Is Facebook Affecting Your Romantic Relationships?

Like many social networking sites, Facebook has become a highly used resource for both professional and personal use. Many of us, including myself, frequent Facebook many times a day resulting in what I like to call Facebook overload. When one spends so much time of Facebook lines between friendship, relationships, and reality begin to blur. Sometimes the content we post on Facebook can end up affecting different aspects of our lives, like professional image, friendships, and for some, their love life. In recent article by Mashable.com, they look at how Facebook has changed dating and the rules of dating in a negative way.

“We all know from experience that one threat is real: Facebook makes dating far more complicated than it used to be,” says author Samuel Axon.

Below is a list of 5 reasons why Facebook has affected dating for the worst (found on Mashable.com:

1. Overanalyzing Will Drive You Crazy
2. You See All the Action Your Ex Is Getting
3. Relationships and Breakups Are Public
4. It’s a Record of Every Relationship Mistake You’ve Made
5. Other People’s Comment Will Make Your Date Jealous

From this list, it seems fairly clear that Facebook has created many difficulties for those in romantic relationships. Many of us may have even experienced one or two of the events on the above list. How do you feel about the effect of Facebook on relationships? What has been your experience?

Media Communities

This week our assigned reading out of Deltina Hay’s social media survival guide covered media communities and the importance of utilizing them for increasing exposure. Hay defines media communities as "social sites where you can save, share, and comment on multimedia items." Basically, media communities bring together people who want to share their photos, videos, music, etc. Media communities are just another example of social media and new ways to connect with people via the Internet.

Apart from using media communities as a new way to connect with others, they can also be a very useful tool in promoting and drawing interest to specific content. Hay uses an example of Dalton Publishing’s use of Flickr to promote various events related to newly published books. Dalton uses Flickr to post pictures of different events such as book signings and book readings for people to access. For those of you unfamiliar with Flickr, it is a image-sharing site that allows you to upload images and pictures to share with others.

Another example of a media community is the well-known video-sharing site, YouTube. Much like Flickr, YouTube allows users to upload video content to the site to share with others. YouTube also serves as a resource for organizations to upload video content of events or promotional videos to reach a high number of viewers.

One of the most important aspects of media communities is the ability to connect the content with blogs or websites. A user can simply load or link the content from a media community such as Flickr or YouTube to their personal or professional website. In my last blog, I discussed the web video I created for The Big Event. This is a perfect example of how you can create content, upload it to a media community, and then add it to your blog.

What are your thoughts on media communities? Do you have a Flickr or YouTube account? If so, describe your experience!

The City of Brotherly Love? Teen Flash Mobbing Takes Control of Philadelphia

When we hear the word “flash mob” many of us are reminded of the brilliant T-Mobile dance in the London train station or the Trafalgar Square sing-along. However, in recent days, the word “flash mob” is beginning to take on a new form. While the original flash mobbing was organized and carried out in a harmless and fun manner, new forms of flash mobbing are starting to turn violent. According to the Associated Press, at least 5 different violent flash mobs have occurred in the Philadelphia area in the past year.

Flash mobs, which are often organized on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, have recently become more popular among teens in Philadelphia. However, while most teens choose to carry out flash mobs through song, dance, or even pillow fights, Philadelphia teens have taken things to a new level through the use of violence. According to the Associated Press, an estimated 2,000 teenagers took to the streets of Philadelphia on March 20th to wreak havoc. Witnesses claim that teens were blocking traffic, jumping on cars, and roughing up bystanders around the South Street area. Seth Kaufman, a 20-year-old pizza deliveryman was one of the bystanders attacked in the flash mob. Kaufman suffered from gashes along his back and arms and bruises on his forehead from kicking.

“By the time you could hear them yelling, they were flooding the streets and the stores and the sidewalks” said Kaufman.

