Showing posts with label Social Media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social Media. Show all posts

Political Sexscapades

Schwarzenegger: It's All About Loving Your Help
Politicians all over the world are champion chameleons. They start out as humble and noble as the pope; filled with a desire to change the world with clean intentions. And slowly (read: overnight) their colors change as evils like corruption and power take over their souls. In more recent times, globally politicians have taken their publically acquired authority and used it in ways that are simply put, sleazy. American politicians take the cake when it comes to abusing their power. Bill Clinton can easily be crowned the king of sleaze politics. While he was a successful world leader, he also managed to “lead on” his office intern as he indulged in an Oval Office romance. But courtesy of his innate charm and abundant successes as an American President, his affair was forgotten. To think his political power had nothing to do with the quick dismissal of the issue is plain ignorant. But that was eons ago now. In the last six months, a number of politicians’ and leaders’ secret lives have been exposed to the world which has caused us to question their mental and emotional health, how politics has a direct impact on power, sex and sleaze.

There is a direct correlation between politicians and power. As our politicians age, they find themselves well, more erotically charged not only by their desires but by their immense power. It’s although, they turn on the ‘Sugar Daddy’ charm, coddle in rather “juvenile” actions which result in initial rejection followed by acceptation and eventually, forceful resignation of their scandalous ways. It may be a psychological high. The idea of men in power being able to indulge in a number of scandalous sexy moments which they believe, they can get away with simply because they can hide behind a construed establishment. From fondling the hotel housekeeping to impregnating the help and even posting indecent pictures on Twitter, politicians have pretty much covered the every area of sleaziness possible. And there is a pattern. Every politician who has found himself amidst a sex scandal has not only bestowed with immense power but clearly believe that they are undoubtedly allowed to take advantage of their supremacy. But what surprises people is how unapologetic they tend to be. In fact, until they receive intense pressure from their “people”, wives and even the government, do they finally realize that a solid apology is needed in order to sterile their soiled name.
Strauss-Kahn: Desperate Times
Perhaps it is courtesy of the media? A politician today is as popular and coveted as a celebrity. Their every move is captured on tape. And they know this. Thus, the media very quickly gives leaders, celeb status which ultimately gets to their heads – pun intended. What this means is that living under a microscope/spotlight, they feel a rush – better known as power, and very quickly succumb to the devils that come with fame. Then there is the money factor. With funds literally at their disposal, politicians realize that in the case of an iffy situation, they can simply throw money at the accuser. Who isn’t hungry for moolah in this day and age? However, why the gentlemen in question, find themselves in deep water, is because the women they messed with, were not hungry for riches, but fame. These ladies realize that money will only last them X amount of time; fame, can promise them an income.
A man cheating is hardly a new phenomenon. When I found out my neighbors husband was in an affair with his secretary, I stood in shock for 30 seconds, shook my head and went on with my life. So why is it that we make a big deal out of a politician cheating or sexually misbehaving? Infamy. The minute a man is well-known all around the world, his life becomes everyone else’s business. Mind you, no one really cared about my neighbor’s husband. Not even the nosy elderly woman who lives upstairs. She did, however, go on about living in the “Dark Ages” when she heard of Schwarzenegger impregnating his housekeeper. What surprises me is how beautifully these sexscapades tend to take away from more potent and important issues that need to be handled throughout the world. All of a sudden, ensuring the I.M.F. Chief, a known womanizer, was put in jail for attempted rape became more important than creating jobs for unemployed Americans.
There is no justification for what these men have done; attempted rape, fathering illegitimate children and tweeting sexual connotations on Twitter to random women. But ultimately, it comes down to them abusing their power. And this is hardly a new trend. Historically, men in all positions of power have done “it” just as bad. Sadly, there is no scientific explanation, no genetic disorder, which can explain their overindulgence. It comes down to power overload. There is no escaping exploitation as a politician. It’s almost like overeating. Be ready to deal with severe indigestion, bloating and even belching. Once the acid kicks in, you are exposed. And in this case, no medication can save you.

13/7: Mumbai Strong; But For How Long?

It felt like a scene straight out of a Hindi movie. I woke up to voice mails and nonstop messages from friends letting me know that Mumbai had been attacked. Again. My heart literally went dhak-dhak; dhak-dhak; dhak-dhak. I jumped out of bed with a lump in my throat and crashed on my couch in front of the television. For a hard core Mumbaikar (at heart at least) like myself, sitting and watching your favorite city up in flames, courtesy of a series of coordinated bombs, from the opposite hemisphere is heart wrenching. I found myself  falling into 26/11 mode. Unhappy, angry, scared and furious, I heard the updates while my Mother called relatives and friends to check on their safety. Lucky for us, our loved ones were all safe and sound.

I have one question for the Indian government: can you or can't you protect your citizens? It is just not fair for Mumbaikars to deal with such incidents over and over again. Just because they happen to be a resilient city, this does not mean this vitality should be taken for granted.  Everyone has a breaking point. If you, the Indian government, cannot protect your taxpaying citizens, then either you step down so we can find an administration that will or you step it up. Trust me, there will come a point where the citizens of the country will hit their saturation point and then, they will take it upon themselves to protect their country. And if they revolt, you'll find yourself dealing with dire circumstances; one that will be harder to control.

The details will keep coming in and we'll hear from the government who 'condemn' the attacks. Of course you do! The five year-old kid down the street playing gaali cricket condemns it. Our government uses that word far too loosely, it really pisses me off. But where are our Marathi manoos? The Shiv Sena, as usual hibernating in their homes, will come out of their hiding tomorrow morning and tell us how 'upset' they are. No one will take responsibility and we'll go back to believing that we are safe. For now at least.And we'll have those Candlelight Vigils headed by Bollywood stars but what good will that do?

This time however, the panic was not insane. We saw Mumbaikars come out to help one another. Twitter was used effectively while the rumors were kept to a complete minimum. It was all information and for the first time, Social Media in India did not sensationalize a dire situation.

