Please Don't Feed the Bear

[coveteur]

What more does a girl need? 

[lunaticpat]

[katiannabear-blog]

Teens Tweet

Twitter has commonly had a higher age group of users until recently. In an article written by Stephanie Schwab, Rise of the Twitter Teenager, she shows us that there is a new age group among the Twittersphere. Teens. The young kids are turning to Twitter at an even earlier age to follow along with what is hip and trending. Commonly they are following pop culture icons and expressing their feelings in short 170 character thoughts through out their day. These teens are turning to Twitter almost as a personal diary and a way to get away from their parents. As Facebook has gained a higher popularity among parents, they are escaping the constant feeling of being watched by their guardians. The teens have noticed that not as many parents have Twitters, thus it is a "free zone" for them to take advantage of. Schwab even says most parents do not even realize that their teens are tweeting.

Another reason teens are using Twitter at an earlier age is because it allows for them to have a nearly anonymous profile. Facebook is a little bit more demanding when it comes to sharing information. On Twitter, photo tagging, profile pictures and albums are not as big of a part. This can also cut back on the major issue of bullying. With a nearly private option, they are able to say what they feel while guarding their name. 

Pew has reported that teens usage of social media has grown 80%. This site allows teens to interact with celebrities and possibly be @metioned. Schwab refers to Twitter as the "new digital autograph book".

This means a number of different things. Marketing strategists now have a new opportunity to reach their specific age groups. Advertising that used to be on Facebook may now be more focused on Twitter. Twitter allows for marketers to interact with these teens via conversation. Here they can truly pin point what they want and sell accordingly. Teens can easily conform to the ideas of marketers. If a marketer wants an idea to get out, simply offer a prize to a teen if they retweet their brand. The linkage among this age group is unreal. 

Twitter expanding to individuals this early also means these kids may not be aware of the massive footprint they are leaving online. Many teens are not thinking of that job out of college that may be jeopardized by tweets made on Twitter years back. It is important to educate youth how important it is to censor what is being said. The social media atmosphere is a great place with many peaks, but may also be detrimental later on in life.  

[torijoelle]

Just a little less then a year ago the New York Times wrote an article about the new concept of a “social media background check”. According to the article this check runs a search on everything that the person in question has done with social media both good and bad. For example this means that when the run the background they might see that on Facebook the person is an avid supporter of animal rights groups and that they are a member of multiple charitable groups. However on the downside to this is that if the person they are researching has EVER in their life made a tweet or status about something racist or involving sex or drugs they will see that as well. Do you really want your future company knowing what you “accidentally” wrote on your Tumblr when you were out drinking Saturday night?

So the question I asked myself was is it our responsibility to know better or smarter social media etiquette or is social media our own personal/recreational activity that shouldn’t be a consideration when you apply for a job? But that is a question that does not seem to be simply answered. While I think that to some degree you should have the opportunity to express yourself especially with out having to make everything you write professional sounding I would suggest a fake username. A lot of my friends have done this with their Facebook or twitter accounts as they have entered the time of either college applications or job searches. Let your good friends know that you are doing this and the others will figure it out but at least if you have a name with no connection to you posting things that are a little more private the company can’t connect them to you personally. Another option is to create to seperate profiles and one can serve the purpose of professional friends and now background searches and the other with your nick name or something could be your private account. 

However, the other suggestion which seems so obvious but is easier said then done is just done post, tweet, blog, or upload anything that could get you into trouble. Next time you upload a photograph to facebook ask yourself “would I want my grandma to see this?” or the next time you tweet when your angry think about if you would be embarrassed if your boss read it?

So those are my suggestions and questions posed about the situation of a social media background check but I have skirted a little around one of the bigger issues revolving around this article, is this right?? Should random people be allowed to look up everything I have ever done or said? Is this against our privacy? According to Max Drucker “We are not detectives, All we assemble is what is publicly available on the internet today”. The article also states that the federal trade commission has determined that companies can run these background searches claiming that they fall within the fair credit reporting act.

My one favor I ask of those who run these social media background checks is just to keep in mind what is relevant and what isn’t. What occurred when I was 16 and what I am now. What I said about something that would never ever affect the company as opposed to a red flag. But what do you guys think? Are companies in their right to search through our Facebooks and Twitters? How do you think people should prepare for these types of checks? Will this affect the amount of people who now choose to use social media?

[katiannabear-blog]

I’ve said this before in a comment but I strongly believe this… always think that regardless of privacy settings, whatever you put online can be seen and will be seen by anyone. This online world has many loopholes with the privacy settings as well as hackers. If someone wants to see your internet footprint, they most likely will. Our generation has to be aware of the consequences, both good and bad, of the internet. The internet and social media has become a source of personal branding for each individual active. That branding will carry over into the professional and personal life. 

[ahappeninglife-blog]

With so many different social media outlets, becoming a digital activist is just a mouse click away. This article from nytimes.com discusses limits that come with being an activist in the digital world. The author poses this question “if you ‘like’ something, does that mean you care about...

