Christmas Firsts

Apparently, this Christmas was a record-breaker.

For the first time ever, Facebook was #1 on Christmas. On both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Facebook was the most visited website in the United States, beating out both Google and Yahoo, Facebook's frequent competitors. Why Facebook on Christmas? Wishing family members and longtime friends a Merry Christmas, perhaps? Sending messages to find out what kind of sweet presents your roommates got that you can use next semester? Extra time to spend chatting with your best friends? Whatever it is, we know Facebook has worked hard for this moment. Maybe they'll surprise us again in 2010.

Also for the first time ever, Amazon sold more Kindle books than printed books on Christmas. While many people may have received Kindles for Christmas and needed to stock up, it's still a milestone for the Kindle due to the sheer volume of purchases and its increased presence within our society. Much like the younger generation's tendency to flock toward online news rather than print, perhaps we really will start to see the same trend with books in the coming years.

Lunch Duty Rap - Week 3, Longing for Photoshop

Teaching Online Journalism's post today reminded me of an issue I've been thinking a lot about lately.

It quotes Renee Barnes' question, "What skills are most important for an online journalist?"

The main skills that emerge include these:

1. Evidence of blogging and interaction with a wide range of blogs
2. An understanding and active use of social media (Twitter, RSS, social bookmarking etc.)
3. The ability to tell an engaging story using still images and audio (audio slideshow – see my previous post for great examples)
4. Ability to shoot, edit and tell stories using video.
5. Basic ability to create interactive story elements using Adobe Flash
6. Ability edit audio and produce podcasts
7. Ability to file from the field breaking news
8. Ability to moderate online discussion

Personally, I feel that all of these skills are not only important but absolutely necessary for journalists today. The speed with which we're moving toward online products and competition is fast-paced and inevitable. In order to best be able to market yourself and serve your community, you have to fully embrace technology and online journalism.

However, there is only one issue with this reality - access to resources.

Most of the technology referenced above is not free. Programs for photos, video, podcasting and web building can cost hundreds of dollars. If you work for a newspaper or online publication that is willing to foot the bill, then that's great. But what about the rest of us?

I work at a small newspaper with minimal funding and even less online use. I can barely access email, let alone any Flash programs or Photoshop. So in order to have the same opportunities as everyone else, it's up to me to fund my own education in technology.

The same goes for freelance writers, laid-off journalists, or journalists who are actively job searching. It's the Catch-22 of the journalism industry. In order to make yourself marketable, you need access to technology. But when you're unemployed or living on a very low income, it's hard to fork over hundreds of dollars in the hopes of keeping up with technology and successfully marketing yourself. In all honesty, sometimes it's a gamble that I'm not willing to make.

The solution? Who knows. Maybe a technology grant that journalists can apply for and receive. Maybe free classes or free access to some of these programs at public libraries. Maybe there are some things out there already that I don't know about yet. Luckily, blogs, social networks and story-writing are all free, so there's still hope for some of us. I do the best that I can with what I've got. While I'm constantly nervous about being so far from where I should be as far as technology is concerned, I hope that my knowledge of the industry and my love of learning will get me past any hump that may come along in my search for jobs in the future.

And as soon as I have some extra cash, it's going straight to a Photoshop fund.

Facebook.com/no-way

I cringe every time I see Facebook make a move toward becoming a Myspace copycat.

There's a reason I don't use Myspace anymore. Actually, there are many reasons, one of them being exactly what Facebook is proposing to do next.

According to Mashable, Facebook is questioning users about whether they would pay to have a "vanity URL," such as facebook.com/kelly or facebook.com/snickerdoodle89 or facebook.com/ILoveMyBF.

Well, Facebook gets a big, fat "no" from me. One of the reasons I don't like Myspace is that it seems unprofessional and young in the way people interact with each other, especially through their URLs. Now don't get me wrong. I had my own cheesy username (myspace.com/stormyhaze), but my relationship with Myspace ended the day I left for college.

Facebook encourages people to be themselves and not to exist under a superficial persona. You operate under your full name, not a fake one, and unless you want to tarnish your reputation both online and in real life, you subconsciously monitor your actions and responses in order to maintain a likeable online personality. It also easily functions professionally when you decide to leave college life behind you for the real world and a real job. The more credibility Facebook has, the more likely it is to be used for professional purposes. The minute vanity URLs are brought into the picture, personal responsibility and professionalism fly out the window.

Through another's eyes

In line with my post from the other day, Martin Langeveld blogged about some of his ideas for the floundering industry.

My favorites:

"'Only 3 percent of newspaper reading happens online.' That’s newspaper reading, not news reading."

"...newspapers are in no position to charge for content, with the possible exception of high-value niche content in limited circumstances. The last thing an industry hard hit by disruption should be doing is raising prices, whether from zero to something, or from something to something more."