Personally, I don't know what to say this time around. Who do we blame? The terrorists? Why should we blame them. They know we aren't and can't be protected and thus, they attack us again and again. Or should we blame our government? The ones we vote for or really, don't vote for. It's times like this I always say, if you didn't vote, then you need to STFU. It's because of you - the educated non-voter, that we have a government that is incapable. And it's not the rich that suffers; it's the common man on the street who hurts the most. The man who decided to have a quick bhel puri at Zaveri Bazaar, who will never come home again.

Look, terrorism has no religion but we know where it's coming from. So where do we go from here?

Arnie Gullov-Singh Talks Ad.ly!

Indians making waves around the world makes me a happy gal. And when it comes to Desis doing wonders in the Social Media arena, then I'm all about it. Meet Arnie Gullov-Singh (@arnie). CEO to Adly, which allows celebrities and brands to connect with people over Twitter. His clientele includes the very much in the news, Charlie Sheen. Arnie's company has made waves all over Twitter already and as he continues to rise in the Social Media world, he finds himself building a model for celebs in order to create the ideal brand for themselves. Check what he has to say in this quick tete-a-tete.


I think first and foremost, people will want to know who you are and what you do?
I’m the CEO of Ad.ly, which is a platform for brands to start a conversation with their target audience on Twitter.
Ad.ly is a network of 1,000 celebrities and a platform that analyzes who is following them, sparks a conversation with their fans and measures the impact of the conversation for the brand.
So for example, if a brand wants to start a conversation with moms on Twitter, our platform identifies celebrities who reach moms on Twitter, our creative team creates and delivers authentic messaging for the brand and our platform measures the click through, retweets and overall conversational lift generated by the campaign.
It’s been very successful: We’ve produced 24,000 endorsements with 1,000 celebrities for 150 brands including Toyota, Best Buy, Microsoft, American Airlines, Old Navy, NBC and Sony.

What does Ad.ly stand for and how did you come up with the name?
We wanted something short and simple. As companies like Amazon, Ebay, Google and Zynga have shown us, the value you deliver for your customers is more important than the name you give yourself.

Tell us about how you started Ad.ly and what it does for celebrities in the Social Media world?
My partner Sean Rad actually started Ad.ly in late 2009. He saw that consumer attention was shifting to Twitter and that celebrities were the driving force behind that shift because they were creating compelling content and amassing millions of followers. Whenever consumer attention shifts to a new medium in a big way, like it has with Twitter, advertisers will inevitably follow and so the goal was to build a platform to capitalize on that opportunity.

I joined Ad.ly in spring 2010 to help Sean scale the business. I had spent the previous 5 years building platforms to monetize social media at Yahoo and MySpace and had learned through experience that brands were struggling to get their arms around social media because the pace of change was making it very confusing and because the success metrics were unclear.

In figuring out the approach we realized that celebrities and brands had been working together successfully for decades doing celebrity endorsements in traditional media. In fact, it’s a $50B/year global industry. So we built our platform to bring celebrity endorsements online to social media and invested heavily in data mining and analytics to bring the much needed measurement to the business.

Ad.ly has been a huge hit with celebrities because until we came along they had no easy way to monetize their social media presence. In fact we’ve made it so simple that some in our industry have called us the AdSense For Celebrities.

Who are some celebs that work with you and how do help them gain standing and ground in the Social Media world?
The 1,000 celebrities in our network are listed here: http://adly.com/celebrities/celebrities-on-ad-ly/
Since the majority of them are already famous in real life, we focus on helping them bring their fans to Twitter. Over time we’ve developed a list of tactics and techniques and have recently started providing celebrities with tools and analytics to help them grow the size and engagement of their audiences.

We’ve also started publishing data on the most influential celebrities in social media, including the Ad.ly Consumer Influence Index http://bit.ly/kq9wbL and the Ad.ly Top 10 Most Influential Athletes On Twitter http://bit.ly/mkUKsh.

How do celebrities enforce or affect the Social Media world in your opinion and how does it impact their brands?
There’s no doubt celebrities are the driving force in social media. The data shows it. The top 1,000 users on Twitter are all celebrities. Celebrities create the content that attracts audiences social networks like Twitter and Facebook, just like they create the content that attracts audiences to television networks like ABC and CBS. And when the celebrities leave a social network, their fans follow, just like they did on MySpace.

Of course, the “in” man right now is Charlie Sheen. How did you work with him?
A couple of months ago, Charlie’s management team reached out to us to help him get setup on Twitter. We got him @charliesheen, got him verified with Twitter and shared some of our techniques and tactics to help him grow his audience.

He amassed a million followers in 24 hours, setting a Guinness World Record for the fastest growing Twitter account in history. A few days later he did an endorsement for Internships.com, driving over 1 million visitors to their site and putting them on the map with their target audience.

You went on to call him an “advertisers dream”. Please explain that idea because he really has been put in between a hard place and a wall.
In less than 24 hours Internships.com went from a start-up with a good product to a brand that everyone was talking about. Success on that scale is rare to achieve outside of a multi-million dollar Super Bowl ad.

Now you work with Hollywood celebs, what about stars from India.
It’s been interesting to watch the adoption of Twitter in India and how the growth of the platform is being driven by celebrities just like it has been in the US.

How do you view the way and manner in which Bollywood stars are endorsed?
There's no doubt celebrity endorsements are big business in India, as they are in many countries around the world. Just look at the $20M+ Virender Sehwag is getting through his deal with Sunil Gavaskar’s new management company.

If you had to take your “model” to India, do you think it would work? Why or why not?
It’s an interesting question. On one hand you have an established celebrity endorsement industry and a burgeoning interest in Twitter. On the other hand you have an online advertising business that is maybe 5% of the size of the US. I think the question is: can celebrity endorsements in social media grow the overall online advertising market in India? It’s certainly possible.

