If you are struggling to understand the basics of how social media works here is a new and entertaining video from Common Craft explaining social media in plain English.
It is a follow on from several other videos they have done in the past and it could prove useful if you need to explain it to someone who doesn't really understand technology.
I was browsing through one of my favourite blogs, shiny shiny, when I came across this hilarious list of 10 signs that you might be addicted to the internet. It is written by Susi Weaser and details her internet addiction symptoms. With many of us spending all day glued to the internet both at work and at home, I thought this list was very fitting and am slightly embarrassed to admit that I am also guilty of doing some of these things…
1. Getting Beta invites for things you don't remember signing up for
"Congratulations! You've been let in early for this Beta Beta First Stage Feedback Trial!" The chances are, if I didn't get accepted within 20 minutes of signing up I've forgotten about why I wanted to try it out so bad. I am that fickle.
2. Dreaming about blogging
Last night, I dreamt about repeatedly trying to change to code for an image. This ranks right up there with dreaming about hoovering and dreaming about waiting for a bus in interest stakes.
3. 3am phone checks
I now routinely wake up at 3am, and it seems as good a time as any to check what people have emailed, twittered and facebooked whilst I've been asleep. Conducive to a good night's sleep? No. Ensures I don't miss anything? Yes.
4. 7am phone checks
The same process gets repeated at 7am, just after I hit snooze for the last time. This time, I also check the weather to ensure I'm not caught in a flip flops/torrential downpour situation.
5. Twittering whilst in a queue
Queues now seem like the ideal opportunity to twitter, which often leads to me getting to the front of the queue too quickly. The good news is, I've yet to invite the person behind me to skip ahead so I can finish my terribly witty 145 character twit. But that day is inevitable.
6. Trying to recruit friends and family
I get terribly frustrated with people who don't spend all their time on the internet. It was the Best. Thing. Ever when the world and his dog got obsessed with Facebook - finally, everyone was on the same (web) page. I just don't understand why my mother has no interest in an RSS reader. Surely her life would benefit from it?
7. Drunk emailing
I used to just have to worry about the drink and dialling. Now? Now I have to check back over the emails I sent after I've been out drinking. In my alcohol haze I've justified it by the fact that emails are free, and I can keep in contact with those in different time zones. On the flip side of that, I'm emailing nonsensical and badly spelt messages to people who are only midway through their day, and inevitably, sober. Bad news.
8. Photo sharing overload
It used to be a case of taking photos, leaving the film to languish in a drawer for 2 years, printing and finally stuffing in an album. Now, I take photos and baulk at the prospect of having to name them all, upload them to three of four different places and then tag them. It's the kind of thing that makes me wish I still had siblings who would perform mind-numbingly boring tasks for £2 a throw.
9. Laptop TV time
I watched The Apprentice three times last week. Why? Well, because each time I sat down I turned on my laptop and got to the end of the programme I realised I'd spent so much time going through my RSS feeds I'd completely missed everything up until 'You're Fired'.
10. Holidaying on the internet
I'm off on holiday in no less than 67 hours, and the world, as it were, is my oyster. So, where am I off to? A tropical beach? An adventure packed trek? Nope, I'm off to San Francisco, the mecca for those with an internet addiction. The highlight of my trip will clearly be blogerati spotting. L-O-S-E-R
Don’t worry Susi, you’re not alone. I think it’s time we started up an internet users anonymous before it all gets too much…
My colleague Beth Jones recently wrote a post on Miro, a new and slick video application for internet users. Miro is a free application that allows you to store your favourite internet videos for example podcasts and video RSS feeds, all you need is a fast, reliable internet connection.
Miro, developed by the Participatory Culture Foundation, is totally free to download and unlike the small screen size found on its competitor’s sites, Miro allows videos to be viewed in high quality, full screen mode. The way Miro stores and manages videos is a highlight of the application, creating a library (similar to itunes) which holds your videos for five days unless you specify for it to be held for longer. This automatic flushing of the videos stops the library from clogging up - this is particularly useful when using the automatic grab function which saves all of the videos from your favourite channels.
