Missouri Forbids Teachers & Students To Be Facebook Friends

Starting August 28,2011, students and teachers will not be allowed to be Facebook friends after the Missouri Senate Bill 54 goes into effect. This is suppose to reduce sexual misconduct by teachers, there will also be a written policy that needs to be signed by both students and teachers on electronic media and social networking.

The only exception is teachers are allowed to have a Facebook page but all students will have access to it, for more of a public setting. The setback to the new bill is how will it be policed? The question is "will the state be allowed access to Facebook accounts, personal computers or Internet service providers records to see who's befriending teachers or students?"

For more about this article, click here

Suspended blogging teacher to return to class

The teacher from Pa. Central Bucks East High School who blogged complaints about her students will return to school this fall, she had been suspended with pay after students found her blog this February. The superintendent said at the time that Munroe's blog posts about her students and co-workers were "very egregious" and "certainly could result in termination." The school district's human resources director confirmed Wednesday that Munroe would return, but declined to comment further, saying the district will hold a press briefing next week and will have no further comment until that time.

Her blog was called "Where are we going, and why are we in this handbasket?" The blog had nine followers but now has 633. She did not name students in any of the posts which students found on Feb. 8 and circulated it via social media.

Students, parents and community members already have had mixed reactions about the news of Munroe's return. It is unclear why the district is allowing Munroe to return. Is the school district worried it could cause this big law suit and they could lose? However this has become an important national First Amendment, employment and education case issue.

How to be Funny in Social Media Campaigns

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/5-tips-for-using-humor-in-your-social-media-activities/

This article lays out how to be funny and promote your product in 5 easy to follow rules:

1. Be like Jerry Seinfeld
2. Keep it Clean
3. Be Witty
4. Don't be serious...
5. Experiment by filming awkward people that work for you...

Ok. I didn't say they were the best rules but... I can't really think of anything better.
Basically it's saying that in order to be funny you should find somebody funny and right when it is about to cross the line into edgy--- drop the hammer. And there it is! So easy! Now you just need to find a funny person...

The Power of Social Media

Blogosphere Delays the Groupon IPO.

Conor Sen writes about the delay to the Groupon IPO on Minyanville in an article titled "SEC's Investigation of Groupon a win for the Blogosphere.http://www.minyanville.com/businessmarkets/articles/sec-groupon-groupon-ipo-internet-companies/7/28/2011/id/35983

The Groupon business model seems so clear to me. A company offers a big discount to potential customers, Groupon distributes the coupon and collects a fee. It seems so simple. Apparently the accounting practices at Groupon, discovered by and amplified by the blogosphere, are now being reviewed by the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Companies need to be aware that their S1 filings, and any other legal filings, press releases, formal or informal marketing materials, or even basic customer service interactions are subject to public review. Groupon's filing was shredded by a Social Media audience that is outside of their control. Yelp provides a controlled environment for feedback, but the web provides a platform for many people to voice their opinion. As Sen correctly concludes " The information walls have really come down."

Twitter Ads

Ads on Twitter are finally here. I know you're thinking this is the end of Twitter as we know it, but hold on for a second. These ads will be from businesses or organizations that you already follow. So, the ads should have relevance to you, because you will most likely be interested in what the ads have to offer. It is similar to the "Like" feature on Facebook. Ads simply appear in your tweet stream when you follow a business. The ads will then appear at the top of the user's Twitter page.

I, for one, don't mind having some ads. Especially if the ads interest me. I am a fan of all thinks electronic. I like getting ads from electronic vendors because I don't want to miss out on a good deal on something I am wanting to buy. How annoying can a short 140 character ad be anyway? Just scroll past it if you're not interested. My guess is the ads will not get very many complaints, but there are always those that don't want to see even one ad. Social media is big business, so get used to seeing more ads.

