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Posts with tag social-networking

Facebook Group Honors Kind-Hearted, Disciplinarian Dad

by Lee Bains, posted Dec 5th 2008 at 8:36AM




Facebook users have started an online group in honor of Australian father Sam Burt, whose lovingly disciplinarian parenting approach has won him accolades from Australian parents, Reuters reports.

Last week, the Australian press told the story of Sam Burt and his five-year-old son. When the boy got in trouble for beaning his bus driver with an apple core some time ago, his daddy took immediate, old-school action and informed his son that, if he couldn't ride the bus like a civilized person, he wasn't going to ride the bus at all.

Ever since, every day, Burt and the boy have arisen with the sun to together walk the eight miles to school. After the news got out, fellow Australian parent Renee Elliott set up the Facebook group, whose membership is actively increasing. In the hour following Reuters' reporting the story, 72 new members had joined the group.

We're glad to know that, while some folks blame Facebook instead of poor parenting, there are some out there who use Facebook to celebrate good parenting. [From: Reuters]

Technology Used for Evil (and Good) in Mumbai Attacks

by Lee Bains, posted Dec 3rd 2008 at 11:32AM


The tragic events that took place in Mumbai last week have catalyzed widespread discussions concerning consumer technology and its evolving role on the world stage.

Far from a militarily equipped force, the terrorist group that struck Mumbai last week coordinated the attacks with devices readily available to the public, as the Wired Blog points out.
Communicating from their attack boat via satellite phone, the terrorists used a GPS system to navigate their way into Mumbai, where they kept in constant touch with each other via cell phone and in constant touch with media coverage via the Internet. The group even made their statements through e-mail, using one of many publicly available, untraceable remailer programs.

While the attackers used technology to conceal, victims and witnesses used it to expose. As the BBC reports, Twitter erupted with activity during the attacks.

Continue reading Technology Used for Evil (and Good) in Mumbai Attacks

Juror Kicked Off Trial After Asking Facebook Friends for Help

by Peter Mychalcewycz, posted Nov 26th 2008 at 6:01PM



Honest mistakes happen all the time.

Take, for example, the British juror who posted the facts of the case she was helping to decide on Facebook so that her friends could help her decide which "way to go." You're probably thinking, "That's not an honest mistake, that's simple stupidity!" While stupidity obviously played some part in the debacle, the woman obviously mistook her solemn civic duty for an episode of 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.' As we said before...an honest mistake.

In both the UK and the US, discussing the facts of a trial publicly is illegal, not to mention ridiculous. But this did not stop the unbelievably confused lady from entering into the realm of public opinion.

The female juror simply stated on her Facebook page that she couldn't decide if the defendants in the child abduction case were guilty. The next step, obviously, was to hold a poll on the defendants possible guilt or innocence. Brilliant!

The juror was dismissed and the trial continued with 11 jurors...11 relieved jurors. [From: DailyMail]

FOX News Anchor Shows His Creepy Facebook Page on Live TV

by Lee Bains, posted Nov 20th 2008 at 6:35PM



The host of FOX News's 'Fox & Friends,' Steve Doocy spends a good bit of time on Facebook, according to a video of the morning show on ValleyWag.com.

Apparently, Steve updates his Facebook Status every day with such mundane notices as, "Steve is tired from a busy weekend," and posts marginally creepy profile pictures, like the one of him, as a kindergartener, in a Santa suit. All weirdness aside, Mr. Doocy is in clear violation of Facebook Guidelines One and Eleven.

We'll let one of you Doocy fans send him a private Facebook message informing him of his infractions, since he's "pretty much maxed-out" and hasn't yet accepted our friend request. [From: ValleyWag.com]

Is E-Mailing, Texting, and Chatting Online Really So Bad for Teens?

by Lee Bains, posted Nov 20th 2008 at 2:56PM



While many a parental unit is concerned about his or her teenager's constant texting, instant messaging and Internet surfing, as well as the impact such activities could have on a developing personality, researchers at the MacArthur Foundation are assuring parents that the kids are alright, the New York Times reports.

Much of the cause for parents' trepidation, according to lead researcher Mizuko Ito, is a basic confusion about how kids are spending time online. Primarily, Ito says, kids are socializing with friends, not making themselves vulnerable to "stranger danger."

Conducted over a three-year period, the study demonstrates the extent to which new media -- including cell phones and social networking sites -- have become integral to young people's social lives. Far from calling this a problem, Ito claims that this new form of socialization prepares kids for the tech-heavy work environments they will undoubtedly encounter in their later years.

If Ito is, in fact, correct in her assessment, and this article is correct in its own, it might be Facebook that winds up getting us out of this economic crisis. [From: The New York Times]

Shaquille O'Neal Joins the Twittering Craze

by Lee Bains, posted Nov 20th 2008 at 1:10PM


After witnessing the success of an impostor Twitter page, Shaquille O'Neal has started his own Twitter account, reports SportsByBrooks.