[katiannabear-blog]

I agree with you in the sense that many individuals are simply reposting articles and following along before they truly know what the cause is. I have to disagree with the idea that the "likes" are only going so far. I think liking and linking on Facebook is important to help a cause get out there and possibly go viral. After it is out there it depends on the individual to dive into the cause and truly explore it. Half of the battle for these activists is for their idea to go viral and once it does that, it is often covered by the news and obtains even more recognition and a better explanation of what truly is going on. Basically, sites such as Facebook and Twitter help the idea get out and recognized, once it is recognized it opens up the door for a better universal understanding

[katiannabear-blog]

Teens Know

When it comes to social networking, do teens know more? Matthew Hendricksen did some investigating and produced this article: Everything You Always Hoped a Teen Would Tell You About Social Networking. Laurie Walsh was in charge of handling the social media accounts for InNetwork, which is a company that helps match consumers with health care providers. Walsh is the co-founder of InNetwork and was a little uneasy about taking on the social networking aspect by herself. She decided to allow high school senior, Katie Miller to take over.

Walsh claims that the social networking for the business was "time consuming". Shortly after hiring the high school senior, Walsh says that she has more time for her other work. She has also noticed a lot of growth with the websites network. She is not afraid to admit that Senior, Katie Miller is responsible for the increase in business from reaching out online. 

For younger individuals who have grown up with social media, it is basically second nature to them. For the most part they are able to navigate the sites and quickly understand new sites. Miller uses sites such as Facebook and Pinterest to see how clients react. She started off using these sites as an experiment and learned how clients react. If she posts something on Facebook, it will be more educational. Something like an article or a link will get a better response on Facebook. Whereas for Pinterest, she will post simple pictures and recipes for clients and observe their responses. 

Miller found the most important part for social networking is the social aspect. She states if you want to keep readers and followers, you must interact with them instead of just thinking they will come back to the site to see what's new. That means commenting, sharing and liking pictures of clients. Doing simple things like this creates a relationship, she says. 

The high school senior says that Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter were the most important sites for a business to have because they are the most widely used. These big sites create opportunity for new clients, new connections and spreading your message. She also thinks that Pinterest and Tumblr will soon become important for businesses to use. Miller believes that older business individuals need to become familiar with these sites because this is where current and future business will stem from, 

[lessshespoke]

It was interesting to research what people think is going to become of social networking in the future. While I read this article, it was very interesting seeing what predictions have come true, and what still is yet to come. The article was written in 2010 and thinking back, a lot has...

[katiannabear-blog]

The Internet has indeed taken over. I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing though. Sure we may have our glitches especially on Blackboard, but that is a price we pay for being able to take advantage of all of the great things the Internet offers. Businesses and individuals have become completely dependent on it because it caters to so many of our different needs. I do agree it can be dangerous to rely on the Internet so heavily, but I don't see anyone backing off because of the "what ifs". 

[eyelikeveggies]

In an article titled “Kony video proves social media’s role as a youth news source: Pew” of msnbc.com, author Suzanne Choney discusses the role of social media and it’s effects on the “Kony 2012” video. With help from social networks like Facebook, and Twitter the video was able reached...

[katiannabear-blog]

I think it is amazing how fast an idea like this can be spread. I read on one site that this has been going on for many, many years now and once this video came out, it all of a sudden was a recognized issue. Think if this video came out as the issue began. Do you think social media will have a strong enough affect to stop someone such as Kony? 

[n3dtalks]

This article was about a marine, Gary Stien, who created a Facebook page called “Armed Forces Tea Party Patriots”. This page was meant to encourage active marines to exercise their freedom of speech rights. The problem with the page was when the creator of the page posted “I will not follow orders...

[katiannabear-blog]

I think one of the great things about social media is that we have the ability to say what we think and feel about a certain topic. We are unlike many journalists who have to stay objective about their reporting. With that being said, most anything that is placed on the internet will be seen by someone and affect that person in some way. Especially with something of this magnitude, it can be quite controversial, but I believe that we need that. We just have to be prepared for any consequences of our actions. Actions have consequences both good and bad. 

[thesweetcouturist]

It is no mystery that within the past couple of days Stop Kony has become the hottest topic and trending thing in a while. I think this this social media at its finest! Through Facebook, Twitter, and by way of video they have completely put themselves on the map. Invisible Children is something...

[katiannabear-blog]

When something such as this goes viral, I am yet again amazed by how powerful the internet is. This issue has been on going for years but once the Internet got their hands on it in this way, it has spread awareness so much that something positive may in fact come from it. It is all about sharing. If you want your idea out there, share it and make it available to be shared by others.