And he's an advocate of social networking! The perfect package. I hope there are a whole lot of journalists like him milling around out there.

The ultimate checklist

Ever wonder if you're successfully integrating and navigating the vast expanse of social networks on the Internet these days?

Well, Mashable makes you question yourself with the new Social Media Recruitment Test.

Before reading about what makes a successful social network-er, I thought I was doing a pretty good job of utilizing social networking, maybe not to its maximum potential but at least enough to be ahead of the game. Now, I just feel silly.

I don't have a resume on my blog. I don't have any recommendations on LinkedIn. I'm not a member of journalism groups on Facebook. I don't Tweet 10 times a day, and I'm only following 100 people versus 1,000.

At least now I know exactly what I have to do. So look for changes in the next few months because I'm determined to stay on top of things in this industry.

And we're back!

Apparently, I decided to take a week-long vacation after securing a job. Sorry for the irregular posts!

I stumbled across an interesting article through a mentor of mine. I never considered the fact that social networking is ultimately leading to the likelihood that people my age will strongly value local news content. Check it out.

Literally, a book of faces

If you think Facebook has been stirring up enough trouble lately, wait until you see what's in store for us next.

What better place for a facial recognition application than the Facebook?

As unbelievable as it sounds, Face.com has introduced a new application on Facebook called Photo Finder. Photo Finder takes your untagged photos on Facebook and automatically tags them for you - with surprising accuracy. It's capable of finding that crazy couple you met in the bar last week as well as finding pictures of you that you never knew existed on Facebook. And it does all of this with a picture of your face.

Creepy? Potentially. However, Face.com has its bases covered. The application poses no threat to you unless you allow it to access your account. If the idea of pictures of you on your 21st resurfacing doesn't appeal to you, don't add the application and no one will ever know.

Photo Finder also recreates your Facebook privacy settings within the application so that if you want everyone to see your pictures, they can. And if you want no one to see them, you can do that, too.

Having just re-read Fahrenheit 451 (my favorite book of all time), I have to say that we need to be cautious and aware of the things going on around us. I fully support technology and its uses today, even Face.com's new application thanks to the care they've taken to protect users' privacy. However, I also believe that there are limits to the use of technology in our lives and we should be vigilant in keeping technology in check.

Social media, a newborn industry

Mashable asked us yesterday, "Is social media an industry?"



It's crazy to think that a new industry could just emerge out of thin air. According to Mashable's graph, the term "social media" didn't establish common usage until late 2006. I created my Facebook account in early 2005. I got into Gmail in 2007, and Twitter and blogging in 2008. Social media happened very, very fast, and it's still growing.



According to Indeed.com's Job Trends, social media jobs have been rapidly increasing since 2006. And where there's a steady increase in jobs with a common theme, there's a rising new industry.

The most likely reason that social media is growing so fast is that anyone can start a social network. Especially with the aide of sites like Ning, you don't need an PhD, MBA or even a bachelor's to get in the game. All you really need is basic knowledge of web design, Java and marketing. And as these starter sites grow, they're steadily creating jobs - a scarce phenomenon in today's economy.

While social media may not have quite reached industry status yet, it's well on its way to becoming one. If we want to benefit from social media, we shouldn't underestimate its newborn position in our society, but learn to embrace it.

Prescription drugs, social media style

The Internet is a beautiful thing.

Observe RateADrug.com.

RateADrug.com allows people to give their two cents about the overall effectiveness of the medications that they're taking or have taken in the past.

Each drug on the website contains an overall effectiveness rating. People can also rate positive and negative side effects, number of side effects and number of benefits. Then, each side effect and/or benefit is broken down into percentages of people who have experienced each effect.

This is definitely a step in the right direction. Consumer education is becoming easier and easier with the growth of the Internet and social media. Being able to see for yourself the effectiveness of a drug you're about to take based on your peers' experiences is a valuable form of education.

However, RateADrug.com also leaves room for error. Currently, not many users are contributing to the ratings, meaning the polling area is limited and results could be skewed. Also, until doctors and pharmacists get in on the action, the site lacks the credibility of sites like WebMD.

Like any source, I would use RateADrug.com as a supplement to whatever other research you're doing about a drug. The more you know, whether it's a doctor's advice or a user's personal experience, the easier and safer your decision-making process will be.

State of the media? Not so bleak, IMO.

The State of the News Media for 2009 was released today. However, I'm still reluctant to jump on the we're-headed-for-disaster bandwagon.

The results certainly were "bleak." However, in today's economy, every business is struggling. Newspapers and other media just got a head start.

Newspapers, magazines and local TV are a few of the media that took the hardest hit. Understandable, considering they're some of the oldest media with quite a history - at least compared to the Internet, cable and social networks.

