(NEWSER) – Brace yourselves, parents: a flood of new research shows the damaging effects Facebook can have on kids. Middle school through college-age youths who checked the site at least once within a 15-minute study bloc received poorer marks, researchers found. Meanwhile, teens on Facebook appear to be more narcissistic, and kids who use media and other new technology every day face a higher risk of anxiety and depression, studies suggest.
On the other hand, Facebook can help kids forge a sense of identity, and kids who spend more time online appear more likely to learn “virtual empathy,” offering kind words to their friends online, Time reports. The virtual empathy translates into real-world empathy, a researcher says. “We're teetering on the balance—too much time online can lead to health problems and narcissism, but it can also teach you to be more empathic and develop your sense of self.
You should consider some other important things as well. First, while you can meet new friends online, you may also come into contact with malicious people misrepresenting themselves. These are people you don’t want to know. Internet thieves and sexual predators are only too eager to exploit personal information found on social networking sites. They are out there and willing to hurt you unless you take precautions to protect yourself.
A second consideration, frequently overlooked, is that information you post on a social networking site may reveal indiscretions and worse to future employers, college professors, or even your parents. It’s on the record that students have been suspended and expelled for escapades and threats posted online. In some instances, potential job offers have been withdrawn because of information posted on a social networking site. Keep these things in mind when taking advantage of the pluses of social networking. You can follow these tips to help you protect yourself on a social networking Web site:
Back in 1912, when the Venice Beach Suites & Hotel was built on Ocean Front Walk, the only tweeting going on was among the local bird population.
Today, owner Andy Layman is listening to the online chorus at Twitter and other social networking websites, hoping to join in. Learning to hit the right notes to attract new guests and boost revenue at his boardwalk property is a daunting prospect. "I haven't really gotten a handle on it," said Layman, 62.
Yet, done right, he believes social media would be an inexpensive way to find more of the type of traveler who already raves online about his eclectic, 25-room location. About three-quarters of the reviews on TripAdvisor, a major travel website, are positive, Layman said.
Visitors step outside the renovated hotel's front door onto the Venice boardwalk where fortunetellers, henna-tattoo artists and musicians vie for attention. Tourists and the homeless pass beneath the area's many murals while locals pump iron at nearby Muscle Beach and young people try out the $3.5-million skateboard park that opened last summer within sight of the hotel.
In the summer, Layman charges $130 to $305 a night for rooms, some of which have the building's original claw-foot bathtubs. Guests ride the 1939, birdcage-style elevator to the upper floors. To many guests, it's a charming experience. To others, it's too funky.
The hotelier wants to increase sales, which fell 20% last year to about $800,000. Reservations at the four-story hotel have picked up since March, he said, and he expects revenue this year in the mid-$900,000 range. But like a lot of other small-business owners, he is still scrambling to catch up with bills.
Engaging potential customers via social networking could help him boost sales as well as manage expectations for the hotel, said Rosalie Morton, an account executive in the West Hollywood office of Richmond, Va., marketing agency CRT/tanaka. She said the hotel is "having trouble articulating the funkiness of the boardwalk and talking about the homeless population and being able to articulate what Venice is about."
To help Layman take advantage of social media, Morton and colleague Priya Ramesh, director of social media at the agency, made the following recommendations.
Understand online social networking. Facebook, YouTube and Twitter provide new ways for Layman to reach customers. But it's not a one-way street. The point of social media for a business is to help customers interact with the company and network with one another online.
The more often that happens, the higher the hotel will rank on search engines and the more new customers will be drawn into the conversation. Postings on one site can be set up to automatically appear on other social media sites. That saves time while spreading the buzz.
Encourage customers to create content. The beauty of social media is that customers can be a major source of content. Layman can solicit comments, photos and videos about the hotel via its existing Facebook page and its website, http://www.venicebeachsuites.com.
Update Facebook. The hotel's Facebook page has a respectable 300 or so friends, Moore said, but it's updated only monthly. She'd like new information at least once a day. Customer content will help, but Layman should also post specials, photos and videos, directing visitors to his website, which Moore said could be better organized.
Use YouTube and Twitter. A YouTube account is a free and easy tool to post videos online. Through Twitter, a microblogging service, registered users can post messages of 140 characters or less. Daily tips about events such as local music festivals or just the latest beach weather are good subjects.
Try FourSquare. This mobile phone application uses geolocation software to track users' whereabouts. People earn points for posting about visits to new places or old favorites. Layman can sign up to offer special discounts to FourSquare users.
For Layman, creating an effective voice in social media is a worthy challenge. "We're looking forward to moving forward" on the tips, he said. "Social media and Internet marketing is the future of business."
If your small business could benefit from a free Business Makeover in the L.A. Times, please e-mailsmallbiz@latimes.com.
Source : http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/26/business/la-fi-smallbiz-makeover-20100726
Social networking, such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter, is taking over the way we communicate with one another today. If one were to ask a young person whether social networking is advantageous, he or she would most definitely say yes. But it is actually a disadvantage.
In today's society, it is socially acceptable to message someone through one of these networks rather than picking up the telephone. If you want to know what is going on in someone's life, you check that person's Facebook, Myspace and/or Twitter to see where she is and what she's doing. The younger generation is losing a valuable tool they will need in the real world -- a little thing called social communication skills.
One needs social skills, not social networking skills, to make it in today's work force.We still need our communication and interpersonal skills if we want real, personal interactions with people in order to work with others effectively.
I still like to have actual phone calls with people and face-to-face conversations where I tell people what's going on in my life and not post it on my Facebook.
Source : http://blog.al.com/birmingham-news-commentary/2011/06/your_view_too_much_social_netw.htmlRecord numbers of people are visiting and writing blogs. Social networking has also become ingrained in every day life. From suburban moms to smallbusiness owners, blogs are being created to express interest and promote products. As blogs and social media are now a significant category in online behavior, organizations, specifically non-profits, can take advantage of the access these sites can give for promotion, events, and awareness to the public.
Here are a few ways that blogs and social media can serve as a vital part of a non-profit.
Update and Document
Social networking sites allows for constant update capabilities, and with the applications that can used on smart phones, non-profit coordinators can update from events and conferences. Social media and blogs also serve as free media coverage. Since both also allow comments, photo posts and video posts, visitors get an interactive experience.
Example: NPR has a Facebook and Twitter account for audiences to watch videos and read articles, which they can comment on as well.
Create Connection
Comments posted on your blog can serve as a way to make new connections, and also to encourage discussion about the organization and its work. Discussion through comments can lead to collaboration and connection to possible donors. Social networking sites that allow “friends” means your organization can stay connected to members, volunteers, interns, and donors. Link from their pages will create virtual breadcrumbs to your organization’s web site and blog. This will encourage traffic and the organization’s online presence.
Example: Linda Pascotto, president of the Prem Rewat Foundation, created a personal page on Facebook that connects to her non-profits page and their affiliate organizations.
Promotion and Resources
Blogs have RSS feeds that send updates to your blogs followers, which is an easy way to spread news about future events. Social networking sites, such as Facebook, have an events page creator to that will appear on the newsfeed of friends and your friend’s friend. This helps to create awareness among those who have no direct connection to the organization. Both social media and blogs have profiles where the organization can post links to their main web site, resource material, and affiliates.
Example: The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation has a blog called Finding Hopeon WordPress that has an events tab, RSS feed and a section where members post their personal stories.
While blogs and social networking require attention and constant content, they are easy to run and a great resource for spreading an organization’s objective.
Source : http://www.alliedbloggers.com/2011/02/ways-nonprofits-blogs-social-media/
