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Facebook Information Being Hid

Over the past few years, Facebook had rolled out their "trending" feature, similar to how Twitter has had it for quite some time. Essentially, the way the algorithm works is that they take the news that people are talking about and sharing, and place it on the side of your home page.

This is a great development, especially because there is a lot of misinformation spread amongst social media sites, especially Facebook. However, there remains a big issue with the way the information is presented to different people.

Each person who has the trending topics on the side of their page received different topics. I personally received a lot of information about sports and video games, two things that I am personally very passionate about. Others received content about the Victoria's Secret fashion show, Ferguson protesting, and other assorted bits of information. Clearly, this means that different people receive different information depending on their interests, which is a very scary situation.

When you think about this, the issue that this raises is that this could be seen as a form of censorship. If this Facebook algorithm ignores what people are talking about and decide to focus solely on what someone is interested in, people will not have the real news. This sort of reporting and journalism has led to the sort of culture that the news has today, reporting on great Christmas gifts, viral videos, and more as opposed to real issues.

Obviously, since the beginning of the internet age, the way that success in journalism has changed, however this could lead to a larger discrepancy in reporting real news. Facebook got into hot water with their lack of coverage regarding the initial Ferguson protests, however they did apologize. The issue here is, however, that this could be a sign of things to come.

For example, I have a great interest in the New York Islanders hockey team. Therefore, if the team makes the news, they are more likely to show up in my feed than someone who has no interest in hockey whatsoever. However, let's assume that another big trial comes to a close, but I have shown no interest online at looking at things of that nature. I'd be much more likely to click the Islander news than the trial news. This will eventually paint me into a corner of only being knowledgable regarding one topic, and ignorant to the world around me. Unless we change the way news is consumed in the United States, this is a very real and scary future that we could be living in.

Facebook's aim should be to create a more uniform trending area, that way everyone gets the move important news. Even though that might mean less clicks for certain advertisers, it could help to improve the intelligence of the general population in America.

Hofstra Alumni Return to Talk About Social Media Jobs

Social Media is a tricky new frontier that all journalists have to learn to use. Fortunately, some of the top names in the industry are Hofstra alumni, and were willing to return to teach current students and faculty a thing or two about how to utilize social media properly in the professional world.

7 Pew Takeaways

How many people use Facebook for news- One of the central themes of this, and the biggest takeaway, is the astounding number of people that use Facebook vs. other forms of media to get information. Even more astounding is the difference of Facebook vs. other forms of social media.

Most people are not using most forms of social media yet- In the diagram in the article, it shows that the majority of people do not regularly use most forms of social media. With already huge globs of people on these formats, the potential for growth is still humongous.

Guerilla Marketing- The report states that people do not use facebook specifically to find news, but it sort of finds them. This proves that the age old “build it and they will come” theory is alive in journalism.

Liberals vs. Conservatives- More liberals than conservatives get their news online, which means that you might want to target information towards liberals to get hits. However, you could also question how you can get Conservatives to get info from Facebook. Can you curate something for them? How can you get liberal info to conservatives, and vice versa?

Getting Likes- This has to do with conservatives and liberals as well. How can you further your brand amongst different groups of people?

Blocking- Liberals block people more based on their opinions. How would you write something so that you can avoid being blocked, but still get your message across?

Constant Conservatives/Liberals pay most attention- probably the most obvious thing is that people who are the most obsessed with one of these sides will look for the most information about it.

#DayinthePride

Social Media's 10 Commandments

With the growth of social media, it's become imperative for users who want to take these services seriously to follow a few rules. Here are the top ten commandments any social media user should use.

1- The "3 p's"- Personal, professional, and passion- a third of each of social posts should be devoted to each. Too much of one of them will lead to your followers thinking you're too informal or a robot. Keep it light and interesting!

2- If you wouldn't say it out loud, don't post it- Let's say that you and I are having a cup of tea at Starbucks. Would you tell me to my face that my latest article is absolute trash and that I'm an idiot? If not, you shouldn't tweet it either.

3- Verify before retweeting- this should be a no-brainer, but many news organizations and reporters do not do this. If you think something is true, check to make sure it is. A scoop on twitter lasts only but a few seconds, so make sure you're tweeting the correct information before you click send.

4- Keep it Safe for Work- this should also be a no brainer. Tweeting graphic content or photos of yourself that you wouldn't pass around the office probably is a bad idea, unless you want to be known as the guy or girl who shared Jennifer Lawrence's nude pictures.

5- Cater to your audience, but remember everyone can see you- This one may be hard for a lot of people to work with. As an Islander blogger, I always try to cater my content to things that other Islander fans would enjoy. However, taking shots at other teams is something I very rarely do, because it can backfire and cause opposing fans to form a mob of angry tweeters. This shouldn't stop you from creating engaging content for your followers, but be mindful of other groups of people who might search for what you're tweeting about.

6- Beware conflict of interest- This applies more when you're working for an organization, but this should still be avoided. If you are a reporter for Fox, you should avoid talking about how much you can't stand their coverage of the Middle East. Generally a bad idea.

7- Be transparent- No, this does not mean that everyone is interested in seeing what you ate for lunch. What this does mean is that you should be yourself and be honest. It gives people a better sense that they're actually interacting with someone.

8- Don't steal tweets- Anyone who's ever written a paper should know that plagiarism is bad. The same goes for tweets. It's fine to share someone else's tweet, but just don't take their words and make them your own. Take this as an example of what can happen to your one, innocent tweet.

