Social Media For Dummies

I know people who spend up to 8 hours per day on facebook. Actually, I know people who have applications on their cell phones that enable them to check out any of their "social" (Sorry, Dr. Agne.. I hope you do not read this blog.) outlets that they use. Also, I know people who typically do not even call or text anymore. They choose to write on walls, send messages, poke, comment, etc. to find out what they need to know. Is it almost as quick as calling these days? Wow, what an interesting thing to think about. I should add that I, Jon-Marc Larson, am one of these people. Am I addicted? Can you call it an addiction when everyone seems overwhelmed? I do not know the answers to these questions. All I know is that social media is taking over. Does that scare you?

Using the Web (I checked my JRNL 1100 book for capitalization rule) to create networks of people that communicate has become so easily accessible due to the overall increase in Internet usage. Additionally, businesses and other organizations have noticed the trend and have began using social media to benefit their interests. Here is a blog that discusses such activity. I know that I personally get friend invitations from businesses who want me to follow. Other social media outlets such as blogs, like this one, allow people to easily obtain information consistently that they are interested in. Check out this pic of all different social media networks.

I think that in the future social media is going to expand to the young and old crowd. Certain outlets could be safely made that would allow children to utilize social media for educational purposes that could unite students globally and fairly easily. For the older demographic, why not use social media to connect with old friends. These ways need to be explored to a greater extent to see what would happen. Okay, so I am sure this video is going to be on many blogs. I think it is worth seeing so check it out.

You have to check out this link that talks about HOW IMPORTANT SOCIAL MEDIA IS TO BUSINESSES. For anyone out their who may or potentially could be a business owner should know how to use social media. Anyways, happy end of February and beginning of March. Everyone remember to comment on something, either this blog or something else. Just comment!

RSS- Really Simple Syndication

Hello again! When I first heard of RSS, Really Simple Syndication, I was unaware of the things it allowed for you to do. If you look at what what the acronym means it will breakdown exactly what RSS is. It is a really simple way to syndicate different media. Basically, you can have all your blogs, news feeds, etc. in one location. In order to be able to read an RSS feed you must successfully install an RSS reader. Once you find a reader you just have to find the right websites to follow and add them to your feed.
What I like about RSS is that it allows me to retrieve information from websites I enjoy really quickly. I choose to use Google Reader which is an application we have learned about extensively in class. I am new to using RSS so I will have to work to understand it better. I guess that is one of the purposes of this class.
In case you were wondering a quick and easy way to blog then here is a video from YouTube.
Also, I was thinking that another way to remember syndication was to think about television. Think about the television application of the word syndication and it will help you better understand it. Earlier I discussed how I used Google Reader. Well, click on the highlighted text and it will take you right where you want to be.
In the professional world blogs can be used for all different types of work. Journalists can use it to find valuable source information. Educators can use it to stay up to date on different ways to educate young people. Basically, the point is that RSS can be used for more than recreational use. Professionals of all types can use RSS to make their job easier and more efficient.
Just in case you want to learn more here is a website that will help you.

Want to know about blogging? Read this...

Okay so let's just say I am new to the whole blogging experience. I thought blogging was for people who had way too much time on their hands. I always told myself blogging was, in a way, stupid. That was before I took this class and really thought about the practical application possibilities that exist through blogging. I now understand that blogging is an effective public relations tool that can be effective if enough readers find out about the blog. I have eaten my words. Blogging is not dumb and pointless. It is an effective journalism and public relations tool. Plus, it can be fun!
As we all know, some people have become blogging professionals. Companies are hiring people just to deal with blogs. Writing and monitoring blogs has become an effective job for people recently. In fact some of you reading this blog could one day be solely responsible for a Fortune 500 company''s blog. So read with caution and conviction. Let's' take Coca-Cola for example. Numerous blogs exist that discuss soft drinks and their likability versus people who do not like them. Coca-Cola then hires people to monitor these blogs in order to ensure they have an idea about public opinion concerning their product.
Another effective tool of blogging is the reporter aspect of it. Blogging has become a way for individuals to quickly announce or report on a topic. Just as easily as I am typing about blogging someone could be typing about a huge car crash that happened in Los Angeles that is holding up traffic. If I were a subscriber to that blog then I would possibly attain my information via that source. Basically, the important thing to remember about blogs is that they are easily modifiable. What I mean by this is that blogs can be written on any subject, quickly edited to the style the author likes and then published on the internet for the entire world to see if they want. Websites like blogger.com have allowed for easier access to blogging. These websites provide a FREE forum for people to use to blog. Also, these sites allow for people to pay for greater access and more control. This is an easy way for the websites to generate more revenue. A couple negatives can come out of using blogs for journalistic purposes. Lack of professionalism and possibility for unverified information become prevalent in blog reporting.
A couple blogs I enjoy are: http://espn.go.com/blog/sec and www.trackemtigers.com