May Be Lost, Now It's Easy to Find

This is the new "tile" an invention that everyone should have. This is the best idea yet, and I'm thrilled that someone finally came out with this.

What "tile" does it keep tabs on your things you may misplace. You can stick it to anything you want, laptop, phone, tablet, remote, you can hang in from your keys, even put it on your bike. The "tile" then connects to an app on your phone that can tell you how close you are to it and you can make the "tile" ring too. "Tile" is as thin as three credit cards and can be re-used over and over.



This product is something that everyone would use. I know I lose my phone at least four times a day. I know some of my friends who lose their keys all the time so this product is extremely practical. The best part about it is it’s only $19.95. They are shipping out the first order this spring and have already sold out the pre-order. They are now taking orders for this summer. The more people who purchase the “tile” help the producers get a larger market to sell to and a better chance to main stream their product. Thanks to all the donations they received they were able to produce it but now they need to find some way to help them sell them.
I may purchase one for this summer and I am really looking forward to it. This product will be so helpful for people like me and I am sure they will be able to sell a whole bunch of them.

http://www.thetileapp.com/?utm_source=AdWords&utm_medium=CPC&mkwid=c6k1lbaRe&pcrid=32651283054&pkw=&pmt=&pdv=c

Top Tweeters From New York State

Today, New York Magazine revealed an article on a very interesting, and local, topic. “New York’s Most Influential Tweeters May Surprise You,” by Joe Coscarelli, summarized quite an interesting study done by PeerIndex on the most influential tweeters from New York State, (http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/02/most-influential-new-yorkers-on-twitter-2014.html?mid=google). 

The analysis was done using a algorithm created by PeerIndex and went far beyond only looking at the number of followers a particular person might have. Plus, to be considered for their list, the tweeter must have been located mainly in New York State. So, one would think that maybe the governor of New York would rank high on the list? Or perhaps the mayor of New York City? Well, not quite.

Toping out the list was ESPN’s NFL insider, Adam Schefter, followed by Donald Trump, Jimmy Fallon, Piers Morgan, and Carmelo Anthony to round out the top five, respectively.  Coscarelli was surprised to see Shefter at the top, and attributed this to his position and that the study was done during a period that included the Super Bowl. I agree with this but this that there is a little more behind his first place finish.

Schefter reports on all sporting news, but mainly NFL. Regardless, New York, both city and state, is a great sports town and Schefter has the most up to date and real time information, that he frequently tweets about. 

In todays fast pace world of real time news, Schefter’s top place finish makes sense. Rather than waiting for an article to be published on a recent sports deal, Schefter can live tweet about it. And, his following is huge, at over two and a half million, and clearly his following reacts to his information a great deal. This results in his placing at the top of New York’s most influential tweeters. 

What Are Bitcoins Anways?

Bitcoins this week have been in the headlines and talk in all my news and social apps. I’m not sure if what bitcoins are is common knowledge but I didn't know.  I looked up the basics, since most articles being written about the topic now assume you know what they are:

 

What are Bitcoins?

Bitcoins, capital B, is used to talk about the software while bitcoin is referring to the currency. Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer virtual currency that only exists in a user’s online “wallet” (or bank account) and is not controlled by any central authority and the users are untraceable.  Your “wallet” can be accessed using personal computers, mobile devices, or a web application. Russell Goldman explained it perfect in his explanation, “If hard currency is like a record, then a bitcoin is like an MP3”.  

A Bitcoin Wallet

 

Where can you use them?

You can use bitcoins to buy anything you want, as long as the business accepts bitcoins. Like cash, they are untraceable and they are legal as long as they are used to make legal purchases. Companies that do take them like the 2-3% lower fees than the ones imposed by credit card processors.

Where did they came from?

Satoshi Nakamot, a Japanese programmer, outlined the process in an academic paper and then disappeared in 2009 shortly after the first bitcoins were released. Little is known about him before or after the 2009 launch of the first bitcoin software.

Where do they come from?