Although it's no news to sports fans, the Phoenix Suns Center is a little, well, eccentric, and his Twitter page does not reveal anything different. Although new to the mini-blogging service (he started his Twitter page two days ago), Shaq is Twittering at a good clip, dropping 40 nuggets of Shaq science in that short time.

Some highlights:
LORD B, DNT B SKEPTICAL, ITS ME GIMME A NUMBER I WILL CALL U

Question were is dikembe mutumbo??

B BACK LATER

About to sit in the cold tub for about 20 min, then i'm a shoot some free throws

SHAQ
Really, he poses an excellent question: Where is Dikembe Mutombo? And, even more importantly, where is Shaq Diesel? [From: SportsByBrooks]

Facebook, YouTube Serving as Hot Spots for Hate Groups

by Lee Bains, posted Nov 19th 2008 at 12:36PM



Ugh, the online thugs are at it again. Last week, YouTube executives have removed several videos that were made in tribute to the infamous Columbine school shootings of 1999 and the two boys who perpetrated them, the BBC reported.

In a recent investigative report, the BBC found that a small but thriving Columbine-obsessed community, both in the United States and Britain, was responsible for a large number of YouTube videos championing the Columbine shooters -- fan reenactments of the boys' own homemade videos were also found. After that BBC report brought these developments to the attention of YouTube executives, the offending videos, in clear violation of YouTube's terms of service, were promptly removed. Google UK executive Peter Barron explained, "We do not tolerate videos that glorify school shootings and have removed the videos that fall into that category".

Continue reading Facebook, YouTube Serving as Hot Spots for Hate Groups

Facebook 101: 25 Tips and Tricks

by Switched Staff, posted Nov 13th 2008 at 10:52PMFeatured Story




Chances are, if you're not on Facebook already, then you're likely to be getting on it pretty soon. Whether it's your kids or your next door neighbor (or those old friends you just reunited with at your high school reunion), folks around you have been hounding you to sign up, set up a profile, and start "social-networking" with all your friends, and their friends, and so on. Truth is, social-networking sites such as Facebook (and MySpace, Bebo, LinkedIn, etc) are increasingly turning into the first place people go when they get on the Internet, as these services offer e-mail, chat, music players, photo sharing, and so much more beyond just staying in touch with your Friends.

But the best (or worst) part about Facebook is all the people from your past who come out of the woodwork (we're talking grade-school past). All this means you'll want to look your very best on your Facebook profile, and make the best use of all that the service has to offer, which is why we've come up with 25 tips that'll optimize your social-networking experience. Try 'em out by clicking on 'Next' below, and if you've got any tips we've missed, please let us know!

Plugged-In Cat Owner Sets Up Twitters for Tabbies

by Lee Bains, posted Nov 7th 2008 at 1:58PM



Mary Hodder, a jack-of-all-social-media-trades, has successfully married her love for Twitter and her love for her cats, the Bits Blog on NYTimes.com explains.

Having launched Twitter pages for each of her four felines (CalibanTheCat, MimiTheCat, Pantherthecat and arielthecat), Hodder ghost-Tweets (that's right, you read it here first) for them, discussing everything from the weather, to politics, to -- of course -- dogs.

Now, everybody knows that we love animals as much as the next blog, so we can see the inherent cuteness in Hodder's wanting to give voice to her kitties. It's when she says, "Cats have something to say. Dogs don't. They are always lying around doing the same boring things," that we start to sense she might be getting into the catnip, herself. [From: Bits Blog]

Twitter Helps Out With Election Irregularities

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Nov 5th 2008 at 5:06PM

Twitter Helps Voting Problems Get Solved
Twitter has proven its usefulness before, expanding the classroom, reporting on earthquakes and protests in China, and helping one journalism student get out of a Egyptian jail.

According to the Silicon Alley Insider, Twitter yesterday continued to prove that it's good for more than just sharing your random thoughts when at least one voter managed to get help at the polls from the Election Protection group. Twitter user @wellstoneaction tweeted that a polling place in Minnesota was difficult to find due to road closures and a lack of signs. @wellstoneaction tagged his message with a #votereport (hash tags allow users to track specific topics) so that his complaint would be picked up by Twitter Vote Report, a site for Twitter users to register voting issues and warn of long lines.

Within minutes of his message, he was apparently contacted by a member of Election Protection in Minnesota, who somehow solved the issue. @wellstone updated just a few moments later "wow, great work Election Protection folks. I got a call in minutes in response to my tweet reporting a problem. #EPMN #mnvotes."

Twitter turned out to be an invaluable tool for Election Protection, which fielded numerous complaints, and kicked off 20 investigations due to reports that came in from the service. So for those who charge that Twitter just adds to the noise on the Internet without contributing anything of worth, we say "Ha!" [From: Silicon Alley Insider]

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