Final Farewell

Doing this blog has been admittedly difficult for me. The main difficulty for me was that I had a lot of trouble writing more and more stuff always keeping it fresh. I am not a very deep person and I tend to like to stay on the surface so giving an in depth talk about things that don’t completely interest me was somewhat of a challenge. But I found that blogging was actually a little more fun that I had thought it to be originally. Not only did the blog just help me out get a handle on how to blog or how the whole bloggerverse works, but also made me dive a little deeper into social media. I would have never even to have given tumblr a second thought because I am not interested in the least. On the positive side blogging is a great way to just speak freely and not really have a way to write or like a strict format to pay attention to so that is probably my favorite thing about this blogging project. So farewell bloggerverse it’s been a trip but I’m out for now.

Does Tumblr have a Chance?

As I have been writing this blog I have been paying a little closer attention to the different types of social media out there that people actually use. One that caught me by surprise was a site called tumblr. I honestly had no idea and still to this day don’t have a full grasp of what it is. I turned to my sister who I know she uses this one more than Facebook or Twitter and she seems to love it. So I started asking her to tell me a little more about it and she described it as a way for users to use their artistic and creative talents to blog and journal. So what I took from it is that its just a super artsy way to blog about things and follow other peoples blogs. I asked her what she didn't like about it and she said that it was very different to understand at first because there is no guidelines like field names or whatever when setting up a tumblr like Facebook with its information fields when setting up a profile. On the positive side, it is like Myspace in that a user is able to customize someone’s blog. I don’t think I will ever use or even get a tumblr. I am all about social media but there comes a point where everyone has their breaking point. Does anyone think that tumblr will ever get as big as Twitter or Facebook? Due to the artistic nature of tumblr, would it be smart or wise for employers to use tumblr as a form of background check as they do Facebook? Just some ideas for the pending future.  

Final Thoughts...

Seeing as this is the last required week for this blog project, I thought I would do a quick "final" post regarding some reflections and what I learned over the semester.

Before this e-marketing class, I had no idea how easy it was to start a blog.  Simply by making a Gmail account gives you access to blogger.  Once you are able to sign into blogger it is quite simple to start setting up the layout of your blog and start posting.  The difficulty with blogger doesn't lay within the set-up; it is the presentation and content.  This project, at its core is about marketing, so our blog had to reflect that in some way.  It would have been much easier blogging about whatever we wanted to, but wouldn't really be a worthwhile assignment.

Some challenges I faced was simply finding something social media-related to talk about every week.  I really dropped the ball in April because I started running out of ideas.  The sheer number of social media sites out there is astounding.  Just from the brief lectures we had in class I must have been exposed to around at least 20 I have never heard of before, probably more.  There is literally a social media site out there for every need out there.  There's social media sites for checking in at places to social media sites for dogs to private social media sites for businesses.  The possibilities were essentially endless.  Finding something I could get my head around and understand enough to blog about to others was difficult.

I am excited to see the results from this "contest" and see how our blog did in comparison to others in the class.  Our class presentations and blog reviews from our teacher as well as other "expert" bloggers will give us insights of what we did well, and what we did not.  It will provide us with areas for improvement, should we choose to blog in the future.

Overall this project was a sort of chore for me, but the competition aspect really makes it more enjoyable for me.  All I can say is I hope we did well; and I thank everyone for reading, clicking and supporting this blog for the last 2 months or so.

Signing out...

Chris...

Create your own personal “Online Policy”

We have all heard the speech about “no drunken pictures on facebook if you want a serious job”. But where do we draw the line when it comes to what is ok to put online, what is appropriate, and what are you not allowed do share in social media? What is expected and acceptable social media behavior? Most businesses today have rules regarding what employs are allowed to share. As an employee of the company, they often expect that you don’t do anything that might harm the company’s reputation. How much can the job expect from you? What is common sense? And what about the freedom of speech in all of this?

