Monday, February 23, 2009

Facebook Killing; watch your status

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7676285.stm
The above link is an article stating...
"Wayne Forrester, 34, told police he was devastated that his wife Emma, also 34, had changed her online profile to "single" days after he had moved out."
I personally know a bunch of people in which their relationship status can be so contraversial.
These are jsut a few of the crazy problems that become associated with new technologies. People are streaming their deaths online and today a facebook status can be the death of you. I'm not saying people are going to start doing this, its just that crime and laws have to advance themselves with the growing technologies. Facebook is going to become a tool for law enforcement, and especially in domestic abuse cases. How do you feel about this tragic news? Do you feel you are putting too much information that can physically hurt you??

Social Networking can be harmful to your health

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7898510.stm

Above is a link to this article on online networking and health issues.

"Dr Aric Sigman says websites such as Facebook set out to enrich social lives, but end up keeping people apart".
"He also says that evidence suggests that a lack of face-to-face networking could alter the way genes work, upset immune responses, hormone levels, the function of arteries, and influence mental performance". The implications of these alterations can have a serious impact on your health. Dr. Aric goes on to say that it displaces people and isolates them physically meaning people will lack skills to read body language impeading our social skills.
My question to you all is... Do you find this imformation factual?? It was a peer reviewed and published journal by the institute of biology.

Monday, February 16, 2009

1%

Do you honestly think this Hell's Angels/ Pissed Off Bastards analogy will hold up??

I understand a lot of people are sheep and are just herded through life, but does this really happen in the digital world too?? Apparently so and a good example or the best example of that is Wikipedia. Of which I know hardly anyone ever corrects. In my line of work I see it used as a last-minute reference/ resource site, which has proved to work in the past, however will horribly embarrass you if your facts are twisted in that class presentation.
I generally feel that most people are scared to alter content, feeling insecure or incompetent on the subject matter, which is usually why they are researching it on the wiki site in the first place.

Cluetrain

The Cluetrain Manifesto highlights some interesting topics concerning new markets and social medias.
1. Markets are conversations.

This idea alone is very interesting because this seems to be one of the first documented account of how important a conversation can be on the internet.

2.Markets consist of human beings, not demographic sectors.

This idea is backed by the influence of blogging and its increasing democratized power.

53. There are two conversations going on. One inside the company. One with the market.
This illusrates the importance of the blogosphere. The most important ideas outlined in the "manifesto" are ideas which emphasize the relevance of social media and web 2.0.
This is what web 2.0 allows us to do, this interaction should keep a company alive, if it participates. The manifesto has a good focus on companies being too distant with their markets and not directly communicating with them, which is what social medias allow.
My question to my peers.... Do you really think all companies will die if they don't take part in the interaction?? And aren't there companies that really don't matter directly to their consumers?

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

RSS the last nail in the coffin holding the newspaper.

RSS is possibly the best tool for sifting the tons of cluttered irrelevant information that exists on the internet. Newspaper readership has steadily declined with the invention of the internet. Now that newspapers have shifted their focus to the internet there remains one last problem. Where to put the advertising????
We see them put it in front of the CNN video clips, which we are forced to watch. But the others are just easily ignored on the side of the screen, even the pulsating ones. Pop-up blocker already came.
Now comes RSS, a trick still only practiced by a small percent, however deadly. RSS feeds are the cement on top of the coffin, this almost ultimately eliminates advertisements meant for newspapers. The person who solves this problem will be the richest man/woman in the world.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Advocation

Is it the task of advocates to seek validity or to win at any cost??
What do you think? Should the advocate be able to use anything at his/her disposal or are there really strict ethical implications that apply??