Wanna Rock? Try AlmostFamous

For a while now people have been evacuating MySpace like rats from a sinking ship, and left the vessel to the musicians and independent artists. But as Myspace has become the "Detroit of Social Networking", musicians have been using ReverbNation and other sites to try to build the bridge over troubled water of online marketing and sharing of their voice.

Now there's a new kid on the block - www.almostfamous.com. Per the site, "With your AlmostFamous profile you can connect with a community of talented people, fans and industry professionals. You can share your media on already existing social networks and you can discover new talent!". The artist can also aggregate Twitter feeds, StumbledUpon, Linkedin, etc to your Almost Famous profile. More importantly for the artist, you can embed Vimeo and YouTube videos. AlmostFamous is not only for musicians, but artists, actors, models and anyone else in the entertainment industry.

This seems like the most innovative social media platform out there for artists and discovering new talent. As someone who never had a MySpace account, I never understood the appeal - but I have recently rediscovered my Ping account - so this could be a great new place to find good music. Users can sign up as talent, fans, or as a business. I tried to sign up as a fan, but the site seems to still be a little glitchy. There is enormous irony in this because the site says that record labels want artists with lots of fans. I hear a sad trombone somewhere.

I think I signed up as an artist -oops - I'm on my way to being a billionaire!

No musical puns were harmed in the making of this blog post, and were fed many "yuk yuk yuks" as payment for their services.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/309641
www.almostfamous.com

Limiting Next Day Streaming on Hulu

A New York Times article published on July 26 details some new changes to the next day streaming of Hulu. Starting Aug. 15, Fox will not allow all customers to watch their shows the following day on Hulu. Next-day streaming will only be allowed for paying customers who subscribe to certain cable or satellite providers that are partnered with Fox. Right now that means only customers with Dish Network will be able to watch the next day on Hulu. Customers will be required to authenticate that they are a paying customer of Dish Network in order to watch. All other customers will have to wait eight days. This is the first time authentication has been used the access Hulu. However, ABC may soon follow suit in requiring authentication. This does not affect those who pay $8 a month for Hulu Plus.

I will admit that with the DVR I rarely if ever use Hulu. However, it seems unfair that Fox has only partnered with Dish Network so far and that only those customers will get to watch the next day. Customers who have cable or satellite are being punished, even though they are paying an unseemly amount each month for the service. Additionally, DVR is not inexpensive and I can see how some people see Hulu as a necessity for watching shows. Also, an eight day delay is a lot in the TV world, especially if you are a fan of certain reality TV shows or like to discuss shows with friends. For example, my friends and I are big fans of So You Think You Can Dance, which is on Fox. If I couldn't watch the show within a day or two and had to wait eight days, I couldn't share my insights with friends before the next performance show.

The Death of Social Media (and the Birth of Something Better)

This article agitates me a little. Although it starts out giving kudos to the people who generated and promoted social media, or as they refer to it as "listening is the new black". But that's the exact opposite message that the social media world is putting out there. They don't want people to just listen, they want the world to engage. If society just listened and didn't have a venue for a voice we would be right back to where we were, Marketing 101, wouldn't we?

This article pokes fun at social media stating it could never be part of an integrated marketing strategy including direct marketing, ecommerce, emails and advertising. But isn't that the exact direction social media is headed? With the launch of Google+ and circles, or utilizing location based social media, ie. Gowalla or FourSquare, doesn't that provide some of the best direct marketing available?

I think this article is written from the perspective of an old-style-marketer who can't comprehend that people like to make their own decisions, not just swallow whatever the market throws at them. I think it was defined best at the Social Media Club panel discussion by Matt Curtin with Bazaar Voice, "Brands are no longer what we tell the people they are, they're what they tell each other they are."

http://socialmediatoday.com/debraellis/315780/death-social-media-and-birth-something-better

"Social Networker in Chief?"

Will the fate of our politicians begin to depend partly on their social media usage? I read articles in USA Today and The Boston Herald online this week that report the answer to this question seems to be yes.

