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Social Media’s Importance In Foreign Affairs

It’s no shocker that Iran’s recent elections have made the headlines of every major news network.

However what IS noteworthy is the role social media is playing in the recent turmoil.

Keeping information and content within your region or country has become literally impossible thanks to the world wide web.

The same holds true for social networking via Twitter, Facebook, etc.

Iranian citizens are able to keep the rest of the world updated in a 140 word blurb on their Twitter, a valuable resource that didn’t use to exist.

This new social media turn is refreshing and innovative, no longer will we question what really IS going on in a protesting country or nation.

This is an unforeseen route that social media has taken, we have always looked at Twitter or other social media sites as vehicles for personal or company gain…now we have opened up a completely different door.

Personally, this is a thrilling turn for us aspiring innovators, because this shows that we have more resources to cause change and connect people than previously considered.

I only hope that this sort of connection does not get abused or misused, it would be naive to rule out any sort of cyberwarfare or attacks against outside governments.

Thus, with admiration and caution, I end this blog entry, and log onto my Twitter to view the latest updates.

Social Media Fears Among Corporate Execs

While social media networking has its obvious perks when it comes to connecting with the masses, spreading your message, and branding, there are potential hindrances that lie below the surface.

These impediments are a cause for concern among bigwigs in the corporate world, especially in regards to losing control over their company’s marketing message according to a recent ZDNet article.

Where does this fear come from? The fact that people listen to what the community has to say, not necessarily the company is what’s scaring employers.

The old saying goes, “there’s no such thing as bad publicity,” but how true is this statement in today’s social media-ruled world?

Here are CEOs’ top 5 fears regarding social media marketing according to ZDNET:

1) Negative banter: what to do if your company is mentioned negatively on the internet? Listen and respond to your costumers’ needs. If your consumers are complaining, pay attention.

2) Negative online video spoofs: The best response is no response in this case, getting angry only adds more ammo to the fire.

3) Masses of Angry online community members: Listen to their problems, and fix them. If there are that many unhappy consumers, there is an underlying quandary.

4) Loss of control over the work force: Hold your employees accountable, encourage social media usage in the office so that they become online company representatives. Members of the work force have been finding ways to distract themselves for years, whether it be AOL, AIM, MySpace or Facebook. Tale as old as time.

5) Harmful effects on company reputation: create social media guidelines so that employees do not shed negative attention on the company through their individual profiles. Seek to achieve corporate objectives, and protect your image.

While these ideas may seem simple, and merely require some damage control, the fact that these fears have arisen show how much of an impact social media now has in both the corporate world and our personal worlds.

By positively incorporating social media into our daily lives, we can create better images for ourselves, and also for our respective employers.

Facebook on iPhone by dreamspower

Facebook’s Negative Effects: Why Your GPA Might Plummet

According to a recent study conducted by researchers at Ohio State University, students who use Facebook on a daily basis do worse in school.

Researchers report that grades could drop a whole letter.

These findings will be presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association by Aryn Karpinski.

The study shows that if a person spends more time on Facebook, then they will spend less time studying.

“Every generation has its distractions, but I think Facebook is a unique phenomenon.”

The problem with this argument, however, is that the control group that “did not use Facebook” is arguably not as socially inclined to begin with.

Is this study fair?

More importantly, is GPA really all that important when everything’s all said and done?

Author Daniel Goleman argues no.

In his 1995 book titled “Emotional Intelligence,” he questions the concept of conventional intelligence by stating that it is too narrow, and not a true indicator of a person’s potential for success.

One important aspect of emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize and understand other people’s emotions, and then reacting accordingly.

This, Goleman states, is how competence should be measured.

Does Facebook lower your GPA? Does an increase in social activity hinder your academic performance?

It’s possible, however, that perhaps the real argument is whether GPA is a clear indicator of your abilities to begin with.

Shouldn’t someone who is skilled at networking and connecting with others be regarded higher than someone who lacks those skills, but has a higher GPA?

Thus the hole in Ohio State’s hypothesis arises.

And I will continue my daily Facebook status updates without shame.

Twitter bird logo icon illustration by Matt Hamm

What makes a website invaluable: How Twitter can work for YOU

How do you use Twitter?

What do I stand to gain?

Do you follow your friends, or big companies?

If you are following people you actually know, Leisa Reichelt describes a concept called “ambient intimacy,” which signifies that you find Twitter valuable because you have the ability to tell your friends what’s going on in your life.

There are other reasons for using Twitter that may not be as apparent Read the rest of this entry »

Making Connections and Knowing Your Market : Interview with Ben Kuo of socalTECH.com

socalTECH Founder, Publisher, Editor, Ben Kuo

“Because the barrier to entry is not the idea it’s the execution.”

Ben Kuo founded socalTECH in 1998 more or less as a hobby. Entrenched in new technology as in electrical engineer, Ben wanted to provide Southern California tech companies, innovators and entrepreneurs with a comprehensive database, for local technology groups and companies, VC and private financing firms, and service providers.

Now his site is a leading resource for finding venture funding and business news, a calendar of local events, and interviews with local technology entrepreneurs and champions of innovation.

Ben shares his personal observations of current market trends and lends some of his professional advice to all innovators looking to turn their ideas into sustainable businesses.

Website: http://socaltech.com/
Blog: http://blog.socaltech.com/

The WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM: TED and Innovation a silver lining?

The World Economic Forum (WEF) saw top business leaders, politicians, thinkers and journalists come together to discuss the current global economic situation. They all tried their best Nostradamus impressions and as a result the relative theme of this year’s event was a real downer; something to the effect of– problem-based problems for the world’s catastrophic economic calamity.

Yeah, I’m pretty sure I saw a few PBPWCEC t-shirts and beanies in the audience.

Though the overall discussion was fairly gloomy there were a few bright spots… Read the rest of this entry »