Facebook Never Wants You To Leave Their Site

Facebook has recently announced that Facebook users will have the capability to have their own e-mail account through the site, allowing them to e-mail people on Facebook and those who are not. This is a way for Facebook to enter into the e-mail wars that are going on now between top competitors such as Yahoo, G-Mail, and Hotmail. Facebook is continuing to encompass all internet traffic through its one site as it evolves to attract more and more individuals and users.

Facebook has stressed through many press relesases that this is not a way to "kill" e-mail but to extend the activity of Facebook. The new Facebook Message incorporates email, SMS, and Facebook Chat and Messages into one convenient bucket. People will be able to organize their electronic media conversations within one location. Again, I feel that this is just another way for Facebook to take over the Internet World!!!

Convenience vs Free Price

This is what I feel like when I have the desire to download some music: 
Do I feel bad for the artist in that they are not going to get paid if I illegally download the song? 
         NO they have enough money anyway! 
Do I worry about catching a virus from this site if I illegally download the song? 
         NO so many of my friends use this site so I should be fine too.... I hope! 


Music used to be so simple. You listened to it on the radio for free, but you didn’t get to say what would be played, and there were lots of commercials. If you went to a concert, you paid. And if you bought a CD, you paid. People copied CDs to blank disks and passed them on to friends. Stealing music was when you shoplifted a CD from the store - not the downloading of free music from offline. 


However, from the discussion in class I have done a self-evaluation on how I prefer to obtain music and I would have to say I am a convenience person. I have signed up for far too many free music sites that in time are closed down for copy right reasons. Above all is the annoyance of finally having the song downloaded and it is full of voice-over and ads I can't even hear the original song! 


Yes, even though iTunes has raised their prices for a song from $0.99 to $1.29, I still always end up going to them for the final product. I do not have time to sit and shop through the 374 uploads of Lady GaGa's Alejandro to find the one that sounds somewhat coherent. Using iTunes I pay the price for immediate satisfaction and that's fine to me for now. 

Facebook & the Mobile Phone

Facebook was invented to make sharing information with your friends easier and better. Mobile phones were invented for pretty much the same reason. People needed an easier and better way to get in touch with each other, and mobile phones made it happen. The integration of Facebook and the cell phone has helped keep people in touch on a whole new level. Here are some examples of why that is:

• "Mobile Web" lets you surf Facebook on your phone just like the normal website… except that it actually fits on the screen. Here you can check status updates, notifications, and all the other various Facebook settings right in the palm of your hand.
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• "Mobile Uploads" lets you send photos to Facebook when you're out and about. This has to be one of my favorite updates that Facebookhas come up with. Having mobile Uploads is an instantaneous way to show the rest of the world exactly what you find amusing or entertaining in that moment. There is no need to wait to get home to a computer and upload - it is now possible to do it directly from your phone!

Here is a video explaining how to sync your phone and Facebook together:

Shop Till You Drop!

After Allyssa's presentation I thought about where I see the most advertisements: Online Shopping. I spend so much time online shopping since I never get a chance to actually run out and see what's in the stores. Online stores are usually available 24 hours a day, and many people have Internet access both at work and at home. A visit to a conventional retail store requires travel and must take place during business hours.

The first online shopping arenas were Amazon and eBay which developed around the late 1990s. The uses of online shopping are not only because of the high level of convenience, but also because of the broader selection. If I cannot find the right size or color in the store, the sales clerk always suggest that I check the online store. There is more of a competitive pricing and greater access to information in regards to the merchandise being offered. Through online shopping I am able to quickly seek out deals for items or services with many different vendors.

One of the biggest disadvantages of online shopping is fraud and security concerns. I have been a victim of Internet theft when someone stole my credit card information and started using it for their own. People need to be aware of where they are shopping and the security of the site. Now most vendors disclose such privacy settings through the checkout process.

Here is a video about online safety:


How many of you online shop more than shop in stores? Is it more convenient to shop online or more of a hassle in dealing with security issues?