The questions are many, and the answers are both different and vague.

However, in public relations they often use the “Potter Box” to evaluate a situation. I believe this would be a great tool to at least better understand your personal behavior online, and to create a “personal policy” on how you want to appear online. This way you are less likely to regret actions that are more or less impossible to erase.

1.       Definition of the situation. First you look at the facts of a given situation. For example; who is posting, where is it posted, what is it about, ….?

2.       Values. What values do you want to stand for, and what values are important to you personally and professionally. Try to list them based on importance.

3.       Principles. Are there rules you need to follow because of your job? What principles are related to your profession? Any other rules or principles you should think about?

4.       Loyalties. Who should you think about when you are sharing online? Examples might be; yourself, employers, the stakeholders of your employer, friends and family, the public, …? It would be a good idea to think about who you believe is most important.   

As an employee or a student it is in your best interest to be aware of the expectations regarding your social media activity. Even if there are no explicit expectations you are obliged to follow, it would most likely be in your own best interest as a professional to be aware of the bigger picture when it comes to your actions online.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

-          Lise :)

Let's Talk About Google Plus

I'm sure we have all heard about Google+, but what is it exactly?  I know that if I was to ask a handful of people what Google+ was and what you could do with it, the majority of them probably wouldn't have a clue.  I do not have a Google+ account, and am a little out of my area here, so I apologize in advance if I don't have the most clear idea of what Google+ is.

Google+ is Google's attempt at a social network.  That's the black and white definition people associate with Google+.  In truth, it was not Google's attempt at a "Facebook killer." (although knowing Google I'm sure they wouldn't mind stealing some of Facebook's share of users).  When it was first released, it was incomplete, which led to a slow start and some negative reactions.  People think of Google+ as a product similar to that of blogger or Gmail, but in reality it was meant as a project.  It was meant to be integrated within Google (which is has with great success).  Almost every blog, news article, video has a +1 tab among the other social media handles.  Since Google dominates the search market, Google+ accounts have risen up to #2 second only to Facebook in active users.

Ok, back to the meat and potatoes of this post.  The goal of Google+ is to cultivate data, connections  and people.  Having a Google+ account essentially enables Google to keep even more tabs on you (as if they don't already) in order to provide you with a more personalized web experience.  Some people might think this is a great idea; others not so much.  If it was me, I wouldn't want Google tracking everything I do online. For the most part they probably do that already to an extent.  Google+ focuses more about personal connections ie your social group within Google's social realm.

Google+ is so broad it seems like different articles I read focus on completely different aspects than the last.  Google+ definitely has a business relation.  It seems Google+ is very versatile for both professionals and everyday people.  Having a Google+, in a way, is like having a LinkedIn profile and Facebook profile in one (or at least it could be used in that way).

I apologize in advance if this post seems a little messy.  I am not familiar with Google+ so in no way do I know about all its features.  I encourage anyone to comment if they are more familiar with Google+ than I am.  I don't mind getting a little knowledge dropped on me.

Until next time...

Chris...

Too Paranoid or Paranoid Enough?

Living in this viral world, we depend on Internet in so many aspects of our life. It is easy to just expect it to be safe and ok – I know I usually do. My general attitude is “when everybody does it, it must be safe”. The government will take action if somebody is endangering my privacy. As long as you don’t click on those “obviously dodgy pop up ads”, and don’t share all your private information with the public, your fine.

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine shared an paper article from a pretty reliable Norwegian newspaper with me (Dagens Næringsliv). Despite the credible newspaper that obviously had a reliable source, I had a really hard time believing it. Just because these facts where so shocking! I feel the need to share it with you guys because if this is the reality, I believe everybody should be aware of it.  

The article was based on an interview with a former employee of the United States National Security Agency (NSA). William Binney was part of building the nations communication surveillance, and in the five page long article he explained how he quit because of what he believed to be unethical practice and extreme surveillance violating people’s privacy. Maybe you already have heard of this. I have however translated some of the facts that I found most sticking. 