What have you noticed about the main difference between celebs in India and Hollywood?
I think celebrities are generally the same around the world. They live their lives in ways that the rest of us wish we lived our own. They’re funnier than us, more controversial than us and more talented than us. That’s what makes them universally appealing.

How are their pulls different in the Social Media world?
Celebrities around the world are using social media to connect with their fans in a way that is unfiltered by the traditional media. I think that’s what makes the content so compelling.

How do you help celebs get richer?
We give them a platform to monetize their social media presence by endorsing brands that are relevant to their fans.

Where do you hope to take Ad.ly in the next few years?
I think we’ve shown that our platform for connecting brands and celebrities in social media is creating value for both parties. So we’re working on a number of initiatives to extend our platform to enable these connections to happen on a broader basis. Stay tuned!


Luke O'Neill: Ace Journalist and Social Media Specialist!

Meet Luke O'Neill (@lukeoneill). Journalist and well, easily one of the most interesting people to follow on Twitter. Before this interview, I knew very little, okay honestly, nothing about him. However, after following him on Twitter post our small introduction, I quickly learned heaps about journalism and even more about Social Media's role in modern day journalism. What I received in the form of answers to my questions, was advice and words of wisdom that we, as budding writers, could definitely use. Take a read. Oh and I suggest you follow him on Twitter...now! Okay, now seriously, read.

When did you realize that you wanted to be a journalist?
Probably in the summer of 2006. I was nearing the end of a Bachelors Degree in Journalism at Dublin City University and at that time had the opportunity to work as an intern at the Irish Times. I broke a couple of my own stories as a newsroom reporter, after developing a good relationship with sources across the government spectrum. I suppose that initial taste of adventure, public service and luck drew me in.

What steps did you take in order for you achieve your writing goals?
I wrote for whoever I could wherever I could, often for free. I treated the littlest and largest subjects with the same respect and hoped I would get noticed. (I’m still doing this).

How did you decide which type of writing you wanted to partake in?
Like most graduate journalists, I did not have the luxury of picking and choosing. You go wherever the work is and hope eventually to end up where you want to be through a mix of luck and perseverance. I’ve emigrated twice to find work in journalism: first to London and then to Sydney.

What has changed over the period of time that you have been writing?
Good writing is becoming scarcer and less appreciated. Journalists, myself included, are still learning that there is a difference between writing for print and new media.

Is blogging, in your opinion, journalism?
This is a recurring and oft misphrased question. Blogging is a platform. It depends what a person does with it. If someone is using a blog to source, verify, report, analyse and dissect information, then sure, blogging is journalism. The phoney bloggers-versus-journalists war doesn’t interest me. We can all work together as part of community that curates, collects and breaks new information.

What are some blogs you personally choose to follow?
Jeff Jarvis, The Failed Estate (see @mrdenmore), Jay Rosen and Storyful.

What is journalism’s place in Social Media today?
I believe it has a central place. PR and marketing professionals would have you think different. Our places within social media spaces is the same as it is within government, courts, crime: we’re there to report, cultivate contacts, debunk misinformation and bring the news to people who engage with it. What’s most important about our place in social media is engagement. Guess what? It’s okay to talk to readers.

Where do you see the future of journalism headed with regards to Social Media?
I wouldn’t be so bold to make a prediction on the ‘future of journalism’. I would hope that news organisations will, small and large, will begin to weave SM into the fabric of news. For examples of people moulding a potential future, see Storyful.com.

We’ve seen a decline in paper publications – especially newspapers. Is this a problem or a blessing?
It’s a problem for journalists who haven’t got new skills. It’s not a problem for the audience, they will go where the news is.

How does this change the idea of ethics in journalism? You need to act in as ethical a manner as before. I have noticed a tendency of media to take content form Twitter without attribution. If someone has taken a good photo or sourced good information (that can be verified thoroughly), then they deserve the credit.

Which is your preferred Social media platform and why?
I use Twitter most. I enjoy the interactions and it acts as a personal news wire.

How do you feel about journalists tweeting and learning about news via Twitter?
Do it or die. Honestly, if you’re not on it and using it you face professional detriment.

Who are your favorite people to follow on Twitter? There are many. In Australia, @Colvinius is excellent as is @garethoconnor in Ireland.

How has Social Media changed your work?
It’s broadened my network and led me to new sources and collaborators.

How do you see Social Media evolving in the future keeping your career in mind?
Well, it’s a new frontier for news. I wouldn’t discount the possibility of the paywall debate emerging for news-based Twitter accounts.

The Final Shpeel

Social Media:The Top 10!
I walked into this Social Media class – late and rather worried. For starters, I didn’t know what was left to learn about the Social Media world, that I didn’t already know. I had a Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn account. “What more did I need to know?” I asked myself. Anyhow, my fascination with Social Media forced me to wander into this class. From then on, this class has been the biggest life changing – I kid you not, experience of my life. To count just 10 things that I learned from this course is rather hard because I learned more than just a mere ten. But here we go, I’ll take a stab:

  1. Social Media is constantly evolving – just when you think you’ve learned it all, you’re enlightened with yet another aspect that was unknown to you.

  2. Networking is key.

  3. All Social Media platforms are different, unique and useful in their own ways.

  4. Joining groups connects you with like-minded people.

  5. Never underestimate the power of LinkedIn – this was the biggest revelation to me. I have a newfound respect for this particular platform.

  6. The world has never been so small. Social Media brings people together and thus, you always only a wall post, a tweet, a click away.

  7. Social Media is now literally at your fingertips. With Smart Phones and iPads being a thing of the future, you always connected.

  8. Social Media is ahead of any news channel or website even. Twitter, being the number one place to go to for real time information, has proved that as a platform, it’s news is updated quicker.

  9. Keywords make all the difference!

  10. It’s a package deal! Social Media is all about informing yet entertaining, linking yet connecting. It isn’t used for one single purpose and depending on how you utilize it, it can prove to be as influential in your life.


