From Gaming Friends to Facebook Friends

I am not a big video game kind of person (and when I say that I'm not "big" I mean the only videos games I've ever played are Tetris or Dr. Mario), but when I saw an article about a new video game is going to use Facebook friends in the game it caught my attention. The article said that 'Uncharted 3' will put your Facebook friends in the game and the concept behind it is that gamers connect with each other and then sometimes make connections with one another and the gaming company is working to get Facebook friends that play involved with each other. 

I have friends that play video games non-stop and they all have their headsets and talk to others playing at the same time through them. I think that the gaming company including Facebook in this process is only going to further progress the conversation, which is the goal of the company. The thing I'm not sure about and wouldn't want to assert is that gamers are going to like that Facebook is going to be on their game- anyone out there with feedback?

Once again, social networking is spreading everywhere! This article primarily interested me because it shows how limitless social networking is and how it fits into and compliments various forums. Social networking is enhancing experiences and building communities left and right. In reference to the video game the company is hoping to further intensify the gaming community by bringing Facebook into the arena.

Nasty Turns in Teaching

Everyone is aware of the crisis that teachers are facing with extreme budget cuts and early today I came across an article that just made me feel so disappointed in what is happening in schools and most importantly the effect that it is having on the minds and spirits of kids out there.

A first grade teacher in New Jersey was put on administrative leave for allegedly putting a status on Facebook calling her students "Future Criminals" and comparing herself to a prison warden. This particular teacher wasn't originally a teacher and was placed there in order to keep her job showing how inefficient the education children are getting is with the budget cuts and job losses that are occurring.

 The key point to this article lies within the fact that Facebook got this woman in trouble. We have all heard how employers look at our social networking sites to check up on what we're doing but what about just the general public getting involved?

Parents were the ones that reported and complained about the teacher's postings, and this just goes to show how sensitive the information that we put on Facebook is. What we put out there about ourselves is not as private as we might think. At the beginning of the semester @corinnew did basic Google searches on everyone in the class and we were all shocked to see how much information she found. 

Privacy is a big part of this, but we also need to be cautious of what we post/comment. If you're putting things on your social networking site that you would hesitate to tell your employer, or in the teachers case her students' parents, I would recommend not posting it.

Pope on Facebook?

The rumors have been confirmed that the deceased Pope John Paul II is joining Facebook. A little odd that a deceased Pope is joining a social networking site? Indeed, but the Vatican is making the Facebook because they have realized that Facebook and social networking isn't necessarily just about sharing information but that it also focuses on building a community. The Vatican hopes to build a community with this Facebook and will also be coming out with a Vatican news portal that will be unveiled around Easter.

I thought that this is a prime example of how networking has changed so dramatically. The Vatican, to me at least, is a very formal and old-fashioned institution and yet they are still aware of how important building their community Online is. Social networking sites have made it possible for institutions, companies, and just people in general to establish and build communities in a whole new way. These sites extend the possibilities and potential for communities because they make communication so easy and readily available.

The Pope joining Facebook may seem strange but you have to admit that the Vatican has the right idea in mind!