Poverty, the media and Katrina

Media accounts of hurricane Katrina "riveted, angered, and depressed" Americans. However, the media images of devastated individuals and communities from Katrina did not result in public policy to fight poverty and economic inequality. Deborah Belle (2006) points to research that suggests that social policy decisions in the U.S. favor the wealthy at the expense of the poor and middle class. The wealthy control the policy making process. Those most likely to downplay the problems of economic and racial inequality are most likely to have political power. While the media may impact middle America they seem to have little influence on the decision makers.

Belle, D. (2006). Contested Interpretations of Economic Inequality Following Hurricane Katrina. Analyses of Social Issues & Public Policy, 6(1), 143-158. doi:10.1111/j.1530-2415.2006.00111.x

News coverage of Katrina may have in fact lessened people's support for public policy. In his comparison of "episodic" versus "thematic" news stories, Iyengar (1990) found that people viewing "thematic" news stories about poverty were likely to blame the condition on societal factors. On the other hand, when viewers "episodic" news stories showing images of people in poverty, they tend to hold the poor responsible for their own poverty. In a six year period, television showed twice as many "episodic" as "thematic" stories. This tendency to blame the poor for their poverty may have lessened the impact of news coverage of Katrina.

Iyengar, S. (1990). Framing responsibility for political issues: The case of poverty. Political Behavior, 12, 19-40.

Photo source: http://freerangetalk.com/?p=19522

Media strengthened by Katrina

Following 9/11 the media seemed to have lost their direction. They seemed weak and impotent. And as Rem Rieder wrote, "much of the media seemed cowed, afraid to press too hard, as if questioning the Bush administration's pronouncements about terrorism was somehow unpatriotic."

Then Hurricane Katrina brought disaster to the Gulf Coast. Suddenly, the media were rejuvenated and even virile in their condemnation of incompetent government bureaucrats. In Katrina, "the chasm between the platitudes of the clueless government spokesmen and the ugly reality of New Orleans--the devastation, the misery, the Third World-style chaos--was overwhelming."

"Television's powerful images brought home the unfathomable horrors of New Orleans. Newspapers provided incisive and comprehensive coverage. Local radio served as a lifeline for a devastated region."

Rieder, R. (2005). Playing Big. American Journalism Review, 27(5), 6. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Katrina: Incompetence or Racism

In Hurricane Katrina a natural disaster led to a human catastrophe.  Most of the victims were black.  Media coverage that the poor government response was because of incompetence.  On the other hand, some media reports held that there was an element of racism.  In a study (Kaiser, Eccleston and Hagiwara, 2008) following Katrina, white and black students were shown videos supporting both points of view.  When confronted with claims of racism, white students used "system justification" as a way of rationalizing the mistakes rather than blaming "ingroup" racism. 

Kaiser, C., Eccleston, C., & Hagiwara, N. (2008). Post-Hurricane Katrina Racialized Explanations as a System Threat: Implications for Whites’ and Blacks’ Racial Attitudes. Social Justice Research, 21(2), 192-203. doi:10.1007/s11211-008-0065-0.

GuestMatch helps media find experts

New Website Features Hundreds of Guests, Story Sources

(Washington, DC)  The brand new web portal http://www.GuestMatch.com
has recently launched to assist media bookers, hosts, producers and
reporters quickly and easily access interview guests and story
sources.

www.GuestMatch.com combines the resources of leading Washington DC
media, marketing and P.R. firm Allen Media Strategies and
SpeakerMatch.com, the world's leading on-line speakers bureau to
provide media outlets access to expert guests on a variety of topics
at no charge to the media outlet.  Direct contact information will be
instantly supplied to the media outlet wishing to interview the
www.GuestMatch.com member.

Television, radio, print and on-line journalists, talk show hosts,
producers, bloggers and other media professionals can utilize the
easy-to-use keyword search criteria to access the www.GuestMatch.com
database of hundreds of guest sources on a wide variety of topics to
help you fill your open slot or meet your deadline.

Media professionals can quickly and easily search for and find experts
in dozens of fields, and in many cases, review video and audio of
selected guest along with download high resolution photos, previous
quotes, media alerts and other helpful documents available at
www.GuestMatch.com.

For more information on www.GuestMatch.com, contact Burke Allen at
(703) 589-896  or email burke@allenmediastrategies.com.

Reports of atrocities false

In the early days following Katrina the media reports of atrocities in New Orleans shocked the nation and the world.  Audiences heard and read about a city in anarchy and subhuman conditions in the Dome and Convention Center.  However, the reports of violence were false and could not be verified.   Reports were based on rumors several times removed from the source. 

For example, on September 5 the Financial Times of London attributed the following report to unnamed refugees: "Girls and boys were raped in the dark and had their throats cut and bodies were stuffed in the kitchens while looters and madmen exchanged fire with weapons they had looted." The report claimed that "several hundred corpses are reported to have been gathered by locals in one school alone" in St. Bernard Parish, the badly flooded community just east of the city. A similar report indicated that up to 300 bodies were piled in Marion Abramson High School in Eastem New Orleans. Reporters from the Times-Picayune canoed to the school, went inside, and found no bodies.

"Stone-age storytelling got amplified by space-age technology," according to Thevenot (2005). Rumors of bodies in the Dome were retold several times and finally reached the media.  When "the media arrived, with satellite phones and modems, BlackBerrys, television trucks with the ability to broadcast worldwide and the technology to post on the Internet in an instant," most of them did not realize that "normal rules of sourcing no longer ensured accuracy." The stories went global as officials, hurricane victims, and rescue and security personnel confirmed nightmarish scenarios, sincerely believing what they were saying and wanting desperately to get the word out so that help would come. The media also believed the stories they were telling, repeating without verification the stories being told by the officials. When it was discovered that the stories were false, the media were criticized.  However, it was the media who revealed the falsehood of the stories. The only reason for knowing about the bad reporting was that the journalists told us.

Source: Thevenot, B. (2005). Myth-Making in New Orleans. American Journalism Review, 27(6), 30-37. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Blogs that get comments

Here are 18 suggestions on how to increase the number of comments on your blog:

http://www.blogherald.com/2010/09/21/18-types-of-posts-that-get-more-comments/

A good reason to proof read

Take the 'l' out of public, and you've got a PR disaster
Apparently an extra set of eyeballs when proofreading copy just isn't
enough. A PR firm in South Bend, Ind., says four people proofed the
copy for a digital billboard promoting public schools. And no one
noticed the word public was missing the critical "l." According to
WANE.com, the embarrassing billboard was pulled — after five days. —
Susan Young

Photo gets unwanted press attention

Anthony "Skip" Fernandez and his rescue dog, Aspen, were exhausted after a 13-hour shift searching in the ruins of the bombed Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April 1995. He sat down on the curb with his dog while other rescuers talked to reporters. He soon fell asleep. Two days later he was shown a picture of him and his dog taken by David Allen. Fernandez hoped to avoid the notoriety resulting from the picture, but he couldn't. When he arrived back in Dade County Florida his fire chief, the department public information officer, and reporters were at the airport to greet him and Aspen. As a result of the picture, Fernandez would face reporters many more times. While reluctant to get all this attention, the photo was compelling – a human interest side of an otherwise tragic event.