-          The storage capacity of NSA's planned infrastructure matches purely mathematical to store ALL electronic communication. It will be measured in yottabytes, a byte with 24 zeros after it! With current capacity they will be able to store at least 100 years of communication.

-          They do not need a reason or a permission to record your phone conversation, read your texts or go through your emails.

-          Binney can inform us that they already have the keys to everything. They already have all algorithms figured out. He says that nothing you do online is safe. Everything from facebook to emails, what you buy on Amazon, what you search for on google, how much money you have in your banking account and what you spend the money on, absolutely everything…

This is absolutely scary, but the terrifying part is how much power the person in charge of this information has. Because what does KGB, Stasi and Gestapo and any other dictators have in common? They figure out what their public is up to, and basically get rid of any resistance. When you have access to every little detail in almost every people’s lives all over the planet, your power is unlimited according to William Binney. This is an extremely powerful political weapon, and can for example be used to affect the public opinion by leaking certain information to the press about any opponent. 

I have to apologies for the loooooong and pretty heavy post, but this is such a complex and a huge field of information, so I encourage you to do some further research on your one, from several sources. This might not be something we can protect ourselves from; at least I don’t have any good suggestions other than perhaps moving out to an abandon cabin in the woods without cellphones, Internet or electricity perhaps. (Yeah, not going to happen) But regardless of what’s true and not, I believe it might be our own responsibility to keep ourselves informed, and maybe this is a good reminder that we shouldn’t always assume that the government have every single person’s best interest in mind, and that they are not always there to protect our privacy.

Hope you all have an amazing spring week, almost May! :)

- Lise 

How Linked In are you?

Getting through my last semester of college I have been more and more concentrated on getting an actual job instead of just working at the university's mail room for the rest of my life. As I have been looking for a job and asking people if they know any good companies to work for they always ask me the same question. "Do you have a LinkedIn profile?" Admittedly I do have a LinkedIn profile but I never really use it for what is meant to be used for. I have been thinking more and trying to figure out how many people my age actually use this social media site. I have been asking around some of my friend group and it seems that most of them have a profile but never really use it or barely look at it. I decided to look up more facts about LinkedIn and I was actually shocked what I found. One of the craziest facts I found was that on average 2 new users sign up for a LinkedIn profile every second. That was completely unexpected. What I found more shocking was that according to LinkedIn around 64% of users are based outside the United States. So I decided to keep my ears open around the school of business and see how often this site actually comes up in conversation. I wasn't as surprised what I noticed. Though many people have a profile, no one really talks about this site and it isn't "all the rave' like twitter or Facebook  Since this is a professional site, what would happen if people started treating LinkedIn as the next Facebook? Would employers stop using it to look for credentials? Would it have a negative impact on the job market? These are all questions that would probably come up if this site went down that road.

Human right to be anonymous?

I realize that several people have trouble commenting on the blog. I have been made aware of that fare to many of our Norwegian readers struggle with sharing their thoughts on our blog. Obviously that’s not acceptable. I have emailed “blogger” and asked about this, and will get back to you on this as soon as I hear anything.

To be able to make a comment on this blog you need to identify yourself with one of the recommended profiles. If any you readers know how to do this if none of the suggested profiles fit, please let us know!

This week I want to touch upon a slightly different aspect of the social media jungle.

All this fuss about sharing comments has made me think a little about this relatively new concept of discussion, and sharing both positive and negative feedback online. Not only has it changed the way people communicate with people, it has also change the content of what we choose and allow ourselves to say about and to other people.

Online bullying is an increasing problem. By allowing people to anonymously say whatever they feel like, fare too many seam to lose their sense of courtesy, and often the general idea of common sense along with it. We live in a country with the right to say what we want. And the internet is a great tool reinforcing and assuring these rights. Clearly some subjects are easier to talk about online if you don’t need to identify yourself. However keeping in mind the negative sides of this, is it a human right to do this anonymously? Additionally it’s important to point out that the internet is crawling with fake profiles and false personalities, because there is not many ways of controlling and verifying information.  