Bitcoins are gained by users by “mining”. Bitcoins are hidden in a complex encrypted computer program and users’ computers are working constantly to UN-encrypt them in order to get new coins (“mining”). 11 million bitcoins have been found and only 21 million total exist.  Today a bitcoin was worth about $546 at the time of publishing this blog.  Available bitcoins are moved around the market by users through a kind of stock market with people buying and selling bitcoins.   

This is really just the basics. This topic had more information than I knew about and Bitcoin stories are developing quickly.  Just a few hours before I wrote this article Mt. Gox (a marketplace host for bitcoin) admitted their site was hacked and the users’ money is gone.  Hopefully this article will help in at least one other persons understanding of what seems to be the topic of a lot of headlines still to come.

 

 

A map of stores that accept bitcoin.

7 things you need to know about bitcoin.

How to make $1 Million a Month thru Social Media

What if you could become a millionaire by creating a few dozen pages throughout social media websites?  Well, a company called Social Trends Media is pulling it off.  CEO Eric Damier hopes to reel in $1.2 million next month.

So how does Damier do it?  Social Trends Media operates over 200 accounts across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  The Twitter accounts, including @HistoryinPics, alone total about 100 million followers.   Using their accounts, they post links to a website called Kulfoto.com and make most of their money off of ad revenue.  Every time someone clicks on the link, they earn money.

The links are usually to slideshows on Kulfoto.com that are relevant to that account.  For example, their @HistoryinPics page has posted a link entitled “13 Ridiculously Offensive Vintage Advertisements”.

This all seems too good to be true to me.  It seems like Damier got to his position by slapping together some slideshows, paying for some ads, and overseeing some Social Media pages.  It makes me wonder where entrepreneurship is going.  Obviously it’s already at least partially transitioned into the digital world, but does the Internet make it this much more easier to become successful?

Article by J.J. Colao:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jjcolao/2014/02/27/the-1-million-a-month-business-behind-your-favorite-twitter-accounts/

More on the Net Neutrality War

The FCC, as we all know, suffered a defeat in January when Internet providers, namely Verizon, challenged their “net neutrality” regulations and ended the nondiscriminatory nature of the Internet.  Now, as we are all wondering, what comes next?

Currently, the FCC is taking public comments and suggestions for new regulations which will survive the legalities and loopholes which made the previous regulations invalid.  So, yes, there is hope!

Additionally, Comcast and AT&T have promised not to overstep the now defunct regulations.  Other large companies like Google and Facebook have already doled out huge sums of money to keep strong connections with their ISPs.

The most alarming part is that without net neutrality, rich companies will be able to buy preferable Internet service while smaller businesses will either be bought out or simple dwindle away.

In my estimation, Verizon’s actions are nothing short of violations of what the Internet is at its core -- a public network of interconnected computers across the world.  Since the Internet’s livelihood lies in the hands of its users, we should be mindful of how we are charged for our Internet activity without net neutrality.  It can’t be ethical to continue to support a giant as controlling as Verizon.

Further, we should give the companies who respect net neutrality more support so they can fight those that don’t.

See the original article by James O’Toole on CNN: http://cnnmon.ie/1hn2uBr

The World's Smartest Hearing Aid

http://on.mash.to/1ehUCk2

Do you have an Apple device? Are you having trouble hearing? Resound Linx is helping those with hearing impairments get the immediate help they need.  The hearing aid is a portable bluetooth device that doubles as wireless headphones and is linked to the Apple iPhone and iPad.  Luckily, the ability to adjust the settings on your device makes it less embarrassing or users in public.  The ReSound app allows for the hearing aid users to expand their hearing experience by trading data.  One of the cooler features is it’s GPS device that finds missing hearing aids.  Via the ReSound Linx app, the volume on your phone gets louder as you get closer to the lost hearing aid.

I think this device is a really good idea especially for people who don’t want their hearing aids to be noticed by others.  This innovation comes into play at a good time especially with the baby boomers getting older and health decline on the rise.  The product is marketed towards elderly people who are more likely to need the help.  Unfortunately, with a high price of around $2,900 and $3,500, the device may be difficult for some to buy.  If I had a hearing impairment I might consider buying it, but the price would definitely be a huge deciding factor in my decision to buy the product or not.  