According to the Boston Herald, “if you can’t tweet, you should get out of the election.” This was a very interesting article. After listening to the speaker last week about location-based social media and reading this article, I can see the value of it in these situations. Foursquare will be used in the election to reward volunteers for how often they check in to the volunteer locations. It seems like social media is very much part of the strategy for the 2012 election.

There is a new study that was released this week that reveals 60 percent of senior managers and social media managers in Congressional offices believe Facebook is an “important” or “somewhat important" tool. It also ranked YouTube and Twitter as valuable tools for Congress.

I am interested to see how all of this develops and if social media does play a major role in the election. Although I think it will make the election more convenient, I hope it isn’t the only deciding factor for how people vote.

Can Social Networks Really be Considered Public Utilities?

Some people are beginning to think of Google and Twitter as public utilities like water, sewage and electricity due to their wide use. They state that "the social networks are a critical layer of infrastructure for a wide variety of applications and content" For this reason, they are now entertaining the idea of having federal regulations on those companies. They believe those 2 companies have monopolies on information.

The authors argue that everything the government has ever regulated stopped its innovation and consistent development. That is the main fear with trying to make these services public utilities. The cavity and development that goes on with in social media will essentially diminish and become stagnant. The other argument is that social networking is ever changing and if we make it a public utility, if that platform fails or is replaced it could collapse the regulatory system that we built on it. Not to mention, if it is regulated it will not have all of the bells and whistles it has now. What would be the incentive? It would no longer be about profit, but rather just giving the basic necessities to the community.

The author suggests it should be left as is. I agree with the author. I believe the government is just so desperate for revenue that they are trying to justify and way they try to obtain more money without rocking the boat too much.

http://blogs.forbes.com/adamthierer/2011/07/24/the-danger-of-making-facebook-linkedin-google-and-twitter-public-utilities/

Emergency reporting- There's an app for that.

Reporting has improved greatly with the internet (and now... internet phones). We are getting information faster than ever.

With that said, when you see disaster strike-- what is your first response? Dial 9-1-1 or pull up an emergency app? Initially it's an appealing idea. I am excited about the possibility of moving our first responders to the year 2011. My only question- how do you filter all of the information?

A company by the name of "Elerts" plans to have volunteers filter out bogus tweets...and post legitimate reports that first responders can easily track via............... hash tag?

Okay. I get it. Hash tags are handy. But, I'm not buying it that you can get emergency responders on board to check twitter for feeds from volunteers....for pictures and updates that may or may not be there. Everyone would need to be on board with this idea (and at the same time) in order for it to work.

I could be wrong- but, my guess is this app is more useful to the citizens (similar to the WeatherBug). Maybe they could combine the two apps. =-)

http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/an-app-for-reporting-an-emergency/?ref=socialnetworking

New App Connects Social Media Users with Municipal Services

A new Facebook application called the Citizen Request Tracker is making it easier for citizens to report problems and request services from local governments.

The app can be downloaded from Facebook, installed onto a person’s account and then used to contact the city or county about items such as pot holes, graffiti, barking dogs and malfunctioning streetlights. The idea behind Citizen Request Tracker Suite was to make local government more accessible to the modern tech-savvy citizens who use social media sites and mobile devices in their daily lives. It used to be that there would be multiple times that someone would call about something such as a pothole being a problem, in the past, the city would have to address that concern personally, calling, e-mailing or private messaging the person to direct them to the right department. Now the problem can be addressed and responded to more efficiently. Citizens can contact them with requests, ranging from code enforcement incidents to animal services. It is a two-way communication that keeps both parties in check.

T-weet Partiers

GOP Presidential Hopefuls Face Off in First Ever Twitter Debate

On Wednesday July 21, 2011 TheTeaParty.net hosted the GOP’s presidential hopefuls "Twitter Debate". On the sidelines, 22,400 viewers watched and commented.

A politician can’t even say good morning in under 140-characters how do expect them to answer a serious question within in those limitations? It is nice, for a change, that politicians gave short answers. But there is a certain amount of characters required to put together a thought, and 140 is far below the correct number.