I just want to throw the question out there; is this something we should be concerned about? How important is good online ethics to you?

Writing this blog post I remembered this really sad story about a girl that committed suicide after recording this video, from a couple of months back. Many of you probably recognize it after it went viral on many social networks. If you haven’t seen it or don’t remember it, I strongly recommend taking a look.

- Løve Lise

Tweeting Its Way to the Top

Yesterday as I was sitting in the lobby of the School of Business building, I noticed more and more people talking about twitter. As most people know, at least anyone who has been on the web over the last decade social media sites have taken this world by storm. First there was Myspace  then there was Facebook for college kids, then Facebook expanded to include everyone, and now what is becoming more and more popular is Twitter. For all those who don't know what Twitter is exactly, it pretty much a social media site to upload picture and "tweet" status'. It is mainly used to quickly say something on someones mind or idea. The main difference a tweet and a status is that while a status is usually about how the user fells or something to that extent, a tweet is something like a quick footnote that one posts not really about how he or she feels or anything but just anything in general. When people are out and they something gets said no one says "Oh let me status this" or if they do saying that isn't all that common. More often than not they will say "I'm going to tweet this." 

While people do alot of background checks on Facebook for like a social insight to other people, Twitter can be used as a mental insight to people. Ya i know this may sound like a stretch but it really makes sense. While Facebook these days are used for posting picture and writing on people's walls, Twitter is used to post something on someones mind. This is why this is the perfect insight on how people think about certain things. If whoever is checking up on you wants to know what goes through your head, Twitter is the perfect site to use because its all about posting whats on your mind. This is why people should avoid posting things on twitter about things or topics that could possible be seen as controversial. A picture of an night out can be easily seen as a one night occurrence but a view or attitude is something a little more permanent in someones mind and isn't easily changed since it is ones attitude. 

Facebook: A Blessing or a Curse

Being a senior in college the sphere of adult living is way too close for comfort. This means bills, taking care of my own place, and first, before anything else, a job. In the age, jobs are a lot harder to find, and more often than not, many employers are turning to the web to take care of applications. This also means that they turn to the web for informal background checks. The most common of these checks are checking if possible employees have a Facebook page and what content is on that page. So the first thing anyone who is looking to get a job at a pretty reputable company should do is check their profile and make sure all the privacy settings are set to private.  This makes it so only the people that you want to see the content will see it. The next big thing is the pictures. No employer wants to see the possible employee all rosy holding a red solo cup. This will create a bad impression right out of the gate. Go through and delete any pictures that can be seen as risqué or juvenile or at the very least untag yourself so they don't show up on your pictures page. If someone really wants to make sure those picture aren’t even up there, they can report the pic to Facebook and do a sort of petition to remove the picture completely from the social network.

            These are just tips on how to improve the security of one’s profile from a possible employer. There is another possible road to go down, but that is for the extreme people. This is actually creating another profile just for the professional world. This profile would have things such as a friends list comprised of professional connections, only a few pictures, all of which in business or professional attire, and only posts that are professional in nature.

            Like I said before this is the extreme option if one wants to make sure that nothing slips through the cracks that an employer can find. All these tips are to make sure that an employer sees the best side of a person. In all honesty I believe that people can have a bit of a wild social life, and still have impeccable work experience, qualifications, and ethics. But employers don’t want to roll the dice on individuals that could be a potential bust for them.  So its best to just “cover one’s tracks” to make sure that a great job opportunity doesn’t pass you up because of a picture of you and some friends drinking.

What's the point of Twitter?

Twitter has been exploding since its introduction to the world in 2009.  I actually do have a Twitter account, but rarely used it until recently.  The main reason I created an account was simply to stay updated without having to constantly check news articles on my computer.  I could simply get tweets sent directly to my phone which essentially is laziness at its finest.  I could care less about tweeting at the time; I had Facebook for that.

