Rob V. II

Robert Valdez Jr

[robvaljr-blog]

Book Analysis Blog-Twitterville & Facebook Effect

The books that I read were titled Twitterville: How Businesses Can Thrive in the New Global Neighborhood and The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company that is Connecting the World. Both books really talked about different aspects of the platforms some that were pretty well known especially after taking MCO 435. My approach in my analysis was talking about how both Facebook and Twitter are used to connect people in their own unique way. Even though both platforms are pretty popular, it was interesting learning how both connect people in their own different ways. 

With Twitter, they strongly emphasize the conversational era that people have transitioned into. Before people were part of the broadcast era and now this conversational era had taken over and Shel Israel, the author of Twitterville, really gave a good explanation of how people could use Twitter to benefit themselves.

As far as the Facebook Effect, there was much historical references and information that was already known. It also gave an inside look into how Facebook operated and why certain decisions were made. I really focused on how the connection between people was happening and important within Facebook. Where Facebook differed from Twitter was in the weight that the profiled carried. A person's profile really portrays their identity and that is the key factor in the connection or communication between people. 

Overall both books offered great information and insight on how these two platforms have become two of the most popular social networking sites. It also explained how the connection between people have become a lot easier thanks to their offerings. 

[lessshespoke]

Lately, social networking and privacy has been a very controversial topic in the media. The big question is, “How far is too far?” “Should businesses and schools have the right to check employee or student’s social networking sites?” etc. Businesses and schools have started to ask for the right to...

[robvaljr-blog]

I absolutely agree with the notion of having the right to say anything on social networking sites, but I do think one should definitely filter the content that is said and/or posted on their profiles. I say this because nowadays a lot of people are being judged on how they portray themselves through their profile.

As far as schools and employers requiring or asking people for their passwords to enter into their profiles this is completely wrong. A job or school should not determine a person's qualifications via their social networking site. Nevertheless a person should also be sure to review what is on their profile just in case this is out of their control.

[lessshespoke]

Lately, social networking and privacy has been a very controversial topic in the media. The big question is, “How far is too far?” “Should businesses and schools have the right to check employee or student’s social networking sites?” etc. Businesses and schools have started to ask for the right to...

[katherinemckeon-blog]

In this New York Times article, a new type of sustainability movement is discussed-one that involves the revolutionary powers of Facebook. A new app has been released that allows people to post their energy consumption levels to their Facebook page and challenge their friends to energy reduction...

[robvaljr-blog]

Even though I am on board on the going green inicetive, I think creating a game or app for Facebook is becoming to redundant. This is not to say that it will not have any success, but I just personally feel like all the games and additional apps that Facebook has brought it has become so irrelevant just because everyone is doing it. I think the going greem movement should look into new ways to spread their word out.

[thesweetcouturist]

This Time Magazine article was extremely interesting, and something I have never really thought about. All over the internet we are always seeing images of girls. Whether they are in clothes, swimsuit, naked, or just parts of them we are always being thrown images to our face. Most recently...

[robvaljr-blog]

This idea of perfection has been going on for decades in advertising via magazines, television and other forms of mass media. I absolutely agree with your notion that this idea of being skinny and being "perfect" is harming young girls and their perception of reality. We all know that these skinny models really don't look the way they are portrayed. They are photo shopped and manipulated to what they consider to be perfect. 

As far as Pinterest goes, I think that getting the word out and letting young girls understand and know what the reality of being perfect is, is probably the best way to go. Unfortunately we cannot always control what is being posted on the internet but making sure our loved ones and their loved ones know what the truth is probably is going to be our best bet. 

[katiannabear-blog]

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...

[robvaljr-blog]

I don't blame Teens turning to Twitter because like you said a lot more adults are joining Facebook. I also agree with Facebook having a more personal profile that people sometimes just want to be nosy and look at what is going in your life. Me personally, I see myself using Twitter more for the same reasons that these Teenagers are. It's a more lay back scene and I am able to just talk to people and vice versa versus people looking at all my business. 