The Future of Journalism and Social Media
In my opinion, journalism is evolving on a daily basis. But it is shifting because Social Media has such an important impact on it. They really are, in my opinion too closely interconnected now; one cannot function without the other. I remember as a young girl watching television shows about newspapers. It was so hands-on; writers running from place to place looking for ideas and pitches which would take time to follow through with. Of course, there was no sign of Social Media or networking then. Whatever connections you managed to gain using your own personal methods became ones you would hold on to and hope would give you great leads.  Nowadays, that is hardly the case. Using Social Media, journalists are aware immediately through the Social Media “grapevines” of events that are newsworthy. They can then jump on the bandwagon and get on board to exploit and sensationalize the information. In fact, Twitter has literally become every journalist’s best friend. This particular form of Social Media works superbly for writers as it allows them to get a feel for arguments and ideas that are circulating within the “public”. They can connect with one another via LinkedIn to support each other and so on. What I particularly feel most passionately about with regards to journalism in the future, is that it is on its way to become remote. Nowadays, publications and newspapers are more than excited to take on board writers who are not in the local vicinity. They understand the need for local reporting straight from the source and thus, it makes a world of a difference if you have a writer who is in the eye of a storm. Social Media is definitely changing the way news is being reported and will continue to do so.

Social Media and Me
I personally will never look at Social Media the same ever again. It was a sheer “fun and games” platform for me which I used to network no doubt, but never looked at so deeply until this course happened to me. This course has taught me a number of skills that I believe will only help further my journalism journey. As I continue in my pursuit to becoming a top-notch writer, I know that all my skills in utilizing Social Media correctly will help to further my career. The impact it will have on my future, I’ll only know then but it has already had an impact in personal future…right now!

Welcome to Bollywood!



You’ve probably heard the term but are totally unaware as to what on earth Bollywood. Yes, it is a name that has been ripped off the American film industry but you have to head to the opposite hemisphere to get a load of India’s answer to cinema, Bollywood – a term that is derived from Hollywood but since the hub to films in India was Bombay (now Mumbai), it was mixed to create Bollywood. I’ve been a fan since I can remember. Growing up away from India, it was my only way to feel connected. In many ways, it has molded me to become the person I am today: patriotic, emotional and well, screwed in many ways. Bollywood has set some seriously unrealistic expectations for love and men. But getting back to basics, the Hindi film industry is hardly a new phenomenon.

While the first film to come out of India was a silent one back in 1913, it wasn’t the first film that local Indians were introduced to. According to a renowned site, Bollywood Tourism, “The year was 1896, and thanks to the country’s colonial rulers, it was the Lumiere Brothers who introduced the art of cinema to the sub-continent. Bombay, as it was then called, was the first Indian city to screen Cinematography, six short films by these cinematic pioneers.”  Very quickly after, Bollywood was established and created its own niche filled with song and dance, emotion and drama.

As it moved quickly from silent films to the “talkies” era, the technology used rapidly modernized. As the country gained independence from the British, it’s films went into what was known as the “Golden Age”. “But it was the Golden Age – 1950s and 1960s – that produced some of India’s most critically acclaimed films and memorable actors of all time,” Bollywood Tourism explains further. This is true as some of the most prevalent and classic Hindi films came from this era. In fact, some of Bollywood’s biggest stars were made during this time.

Things changed as time went on and what then developed was the “Masala” (spice) generation. Films became a lot more entertaining as more money was poured into the filmmaking process. The idea of India being depicted as a fashion-forward started during the late seventies and till date is an important facet of filmmaking in India. Currently, Bollywood is a globally known industry. Films from India compete at an international level not only because the stories tend to be different but because of their commercial value too. Right now, Indian cinema is going through yet another transition – the Gloss Epoch. Films from India are not only being featured worldwide but actors from the Bollywood are being called to work in different acting industries across the planet.


What sets Bollywood apart from Hollywood, besides the length, (Hindi films range from 2 to 3 hours long) and the song and dance routine, are the numbers. “Hollywood produces 500 films per year on average and has a worldwide audience of 2.6 billion whereas Bollywood produces more than 1000 (not consistently) films every year and has a worldwide audience of 3 Billion. In terms of viewership, Bollywood overtook Hollywood in 2004 and has been leading ever since,” claims Mutiny. Interestingly, Hollywood also recognizes that Bollywood is no longer its competition but understands and knows that Bollywood is now the capital of cinema in the world. However, this doesn’t mean that Hollywood is a thing of the past. “Hollywood has an overwhelming domination among the top grossers worldwide – almost all of the top 50 movies are made in Hollywood.” (Mutiny) The west has its own developed idea of cinema which is undeniably one that cannot be imitated but that doesn’t mean to say that Bollywood should be shunned.

What Bollywood offers to its fans is 3 hours of escapism, music and dance which are sung all over the world by Indians near and far. It seems to be only getting bigger and better with time. And to give you some trivia into how big Bollywood stars are, the biggest star in India, Shah Rukh Khan has more than fans than hottie Tom Cruise. #BollywoodisBetter

Social Media on OBL!

If you think the media is all over OBL’s death, then you’ll be in for a surprise as to how the Social Media world has reacted. They went from strength to strength with the amount of information they provided. It became almost impossible to keep up with tweets (5,106 tweets per second reportedly), with information, with Facebook links and posts. And there is no doubt in how genuine the information being thrown our way was at that point. It was information that was not being provided to us by any other outlet and thus, it became hot news. It all of course, began with a “mistaken” tweet which led to the wires going fanatical with unknown, unsourced information. I’m not sure how legitimate the information we receive via Social Media is but I do know that even news channels and publications are taking to the information they receive and see on Social Media sites. They are acting on it and following up on it as soon as they can to verify it before publishing it on their sites.

How is it affecting news? Well it is actually making news, believe it or not. Social Media is a source of news nowadays. Information filters from person to person and then straight to Social Media. In this case, yet again, it was no different. Mashable went on to poll the very question: “How did you hear of the death of OBL?” The results depicted that close to 30% of those who voted “heard” the information through Twitter. This was the largest number with Facebook coming a close second at 20%. This speaks for itself. The television is no long a single source of information for big news. Welcome to the new age!