Until recently I had very few tweets. and the ones I did have were usually dumb conversations between me and a friend.  At the beginning of this semester I started tweeting more frequently and started following athletes and comedians who I knew or thought were funny.  The goal was to hopefully gain a few followers who would see my posts regarding this blog and who would hopefully view and spread the word.  What I got was not what I was expecting.

Only after following maybe 20 people, my page because flooded with a bunch of "crap" that I could care less about.  Literally every tweet that appeared on my homepage were basically in this format "omg I got 1000 followers just by following (somerandomperson)."  Retweeting nonstop the same tweets promoting followers for simply following some random person.  I literally thought to myself "this is the sadest popularity contest Ive ever seen."  It got me thinking, what is Twitter actually used for?  Maybe Im not seeing the point.

The initial goal of Twitter was to be primarily a platform for microblogging.  Twitter allows users to basically do minute-by-minute updates (if they have literally no life) about what exactly they are doing at that exact same moment.  I can see the point of this, but why do it on Twitter if you have a Facebook page?

Another useful application for Twitter is simply asking questions and/or crowdsourcing.  Most people who have a fair amount of followers can ask a question and within seconds have a handful of answers.  I don't see how this would replace Google, unless your questions are opinion-based.

One of the more beneficial uses for Twitter is job searching.  Many employers have Twitter accounts and may post that they are hiring for "x" position.  Simply posting that your are searching for a job in a certain field may lead to job opportunities from potential employers.  I personally would probably not do this.  Personally I feel that fishing for jobs via Twitter is an act of desperation, or would be perceived as one by a lot of people.  Maybe that's just me.

There are numerous other reasons on how Twitter can be used.  I encourage you to read the article for more information that I did not cover in this blog post.  

The more I use Twitter, the more I keep asking myself "What am I doing on here exactly?"  Maybe I'm just completely missing the point of Twitter.

I would really appreciate some comments or personal insights from anyone reading this blog.  Iam only looking at this through my own perspective.  Perhaps some of you readers use Twitter for more practical uses.  Either way I would appreciate some insight; it may sway my perspective of Twitter.

Until next week...

Chris...

Spring break reflection from Norway

This is so not me. I continuously keep thinking that I really really don’t like the fact that I am writing a blog. And I find myself explaining and defending the whole thing all the time. What I apparently do like is the theme of the blog. I enjoy researching for it, writing it, and more importantly; I believe in the importance of the online personality. So yesterday I caught myself using one hour trying to explain and convince my mom why social media is so important, not only in the “socializing- hobby” kind of way. I found myself very convincing, and suddenly realized that despite my concerns it is probably about time that I take the next step into the social media jungle. Linkedin - here I come!

I don’t like putting myself out there. On the other hand I really see the value of networking and relationships. So to convince myself, and also because I in my first blog promised it; I started researching Linkedin, so that I know what I am getting myself into. There are however so many good information sources out there, that it would only be confusing, and probably a violence towards copy right, to rewrite exactly what is written in for example this blog created by Linkedin.

I strongly recommend reading it if you haven’t already got a linked in. And of you are linked in, this blog might even help you realize ways to use linked in that you haven’t even thought of.

-          If you’re not in the mood for reading, this video raps up some of the basics.

 

I will use this next week go get settled in on linkedin, and next Monday I’ll be ready to give you an update on my experiences, and perhaps some problems I run in to. I would love any comments with tips or recommendations, or if there is anything else I should be aware of?

 

Snakkes - Lise

 

 

Social Media Background Checks

So the other day I was sitting in my capstone class and the professor was giving the class his 2 cents on what and what not to do in job interviews, first jobs etc.  He brought up an interesting concept I have never heard of (although I shouldn't be at all surprised).  He brought up the process of social media background checks, which fits well with my previous post.

