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Jorge Arganza

What Is a Social Business App, Anyway? And Why Is the Market Booming? - 1 views

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    Social media is becoming big business inside businesses.
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    Someone posted an article earlier that was kinda related to this called "Data-mining your desktop." It was about HP's "Collective" project which would basically work like a facebook for the workplace, which would allow others to see what different projects people were working on and thus potentially setup networking opportunities. I wonder, though, if such tools might actually leave a company more vulnerable to corporate espionage.
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    It's funny that you posted this just as I was generating ideas for our final project and completing research on the increasingly important role of apps. I had no idea that social business applications are a $6 billion industry, or that companies are using internal programs such as Yammer to bolster communication lines. After reading this article, it makes perfect sense that business wants to capitalize on the social media market, but I always associated networking sites with personal and professional connections. Thanks for the post!
Amanda Jacobsen

When Businesses Use Social Media: How Much Is Too Much? - CBS News - 0 views

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    By now, most businesses know they should have a presence on Facebook or Twitter. But the more digitally-savvy businesses often ask, How many? Should you have only one Facebook page? Or multiple ones?
Kerianne Cassidy

Caterpillar Brings Social Media to Blue-Collar Business - US News and World Report - 0 views

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    A news story of a construction company using social media to improve their customer relations. They're keeping up with the times and connecting with their technologically savvy client-base, a smart business move.
Amanda Jacobsen

More Than Rumor: Social Media Can Wreak Havoc on the Market - 1 views

http://bx.businessweek.com/social-networking/view?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fsap%2F2012%2F02%2F23%2Fmore-than-rumor-social-media-can-wreak-havoc-on-the-market%2F%3Ffeed%3Drss_home H...

Social Media facebook business damage_havoc

started by Amanda Jacobsen on 13 Jun 12 no follow-up yet
Carrie Pyne

How will mobile technology help in healthcare? Look to developing nations | SmartPlanet - 3 views

  • harness mobile communications as a means of reforming the healthcare system’s dominant focus on reactive care and treatment, encouraging a shift to preventive strategies
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    Mobile technology, in the form of mobile phones, can help address healthcare issues, not only in developing countries but countries like the US too
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    Interesting! it's great to see that this mode of information-sharing has such potential. Text messages are quick, easy, and cheap; they might be ideal for medication or appointment reminders.
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    Carrie, this article discusses using the smart phone apps and their ability to access the Internet to help those who don't have access to a face-to-face doctor. One of my articles this week mentioned an even more advanced way of long-distance healthcare: pacemakers hooked up to the Internet allows for a doctor to remotely restart a patient's heart if it stops working. These are things that only a decade ago might have seemed completely impossible yet here they are being used in a relatively wide-spread way.
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    I can't wait for this service to be widely available and EFFECTIVE for everyone! I wouldn't have to sacrifice adjusting my work hours or taking a day off to get a doctor's appointment! I also wouldn't have to wait for hours in the clinic's lobby for getting a 5-10 mins consultation.
Kerianne Cassidy

Facebook for First-Graders? The Social Media Giant Looks to Welcome Kids Under 13 | Hea... - 5 views