Fernandez, A. (2007). Remembering the Oklahoma City Bombing. Journal of
American History, 94(1), 179-182. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier
database.

Race and media coverage

Language is important in portraying how the media, and therefore the
public, view victims of a disaster. Sommers et al (2006) discuss the
race factor in describing victims of Hurricane Katrina. The media use
of the word "refugees" was seen as having overtones of racism. In an
analysis of news stories "refugee" was associated with "poor" or
"black." The media used the word "refugee" for displaced survivors
throughout the coverage of Katrina, but more frequently in the early
period. Within a week, President Bush complained about use of the
term, and many news organizations shifted to the more traditional
"evacuees," "survivors," or "victims."

Another factor that may support the notion of racism in coverage is
story angle. The media reported sniper shots, murders, and roving
gangs committing rapes. At one point the media reporter sniper fire
preventing rescue efforts by a helicopter. When investigated further,
there were no sniper shots and the rescue efforts were not halted.
One story reported forty dead bodies murdered at the Superdome. In
fact, there were four dead bodies and only was suspected of having
been murdered. The number of rapes was also over exaggerated. Only
one rape was actually reported. While it is not possible to say that
the misreporting was racist, it may be that race was a contributing
factor, claim Sommers et al (2006).

Race may also be a consideration when covering a story. While Katrina
received extensive reporting, other stories involving minorities may
be get less coverage. For example, while the abduction and deaths of
white victims have received a lot of coverage, similar crimes against
Black women are under-reported. Similarly, when a sniper killed 10
Native Indian students in a Minnesota reservation, the event received
far less reporting than similar atrocities committed against white
students. Reporters claim race is not a factor in reporting, but
rather the news media is just giving the audience what it wants.

Sommers et al (2006) identify consciousness-building as the best way
of avoiding racism in reporting. Most reporters when confronted
potential bias related to reporting would choose to be neutral. For
example, because of the coverage of Katrina, reporters are more
likely to avoid terms like "refugees" and "looting" when referring to
hurricane victims.

References:

Sommers, S., Apfelbaum, E., Dukes, K., Toosi, N., & Wang, E. (2006).
Race and Media Coverage of Hurricane Katrina: Analysis, Implications,
and Future Research Questions. Analyses of Social Issues & Public
Policy, 6(1), 39-55. doi:10.1111/j.1530-2415.2006.00103.x.

Dodge bows to PETA pressure and changes commercial

Dodge tent event commercial #1



When PETA complained about animal abuse, Dodge changed the commercial.
Dodge tent event commercial #2



Now read how PETA compliments Dodge for bowing to pressure.
http://tinyurl.com/27eu3u4

Dr. Laura Exclusive: 'Bullying' Attacks on Free Speech 'Not American'

Top talk radio host Dr. Laura Schlessinger tells Newsmax that the "bullying and scary" tactics of the left are a direct threat to the First Amendment rights of anyone who dares to speak out in defense of traditional American values.

 The best-selling author and syndicated Newsmax columnist announced on CNN's Larry King show Tuesday night that she will leave the radio airwaves at year's end.

But in an exclusive interview with Newsmax, Schlessinger says that, although the broadside over her neutral use of the N-word on her radio program was "the last straw," it was not the true reason she's decided to leave her long-time syndicated radio program.

Rather, she says those who viciously attack conservative talk hosts in the name of political correctness effectively have taken away her First Amendment rights.

Check out the article at Newsmax.com:

/Headline/dr-laura-schlessinger-quits-radio-interview-newsmax-larry-king-racism/2010/08/18/id/367833

Effect of media on political issues

While issues are not central to election campaigns, they can affect
the outcome. In 1932 the New York Times reported Hoover claiming,
"You aren't as hungry as you think." The times reported Roosevelt's
position was that people were hungry. Roosevelt, of course, won the
election.

An example of how television and Hollywood affect political issues is
crime and punishment, according to Dan F. Hahn (Political
Communication, Strata Publishing Co., State College, PA, 2003, p.
259). As television critic Walter Goodman has pointed out the
melodramatic portrayal of crime and westerns on television has led
people either to support capital crime or gun control. While
statistics show that the amount of violent crime is lessening,
politicians dare not support a reasoned approach to crime control for
fear of being labeled soft on crime.

Politicians realize the stands they take on the campaign trail and in
office may have later consequences. One effect of political decision
making is the impact on television ads, not the positive ones but the
negative ones that can destroy a politician's career. According to
former senate majority leader George J. Mitchell of Maine, politicians
worry about "what kind of campaign commercial could be made from a
particular vote as they stand in the well of the senate and prepare to
cast their yeas or nays."

Effect of the media on political rhetoric

The media cause politicians to be careful about how they vote and also on what they say about issues, writes Dan F. Hahn (Political Communication, Strata Publishing Co., State College, PA, 2003, p. 259).
On one hand, to be politically correct politicians avoid "class warfare," but yet to get elected they have to boast about what they have done and will do for the middle class. To be credible they have to appear sincere.
Hahn quotes Robert Brustein, the former dean of the Yale School of Drama, who claims credibility is created by good acting, not politics. It concerns "simulating the role of sincerity" rather than "verifying facts or discovering the truth" (R. Brustein, "News Theater," New York Times Magazine, 16 June 1974, p. 7).
This is driven by the media focus on personality. Shakespeare was right, says Brustein. Because "all the world's a stage," the audience's attention is directed toward the political actor and away from the political action. While television allows the audience to get to know the president, the president is unable to reciprocate. The sense of familiarity may work against the president. President Obama's "hope and change" platitudes may have backfired as he fights to raise his popularity in the polls from the lowest figures of any previous president. His words don't match the perceived in action of the economy.
One technique is to present all issues as crises. The president directs us away from the one-sidedness of the relationship by making every instance in which he speaks sound like a crisis. The crisis brings us together as a people, making us far easier to manage than if we were individuals who feel dejected because the president can't address our needs.
However, sometimes the crisis approach backfires. President Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanual, stated, "Rule one: Never allow a crisis go to waste" (Jeff Zeleny, Obama weighs quick undoing of Bush policy, New York Times, 9 November 2008,  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/us/politics/10obama.html). The result has been the quick passage of stimulus bills and healthcare reform, both unpopular with the American public.