In the State of the News Media there is no in-between. While most media are currently floundering, cable TV and the Internet are flourishing. Heads above the rest, these two areas show inspiring growth and potential.

The results are to be expected, in my opinion. They only confirm what we all knew to be true. Print and long-established media are suffering while new technology enables other, newer media to rise above the rest.

The solution is simple: "old" media must mold and adapt to this new media environment in order to successfully compete with "new" media, which is definitely do-able. All we need are some dedicated journalists who will take this opportunity for evolution and run with it.

YouTube - giving credit where credit is due

I realized today that I have a tendency to ignore YouTube.

In my lists of social networks, I always overlook the top provider of video on the Internet along with Hulu, Akamai and other video content providers. YouTube has been around longer than most established social networks and remains a steadfast contributer of video content.



The White House had initially decided to use YouTube as its medium for Obama's "fireside chats," but now they're going with Akamai instead. The videos will still be posted to YouTube, but the videos embedded on the White House website will be using the lesser known content delivery site.

However, a professor at an Australian university still supports the value of YouTube. He is currently posting videos of his lectures on YouTube in order to allow high school students unable to commute to the university the opportunity to obtain college credit if they so wish.

YouTube is far from its last cry, and I predict that it will continue to remain one of the strongest and best marketed social networks for years to come.

Social media = social responsibility?

Mashable posed an interesting question in a blog post yesterday: Does social media make us better people?

At first I thought it might pertain to a topic that my friends and I discussed last week. We were debating whether social media brings us closer to our friends or farther away, and whether our relationships with people become more meaningful or less due to social networking. While it's probably clear which sides I took, I can see benefits and disadvantages of each, and I certainly don't mind sending the occasional letter via snail mail whenever possible.

But the article I read yesterday was more along the lines of social responsibility. Are we becoming more responsible and aware of our actions now that social media allows for scrutiny by our peers?

I would say the answer may be yes, as in the case of "Dog Poop Girl" in South Korea.

However, it also lends for people to become tattle-tales, so it's important to know where to draw the line between being judgmental and being responsible.

Twitchhiking the globe

Today I was overwhelmed by the amount of social networking sites and applications available worldwide right now. Seriously. I can't keep up. Just when I think I'm on top of things, I realize that there are at least three or four more social media that have popped up while my back was turned.

Unfortunately, I'm still getting used to Twitter and trying to figure out how to best use it to suit my needs. I know how it works for newspapers and for social junkies, but as far as what I can use it for - well, that answer is still eluding me.

However, it's not a challenge for Paul Smith, writer for the UK's Guardian.

Smith, known to Twitter-goers as @twitchhiker, will travel around the world in 30 days. But here's the catch: he's going to use nothing but Twitter to find lodging, food, destinations, and anything else he might need along the journey.

If it sounds like a crazy idea, that's probably because it is. It'll be worth it to keep an eye on this guy starting March 1.

25 random ways to boost traffic

I wish I had spent this morning tribal dancing under a mango tree. Instead I was stranded in the office with a slow computer and a faulty wireless network - neither of which were conducive to getting my work done.

There's a trend on Facebook right now to participate in a meme known as 25 Random Things About Me, and then send it to everyone you know. If you've happened to log into Facebook at some point in the past two or three weeks, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

While usually I find chain mail-type things like this rather intrusive and annoying, I read an article today about how this meme is actually helping Facebook by sending a huge increase in traffic to its "Notes" section, which had been lagging behind in popularity. It's also providing psychologists and sociologists with useful new information about today's generation.

However, Hell will freeze over before I fill one of those things out. There already aren't enough hours in the day.

Keep your friends close...

The next medium for identity theft?

Facebook.

Yes. Identity thieves are always one step ahead of us and unfortunately have already infiltrated perhaps the biggest social network of our generation.

If you don't already have a profile on Facebook, here's your excuse to make one. Identity thieves are creating profiles in the names of people who don't currently have an account with Facebook and could be adding people as friends, posting comments, and writing on people's walls under your name. Scary? Heck yeah.

"Social experiment"

Now that I've got him addicted, too, Tait created a fascinating social media Wordle:



Thanks, man. :)

Plan B: Social media

Another avenue I've decided to pursue is social media. There are so many social networking programs and applications that are steadily being woven into our society. Facebook, Twitter, Digg, LinkedIn, FriendFeed, Ning - the list goes on and on.

All of those companies need employees, right? Why not someone like me?

ReadWriteWeb came up with a list of the 10 ways social media will change in 2009. Its evolution could mean expansion which could mean jobs. And that's music to my ears.

Plinky to the rescue

Got writer's block? Leave it to Plinky to solve your problems.

You're prompted with stimulating questions the second you join. Wanna know what the coolest thing I saw in another country was? Check it out.