Some of the features available on Miro include: access to the Miro guide (a directory of channels which you can subscribe to); online video search; your local video library; new content which has completed downloading but which you haven’t yet watched; and a view of what’s currently being downloaded. You can also subscribe to your favourite ‘channels’ (Channels are Miro’s name for RSS feeds) allowing new videos to automatically be downloaded into your account and you can also make playlists of your favourite clips.
Steve O'Hear, editor of last100 has some useful tips on using Miro and a review of the application on his blog, which any new Miro user should check out.
What with social media websites enabling us to tell the world about ourselves umpteen different ways, it came as no surprise to find that there are dozens of websites offering downloadable software to create your very own radio station. And why not? It's simple to set up, and everyone loves their 15 minutes of fame!
In the very basic sense, all you need to make a live broadcast or a podcast is an audio file and an Internet connection (fast broadband is also a major plus) - but downloading additional software offers more flexibility and sound quality. I came across some very good websites offering radio and podcast services, and once you choose which software to use there is also an abundance of information on the web about the process of setting up an online radio station, and it really does seem quite simple.
Live365.com offers free, high-capacity streaming and MP3 netcasting, alongside a great help and information package if you purchase the software. That’s the catch – it’s not free. However, if you are serious about your station/Podcasting , it is a worthwhile investment as it the worlds largest online radio network and you get a lot for your money.
However, if it’s free software you’re looking for, Gcast.com offers simple downloadable software that doesn’t overcomplicate things and confuse the user with audio jargon. Gcast automatically generates an RSS feed for your broadcast, offers a useful playlist facility and allows your audio to be embedded your (or anyone else’s if they wish!) website. Other free websites worth looking into are Peercast.org and Shoutcast.com, both offering similar services. And if you’re really serious about your sound, download the free editing package ‘Audacity’ to tweak your recording before going live.
Happy Broadcasting!
When it comes to social networks on the internet, Facebook, MySpace and Bebo automatically spring to mind. But whilst I was doing some research on social networking sites for my top ten social networks, I came across a new site that I thought was rather cool.
imeem, is the name of this find and it definitely features in my pick of the bunch and should be a big hit amongst most music lovers. The site is based around sharing music and video playlists, alongside the usual community functions such as messaging facilities, groups, photo sharing that can be found on most social networks.
What makes this site stand out from the others is the fact that you can create playlists on your profile and share them with your friends. So if you are interested in Rock or Jazz music, you can click on the relevant button and see what songs people have got on their profiles. imeem lets you listen to the track (most of the time the whole song but on occasions it’s just a preview) and download it if you like it and add it to your imeem playlist. You can also share videos in the same manner. You can interact with others with similar music tastes and find out about the latest tunes that are taking the music industry by storm.
Another great application that imeem offers is the events section, where upcoming tours by artists and bands are featured, allowing users to see who is touring, when and where so you never miss a good gig. It even updates you with events happening in your area and at local venues. You can search by artist, venue or show.
I think it’s great, particularly for finding music that is less mainstream or discovering new artists but almost everything on this site is music related so if you’re not a music fan then I don’t really think this one is for you. However if you are I strongly advise you to check it out.
I've just had a brilliant link Skype'd my way. Give away of the day is a relatively new initiative in the software world that offers up a new piece of kit to internet users everyday, but it's only ever available for download for 24 hours (sometimes longer, but it's obviously at the discretion of the developers). Pretty cool really... the 'word of mouth' race against the clock..
Anywhooo, with only 15 hours left, I highly recommend getting 
your paws on YouTubeGet. It's developers say: "YouTubeGet is an all-in-one software designed to make quick and easy work to download YouTube videos and convert them. Offering a multitude of methods to acquire the video, this application has all the power you need while still remaining small and easy to use." I'm sure something in there doesn't make sense, but I've just downloaded it a few minutes ago and this is a great help! Another plus - it's going for $29.95, so if you miss the deadline it's not like it's going to break the bank.
