Over Ran With Advertisements

CNN, Mashable, National Geographic, Forbes, and many others have been dubbed distracting websites that are flooded with advertisements that hide the actual content of the sites.

This causes the website to become very busy and discourages the reader to 'find' the actual content of the site to read. Plus these advertisements could cause problems such as constant pop ups on the readers computer.

I feel a little disheartened with this situation and believe that major news sites are only focused on one thing, money. If they really cared about the reader's thirst for news, they wouldn't have so many advertisements trying to seek revenue with every click of the reader.

works cited: www.poynter.org ; www.creativecommons.org

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The Importance of Media Literacy

Social media is a prominent force today. One of every eight minutes is spent on Facebook and thousand of tweets are posted each hour.

With this in mind it is important as a journalist to be on top of it all. It is not enough to just know how to work a computer, but you must be 'media literate.'

Recently a tweet was released by Mashable that stated the wrong number, accidentally changing it from billion to million. This tweet was then passed on by a very prominent journalist, further spreading the false information.

Was this journalist being media illiterate by further spreading false information?

Although the spread of false information was not catastrophic in this case, it was a cause for concern.

Journalists today are expected to keep up with the constant flow of news information, and breaking the news is only half of it.

Todays media world calls for a journalist that is media literate.

Ten years ago being literate meant you could properly read and comprehend what was being read. Today it is different.

In order to be literate today, you need to be able to objectively look at tweets and blog posts and decide what is in fact, reliable. Apply those helpful critical thinking skills that have been developing throughout your life.

If a journalist cannot properly discern what is true and false, reliable or not, then they should be hesitant to inform others of the information.

Not only do journalists need to practice this, but every person should be discerning when getting their news. People need to take caution and understand that any average joe can spread the information.

As the saying goes, don't believe everything you read.

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Digital Resumes on the Rise

People often ask one thing when going to a job interview. Is my resume put together well enough to show who I really am? Today, there are even more options for resumes than the regular typed up paper that's typically turned in by hopeful applicants.

The most recent version of the resume includes graphics of all types. Applicants can personalize their resumes to fit their specific job. One resume on Mashable's site, pictured to the left, is personalized to the restaurant business, and the resume is designed to look like a menu. These types of resumes are called digital resumes.

Digital resumes stand out from the ordinary resume. The bright colors and different layout make the person's eyes wander all over the page reading every detail. It's more interesting to look at than a plain white paper with black text.

These types of resumes also show the employer that the applicant wants the job bad enough that he/she took the time to personalize the resume to fit the job. This can often make an employer choose this more pleasing to the eye digital resume over the ordinary resume. Employers may often think if he/she took this much time to work on their resume imagine how hard he/she will work on the job.

I plan on editing my resume after seeing all these attractive resumes. My resume will not only look the best out of all the other applicants I will be going up against for future jobs, but it will also look pretty cool, and employers will be impressed with my determination to impress them.

Photo Credit: Jason Takeuchi via Mashable

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Social-media trends with a cause

If you've been on Facebook lately, you've probably noticed some of your friends have turned into cartoon characters, by the looks of their profile pictures.

A recent Facebook trend is bringing awareness to child abuse. Facebook users are changing their profile pictures to their favorite childhood cartoons and updating their statuses to:

"Change your FB profile picture to a cartoon from your childhood. The goal? To not see a human face on FB til Monday, Dec. 6. Join the fight against child abuse & copy & paste to your status to invite your friends to do the same"

Many other awareness trends that Facebook has facilitated include breast cancer awareness and self-harm awareness.

I think these are refreshing and important ways in which social-media can and should be used.

Social-media is designed to connect people across the world and I think it's important that these devices are being used for good causes.

Although the help these trends are actually bringing to the problems they outline is unknown, the point is that Facebook and other social-media tools are getting the word out to the masses in the best way they know how.

A trend is designed to help people find out what issues are currently being talked about.

Other trends that social-media promote are trends in discussion. Twitter is especially popular in this respect and even has a "Trends" column that can include worldwide, national or local trends.

These Twitter trends change daily in accordance to what people are talking about most.

This article by Mashable outlines which Twitter trends were most popular for any particular week.

Social-media trends have a much more important purpose than to just give people something to talk about.

Trends inform people about breaking news, connect people across the world on the basis of a single subject and break down the bureaucracy of news coverage by giving everyone a voice on important issues.

