SOCIAL MEDIA IN PLAIN ENGLISH
Another excellent explanatory video on a Web 2.0 topic by the LeFevers at The Common Craft Show. I want to rush right out and copy them!
The simplicity of their (ostesibly) low-tech approach is just what I need to understand the subject matter. The length is just right, and the props (mostly hand-drawn paper cutouts) never get in the way of the message.
Next time I need to do an instructional video or training session, I intend to channel The Common Craft Show.
I couldn't help myself. The first thing I did when I got to the Digg homepage was watch the new Star Trek movie teaser trailer. They've certainly pulled out all the stops on the special effects. Intriguing.
I also viewed Dmitry Orlov's 5-minute videotaped remarks on "Superpower Soup": the ingredients he believes are necessary to cause a superpower--such as the U.S.S.R. or the U.S.--to collapse socially and economically. Scary.
I then read a short article entitled "Ecstasy Treatment Draws Rave Reviews for Vet Treatment" by Mark Rutherford dealing with a new use for the rave drug ecstasy: treating military personnel suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The drug apparentl "inhibit[s] the subjective fear response to an emotional threat" which is the cause of PTSD. Interesting.
The tour was succinct and clear. I wanted to join right away but restrained myself so that I could go on to Reddit.
REDDIT
Here I read "Obama to Lift Ban on Embryonic Stem Cell Research" and "How to Sccessfully Compete with Open Source Software."
The first was terse and informational (with a complaint against The Wall Street Journal's assertion that embryonic stem cell research is "opposed by religious groups" (as though all religious groups oppose it).
The second was too long to read in its entirety, but I skimmed it. It made some valid points about how commercial software can compete with open-source software through better marketing, design, and user support.
The Reddit Intro was super simple, cute, and non-threatening. (By threatening, I mean "makes me wonder if I click this link, will I be sucked into an inescapable vortex of endless frustration and wasted time?" Reddit'd intro didn't.)
NEWSVINE
Newsvine looked much more like a mainstream news site than either Digg or Reddit, although the introduction makes it clear that there are no editors and that content is controlled by those users who vote.
The idea of creating a Newsvine column entirely out of "seeded" (linked from elsewhere) articles was an interesting thought. Sort of like a scrapbook, into which one pasts "clippings" (links) of interesting news articles one has come across.
After looking at the intro, I went to the homepage and selected "Democrats Blast Limbaugh for Comment on Kennedy" to read because I figured it would contain a lot of reader comments, which it did. Many vilified Limbaugh for his recent remarks. Others insulted the commenters.
I did not find reading the exchange particularly useful. Sadly, others' commentary only rarely interests me. Most of it's so ephemeral / inarticulate / forgettable. Who cares?
Just about the only time I pay attention to commentary is when consumers are rating their experience with a product or a company.
Was the item as described? Did it arrive on time? Was it of good quality? Worth the cost? Did the company resolve any problems? Would the reviewer buy from this seller again? Answers to questions like these interest me.
I don't know that I'll start paying any more attention to commentary on news articles as a result of looking into Social Networking, but obviously loads of people love it, choosing to spend their time composing it and reading it.
Clearly I must be antisocial.
MIXX
Mixx more closely resembled Digg and Reddit, being less slick and polished-looking than Newsvine. The tour was simple enough.
On the homepage, I read an article entitled "Does Daylight Saving Time Conserve Energy?" I didn't feel strongly enough to vote or leave a comment.
The article entitled "School Lunch Nutrition Standards Haven't Been Updated in 30 Years" moved me to want to do both--but of course, one has to register for a Mixx account in order to do so.
I therefore held off, determined to get through each Thing as expeditiously as possible. Picking up the pace is what I'll have to do, if I'm ever to get caught up on 23 Things!
CHOOSING AN ARTICLE
For my article to recommend, I went to the New York Times website and navigated to the section on technology. The article I chose was "When Everyone's a Friend, Is Anything Private?" by Randall Stross.
It discussed how Facebook's liberal default privacy settings encourage the indiscriminate sharing of personal information to any stranger who asks for it.
If you respond in the affirmative--as many Facebook users do--anyone who asks to be your Facebook friend can gain access to all sorts of information about you.
This is the exact same information you'd feel creepy about disclosing to someone you didn't know who just walked up to you out of nowhere and started quizzing you about yourself.
MY PERSONAL REACTION
I don't get it. Why would anyone make private information available to strangers?
Being deeply private--any surprise to learn that I'm an introvert?--I don't really want to know that much about strangers, and I certainly don't want to share much of anything personal with anyone I haven't known for quite a while.
Whatever happened to the idea of building trust over time?
Perhaps this is why the thought of establishing a Facebook account fills me with all the pleasant anticipation of juggling loaded firearms.
SHARING THE ARTICLE
When I clicked on the share link, I saw that I needed to register for one of the social networking accounts, so I chose Digg.
Registration took mere moments. The article had already been recommended by a couple of other people, but I was able to "Digg" it and leave a comment.
The process was actually quite pain-free.
ONWARD
Good enough. Now on to Thing #12!
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