I think the debates showed us the limitations of Twitter- the inability to deliver complex messages. I suspect that there was a lot of pre-typed responses that were cut and pasted into the conversation. Hopefully both sides will abandon this practice.

Votocracy

http://www.geekwire.com/2011/takes-run-president-votocracy-shakeup-2012-race

Yes. Votocracy. It's an app that is tightly integrated with Face book that allows you to run for President of the United States for on $99. Basically anyone of voting age can enter the race. 50 state primaries are held after which the company will host a nationally televised reality show to pick the candidate. The winner will have a fully funded campaign and national attention.

I have to admit.. I think this is a really great idea. It will introduce someone to the Presidential race that is not a seasoned politician or a billionaire running on his own money. Although, it's doubtful that they would be a viable candidate in the near future, but I could see this eventually being the way we find the best man or woman for the job.

So... now what do we do?

Sometimes it seems we can mark the passage of time by waiting for "the next big thing". Google+ has arrived and has many people kicking its tires to see if it will stand the test of time. So, now what do we have to look forward to? For many iPhone users, the anticipation of iOS5 is feeding the social/tech addiction frenzy. Digital Trends (www.digitaltrends.com) expects the firmwared upgrade to be the most significant to date.

Along with cloud computing capability, Apple is fully integrating Twitter over Facebook, but will not completely leave Facebook behind. iOS5 users will be able to link information from you Facebook, Linkedin, Flickr, and (surprisingly) Myspace friends and aggregate the information in phone contacts, but you will have to enter this manually. Twitter users will be more fully integrated. Personally, the aggregation of contacts and the inevitable duplicates it creates is utterly annoying - it will be interesting to see if Apple can get it right.

So how come Apple chose Twitter over Facebook? Mainly because Facebook and Apple don't get along after the less than stellar integration of Facebook and Ping, Apple's music social network. When the agreement went south, Apple turned to Twitter. Also, Apple doesn't care for Facebook's deep relationship with Microsoft. It would have been nice to have full integration with the top three social networks of Twitter, Linkedin, and Facebook, but it looks like school-yard politics will dicatate the mobile/social integration pace for now. On a side note, Ping is a pretty fascinating social network. It would be great to see it integrated with the iPod and Genius functions of the iPhone.

For more reading on iOS5 development - please view these two sites:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/twitter-who-ios-5-connects-with-multiple-social-platforms-including-facebook/

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/ios-5-has-twitter-but-wheres-facebook/

How i-phones Can Be Used to Catch Criminals

According to a Huffington Post article published on July 19, 40 law enforcement agencies will soon be using an i-phone accessory that has facial recognition software. They will be able to scan a suspect's face and match the face with a photo in criminal databases. The software is called MORIS (Mobile Offender Recognition and Imformation System) and costs $3000. The i-phone must be held 5-6 inches from the face to scan the person's iris and uses either facial recognition or the actually color of the eyes or iris to determine if the suspect has a criminal record. So far, only information from current inmates is in the database. However, time will tell if driver's license photos will be added.

This obviously is raising some serious privacy issues. Google CEO Eric Schmidt states in the article that Google had created facial recognition software, but after looking at it, they stopped. The article doesn't go into detail on why Google decided to stop, but does provide a link to an interview with Schmidt that details the privacy issues. I understand law enforcement agencies wanting this software, because it seems that it would make identifying suspects easier. However, it does seem like a gray area and some serious issues may occur. For one, how will they actually use the software. Meaning how will these agencies determine who is a suspect, and therefore who to scan? Additionally, what if this technology gets into the wrong hands? It's safe to say that not all law enforcement personnel are upstanding individuals. However, only time will tell how this new device will be used and if it will actually work. It will be an even more interesting debate if driver's license photos become part of the database. We will have to see what happens.

Is Microsoft Creating a Social Media Site?

