How Types of Social Media are Aiding Homeland Security

According to a post on PCWorld by Ian Paul the Department of Homeland Security is doing away with it's current color-oriented terror alert system and taking up with social networking site to alert the public about threat levels. As the article mentions this can take place as soon as April 27th. Basically what this would entail is two levels of threat- elevated and imminent that would be distributed through posts on Facebook or Twitter. The point of this change is to ensure that the public is informed when threats appear. Ever since September 11 I think everyone can agree that the level of paranoia amongst the American people has spiked considerably and this change makes it more convenient and accessible for all people to be aware of any potential threats to the United States. Secretary Napolitano stated that the old way of alerting the public with colors would be dismissed and "In its place, we will implement a new system that's built on a clear and simple premise: When a threat develops that could impact you -- the public -- we will tell you."

Now if it wasn't clear enough even the government is jumping on to the social networking bandwagon. There is such a growing presence of people Online that it only makes sense that distributors of crucial information would be moving their main efforts to the Internet. I think the goal of the Department of Homeland Security has always been to reach the people to whom the alerts concern and the fact that they are throwing out an old system and coming up with a more interactive one shows their commitment to keeping the public informed. This new system will give them new capabilities in getting warning alerts across and I think will ultimately aid the way that they are viewed in the American peoples minds.

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.

Need Help Getting Noticed?

Week 11 readings were chapters 6-12 of Engage by Brian Solis. The chapters all discuss different variants of social media and how it is effectively used for instance with micro-blogs or syndicating a network. The chapter that I would really like to focus on for this particular blog post is chapter 9 and social media optimization to be more precise.

Social media optimization (SMO) is something that hits home. As an individual not necessarily new to social media but new to the blogging world SMO is something that is proving to a new challenge. In class we have discussed the concept of search engine optimization and Solis explains SMO in terms of it being "The New SEO". Solis refers to social media optimization as "the deliberate acts of aligning keywords with social objects to improve the association of your content with the individuals performing the search within a specific social network as well as traditional searches and also real-time/social search engines". In more laymen terms I would characterize SMO as basically working in tags, keywords, titles, etc  strategically so that your blog/webpage shows up high in search results.

The way that you describe, title, tag, link, and provide the content of your blog or webpage is crucial in getting noticed. I think if you want to master SMO you need to view as a strategy through and through. You need to constantly be keeping up with cleverly arranging your content so that it works to your advantage and I for one will be doing my best to actively work my blog so that I come up on searches. 

Checking-In Made Easier

If you're Facebook active checking in for your flight has just gotten a lot more convenient! Delta Airlines has added a Check-In  feature on their Facebook page. I for one was happy when I heard this news but also a little bummed because I tend to fly cheaper alternatives such as Southwest Airlines.

Talking from my own experience, with Southwest at least, check in is always an added stress to the already stressful act of flying. On many occasions I have stayed up until midnight just waiting for the check in service to open on the airline website so that I wouldn't have to board last. Although this sounds trivial I know I can't be the only one that puts a lot of weight on the check in process. I figure it is only a matter of time until all the other major airlines start hopping on the Facebook bandwagon when it comes to checking-in.

Delta had the right idea by making the check-in process that much more convenient and soon enough other airlines aren't going to be able to afford not doing the same thing. I for one went on to Delta's website after I read the article to see if I could handle the prices for the mere satisfaction of checking in on Facebook (unfortunately I think I'm going to stick with my original plans for my next trip, but that's not until December so who knows Southwest might have these capabilities too).

I think that it is great that major companies are adapting and realizing how effective their services can  be in regards to social networking. It is definitely a big transition but I think one in the right direction since patterns seem to be leaning towards the advancement of social networking and media

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!

Let's Engage

This past week in class we started a new book! The book is Engage by Brian Solis. The first two chapters look into how companies must "Engage or Die" and how large the numbers of users there are Online. The concept behind the first two chapter lies with the idea that the number of users Online is not only huge but it is also growing, so if your company is not engaging and using the Internet as a viable source it is going to get left behind.

In reference to my parents company, Allied Advertising, once again I can see how their lack of involvement and engagement is slowly but surely hurting them. I recently offered to set them up Online and my dad expressed how he feels the necessity of such action. My parents I wouldn't say are exactly tech-savvy and so it says something that even they are aware of how important it is to engage Online.

Times are changing and the world is focusing their attentions to social media and networking even in terms of business. Recently, I have noticed people making Twitter handles for the purpose of finding a job as well as handles used to help people make Online resumes to find jobs. The Online resume is one that is in my opinion at least going to become essential in the near future. It is really becoming a matter of "Engage or Die" because everything is revolving in the Online arena.

Engaging and Support Yourself

Chapters 7  and 8 of Groundswell discussed how to energize and help the Groundswell support itself. Both of these chapters went into examples of how the people using your product can energize your product through the Groundswell for you and in addition how simply setting up networks for people to communicate in can establish ways for for the Groundswell to support itself.

Let's first look into energizing the Groundswell. The example the chapter gave an example of how a customer of eBags who would talk endlessly about how great the product is to anyone who was willing to listen. In this case, energizing the Groundswell is representative of people talking about the products and through this the companies do not have to spend any money to get their message across.

As for the helping the Groundswell to support itself, the chapter set up an example of how hospitals have Care Pages which allow for patients to communicate with their loved ones and get support without having to be overwhelmed by constant phone calls or visits. By setting up pages or forums for people to communicate with each other allows for the Groundswell to take off.

In my opinion many companies are helping the Groundswell by setting up User Reviews on their websites. I know I for one am always looking at the reviews for clothes and other items before purchasing and these reviews sort of set up a little community of people looking for good quality products. I have a tendency to Online shop and these reviews really get me to interact with others about certain products that I'm looking to purchase. Granted, this is n't necessarily the best example but I think it gives a basic outlook on how companies are helping the Groundswell to support itself.