Social Media and Hurricane Irene

Social Media had a profound impact on delivering news during Hurricane Irene.  You could find an NYC Evacuation Center on Foursquare, learn about the aftermath and reaction of Hurricane Irene, view pictures of the calm before the storm, and of course – view “Hurricane Irene” twitter account.

Facebook Sharing – Privacy/Security/Settings

(Source: Facebook Blog)

On August 23, 2011 Facebook organized two areas of content sharing: what shows up on your profile, and what happens when you share something new.

On your Profile:

• Content Sharing – Options such as hometown, latest interests, photo albums and more, now have an inline menu that allows you to control who sees a specific part of your profile. A side benefit of moving most of the settings to inline controls is a much shorter and simpler Settings page. (to view this simply click “edit” next to the content section you want to change the settings for)
• Profile Tag Review – Previously, photos you were tagged in would show up on your profile as soon as you were tagged.  Now – you can choose to use the new tool to approve or reject any post you are tagged in before it’s visible to anyone else on your profile. (to view this simply go to account settings in top right hand corner and select “privacy settings”)
• View Profile As – You can now view your profile as others see it.  If you go to your profile page and select “View Profile As…” you can view yourself from a different perspective.

When You Share:

• Inline Controls – Before in order to control who saw your posts you had to click around within the settings page.  Now there is an inline option for each post to control who and how you share your content. Also, when you tag someone the audience label will update to show that the person tagged and their friends can see the post.
• Change your mind after you post? – You can now change who sees your update even post you post through inline options.
• Tagging Locations – Before you could only “check in” to locations using a smart phone.  Now you have the option add a location to anything from your home computer.  Currently, there are no restrictions on your location post.  For example, you can say that you are currently in Paris, when – for example -  you are laying in bed from your home in Cincinnati.

This didn’t really seem fall within the categories above, but is really cool.

Your options for removing tags or content on Facebook are presented more clearly. Your options are: removing from your profile, removing the tag itself, messaging the photo owner or tagger, and requesting the content get taken down. (More details on tagging can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/about/tagging)

Update: The article I wrote above is a summary of social media news that I found interesting.  I kept the tone relatively formal and intentionally left out my opinion.  After sharing this with the New Media Cincinnati committee, I thought it would be fun to share my “two cents”.  So, if you are still reading at this point, here it is:

I thought it was really interesting how social media played a part in delivering information on Irene.  The actual @Irene account was a Product Strategist who was delivering information and communications about the hurricane.  While the tone was light, a lot of sources reported that “her” tweets were informative.   I was also impressed with the option to “check-in” to an evacuation center on foursquare.  It was designed to reveal a list of local evacuation centers and make it easier for residents within the area to find a center.

On the Facebook section of my post, I am really glad to see Facebook taking steps to make privacy easier to manage.  I like that I have control over accepting or rejecting tags of photos and locations.  The inline controls to make content sharing easier among certain friends was also a great added value for me.  While nothing is ever truly private online (especially Facebook), it brings me a bit of solace to know that controlling my privacy has gotten a little easier – even if it’s just an illusion of security.

Welcome to episode 003 of the New Media Cincinnati podcast, with your hosts, Daniel Johnson, Jr. and Matthew Evins. This episode was recorded on Thursday, September 1, 2011.

Shout-out to sponsors: Jazzmania Productions and BlueHost.

Download this episode directly: 

Questions, Trends in Social Media, and Chabot Seizing Cameras – New Media Cincinnati Podcast – Hosts: Daniel Johnson, Jr. and Matthew Evins

Running time: 22:41

01:35 Thanks again to Daniel J. Lewis for coming on last week to talk about PodCamp Cincinnati.

02:05 September 2011 Second Saturday event coming up on the 10th. Questions From A Hat. Loosely based on the Scenes From A Hat game from “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”

04:35 From the LinkedIn group: Krista Neher shared 5 Biggest Trends in Social Media

05:25 Google Plus. Public and private posts, like a combo between Facebook and Twitter. Some other similarities to LinkedIn and even blogging.

07:24 Google Plus mobile app has a Nearby stream that lets you see what others are posting. You can connect to others you might not already know. Photos added to a queue that you can opt to share with others. Can share to individuals or circles or to all circles.

08:50 Social Media Overload: Remember your goals and what you’re looking to get out of it.

11:07 Businesses are offering incentives to encourage those who engage with them in social media.

12:10 Other trends… Accessing social media via mobile devices, virtual commerce, and gamification.

14:26 Why Seizing Cameras at the Rep. Chabot Town Hall Is A Big Deal. We cannot expect privacy in public places anymore. Especially at events funded by taxpayers for our elected politicians.

Connect with Matthew:

Twittter: @evinsmj
Website: http://evinsmj.net
Professional: http://mevinsconsulting.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/evinsmj

Connect with Daniel:

Twitter: @danieljohnsonjr
Website: http://danieljohnsonjr.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/danieljohnsonjr
New Media Cincinnati meets on the Second Saturday of every month, except for December.