The March 20th attack was not the first flash mob to hit Philadelphia. In the past year, there have been an estimated 4 violent flash mobs organized and carried out in the Philadelphia area. The first flash mob to create violence occurred on December 18th, 2009 at the Gallery food court and resulted in teens assaulting pedestrians in the Center City area. Authorities discovered that the gathering was organized via Facebook. On February 16th, between 50 and 150 juveniles rampaged a Macy’s department store ruining signs, mannequins, and displays. Also, fights broke out on March 3rd that were related to teenage rioting and flash mobbing that resulted in 28 arrests.

While it appears that flash mobbing teens are taking over Philadelphia, officials are vigorously fighting back. On March 22nd, 10 teenagers from the Macy’s riot were charged of felony rioting. Also, on Wednesday, March 24th, Mayor Michael Nutter addressed the flash mob issue to a crowd gathered at Headhouse Square in Philadelphia. The Mayor aims to control the flash mobbing issue and to reassure business owners and Philadelphia residents of their safety.

Prior to his public speech, Mayor Nutter and 40 uniformed officers took to the streets of 40th and Market to address an online rumor of a future flash mob occurrence in the area. Mayor Nutter requested businesses to close their doors and stationed officers at various corners. In Philadelphia, they mean business. Nutter plans to continue with his serious efforts to control the flash mobbing through curfews and various citywide restrictions to minors. However, while city officials work towards keeping the streets clean of flash mobbing, Nutter urges parents to keep a better eye on their children. In his public speech Nutter bluntly stated,

“I ran for mayor. I didn’t run for mother. I don’t know what causes someone to act like a jackass.”

Considering this new teenage adaptation of flash mobbing makes me wonder about the negative affects of social media. We have clearly seen how social media can positively bring people together for causes and goals, but the recent Philadelphia flash mobbing attacks really make me wonder how social media can negatively impact people. It is up to each individual to decide whether or not to use their social networking and Internet resources for good or evil, but are we giving adolescents too much power? Perhaps it isn’t social networking that is the danger but rather the actions that occur outside the realm of the World Wide Web. But is social networking to blame for bringing the individuals together?

"Can this pickle get more fans than Nickleback?"

The most asked question among Facebook fans this past month was “Can this pickle get more fans than Nickleback?” Seemingly odd question at first, but those participating in this ‘inside’ joke can quickly find the humor. On February 3rd, 2010, a Facebook user named Coral Anne created the Facebook fan page “Can this pickle get more fans than Nickleback?” as a joke. The joke being that more people would choose a pickle over the band Nickelback. For those of you unfamiliar with the band, Nickelback is a Canadian group of 3 that sings rock/pop songs. The band, while ridiculed among other musicians and music fans, still retains a large fan base. On Facebook, the band currently has 1,434,193 fans. So for Coral Anne to set out to find 1,434,193 plus people to choose a pickle over the band Nickelback, seems like quite a feat. However, on February 19th, 2010, only a little over two weeks of creating the page, the pickle won!

Within a matter of days, the pickle phenomenon launched into overdrive. You can now find pickle videos on Youtube, buy pickle fan t-shirts, and find pickle fans all over the world. Today the fan page has 1,533,368 fans, nearly 100 more than the band! How did she do it, you might ask? Well below is an excerpt from the fan page written by the founder herself:


1. This is all strictly intended for humour and nothing more or less. I am not using this page to endorse any hate towards the band Nickelback. I respect Nickelback and do not hate them. I am not behind any negative or hateful content that others post on this page as Facebook pages are designed to be public and I, the page's creator, have posted nothing of the sort myself. I do not wish Nickelback or any other bands any ill will and hope they would see the same humour in making this page as I have.

2. I have had no correspondence with Chad Kroeger or anyone affiliated with Nickelback. Anyone who says so is just spreading rumours and/or are mistaken by pictures that were posted on the site of someone with what was likely a fake account. Nickelback have not done anything wrong in lieu of the making of this page and if anyone out there says that they have, it is not true.

3. I am fully aware that I misspelled Nickelback as "Nickleback" in the name of the page. This is because Facebook doesn't allow you to put the word Nickelback in the name of a page because I guess if someone did it would be copyright infringement.

4. Yes, this page was inspired by "Can this onion ring get more fans than Justin Bieber?" before anyone tells me that I copied the guy who made that. I know I have but I thought his idea was so hilarious that I just had to do something in its likeness. So I was inspired, more or less!