Whether trends are bringing public awareness to an important issue or informing people about something new, they are always connecting people in ways that were never thought possible just a few, short years ago.

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Is Groupon Crazy?

Mashable is polling readers. They are asking if readers would have taken the money Google offered Groupon for control of its site if they had been the founders.

According to the poll, Groupon's founders denied the $5.3 billion offer Google made to take over the company.

The article references Graphic.ly COE Micah Baldwin:

"Basically, the motivation for a big exit is not longer motivated by 'how much money can I get;' it is motivated by 'what is my legacy,'" Baldwin said. "That simple shift makes their rejection of Google's $6 billion offer not that surprising."

I agree with Baldwin. Groupon is a great site that has been attracting users and has made good money.

Groupon made a good choice because:

1) it freed itself from potential harm under Google's control;

2) it brought attention to itself when it said no to Google, which might attract more users;

and, 3) I'm sure if the company ever decided to sell, there would still be an offer on the table.

Share your view on the subject by answering Mashable's poll or commenting on my blog.

Also, check out the video below showing how Groupon works. If you're like me, you will get very excited thinking about the deals Groupon may get for you.

Learn How Groupon Works! from The Point on Vimeo.

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How Much Is Facebook Worth?

According to SecondMarket (an online marketplace), Facebook is valued at 40 billion dollars. Currently, Facebook is more valuable than eBay, which sits a a close 39.3 billion dollars. However, an article from Mashable states that while these numbers seem high, they are more expectations than they are real.

Social networks, not just Facebook, are huge right now. Most everyone uses them and whether they admit it or not, on a regular basis. How else does one explain why something in cyber-space would be worth so much?

My question is, how is a social network site worth so much? We don't pay anything to sign up, and really only pay money if we want extras on the games Facebook hosts. Technically in some form, we pay for the Internet, or the computer used to access the Internet.

Honestly, I sometimes wonder how long Facebook will be around for. MySpace was huge for a couple of years, then slowly dwindled away. I can recall when sites like Tagged, Bebo, and Hi5 were popular, but they soon faded away as well. So while Facebook may be the big player for now, whose to say that it will still be around five years from now. The future is uncertain.

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Facebook Taking Over E-Mail?

In an article this week by founder and CEO of Mashable Pete Cashmore, he touches on the rumored upgrades to Facebook's messages feature.

Apparently Facebook is inviting the media to a special Monday event in which speculation is growing about Facebook unveiling its long rumored changes to its message inbox. This has not been confirmed by Facebook as being the topic of the event but it still has many people guessing.

Cashmore goes on in his article to explain his opinion on if these rumored changes were to be unveiled in the near future, how would they affect current e-mail providers?

Basically Cashmore does not feel they would completely overtake the e-mail industry and he provides some interesting insight as to why at his full column on CNN's website here.

Here is my take on this whole theory. As we all know social media has become huge in recent years and it is virtually consuming our everyday lives. I personally use Facebook and Twitter everyday, I admit that. Social media is everywhere and it seems like people can do anything with it.

So wouldn't it be logical to assume that Facebook could turn itself into not only a social media networking site but a top tier e-mail provider as well?

I really don't think that Facebook could overtake the top e-mail providers. Even though Facebook has over 500 million users, I think people would still tend to keep their accounts with Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail, and so on because those are sites strictly setup and geared for e-mail.

Facebook could potentially compete with an enhanced e-mail system due to convenience factors but in reality I do not see them shooting straight to the top of the list. If that were to happen then I think society would seriously have to take a step back and consider how much Facebook impacts their lives.

Granted we sure love our Facebook and the connection it provides for us to our friends and family, but I think there could be a point where there can be too much stuff on Facebook. E-mail should stay a separate entity in my opinion. Facebook is great for staying connected with people and hearing about breaking news but I think that is where the line should be drawn.

If there comes a day when Facebook controls everything in our lives, I may ship myself off to a deserted island. At least that way I wouldn't have to worry about whether I should make myself Facebook's slave or try to maintain some partisanship in my social media and Internet usage.

Photo courtesy of Jay Cameron, Flickr

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Twitter Becomes Class Involvement Tool

According to a study to be published in next week's Journal of Computer Assisted Learning Twitter is being used as means to improve class participation.

In an article by Sarah Kessler on Mashable, it is reported that this experiment conducted by Dr. Reynol Junco at Lock Haven University has seen great results.

