Sunday, March 30, 2008

Social Media...A distraction?


This semester we have been discussing in our internet and social media class about blogs and other forms of social media and how progressive and beneficial they are for people and companies. As I was browsing through some blogs on the subject matter I came across a blog by Jim Tobin who is actually taking the opposite side on the matter. His blog is called Social Media is a Waste of Time, Part I. It is very rare for someone to argue against social media and its productiveness, especially when being in a class where the very purpose is to show and explore the emerging social media technologies. On his bog, Jim Tobin states, “Social media is a distraction. Social media is a time waster. Social media is unproductive.” I think it is definitely a purposefully controversial blog for many of the people who have and will read it.


Personally I do not agree with everything he has written about. He states that blogging is a waste of time and does not check anything off of your to-do list, but in fact having read his blog helped me to write my own in response and has checked off my blog for the week in this class. Not only this but the things he lists that are a waste of time such as watching television and talking to friends are only true to an extent. Otherwise these are very significant ways of idea and creativity growth. Whether we love it or hate it, it has sparked an emotion within us which has inspired us to think, much like his blog has.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Family Blogs about Campaign


As I signed onto the internet earlier I watched as the AOL news stories scrolled across my computer screen. I came across a story about the forever popular election. Since being in this Internet and social media class, the idea of blogging has been cemented into our brains and will continue to be a source of media that differentiates itself from the mainstream. Blogs offer a two way feedback system that can be very beneficial for both the blogger and the commenter.


McCain’s daughter Meghan has hopped on that bandwagon and begun her own blog at http://www.mccainblogette.com/. Instead of going the political route and discussing campaign issues, this blog is more about making the McCain family more real. Her blog also consists of photos, music, and fashion. The idea of her online diary is to show people that her family is just like everyone else’s.


Here's the link to the news story I found on Meghan's blog.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Hillary Clinton's Campaign


I have already blogged about Obama's campaigning and social media strategies so I only thought it fair to share another candidates tactics as well. Hillary uses much of the same internet sites as Obama but far less than him. Some of the sites include:







Her main site also connects you to other feature sites of hers including:





Utterz Voice Your Support


Want to voice your support in this year's election? There is a way to do this without standing on the street corner holding a sign for your candidate or posting signs in your front yard. Utterz has created a way to show your support by posting a badge on your blog, website, or any other social network. There is even a tally of the percentages of each badge vote.

This site shows the importance of the internet and its effect on society. People know the internet has a huge impact on people because of its increased usage so why not cater to it?

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Podcast on Blogging








Here's a short podcast made by Chase, Marcela, and myself, discussing what a blog is and many different types and aspects of blogging. Check it out by clicking on the picture.
:00 Chase introduces our podcast
:10 Chase defines a blog
1:21 Chase introduces the next segment about the different types of blogs
1:24 Nicole talks about the different types of blogs
3:40 Nicole intorduces the segment about blogging as part of mass media and blogging consequences
3:46 Marcela discusses blogging as part of mass media and consequences
5:03 Marcela closing