyout offer from Google a couple years ago, will soon be sold to an Asian buyer. Friendster that is now most commonly used in Asia, will be moving overseas.

I have never heard of Friendster before I read this article. This would have been interesting to research when we were giving the cultural presentations earlier this semester.

Full story: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2356653,00.asp

Civic journalist are on the rise

A commuter at a Oakland, Calif. train station used his cell phone to capture an assault that happened between a drunk man and a police officer. The video shows a police officer slamming the man’s head through a train station window.

Today, with cell phones, video cameras, and cameras anyone can be a civic journalist. Anyone has the capability to capture moments that can be life altering and that may lead to getting people in trouble.

It is wise to always be on your best behavior. No matter where you are, you should always think twice before you do something that will get you into trouble.

Full story: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/times_online_tv/article6929241.ece

When is the most inconvenient time to use social media?

As if texting or using social media apps while driving is probably rated the worst time and highly inadvisable, try tweeting and using Facebook at the alter.

Yes, a groom stopped to tweet and use Facebook while he was in the middle of say the "I do's." The bride, officiant and the guests just laughed it off.

This puts a whole other meaning to nuptials.

Full story: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10407686-93.html

What's next for LinkedIn?

I will be the first to admit that before taking this course, I had know idea what LinkedIn, Dig and other social networking sites were. So I started familiarizing myself with them so I could know what the class was talking about when these forums were discussed.

I checked out LinkedIn and it seems like a great tool. Now, I am seeing that it is launching LinkedIn Platform which enables developers to "access the site's API and incorporate LinkedIn into their business apps and Web sites." TweetDeck will be among the first to integrate site into its results.

Social media is always changing rapidly. Just when you thought you learned it all, something new "pops" up.

Facebook photos can get you into trouble

A Canadian woman who was on leave from her job at IBM because of a medical reason for depression, had her benefits cut-off when the company saw pictures of the lady engaging in social events posted on her Facebook page.

The company told the lady that she appeared "happy" in the pictures and it seemed that she was cured of her major depression.

Lesson learned, be careful what you post on social networking sites. When something is posted on the Web, it is no longer private.

Full story, http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/11/facebook-photos-could-be-hazzardous-to-your-health-benefits.html

Social media and the holiday season

Social media is making it possible for family and friends to stay in touch more conveniently durning holiday seasons.

While people are ready to sit down for a feast, they can grab their phone and tweet, email, check Facebook or view a video on YouTube all from their phones.

With social media at the tip of your finger, you are constantly with your family or loved ones no matter how far apart they may physically be.

Beating of student related to Facebook

A 12-year-old boy from California was assaulted by a group of as many as 14 students that hit and kicked him. The assault was believed to be a result from a Facebook posting that declared Friday was, "Kick a Ginger Day." This posting encouraged students to beat up redheads.

These actions are ways that social media have the power to influence and affect the behaviors of children and all who access social media sites.

Hopefully people will think twice about the messages that they post. Messages can and will influence the behaviors and actions of others.

Story found at:
http://www.ksnt.com/news/national/story/Beating-of-SoCal-student-may-be-tied-to-Facebook/6H78aJLufECQWs_wnsLouw.cspx

The ever so popular Twitter

Twitter is so popular and other companies are realizing the traffic that Twitter receives. Now, Yahoo Inc. wants to be part of that Twitter frenzy that it is jumping on the bandwagon as an attempt to get people to use its search engine more frequently.

Twitter has really exploded after coming on the scene just a short time ago. Yahoo Inc. has taken a three-year financial downturn and is hoping that this will turn things around.

Twitter's 140 character postings are more common than ever before.

Facebook on XBox 360 and PS 3

Facebook is now on XBox 360 and PS 3, are you serious? What in the world is going to come next? So now Facebook is bringing convenience to gamers?

As if gamers needed an additional reason to stay hooked to the screen. This is just another way for social media to corrupt minds. Maybe Facebook should concentrate on ways for people to access it while they are at the gym or working out.

Social media is great and all, but when is enough enough? Seriously.

Facebook Stalkers

I have always wanted to have a Facebook page, but I am such a private person and I just don't feel comfortable posting private information about myself, family especially pictures.

I think that Facebook is a great way to stay in contact with old friends and a way to make new friends and connect with the social world, but what happens when Facebook stalkers want information about you?

I think for now I will stay hidden behind my avatar, thank goodness for those. Maybe one day I will feel more comfortable with good ol' Facebook.

Pressures to fit in the social media world

There is so much pressure for pre-teens to fit in the social media world. From friends telling each other to log in and create accounts, to posting personal information about themselves, the social media world is the new in thing.

If you don't have a Facebook, MySpace or other social media account, it seems like you are the odd one out. But that should be far from the truth.

Children should start worrying about what book to read and doing homework, than coming home and jumping on the computer. Social media pressures is just another thing to worry about, as if children didn't have so many other pressures to deal with.

Social media spreads news more quickly

Before I took this class, I was not a big fan of social media nor did I use it that much. Now that I have to use it, I have noticed that news does spread very rapidly on social media sites.

Breaking news is spread faster through social media sites than through traditional forms of media. For someone like myself who is always on the go and not in front of a television all the time, carrying my Blackberry comes in very handy.

I like how social media sites such as Twitter spreads the word quickly. Its more convenient than traditional forms of media.

Social media sites makes stalking easy

With all the information, pictures and profiles people post about themselves on social networking sites makes a stalkers job easy to find what they may be looking for. All anyone has to do is key in some public information and a whole list of things pop up.