According to the study students who were asked to complete assignments and join class discussion via Twitter raised their class involvement twice as much as the control group over a semester long period.

A 19 question survey was used at the start and end of the semester to determine each students involvement, which apparently was a success.

In addition the article points out that students who used Twitter saw a .5 increase in their GPA over the semester.

This to me seems like another point on how social media is taking over our everyday life. Using 140 characters to communicate in class seems crazy to me. I can see that this has advantages to get students of today to participate more in class by using new technology. But in reality isn't this hurting students?

It seems that Twitter and Facebook have done nothing but erase the grammar and punctuation rules that have been instilled in students heads by English teachers all over the world. Students are more apt to use slang terms than actually using proper grammar.

In my opinion this is just a dumbing down of our society. Yes social media is great for many purposes but as far as using it as a way to get students to participate, I think it is a bad idea. The only way it could be good is if students were forced to use proper grammar and punctuation which i think we all know would be tough to do.

I guess we'll just have to see if this idea takes off in more classrooms. I would really hope that it doesn't unless it is overwhelmingly helpful for students. Then it may be ok.

Photo courtesy of Carrot Creative/Flickr

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Newspapers are Saved

According to a recent article on Mashable, the iPad is going to save newspapers. The iPad offers many features that make reading news on the go easy thanks to a large screen, interactive features, and quick downloads. In order to utilize all of this, however, you actually need to own an iPad.

Current figures show that Apple has sold approximately 3.27 million iPads, and the number is expected to increase. And while many people have indicated that they wish to purchase an iPad at some point, not everyone is willing (or have the finances) to fork over $500.

iPads do seem like a good way to enhance more readership in newspapers, simply because this is a device that can easily be carried. While people might be able to look at newspapers on their phones, it is hard to read the tiny text, and scroll back and forth, up and down to get the full story. Some people have laptops, but those can be bulky, and not convenient to carry with at all times. So why would people choose to carry an electronic device instead of just hit up a newspaper stand?

First off, there is the large variety of newspapers that are already online, several of which are free. When you go to a newspaper stand, there are many selections as well, but it isn't practical to buy five different papers when you could simply have five different windows open on an iPad. With the iPad, you can download the newspaper apps, and open them that way.

Secondly, while there are some free newspaper apps, not all of them are free. For the ones that do cost, the price is generally around three bucks, and that is a one-time deal. How nice would it be not to dig the change out from under the couch each morning to buy your daily newspaper? Already the Wall Street Journal has had more than 650,000 downloads, many of those with paid subscribers.

Even though there seem to be many benefits of using the iPad for newspapers, there are also downsides. There is of course the possibility that you set it down somewhere and someone else walks off with it. Just like a computer or phone, you could accidentally dump water on it, leave it in the hot sun, etc. and fry it. And what about when the iPad updates (like so many devices do), are people going to pay each time to get a new one?

I think that utilizing the iPad to read newspapers is a good idea, though it may not be as practical in a few years. Newspapers are not going to make money at it unless they charge consumers to download their apps. I am anxious to see how this pans out in the coming years.

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What Is All the Fuss About???

The ever popular mobile game Foursquare is set to hit 4 million users this week.

According to an article by Jennifer Van Grove, it was reported to online site Mashable that Foursquare will reach its 4 millionth member some time this week. That number has come as a surprise to many since it was only 50 days ago that Foursquare gained 3 million members.

For those who do not know what Foursquare is here's a brief explanation. Foursquare is a mobile social media game in which users check in when they reach a destination listed by Foursquare. Users earn points and badges for where and how many times they check in during a month.

Users can also track where their friends are through foursquare and it links up to other social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Now why has Foursquare seen such a huge rise in usage? Well it appears to this blogger that Foursquare is sort of an interesting social media tool that society can use. However what is really the point of Foursquare.

To me it just seems like another crazy game that can distract people from important events in society. It seems like people would spend more time trying to rack up points at different places when they could be doing something more productive with their day.

Now I have never used Foursquare so in essence I should not judge a book by its cover, but it really seems pointless to me. My honest opinion is that Foursquare holds no true value in society. It may be a good and fun way to track your friends and others but it really seems like a waste of time.

Maybe I am wrong but this just seems like another social media entity that is taking over our society and whether it is for the better or not who knows. In my opinion we would be better off without distracting games like Foursquare.