The effects of the television on politicians

Dan F. Hahn (Political Communication, Strata Publishing Co., State College, PA, 2003, p. 257) suggests some ways in which the media affect politicians and the election process.
1. The cost of advertising means that politicians must spend much of their time fund raising. It obligates them later to major campaign contributors.
2. Television shows the intra-party squabbles during the primary process. It makes it difficult to get all party members onside when beginning the campaign against the opposition.
3. The focus on personal lives (which began in the 1960s) keeps many potential candidates from running and puts stress on the candidates and their families.
4. Politicians structure their campaigns to attract television coverage. For example, they learn to deliver messages in 10-second sound bites.
5. Television doesn't allow the politician to be reflective on-air. Rather candidates appear "glib" and absolute rather than moderate in their viewpoints.
6. Candidates must appear to be humorous, making it mandatory to appear on late-night shows, like Saturday Night Live, Jay Leno, or Letterman.

Get monitor to work when laptop lid closed

Here is one solution.

Rest a lollipop stick on the power button before the lid closes, works
everytime.

If that doesn't work, try this one.

Go in control panel>performance and maintenance>power
options>advanced. There is an option: " When I close lid of laptop..."
Select "DO NOTHING." That solves the problem.

99th day of the BP oil spill

By: Jessica Tobin

It has now been nearly 3 months since the BP troubles started and oil starting leaking into the Gulf. BP placed a cap on the well Monday morning after 3 days of preparation in hopes that this will stop the leaking at least temporarily. Engineers started running tests the cap to see if it would hold pressure. The engineers will start by slowly shutting off 3 valves. They will wait around 6 hours to see if the oil pressure can be held by the cap. The goal is about 8,000 – 9,000 lbs per square inch of the well. Even if this cap works, there is still a lot to be done. The blown-out well needs to be plugged up and that won’t happen until mid-august at the earliest because one of the relief valves has to be drilled down far enough to reach it. As of Tuesday, the 84^th day of the incident, 90.4 and 178.6 million gallons of oil have spewed into the Gulf of Mexico.

Project captures Social Security “Stories,” seeks submissions from public

The 'Social Security Stories Project' calls on the public to share
their personal stories and utilizes social media to spread the word.

Newcastle, Maine (Vocus/PRWEB ) July 9, 2010 -- An effort to gather
stories about the importance of Social Security in our society has
resulted in a special video project and upcoming book. The Social
Security Stories Project is seeking story submissions from the public,
with a goal of receiving 1,000 stories by the end of July. The stories
will then be reviewed for possible inclusion in a new book to be
published in honor of the 75th anniversary of Social Security on Aug.
14, 2010.

There are currently 10 stories featured in a new video that was
showcased by the National Academy of Social Insurance on June 22, 2010
at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.  The video can also be
viewed on YouTube. The video uses photos submitted by the story
tellers, as well as audio captured through a special toll-free number
set up for the project.

Those who have received Social Security as well as those who know of a
friend or family member whose life was impacted are encouraged to
submit their stories. Online submission is easy and requires less than
400 words or a short video. Full details and a submission form are
available at www.SocialSecurityStories.org. Stories can also be shared
by calling 1-800-335-2082.

"We are hoping the younger generations will interview their parents
and grandparents on the subject which is why our website offers
interview questions," says Barbara Burt, executive director for the
Frances Perkins Center, a nonprofit organization leading the project
as part of its mission to honor and learn from Frances Perkins (the
first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet). A pioneering woman in
and ahead of her time, Perkins was U.S. secretary of labor for
Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She was champion of the New Deal, close
friend and advisor to FDR.

The Social Security Stories Project seeks to create a full picture of
the importance of Social Security to celebrate and share with all U.S.
citizens, and the world.
Stories featured in the video include:

•    The story of a new dad that died a few days after his son was
born. The son received his Social Security benefits, preventing a
further tragedy for the family. "I am saddened that my grandson has to
grow up without his daddy," says Angela Stockwell of Athens, Maine.
"But I am grateful that a program which began 75 years ago still
exists today to help struggling families deal financially with the
loss of a loved one."
•    The story of a dad struck by cancer suddenly, leaving his wife to
care for their children alone. "The funeral director in our small town
told my mom about benefits available from Social Security that would
help her," says Evonne Zalewski of Greendale, Wis. " I remember my mom
telling me how this will help so much and that we will not be poor or
have to move. Having grown up during the depression with only food
stamps available was terrifying for my mom."

 "We're inviting people across America to share examples of how Social
Security made a meaningful difference in their life or the life of
someone they know -- as it currently does for one in six Americans,"
says Burt.

Go to SocialSecurityStories.org for more information.

10 Laws every Marketer needs to know about Facebook advertising

By: Jessica Tobin

1. Facebook is least effective at direct sales. Facebook is good for building relationships though. Most people aren’t on facebook ready to buy but if you advertise there they are most likely to purchase in the future.
2. Create a greater volume of ads that target less people. If you send out a generic ad, you are just wasting money. There are 11 targeting factors that facebook allows you to use. This allows you to narrow your audience from where they are located, their age, education and even where they work.
3. Friend users before you sell to them. Like stated in the first law, it is important to build a relationship instead of just trying to make a direct sale. They are more likely to become a long time customer if you become friends first.
4. Understand your market. You should know who you are trying to target so that you can use the 11 marketing tools facebook provides to your best advantage.
5. Set Advertising budgets with a goal in mind. It isn’t cheap to advertise on facebook if you don’t know who you are targeting to make a profit. It is important to know what you want to spend money on and to who you want to advertise.
6. Monitor your ad performance and adjust accordingly. Every advertising you use on facebook is able to be monitored. Make sure you are paying attention to these advertisements and making sure you are reaching your goals.
7. Test landing pages versus facebook pages. It is important to diversify your advertising other than facebook advertising and building relationships here. That should go without saying, but it is good to say hear it.
8. Split test ads by demographic. To make specific words or colors in your ads and testing them in certain demographics can be very helpful in helping determine what your target audience responds to.
9. Develop creative ad copy. It is important to be honest but create an ad that makes your audience take action. A good way to improve your advertisements is by looking at the advertisements you see most often around you and which ones you see the most.
10. Don’t over target. It is important to use the target keys available through facebook but don’t try to target too many people. Focus in on a specific group and advertise to that specific group.

All of these are helpful tips to improving advertising on facebook, if that is a tool you want to utilize.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs defends Foxconn after 13 factory suicides

By: Jessica Tobin

Recent suicides at the Foxconn factory in China makes Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, speak out to the public. There were a total of 13 suicides at the factory just this year. Jobs says that Foxconn is in no way a sweat shop and wants to do something about this, as he spoke to a crowd at the All Things Digital Conference this week. Jobs says it may be a factory but it is nice with restaurants, a pool, a hospital and movie theatres.  Foxconn plans on giving all employees at the factory a 30% raise in hopes the standard of living will improve for them and allow them all a little extra time off to keep up good health.