Apple and Fitness in 2014

2014 seems to be all about fitness and health.  Everywhere you turn, there's an ad for some trendy workout gear to burn off all the processed junk that Americans are notorious for shoveling into their mouths (while, ironically, watching these same "Just Do It!" commercials on TV).  This may be why Apple is projected to manufacture fitness accessories for iPhones instead of the "wearables" they were supposed to release this year.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/nlwpp77

Imagine a world in which you can simply listen to music on your iPhone and at the same time be tracking your heart rate and body temperature.  That world may (relatively) soon become a reality.  Apple has teamed up with the creator of the Nike + Fuelband and is intending to enter the market of health & fitness.

Technology is becoming of increasing importance everyday. Health is now prevalent in countless American lives as well, so combining the two is a great way to do business.  Look at Nike +.  People love to track how they're doing- how many miles they've run, how many calories they've burned.  If consumers who already have iPhones can purchase accessories to make this possible, they may choose this instead of going out and buying brand new hundred plus dollar Nike + compatible shoes (or they may do both!) or off-brand sport watches.

Will Apple customers be too disappointed that their much anticipated phone watches aren't in the forefront of Apple's mind?  Some may, but economically the accessories are a much sounder decision to go with for this company.

Reasons Why Facebook Will Lose it's Users.

It has been all down hill since Facebook as implemented the observation of user's searches and activity to direct advertisements. The amount of users has gone down in recent years. This create the problem of when all of a user's friends stop posting, so will they. Also most people have been using it so long, that more of the friend suggestions are people that you have never heard of. Aside from the site becoming "old", there is no way to become private. Anyone can simple search you name and find you with ease. The option to become private is available, but Facebook is clever for hiding it just enough that it become to much of an hassle. And now that Facebook has bought out Whatsapp, it will get even worse. They will have a chatting service that creates a phone over the internet. They claim that they will not monitor the chatting, but how long will it take to find out that they are. When people first found out that Facebook was monitoring their activity it was a shock. Just wait until they watch your whole life.

http://huff.to/OECEih

http:/huff.to/OECEih   

Social Media: Helping or Hurting Big and Small Businesses?

From big business, to small business, social media has been creating a revolution that will forever change the way we interact with these companies. With the expansion of social media over the past decade, they must change the way they do everything. 

In order to get their foot in the door, smaller businesses have been taking a different approach that seems to generate the kind of money they need in a shorter amount of time. Instead of paying $4 million dollars for a 30 second Super Bowl commercial, they have gone viral instead. With the constant sharing and liking of information on multiple social media platforms, they have generated a bigger buzz that $4 million dollars just can’t buy. 

With all of this pressure to conform to the mainstream culture of social networking, businesses are starting to lose the personal connections with their clients. Face-to-face contact is becoming less an less important and this is the cause of the hesitation many businesses feel. The most important way to maintain all of the confusion is to find the best balance between personal communication and viral communication.


With all of this pressure to conform to the mainstream culture of social networking, businesses are starting to lose the personal connections with their clients. Face-to-face contact is becoming less an less important and this is the cause of the hesitation many businesses feel. The most important way to maintain all of the confusion is to find the best balance between personal communication and viral communication. 

Facebook Continues To Expand Its Worth

Only a week after Facebook bought the newest "sensational" app, WhatsApp, for 16 Billion dollars, Mark Zuckerberg made an appearance at the Mobile World Congress. He took the stage to inform everyone of his company's future plans in mobile. Zuckerberg stated, "We want to create a dial tone for the internet."

In efforts to bring very cheap or free internet to most of the world, Zuckerberg created partnerships with a number of companies to create Internet.org. On the website, which you can access by clicking here, the project is described as, "a global partnership between technology leaders, nonprofits, local communities and experts who are working together to bring the internet to the two thirds of the world's population that doesn't have it."

