Where’s your head at? Over 14million people’s smart phone screens if you’re a 21 year old from Houston, Texas! That’s because her operation was featured in a groundbreaking as-it-happens Tweet-a-logue from the States.
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Tag Archives: Twitter
This blog has been censored – in Bognor Regis
Actually, this could soon happen to your latest Tweet. That’s because Twitter has just announced micro-censorship. Rather than giving you a blanket ban, they’ll now be able to selectively wipe you out in certain countries. Their announcement talks of “defending and respecting each user’s voice”, but surely that involves subjective judgement? Who will deign what the good folk in Kazakhstan will be offended by? Or whether people in Tazmania will be traumatised by Frankie Boyle’s latest outburst? It’s a tricky one, to say the least. Isn’t it a little pointless too? If they do it before the Tweet is out there, it’s censorship and if they do it after, the horse has already bolted. And, if they do it to appease government, isn’t it all a bit 1984? It’s wrapped up with noble sentiments like ‘respect’, but Twitter will have a very fine line to tread. Let’s hope it’s not simply a crass business decision to make inroads into China…
Big money in social media- quite literally!
If the buzz across the social sphere is to be believed, Facebook and Google executives have entered initial acquisition talks with Twitter, estimating the value of the microblogging site upwards of £10 billion. Combine this with LinkedIn’s recent IPO announcement and we have proof beyond Facebook that there is big money in social media – quite literally. Read more »
Conversation not Broadcast
In the first digital generation, marketing employed a system which favoured interruption and direct sale. Brands would force their stories onto unsuspecting spectators, purchasing online real estate in mass and appearing, without warning,….and it worked!
Farce-book? Is Google Buzz set to become new social networking king?
Today the ‘Buzz’ is all Google as their brand new social status feature makes its debut. It’s automatically integrated into the already highly successful Gmail – so you don’t even have to set it up; you’re already following the people you email and chat with. If your web mail is elsewhere it’s slightly trickier. However, they do offer the option to assimilate Twitter – probably with a view to eventually squishing it! Okay, here’s the geeky bit… you can even access it on your mobile and see what people are ‘Buzzing’ about nearby and call-up Google Maps to see geo-tagged Buzz posts.So, is it really the future of social networking? Well, on functionality alone it has a big thumbs up. It’s about more than just status updates – you can include full- sized photos and watch videos ‘in update’. But do you really want this level of integration in your life? You can restrict who sees what, but there’s always the danger that you’re going to say something that someone else doesn’t want to hear. Also, friends could get jealous because they can see who you email and chat with most. Of course, if you’re happy mixing business with pleasure then this isn’t a problem. The big challenge is getting people to actually switch. There seems to be a growing disaffection with Facebook over privacy issues, so maybe now is the perfect time for Buzz to move in for the kill.
It’s a boy. We’re getting divorced. She’s dead.
What exactly is/isn’t acceptable fodder for announcing via social media? A pregnancy – complete with scans on Facebook? A compressed critique of landlord failings via Twitter? A video diary of your kidney stone op via YouTube?
Your viewpoint, like most questions of broadcasting ‘good taste’, will probably be influenced by your age and moral standing. However, the truth is that the question of acceptable ‘netiquette’ changes by the day. We’re all getting used to the brash immediacy that new technology brings. It’ll also differ according to the social media you use and how you use it. For instance, do you really count a loose amalgam of Facebook buddies as ‘friends’ or are they just acquaintances? Like real life, it’s more to do with what’s acceptable within your particular group than the medium itself. What if that group is made up of your mum, your manager and your childhood sweetheart though? Even worse, what’s the netiquette for announcing news second-hand? Could you be sued for disseminating the ‘secret’ forthcoming divorce of a close friend? It’s a minefield and one that the law will find hard to keep pace with.
Sue that tweet!
According to the BBC, a tenant who used Twitter to complain about mould in her Chicago apartment is being sued by the lettings agency. Is it really libellous though? As someone quite rightly points out, should a humble tweet be deemed as a form of publishing? Or, is it merely the ‘electronic version of a coffee shop, where you can gripe privately but have your gripes overheard?’Twitter is fleeting and disposable by its very nature. Does this mean that all our pronouncements will now have to be run by our legal departments? If I tweet that my train isn’t running on time will I have to consider being sued by Virgin? Or risk the wrath of McDonalds if I say their mozzarella dippers turn my stomach? Tread carefully fellow Tweeters, indeed.
Michael Jackson rises again
Last night global web traffic rose a third above normal – peaking during the moving memorial service to Michael Jackson. However, it was nowhere near the unprecedented surge following the announcement of his passing. It was then that people clamoured to be the first to pass on the shocking news and fans descended into mass hysteria. It’s all been relatively restrained though – especially in an age when we get in a lather over any old Boyle, Goody or Potts. His ‘cult of personality’ seems no more extreme than any other. What’s more interesting is the fact that last night was further evidence of a burgeoning new era for the Internet. Thanks to the ubiquitous I-phone, Facebook, Twitter et al, consumers are becoming directors and disseminating information with much more immediacy than the TV networks. Most importantly, they’re putting their own personal spin on things. Something which mass media can never do. What about the question of ‘over coverage’ though? Yes Jackson did push much more important stories out of the limelight. But, like or loathe him, this was one the major cultural figures of our era – so perhaps, for once, all the fuss was justified.
Make millions with Twitter
It’s the eternal dream – turning everyday Tweets into pounds and pence. Well, Kogi, a little known barbeque company in the States may have the answer. Basically they’ve got BBQ juggernauts chugging around selling fancy tacos to hungry pedestrians. The big trouble is that they only have two vehicles and no one quite knows where they’re going to pop up next.
Facebook Feeding Frenzy
Facebook 2.0? Not quite, but today’s the day that it looks set to open up access to the ‘feed’. What we’re talking about is the rich real time data that developers would give their eye-teeth to get their hands on; the stuff we’re all sharing with our fellow Facebook users. It’s important because it ups the ante in the ongoing battle with Twitter. After all, search the net, and you’ll already find a plethora of news aggregation sites based on the most popular things people are Tweetering on about. Knowing what people are sharing is one thing, but imagine filtering it by geographic or company location too. The big question is precisely how much of the feed will be opened up and how it will sit with thorny privacy issues. What’s to be applauded though is the fact that they’re acting quickly to assimilate the best of competitor social media. People’s attention spans wane quickly online, so anything that sustains interest or reinvigorates has got to be welcomed.
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