It is common knowledge that employers often look up their potential candidates on Facebook and other social media sites.  The practice of social media background checks is simply when a business hires an outside company to do extensive background checks via social media sites on their applicants.  Companies like Social Intelligence do just this.

When my professor mentioned this it actually had me concerned and after class I looked back on my Facebook posts and deleted a few that I thought could be conceived as distasteful.  It also prompted me to do a little research and find out exactly what kind of dirt these background checks can dig up on you.

These companies have complicated algorithms that collect any information, whether or not it's text, pictures or videos, on you that could be seen as "not ideal."  The scary thing is is that this process can go deeper than just your Facebook alone.  Some of these data mining algorithms go much deeper and collect information from blogs you have posted in, youtube comments you have made, forums you have posted in, etc.  Kind of makes you feel like your privacy is being broken.

I know for me this was, in a way, very eye-opening because I didn't realize businesses had these sort of resources at their disposal.  I shouldn't be surprised with social media exploding like it has been and the job market getting tougher and tougher.

All I know is I have a lot of moderating to do.  Looking back at some of my posts from even a year ago, I think to myself "What the hell was I thinking posting crap like this?"

Until next week...

Chris

Think before you put your thumb up!

I recently read a quite interesting Norwegian article about a new study that creates personality profiles based on what we like on facebook. Obviously I agree that because I like “PLU Scandinavian Club” and “all of us that don’t smoke”, people may make the assumption that I am a Scandinavian student at PLU that doesn’t smoke. What shocked me about this article was that American scientists believe that based on the combination of a person’s different facebook “likes” they can tell what kind of person you are in a much deeper sense then just music preferences and so on. If it wasn’t for the fact that they can back it up by a study surveying 58 000 Americans I would probably never have believed it.

The study shows that by creating a pattern of peoples “likes”, it’s possible to uncover information like drug abuse, political views, relationship status, religion and sexual orientation. Apparently if you like Texas, Big Momma movies, and “relationships should be between to people, not the whole universe”, it indicates that you are a drug abuser. If you on the other hand haven’t tried drugs you might like the combination of pages; swimming, ice-cream, cookie dough and “slide on the floor with your socks on”. 

To me this sound really random, but according  to the article I read, people are revealing much more personal information then they might be aware of. This is one of the theories in the study done by Cambridge University. They argue that it’s just as a reliable prediction as many of the exciting personality test’s that many of you probably have taken. Nevertheless I do believe that In this relationship area it is important to create an online network, and it might be just the right thing to for example like your future dream job’s company on facebook, or maybe your future employer might appreciate a common interest for “Nike Running”.

 The lesson might however be that you should think before you put your thumb up. It isn’t necessarily a negative thing that people learn about your personality from your facebook page. Perhaps you can use this tool to create a good reflection of your personality exactly as you want people to perceive you.

Regardless of this being the first day of finals week, I hope you all have a fabulous week - go easy on the “liking”.

 

 

Job Searching? Dont be Stupid...

This post is in regards to things you DO NOT want to to, specifically on Facebook, when you are looking for a job.  These suggestions may seem like simple common sense, but it is amazing how many people overlook these or forget about them.

Literally everything you post on Facebook can be seen by millions of people (depending on your privacy settings).  So you have to be careful about what you post when you are doing job interviews; you can be sure that your potential employees are looking you up to do some preliminary eliminations for their jobs.

The best thing you can do is go through your privacy settings and make sure only your friends can view your page.  This isn't completely foolproof, but its a start from blocking most people from viewing your profile page.

If you settings are less private however, the logic is simple.  Do not post things that could be seen as distasteful to future employers.  This goes beyond simple status updates.  People can post comments on other peoples walls, pictures, groups etc.  Make sure to watch what you write because it can probably be found if someone tries hard enough.