Add yourself to the NMC email signup list to get email from us.

Music played on this podcast comes from MusicAlley by Mevio. Used by permission.
Intro music is “Surf Babe” by Alamantra
Closing music is “I’ve Got So Many Questions” by Ken Kurland feat. Penny Towers Wilber

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Related articles

• Podcamp Cincinnati And Nothing About Steve Jobs (newmediacincinnati.com)
• Paul McCartney, Tech Hotspots, and WordPress Blog Spam (newmediacincinnati.com)
• The ROI of attending an in-person social media event (danieljohnsonjr.com)

Image by archer10 (Dennis) via Flickr

This month we’ve got LinkedIn going public, Facebook changing privacy settings (again), and Google honoring guitar great Les Paul.

LinkedIn Goes Public

Big news last month as LinkedIn launched on the NYSE (LINKD), the biggest internet IPO since Google’s in 2004.  The Wall Street Journal reports:

Shares opened May 19th at $83, up 84% from its initial public offering price of $45. By the market’s 4 p.m. close, the stock had soared 109% to $94.25.

Could this set the stage for other internet companies like Facebook, Zynga, and Groupon?

Facebook’s Facial Recognition App Controversy

Facebook again has stirred up controversy with its new Facial Recognition application. We talked about this a bit back in January.  You can tag groups of photos in an album, and Facebook uses its facial recognition technology to suggest the friend you should tag with. This means that a Facebook friend could potentially tag you in any photo they’ve uploaded, whether you want it or not by default.

There are three ways you can manage this, should you be concerned. In a recommended order of importance:

1. Don’t put yourself in compromising situations where a Facebook friend could snap an upload a picture of you to Facebook.
2. Manage your Facebook friends so that you’re only connected to those you trust.
3. Update your Facebook privacy settings.

To disable this feature in Facebook:

1. Log into Facebook, click the Account drop down and select Privacy Settings.
2. Click Customize settings.
3. Scroll down to the Things others share section.
4. Next to the Suggest photos of me to friends option, click Edit Settings and change the setting from Enabled to Disabled.
5. Click Okay.

Google Honors Les Paul with Playable and Recordable Google Doodle

Google is known for commemorating special days and anniversaries by changing the logo on its homepage. Earlier this week, they put up a special Google doodle to honor Les Paul, shaped like an electric guitar. Mousing over the strings played notes, and you could also record and share your recording with others.

Playable Les Paul Google Doodle

The Steering Committee has been discussing possible questions around privacy, the web, and social networking tools in preparation for tomorrow’s Second Saturday event.

Some background posts and resources that have prompted our discussion:

• Facebook Brings Facial Recognition to Photo Tagging
• Facebook Users Upload Record-Breaking 750M Photos Over New Year’s Weekend
• Help! My Boss Wants To Be My Friend On Facebook!
• Facebook’s Privacy Guide
• Foursquare Responds To Please Rob Me: Please Shut Up
• On foursquare, location, & privacy…

Twenty Questions About Online Nakedness And Privacy

The order below is in no particular importance, but useful for reference in the comments:

1. What are some must-haves for your privacy on a Facebook Business page? What are your must-haves for privacy on Facebook?
2. How private is too private? If you keep yourself totally locked down, then doesn’t that defeat the purpose of being social on social networks?
3. Does your IT department block social networking sites at your work? What is their rationale, and how does this hinder your ability to use social networking sites on your job?
4. From a legal standpoint, what can I do to protect what my employees are saying online, either as explicit representatives of my company/brand, or as themselves but otherwise associated with my company/brand?
5. What is your personal strategy for using Facebook? Do you use it to connect with family and old friends, or do you use it for business? Is there a way to keep them separate?
6. What steps have you taken on social networking sites to keep your profile private?
7. Were pictures of you among the 750M uploaded to Facebook on New Year’s Weekend?
8. What do you do when you realize you’ve been tagged in a photo? What if a questionable photo was live on your page for a week, and you happened to be offline but your boss and colleagues were not?
9. Should you or have you connected with your boss on Facebook?
10. What is going on with Facebook’s Instant Personalization? What are its benefits to me, and what can I do if I don’t want it enabled?
11. Should you really be concerned about posting where you are on sites like Foursquare and Gowalla or Facebook Places? Should you be concerned about the premise of PleaseRobMe.com?
12. Should you “geotag” your tweets (updates from Twitter)?
13. How can I manage what I say on Twitter best protect my privacy?
14. Describe some potential situations in real life in which you think it would not be best to connect online.
15. How do you tactfully decline a connection request (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Google Buzz, etc.)?
16. How do you remove a connection/friend on these social networking sites? Do they get notified when I do this?
17. How does posting content online affect your career? We want our businesses to be high profile, but what about the behavior of our employees when that content is less than attractive?
18. Is there a benefit to having lists or groups of people on Facebook? Is there a way to control what people in these lists see? (Limited profile settings, perhaps?)
19. Should I accept a Friend request from a profile that is a business (i.e., not a human at a business)? Facebook friend vs Facebook page, etc., on Foursquare, too.
20. What benefit, if any, is there to being connecting with a venue on Foursquare?