For more information visit http://www.bulldogreporter.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=8DDA9EA3260B4C43A5D8841269C50306&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=53D88D74A99849C185183B336A3F3B02&tier=4&id=A8C9F525C07545879D48EF5741A5584F&AudID=213D92F8BE0D4A1BB62EB3DF18FCCC68

The President's PR response to the BP oil spill

By: Jessica Tobin

With everything going on in the news involving BP and the oil spill, the Obama administration decided it was time to take action before any of this ruined the president’s legacy. To show that they were in control, the PR department of the president’s administration was in full force. President Obama held his first news conference in over 300 days last week to start off this PR campaign making sure everyone knows that they are taking control of the situation. Obama’s PR team came together with different actions. Thad Allen, the commandant of the Coast Guard will give daily briefings; President Obama met with his BP spill commission co-chairs; Attorney General, Eric Holder, was sent to New Orleans to talk with federal and state prosecutors; and there is even word that the President will soon be down in the Gulf, most likely on a boat. Having the President at the scene will show that he is in connection with what is going on and his government is in control.

To read more visit:  http://www.bulldogreporter.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=8DDA9EA3260B4C43A5D8841269C50306&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=53D88D74A99849C185183B336A3F3B02&tier=4&id=91747CCF9F004A999E390B92E44117F7&AudID=213D92F8BE0D4A1BB62EB3DF18FCCC68

Social Media in the Workplace

Facebook, twitter and youtube have become used everyday in the workplace. Smart companies are looking for ways to use Social Media to improve their business. There is the argument of the pros and cons of using social media in the workplace. It can increase company awareness and employee morale. A lot of managers would say this outweighs the amount of time that might be wasted on social media. Ford’s chief social networking guru, Scott Monty gives good advice to managers when he says letting employees use social networks allows them to “be powerful advocates”. This is very true, but Monty also points out that it is important not to share secrets with employees that are using social media for it could end up harming your organization.

For more information visit http://www.freep.com/article/20100517/NEWS01/5170319/1001/rss01

Montemurri, Patricia. (2010, May 17). Facebook, Twitter, Youtube come to work. Employers look for ways to use social media sites. Retrieved from http://www.freep.com/article/20100517/NEWS01/5170319/1001/rss01

Seven Things Your Organization Must Do Because Of Social Media

According to Augie Ray, a blogger for Interactive Marketing Professionals, there are seven things your organization must do because of social media. The first of these is you must be proactive. The key to being proactive is to identify the issues within your company that could be a problem in the future and finding a way to deal with these issues by interacting with a wide range of customers and by changing consumer perception when you can, and change your company when you can’t. The second of the seven is to improve customer support. The way customer support is handled can have great success for your company’s brand perception. The third of these is to listen. Most people are more opt to voicing their opinions on line. If your organization is on social media, there is a better chance of answering to those complaints and opinions if needed. The fourth thing your organization must do because of social media is to participate. No matter what, people are going to use facebook, twitter and youtube to complain or give their own opinions about your product or services. You should be participating because if you do people will be more welcome into their social media and your answers will be heard. The fifth of seven is to respond. Before the days of social media, people had to write letters or make a phone call to complain. These were all ignored because responding would only cause more media attention. It was easy to ignore a letter, but you can't ignore what is written on social media. You have to respond and show people you care. The sixth thing is to move faster. When responding to social media, it is important to respond quickly. Everyone on social media is watching right now. Even if you respond in a few days, which is quick in the business world, it isn't quick on social media. The last of the seven things your organization must do because of social media is you must realize every employee is a marketer. Every employee should participate in social media and be watched with what they say about your company and the brand image. All of these are interesting and very true when it comes to social media, protecting your company and the brand image of your company.

For more information visit http://blogs.forrester.com/augie_ray/10-05-11-seven_things_your_organization_must_do_because_social_media

Ray, Augie. (2010, May 11). Seven Things Your Organization Must do Because of Social Media. Retrieved from http://blogs.forrester.com/augie_ray/10-05-11-seven_things_your_organization_must_do_because_social_media

Roger Waters Guerrilla Marketing Gone Wrong

Rogers Waters, a former member of Pink Floyd, has an upcoming tour named The Wall Live Tour. As PR professionals we are now told the best way to market is in guerrilla style, a way to get the attention of our audience because they are already seeing so many advertisements in a day. To get the attention of his audience, Waters paid street artists to go around LA and New York City and place a pacifist quote by Dwight “WTF” Eisenhower in several locations around the areas that are more hip. One of the places a street artist decided to place this guerrilla style quote for Waters was on a Elliot Smith's Memorial Mural. This offended and upset a lot of people. After the incident, Roger Waters apologized himself for the accident to LA Times.

For more information, visit http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/art-of-music/roger-waters-elliott-smith-mur/

Ellen Vs. Apple

Ellen Degeneres pokes fun at Apple by making a fake iPhone commercial and showing it on television. It was just a joke, but Apple and Steve Jobs didn't think it was so funny. Ellen ended up apologizing on her talk show, and stating that she never meant to send a message that Apple's product, the iPhone was hard to use. She owns an iPhone and made it clear on her show that it was just meant to be a joke.

To watch the fake commercial and apology on air, visit http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/04/ellen-pokes-fun-at-apple-and-then-apologizes/

Using Twitter to support your political campaign

By John Fisher

Twitter can be a valuable grassroots tool to get people involved and talking about a political campaign.  "A quick Twitter lets your supporters know the truth so they can spread it through the coffee shops and their circle of friends." (Winning the Tough Ones,http://www.victorystore.com/wordpress/?p=8)

Twitter works when campaign workers and supporters re-tweet the campaign Twitter messages. Re-tweeting (RT) is the key to success in getting the candidate's name out and involved in "conversations."

Here is an illustration of how powerful re-tweeting can be.  The candidate may only have 100 workers or supporters following on Twitter.  However, when each of those workers and supporters re-tweets soon the message is sent to 100 X 100 followers.  That's 10,000 people who potentially could see the message.

As a worker or supporter, the process of joining Twitter and building followers is an easy one.

To signup with Twitter go to https://twitter.com/signup.

Invite your friends and contacts on your email account and Facebook to follow you on Twitter (even if they don't have a Twitter account). Connect your Twitter account to your Facebook, so that when you tweet your messages also go to your Facebook.

After you start generating your own tweets, unknown people will want to follow you. Let them follow you, but block obvious spammers and porn sites.

Do searches for people you will want to follow.  Look for people with common interests, graduates from your college, and from your region and community. You can also go through other people's followers and see which ones may have common interests.  Some of these people will follow you.

Establish your own credibility by building a profile that has a picture and tells about your interests.  You also need a dozen tweets so people see what you are interested in and that you are a serious tweeter.

When you get a message that is interesting (and from your political candidate), re-tweet it.  You will see this helps to build your following as well and re-tweets are greatly appreciated.

Use the @ symbol before the user name of people you refer to in your messages, like @fisherhouse.  If you want to send a message to only one person put the symbol D before the user name, like Dfisherhouse.

The hash mark (#) before a word in a post allows you to tag that post for that word. However, in order to get tracked via a hash tag, you need to opt-in and follow http://twitter.com/hashtags.