Maybe someone is just looking for common information or more in depth, people are divulging too much information on the world wide web. So when does it become a fine line between public information sharing and stalking?

People need to be very careful what information and pictures they are choosing to post of themselves and their family. You can never be too careful.

If you want to be noticed, use social media

It seems like nowadays, if you want to be noticed you better be on or use some type of social media. It seems like if you don't have a Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube account you are nobody.

What happens to those who do not have regular access or no access to a computer? Are they in the dark in this social media world? Is the world continuing to move on while those with limited access to computers are being left behind?

It is simple, if you want to be noticed you must jump on the bandwagon and use social media. For the meantime, social media is the new media!

Why is it called Social Media?

I wonder who thought of the name, Social Media? How social is it when no live conversations exist? I think the old fashioned media was more social than the present day social media world.

Social media doesn't seem so social when a person is sitting in front of a computer screen and is totally silent. It doesn't seem very social when people are more comfortable conducting chats on line versus live conversations.

It seems to almost be problematic when a person hides from face-to-face conversations. Where is being social in that???

No more personal world

Was the world more personal when social media did not exist? Was there more conversations, more family time, more time to play outside?

As technology advances, there are fewer and fewer phone calls, less conversations around the dinner table and more blog entries and google searchs than ever.

Did social media cause an anti-social world or did the people in it create an anti-social world?

Social media as therapy

As I look through various forums of social media, I see that a lot of people post personal thoughts and their feelings and emotions show through on their post.

For me, I use blogs as a form of expressing my thoughts and feelings. It is somewhat therapeutic for me. I can just sit and type my feelings away and go back later and read what I posted and I am happy that I caught what I was feeling. I was just noticing that it seems like many other people do the same.

Social media can be used as a form of therapy. A way to get your emotions out and not keep them bottled inside. Its a diary, but instead of locking your diary, it is open for everyone to see.

Social media and I

I must say that I am not the social media type. I can't seem to get into the whole social media movement, although I have tried. I thought that taking this class would change my views on social media, but I must say it has reinforced my previous views on it.

I am not saying that social media is bad by any means. I am just more of a private person and maybe that's why social media and I do not mix. There is just something about the whole world being able to see what I have posted and have the ability to "follow" me, does not comfort me.

For now, I am fine without social media.

Social Media Going Pink

With October designated as Breast Cancer Awareness month, it is nice to see social media sites contributing to the pink theme.

Some social media sites have been temporarily changing there regular colors to pink. With as many people logging onto social media sites, this is a sure way for people to stop for a second and question the pink and then realize it is breast cancer awareness month.

The effectiveness that social media has on people can be demonstrated through the ways that different social media sites reaches out to its users. I wonder how effective social media would be on other topics such as immigration or racism???

Social media tweeters

It is cool to keep up with the trends and use social media to the max. But how do some people become so addicted that it consumes their lives?

I was watching the after show of the Real Housewives of Atlanta last Thursday and Andy asked Candi how much she tweets in one day and she replied, "100 or more." And then Andy asked Tyson Beckford the same question and he replied, "I don't." It seems that there are people on one end of the spectrum or the other. There are those who tweet compulsively, I mean, do these people have a life? And then there are those who ask, "Tweet, what is that a bird?"

I am with Tyson on this one. I don't tweet (well, only now because I have to), but be assured, after this class, I am dropping tweeting like a bad habit.

Is social media here to stay?

On the YouTube clip that Tom showed us with all the statistics, it said that all these new forms of social media have "popped" up in the last 6 years.

I am wondering if social media is just a trend, a fad, that is going to come and go? Or is it here to stay and only continue to get bigger and bigger?

Has social media only recently emerged in the past 6 years, or has it always been around obviously just in different forms, but then would that be social media?

I've never been a fan of social media, so if it is a fad then I would not be sad when it goes away.

Social media is everywhere

Social media has developed into a huge new medium that is appearing everywhere. You can't turn a page in a magazine, turn a T.V. channel or pass a billboard without seeing some type of advertisement for checking out a businesses on Twitter, Facebook or Flicker.

How did something that started out so small, end up to take over?

Social media is everywhere and it is just going to get bigger, so get used to all the advertisements and hey, go out and check out things using social media.

What's happening to face-to-face communication

With new forms and ease of social media, it seems that old fashioned face-to-face contact is slowly diminishing.

Texting, twittering, blogs, emails, all these components are taking over traditional forms of communication, and to be honest, it is sad that we are allowing this to happen. What happened to picking up the phone just to say, "hi"? What happened to dropping by someones house just to say, "I was in the neighborhood"? It is all going away due to social media.

I am not personally a fan of social media because it is teaching our kids to be lazy and lose the face-to-face interaction. This could be potentially troublesome for the social interaction of our children.

A life without social media

I am just branching off a thought that I recently Twittered about. Have you ever imagined a world where social media does not exist? Social media has consumed the lives of so many young people that have jumped on the bandwagon over the past decade or so. Social media has its perks, but in the long run, I see it as just another way to preoccupy time. As if video game nation was not bad enough, we have social media nation as well. Social media is not bad, but it is when it consumes your life.

First weeks thoughts...

Safety in social media-

Seriously people, can we stay off the phone when driving? Must texting and Twittering while driving be that necessary? It is a hazard not only to yourself, but to all the patrons around you, especially while riding on campus. There are so many students walking and one distraction could result in serious consequences. Think before texting and Twittering.