At some point there has to be too much in regards to the social media options. I think sticking with things such as Facebook and Twitter are good because they can actually provide some newsworthy information. Foursquare and its counterparts do not do any of that. Some of this social media stuff is really just becoming a waste of time.

Photo courtesy of Flickr, Nan Palmero

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Mashable Names Top Travel Apps

Being informed about where you are going should always be important to travelers.

It helps you understand the culture around you, it helps you make sure you don't get lost, and as Mashable blogger Sarah Kessler said in her post "7 Ways Mobile Apps are Enriching Historical Tourism," it helps you distinguish famous historical sites from "just another old house or pile of rubble."

Although there are ample amounts of mobile travel apps, Mashable chose seven that they believe are among the most "innovative and impressive."

Of course, this should be especially important to my fellow college students, who may be preparing for future May Term trips.

Many students will be traveling to England for their May Term trip this year. The Time Travel eXplorer London app not only provides you with over 750 points of interest in London with personal guided commentary, but also gives you the ability "time travel" by switching from antique maps to a present-day map.

Other apps listed also boast cutting-edge technology.

The Walking Cinema: Murder on Beacon Hill app was the first app to be accepted as an entry into the Boston International Film Festival due to its documentary-like feel, and the Chicago Gangland Tour app was created by former Wall Street Journal reporter Jonathan Eig.

Need to save a few dollars? Getting an app for your mobile phone rather than paying for guided tours is a great way to save money. Furthermore, it can save you time and, more importantly, impress your fellow travelers.

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10 Rules for Brands to Folllow on Twitter

Mashable journalist, Jolie O'Dell, recently conducted research on how people think brands should utilize Twitter. O'Dell compiled a list of 10 items in which consumers expect companies to follow.

1. "Don't Be a Showoff" -- Tell users about special deals and make sure the features and benefits are known. To determine whether a tweet is acceptable, ask yourself if you would care to read about it if you didn't work there.

2. "Don't Use Poor Grammar or Spelling" -- It seems obvious, but far too many people misspell words. If this happens and you catch the mistake, I would suggest going back and fixing it. You may also want to delete the incorrect tweet. Don't use abbreviations for words, or at least keep them to a minimum. Avoid using shorthand terms, such as "LOL" and "Thnx," and emoticons, such as the smiley face.

3. "Don't Get Too Personal" -- Don't use your company's Twitter account to tell people about your favorite things or what's going on in your personal life. If you are representing a business or brand, remember to keep it professional.

4. "Don't Auto-Tweet" -- The purpose of Twitter for companies is to be "personally engaging" not entirely promotional. While it may be OK to set up a tweet or two to roll out while you are away, avoid setting up an entire feed. Also, don't automatically direct message new followers as it is considered spam by consumers.

5. "Don't Leave Air in the Conversation" -- If you are having a conversation with someone via @replies, don't wait too long to respond. People expect responses in a timely manner.

6. "Don't Overtweet" -- If you're not using Twitter to engage with consumers, but you're constantly tweeting, people will feel as if you are "shouting" at them.

7. "Do Shout Out to Users Who Mention You" -- If a person tweets something that is favorable toward a product or your company in general, tell them thanks. If it is a negative tweet, be cautious about replying, but never ignore them.

8. "Do Monitor Keywords and Competitors" -- Knowing what people are saying about a competitor helps keep you informed and can also allow you to gain a potential costumer.

9. "Do Make an Informative Profile" -- Use your company or brand logo as your avatar and make the purpose of the account known in the "bio" section.

10. "Do Fish Where the Fish Are" -- Determine if your brand or company needs to be on Twitter. If your general target market is an older demographic, use forms of media that they engage with. However, it may be beneficial to know what is going on on Twitter. If you are trying to tap into a younger market, you may want to consider setting up an account.

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Make YouTube Work for You

We've been hearing it a lot lately. Facebook and Twitter are two social networking sites that can help your business thrive.

But one very important Website is getting lost in hustle and bustle of new sites: YouTube.

Whether you're an individual starting your own private company, or a large corporation, you can make YouTube work for you. After all, it's called YouTube for a reason.

According to Mashable's Amy-Mae Elliott, there are 10 major ways to use YouTube to its fullest extent.

The first tip is all about your YouTube channel. Elliott suggests customizing it with company information, logo and colors. A second tip is to subscribe to similar companies' channels and appropriate content. Make YouTube 'friends' that have similar interests to what your channel will provide.