Media Junkies on OBL

Needless to say, like the rest of the world, I too was ecstatic when I heard about the demolition of a man who caused the world to be afraid: Osama Bin Laden. The world has reacted, for the most part, with happiness. The idea of “being able to sleep peacefully” was reiterated by people, writers and bloggers everywhere. What I found most interesting was the celebration that took place in the country. While most would feel this kind of celebration is rather morbid, people in the country, who had lost family, friends and citizens, felt the need to rejoice over the death of a man who showed zero remorse. And yet, there were a few Americans who were slightly disgusted by the merry-making. Renowned CNN religious columnist, Stephen Prothero, “cringed” when he saw people waving flags at landmark sites such as Ground Zero and Times Square, New York. He went on to talk about how he bought up his hesitation of the partying over a piece of news that was worthy of salutation but did people really need to take to the streets? What I found interesting was the fact that of course, he too is an American, but even then felt the need to express his feelings. He was reminded quickly by his students that the Muslim world did exactly the same when 9/11 occurred. But then again, that is them…so how are we any different then?

And then there was the next take, how Osama and Obama really have much in common, believe it or not. The “mythos” according to, Larbi Sadiki of Al Jazeera, explained how both leaders were shared much more than just a difference of a single letter in their names. One is deemed, the “hunter” (Obama) while the other is the “hunted” (Osama), both chiefs of different ideals, both iconic, and both in positions of power, one alive, and the other dead. But a running theme that keeps cropping up is the idea of the civilized world celebrating a death. It seems that people cannot understand why this is a celebratory situation. While yet again we are reminded that the Muslim world has always cheered when America was hurt and struggling courtesy of them, it doesn’t seem to work when the roles are reversed. We, are a civilized educated society, and they are looked at as the quite the opposite. “Celebration of fallen enemies – without self-reflection – may be no more worthy than celebrating a victory at a football match,” he concludes.

But if there is anyone who has truly benefited from the death and eradication of Osama is the big O himself, President Obama. He has earned himself bragging rights as the only successful president who went out there, used his intelligence, took a risk and well, succeeded. “He did not simply go for bombs or drones but rather a helicopter raid. One insider is quoted as saying that Black Hawk Down was mentioned a few times in the discussions,” writes Mark Mardell of BBC. And what immediately came to everyone’s mind as soon as the news broke was Obama’s re-election. The death of Osama, everyone believes, almost assures his re-election and another term as the President of America. “It assures no such thing. Apart from the obvious point that there can be many other unexpected events that will have an impact, positive or negative; it just doesn't work like that. However huge this event snow seems, wait a couple of months. In the relentless frenzy of the 24-hour media cycle, it will probably be half forgotten by the time of the election,” the writer writes. This speaks volumes about the media today. Using the word, “frenzy” clearly depicts the manner in which we allow information to literally swoop past us. Yes, he is the flavor of the moment, but this is so true; come election time, will we really remember this epic victory? And yes, it is huge but is it enough for us to forget about other boiling issues which the country has had to endure up until now?

A piece of information I’d like to point out which is rather interesting is that while we relied on the American media for the initial news, it is the Indian media that has been on the ball with information. Last night, I read about how the entire operation went down and only heard it 12 hours later did the American media come out with the raw particulars on the operation. Pretty interesting. I believe it may have something to do with the close proximity to India and of course, the number of internal sources that are in Pakistan.

Osama is dead and whether like myself you have dying questions, the media is having a field day with it and in all honesty, who can blame them? What is most interesting is that the information is still coming in. As a media junkie, I’m on the biggest high of my life.

How I Heard about OBL!

For me, it wasn’t Social Media that broke the news of Osama Bin Laden’s death; it was my Blackberry Messenger, which if you think about it, is also a form of Social Media since a lot of the information that comes through it, is in real time. The minute I actually thought there may be an element of truth to the messages, I turned on CNN at logged onto Facebook and Twitter. Lo and behold, it was all true. It was rather odd because for the most part, I am always logged onto one or both, Social Media platforms. However, at that very moment, I decided to take a break from staring at my laptop screen and at that precise time, the news erupted. It pretty much spread like wildfire then. Facebook statuses went into overdrive as everyone felt the need to let their social circles know about this possible death. Twitter went into massive overhaul as the number of updated tweets was impossible to refresh – that was the speed at which information was being shoved in our faces. In fact what I found most astonishing was that not only were all Social Media sites providing us with speedy facts but they happened to be more on top of it than even the news channel’s who had no choice but to turn to Twitter for updated information too.

Interestingly, tweeps and Facebookers were posting any information they could find from various sources quickly and efficiently not just before The President’s speech but even during. As he briefed the world on what had just happened, people were already tweeting parts of his speech to the word claiming that this was indeed a historic day for the world.

The Use of Social Media

I read a rather interesting article about the different ways in which journalists are using Social Media. The first way in which they are using it is by networking. It’s not just about “linking” up with people. It’s about reaching out apparently. For example, some PR agents actually scout for writers by contacting writers via Twitter. They tweet potential writers with information about their product, gadget and even widgets asking them for their advice, take or even an article. Writers, on the other hand, are out to listen to what you, the people, are interested in. In addition, they also use Twitter to connect with people they might not be able to in any other way.

Most writers realize the importance of research. But it’s not the traditional research that they are looking for. It’s of course, important to find information through the internet and secondary sources. However, most writers now understand that using Social Media, they can get first hand primary information from people who are experiencing a situation or can give out information that no one else has.

I find myself scouting for stories all over various Social Media platforms. Most of the time, using Twitter and Facebook, you are able to get an idea as to what people are interested in or what topics are making the rounds. For example, the Royal Wedding seems to be the talk of the town on all Social Media sites and thus, the number of wedding related articles and posts are sky-rocking high. Not surprising of course, since this is one of the hottest topics around Social Media town.

