Sunday, September 4, 2011

Google Plus - invite?


Jack Dikian
September 2011

So are you like me waiting for a Google Plus invite? Come-on Christian, Larry, and Sergey I’m etching to get my mittens into this. As we’ve heard Google is rolling out the service in waves and we can expect it to become a ubiquitous social option real soon. Early users of Facebook will know that if two people wanted to see each other’s updates, both needed to “friend” each other. Of course we can “like” groups now too. Twitter has always been a one-way thing. I can follow you but you do not necessarily have to follow me back.

Google Plus provides the ability to see updates from certain groups like "Work," "Friends" and/or "Family" (Circles) as well as the ability for one main stream. Here are some of the Plus features

  • Circles - The idea that we share different things with different people. So sharing the right content with the right people is a plus.
  • Hangouts - You will be able to let specific people or an entire circle you are hanging out and then see who drops by for a face-to-face-to-face chat.
  • Sparks - By telling Sparks your interests and it will send you content that it guesses you’ll like.
  • Huddle - turns different conversation threads into one simple group chat, getting everyone onto the same page.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Top 45 Social News Sites


Jack Dikian
September 2011

Social news and media has been one of my long-term interests. How proactive and progressive companies used early net-centric technologies as an enabler for product delivery, support and customer service and the manner by which the Internet has changed the way we work, live and play.

I’ve been following a number of social news websites. These typically feature reader-submitted stories that are ranked based on popularity.

There has much said about how social media will continue be a large part of organizations’’ strategies. We should expect to see a continuation of - Social media as a customer service tool and the use of customer based reviews and ratings of products and services that feature on their websites. The following website “1st web designer” provides a list of the best 45 social news sites.

http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/freebies/get-more-traffic-social-news-websites/

Friday, September 2, 2011

Cyber Racism


Jack Dikian
September 2011

According to Wikipedia, the term "cyber racism" was coined by Les Back in 2002 to capture the phenomenon of racism online, particularly white supremacist web sites. The term encompasses racist rhetoric that is distributed through computer-mediated means.

There is currently little research on the extent and impact on cyber racism in Australia. However, current Australian research in the area of cyber bullying, the number of complaints of internet-based racism made nationally, and studies conducted overseas provide a strong indication of the nature and extent of cyber racism in Australia.

The Australian Covert Bullying Prevalence Study CHPRC, conducted by Edith Cowan University May 2009 found that:

  • Cyber bullying was defined by young people as cruel covert bullying used primarily by young people to harm others using technology such as: social networking sites, other chat-rooms, mobile phones, websites and web-cameras.
  • 7-10% of students reported they were bullied by means of technology through the school term.
  • Slightly higher rates of cyber bullying were found among secondary students and students from non-government schools.
  • Differences were found in each age group regarding the mode of technology most prevalent for cyber bullying in and out of school. More internet-based bullying through social networking sites was reported than through mobile phones, especially as students get older.
  • Cyber bullying appears to be related to age (or access to technology), with older students more likely to engage in cyber bullying than younger students.
  • Students reported that home cyber bullying is likely to be higher among older students especially if parents don't have the knowledge and skills to help their child.
  • Cyber bullying differences were found in each year group (Year 4 to 9) regarding the mode of technology, with nasty messages more likely to be sent via the internet (most often through social networking sites) than via mobile phones, more especially as students get older.

Source: Australian Covert Bullying Prevalence Study CHPRC, Edith Cowan University May 2009