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    How young is too young? Are kids today really not interacting in person if they're busy building an online network?? My internet use wasn't policed when I was a kid, but then you couldn't do much via AOL dial-up! What happens when parents aren't as technologically adept as their kids?
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    I think this is not a good trend, although FB will probably make it happen anyway. It is already pretty obvious that today's teens do not know how to interact socially in a proper manner - they text constantly even while standing next to each other because they prefer to send messages and avoid f2f interaction; they construct sentences in a twitter-like manner. Kids need to form friendships and interact socially face-to-face, not just virtually. They need to speak to others live, know how to write coherent sentences, and not spend so many hours glued to their technical devices. Parents need to impose more guidelines. Librarians can help by assisting in finding age-appropriate websites for children. We don't need to take away the technology, but we do need to help teens and children use it in a better way.
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    I guess the logic is that kids under 13 are using the site anyway, by lying about their age or getting someone older to create an account for them, so perhaps the best course of action is to create a space specifically for them--with more restrictions and stricter privacy settings. I hope that this pre-teen space is diligently patrolled, and content vetted thoroughly before it gets posted online (sort of like having a forum moderator approve all posts before they appear on the site). I'm not sure if this is feasible....I suppose it depends on how many pre-teens sign on to this thing.
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    I. don't. like. this. My 12-year old wants a FB account simply because all his friends have one and not for any other reason. It just adds one more layer of policing that schools and parents have to be on top of. I am one of the lucky few parents whose kids are pretty good at self-policing their screen time, but I know that's rare. There are plenty of fun, age-appropriate sites for kids that age -- Pottermore comes to mind... my kids both signed up for accounts there and spend time doing the things tweens like to do, i.e. dueling their friends and socking away Galleons in their Gringotts bank accounts. If they spend a hour on Pottermore, then they know they have to go outside and shoot hoops for an hour. I am a little shocked, actually, that FB thinks tweens are a shoe-in market, since usually that demographic wants NOTHING to do with what their parents do... has FB really cracked the generation gap??
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    While I don't condone kids spending all their time on the internet, interacting with their friends through IM, I do understand the need for Facebook to create a space for kids under 13. Kids *are* using it anyway, so it only stands to reason (in my opinion) that FB do the responsible thing and police them. My step-sons both have accounts on FB. The oldest is now 13, so he's legitimate, but the youngest is 11 and he wanted one because his brother had one. He also so he could keep in touch with us (he's in Kansas, we're in NJ), so his step-father set up the account and monitors it. I would be a lot happier with him being in a policed-by-moderators environment so I didn't have to rely on his step-dad to do it. I think that there's an upside to the possible changes to FB, as long as it can be properly implemented and policed. I'm just an optimist, what can I say? And yes, I also believe that FB has possibly put a little crack in the generation gap.
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    The biggest question for me is how will the children under 13 who desire to have a facebook account react when they learn that to do it, the account must be connected to their parents account? At some point every child does something that they do not want their parents to know about..... would that be a deterrent? Would they continue to lie about their ages and use the other tips and tricks to fool the system? Back when I was 14-15 I had a "LiveJournal" account, that I willingly gave my mother access too. I had nothing to hide. But I lost several friends who felt betrayed that my mom was able to then see their posts through my account. I trusted my mom, but my friends didn't. Its a tricky web of social norms, relationships and technology.
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    I think this an inevitable situation because it's so easy to circumvent the system by just modifying the birth year. Facebook is probably just trying to protect themselves from future legal actions by letting the parents be responsible for accounts of their kids. I still don't like this but let's face the reality, Internet is so big and difficult to be policed.
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    Amanda, I think most young teenagers have accounts in online communities that they're not supposed to be on until they're a little older (those little boxes asking you whether you're over a certain age are pretty much ignored completely). I don't like the idea of young teenagers being on Facebook but my reason is more along the same lines as the first complaints about Facebook expanding: Facebook was awesome because it was a way for those in college to meet, look at each other's pictures and bios, and organize parties. Of course, it's turned into something much bigger but I'm still selfish about it: it's like I'm on vacation and I don't want to have to deal with the loud little kids jumping in the pool.
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    Just off the top of my head, I would say that 1st grade is definitely too young for a Facebook page. This article reminds me of one I read not too long ago about a mother who punished her daughter for posting pictures of herself pretending to drink by making her post new pictures of herself holding a sign warning against such behavior. The punishment photos went viral and served to teach the daughter a valuable lesson about putting compromising information on the internet.
jcinthelibrary

Downloadable Gun Parts, Personalized Bioterror: the Downside of Innovation | PBS NewsHo... - 2 views

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    This was the second part of a series looking at how technological innovations are changing humanity. The first part was devoted to how amazing things were being achieved. This part, which can be viewed or read as a transcript, shows the bad things that can happen. For example, many pacemakers are connected to the Internet and can therefore be manipulated by hackers.
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    I'm honestly interested in why you highlighted the second program, the one about negative aspects of technology rather than the first?
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    I'd like to say there was this huge insightful reason but it was mainly because I found this part of the program to be more interesting to read. I looked for a way to post both programs together but, since I could only pick one, I went with the one talking about internet trolls going around trying to give people seizures and unplugging people's pacemakers through their computers. Anyway, there already seemed to be a few articles and resources posted here about the positives of medical technologies.
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    Thanks for that! It just struck me as I was looking at them that people seem to look at the downside of technological change - but I suppose that's explained by the old newspaper slogan, "if it bleeds, it leads". aa
Karen Carter

First Monday - 6 views

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    Open access journal devoted to entire scope of matters related to the Internet. A quick look shows articles on privacy, inclusion, data collection, open source, censorship and many other topics that could be considered part of social informatics research.
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    This is a fantastic journal. I use it a LOT and so do students when they are doing research for their projects.
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    I love this journal, Karen, and have used it a lot in past research projects. Thanks for putting it back in my brain waves!
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    First Monday is such a great blog!! It has been a great asset to me in several classes in the past, I'm glad someone brought it up here!
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    It's actually not a blog -- it's an online (legit) journal. It's a place you all should really check out as you pursue your final projects.
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    I have always been ify about open access journals because sometimes they are not refereed very well... or at all. Also, many open access journals have contributors to books and articles pay a fee for having their articles hosted online--of course they have to make their money somewhere but often it is hard for scientists/professors to take that money out of their budget depending on the cost. (could also be my publishing bias). That being said, First Monday seems to have a fairly thorough peer review process according to its policies, so I will definitely check it out.
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    I'm near the end of my degree and nearly all of my profs have included readings from the First Monday site. This is definitely a source I'll be scouring for final project ideas!
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    It's one of the best journals out in the open access world. I actually don't know much about this "business model" but it would be great if more journals would use it.
Ronald Jay Gervacio