The idea of news being circulated is being questioned by skeptics all over. People even believe that the name, “Social Media” should be changed to “Mass-Media”. But when I think about it, it really is the same. Social Media is about exchanging information. And clearly that is what most journalists need to take advantage of.

How to Practice Facebook

Facebook, in my opinion, is by far one of the smarter Social Media platforms. It isn’t fair to compare but Facebook is definitely one of the easier places to publicize your work. Has it made the life of a journalist and/or writer better? Yes, definitely! Everything about it works wonders for writers. No longer do you need to worry about getting your word out there. Via the post link, journalists can share work, which apparently is one of the rules of Facebook. It’s not just about sharing your own writing on Facebook but work of those you may like or feel is worth a read.

In terms of how it can affect the practice of journalism, well then, it really depends on what you need from Facebook, I believe. For instance, if I wanted to increase traffic to my blog, I would join groups where liked-minded people would read and also share my work. In addition, I could regularly update posts on my own wall.

There are other ways to keep Facebook in the loop as a journalist. The one characteristic that Facebook provides you with which no other Social Media platform does, is allows you to join groups and fan groups. This, I believe, is what makes Facebook so different and unique. As a writer, I want to connect and network with people who like myself, want to increase their viewership and readership too. Thus, the best way is to network. It is a lot easier to network on Facebook because you eliminate the uneasiness that can is evident in person-to-person contact or even via LinkedIn and Twitter.

As a journalist, Facebook has proved to be incredibly helpful in the networking department. Not only that, but it has allowed me to connect with people who have worked in areas that are of a particular interest to me. I find that if one is able to fully utilize Facebook properly, you would be able to help journalists do a lot more with their work.

Facebook and Moi!

I joined Facebook when it was dedicated solely to college students. This meant you needed a college email account and a part of the college system. During that time, Facebook was all about connecting with your friends in college irrespective of their place in the world. Soon of course, Facebook became a place for everyone – age or school no bar. After this, my reason for Facebook changed. I think from then on, Facebook became a “place” where I could connect with my friends and family across the world. It didn’t matter who or where you were, if you had an account, we could keep in touch. In a way, this has been fantastic in connecting myself with cousins and relatives I wouldn’t normally speak to, estranged family and even finding family I didn’t know existed. It has become a hub where everyone is – kind of like your local hangout. With regards to my friends, it’s pretty much the same story. At first it was about finding your close friends, classmates and so on. Now however, I use Facebook to find out about happenings in friends lives, connect with ones who I’ve been out of touch with and so on. We’ve even used Facebook to create a High School class page where all of us can stay in touch and in addition, we even made a page which would help us organize our reunion.

In terms of my journalism and writing, I use Facebook to connect with people who are in the field to network with. I find that sometimes, it is easier to use Facebook to chat with people who are in editorial positions because email is a tad bit too formal. Via Facebook you are able to loosen the rigidness, connect and see how things go. Either way, you allow yourself to be more approachable and honest with what you want exactly. Using Facebook, I’ve been able to network with people who have passed me on to other people and helped me progress in my career. In the same token however, one does have to be weary for fake accounts and also be prepared to be ignored. I know this only too well. Either way, Facebook is a fabulous way to connect and network with some fabulous people.

App Choice: DropBox

I decided to choose DropBox as my app to experiment with and basically, I’ve decided it’s an app I’d like to hold on to. The idea of sharing work has always been a pain especially on days when email doesn’t seem to cooperate or when big documents need to be transferred. Using DropBox is a great alternate way. The idea is simple. It works as remote file that can be accessed by all those who have admission to use DropBox. I had heard of it earlier when my High School Prom team decided to put together a reunion book. We needed a place where we could accumulate all our files, ideas and spreadsheets. While we researched for such an app, we found and thought about DropBox. However, the reunion idea fell through and thus, we dropped DropBox completely.

However, I decided to experiment with it. I asked a friend to share files with me via DropBox and what we found was an easy alternative to emailing nonstop. It works as a hub or central base where files can be stored. Some advantages include 2GB of space which increases as you add more people to be a part of your “family”. It is a secure place to store confidential files too since it uses the internet but uses your computer as its central storage space.  Thus, eliminating the lack of privacy issue that most people get weary about.

It has a number of features which make it easy to use, secure, utilize the space correctly and maintain your work in a single place where it can be updated and saved. Overall, a great app which really should be used by all writers for various reasons.

RSS Feeds vs. Social Media as News Outlets

In response to: How the social evolution has altered my FIR news-gathering process

I totally agree. In fact, I have my RSS feeds hooked up to my email and phone but just the other day, I found myself deleting all my RSS feeds off my phone. The more we use the Social Media, the more useful and perhaps, even easier it becomes to find new information and sometimes even unknown news.

A lot of the time, I find myself finding out about news courtesy of Facebook and Twitter which I use daily. And if you connect with like-minded people, you will often find that they realize that you are a lot like them and thus, will throw news your way. With Facebook of course, you have the option to join groups and so on. This allows you to get information that is pertinent solely to what you like.

However, I will say this. RSS Feeds provide you the option to store and save news that Social Media is unable to do. It works like a database too as it doesn't delete your feeds.

The Scary Rise of the 2nd Internet

In response to David Henderson's "The Scary Rise of the 2nd Internet" :

"WOW! I had no clue there was a differentiation or even a definition that is 1st and 2nd Generation Internet. I think I’m most intrigued by this idea but what I’m fascinated most about is the quick rise of Huffington Post. Considering the fact that the NY Times and Wall Street Journal have been around even before the rise of any form of internet, it definitely is a shocker to see how quickly HP has climbed the charts. I like the idea of how they operate though. It really makes sense to me because a lot of what works for the internet today, is the idea of being interactive. Huffington Post is definitely the most interactive of all news sites online.