Just when you thought there wasn't room for Google+ in the social media mix, eWeek.com reports that Microsoft may have a social media site in the works. Apparently, Microsoft purchased the url socl.com with intents to create a social media site code-named "Tulalip". eWeek.com reports the page had text that read, "With Tulalip you can find what you need and Share what you know easier than ever". Currently, the page on socl.com has been changed to say,"Socl.com is an internal design project from a team in Microsoft Research which was mistakenly published to the Web … We didn’t mean to, honest."

I'm not sure what to think of this. Is Microsoft trying to be sneaky, or are they trying to purposely steal some of Google+'s thunder by "leaking" information about Tulalip? I find it difficult to believe that the highly paid web developers at Microsoft would accidentally publish a live page for the world to see. It's not like Microsoft can fly under the radar.

Some may not know that Microsoft owns a small share of Facebook. Microsoft uses this relationship to optimize friend finding features in Microsoft's Bing. I think Microsoft should ditch this Tulalip idea and build on its relationship with Facebook. After all, I'm not sure how many social media sites the world really needs. Anything after Google+ would seem like social media overkill. Let's be honest, if you thought it was funny when people first said, "TWEET me", can you imagine them saying, "LIP me"? No thank you!

Social media + Business Services

"I believe people, in general, aren't naturally aggressive. We're passive in person, but we're aggressive online," Scott Stratten author of UnMarketing: Stop Marketing, Start Engaging. That's exactly what people are doing. We have all seen them or heard of the crazy videos on youtube, for example one on how a toddler was served a margarita at a resaurant or about the guy making a series of videos on his guitar after it was broken on flight with United airlines. This video went viral after he spoke out about the lack of customer services he had received to resolve the issue.

Almost anything can be posted to the web with a single shot or video from a cell phone then in an instant posted to a social media site for the world to see. Business are understanding how important it is to make sure they aren't pulled into something that could end very badly for them. Wendy Cukier said it best, "You have to operate your organization as if any employee at any time could be on the six o'clock news," when it was reported an employee was spotted urinating in a laneway near Runnymede station.

Keith McArthur, vice-president of social media for Roger Communication has his employees address concerns from customers online. Lets face it, more and more are using social media as an outlet not just calling a representative at a call center and chewing them out for 30 minutes. McArthur goal is to have his team respond to as many tweets as they can within an hour addressing issue in concerns in a polite and respectful manner.

You can read more about this article here.

Need help managing social media sites?

Have writer’s block when writing professionally on social media or are you just short on time? According to a recent New York Times article, this is a common problem. Not only is it a common problem, but one that companies have created some solutions for.

There are company sites such as Roost, Hootsuite, Sprout Social and Spot On that are created to help people who are struggling with managing their professional social media sites. As someone who is new to Twitter and other avenues of social media, this article definitely interested me. It can be a challenge knowing what to post when first starting out. I imagine it would be even more difficult when trying to maintain the attention of current and potential clients.

According to this article, these sites help you set up a week’s worth of social media planning and posting in just a matter of minutes. These sites definitely seem like good resources for the busy business professional or for someone who is just starting out and trying to network in their field.

Kristen McLaughlin

Google+: Full-Court Press on Facebook

Tom Taulli in the Finance Corner of Forbes.com discusses the previous flops of Google but gives props to Google+ stating it "may have the right stuff". This article includes several good quotes from reputable companies that all seem to be in favor of Google+. Lyle Fong, CEO and Co-Founder of Lithium quotes Google+ as a game changer in social media. Has Facebook met it's match? Will Google+, with their circles, take over as the new social media?


http://blogs.forbes.com/tomtaulli/2011/07/14/google-a-full-court-press-on-facebook/

10 Animals With More Social Media Fans Than Major Media Outlets

Who doesn't love really cute animals faces? How about ESPN? Your Twitter followers votes are in and with over 1 million tweeple: Sockington the really cute animal face wins with 1,484,398 Twitter followers vs. ESPN with 1,426,705 Twitter followers.