Is texting ruining the art of conversation? - 8 views

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    An example of the negative impact that technology can cause. Personal face-to-face conversation is becoming less meaningful because of texting.
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    Great article! I have a younger sister who is 15 and I constantly worry about her possible future inability to carry ftf conversations, conduct herself professionally in job interviews and in the classroom. I find we never talk via the phone but always via text. However, when you spend most of a workday on the phone or on conference calls, sometimes text provides an alternate way to communicate quickly with others.
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    I think texting is a valuable form of communication under certain circumstances, however, like you said, it should only serve as "an alternate way to communicate quickly with others". It shouldn't be the other way around!
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    Perhaps it's not so bad anymore, but I have friend who's an associate professor that teaches writing classes. And in the past five years, he's had to grade papers where the student's literally used texting jargon/leet speak in their writing.
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    This is something that I've been wondering about since texting became so ubiquitous. At first it was a novelty, then something to do for a quick conversation, and now it's moved into full dialogues between people. I, too, wonder about the future generations and the impact this can have on their grasp of grammar. This is the same problem that I have with more and more people moving to telecommuting (even though I do it myself). When is it just TOO much?
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    I worked on a university IT helpdesk for years, and we used to get emails written in text-speak, but then teachers cottoned on to the fact they needed to teach "how to write an email", rather than "how to write a busines letter", and I haven't seen a text-speak email for years. In fact, those that do text me in text speak tend to be older now, as they have not grasped predictive texting!
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    @Anton I think that's a great point, I think now more than ever "how to write an email" seems to be an art form and one people know very little about. It seems like such a stupid and easy thing but I see more than my fair share of awful emails and lack of email etiquette. While I'm not downplaying the importance of writing a great critical paper, essay, letter, etc. I think how to write in new media would be something worth spending some time on with students.
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    @Samantha I agree with your ideas on email etiquette! I've seen many an email message blasting someone in rude and nasty ways that you would never use in person. It's too easy to reply via email or on social media sites in the heat of the moment and forget all courtesy - the online community is too removed from the personal so it doesn't feel real so there won't be real consequences for such harsh words.
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    It seems that texting allows for more shallow conversations; speaking in person or on the phone would definitely be a more meaningful conversation. I think texting has its place, but it should not be a substitute for good communication with others.
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    I think you all brought up a good point! Overall, whether we communicate via texting, email, face-to-face, snail mail (does anyone still do this? lol) etc. we need to acknowledge that each of them has its advantages and disadvantages. It's our responsibility as users on how we can utilize them ethically and not be dragged by social mishaps.
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    @RJ, I agree with what you've said. Texting has its place, and its purpose; it's really its own fascinating type of language, in a way. It's not analogous to business or conversational English (or insert your language here, as I'm sure this is done all over the world!), and shouldn't replace those modes of communicating, but it does have its proper time and place. It's up to schools to teach students how to communicate effectively in writing, according to what's required in higher education and the workplace. Language is constantly evolving, adding some elements and dropping others. Some words, phrases, and grammatical structures grow obsolete over time, and others emerge to take their place. English, in particular, is known for absorbing other languages' words with ease and adding them to the lexicon. I once read a sci fi novel set hundreds of years in the future in which the characters were purportedly speaking English, as the main character (who was from hundreds of years in the past) recognized it, but it sounded as foreign to him as Middle English would to a modern day speaker. Maybe standard English will always have its place as the preferred and proper mode of communication...or maybe we'll end up with something else entirely, as the digital era marches on!
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    @Meaghan: ooh, them's fighting words! I like to wind stauch grammerians up with the phrase, "Oh, standardised spelling is a Victorian affectation". People even changed the way they spelled their names from time to time. I love the way language evolves. Or at least I did, until young people started spoiling it all, by changing it again after my generation got it right! aa
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    @Anton: LOL! I agree. but find myself in that texting mess. I remember a few years ago, Meghan, that there was a huge backlash against ebonics. Similar to the texting situation now, but culturally different. It is amazing how language, through media, has just exploded with new concepts. When we talk about digital divide, perhaps we should talk about language. I mean, if I told my father to "google" something he'd think I was crazy. We have words now that simply mean things that certain people "get" while other don't. Not sure what that means.
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    @Anton, sometimes I want to eat my phone because of it's predictive texting feature. It'll incorrectly "predict" the word while I'm still typing, and by the time I press "enter" it's already got it lined up to be inputted instead.
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    @Jennifer - check out www.damnyouautocorrect.com
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    I think it is really interesting how we have managed to turn typos and autocorrect changes into a silly pasttime and part of our everyday vernacular. Similar to how we have now managed to turn "Google" into a verb! Sites like DamnYouAutoCorrect allow people to bond and relate over technological glitches and commiserating over embarassing text mishaps.
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    These are great points here...I sometimes think that more attention needs to be paid to email (and texting) etiquette than even in person. When you've made a verbal misstep, perhaps offended or confused someone, in person, you can see their body language and offer an immediate response to right the situation. Online communications are more of a landmine because you don't know how someone is reading and interpreting something, and you have to wait for more information to proceed (and there could be any number of unknown factors that influence the receipt of that new information...dead phone or wi-fi down, anyone?). If I had a nickel for every friend of mine who has called me to help them figure out what a text or email might mean or how (or if) they should respond to one thing or another, I'd be a rich girl. I spend so much time unpacking the drama that unfolds in an online communication, I feel as if I'm getting a professional credential. Hmm.....
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    My question for Karen is would people approach a guy to ask how to respond to a text, or is this just part of women's conversation with each other? Jane Austen style stuff. I have said to younger people how lucky they are, whe I wanted to ask a girl out on a date when I was 15, I had to ring her up, or (shudder) ask in person. Now all you have to do is text. The responses I've had have been really interesting about the etiquette of getting the girl's number, then the dialogue that goes on behind the scenes once the invitation is made (as the response does not have to be immediate). It all sounds even more traumatic. I'm also told that ringing someone with a voice call is now regarded as quite rude here, if you don't text first to ask if someone is available. aa
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    Ha, good point Angelo, I don't know if it is the same for men (though as I think of it, I have had male friends ask me the same questions, but perhaps they don't ask each other), but you're right that texting has somehow become the way to court. As you may be able to tell by my use of the word "court", I'm not really of the younger set, so it seems even crazier to me that in my world somehow this has become the norm. It always seems like an awful lot more work than just using the phone. That's amazing that placing a call would be thought of as rude now...I can't even wrap my head around it all sometimes.
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    Even more than the phone call being rude, I heard a teen telling someone about a job interview they had where they were astounded how the interviewer was asking them questions and looking them in the eye! Would she rather they texted her the questions? Maybe, but I find it hard to believe that no one else in her life looks her in the eye.
Amanda Bailey