[robvaljr-blog]

Social Media Activism in Mexico

There have always been movements in history where the medium that was popular at the time had a huge affect on people and their perception of the events occurring. During the Great Depression, photographs really captured the struggle of people and what they were going through at the time. During the Civil Rights movement television had a huge impact on how people who were not able to be at the gatherings and protests saw exactly what were going on. In our days we have social media having such a huge impact on the Middle Eastern uprising and activism that they are going through. Social Media and Social Networking specifically are platforms where people who do not know the true story can use and/or visit to get what is really going on.

One place where people do not realize how life is as difficult as in the Middle East is Mexico and their struggles against the cartels and their reign of the country. The political system in Mexico has become so corrupted that many people do not trust their local city government, let alone the police in their area. The media has began to focus on Mexico’s struggle a lot more in the past few years than it did in the previous year’s which has assisted the citizens in Mexico in ways that really are not too noticeable. So the question that is probably being asked at this time is “Well what about Social Media?” This assisted the Middle East in getting their word out to the globe to let them see the horrible things that were occurring there. The problem is that Social Media has been used and it has failed to a certain extent.

The article that is posted for our class http://goo.gl/U5F7V talks about how people who have attempted to use social media as a way of getting their voices heard against the reign of the cartels end up dead.  This is so sad to heard and read being of Mexican descent because this country is such a beautiful, well enriched country full of culture and positive values and beliefs. There are many strong voices out there in Mexico, but the unfortunate thing about it is that most of those voices are too scared to speak, even with social media.  Reading the above mentioned article, it talks about a blog titled “Blog Del Narco” which can be translated to “The Blog of the Drug Dealer” and how this blog is used to inform people of the incidents that cartel killings are occurring and the location as well. goo.gl/LO5YM. If you visit this site you can see that every blog entry is titled with either execution, slaughter, decapitation or some other word that describes the violent act a certain cartel did towards someone or some people.

It is extremely scary to read and see photos of all this going on in Mexico because one thinks that killings like this only really happen in movies, but the reality is that they are occurring south of our border. Not only do people need to courageous to live in this country, they also need to take a risk if they decide to use social media as a way of speaking out and against these acts. Who knew that social media would have such a strong impact on things? I say this because if the cartels did not find social media as a threat, they wouldn’t be killing people who create websites, blogs and/or speak out on social networking sites.

[jroy9390-blog]

Social Media in the classroom is a controversial topic among educators. While many want to keep social media out of the classroom and keep traditional styles of learning in, principal, Eric Sheninger, and the teachers of New Milford High School in New Jersey support social media in education....

[robvaljr-blog]

This is wonderful to see! It really brings a smile to my face when I see educators not only adapt with what is new  in society, but also figure out how it can be integrated and included to teach and develop students. There are so many people, who are completely against social media and especially cell phone use in classrooms, but New Milford is doing what every school district in this country should look into and that is not fighting “the enemy” but figuring out how it can be a benefit. As social media grows, I think that platforms are going to be developed that focus strictly on school and students. That is why it is important that educators begin to look into social media and the different platforms available now so they can have an idea how to correlate education with social media. 

[brittshirk]

Now that spring break is in full swing, I found this article recently printed in the NY times a perfect subject to discuss.

We all know that spring break is a time where things my get a little crazy. We drink, we party, and most importantly we want to document it. We want to remember all the...

[robvaljr-blog]

You sure are right when it comes to Social Media and having to watch out with what is posted and what is not. The identity that we have through our social media platforms is very important and by posting a picture that really doesn't match up with can really hurt things such as our social capital as well as our reputation via social media. Be careful with what photos are not just posted, but taken so you don't take that risk.

[robvaljr-blog]

Questioning Crowd Sourcing

Last week we discussed the term crowd-sourcing and how it relates to social media and the different platforms that we have discussed and experienced firsthand.  Even studies have been done and those studies prove that the average of a crowd source outcome is normally the correct and most accurate answer; it still really interests me about the group that is chosen for this crowd-sourcing.  One of the major criticisms according to Wikipedia is the value of the work that is received from the chosen group/crowd.  If we really think about it, how reliable are the people who are chosen for this crowd-sourcing? No one will really know because one of the components of crowd-sourcing and really the major different from regular outsourcing is the fact that the group is unknown.