Another area you want to monitor is what your friends are posting on your page and/or commenting on your pictures.  If you have friends commenting about parties over the weekend or things of that nature, it makes you guilty by association (in a sense).  Similarly, make sure you are not a part of any "questionable" groups.  For example, don't openly show you're apart of the group "It's the weekend, time to get wasted."  That may not put you in a good light for a new job.

Another huge problem are pictures posted online.  You have to make sure people don't tag you in their own photos.  You don't want half of your pictures to be you tagged at parties playing beer pong.  Everyone has a good time sure, but employers don't need to see it advertised all over your profile.

Again, these are pretty simple suggestions that everyone should know by now, but it's amazing how many people don't monitor their profile, and forget how important it is, especially when looking for a job.

Online Dating and the "Catfish" Phenomenon...

Internet dating has really grown into a big business within the last decade or so.  I dont even know how many dating websites there are available out there, I just know it's more than a handful.  To some, internet dating may seem like the only way to find "your soulmate," and although it seems completely legitimate, there are some cautions.

Enter "Catfish."  "Catfish" was created as a result of a surprisingly popular documentary movie.  It documents a man named Nev Schulman, and his experience with a long distance relationship.  What he thought was the truth turned out to be nowhere near the case.  The girl he thought was someone else, turned out to be a much older woman running multiple Facebook profiles at once.  After the surprising success of the movie, Nev started receiving hundreds of emails from people who were in online relationships.  MTV picked up the tv show to tell the story of online dating through real peoples experiences.

To avoid an insanely long post I will skip to some of the harsh realities often found in online dating.  Quite frankly many people don't advertise exactly who they are online; many post pictures of unknown and/or random people that they feel people want to see and talk to.  Some people even go to the length of creating multiple fake profiles to make their main profile more convincing.

With all the skepticism that is associated with online dating, there are some steps you can take to ensure the person you are talking to is in fact who they say they are.

1.  Probably the best way to verify if someone is real is to Skype with them.  If the person conveniently doesn't have access to a computer, or something always comes up when you try to Skype, you may have a problem.

2.  Verify information.  What I mean by this is simply do some research.  If they have an employer, call the employer to see if they ever worked there.  Contact people who seem like good friends with the person to verify if their stories check out. (this may not always work if the person has multiple profiles)

3.  Do a simple Google picture search.  Google now allows people to search by pictures that are saved on their computer or through image urls from websites.  You can do a simple search and Google will pull up images with the same person in them (if any exist).  So if someone has stolen pictures from a random Facebook profile, both the real one and the fake one will show up with names (usually), and you will know that the person you're talking to might not be who they say they are.

The point is, when it comes to the internet, a lot is possible, and even more can be faked.  So when or if you're talking to someone online (that you've never met), always be weary that what you see, may not always be what you get.

I appreciate those who stuck around and read this whole spiel; sorry for the rambling.

Until next time...

Chris...

Google - who am I?

I google. A lot of people google. I google a lot of people.  A lot of people google people. Maybe I google you…. What if a lot of people google me? The information that shows up on google is increasingly turning in to the first impression on people like your future employer, a potential business client, or maybe a date… or maybe not, (I’ll definitely google my future boyfriend at some point). But any ways,  even though the reasons to why people google you might be endless, on the other hand some specific reasons are rather important, not only do you want to be correctly presented to certain people, you might also prefer that relevant and impressive information pop up on the first page on the google results page.   

I just read some interesting research on people googleing their one name on brandyourself’s blog. Not surprisingly did 75% of the US online adults in the survey google their one name. However 48% of them stated that the information that showed up was not positive. 42% have searched someone before doing business with them, 45% of these people found something that made them reconsider and not do business after all. This might be something to think about?