Computers Grade Essays Fast ... But Not Always Well : NPR - 1 views

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    Really interesting NPR piece on computer software that grades homework/essays for students. Do students "miss out" by having their work graded by a computer instead of a person? How will these types of programs impact the future of education? Can we/should we/are we replacing teachers with computers? Pennsylvania currently offers an online public schooling option, is this a move in that direction?
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    Interesting article. My stand on this has always been that some people need an online option. For instance, more than a few of my kids' acquaintances are professional track dancers. This requires huge time commitments in Manhattan, daily. In fact, dance becomes first. Most parents want their kids to finish school so they purchase seats in for profit online programs. Why should these parents who already pay taxes to support school systems not have equitable access to education? This would/could also change the nature/scope of the homeschool dilemma. My point is, not all kids need to be boxed in a room in a building all day to learn. some need that kind of structure while others do things that can't be accommodated y a 9-5 schedule.
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    I agree entirely. Both of my siblings attended vo-tech high schools, which operated on a rotational schedule with "traditional" schooling for 3 weeks and then a shop/trade for 3 weeks. For them, they needed an option that was not a traditional classroom but gave them an outlet and focus, keeping busy with their hands as well as their minds. I think the online schooling programs in PA are a similar option, providing flexibility and opportunity to students at different levels or in different situations.
Kerianne Cassidy

For Children, a Social Network With Training Wheels - 2 views

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    A social networking site for kids under 10 developed by a concerned parent.
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    Interesting -- I wasn't too keen on the business model, but it doesn't seem to matter because it appears the site is no longer in service. When you go to its homepage it redirects you to other "family-friendly" sites like Club Penguin and Disney social networks. So goes life on the wild, wooly web... :)
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    This is a very interesting idea.. At first I thought that maybe the idea of preselected phrases were a bit much, but then I really thought about the goal of teaching children how to be social in an accountable way. My nephew wanted a facebook page when he was 7, and was on my sisters site all the time. It's natural for children to want to be a part of what is happening socially around them, because as a species we are social; it's not practical to expect children not to partake in these activities.
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