Use http://bit.ly/ to shorten the web addresses you link to.  You only have 140 characters per message.  You only want to use 120 characters so that your message can be re-tweeted.  (RT is the symbol for re-tweet.)

Good tweeting is not about you.  Don't send out messages about every little thing you are doing.  Most people don't care.

You can use www.twitter.com to send out your messages.  However, I use www.hootsuite.com because it allows me better access to my twitter accounts.

I don't read every tweet I get so it is important messages provide valuable and interesting information for readers.

According to "Winning the Tough Ones", some kinds of things that can be written in a Twitter include:

1. Thoughts on issues of the day. Responding to an article in the newspaper where it clearly provides you an advantage can be a quick, inexpensive way to get a message out.

2. Tweets related to events happening in the campaign have the potential to increase your turnout and potentially increase your fundraising success.

3. Tweets related to your opponent may also play a role. This could be responding to something he or she has said attacking you, or a polite way to contrast yourself with something your opponent has done.

If you want me to follow you, follow me at http://twitter.com/fisherhouse.

Good tweeting! And good luck on that political campaign.

Travel tips for study abroad

 

The U.S. Department of State

Tips for Students

http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/brochures/brochures_1219.html

Bureau of Consular Affairs

http://www.travel.state.gov/

Passport Services and Information

http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

Crisis Awareness and Preparedness

http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/safety/safety_1180.html

Services and Information for American Citizens Abroad

http://travel.state.gov/travel/travel_1744.html

Travel Warnings & Consular Information Sheets

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html

YOUR TRIP ABROAD

http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/tips_1232.html

U.S. Consuls Help Americans Abroad

http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/brochures/brochures_1222.html

U.S. Customs Service

http://www.customs.gov/xp/cgov/travel/

 

Passports and Visas

http://www.artoftravel.net/05passports.htm

Fears and Concerns

http://www.artoftravel.net/06fears.htm

Water and Water Purification

http://www.artoftravel.net/10water.htm

Effects of the Sun, Maladies, etc.

http://www.artoftravel.net/09health.htm

Possibly Essential Items

http://www.artoftravel.net/16essentials.htm

The Ugly American?

http://www.independenttraveler.com/resources/article.cfm?AID=308&category=13

http://www.artoftravel.net/american.htm

Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

http://www.artoftravel.net/02communication.htm#ugly

Marc Vasquez on getting connected

Marc Vasquez (@vasquez007) spoke yesterday to my Social Media class. He focused on Twitter. He made the following points.

Make it relevant.

No one cares about me, so don't talk about what iIm doing.
Instead provide information that is relevant to life.
The number one reward in social media is creating relevance to the audience.
Develop Informer habits, not "meformer"
Informers provide links to articles and relevant information that can
help others.
Informers invite others to join them in learning.
Informers direct others to where they can find what they need.
Informers have three times as many followers as meformers.

Pass the 70/20/10 test

70 percent of your time should be:

• Transforming news and events into insight

• Answering "Where does our company fit into this story/link?"

20 percent of your time should be connecting with others.

• Engage in conversation, network and give others a chance to talk

• Mention others in your tweets

10 percent of your time you can be chatting.

• Chit chat about yourself on one in 10 tweets.

• Leave out the most boring parts of your day.

• It's okay to be a "meformer" once in a while, but keep it to a minimum.

Be interesting by providing entertaining information.

• See @TheOnion or @SomeECards if you want to see entertainment.

Use good writing tips.

• Find the drama: "You're sharing a story, right?"

• Push the verb: "exploit vs. announces."

• Choose interesting nouns: "sting" or "ring" vs. "yearlong multiagency initiative."

• Getting tweeted is like currency on the web.

• Share new information and novel ideas.

• Include links if you want people to spread the word.

• Use full words, don't shrink wrap.

• Punctuate (but forget the semicolon).

• Write like you're writing a headline.

• Don't whine on the internet.

• Make it all about the reader.

• Have a personality.

• Make it conversational.

• Use the active voice, second person.

• Keep it short.

• Start with a headline.

Get clicked - Make your 140 characters go further.

• Link it.

• Make a serial of your messages.

• Don't use all your characters so you can retweet (RT).

Jessica Seipel

April 16, 2010

YouTube

 

By Jessica Seipel

 

I recently joined the YouTube network but I do not actively use it.  I have decided to talk about my own experience with YouTube.  I really don’t use YouTube for a social network; mostly just for leisure.  But I decided to ask friends on Facebook how often they use YouTube and I got nineteen responses out of sixty-four people.  The question was, “How often do you use Facebook (daily, weekly, or uploading).  The results were, Daily-5, Weekly- 13, and only one person uploads videos.  I asked him how often he uploads and he said almost daily. 

 

I have not uploaded any videos myself but I have looked at others and some are pointless and funny and some actually have good information in them.  I don’t feel I will use this as a social media networking tool in the future but I am sure a lot of people will.  I think that YouTube can be used with other forms of social media to be effective.  People can post video links on Facebook from YouTube.  I did not develop a conversation through YouTube; I don’t really know how you would?  I will continue to use YouTube to watch silly videos but I probably will not upload videos I do not have the devices to do this.

Facebook Fan Pages: The New Word of Mouth

By Brandon Moore

A Facebook fan page is a company profile page that is utilized within
the company to connect to new and existing clients. Fan pages can be
used to introduce new products and services as well deliver a lasting
message to a mass audience. Facebook fan pages have become the new
word of mouth marketing for the online generation. These fan pages
allow people the ability to have conversation, discussions, post
messages, videos, and pictures. This is a great way to allow customers
to interact within your business.

The advantages offered by Facebook fan pages are plentiful. The fan
pages allow for a great range of accessibility and freedom.  One of
the biggest advantages that the fan pages has is that all pages are
public. Facebook allows the fan pages are visible to people that are
not yet registered within the Facebook community which extends a
companies' reach. Because fan pages are not behind a login it allows
the search engines (yahoo, google, etc) to index the data and your
profile will receive more recognition. The fan pages allow give
companies the benefit of free links. Because the pages are public, the
links will be posted on profiles and search engines the company will
get some free face time on Facebook. News feeds are posted live
therefore anytime someone joins your fan page it posts a link on their
profile. This makes fan pages somewhat viral. Like a Facebook profile,
the fan pages allow the administrator to send live updates to fans
whenever they want. This feature is a great tool when building a
companies' client base. The advertising promotion that Facebook offers
with the fan pages is a big draw for most companies.

With a reach of over 200 million people you are bound to find someone
that fits your ideal client profile. The Facebook fan pages can be
created into an advertisement that is displayed on the right side of
personal profiles. These ads are created personally, by you, the
administrator of the fan page. Ads are NOT free, but still are great
way to boost revenue. The last advantage to the Facebook fan page is
that it is FREE and Easy. Since making a fan page only takes a few
minutes there is no reason every company shouldn't have one.

