Tweet, Tweet! Who's there?

Twitter... Honestly, before studying it in class I thought it was pointless. I tired to get involved before but could never establish why exactly I needed this outlet. I kept thinking, all I have is 140 characters to describe my situation... what's the point? Well, after last week's discussion in class and my research into Twitter, I have determined that Twitter (microblogging) can be benficial to individuals and companies.
First, individuals can benefit from Twitter in that it allows them to keep up with people of their interest. Additionally, people can quickly read news articles and other bits of information quickly. For me, Twitter has become a way to follow certain athletes of my interest to hear their personal perspectives of how things are going with their season. Also, Twitter has allowed me to follow a cousin of mine who recently got back from a European vacation. I was able to go back and look at photos and read accounts of her time in each location. The possibilities are seemingly boundless for personal use of microblogging sites like Twitter.com
For businesses and other organizations, Twitter serves as a trendous avenue to relay needed information to desire publics. Businesses can place any type of link to information they would like that automatically is relayed to those who "follow". It goes without saying that this is a tremendous marketing and public relations tool.

Here is a video that should explain Twitter in plain english......




Also, here is an article that explains 10 ways Twitter will change businesses forever.

YouTubeing it!

Okay, so I think everyone at this point in their life knows what YouTube is. The simple fact that you are online right now reading a blog about social media should indicate your knowledge of the existence of Youtube. Well, in case you have been under a rock for the past few years, here is a brief description. YouTube is a website that allows for user generated video content to be uploaded free of charge for the whole world to see. Additionally, channels can be created that centralize the content for specific audiences looking for content on certain subjects.
My favorite use of YouTube, other than the how-to-videos, is the old sports footage that is there. I am able to get online and watch old games and highlights of my favorite teams free of charge. This has created many issues with copyright infringement over the past couple years. In fact, some television organizations have totally banned any of their footage from being uploaded. I recall about a year ago when I went online to watch some videos and some of the ones I had watched before had been removed.
A section of YouTube that I think it less publicized or marketed than others is the community aspect of YouTube. People have started video blogging and responding to video blogs in a widespread fashion. In fact, I watched a YouTube video the other day that had 21,000 responses to one video blog. Statistics like this help emphasize the cultural impact of YouTube. Being able to see and hear complete strangers has opened avenues of friendship for people that may have struggled for such in other forums. Additionally, communities created on YouTube can look to channels, as I said earlier, to centralize the type of information they want to hear.
I know that a major problem facing Youtube is the pornography industry. I recently read a newspaper article that told the story of an underage girl who was molested by a 30 year old male who watched her "sexy" videos on YouTube. Yes, YouTube does make you establish your age; however, that can easily be bypassed by simply lieing. Also, YouTube does a fairly good job of monitoring the site but due to the immense amount of videos on the site it makes it difficult to govern.
Basically, YouTube has taken over the world of "stream". Celebrities, politicians, average Joe's and even Jon-Marc Larson use YouTube as a means of entertainment, education and sociability. So, all i have left to say is BROADCAST YOURSELF!!!!

I know this is cheesy, but here is a video on YouTube about YouTube........


HERE is a link to YouTube's official channel!!!

Forums are_____________________!

As we learned last week, forums are websites designed to promote online discussion. Forums started like bulletin boards but technological advances have made them even better and offer more features than they did in their infancy. Most forums require registration and have people who serve as webmasters that maintain the site. Forums are not limited to certain topics. In fact, my research shows that almost every topic imaginable has a forum where people who are interested in the topic can go and discuss anything about that topic they wish to. A virtual community is created and people feel part of something bigger than themselves. According to my roommate, he finds out about video game codes via internet forums and that online gaming relationships have developed for him simply be using forums. I am not involved in this type of activity but it is interesting to see how forums can create relationships between people even though they have probably never met face to face.


Typically users have to download certain software packages such as Perl, Java or PHP. Some of these packages are free but offer fewer features than their pay-for-use counterparts. These allow users to add video, color text and other things to make their posts more appealing or more detailed. Certain rules exist in forums. As I said earlier, the person or group of people who run forums are those in charge. They form moderator groups that set and enforce rules. This prevents people from abusing their privilege to post. If people act out of line they can be voted "off the island". Sometimes people try to sabotage forums by adding a binch of hate text that includes bad language or racy photography. This would most likely result in being kicked off the forum.
The following video shows the possibilities of forums and how they are global.

Basically, what I want people to know about forums is that they are a good way to involve yourselves in a subject that may have a limited audience. You should check out forums and see if something is out there you want to be a part of. Here is a list of a few forums that I have began to read and post on.
Sports Forum
SEC FOOTBALL WOOOOOO!!!! WAR EAGLE!!!
COLLEGE
I can honestly say that this class at Auburn University has opened my eyes to other avenues of social media. I now am obviously blogging and joining forums. This is awesome! I feel like I have finally caught up with the rest of society.