In an article that was written in September of 2009 on Forbes.com by Dan Woods, he talks about how NetFlix utilized crowd-sourcing to put together a list of films that were highly recommended and that can be used to give to new users or potential users so they can have an idea of the most recommended films out there that of course are offered by NetFlix. goo.gl/1awJl. One of the points that Mr. Woods points out is the credibility of the group that chose the films and how much of an incentive was given to this group. At the end of the day we won’t know the answers to neither of those two points, but we can definitely continue to question this idea of crowd-sourcing. In general a normal person who gets this information and really does not care too much will really not question it or the whole concept of crowd-sourcing. The people who are worried about accuracy and basically the truth are probably the ones who will be concerned.

The important factor in all this I believe is being able to double check and/or research crowd-sourcing and not just rely on the outcomes of a crowd-sourced study or questionnaire or whatever is presented to them. By attempting to find out the people included in the group, seeing if any other studies or results compare to the crowd-sourced ones and research, research, research, then the possibility of not receiving accurate answers can be minimized. If crowd sourcing continues to be a main force in gathering information and if people decide that this is a good and solid way of collecting information then I guess it can be considered legit. For now though I still am fairly skeptical; maybe its due to how new this is to me.

I looked into different types of crowd sourcing and found out that the way that business use Twitter has a main component of crowd sourcing. Businesses are gathering information from the followers that they have and whenever a question is asked on behalf of the business, people answer and these people are in general their consumers. So this is a very creative and legitimate way of crowd sourcing and can see why business do it. Not only is it a quick way of gathering information, they are getting information from people who are interested in their product and/ or business. I guess crowd sourcing has its clear positive parts, but also questions about legitimacy in other parts. 

[gromkid-blog-blog]

As many us become aware of the recent Youtube video trending on Twitter and going viral through social media outlets, we can’t help but latch on or become skeptical. The recent video sheds light on Joseph Kony, the Ugandan guerilla group leader and head of the Lords Resistance Army, with...

[robvaljr-blog]

This blog entry intrigued me not because of the Kony issue even though it is horrible what is going on in Africa, but what brought interest to me is the backbone of what made this video and this cause such a success thus far. Social Media platforms. Without these platforms, very few people would really know what is going on. The power of Facebook and Twitter are in the fore front. I did not know what was going on and to be honest have not even seen the video that is posted all over the place, but I had a good understanding that this video was something that people were paying attention to and were interested in. Again with no social media, this does not happen. This got me thinking about the different communication mediums we have had throughout history such as telephone, newspapers and television and I do not think something like the Kony video would come even close to how successful it became through the internet specifically with social media platforms.

[charliejoslinx]

Getting to work with a bunch of journalists almost every day has opened my eyes to another world of control and rules that are just asking to be broken. The traditional industry of journalism is steeped in prestige and talent. But it is starting to stumble with the shift to digital media and...

[robvaljr-blog]

Your Topic is one that definitely interested me and has so much from many different angles in our society. You are completely correct that this idea of citizen journalism will probably not go away any time soon just because of the impact social media has had on everyone. One thing that I would disagree on is the need of traditional rules and control from a journalistic standpoint. There are blogs and so many different ways of receiving information besides your normal news conglomerate nowadays, but there are times that that information needs to be verified and check for accuracy and to be honest I don’t think there is a better place to check then those giant news outlets. I am not saying that they can’t be wrong every once in a while but they definitely have the credibility and reputation of being accurate most of the time. I think someone regardless of their past history or their future plans, needs to figure out a way where citizen journalism and old fashioned, traditional journalism can come together and be a successful entity for the public and also create a business model that will benefit both.

[brittshirk]

After learning this week in class about privacy and identity, I found it only fitting to continue this discussion, and I would love to hear more about what everyone thinks about the topic of “keeping things private.”

While searching on Google, I came across a recent article by Ben Casnocha on his...

[robvaljr-blog]

The statement that I read that really brought me to agree with you is the one in regards to privacy and how people know they should care about it and worry about it, but ultimately they do not. This is completely true and I’ll be one to admit it. There have been stories reported, many different service warnings about protecting my identity online and even people that I know personally who have been hacked someway, somehow. But I really do not do much about it. There are some things that I have changed in the past year plus in regards to my financial accounts online. I have purchased an identity protection service which I pay a monthly in which protects and keeps up with activity that pertains to my social security number.  As I get older and I add on crucial assets under my name/social security number, I am becoming more aware of my identity and protecting myself online. I do admit though in my younger days I really did not care too much about protecting my identity online.