Inevitably, the question of this just being a way for Facebook to strengthen it's grasp on the internet came up, but Zuckerberg quickly rebutted the subtle accusation by explaining that this is not just his idea, but a project that involves a number of partnerships.

Other questions that followed this one after the keynote address were primarily related to Facebook's recent mobile app purchase. Zuckerberg spoke highly of this transaction, stating that he felt WhatsApp is a perfect fit, and that there are very few services that reach half a billion people around the world. He also included that he believes, by itself, the app is worth more than 19 billion dollars.

Zuckerberg may be one of the brightest men in his industry, if not the brightest. Although every business decision is made with some sort of selfish intentions, he seems to be a genuine character who wants to benefit the world along with himself. His intelligence continues to expand Facebook's worth, but it is also creating partnerships, expanding the industry, and contributing to the world at the same time.

To read the article related to this topic, visit http://mashable.com/2014/02/24/mark-zuckerberg-mobile-world-congress-2/

Memorializing Facebook Profile’s

Until one of my good friends recently passed away in late January, I never realized what happened to the Facebook profile of a deceased user.  Before this past Friday, when Facebook memorialized a profile, it was only visible to friends of the deceased.  The privacy settings have now changed to how the profile functioned when the user was active.  

Furthermore, users will now be able to request a “Look Back” video of a loved one who has passed away.  Facebook generates these videos from the top moments, posts and images from each person’s Facebook history.

These new features of memorializing friends and loved ones is a commendable gesture on behalf of Facebook.  I agree that the expectations of privacy of the deceased should remain untouched.  If my friend kept his profile public to anyone on Facebook, then it should stay that way.  In addition to the new, “Look Back” video, which is a creative way to commemorate the person’s life.  There were many photos of Corey on poster board spread throughout the wake service.  Although a collage is nice; the amount of money funeral homes make for these services; a projected video would be topical.  I plan to request a “Look Back” video from Facebook in honor of my friend Corey.  

http://on.mash.to/1k61PaE

Facebook's 19 Billion Dollar Purchase

Recently, Facebook decided to make a big purchase, a 19 billion dollar one to be exact.  Facebook decided to purchase WhatsApp due to the volume of active users that it services.  The reason behind this big spending spree is that "450 million active monthly users, 70 percent of whom use the messaging service daily," send enough messages to reach the equivalent amount in the number of text messages sent out around the world daily.

Although Facebook is buying WhatsApp, according to CEO Jan Koum, the app will remain autonomous and operate independently of Facebook and nothing will change for users."  According to Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, WhatsApp will complement [Facebook's] existing chat and messaging services to provide for new tools for our community.

So what's the big deal?  Facebook just hit it's 10 year anniversary and now they've made a big deal with WhatsApp.  Personally, I don't see how this would be any different than their current Facebook messenger. With WhatsApp, like Facebook messenger, you can only reach out to those that have the app.  However, with WhatsApp you are able to customize your chat backgrounds and text, which is different from Facebook messenger.  I'm interested in seeing how this deal is helpful to Facebook if nothing is changing for the users. What are the differences and changes that will help to improve Facebook?  I guess we will soon find out.

If you want to learn more about Facebook's latest purchase visit the the following article.

Social Media An Asset in Ukrainian Protests

As many already know, violent protests have broken out in Ukraine, especially in the capital Kiev. The protests started off peacefully as citizens spoke out against Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych's rejection of an accord with the European Union in order to keep good ties with Russia, but also halted the development and economy of the country by doing so. While things have been slowly escalating over the past few months, the violence exploded on February 18 when riot police came in to move the protestors out of the square. Policemen were shot, the government forces retaliated, dozens were killed, and the capital went up in literal flames.

While news coverage has increased, one of the main forms of communication between the Ukrainian protestors and the rest of the world has been social media. Journalists, citizens, and even foreign officials have used Twitter and YouTube to show watchers striking pictures and videos of just how deadly the protests have become. Sites have even released before and after pictures of Kiev's Independence Square to broadcast just how devastating the damage has been. Because of this increased awareness, all eyes are on Ukraine and the protestors have found solidarity with people thousand of miles away.