These social site aren't just for people anymore, " ...animals have been tweeting with more than just their beaks", as stated on an article from Mashable.

Animals have been going online after you've falling asleep updating their Facebook and Twitter accounts, now they have more friends than you do.

Social networks like LOLcats, Upside-down dogs and many others have been getting more and more downloads, likes, tweeps, mobile apps downloads than several popular media outlets.

The top 10 Animals with more social media fans than major media outlets is as follows:

1)@Sockington 1,484,398 Twitter followers vs ESPN 1,426,705 Twitter followers

2)@BronxZooCobra 236,919 Twitter followers vs @bbcnews Twitter followers


3)Maru 138,118 Youtube Subscribers vs currentTV139,948 Youtube Subcribers

4)Boo 1,331,870 Facebook fans vs People Magazine 1,243,705 Facebook fans

5)@nyannyancat 123,179 Twitter followers vs @msnbc 105,630 Twitter followers

6)Beast 143,699 Facebook fans vs Forbes 133,369 Facebook fans


7)@common_squirrel 29,029 Twitter fans vs @SFGate 28,465 Twitter followers

8)@JFKTurles 8,333 Twitter followers vs @newsday 6,745 Twitter followers

9)Raccoon Willie 6,962 Youtube Subscribers vs RadioLab 4,221 Youtube Subscribers

10)@toasterpup 3,948 Twitter followers vs @SavannahNow 3,367 Twitter followers

Now we can see where some of our priorities go when it comes to social media site, cute animal faces.

Facebook Decline?

In the same time period that Facebook announced its 750th million usership, a report from Inside Facebook Gold (Inside Network, a data and analysis membership service which provides global growth data, demographics and usage statistics tracking changes in the Facebook ecosystem,) reports that Facebook for the month of May and for the second month in a row, lost users in the US and is having similar losses throughout the countries where Facebook and has been entrenched such as Canada, United Kingdom, Norway and Russia. Articles have begun to speculate as to the reasoning behind these numbers. Some have stated that since half the U.S. population already have a presence in Facebook it was only logical that membership would begin to slow down. Those who want a Facebook presence already have one and those that do not care to have one will never join anyway. Some also propose that the membership growth is seasonal and that many of its members are college students who are graduating and currently have more pressing details to attend such as finding a job. Another cause is given to folks getting turned off due to the privacy shenanigans that have perplexed Facebook developers for years.However I see it from a different perspective, I see that the fastest and largest demographics of new users are coming from the 55+ generation. This is a definite turnoff for the teens that once assumed that Facebook belonged to them and that their parents and grandparents were not competent enough to be able to understand the functions of technical social networks. Which unfortunately for them was incorrect, they might not totally get it the way they do, however, they do want to be able to find old acquaintances from Glory Days and to be able to see their grandkids pictures and strangely enough, even to create their own pets a social media profile!!!. But the largest problems teenagers have with Facebook is (drumroll please), trying to keep their social life private from their parents and older relatives. Somehow I’ve become the referee and have had to explain to their parents why they have been blocked. Google+ are you listening?

Spotify plans to invade U.S. territory via facebook?

Spotify's slogan "Any track, any time, any where. And it's free"-- is definitely enticing (for me at least). Say goodbye to the days of cookie cutter/pop hits (same song rotation every hour) on Clear Channels ever so popular radio stations that have taken over our airwaves. In the dawn of services like Pandora and Slacker, people have fled to internet radio as an alternative to finding new music. Customizable stations are among my favorite and I love being able to pause or skip songs.

Slacker Radio, in an effort to stay ahead of the competition, began offering "on-demand" music services to their listeners but, it will cost you $9.99/per month. Spotify however, will be unmatched by offering "free on-demand radio, MP3 retail, facebook and iPod integration and subscription together".

Apparently, Spotify is heavily integrated with Facebook in Europe. It will be interesting to see how they use social media to boost traffic to their website. Some rumors say that there may be a Facebook music service in the works with a Spotify/Facebook partnership. Who knows.