Every action has a reaction, as does Facebook fan pages. There are a
few downsides to these public fan pages. The first of which is the
public posting. Because these profiles are all public this allows for
the conversations and discussions between your fans to be viewed by
anyone. Not only this, but fans can write whatever they want.
Administrators have the right to delete comments, but there is always
a chance you won't catch one. The second drawback to the Facebook fan
page is that until that page gets built up in numbers the company will
have to be doing a lot of posting. The posting on the page is what
keeps it fresh and up to date, thus incresing your fans and traffic.
One of the greatest fears of any business owner is the thought of you
hurting your own business. In this technology driven world a website
may be a companies' 'make it or break it' point. Therefore having a
good company fan page is extremely important. A poorly done fan page
linked to your company profile can hurt your inbound search engine
optimization and kill your site traffic.

Facebook utilizes a number of tools to measure the effectiveness of a
companies' fan page. Facebook implemented graphs that allow the
administrator to view different types of fan interactions with the
page over time as well as count of active fans this week, with a
age/sex/location breakdown. Facebook has made a name for itself due to
the high quality marketing it allows it users. Since Facebook is such
a stickler for quality it is only right that they have a post quality
rating system that rates fan pages from 1 to 5 stars.

Through my 'findings and test' I have found that the advantages of the
Facebook fan page far outweigh the disadvantages. The fan page allows
companies to get some free advertising and link placement. This is a
great way for new companies to get their name in front of a large
captive online audience. It is a great idea for every company big and
small to jump on this online marketing phenomenon.

Brandon-paper/blog

Paper and Powerpoint.

 

thanks.

 

Brandon Moore s200500@nwmissouri.edu brandon@codeworksplus.com

Meet Up Dot Com

By Mandy Smith

Meetup.com is a social networking site that smoothes the progress of group meetings off the internet in various locations around the world. Meetup.com is facilitated by allowing members to search and join groups that are united by a common interest that is shared. These interests include singles, readers, hikers, tennis players, dog lovers, and even beer drinkers. Users can search groups by providing their zip code and browsing through groups that might interest them. Once a group has been chosen, the group will arrange different times and places to meet.

My experience with meetup.com has been recent and very successful. Being new to the Phoenix, Arizona area, I am not too familiar with the area nor do I know many people. So, I recently met up with the Valley Beer Drinkers group and met up with professionals around the area of Phoenix, AZ to drink beer over happy hour with great company.

This type of social media definitely creates conversation and in such a great way. I think that this type of social media reaches out to people who are over social media and want to get back in the real world and experience real people with real interests.
Social Media has taken away that one on one connection people seek in their lives. Not being in school and knowing hardly anyone out here made it hard for me to make friends. There are a lot of people who move to different cities and find this to be a common problem. I think that being able to utilize social media tools to connect people socially in an environment where they can share what they all love is one of the best ideas ever.

After meeting with the Valley Beer Drinkers group I was given volunteer opportunities around the area, other chances to go to Cub spring training games and even met some very interesting people from around the area. Unfortunately, I have been unable to make it to another event I would highly recommend going to anyone who wants to meet some great people.

Demetric Fane

OoVoo Usage

Social Media

The way that I have used the social network ooVoo is to create partnerships with people from other areas.   I found that after using the media many people want to find ways to save money. OoVoo is built for the users that are willing to trust technology to take care of their personal or corporate business.  As for me, I use the media for personal benefits.  It allows me to interact with my family that lives 8 ½ hours away, and it makes it hard for me to travel so much at a time because of the cost of the trip.  There are many aspects Oovoo that I do not like.  I don’t like the fact that it tries to make you attach your credit card to the account for the purpose of billing you for a plan.  I believe ooVoo could initially take over with families that need to have interaction at all times for any reason. This software could possibly take over even in ways that teachers interact with their students.  If a teacher wanted to create a video to send to the students or either if the teacher wanted to have a meeting with a student and could not show up.  The teacher with this program would have the opportunity to have a quick web meeting and save time in the process.  I really enjoy the uses of the software it has helped me in the long run to stay in touch with family and friends.

Skpye

I have recently starting using Skype to keep in contact with friends from school. When I first started using Skype I didn’t really use it often just every once in a while to check in on a few friends. I have now started using it quite often and have learned that not only is it a great way to communicate with others far away but to use for conference calls. You can chat and send files or faxes through Skype and this has come to my advantage when working with my Spanish partner, we don’t live in the same building so we let each other know a time we want to study for Spanish and both her and I send each other our projects to perfect them and ask each other questions. I have had pretty good luck with the quality of Skype as well; our calls have only been dropped a few times. My friend also informed me that you can have Skype money to use for your actually phone service and she will probably get this when she studies abroad in Costa Rica next semester, she says it’s a lot cheaper to do it  this way. As for me, I’m going to just stick with the free voice calls, video, and chat. This is a very good social media and I am glad I looked into it. I will now be able to stay in contact with my friends from school that live in different states and that are leaving the country.  My next step is to get my most of my family onto Skype so that I can see them and talk to them during my time away at school.  I have already gotten three of my family members to get a Skype account, one is even in Scotland. When I showed my family at a baby shower how much you can do with Skype and that they could talk to my cousin in Scotland they seemed very interested in getting an account. So far I have eight friends but I believe I convinced much more of my family to get one. I think this program is easy enough for all ages to use and would recommend it to many people.

 

 

Alex Huxol

LinkedIn: Social Networking Site
By: Monica Peterson

I have recently become a member of the LinkedIn Social Networking Community. For those of you who do not know what this website is, it is a business-oriented social networking site. It was founded in December 2002 and launched in May 2003. This website is primarily used for business and professional networking. Even if you have only held part-time jobs up to this point in your life you are still able to find network connections through those companies. The search is very easy to use and almost every business has a LinkedIn account. There are over 60 million registered users who have multiple connections. I have been using this website not only to find previous connections from past jobs but as well as making new connections with prospective employers. I have found that you can learn a lot about companies by looking at their profile and being able to get a more in-depth look into how their company operates. While researching this company I came across the top ten ways to use Linked In.

1.      Increase your visibility by adding connections
2.      Improve your connectability by adding previous jobs not just your current one
3.      Improve your Google Page rank by making your profile a public website that can be found during Google searches
4.      Enhance your search engine results by promoting your blog or website to search engines like Google, Yahoo!, and Bing
5.      Perform blind, “reverse,” and company reference checks. LinkedIn allows you to input a company name and the years you worked there and will find others that may have worked there during the same time period
6.      Increase the relevancy of your job search by using the advanced search to find people with educational and work experience like yours to see where they work
7.      Make your interview go smoother.
8.      Gauge the health of a company by performing an advanced search for company name and uncheck the “Current Companies Only” box
9.      Gauge the health of an industry by using the search to find people who worked for competitors—or even better, companies who failed
10.     Track startups
11.     Ask for advice through LinkedIn Answers

Flickr By: Kat Donovan

Flickr

By: Kathryn Donovan

 

I have become involved with Flickr. Flickr is used by organizations and companies to keep their stakeholders informed and interested. While using Flickr, you can upload photos and videos, view your own photo stream, create contact and friend lists, explore other people’s photos on the site and join groups with common interests. Each Flickr user can create a profile that is personal or for their company and build their profile to match their personal interests. It is completely up to the user to become involved with Flickr.