Next, go the extra mile and provide subtitles. When getting your company name out there, you don't want to exclude any particular person or group. However, tip number four suggests taking action to remove offensive material. If a user is continually posting irrelevant and inappropriate comments on your videos, remove and/or block them from commenting.

If you remove other users' irrelevant and annoying comments, don't post your own as well. Tip number five is a warning against too many annotations. Annotating your video is sometimes helpful, but having too many comments overlapping the video can be overwhelming for the audience.

If you really feel the need to tell your audience more about your videos, use tags. Tags are helpful because if someone is searching for a certain keyword that you tagged your video as, your videos show up in the search results.

Tagging is a great way to promote your videos, but don't forget about your other options. Use Facebook and Twitter to notify followers and friends of your latest video or content.

Tip number 8 encourages organization. Make sure your channel is organized and professional. You don't want visitors to leave because they can't find their way around your content.

Elliott also promotes using YouTube's analytical tools to stay on top of your followers. These tools can help you figure out who is watching your videos, how do they get there and how often do they revisit your channel.

Last but not least, don't let your hard work go to waste. Everybody hits a dry spell. Don't let it affect you and your channel. Keep it up to date, even if you don't have anything new to post. There is always going to be something you can update. So comment users back, post some pictures and accept those friend requests; just don't leave your channel dormant.

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How To: Land a Job in the News Business

Are you tired of filling out applications for jobs and internships again and again without results?

According to Mashable's Jennifer Van Grove, clever applicants have now been applying and landing jobs via social networking sites.

Van Grove's first tip on how to interest potential employers through social media is to take a risk.

"Put yourself out there," she said. Employers will never know you are interested if you don't let them know.

Van Grove's second tip is a little trickier. She suggests tailoring your online application style to meet the needs of the business, according to their networking profile.

If a company is looking to hire an employee responsible for its Twitter updates, Van Grove suggests being creative and sending in an application 'Twitter style.'

Her third tip involves a little luck. Van Grove suggests keeping your eyes open for additional opportunities to come up even directly after others have failed. Sometimes you may not land the job you were hoping for. However, networks met through failed attempts can lead to an even better job.

Van Grove's last tip is on how to be the best candidate for a position. The trick is to really show a company what you can offer. This may mean intensely following potential employers on social network sites to determine their values and needs in an employee.

Then, with your new knowledge about the company, you can tailor your application to appeal to the employer's wants, needs, and even general interests learned from their social profiles.

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Vote for the Super Bowl Ads You Want

Millions of people will watch the Super Bowl this year and while most people watch for the football, some of us (including me) watch solely for the advertisements. Many people can remember some of the commercials better than who actually played in the game, and Budweiser ads always entertain.

This year Budweiser has decided to use the social media website Facebook to its advantage by asking its fans to vote for the ads they want to see.

It's a great marketing scheme in itself, as Brenna Ehrlich describes in her post on Mashable. Before you can vote on what ad you'd like to see, you must first become a fan of Budweiser's Facebook page. The company is counting on you staying a fan after voting, and it can send you important product updates. Your friends may also see that you're a fan of the beer, and then become a fan of it themselves.

These advertisements have always received a lot of hype, and now more so with the help social media.

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The Web of Tomorrow

The way people use the Web is changing. According to Mashable's Co-Editor, Ben Parr, there are four trends emerging in Internet usage:

• The Web will be accessible anywhere


• Web access will not focus on the computer


• The Web will be media-centric


• Social Media will be the largest component of the Web

Thanks to the introduction of wireless connection and smartphones with 3G and 4G networks, people can easily connect to the Internet anywhere. With the advent of smartphones, people can access the Internet from their phones. People are shifting from using that clunky box that sits on their desks to portable hand-held devices with a three-inch screen. In a column on CNN, analysts found that most people are using laptops, but there is an emerging trend in using smartphones. Parr predicts by the end of this decade, computers will only be a small portion of how people access the Internet. The way people interact with the Web will change as well. Parr says our dependence on sites such as YouTube and Hulu will increase rapidly. Voice-to-text technology will replace the keyboard and touchscreens will replace the mouse. Social media plays a major role in the way we access the Internet. In a study conducted by Nielsen, social media usage has increased by 82 percent in the last year. One of the main reasons people get online is for the social interactions provided by social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Parr says the number one reason we will use the Internet is to connect with friends.

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