In the description, Coral Anne admits to copying a fellow Facebook users idea for the page and purposely misspelling the band’s name in the title of the page in order to avoid copyright issues. However, as she claims, it is all for humor! Personally, I love the fact that a Facebook user can bring together a million and a half people who prefer a pickle to a well-known band. I also find humor in the Facebook group, as it is easy to put Nickelback at the butt of many music-based jokes.



Once again, the power of social media at it’s finest! One thing I do wonder is how the band plans to respond to the group. Do you think it is negative for their public image to lose in a Facebook battle to a pickle? If you were in their position, what would you do?

Podcasting 101

In chapter 5 of Deltina Hay's A Survival Guide to Social Media and Web 2.0 Optimization, she discusses the use of podcasting as a social media tool. The chapter, appropriately called "Podcasting, Vidcasting, & Webcasting, explains podcasting and how to go about creating a podcast. The chapter offers interesting tips and tools for first time podcasters.

In my Social Media for PR course, we have recently embarked on a new podcasting assignment. For the assignment, each group of 3 is required to create a podcast about the St. Edward's University 125 year anniversary. To be honest, when I first practiced podcasting, I was struck with a case of stage fright. Even though we are working on an audio podcast, I found it much more difficult to express myself verbally rather than writing. Since I am so unfamiliar with podcasting, I wasn't sure where to start or where to turn to deliver useful content. For someone who is a first time podcaster, like myself, Hay's tips in this chapter help to understand the content of podcasts and how to utilize them as a tool.

What is a podcast? Hay describes a podcast as “a blog composed of episodes of audio or video entries rather than text, and can be subscribed to like any blog/feed” (121). In a way, an individual can create their own weekly episode or clip to create their own show. This gives people the power to create a following of their content.

When starting your first podcast, the first question to ask is what will your podcast be about? For me, I was lucky to be assigned a topic for my first podcast rather than having to create an original topic of interest. It is important to present an interesting topic so people will continue to listen or view your podcast.

One of my first questions for this assignment was… what do I say?! Well, it is important to remember that you want to content to be interesting for the reader. A podcast can be so much more than one person speaking the whole time. Adding jingles and interviews can add a great deal to the segment. Also, many podcasts follow an outline. Below is the outline provided by Hay in chapter 5 (123-124):

• Opening (30-60 seconds)
- Introduce the podcast as a whole.
- This should be the same for each episode.
- Mention the name of the podcast, what its purpose is, and the URL where it can be found.
- Introduce yourself and who you are.
- Introduce the topic of the episode.
- Mention the episode number.
- Introduce the guests if you have any.
• Opening Jingle (30 seconds)
• Main Topics (6 to 12 minutes)
- Depends on the type of episode you are recording.
- An informational podcast typically only six minutes long.
- A panel or interview could be as long as twelve minutes.
• Intermission (30 seconds)
- Break up longer episodes with an intermission.
- Use music for the intermission.
• Closing (2 minutes)
- Thank your guests if you have any.
- Thank the audience for listening.
- Announce the next episode topic.
- Repeat the podcast URL.
• Closing Jingle (60 seconds)

Stay tuned in the next couple of weeks for my first podcast posting :)
Click here to get started with your first podcast with Audacity
For examples of podcasts go here, to see the people's choice for 2009's top podcasts

A Closer Look at LinkedIn

In a world of budding social networking tools and innovations, it is often easy to overlook new additions to the already impressive line-up. I have dedicated my focus specifically to Facebook, Twitter, Delicious, and blogs, and have recently realized my lack of attention to the networking site, Linkedin. While I have been completely aware of the development of Linkedin and the usage among my peers, I have never once taken the time to review it myself. So my friends, I will dedicate this post to understanding the benefits of using Linkedin and review several tips for improved interaction on the site.

What is Linkedin? According to Linkedin.com, the site has three main goals for users:
1. Re-connect
2. Power your career
3. Get answers

The masterminds behind this social networking site intend for users to be able to communicate with long lost friends, create career opportunities, network in their fields, and of course connect!