[whitneyjstevens-blog]

Tumblr Post 2: 20 Million Followers, Complete Social Media Power

By: Whitney Stevens

Individuals in various social media facets have traditionally placed high importance on the number of “followers,” “friends,” etc., they bear on diverse social media sites. For many people involved...

[robvaljr-blog]

There are a couple of things that I wanted to comment on in regards to your blog. First off you make a statement saying that pop culture figures have control over social media. I believe that social media is part of popular culture and that because of the power and impact social media has, these pop culture figures are able to increase their influence on others. The second aspect of your blog that I wanted to answer is the question of the importance of analyzing content and source of what is being put out in the social media world. I completely agree that it is a must to analyze the reason why is to make sure what we are receiving is not only accurate and correct, but also if it is beneficial in our lives. Unfortunately there are things being put on in the social media world that does not correlate to every single person. It is definitely smart and a good idea to be following, adding or whatever other way we continue relationships in social media, people who are relevant and can be used positively in our lives.

[robvaljr-blog]

[robvaljr-blog]

Citizen Journalism

We finished our last class discussion talking about Citizen Journalism and wondering if anyone who tapes an event or writes on their blog something new can be considered a journalist. If this question was asked maybe 5-10 years ago the answer would quickly be no, but now the question is really up for debate. We all would like to believe that a journalist is someone who has put in their time and effort and study the profession of journalism and actually has paperwork to prove that they are “licensed” to be a journalist. Nowadays thought anyone can honestly be a journalist and can provide the public with news that is fresh and current before any of the big news outlets does. Sure it is definitely smart to check for credibility and accuracy which can really divide the good journalist from the bad ones, but ultimately this concept of citizen journalism is alive and kicking strong with the world we live in today.

This huge movement of citizen journalism has occurred somewhat because of social media and how media has incorporated conversation and input from the public, something that was unseen in the past. Almost all newscasts are not filled with sections where they include Facebook posts or Twitter comments from the public. This I believe informs the public that news is not just a one way conversation, but a two way conversation including what the public has to say and the idea they would like to be implemented. Without the idea of social networking and with platforms like Facebook and Twitter becoming so popular, the media would stay the way it was for so many years in not really including the public in the news conversation.  So social media definitely can be either blamed or honored, depending on what side you’re on, for this citizen journalism movement.

With all this being said, there are apparently ways and different layers of citizenship journalism that one should follow to maybe be considered legitimate or somewhat credible.  Editors and publishers have been given ideas and different possibilities of how citizen journalism can affect and can be useful for the news media and the audiences watching the outlets incorporating it. An article by Steve Outing titled  “ The 11 layers of citizen journalism” goo.gl/1awJl details what can and cannot work when using citizen journalism into regular, old fashioned news media journalism.  One common aspect of these layers that are explained are blogs and their impact on media and citizen journalism. Blogs gave the opportunity to those “non licensed journalist” to be able to cover events and then have a platform for people to go check and ready what they have covered.

In my opinion this citizen journalism movement will only continue to grow because social media will be alongside with it. It is like Pinocchio, if he continues to lie, then his nose will continue to grow longer and longer, they go hand in hand. Social media and citizen journalism have the same type of relationship and will use each other as partners in this growth to make news coverage have more of a public voice versus a network or corporate voice. I’m with and behind citizen journalism as long as people do their research and have a non bias approach to things, the way journalism should be.

[ahaught-deactivated20131206]

As I was browsing social media articles (something I do on a daily basis), I came across an article that suited the state of mind I was in earlier today. It was an article regarding how to blog. Since I have never blogged before, I was clueless of how to begin. Yes, I understand that I am supposed...

[robvaljr-blog]

The issue I had before beginning my first blog was determining how formal it should be and how I should format. Questions such as “In what tense should I write it?” and  “how proper should I present it?” were a couple that really messed with my mind for a bit. Just like you, I am also new to this blogging thing, even though I’m familiar with the whole concept and have heard of it for many years. This is the first time I actually blog so I was not too sure what type of voice was suppose to be presented. My final result was  a bit too formal I believe than what everyone else is presenting. The luxury of blogging and well this assignment in general is that we get to learn and adjust and produce a better item.