I've signed up for an "invite" from Spotify. As soon as it's legal, they'll send me an invite to join. I can't wait to see for myself --what the buzz is about.

http://allthingsd.com/20110708/heres-how-spotify-plans-to-invade-the-u-s-with-facebooks-help/

Who's the bad guy in social media - Government versus Citizen

We often hear complaints about the government trying to track are every move. We also hear complaints about “big brother” invading our privacy and stepping on our rights. These complaints stemmed from known issues such as the government tapping our phones and hiding hidden cameras on certain neighborhood streets. Now, people are complaining about the government doing the same thing trough the medium of Social Media. There have been countless conspiracy theories of how the social media sites are used by the government to see who is connected to whom so that they can track people and find out with whom those people associate with. However, this particular article points out that it is not always the government doing the spying and prying, but it is oft times the citizens.

In this article the author discussed how social media has helped to cause a in the fabric of our society. People worry that social media is beginning to make families and individuals un-social. People according to the article implications are spending more time instant messaging and tweeting than they are having face to face communication with one another. Some also use the social Media to take the law into their own hands. The Vancouver Vigilante started finding people that were part of the June 15th riot that occurred after the Boston Bruins game on his own. He then posted video of them on his social media pages to help speed up the prosecution. The catch is though is that the people that he was posted on his page are people that were bragging about turning over cars and looting. One of the problems with that is that minors, teenagers and innocent bi-standards are in those videos as well. It could be a security or safety issues. Not to mention, it would scare some people from testifying in court if needed.

The question was is this fair use of social media? Furthermore, is this legal use of social media? Well, the courts deemed that it was legal. The video was of public streets and people just happened to be doing their things in those public streets. It was not necessarily of the people. Also, there are laws against recording private conversations of people without permission. There are not laws in that area preventing places of public domain where privacy is not expected from being recorded. Nevertheless, with citizens taking the law into their own hands, a question is posed. Is it really the government that are acting as the invaders of our privacy with social media or is it us the citizens?

http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20110713/COLUMNIST04/107130309/Gerald-Ensley-vigilante-finds-new-home-online?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE

Flunking Social Media Background Checks

Mat Honan of Gizmodo flunked his Social Media Background Check.

I'm pretty sure that I would pass since I have walked the straight and narrow since getting married and having children and there is a seven year threshold. Social Intelligence searches public media to build their report, and excludes several issues that cause major HR problems.

I have to agree with Honan, "...ultimately the bottom line, and my takeaway, is that these kind of services actually make a lot of sense. Employers would have to be stupid not to Google job candidates. Yet it's better for both the employer and the candidate to have a disinterested third-party do full-scrape background checks."

But, I still have reservations. I wonder how many smaller companies will take this method and try to run searches on their own. What would they find out about me? What would they infer from the posts made by my friends and family? Where is the line between private activities and private conversation and pre-employment discovery?

Social Media & Your Career.

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=15399


If you're still thinking your Facebook, Myspace, Google+ or any other social media account you have isn't looked at by potential and current employers - let me promise you - it is. According to Eric Sass, headhunting and recruiting upped its usage of social media by 6% last year (2010-2011) in order to find and filter potential recruits. Even in a struggling economy, employers and recruiters are allocating additional funds to this research. In fact, the article claims that over 45% of employers are searching social media.

LinkedIn, a site primarily based on social networking sites, leads the pack in websites used. Why? The site is meant for professionals, so my guess would be that it's unlikely someone would want to hide their profile thus eliminating potential opportunities. Employers and recruiters say they use LinkediIn 87%, Facebook 55%, and Twitter 47%. And because there are sites like Spokeo.com and Mylife.com, your email address is cross-referenced and aggregated for easier searching. So keep it clean, kids - it's not just your mother watching anymore.

