Social Media

Social media is a way of interaction through the internet with family, friends, professional personal or political people.  It allows you to communicate and collaborate through the internet, enabling people to share their thoughts through blogging, where others can read and respond.   It also allows you to post videos and photos on other pages.  You can also read and edit others people blogs and reviews.  In the 1980's, newsgroups online became popular and that brought about the online bulletin boards.  You don't have to go to you local supermarket or landromat to view bulletins, you can view them online using the Usenet Network.  That's several servers that make use of network news transfer protocol (NNTP), that sends out news group messages.   There are other social media's that young and old take part of daily.

Below is an example of how teachers are using social media to reach their students! Enjoy!!.

Text Messaging and Chat

Text messaging, also called short message service (SMS), allows users to send short messages via a cellular device.  It also allows you to send audio and video in addition to text.  You can also send messages and multimedia messages from a cell phone to a webpage.  Since there are some limits to the amount you can send or text, companies now offer unlimited messaging plans.  They have short abbreviations to save space. (ie, c u 2 morrow means see you tomorrow.)  This is something I have yet to master.  By the time I'm finishing sending the message in regular english, the person on the other end has sent several messages back. I'm much faster than I was a year ago.  Then there's chat.  It is more than one user, exchanging text or multimedia messages using special client or web interface.  The users need a special kind of internet relay chat (IRC) and the receiving users has to have the same server to chat.  You may also use a chatroom, where you can have the privilege to go to private channels, where to get in you have to be invited.
Web based chat is using a web browser instead of a chat client, that's the difference from a chat room.  You can also text and have multimedia messages.

Chat is very popular and there are certain rules that has to be followed. Abbreviations are also used and users should never give their real names, addresses or private information.  A very popular chat is instant messaging (IM).  It can be with general people on the internet. 

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10078997-2.html
http://www.netlingo.com/acronyms.php

GoAnimate.com: Text and Chat Messaging by BettyAllen

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

Social Networking

Users connect with people, friends, family, coworkers and share information, pictures, videos, even invitations.  There are also social groups that are formed. In social networking, you are able to market products, parties and even exchanging information for ultimate networking.  Some of the most interesting discussions are conducted on social networking sites, to where a single-thread may extend for days, because the discussion is interesting. Sites such as MySpace, Eons, Beho, hi5, and of course Facebook, are prime examples of the social networking sites that may of us have become addicted to.  There are around 151 millions user of facebook, which equals 51% of the population of the USA.  Through these sites, other services such as instant messaging and real-time chat are offered. 

To get onto one of these social networks, you have to create a profile and begin requesting and confirming friends.   When Facebook first started, users had to have a college email address in order to sign up for it.  Now, anyone can have a facebook account.  As you begin to confirm and deny friends, you network expands - spanning from continent to continent, sea to sea.  I am a member of facebook and I have about 1800 friends, more than one of my daughters!  Most of my friends are people I don't know, but met on facebook, or through one of the gaming networks facebook offers. What I like most about facebook is the status updates and the games. The ability to be encouraging or encouraged is also a great plus!

http://www.facebook.com/

/http://www.myspace.com/

E-Mail Systems

E-mail is an online communication tool that has become an important key to all businesses, vendors, schools, and families.  E-mail has become the new way to conversate. At first it was the hip new way to write a letter, but now it has taken over a big part of the way we talk. The number of emails sent each daily is equal to the number of letters mailed each day.  E-mail provides a quick delivery, low cost, accessible, convenient, and manageble way to say what needs to be said. 

There are two components to an e-mail address.  There is an user ID and a host name.  Included in the host name is a TLD, or top-level domain like ".edu" or the popular, ".com" E-mail messages are sent from server to server over the web until it reaches its receipient's inbox. 

There are several e-mail clients that create, send and receive e-mails.  These clients provided many services to help people get their messages to their recipients.  E-mail servers and protocols help in the delivery of emails. 

http://communication.howstuffworks.com/email.htm
http://www.webroot.com/En_US/business.html?WRSID=d5d23ab24cf11b9c3f931c8bfe83c7d8

Audioboo

1.& 2.  Is it useful? How?

It's useful because you can just sit there and express yourself without worrying about typing, or grammatical errors.  And on the other hand, I feel that it is not useful.  It's like you're playing phone tag with someone and leaving voicemail messages.  Also, if you don't have an iphone or android, you won't be able to be mobile with this tool. 

3. Is it really a social networking tool as we know it?

No, this is not a social networking tool.  There is little interaction or response to messages. 

4. Do you think it will be as big as Facebook or Twitter?

No, I don't think it will be as big as Facebook or Twitter. 

5. After creating a Audioboo, how does it compare to Facebook or Twitter.

It seems too time consuming.  The amount of time the computer took to process the file was too much.  In the same amount of time I could of tweeted, or posted another status on Facebook and received several replies and "likes."

Google Reader

If only my filing system could be this organized!  Google Reader is the Symbaloo for blogs and other information.  This aggregator is a service connected to google and gmail that helps the "blogger" organize the blogs they follow.  In Google Reader there are various panels on the left-hand side that shows the subscriber what blogs they subscribe to.  It even allows you to search for the people you subscribe or don't subscribe to who may be in Reader.  If you're feeling adventurous, Reader suggests items and sources that fit your interests based upon your subscriptions and information.  Reader even has a tracking system called "Trends" in which you're able to see your activity, the activity of those you subscribe to and the trends of the friends in your contact list.  Google Reader, through its "Browse for stuff" tab, allows people to search for feeds that spark their interest; whether it is a news feed or sports feed, it filters your request to fit your need.  The main screen shot of google reader includes new posts from your blog subscriptions as well as a sneak peak into the blogs.

Google Docs

I would use google docs in my business to create surveys of the meals/foods I serve and cater.  Also the surveys would be great for employees, for the job.  I would be able to edit and view no matter where I am, as long as there's a computer. I would also be able to gather imformation from other chefs and employees.  It's really really great for my business.