Have you ever tried to videotape a school presentation or something like that, to be able to improve before the actual presentation? It’s really awkward and you realize that you sound kind of weird, your hair is kind of off, and what’s up with all the hand gestures? (or maybe that’s just me) The main purpose is how to improve. It is probably the easiest and most honest way to view yourself because you get to see how other people see you. What you do with this information is then up to you, and most likely (because you all are so incredibly smart, innocent and loving people) you don’t need to do anything. In many cases the question is rather if you want to improve it. By focusing this blog on how you appear online I hope that you may not only keep a couple of doe’s and don’ts in the back of your head, but maybe also put in a little more effort to make the gap a little smaller between your actual personality, and the person you appear as on the Internet. Have you googled yourself? If so, would you generally consider the results positive and a good reflection of you?  

 

I found this really random movie that I thought would be… well maybe it’s actually not that appropriate…
 - But at least it shows that some people might have different reasons to google their names.

Hope you have a awesome week!

 - Lise

Last but not least

     Hey internet hows it going? I am the last member of the group, Paul. In all honesty this is the first time I have ever blogged or have even been somewhat invested in one. Clearly I go to PLU and am in the school of business like my other group members  Even though I am going to get my degree in business, I have no concentration (which is  somewhat unorthodox). I am all about the internet and using it to its fullest capability, but when it comes to social media site, like Facebook  twitter, etc., i don't have that large of investment in them. I used to be all about the online experience but after I "deactivated" my Facebook account in march of 2012, I only frequent Twitter. Even on Twitter i don't really tweet, but really just read other funny tweet from comedians, or interesting quirky facts. Hopefully this blog is useful to some users who are curious about social media and some of the things it has to offer, and some tips on how to make sure oyu be the best you that the web can portray.
Till my next post, Ill see you when I see you,
Paul

An Introduction...

Hello all.  As Lise has just done, I am formally introducing myself to everyone out there who is willing to read this blog.  My name is Chris.  I am currently a senior business major at Pacific Lutheran University with a marketing concentration.  I am expecting to graduate this May.  At this point I have no idea what I want to do (career wise) after graduation; better figure that one out fast because the real world is going to come at me fast.

When it comes to the internet, I have always known how vast it is and how rapidly it is expanding.  But when you actually learn statistics about just how large the internet is, and all the possible threats and cautions it really makes you think.  When it comes to social media sites, I have really only been exposed to Myspace (back in the day), Facebook and Twitter.  When Facebook was just starting to become popular, I was one of those people who kept telling themselves they would not get an account.  Low and behold I gave in to that one.  I rarely use my Twitter account; sometimes I ask myself why I even have one?  That being said I am excited to explore various other social media sites that have become the norm in today's society.  I hope that some of you will join us and contribute to our blog with your own thoughts and experiences.

Until next time...You stay classy San Diego.  (Ok, lame Anchorman reference aside I really do look forward to hearing from anyone and everyone)

Chris...

 

Hello to the world!

 I just want to formally introduce myself to the millions of internet users out there that now can access some of my personal thoughts and ideas. Freaky! As this being my first post on the open internet (that I am aware of), I officially want to say hey, what’s up? My name is Lise. I am a Norwegian exchange student at PLU, where I study marketing and public relations. I expect to finish my bachelor degree in international communication home in Norway next year.

 I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of the social media jungle, and have not explored and embraced much more than facebook to be honest.  As a matter of fact I have promised my friends for years that I would never ever - EVER write a blog. I am a true believer of less is more, always, even when it comes to the internet and social media. But here I am. We are three friends that will be running this blog together.  So over the next couple of months I will explore the “jungle” and blog. Therefore through this blog I look forward to sharing thoughts and facts on how to do what, why, and why not.  Additionally I obviously hope to get feedback on your experiences, thoughts and tips.  I would love to hear it if you have some ideas or specific suggestions of topics that you want us to write about?  

This picture kind of symbolizes how I see the internet, big and unknown – but so many opportunities (if you don’t drown). As you might have noticed, I hate clichés. No I don’t, yes I do….         

     ...Noooo I don’t

Hope you have a simply awesome weekend

Peace out - Lise