Social Movies

I can hear the movie producer right now asking a young intern "what are young people into these days?" The intern looks up from his iPhone and says "uh, movies and social media." "That's it!" the producer says, "we will make a film that is co-written and co-starring youngsters using their FaceTube...err MyTwitt...oh you know what I mean." The intern updates his status with, "my boss just called Twitter...MyTwitt!"

This could be really cool or just another gimmicky idea. In all honesty, I think it has some potential, but I think this really lends itself to be a reality show; not a film. Great films have one thing in common; a great story. If this project allows people on Facebook to help write this thing, or even appear in it, I fear the story would suffer. I have to say though, I am looking at it through the eyes of art and not money making. It seems everyone wants their 15 seconds of fame and this could be a big hit and bring in some dough for the film producers. It should be interesting to see how it turns out.

Google + spams users

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/faster-forward/post/google-sorry-for-the-spam/2011/07/11/gIQAPM1u8H_blog.html?wprss=faster-forward

I understand that Google Plus is in its infancy but, really? There's nothing like a little spam to ruin your weekend, even if it is the President's favorite Hawaiian delicacy...

I think all of the hype surrounding Google Plus may be a little over zealous just because it's Google. Are they really going to be able to compete with Facebook? This late in the game? Somehow I foresee another Google flop. They should probably stick to what they're good at... acquiring successful internet companies after they threaten to dominate a market that has future market potential. With that said... I would probably give Google Plus a try. What can I say? It's Google.

An i-Pad App for Cosmo Guys

In August, Cosmopolitan magazine will begin selling an app for the i-pad aimed at men, according to a New York Times article published on July 10. For those who don't know, Cosmo is geared toward women, and usually details "new" ways to please men in bed, how to have perfect summer make-up, sexy hair, etc., so in other words all the essential things young women need to know. Well, apparently, men have also been reading Cosmo, although they are not quick to admit it. Now, the magazine looks to capitalize on their male readers by selling an app that gives them advice on how to impress women on a first date and even what women in their geographical area want sexually. This last part really caught my attention. Apparently, Cosmo will offer an app that tabulates women's responses from questionnaires on Cosmopolitan.com by feeding the responses through Google Maps. Therefore, a male subscriber will be able to see what women in his geographical area like sexually based on women's questionnaire responses.

At first I was a bit shocked, but after all it is Cosmo, so my shock soon faded. This all seems in good fun and no one should take Cosmo too seriously. However, I wish Cosmo would actually offer useful advice and articles for both female and male readers. However, I don't think that will happen. After all, they are trying to sell a product and sex sells; no one know this better than Cosmo and its readers. We'll see how well this app does when it comes out in August.

Google+ and businesses

Social media strategist and #Blogchat founder Mack Collier had an interesting post today on whether businesses should be on Google Plus. He said businesses should ask whether Google Plus will help a company better connect with its customers and whether it will help employees better connect with each other.

Interesting point and one we should all remember, not just with Google Plus, but with any new social media tool. In speaking with small business owners, most are overwhelmed just running their business and are confused on where they should be spending their social media time/efforts. My response is to know where the customers are and go there.

Using QR codes in real estate

Could QR codes be used when buying/selling a house? Today's article in USA Today seems to think they can. Actually, I think it's a cool idea, but the ideas in the article don't go far enough. For example, the article mentions QR codes on print ads. Ok, cool, but seriously, most ads are just line listings. I'd actually like to see the codes on the for sale sign.

Yesterday we drove to a house we're thinking about making an offer on. We decided to keep driving in the neighborhood and saw several for sale signs. We were curious about the other houses to do a price comparison but only one had a paper fliers to take (and we didn't). But what if each sign had a QR code that we could just scan? Wouldn't that be cool? Instead, we had our agent pull the listings for us today.

The article also mentions some mobile apps, like Trulia.com. I've played with that, but not much. Can't say I was too impressed. The thing that marketers need to understand (and real estate agents are marketers) is that consumers want access to information, especially when buying a house. The best way to spur us into a purchasing decision is by providing easy-to-understand information.