 

One organization that is using Flickr that relates to me personally is Northwest Missouri State University. Since I am a student at the University, I have found it meaningful to find Northwest’s profile on Flickr and view some of the great photos they display on the website. Any of Northwest’s stakeholders can benefit from their Flickr account. Say, for instance, there is a Northwest Alum who wishes to see the campus but cannot be on campus physically. Flickr is a great way to keep in touch and see the huge changes being made on campus.

 

There are a few ways to build a conversation on Flickr. Users can leave comments under individual photos to voice their positive and/or negative views. This can help an organization or company understand their stakeholders and what people or other users wish to see from their Flickr accounts. It is vital for companies to be transparent and to attempt to understand their stakeholders.

 

Another way to build a conversation on Flickr is to categorize your photos. There is an option on Flickr to make groups of photos in a way to organize them. A user can name their photo albums and insert descriptions for users to more easily navigate through a users’ site.

 

I would recommend that companies and organizations create a Flickr account. It is relatively easy to use, quick to understand and as long as the photos are already downloaded to your computer, it takes the user no time at all to upload photos. Since it is so easy, it is just an additional way to keep your stakeholders informed, which is a positive in many ways.

Twitter- a Good Possiblilty.....

By DeWayne McIntyre


For my project assignment, I have been using Twitter, a new social media tool that uses a minimal amount of words to connect with other Twitter users.  And while I have had some problems with the service, I also enjoy some of its attributes.

Negatives
I found that it is sometimes hard to keep track of everyone.  When you follow a lot of people, it is hard to keep current with people.  Sometimes I feel like I have to be on 24/7 to catch all of the new information.  So are people getting my messages?
Positives
        Good source of up to date information.  When I’m on twitter, I feel like I can be “in the loop” all the time, when I’m online.  I also feel like I can always be a part of a conversation.  It is easy to jump right into one, and get your voice heard.  
Recommendations
There are some ways you can use Twitter as a social media platform to build your personal brand. And building your personal brand is the primary benefit of developing a casual persona, as it establishes you as a “social personality” that is connected and approachable.   As Twitter adoption increases, new users will be drawn towards well established Twitter personas.
The first thing you want to do, is let people know that you are tweeting.  Don’t make people assume that you or your company has twitter. Instead, go out there and tell people that you do have twitter.
One thing that really helps you become a better “tweeter” is to understand that when you make a tweet, think  of it as a conversation starter and not a statement.  Because that is what you are trying to do, you are trying to start up a conversation with people.  This is where people often get it wrong.  You aren’t there to talk at someone, but to talk with someone. Big difference.
So as you can see, Twitter can be a powerful tool to use. Let people know that you have twitter, and get those conversation tweets out there today.  It can really help get your business some spotlight.

Google Wave

Christina Ewing

The social media I have been using throughout the semester is Google Wave. I think it can make communicating with group members or co-workers much easier when working on a project or developing a plan. ”People can communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more. Any participant can reply anywhere in the message, edit the content and add participants at any point in the process. Then playback lets anyone rewind the wave to see who said what and when. With live transmission as you type, participants on a wave can have faster conversations, see edits and interact with extensions in real-time.”

Create Conversation

I created a conversation using Google Wave by adding contacts as well as sending out invites to friends so they can join Google Wave. So far I have three contacts and I am actively trying to get more. Adding followers on wave is much harder than Facebook or Twitter. This is because it is fairly new and a lot of people are still not quite sure how to use it.

Progress Report

I have enjoyed researching and using Google Wave. However it would be more useful for me if I had more contacts to communicate with. I have reached out on Twitter and Facebook to find more followers for my Wave account.

What’s next?

My future with Google Wave will hopefully provide me with an easier way to communicate with others. Include more followers and contacts, as well as to provide a way to communicate with future co-workers or group members.

The specifics of Digg

By Bob Eskew

For my second blog on the popular website Digg, I will be talking about some of the various features that users can use. After a person logs into Digg in the header there is a lists of options for a person to choose their interests from and customize their list to better suit their “browse-ability,” and to give an exact lists of digged items for users to look at.

Another great perk to using Digg is the friends list that enables users to use for themselves. When one of your friends hits the Digg button, in your friends history, which can be seen on the friends tab next to the profile button, gives you a history of Diggs that they have liked in the past which enables their friends to see what they liked therefore allowing the original user to decide to Digg it or not.

One of my favorite features on Digg is the random Diggs that occur on the main page. What happens is at any given moment of time, an article is put up on the main page for two minutes and counts down the moment it is posted. Users like me have the deciding vote on whether or not it gets put on the front page for people to see or if it isn’t posted on Digg at all. How the people at Digg decide to put it up is if a certain number of people who actually view the article hit the Digg button, it gets put up on the main page or not. One of these events actually happened in the middle of class before I started my presentation.

 

 

Why do people "dig" Digg?

By: Bob Eskew

Why do people "dig" Digg? And for that matter what exactly is Digg?
Digg is basically one of the biggest online web-sharing sites on the
web today. They introduce members of Digg to new videos, blogs, vlogs,
images, and basically anything else that people want to see.

The way people use Digg is very similar to Stumbleupon, users who like
that video, image, vloge, whatever it is they can click the like or
Digg button saying that they Digg this particular item and anyone
looking for something along the lines of that video or image will be
suggested to that page and many others like it. Digg isn't used just
to show funny video of children liking turtles or some guy getting hit
in the nuts by a two-year-old either, Digg also sends important news
headlines and anything else that is sent publicly through the web and
the videos are never edited to give the viewers what they want. With
an estimated 3 million registered Digg members it's no wonder why it's
such an efficient site.

How could companies use Digg to promote themselves is really hard but
could be effective. The only way I've seen any Diggs about companies
is by either a bad form of publicity ex, Toyota recall, or an
announcement made by a company ex, a new item being brought out to the
market. All in all this new type of social networking tool could be
used in various ways and reaches numerous people. The best way to put
what this website really is about is by saying if Stumbleupon and
Facebook had a baby, this would be it.

Amazing Trackle

John Duncan

Trackle is an amazing tool which is grabbing the attention of many companies and PR professionals. It allows user to receive news, blogs, tweets, etc. as soon as they happen. I'd like to talk about my experience with this tool in hopes to promote trackles awareness to people who may have never heard of it or used it.

