Group items tagged

In light of our discussion this week on the social web, this article challenges the dominant history of the internet suggesting that the true social web started in the 1990s with link sharing. Today, the vast trove of social traffic is essentially invisible to most analytic programs. The author calls it the "DARK SOCIAL."

Wow, this is a pretty amazing thing. And a great article for synchronous tech! Please have a look. This revolutionary five-experiment exhibition highlights the way technology allows people to connect and engage with each other in real-time. It's the online component of a year-long physical exhibition in London's Science Museum featuring a series of interactive Chrome Experiments that bring the intricacies of the web to life. In what is a truly global exhibit museum visitors can interact with the technology at the same time as online participants.

I haven't seen this film, but it seems like  it is a great take on the intersection between semiotics, and the coercive aspects of visual culture! From reading the description it might attempt to tackle some of the issues we've been focusing on in all three core courses. "BEWARE OF IMAGES is a feature-length, animated documentary about the history of visual representation. The movie explores the intricate relationship between the technology, regulation and social effects of mass media. "

Wow, such an interesting direction that online/distance learning is taking through MOOCS (Massive Open Online Course). There is a lot more I can say on this topic, and I will! ____________________ Among the tens of thousands of people signed up for the University of Toronto's online computer science course Learn to Program: The Fundamentals, there are a lot of unconventional students.Of late, MOOCs have dominated the conversation around online learning. They drastically change distance learning, breaking down the barriers of geography and fees, while connecting students across the globe with each other and with some of the world's top teaching talents.

An interesting site focusing on the evolution of visual communication. The author takes you through communication via rocks and caves, the printing press, the computer etc...It's an interesting read as it allows us to thoroughly understand how communication tools progressed at the speed of light since the Latin typographic system. 

VenueSeen is a new company that allows companies to use Instagram for advertising campaigns. The tool aggregates photos that have been labeled with  specific hashtag and brings [the Instagram user] to the company's campaign page.  Instagrammers can then claim their photograph and collect prizes, coupons, and other incentives the company may have put in place. Price for a campaign can range from under $1000/month to tens of thousands depending on the scope and reach of the project.

Remember when TIME magazine chose YOU as person of the year. This year... the people have spoken and hijacked the race through online votes pushing forward "undemocratic" leaders like Kim Jong Un to the top of the list. 

A really interesting read about the state of digital teams in the nonprofit sector. Senior online leaders from 67 nonprofit organizations contributed to the final report. You can also download the world's first digital team structure benchmark for the nonprofit sector for free: http://digitalteams.org/

Gawker's Adrian Chen tracks down the identity of reddit.com's violentacrez. I'd never heard of this person, but the headline grabbed my attention. The article has some really great insight into how reddit is run and the role of moderators on the sites boards. Also an interesting read in regards to the politics of online identity protection and the role of anonymity in online communications.

For those of us born before 1990, the rigours of social media can seem like a chore. Though most business owners would agree that a presence on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest is a necessity in today's competitive market, the question still looms: Who's going to do all the tweeting and posting and pinning?

Interesting article. They may have written the headline just to catch one's attention, but I don't agree that it has to do with your age. I think whomever gets the position of handling the company's social media should be an articulate writer, have strong business etiquette, and a strong understanding of the company's objectives and corporate social responsibility. This can be either a 22-year old or a 50-year old. I don't think age is the question here. Perhaps the headline writer had limited space to work with : )

I think this is a new aspect in the reporter/journalist vs. citizen journalist debate. Really interesting how there is already a policy in place regarding live-tweeting from the athletic department at the University of Washington. "Social media has irreversibly altered the media landscape, and the power relationship between big content brands, individual reporters and fans. But the major money makers - ad-rich TV and radio, in particular - will always, or at least for the foreseeable future, remain in the control of the powerful. So it's best for them to lay off the micromanaging, and accept some bit of change."

Is it the technology or the teaching? Toshiba says: "Creativity, innovation, information fluency, critical thinking, problem solving- these are the skills that students need in order to work effectively and live productively in today's digital world," said Kimberly Giles, Principal at St. Leonard. "The use of technology in the classroom helps us create an environment that fosters these skills."

In addition to the obvious way small businesses are using Pinterest (communicating with customers) some clever entrepreneurs have found the platform to be a great way to communicate inside the office as well. This short article provides three unexpected ways to use Pinterest in the office : vision boarding, staff engagement and internal communications.

This is a really interesting scholarly article I came across whilst putting together my last scholarly blog. The study examines the relationship between the use of Facebook and the formation and maintenance of social capital.

Building off of Yates article...Union Square Ventures recently posted an opening for an investment analyst. Instead of asking for résumés, the New York venture-capital firm asked applicants to send links representing their "Web presence," such as a Twitter account or Tumblr blog. Something to think about when applying for internships and jobs in the future!

I agree with you Rya. While I appreciate such innovation, it's difficult for me to comprehend the privacy issues related with such a thing. Doesn't LinkedIn suffice anymore?

I agree with both of your comments Rya and Raman. There really does seem to be a privacy issue here. I suppose with all the recent competition for work, employers are looking for ways to distinguish candidates (doesn't seem fair). Although we started off building our "online presence" for personal reasons, there appears to be a need to build a public professional presence as well. Perhaps the trick is to keep your personal account private to maintain our sense of privacy and start building an online professional profile that is public. Blogging about a professionally related topic, linking field-specific articles etc. might be the way to get noticed.

Gangnam Style is an example of what can be achieved on the Internet by offering the right content for the right audience at the right time.

Guess what? According to this article, "among CEOs of the world's Fortune 500 companies, a mere 20 have Twitter accounts." This article explores the business case of social media, beyond just a soft PR tool. P.s. If you're not familiar with it yet, Fast Company is an incredible website. I highly encourage you to poke around. I gets tons of great info/inspiration/new ideas from this site. Hope you enjoy!

.A very topical article for next week's class in "The Virtual Organization" regarding the changing workplace due to digital technologies.Suprisingly, this article reveals that only 20 of the world fortune 500 companies have twitter accounts. Enjoy. 

"Their work often demands instant communication and analysis. Yet fewer than half of Canadian farmers have access to high-speed Internet" We've looked at the socio-demographic and psychological variables of the digital divide. Geography plays a role too. Here's quick look at the implications of a digital disconnect on innovation within the Canadian farming sector.

Just a quick piece about a survey that found one in five consumers have used social media to get a customer service response in the past year. Worth noting from the study is that only 54 per cent of consumers tell others about good experiences. I found that surprisingly high? Also, check out the link in the article to Dell's guide to social commenting and managing online conversations -- http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/files/2012/05/dell-social-media-tips.png

Although this article was written last year, it still resonates due to the fact that more schools seem to be adopting iPads while others are banning the use of iPads. This quote is also insightful: Daniel Brenner, the Roslyn superintendent, said the iPads would also save money in the long run by reducing printing and textbook costs; the estimated savings in the two iPad classes are $7,200 a year.