Much like other social networking sites, Linkedin offers users an option of connecting with other users on several different levels. Users can connect either on a personal or professional level through the use of this site. However, unlike sites like Facebook and Myspace that have a predominant focus on personal and social use, Linkedin focuses mainly of professional advancement.

The following tips are courtesy of Chris Brogan at chrisbrogan.com:

• First Impressions are important! Make sure your headline reflects who you are and should contain your current company.
• Make sure your summary reflects who you are. Lead with what you do most and the type of business that you want to do. Then explain in detail. Your summary should be written in the mindset of a prospective employer.
• Refresh your summary every two weeks.
• Make sure your past experience reflects your future goals. Make sure the functions listed in past experience would be useful for future positions.
• Ask for recommendations (but only from people who can vouch for your abilities).
• Review your profile as if you’re a prospective new boss
• Enter your blog’s RSS feed on the profile page
• Add a photo (find a good candid)
• Grow your network
• Keep looking at your profile as it applies to your future

To view Chris Brogan’s LinkedIn click here

To see the original list of tips go to here

Social Bookmarking

I found chapter 7, ‘Social Bookmarking & Crowd-Sourcing’ to be very useful and easy to follow. The author of A Survival Guide to Social Media and Web 2.0 Optimization, Deltina Hay presented instructions and images for the reader to better understand social bookmarking. In my Social Media for PR class, I have experienced the use of social bookmarking for the first time. To be honest, I was at first lost in the haze of Delicious.com but soon found myself catching on. The images and screen shots provided in chapter 7 offers an easy insight to Delicious.com. I can now officially say that I am no longer a victim of a cluttered bookmarks bar on the top of my browser. With the help of Delicious, I have been able to organize my bookmarks while gathering additional useful sources along the way. Needless to say, I am officially hooked.

For those of you who are not aware of Delicious.com, it is a social bookmarking site that allows you to publicly bookmark and connect with other individuals. Delicious allows users to bookmark their favorite sites and resources and to share that information with others. Likewise, you can view others’ bookmarks. In a way, Delicious creates a short cut in information finding and research. Thanks to the use of ‘tagging’, search time is cut in half and information can be found more easily.

In her chapter, Hay provides insight and tips on how to use social bookmarking sites such as Delicious. Hay points out that the social bookmarking and social web interaction “is about interacting, sharing, and collaboration—not self promotion” (182). It is important to remember the original reason and need for social bookmarking sites… to connect with individuals with similar interests and in turn receive useful resources.

Hay recommends that social bookmarking users “bookmark, tag, and comment on sites that interest you, and connect with others with similar interests” (182). Much like popular social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, the user must remain active in the network in order to receive results. Like any relationship, digital or personal, it is necessary to stay engaged in interactions in order to be successful.

Another tip Hay provides in the chapter is to “create a list of your best key terms to use as tags and use them as often as they apply to the sites you bookmark. Use your best tags within the descriptions you give each of your bookmarked sites as well” (183). By using thoughtful tags, it is easier for the user to recover saved bookmarks. Also, similar bookmark tags are great indicators of other users with common interests. When viewing another user’s bookmarked pages, it is useful to view their personal ‘tag bubble’ to get a sense of their interests and resources. A ‘tag bubble’ or ‘tag cloud’ is a list of tags found within your bookmark account. Each word you use to tag specific sites can be found in the ‘tag bubble’. The larger the word, the more prevalent the tag is in your account. It is also interesting to view your own ‘tag bubble’ to see which tags represent your content as a user.

So far, I have been very pleased with my interaction and discoveries on Delicious. While it took me a few tries to catch on, I have really developed an appreciation for social bookmarking. I have already started to build a network of individuals with my similar interests and have found sources I am not sure I would have otherwise. However, it is important to note that Delicious is one of the many site choices for participating in social bookmarking. Hay also recommends Technorati and StumbleUpon as additional social bookmarking resources.

Get started on Delicious at www.delicious.com
Also, you can Follow me on Delicious

For additional tips from Deltina Hay on social bookmarking click here