Related articles

• Report: Facebook and Twitter Most Unsafe Social Networking Sites in 2010 (socialtimes.com)
• Ways to Protect Your Privacy on Social Networking Websites Like Facebook (computersight.com)
• Social Networking Etiquette (thinkup.waldenu.edu)
• How to Control Your Privacy With Foursquare and Other Geolocation Services (socialmediatoday.com)
• 4 Quick and Easy Ways to Protect Your Online Self in 2011 (socialtimes.com)
• What Your Business Needs to Know About Social Graphs (socialmediaexaminer.com)
• Year in Ideas: Social networking and the end of privacy (nationalpost.com)

Thanks to Michelle Beckham from C3: Creating Connections Consulting for this video promo!

Click here to see the embedded video.

And if you haven’t registered for Saturday’s event, get to it!

Related articles

• Quick Hits: Internet Advertising in 2011, the Facebook Lockdown Guide, and More (michaelfertik.com)
• White House Calls for Online ‘Privacy Bill of Rights’ (dailyfinance.com)

Get your e-mail invitation? Good. Then you know about what we’re doing this Saturday.

If not, get on over and register for Saturday’s event. You want to be there. Yes, definitely.

Want to get an email invitation next month? Add yourself to the list here.

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originally uploaded by justinrains.

He may have only attended a New Media Cincinnati Second Saturday once in 2009, but it’s obvious that we’ve had an effect on Matthew Evins, aka @evinsmj on Twitter.

In 2009 Matthew moved from the Greater Cincinnati area to Houston, Texas for a new job, but he still remains a friend of New Media Cincinnati and keeps in touch with a lot of us online.

As mentioned in the TechnoTools podcast

I was intrigued last week when he mentioned he and his friend Chris were going to mention our group on their podcast. They were going to be talking about privacy in social media, and so were we.

One of those moments of serendipity.

Take a listen to their podcast episode. I’ve linked to their podcast file directly in this post, but do check out their shownotes page: Social Networking and Privacy

Thanks, again, Matthew, for being a friend of New Media Cincinnati! Best of luck to you in Houston! You’re welcome to come back and visit anytime!

New Media Cincinnati happened again this month! Fans of new media gathered on March 13 to listen and participate in a panel discussion about Online Privacy. The meeting was hosted by Daniel Johnson Jr who also served on the panel with DG Hollums and Michelle Beckham-Corbin. The panel discussed their respective views on how much of their private lives they share publicly, the tools that are gaining widespread popularity and the privacy implications, and the business marketing potential for these tools.

Special thanks to Eric Marschall of EJM Designs for sponsoring the event.

Click to view video.

UPDATE: In case you didn’t already hear, this event is now FREE; i.e., no cover charge, no ticket charge, etc. You’ll still be responsible for your own bill at The Pub, however.

New Media Cincinnati began in October 2007 as a simple meetup group of people in the Cincinnati, Dayton, and Northern Kentucky areas who were passionate about new and social media technologies like blogging, podcasting, Twitter, etc.

The group consists of people who are using new and social media for a living, but also includes people who are simply involved as a hobby. Anyone interested in learning more about these technologies and in connecting with others is welcome to attend. New Media Cincinnati has become, as one attendee remarked, “the premiere social networking event in the Greater Cincinnati area.” The group’s mission has grown to one of promoting digital literacy in our community.

People who come to New Media Cincinnati Second Saturdays

• make and foster business and personal connections with at least one other person,
• have face-to-face time with social media connections made online,
• learn from one another about social media technologies as we share best practices and other tips
• have the chance to talk about their own online presence
• have opportunities to share something they know with the rest of the group
• partake of food and drink and in general have a great time!

Connecting at New Media Cincinnati Second Saturdays has led to new business and employment for some.

Sponsors

This month’s New Media Cincinnati Second Saturday is being brought to you by Daniel Johnson, Jr., The Pub at Rookwood Mews, and EJM Designs, a web design and internet marketing company.  Follow Eric on Twitter (@ejmdesigns) and check out his blog at http://ejmdesigns.blogspot.com.

Special thanks to The Pub for their continued partnership and support of New Media Cincinnati in 2010; follow them on Twitter @PubRookwood.

If you or your company is interested in sponsoring New Media Cincinnati, please get in touch with Daniel Johnson, Jr. for details.

Topic: Privacy in Social Media

As a springboard from last month’s discussion about Google Buzz, as well as some other news over the past month about location-based social networking tools, this month we will have a panel discussion on Privacy in Social Media. We will have three panelists approach their use of social media with different levels of privacy.

As always, we will leave ample time for the open networking that so many of us enjoy.

Event Details

• Event Tags
  • Twitter: #newmediacincy
  • Elsewhere: newmediacincy
• Questions? Contact Daniel Johnson, Jr. via the Contact page or see below.

More about the New Media Cincinnati web presence can be found at the website.

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