This isn't the first protest to gain global attention through social media. The Arab Spring of 2011 gained the attention it did through tweets regarding the unethical actions towards peaceful protestors from government forces. Soon, the world was addressing the protests that they were ot very aware of even weeks before.

Social media is not only an excellent way to communicate with people across the globe - it is perhaps also essential to raise awareness. Protests were known before the invention of social media or even the Internet, but watchers did not receive the same amount or quality of media. Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube can be used as entertainment and are, in their own ways, are social revolutions, but they can also help fuel the fires of political revolutions as well.

More information about the Ukrainian protests:

Why is Ukraine in Turmoil? - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25182823

Video and Social Media Updates from Kieve (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT) http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/20/live-video-and-social-media-updates-from-kiev/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Ukraine Protests: Before and After Images of Independence Square (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT) - http://metro.co.uk/2014/02/21/before-and-after-pictures-of-kievs-independence-square-capture-battle-in-ukraine-4313179/

How Can Media Make Money in Our New World?

         The evolving revolution of digital media is causing a drastic shift for companies everywhere to be able to make up for the money that they are accustomed to making with print media.  As the nature of print journalism is dying, major companies struggle to make the same kind of money through their online articles.  So, while more and more newspapers get taken off the shelves for good, media corporations like the Wall Street Journal struggle with how to incorporate advertisements in the same way that they could with newspapers.  Tracy Boyer Clark demonstrates in her article about the shift in journalism, “digital business made half as much as the print business and that print still garnered 85 percent of the total advertising revenue. Digital revenues were split almost evenly between advertising and subscription”.  She goes on in her article to state that for every print subscriber that’s worth $1, a digital subscriber would only be worth $0.25.  This is an issue that is a main concern for any major corporation with the ultimate goal being to find a way where they can make the same kind of money in digital media that they made in print media.  Furthermore, expect a large increase in ads and subscription expense.  Clark predicts that advertisements will at least double in the next three years to a projected 8 billion dollars. 

            As someone who strives to someday work in media, I am hopeful that companies can find a healthy balance between making money in digital journalist and not having a ridiculous amount of advertisements blanketing the website.  I feel that journalists are smart to come to terms with the death of print media, and to now focus primarily on how we can be successful in distributing media online.

http://innovativeinteractivity.com/2012/05/14/wall-street-journals-digital-strategy-amidst-the-digital-revolution/

How Twitter doesn't necessarily kill productivity

It's so hard to keep your mind on one task for even 15 minutes nowadays with all the media and other distractions around us. Students know what I mean: you pull up your assignment then check Twitter or Facebook, then look back up at your work and stare for a few minutes, and proceed to check social media again.  It seems the only way to prevent it is for your phone to die while you are away from a charger, but that only means leaving the work station to find one.

Professionals also have the same problem with constantly being distracted by social media. In order to track smartphone usage and its effects, researchers surveyed 72 workers from various industries in South Korea. They were able to track the usage of users with an app that was specifically designed to measure how much time is spent on a phone during a workday. The app also separated the usage into 3 categories: social media, entertainment and leisure, and personal and informative. 

The results shows that employees are happier when they are able to use their phones during the work day for leisure, which makes sense to me. The survey also revealed that workers only used their phones for leisure during the work day for about 20 minutes, and did not decrease productivity. 20 minutes is much less than I expected, but so be it.

If the use of the smartphone is properly regulated at the workplace or at school it can be helpful to allow people to take mental breaks between their work. I believe this can help students as well if they give themselves a set amount of time to be distracted instead of doing so every 5 minutes - take note professors!

check out the full article at http://mashable.com/2014/02/21/smartphone-use-increase-productivity/

How to Spend Only 10 Minutes on Twitter

The number 1 complaint I have for this class is not having enough time to tweet.  Well I have just stumbled across the secret to tweeting in 10 minutes!  You only two tools to do so: Hootsuite and Twitter Lists.  Once you've got these setup, you'll be tweeting in 10 minutes.