Trackle has provided me with the latest news and information concerning my interests. I have become more aware due to my use of this tool. I have also been following Dr. Drew and I have learned a slew of information about him and his latest work and achievements. For an example: "Dr. Drew Pinsky has decided to offer his expertise on the current state of Jesse James ... Dr. Drew Pinsky compares Heidi Montag's plastic surgery to dressing in drag (Access ... Source: okmagazine.com"  This is a example of a post and I clicked on the link provided and it provided me with the article. I then can take the article and post it on my facebook or twitter for everyone else to see. I did not do this because I didn't believe the article was main stream news worthy but I have posted article concerning Dr. Drew on my facebook in the past.

I also used Trackle to find articles about college tuition which I used to blog about. Trackle has helped me find valuable information and I will be using it in the future. I hope everyone who reads this decides to at least check trackle out and experience it for yourself. Write me a comment and tell me about your experience!!!

StumbleUpon

 

Kael Martin

 

                StumbleUpon is a great site for websurfers.  Users acknowledge their personal preferences from a list of 500 topics.  These topics include sports, philosophy, food, games, politics, and many more. By simply clicking “stumble,” web sites with these personal interests are displayed.  Users may also rate the site which also helps individuals find interesting sites. 

                I previously had experimented with StumbleUpon before being assigned this project.  After picking StumbleUpon from a list of possible social media sites, I began to research and use the site more often.  StumbleUpon is a very entertaining site that allows an individual to constantly experience “flow.”  Flow is psychology term that explains a persons state of mind when they are fully immersed and in what he or she is doing while feeling energized.  Myself, along with a few friends who use StumbleUpon, find ourselves using the website for up to an hour without ever thinking about the time.

                StumbleUpon allows users up to500 topics to choose from ranging from sports and music to philosophy and food.  After the user picks their categories, they simply click “Stumble” and a website will be displayed that has to do with their preference.  A user who likes the websites can click the thumbs up sign which will log the site into the favorites icon.  Websites that are uninteresting to the user can be given a negative rating by clicking the thumbs down.  After clicking this icon, the website will not appear again.

                Although StumbleUpon can be a very effective website for users who want to just browse the web, it also gives individuals an opportunity to meet others.  In the StumbleUpon community, individuals can search and connect with other “Stumblers” along with sharing sites they selected to be their favorites.  This is a great way to  meet and message new people while also viewing their profiles and the websites they found interesting or beneficial.

                StumbleUpon is an excellent Social Media tool that can assist a business or organization.   An organization working to promote and inform the public on a developing program would be able to reach a wide range of audiences.  It is a great marketing tool that could really advertise an organization and their products.  Users will also have the opportunity to learn about the organization as well as the intent of the program.

                StumbleUpon, in my opinion, is just starting to become a major player in social networking.  Users have found the site to be very entertaining while also helpful in meeting others and networking.  Organizations have discovered how useful this social networking site can be.  An organization can inform and  promote “stumblers” about their purpose and objectives.  StumbleUpon is a great way to increase the traffic of an organizations’ web site.  In the near future, I see StumbleUpon increasing the number of users as well as advertisers.  If one is looking to be entertained, network, or advertise their company, StumbleUpon is the place to go.

Reshape the Nation

By D. Heather Green

Recently, I have become involved with the Reshape the Nation online body transformation program.  This service has allowed me to have access to very knowledgeable information regarding health and wellness and to be engaged with others who share the same common interest.  I started this program so that I could learn about how diet and exercise can help me achieve a healthier lifestyle and to have the opportunity to be involved with others seeking the same thing.  To be honest I was a little disappointed in the fact I was not able to engage with other Reshape the Nation members liked I had hoped.  The blog postings are like a twitter format and a message board with limited the access to other members.  With the current time restrains I have it was hard for me to stay as consistent with the program as I would have liked but still think overall it was beneficial.  As a social media tool Reshape the Nation is limited in its current form.  I think if the program allowed members more access to actively engage in conversation with one another this program would be even more beneficial.  I also think it would give the feel of a community involvement which is what the creator of Reshape tries to communicate.  Losing weight and staying healthy is a difficult for most people but could be made a little easier when one has the support and involvement of ours.  It was difficult getting others involved with this social media tool.  I also tried using posts on my facebook account to help engage others in the Reshape the Nation movement but was not successful in recruiting any followers.

MobileTribe

Amanda Sevits

Social networking refers to a multi-media social structure that initially sparks communication between groups, individuals, and organizations. The most commonly recognized social networking web sites are Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace. However, there are various other social networking web sites available to use with the high demand for them and their growing success rates.  Companies can use social networking to gain credibility, foster employee relationships, build a forum for communication with customers, and in most cases, boost sales (Brottlund, 2009).  My first blog presentation was on BlackBerry Solutions, and their importance in the business world.  When I was searching on BlackBerry’s Home Page, I found a link to their different Social Networking, or third-party, outlets.  One of the first choices on the page was Mobile Tribe.  Its description intrigued me because it claimed that I could share all of my pictures, music, and video’s across different Social Media networks, with one application.

Mobile Tribe lets you organize your own personal world by blending all of your online social and personal communities, address books, videos and music into one easy to use application (Mobile Tribe, 2010).  This allows mobile phone users who use Mobile Tribe to branch out to multiple communities such as Facebook, Myspace, Yahoo, Google, and more.  These communities enable users to communicate, socialize, share and enjoy different aspects of their lives, and Mobile Tribe allows you to share information between mediums on one screen.  By simply choosing the top five applications that you would like to appear on your Mobile Tribe screen, it allows you to personalize the application to fit your lifestyle.  Whether it is business or family oriented, Mobile Tribe can keep you organized and up to date on various different networks at once.  With its easy to use design and smooth operation, Mobile Tribe allows you to communicate with friends and family globally, receive alerts for events, read and post to blogs, download/upload pictures, play, recommend and share music and videos.

I downloaded MobileTribe onto my phone, and I was instantly impressed.  I had always thought that it would be so convenient if I could have just one screen with different pages on it to choose from.  Whenever I accessed the internet on my phone before, it was usually open to Facebook, but most of the time that’s not what I would want to look at.  I have accounts on two other Social Media networks, and this program allowed me to put them, along with Facebook, on one simple page on my phone that I could scroll through, and click on as I pleased.  I was able to develop and stay updated on my conversations with people as well.  Having access to share my pictures between the mediums was really convenient as well.  I don’t have to spend the time on my laptop waiting to upload albums to different networks because I can just do it one time, and share the pictures using Mobile Tribe.  I plan on keeping Mobile Tribe on my phone unless it starts giving me problems for some reason.  Until then, I am very impressed and would recommend this application to anyone who can download it because it’s so convenient.

Sources:

Mobile Tribe Management Corporation.  (2010). MobileTribe:  Your Online Messaging and

Communication Organizer.  Retrieved from http://www.mobiletribe.net.

Brottlund, B.  (19 Feb. 2009).  Companies using Social Media to Boost Sales.  Retrieved from

http://www.resourcenation.com/blog/companies-using-social-networking-to-boost-sales/.