I NO LONGER HAVE A FINGER PRINT cuz I’m tweeting, blogging, facebooking, texting, and orkuting ALL AT THE SAME TIME
Its 2:42pm on Monday 11th October(Thanksgiving day in Canada) and I just got back from having one of the cheap-greasy-spoon breakfast that some of us enjoy every once in a while, and I turned-on my laptop and there’s 63 personal messages from friends and family all over the world wishing me a happy thanks giving. Sweet, but now I am responding “thank-u’s” to all 63, and responding to text, and tweeting, and browsing facebook; On top of that my big, thick and heavy law book of cases is on my desk, open, screaming at me while my fingertips is asking for some time-off loooool….and what happened next, well, now I’m blogging about social media….darn I Just Have Too looool
Social networking sites provides previously impossible communication and interconnectedness between individuals scattered across the globe. Social networking sites continue to experience rapid usage growth, providing millions of individuals with the ability to communicate, interact and share information and it is fun, and you learn new things from one another; I say its SUPER, however, while there are many positive uses of such technology, social networking has its downsides as well.
Before I get into the Don’ts of social marketing, I have a question…Have you heard of Image networking/marketing? …Well one of my acquaintances is one of the creators/owners of Idee or TinEye; TinEye is the first image search engine on the web to use image identification technology rather than keywords or metadata to search for images. Idée is an independent, privately held company headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Idée created TinEye, the world’s first reverse image search engine. Submit an image to TinEye to find out where it came from, how it is being used, if modified versions of the image exist, or to find higher resolution versions; Cool? Yes, but it can have serious consequences.
Say you want to find someone online. No problem, head to Google and type their name in and you're likely to find them. Now say you want to find out more personal stuff about that person. Easy. Head to Facebook and punch in their name, and odds are pretty decent you'll find an account. Go online take a picture of a very tragic or horrible experience put it on TinEye and pop, here you go, all the disgusting, embarrassing details spread out there for the whole world to see. For anybody who has had something spectacularly embarrassing happen to them and recorded, the ease and transparency of internet searches doesn't fit into the convenience category. If you think it would be a pain to change your name to avoid association with past indiscretions, it's nothing compared to having to change your face. In an online space that is less and less dependent on the written word (we use the mouse or touchscreen far more than we type, and it's easier to upload a picture than write a blog post), many companies are working on improving the ability to search by image…I don’t want to think of what next!
There are many dangers and pitfalls that one should be aware of when engaging in online social networking activities. 93% of students in my Law Program have a facebook account, 56% have more than one facebook account and 85% of university students in general sign on at least once a day. At first I was reluctant to open a facebook account, but after doing some research of my own along with great advice from my team, which includes family, personal friends, business advisors and school friends, I decided to sign-up keeping in mind the number one, most important and critical thing “ Always Protecting My Identity “ and I cannot stress this enough for anyone who is thinking of joining facebook or any of the other social networks.
You should be equally aware of who you are online as you are in real life. I know for a fact that employers are checking applicants online profiles before hiring them… besides attending fulltime law school, 6 hours a week I work with a well-known, high profile and reputable Bay street Law Firm here in the city of Toronto and before I was hired, during the interview process I was ask directly by one of the senior attorneys “ Do you have a facebook profile”? I replied “Yes” and was then told to write down my User name/ Profile… Luckily for me I do not have anything that was shameful on my profile except for couple pic’s where the focus was more on my boobies hahaha but nothing indecent or inappropriate. Employers and prospective employers are watching, be careful about the messages you post, the pictures you share and the image that you project of yourself.
….and unto the Don’ts:
Do not post private information about your family especially when they are people who do not participate in social media; It is disrespectful and putting them at risk for people with malicious intent; (one day in the early summer my brother posted a picture of our father and uncle to his facebook profile, immediately I along with some other family members demanded that he remove it right away). Posting pictures of your family/friends to your profile without asking their permission is darn-right rude, inconsiderate and exposing them to a variety of risks unbeknownst to them.
Do not give your phone number to someone you have never met. In real life you meet people everyday and most of the times you would not even think of giving them your telephone number, or full birthdate, why is it then okay to do so with a complete online stranger. Phone numbers can be traced to your address no matter what part of the world you live in. Scammers take moon-light strolls online looking for personal information that they can use to exploit you; Safeguard yourself.
Don’t stress yourself out with those so-called online friends, especially the ones on facebook; you know the one’s that I’m referring too hehe The ones that want you to “LIKE” every song, every picture, and even every dumb-ass statement that they make! You are not obligated to Like anything that they post, including mine!
There is NO law against using your favourite actor/actress, pet, or favourite cartoon-character’s picture on your profile; however for example, everyone knows by now how I love Ms Katie Price and once in a while I use her picture as my profile picture; and often times, depends where I go out dining or clubbing people would actually think that I am her lool, however, it would be illegal for me to open a facebook account under the name Katie Price along with her picture. So please be mindful of these things.
Be careful and cautious of what you share, forward and upload. Don’t flunk out of school and or waste all the precious moments of your life on social websites by neglecting the relationships, activities or the things that really matters in your life. If you spend too much time on any type of activity to the extent where it prevents you from taking care of your priorities you will regret it.
You choose your friends in the real world, so do the same online! Its great meeting people from all over the world and learning things about one another’s culture and so forth however, not all, but many of these so-called online friends are envious, jealous and nosy nobodies. They will send you friend-request and as soon as you accept them, they turn-into an interrogator, bombarding you with the most personal questions “So tell me about yourself”, “what do you do”, “where are you from”, “how do you make your money’, “or how can you afford to live such a lifestyle” etc etc etc . As for me I just delete them, and except for 3 or 4 people that I touch base with via messages every once in a while, I do not exchange messages with anyone or do chats, or these silly facebook dating. You know what facebook dating is, don’t you? Oh come on hehehe, you know how earlier this morning you saw that “Natasha was single”, by 12 mid-day it says “Natasha is in a relationship” and by 10am the next day her status reads “Natasha is in a relationship but its complicated” and by evening it changes again “Natasha is Single” holy smokes!!!....You scratch your head, roll your eyes and think out loud ENOUGH ALREADY! Be cautious when making contact with individuals you do not know. These interactions may have serious consequences. Online has a false sense of warmth but those of you with your eyes open can see how frigid it really is…. Don’t be deceived!
Before you join a social networking site, take some time to review the privacy policy, as well as the FAQ section. If you have already joined the social networking site, go back and read the privacy policy. Facebook has made it easier and easier to safeguard yourself while using the site, so use privacy settings to restrict who can access your profile. Take advantage of it. Only post information that you are comfortable with others seeing (such as people outside your network, or even potential and current employers).
Social marketing and social media is steadily rising and in the next 5 to 10 years it will explode as more and more households in places like Africa etc gain access to the internet. Its such an amazing experience and less expensive way for many families to talk, and or see their love ones; its also a great vehicle for learning and interacting with people throughout the world to whom you normally would not have spoken or known anything about; I personally love how everything is so instantaneous; everything at my fingertips, fast, one click, one mouse click, instant!
The rest of the world is moving ahead so don’t you get left behind because of ignorance. Do your research, conduct yourself online the same as you would out there in the real world; Do not become too immersed in tweeting, facebooking, texting etc…. Live your Life and always remember that Face to Face interactions is still the most amazing experience ever and nothing can beat that! …aaaaam well at least for now, nothing can beat that hehehee
By, Jovana Zajaredić .... Big hugs!
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