There is a 5 step process: (1) Set up your Hootsuite account. (2) Create Twitter Lists. (3) Add your Twitter Lists to Hootsuite. (4) Add #hashtag streams to Hootsuite. (5) Begin your 10-minute per day routine.

I tried this process and it was very simple to find the website and easy to navigate the page.  As I was logging into my twitter account, an error occurred.  The popularity of the new website made their servers crash.  After waiting a few minutes, I reloaded the page and I was back on track to tweeting in 10 minutes.

As soon as you start the website helps you add streams, create tabs and schedule messages:

 

After fooling around with the website I realized you can have each tab be a different "genre."  You can have a personal tab, a school tab, and a work tab:

 

 

Hootsuite is a lot like Tweetdeck, but it's more organized and based around you as a tweeter.  Allowing you to follow your Lists and also all of your favorites, per tab. 

 

For more information visit:

 

http://mashable.com/Hootsuite

 

The link for Hootsuite:

 

https://hootsuite.com/

 

In addition to allowing you to follow your Twitter accounts, Hootsuite allows you follow your Facebook profile, Google+, YouTube, Tumblr and Instagram accounts.

 

 

New Social Network Emphasizes Connecting With People You Don't Know

http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthickey/2014/02/20/crushee-is-a-new-social-network-for-best-friends-that-havent-met-yet/
A new social network called Crushee has been introduced recently, and it differs from most other social networks in a very unique way.  Whereas most social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace have all been focused on connecting and keeping up with people you know, Crushee places emphasis on connecting with people you don't know. 
It works like this: You can see posts and pictures from random people, and if you like what you see, you have the option to "crush" them.  This lets them know that someone likes their profile, but it doesn't tell them who.  They have to figure it out.  The article describes it as a "secret admirer".  And if that person you crushed also crushes you, you both develop a mutual crush and can send private messages, and a new friendship is born.
The website also has what the creator calls a very effective policing system.  In order to successfully register, the existing community must review your profile and approve it.  This is supposed to prevent "trolls and creeps" from registering and polluting the community.
I think this new website has the potential to be a great new social network.  It's interesting to see something new being tried for once.  I like that this site focuses on creating new friendships, rather than keeping up with existing friends, which is something I can do without an online social network.
My only concern is that not just anyone can join.  Despite the review and approval process being created to keep out people who would disrupt the community, I feel like it will be used to keep out anyone people on the site would deem "unworthy".  There is already an established community on the site, and I feel like anyone who doesn't jive with that community will not be welcome, regardless of their intentions.

Pheme: The Social Media Lie Detector

 

Ever wondered if what you read online was real or fake? Or if a post you saw was fact or fiction?

Researchers are now working on creating an online lie detector called Pheme, which will scan through different posts, tweets, and comments to see if they are truthful. Named after a Greek character known for spreading rumours, this program will be able to sift through text found on Twitter, Facebook, and healthcare forums to tell the difference between truth and lie.

This project was initiated after further investigation of the 2011 London riots, in which people used Twitter in order to organize an uproar, as well as expose and spread false information. Pheme could have been extremely helpful in a situation like that.

At one point, there was even talk of shutting down social networking sites in order to prevent similar crises from happening.

"But social networks also provide useful information. The problem is that it all happens so fast and we can't quickly sort truth from lies," said Dr. Kalina Bontcheva, lead researcher on the project at the University of Sheffield.

The Pheme system would sift through information in real time and verify it to determine what is authentic. "It would trawl through the history and background of users to pinpoint accounts that were created purely to spread lies and rumours," said a report on Daily Mail.

Can we trust the internet? For the most part, I think yes. Can we trust online posts and comments made by other people? Not necessarily. The project's first results should be ready in eighteen months so it will definitely be interesting to see what happens. But imagine how cool it would be to automatically know if what you saw online was true or false? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.


For the full article, check out http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26263510.

5 Essential Steps to Success in Social Media Marketing

Social media has become a great way for consumers to find and research brands, and to reach out to new clients. Before a business begins to use social media there are five effective steps in social media marketing.