9- Have a voice that isn't offensive- This kind of goes hand in hand with being safe for work and catering to your audience. It's perfectly fine to be yourself and to express yourself, since that's what social media is for. However, once you begin to offend people, you've gone to far.

10- Post responsibly- Again, this should go in hand with the last few things mentioned. Same way you wouldn't go around yelling random information at people, you shouldn't do that online either.

11 (Bonus round!)- Don't delete tweets/posts- And we're in extra point territory! This may be one of the most important parts, so don't glance over this. By deleting a tweet or post, you look like you're trying to hide something. Better off to quickly apologize for the error and move on. Obviously, the exception to this would be a typo in which case it is acceptable to delete and repost your tweet.

#kellyclass

#KellyClass Hofstra Scavenger Hunt

#KellyClass #Hofstra #Scavenger Hunt

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Northwestern football players recently voted to potentially form the first-ever union of college athletes, a decision that would allow them the same benefits as other employees of the university, including salary and medical benefits.

Storify- https://storify.com/savholzwarth/college-athletes-seek-compensation

“I think it speaks volumes for what college athletes are standing for today,” said Jordan Allen, a Division I basketball player for Hofstra University.

The decision will be monumental in determining the future of college sports and is generating buzz all the way from Capitol Hill to campuses across the nation.

“College students shouldn’t be paid because they’re college athletes and they aren’t at the professional level yet where it becomes a job and it generates pay that they use to provide for their families,” said Matthew Rosenblum, a student at Hofstra. “It’s still just a sport to them at this age.”

Allen, however, believes that most Division I athletes do see their sport as a job.

“The amount of time that students put into their sport…. there’s no comparison to what they do in the classroom and with their books,” he commented. “It’s moreso sports first, and books second.”

Congress will review The National Labor Relations Board’s ruling that the players at Northwestern are employees of the university, creating revenue and receiving compensation in tuition, later this week.

Receiving a salary could help students deter some of the costs not covered under scholarship.

"We do have hungry nights when we don't have enough money to get food," said Shabazz Napier, a player on UConn’s Men’s Basketball team. Shortly after Napier's comments aired on national television, the NCAA approved a proposal that will provide unlimited meals and snacks to all Division I athletes in future seasons.

Storify Link Here- https://storify.com/savholzwarth/college-athletes-seek-compensation

Journalism Reunion Big Hit with Famous Alumni

The 10th year reunion for the JRL 011 class of '14 was a huge hit. Many people have had tremendous success in the past 10 years, but possibly none had any more than Jacob Hasten and Stacey Ann.

Mr. Hasten had spent time traveling in Europe, pursuing his dream of being a DJ. He sold out clubs all over Europe, but while in Germany, he met one of his idols- DJ Armin Bom Shanker.

He told him that while being a DJ is fun, it allows you two options- "either having a family or living in airports half your life". This helped Mr. Hasten question his DJ career and led to working undercover in the McDonald's Corporation.

Mr. Hasten also cites Steve-O's famous line in the movie SLC Punk as a huge motivator for him, "You can do more damage from inside the system than outside it". Mr. Hasten was the mastermind in the infamous McDonald's Takedown of 2021, and he said that "I felt like Robin Hood, extremely heroic". While Jacob Hasten had great success, Stacey Ann also blew up in the public eye.

Ms. Ann is currently a freelance journalist who previously worked for Fox News. Since the move, Ms. Ann reports an income of over $30 million and is one of the most well known journalists in the modern era.

She's donated millions to Hofstra University and is the namesake of the Communications Building which was recently changed to be named after her.

Her big break came after she revealed a love child between George W. Bush and Hilary Clinton and her shocking and well publicized interview following it.

Ms. Ann stated that "I love finding out facts and figuring out the truth". In the 10 years following this, she hopes to have an annual income of $100 Billion. Ms. Ann still lives with her four children, London (named after her favorite city), Brooklyn, Michelle, and Danny.

Ms. Ann also states that despite her success, she wants her children to work. She states-"I want my children to have a rich life and be happy, but I also want them to work and make something of themselves. Maybe they can be like me. Who wouldn't want to be like me"?

All in all, the 10th year Reunion for the '14 JRL 011 Class was a huge success. All those who attended were shocked and excited to see their old classmates and tell their stories. However, it does beg the question- where will these superstars be for the 20 year reunion?

How Fox and NBC handled the Amanda Knox Trials Differently

Since this story came back into the news I figured it would be a perfect fit for a way to see how different media outlets would both handle this situation. I looked up a few different articles regarding the news and looked at them both and tried to analyze exactly how the new verdict was explained. NBC wrote a bit more about the trial and verdict and appeared to take a more humane approach, trying to get Amanda Knox's side of the story and talking about the process from here on out. Fox, on the other hand, appeared to get straight to the point and tried to talk about what had happened in the court room and give quotes from the attorney and the families of the victim.

What interested me was that the two outlets are considered to be pretty different. NBC is considered to be liberal, and Fox more conservative/neutral. I thought the neutrality of Fox's article showed as they didn't offer much in the way of backhanded opinions like NBC's article did. NBC also looked ahead to what is next a bit more than Fox which was nice for someone like myself that doesn't know too much about the legal system and extradition laws. I thought both platforms handled the coverage well in their articles and am interested in seeing how this story continues to unfold.

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