While I personally find myself running towards the NY Times first, there are days where I can spend hours just reading what HP has to offer simply because of the fact that they generate news that is heavily searched by search engines. And yes, the most interesting part of all of this, is having the ability to debate the content. Not only can you sit and claim that XYZ is correct or incorrect but can even oust the news because it may just not appeal to your sensibilities.

I’m not sure if I agree with your claim however, that 1st generation internet leaders are “asleep”. I am an avid CNN.com fan but I think that has something to do with the fact that I like them as a newschannel on the television. If they do “wake up” then perhaps, they will be able to catch up. Until they, they’re just left behind while others are racing ahead at an insane speed.

Lovely insight! I’m enlightened!"

The Right Way to Blog!

Personally I love to blog. The idea of being able to publish a piece of work that you believe is worthy of publishing, is something totally profound to me. When I decided to venture out into the world of blogging, I found myself rather confused with how I should begin. A friend and editor of mine said to me, “It’s the best way to work your way into the world of writing.” And with that, I found myself looking for the best portal to begin my blogging. At that time, a few years ago, I discovered that there was hardly any real guidelines as to what’s, how’s, where’s and why’s of blogging. So for my curation assignment, I thought it would be a great idea to aggregate blogging topics and put them in one place so that anyone who wanted to start blogging would have one place to find all the answers.

What is it?

A blog is basically a type of website, like a forum or a social bookmarking site. As such it is defined by the technical aspects and features around it, and not by the content published inside it.” (What is a Blog?)

Blogging is creating a useful and informative place full of original content aimed at a certain audience set up as a web page.” (Define a Blog)

The idea is simple when it comes to blogging. A blog is a platform where anyone a writer, professional or amateur, can build content and place it in one particular place. Within a blog, one can find a number of aspects and gadgets that they can use to further enhance their blog and thus, bring more traffic to your blog. This in turn will allow more people to read your work. In addition, a blog need not necessarily be personal. Some choose a particular topic and dedicate their blog to it while others choose a variety.

Best Blogging Platforms

There are a number of platforms that bloggers can use to create a place where their work is properly published. With so many sites readily available to writers, it is often hard to find the best one because each portal offers a number of add-ons that can be useful depending on what you prefer.

Wordpress has both hosted and self-install versions, both free to use. It's one of the best blogging platforms, and the most popular by far. WP is open source and has a big community of people creating new templates and plugins. The hosted version (Wordpress.com) doesn't allow you to put any ads on your blog, while the self-install one gives you full control over your blog.” (Best Blogging Platforms)

Blogger is a great free blogging platform from Google that offers nice templates, widgets, mobile blogging, and money making opportunities by displaying AdSense ads on your blog. They also offer unlimited bandwidth and let you use your own domain for free.” (Best Blogging Platform)

The reason I left it to just those two particular platforms is because they happen to be the best online. In my opinion, for bloggers who are just starting out, Blogger is your best option. It is easy to use, navigate and understand. Later on, after one is more accustomed with blogging, moving to Wordpress would be more advisable as it looks and feels much more professional than Blogger.

What to Blog About

The hardest part, when it comes to blogging, is deciding on what to blog about. However, there are a bunch of ideas and topics that potential bloggers can get down to blogging about.

Respond to something elsewhere on the web. Suggest an idea. Interview someone. Blog an event. Ask a question. Pick a fight. Reflect on something. Do something visual. Review something. Make a list. Write a how-to. Let someone else post.” (Ideas for Starting a Blog)

Before you dive in and commit resources to creating and maintaining a blog, make sure that you are creating content that your audience will want to read, and that also maps back to your goals.” (What to Blog About)

It doesn’t really matter what you blog about in theory, as long as it makes sense, has a point and ultimately, is interesting. Beyond that, the world of blogging is yours to discover and paint. The more unique your posts are, the easier it to attract loyal readers who will come back time and time again to read what you have to say.

The Importance of the Layout

The blog’s layout and design also plays a big role.  While most of the companies offering free blog hosting offer pre-selected templates, there are also some that allows customization that if you utilize this feature correctly can increase your blog’s traffic.” (Importance of a Blog)

It definitely is important to understand the importance of the layout because this is the first thing a new reader will see and will ultimately decide if they choose to stay and even come back. It is always advisable to keep your blog clean and easy to navigate. The article above insists on adding the following to your blog to help the layout:

  • Customize a banner

  • Personalizing photos

  • Add a favicon

  • Check out blog templates, layouts, backgrounds, textures and skins from sites

  • Include RSS feeds

  • Audio makes your blog more personal

  • Advertisements


I hope this information from a number of different sites which I’ve aggregated will be useful and will make you blogging experience easier and effective.

What is your take on blogging? Did you find the material from the sources above useful?

Top 10 in Social Media!

I feel like I should have totally been a part of this class ages ago! I would much further in my goal to becoming a top-notch journalist. However, it’s never too late and over the last 11 weeks, I’ve found myself learning heaps! Take a peek at the top ten things I’ve learned thus far.

10. Social Media is a platform for everyone – age, gender, location, have no control over who and why you can get on board.

9. LinkedIn is supremely helpful and one of the most powerful Social Media sites.

8. It is important to divide your time between all forms of Social Media. While we all have our preferences, each is equally as important as it allows you to build a complete brand.

7. Keywords, keywords, keywords.

6. Each Social Media platform has its own purpose. LinkedIn is more professional, Twitter allows you to connect with people via 140 characters and Facebook allows you to keep in touch.

5. Complete it! Whatever your choice of Social Media, make sure you complete your profile 100 percent, it makes all the difference.

4. Apps! I’ve found myself using Apps for a number of reasons on all my Social Media platforms. Each of them have been different but effective and useful.

3. Go Mobile. Not everyone feels the need to indulge in a smart phone but really, if you do, you’ll find yourself always connected.

2. Connect. Whichever your choice of Social Media, the idea is to connect and while this doesn’t mean you need to be best pals with everyone, it doesn’t mean one must not network with people they do not know. Networking will help connect you from A to B and B to C.