[katiannabear-blog]

How to go Viral

The internet has forever changed the way we communicate. The rate in which we send and receive information, whether it's true or not, is alarming. Think of the last bit of information that you chose to share with someone. Where did you receive the initial information? On the Internet? Word of mouth? Then think of where you saw that bit of information again and again. For me, I was in bed the other night on Pinterest and came across a "pin" that said "Stop Kony". I didn't think twice about it. Shortly after, I checked my Twitter. A post read "This must go viral: Stop Kony Campaign" with a link attached to it. I then checked my Facebook and numerous status updates contained links, pictures and videos of Kony.

How does something go viral? 

After researching how to make something go viral, it is clear that there is no exact formula. Many will say that the content needs to be interesting, provoke thought, be humorous, and controversial. An article I stumbled upon brought about a great point. Share. Share everything. If you want something to go viral, add the share button for numerous different social media websites. Youtube and Facebook have this down. "The more seed you spread, the more chance it will grow".

Although there are an alarming number of people using the social web, more people use email. Think of where different masses of people are and strategically target that group. "Content is king". The content needs to be king or else people are not going to want to share it. Humor and controversy are always good for viral. 

With that being said..

http://youtu.be/Y4MnpzG5Sqc

[vainsofemla-blog]

[zero-00-gone-blog]

With consumption of goods, services, and information being the topic of this week, my mind of course went straight to Pinterest. For me, Pinterest is a place to find everything under the sun in one easy location. Anything and everything I could ever want to see, learn about, or purchase can be...

[katiannabear-blog]

With the idea that personal information is the web’s currency—Pinterest has done a great job in targeting what the consumer wants. Facebook tracks clicks and will advertise to the individual based upon their history. On Pinterst, the consumer is telling exactly what they want, what they like and what they may be interested in. This is a place that businesses can now go to and personally cater to their buyers wants and needs. If companies are smart, they would pay attention and take advantage of this site. It will be yet another way to monetize. 

[whitneyjstevens-blog]

Social Media Shaped Chardon High School Shooting Coverage

An interesting concept was raised when a news station in Ohio reported on how social media affected how the public learned about a shooting spree at Chardon High School. Information about the shooting at Chardon High School spread...

[katiannabear-blog]

I believe we are sharing information today at an extremely alarming rate. With Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and the numerous other social media websites, there are often posts based upon word of mouth. There are posts that are subjective, rather than the objective posts many news stations are required to write. I think the freedom of being able to post our thoughts via social media outlets outweighs the worry of having to monitor posts. I think as an individual taking in information on these sites, the information should be taken in as a starting point. One may see "earthquake in california kills hundreds" on someone's Twitter--then he or she should look to other sites to confirm that fact if it is questionable. I also believe that one should never post something that he or she knows for a fact is untrue. These sites are used to shared information and when they become tainted, it creates a negative atmosphere.

[katiannabear-blog]

2.24.07

Five years ago today I found my dad after he had a massive heart attack. Shortly after the nurse told me to say my goodbyes. Today I talked to him on the phone about how amazing my moms homemade maple and chocolate chip cookies were from last night, and where we are going to eat for my graduation dinner in May. 

Today is a good day.

[katiannabear-blog]

Privacy

Privacy: The right to be let alone-a human right

Zizi Papacharissi explores privacy in the article, Privacy as a Luxury Commodity. As we step into the social media world we may notice our private lives coming a bit more public. Do you share more now than you used to? Or are you finding yourself cutting back in fear of overexposure? It seems to me that these social networking sites are becoming more and more public. In order to use them, we give up more information about ourself-all in which is a personal choice. Zizi points out that with the new Facebook changes, it is easier to share, than to hide information. In order to be social, we are required to give up information about ourselves. The social world is all about sharing information with others.

She points out that this idea of giving up information to be social has always existed, but what users do not like is that it is digitally recording and tracking their behaviors. It seems as though the line has become blurred with what is "appropriate" to share. We have become so comfortable with the internet, that many are sharing what someone may have written in their private diary many years back. My mother is 66 years old and clearly did not grow up with the same sites I am on today. From day one she warned me about privacy. She told me, "Never share anything on the web that you wouldn't want me to see." To this day, I have been conscious as to what content I am putting out there that has my name attached to it. Regardless of privacy settings, I think each person should only post something on the web that they are okay with the entire world seeing. 

There is a major balance now between privacy and sociality. What are you willing to give up? We are giving up our privacy in order to use their services. Personal information is social networks currency, thus, our right to be let alone is slowly diminishing. I would like to think of it this way: The internet is quite public, therefore, think of everything you put on the internet as public as well. 

[ziuzia-blog]

Ever wonder what school was like before Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and Tumblr were around...

[katiannabear-blog]

We are students emerged in social networking. If you are in class, you should be in there to learn. If the teacher has a problem with students being on their computers during class, they should now allow them during their class time. These social sites are clearly here and not going away. We are a society that thinks we can multi task effectively, but truthfully, we suck at it. 

I can see how these sites can affect attention spans, grades and so on, but what it comes down to is personal will and motivation. If school, or a particular class is not your top priority, then yes, you probably will let your mind wander and check your facebook account. I agree that these sites are distracting but instead of blaming them, don't you think we should learn a little responsibility?