Apple Wins - "There's an App for That"

In one of my media studies courses, we discussed the issue of copyright material and copyright laws. Many argue that copyright laws are set to protect a creator's rights in various fields such as music, videos, film, and even phrases.This is proven to be the case in Apple's trial to trademark "There's an App for That".

Apple began to use the phrase to market it App Store in January 2009 for the iPhone with advertisements that concluded stating "there is an app for that." However, issues arose when Verizon produced a commercial mocking Apple' App slogan by comparing its nationwide 3G coverage map with its competitor stating, "If you want to know why your 3G coverage works so well on Verizon Wireless, there's a map for that."

Verizon Wireless - "There's a Map for That"

Verizon and AT&T have been competing to be America's number one wireless provider. Having Verizon not only steal the slogan but mock its competitor was a huge insult for AT&T and they sought to put an end to it. Well those commercials can no longer run for Apple now officially owns the slogan "There's an App for That" along with anything that resembles that phrase.

Apple - "There's an App for That"

The Age of Social Network Users

When I think about the average age of a social network user, I assumed they were around my age, or at least within my age group 18-24. However, that assumption was wrong! People between the ages of 35 - 44, calculating 25% of the users on social networking sites, are the age group that dominates the social media sphere.

This study, conducted by Pingdom, pulled together age statistics for 19 different social network sites: Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter, Slashdot, Reddit, Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon, FriendFeed, Last.fm, Friendster, LiveJournal, Hi5, Tagged, Ning, Xanga, Classmates.com, Bebo.

Therefore the most "social" age groups out on the web today are the generation of people who were in their 20s when the Web took off in the mid '90s. 

Here is a graph that depicts the average age of the user per site:

The average social network user is 37 years old. LinkedIn, with a business focus, has a high average user age: 44. The average Twitter user is 39 years old. The average Facebook user is 38 years old. The average MySpace user is 31 years old. Bebo has by the youngest users with an average age of 28.

If Facebook Existed Years Ago

Here is a funny post I found about historical individuals using Facebook:

Too Much Information

What to post? What not to post? 

Social networking websites allow some users to feel as if their lives and identities are worth something. It makes people feel important because they share their personal information freely and are accessible at any time. Due to the fact that most social networking sites are easily created by anyone on earth with an Internet connection, exposure of oneself becomes a click away. Everybody wants to be somebody or feel loved or feel worthy of simple recognition based on his or her skills, looks, activities, interests, and the other various boxes people fill out when creating a profile for their social networking site.

Perhaps the biggest online social networking drawback is that is makes identity theft easier. In order to create a profile on a social networking site, you have to decide how much information to share. Some sites give you options to hide information like your e-mail, address or birthday - - information that could give crooked people the chance to send you spam or steal your identity. The problem is that if you do not share any information, none of your friends will be able to find you on the site. That defeats the purpose of a social networking site in the first place. On the other hand, if you share too much you may discover that someone else is displaying himself or herself under your identity. This could all be done out of fun and games or it could be an actual criminal activity where someone is attempting to access your e-mail of financial information.

Here is a video from MSNBC talking about posting too much information: 

Video Clip on Blogging

It is pivotal in understanding and taking into consideration that the Internet is connected to the World Wide Web, meaning once it has gone mainstream, the likely hood of it coming down is hard to manage. Knowing and being aware of this should be prominent in the minds of those who are seeking to build an online profile and in deciding what information they wish to post. With this information, it allows people to make informed choices in their social networking activities, and these informed choices are the best tools to use to prevent problems from occurring. 

My Very First Blog Post

I follow various blogs here and there while I'm browsing the Internet trying to find something else to keep me occupied as I procrastinate doing my homework, but I would never classify myself as a blogger or a devote blog follower.

I have never thought of creating my own blog. To me a successful blog is updated on a regular basis and keeps those following up to date with their most current thoughts, feelings, and opinions on certain issues. I am the kind of person that would probably blog solidly for a couple weeks, but once I miss an update or become out of routine with doing it, I would most likely not be as involved as I was in the beginning.

For my internship this semester at The Hudson Institute, I have been assigned to the media/communications department assisting the Media Coordinator is Facebook, Twitter, and sometimes blogging. Hopefully I can receive more experience with blogging and how to make a successful blog.