            

1. Start with a plan.  As a business you must figure out a strategical plan if you want your business to be successful in sales and need to have a clear strategy about incorporating social media with the success of your business. All social networks have different audience demographics, so it is important for businesses to choose accordingly to the exact target audience they are trying to reach.

2. Create quality content. For a business, what you post out there on your social media is very important. It is important that your business's information is informative, sharable, actionable, and relevant to the target audience.

3. Think visually. According to Harvard, about 70 percent of facebook users are more likely to interact with brands if they post pictures. Vine, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram are examples of social media where brands can use to post pictures or videos.

4.To be active and responsive. Creating a relationship and interacting with a customer if they have a concern, can benefit because it shows the customer that you care about them.

5. To measure the metrics. There are millions of interactions with brands on social media everyday. It is important that you measure how many times a viewer clicks on your ad or how long a viewer watches your video. These are some of the most effective ways in successful social media marketing. I believe that this is only the beginning and social media will continue to rule the way for successful businesses.

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2014/02/10/5-essential-steps-to-success-in-social-media-marketing/

The Future of Net Neutrality

If you claim to be an informed member of the communications world then you probably have heard about Net Neutrality. For those unaware Net Neutrality is the principle that states internet providers should all access to all content and be free of bias.

However supporters of Net Neutrality have had a tough time as of late, especially with the large TV/internet providers such as Comcast and Verizon getting a crucial victory when the US court of appeals ruled in favor of Verizon, meaning sweeping change could come to the internet that we have come to know.

Many people are angry about this stating that it will impede our ability to pass information along freely and in turn limit some of our rights. Others argue that it will also harm innovative thinkers and entrepreneurs because they will not be able to pay the premium to keep their sites loading at optimum efficiency.

However the FCC is looking to fight against this. The FCC has announced a plan to overhaul the rules of Net Neutrality and "...Act to preserve a free and open internet...".

In addition Obama himself has come out in support of Net Neutrality and said, "The one good piece of news coming out of this court opinion was the court did confirm that the FCC can regulate this space"

For now it still seems like it will be a long and winding road until we know the true fate of Net Neutrality but if the FCC is as committed as they say they are we should rest easy and stay optimistic.

The Link to the article and the FCC Chairman's statement are posted below.

FCC Plans to Overhaul the Rules of Net Neutrality

The Blame Game is Being Played with Neknominate

A new game has swept across Britain, and it's no board game.

Instead, it's a drinking game known as Neknominate.  CNN 

reported Tuesday, February 18th that the game is believed to

have originated in Australia. This deadly game has now made its 

way over to England and around the world.

The game works like this:

1. Obtain an alcoholic beverage
2. Record yourself "downing" the beverage
3. Nominate a friend to outdo you
4. Post this nomination on a social media platform

While Neknominate appears to be just a game, it has proven to 

be deadly.  Five young males have died from consuming lethal

alcoholic drinks during the game, and people are beginning 

to warn against partaking in Neknominate.   

Since the game is played by posting a nomination/challenge video 

to a friend via social media, like Facebook, many people are

beginning to place the blame on these social media networks for the

games increased popularity.

Even though social media does play a role in Neknominate, I don't

believe it is fair to place the blame on Facebook for these deadly video

posts.  Brian Viner, who's son took part in the game stated, "I was cross 

with him but more cross with the social media involved and the way 

this game has just spread."  Viner feels that social media should be more

heavily involved in putting a stop to this destructive game.

While Facebook stated, "We do not tolerate content which is directly 
harmful, for example bullying, but behavior which some people may 
find offensive or controversial is not always necessarily against our 
rules."

I agree with Facebook's stance on this.  It is a persons choice to partake in 
and post certain material on social media platforms.  While social media
companies have the right to stop bullying, I do not feel they have authority
to tell people what they should and should not post.  

What is right and what is wrong should be known and decided by the user.  
If they chose to partake in dangerous and offensive posts on social media, 
they are the ones to blame, not the social media companies. These companies
are there solely to provide users with a way to express their thoughts, ideas and 
beliefs to others within the social media world.