Social Media Presentations

I think my fellow classmates all did a great job on their social media presentations for our Emerging Technologies class a couple of weeks ago.  Here are my thoughts on the different social media websites that were presented:

LinkedIn:  I thought that this website would be a great professional tool to look for job opportunities and to get a professional profile to businesses seeking new employees.

Instagram:  I think that Instagram is a very successful social media app, but I believe it's more focused on younger clientele.  However, it makes sharing photos easier for mobile devices.

Patients Like Me:  Before the presentations, I had never heard of Patients Like Me, but I think that it would be a great tool for people who are going through medical issues or family members of those who have them.  From the description in class, it seems like they ask for a lot of personal information, but it makes sense that the information is for research purposes dealing with the medical issues you claim to have.

Google+:  Before the presentation, I wasn't sure whether I liked Google+, and after, I can say that I probably won't make an account.  I understand the purpose behind the account, but I don't like the way that Google stores personal information of the users.  It's also been said that the controls are difficult to set up, which I agree is a common aspect of Google's other online sites as well.

SlideShare:  I think that SlideShare could be a useful tool for teachers who want a place to store their PowerPoint presentations, or those who create presentations for business affairs.  However, I don't think that it would benefit the average student who only makes about 1 to 3 PowerPoints per semester (unless they're in CIT). 

Twitter:  I like the fact that you can follow the accounts of different celebrities/businesses, but I don't see the purpose in Tweeting about every single activity that you do in a day.  I had a Twitter account for a day, and decided to deactivate it the next day for that reason.  I also think that it is geared towards younger people, and I found that it is a place where most kids go to "rebel" against their parents and other adults because they think that they will not be able to see it. 

Facebook:  I think that Facebook is one of the best and most influential social media sites.  During the presentation, I found out that you can also look for job opportunities through the site; that was a feature that I did not know existed on the website, even though I've been on the website for three years. 

MeetUp: This social media site seems useful for large events such as charities, benefits, marathons, church events, etc.  However, I think it's a little too public for "meet ups" in smaller areas, because someone outside the designated group could decide that they want to impose on the group and cause trouble. 

Pinterest:  I think that the presentation accurately depicted everything that Pinterest has to offer.  I'm glad that the presentation did add that the site isn't just for women (though it is geared more towards females).  I think that guys can enjoy different aspects of Pinterest, such as the categories about home improvement, technology and cars/motorcycles, just as I enjoy pinning pins about clothes, Disney, books, etc.

Path's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service

Path's Privacy Policy

When you create a Path account, the social networking app collects the following personal information:  name, profile picture, e-mail address, phone number, (if you choose to display the following) zip code, gender, birthday, etc.  If you have linked your phone's contact list and/or your e-mail contact list, Path collects that information as well.  In addition, Path also collects more identifiable information, such as your GPS coordinates (if you enable the feature), a device identifier, IP address, MAC address, OS system, browser type, your activity on the site, etc.  Path also collects information via cookies that are placed on your device's browser.  Path's purpose in collecting this information is to make your account more personal and to share with your close friends who already know most of this information.  The  information that is shared with third-party companies is considered "aggregated and non-identifiable" information that is used to analyze the site's standings.  Regarding the event of a security breach, Path only says that they take "reasonable measures" to keep their user's information secure, but, "despite our efforts, no security measures are perfect or impenetrable." 

Link to my source (Path's Privacy Policy): https://path.com/privacy

Path's Terms of Service

Path's Terms of Service agreement is fairly simple:  do not post false data about yourself, do not impersonate others, do not provide an offensive/vulgar username, etc.  By posting to Path's service, users agree to allow the app to use the content they provide by means of reproducing, displaying publicly and modifying the posts.  However, users can delete previous posts and deactivate their account if they wish.  In addition, users must promise to not do the following things on Path:  violate a third party's proprietary rights, publish false information, publish someone's personal information, publish obscenities, post advertisements, and harvest usernames. 

Link to my source (Path's Terms):  https://path.com/terms

Chapter 4- #8 on page 166: Delicious VS. Google

After I signed up for an account on Delicious, I searched for "emerging technologies" on both Delicious and Google.  None of the results were the same on either search page.  Google, in my opinion, offered more trustworthy links.  Delicious linked me to sites like YouTube, Mashable, and tumblr.  Google's results were both more reliable and the most current; the most recent article it linked me to was published five hours ago.  However, most of the links that Delicious provided were dated as far back as 2007. 

DELICIOUS

GOOGLE

Using Feed Readers

After using feedreader.com for a week, I've seen that RSS feeds can be handy for relaying information from different locations to one place. I liked the fact that you can organize your feeds into different categories, and that it notifies you of how many items you haven't read yet. However, when I tried to log into my feedreader account this morning, an error occurred, which wouldn't allow any of the feeds to load. Though I like the idea of feed readers, I just think that the website is a little unstable. In addition, a lot of websites no longer support RSS feeds, so it's kind of difficult to find pages to subscribe to. 

Page 123 #2: How Companies Use RSS Feeds

This is the article that I found:  http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/business_technology/how_companies_are_benefiting_from_web_20_mckinsey_global_survey_results

 Although the article above states that companies still use RSS feeds to contact their customers and employees, it suggests that they now use websites like Twitter rather than RSS feeds.  In addition, the article suggests that the more "heavily used" technologies companies are now using include blogs, wikis and podcasts in order to keep up to date with their consumers.  I think that companies are shifting away from RSS feeds due to the new websites that keep coming out.

Emerging Technology Pg. 123 -Feed Reader Assignment

So far, I've had trouble with the Feed Reader gadget on Blogger.  I could not find Google Reader, so I used Blogger's feed reader instead.  I went on several sites, but could not find RSS feeds on many of them, so I settled on the entertainment feed from CNN.  I also attempted to follow the entertainment feed from The Huffington Post, but I could not get the link to work with the Feed Reader gadget.  However, I have found that one benefit of using the feed reader gadget, is that it continually keeps you up-to-date on what's happening on the page you've subscribed too.  Another good thing about the feed reader, is that (from what I could tell by trying to set it up), it breaks different feeds off into their own sectors, so that users won't get the feeds mixed up.  One drawback of the RSS feeds on Blogger, is that the Feed Reader does not list the date or hour of publication for the feed items, so users can't tell how up-to-date their feeds are.  Secondly, if a user is not truly interested in every feed item on the page but likes the page as a whole, the feed could list unwanted items on the blog that the user may disagree with. 

Book Reviews and Ways I Waste my Time on YouTube

Over the past two years, I've been an avid reader. I read classics, YA fiction, anything by Nicholas Sparks, etc. In fact, I feel like I've out-nerded myself recently, since I've read six books since Christmas. Anyway, I'm thinking about doing a few book reviews now and then on some of my favorite books. First, I'll start with Wonder by R.J. Palacio.
Though I wasn't aware that Wonder is technically a children's novel when I first started reading it, I thoroughly enjoyed it, because the plot takes on a deeper meaning than most young adult fiction. The book focuses on a fifth-grade boy named Auggie (August) who was born with a rare facial deformity.  Throughout his fifth-grade year, Auggie struggles to fit in at his new school, as other children continually avoid him due to his condition.  Wonder pulled at my heartstrings time and time again as Auggie faced brutal mistreatment by others, just because of the way he looks.  Palacio also references Star Wars in the novel and countless other media, which I found quite enjoyable.  The book may sound like a tearjerker due to Auggie's mistreatment, but Palacio scatters humor throughout the novel as well.  Call me a child at heart, but Wonder is one of the best books I've ever read, and I recommend it to everyone.