1. You’re always learning the ropes. I don’t think anyone knows everything about any Social Media platform. Each one is constantly evolving and changing. This means that it is important to stay on top of things and educate yourself.

Curators - The Future of Journalism?

In response to Professor Weiss' Blog: Is Curation the Future of Journalism?


I had to really think carefully about the true meaning of “Curation” because to me, it simply looks like a lot of research that is put together. But from the comments above, I’ve come to understand that really a curator is one who is specialized in a particular field. So ultimately this would mean that a curator is a person who must commit to a particular area of journalism.

I think that curators definitely have a deep rooted future in the world of journalism. However, I don’t know how effective one may be since they are ultimately just accumulating information, meshing it together and creating a platform to gather information that is readily available to anyone who needs it.

I wonder also, how it works with being a journalist. For example, if I commit myself to a certain area in journalism, does it make me a curator? And what if I pen original work of my own? Do you need to choose between being a curator and penning original work?

Ultimately, yes curators are going to shape the future of journalism because they are so niche in what they do and it definitely does require a certain amount of expertise.

Social Media and Journalism

Bill Gates on Social Media and Journalism

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/bronstein/detail?entry_id=61674

Bill Gates has found himself an avid Tweeter and of course, has also succumbed to the ways of Facebook. However, this is a very recent development. As an avid Techie, who is known for being on top of his game when it comes to modern technology, he realized the importance of Social Media much later than most people. He is often seen re-tweeting articles written by prominent journalists from renowned publications. The reason? “That anybody can publish, that overall is a very good thing, the fact that you can search and find things is a very good thing.” What is most interesting about Gate’s interview regarding Social Media and journalism is how he realized that Social Media is a thing of the future and so, it is important for everyone including “heavy duty techies” to get involved now because it is constantly evolving.

Harnessing Social Media

http://www.ajr.org/article.asp?id=4860

Traditionally, journalists and their jobs were simple. Pitch a story, write, edit and publish. Most job titles too were clear-cut: writer, contributor, editor and so on. Now however, with the introduction of Social Media, most writers find themselves having to contribute not only to the publication but also to their publications Social Media portal. And so, actual positions and groups are now being implemented into most publication houses. These people basically handle the Social Media sector of a publication. It is their job to ensure every article is tweeted, Facebook pages are updated and so on. A well known Social Media editor in the article says, “We are very conscious that we are kind of intruders into social media, and for the news to be there, we need to be doing it right. We need to be respectful of the medium and not just put links everywhere.” This is interesting because as journalist, I always believe that any published article of mine should and must be tweeted and posted on Facebook. But I learned that this is not the case.

i-Pad Newspaper

http://mashable.com/2010/11/21/the-daily-ipad-journalism/

You know Social Media is headed places when Rupert Murdoch decides to indulge in an i-Pad-only newspaper. Titled “The Daily” his newspaper will be able exclusively to i-Pad users for a meager 0.99 cents per day. His idea of a “digital future” starts immediately with news and thus, his idea of taking journalism to the next level is one that you would think, would have come to someone immediately but obviously didn’t. “He realizes more than his competitors that the future of news isn’t in propping up print publications, but creating truly immersive digital experiences. He may very well be creating the template that brings other newspapers into a profitable digital age.” This is a key idea. The digital age is really journalism in the future and thus, the idea of a newspaper solely for an i-pad seems revolutionary.

Social Media and Cricket

I’m pretty sure a lot of our class is totally unaware of sport, Cricket. It’s almost like a cross between field hockey and baseball. And if we’re talking teams, then the biggest teams in the world happens to be India, Australia, Pakistan and South Africa. With the World Cup Final around the corner, the semi-finals will take place in India between old rivals India and Pakistan. Think of it as the Lakers vs. Celtics. Yes, it’s that serious. And the subcontinent, who is big on Social Media, are gearing up for a big contest tonight which will determine which of the two teams will go into the final. However, the history and politics between both countries makes this game one of the most anticipated matches of the century. So back to Social Media and this match. If you happen to have a number of cricket fanatics whom you follow on Twitter, you’ll get an idea as to how big this particular game is for fans all over the world. Twitter has literally become an outlet for fans who not only tweet regularly during live games, either praising or ousting out players, while they act like commentators and give out their ten cents. Facebook has struck a number of debates as to who has the better team, who will win and the current “voting” app too has been put into use as users choose their favorite between the two.

The Indian and Pakistani media has realized how important Social Media is to such a match and since this is the first time since a match of this level is being played since the “arrival” of Social Media. Some of the statistics are amazing to read with regards to how important this match is. An article based on this particular match, went on to explain that over 80 percent of conversations on Facebook are about the upcoming semi-finals in India. In fact, this type of hype has rarely been seen to the extent that doctors are worried about what would happen if either team did go on to lose and its effects on viewers which are expected to be over one billion worldwide.

So why the chaos? Why the mayhem? You may ask. Well, it’s not as though these teams have never played before. They have. Whenever they do meet at the World Cup, India always wins. On the flip side, Pakistan never loses at the Mohali venue, where the match will be played tonight. Social Media is playing a huge part in generating hype and excitement for the game. However, this has also created much tension between Indian and Pakistani fans who have resorted to a number of racists slogans to cheer on their teams. Sadly, Indians who are still mourning over the terrorists attacks that occurred a few years ago in Mumbai by Pakistani terrorists have still not received answers from their neighboring country. This is one reason why the Indian public would like their team to win this particular match – as an act of revenge. Needless to say, these racist slogans have not gone down too well with Pakistani fans who in turn have come up with slogans dedicated to the Indian team too.

Social Media is never behind, whether it’s a revolution, a dire issue and in this case, the match of the century. You can expect fireworks tonight as fans will update statuses at regular intervals while they tweet with match updates. You can be sure I’ll be doing the same and rooting for my team – Team India!

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