You literally just drag the YouTube url into the add box, and choose what file you'd like to convert it into... then 'Voila' you have your video. I've just taken my current top five video's and transferred them into realplayer format - now they're sat on my ipod ready to be watched whenever I next need to kill ten minutes.
This morning BBC News has reported that the musical social networking site MySpace has announced it's about to start allowing its users to make their information available to other social networks. Information to be shared includes photos, videos, public profile information, friends' lists and text.
When this new service is launched its members will be able to share their information with Yahoo, Twitter, eBay and Photobucket.
Up until now social networks like Facebook, MySpace and Bebo have locked us all into their own specific site and made sure the content we created and saved was properly guarded and unreachable by the other sites to stop us all from hopping from one site to another which is why Facebook has got such a massive user base. It's also the reason we have to keep completing form after form for each different site inputting the same information which can be very tedious. This new service will hopefully remove a lot of that.
Interestingly, MySpace's Boss Chris DeWolfe has confirmed he is happy to work with Facebook - which would be a huge leap forward. MySpace has stressed that users will have the control over what information they share and who they share it with.
I see this as an ongoing trend with the other sites quickly following suit because quite frankly they will have to or they will be quickly ditched by us (the users) for newer, cooler sites and tools.
It's no coincidence that this has been announced quite soon after Myspace's user figures appeared to be waning. So if these social networks genuinely want to survive they must bring down their guarding walls and share our information.
One thing is for sure, if this information is safe and secure this will be great news for all of us as we should be able to say goodbye to the wasted hours spent on the internet filling out pointless forms answering the same boring questions.
The new changes are reported to be rolled out on the site across the coming weeks.
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Mondays can be hard after a long weekend, so here is a quick video doing the rounds on the Internet which should help to cheer you up. Special thanks go to David Brain for sharing this little gem with us. To be honest I knew Beaker had a hidden talent locked in there somewhere. Britain's Got Talent look out.
Now that the 'big three' have been covered in my top ten social networks, I thought I would move on to some of the lesser known and more specialised networks that have made my top 10.
‘CafeMom’ is a less renowned social media site compared to the likes of Facebook and Myspace, however in October last year, the site was actually voted number one site for women on the net.
The American made website for mothers, follows the same sort of style as other social media sites: you can make yourself a profile, add friends, join groups, add photos and send each other messages. The great thing about this site is the focus on forums. Mothers from all over the world unite and join in with debates-some scheduled and some not- about anything and everything from weight loss to cookery.
There is so much advice and help about everything a mother, old or new could possibly need to know and the best thing about it is that it comes from the experts, other mothers.
Serious issues such as abortion and still born births are discussed, and it’s pleasantly moving to see the support members genuinely give to others who they have never met before, but have a bond in the fact that they both share in the blessing of having children.
The visuals on the site are quite basic but the layout is simple and easy to use. As the name suggests, the site is very American orientated: a lot of links and references are from America which some UK members might find a bit uncomfortable and unfamiliar with. However, learning about others mothering guidance from different nations should be a good thing, whether you choose to take it or not.
After browsing through the 1000s of groups available, I was amazed at the vast amount of topics and issues which mothers need to deal with. The site really is a great place for real Mums to ‘hang out’ and there is so much to learn from the other members, this is an essential must for all mums!
So the second site I have wondered into the world of during my investigation into the top 10 social networks is MySpace. Our wonderful work experience student Rosalind was kind enough to help me with this post.
MySpace is another of what I like to call the ‘big three’. One of the most successful and popular social networking sites out there (I class Facebook, MySpace and Bebo as the big three). Although it has lost favour to Facebook with UK audiences, it is still one of the top three sites according to an independent survey carried out by Computer Which? Bebo came up as most popular with Facebook then MySpace coming closely behind after being tested on the ease of setting up and using the site, the range of features, and the way the sites protected privacy and security, including how easy it is to remove personal details.
As with all social networks, MySpace is an online community. Similarly to both Facebook and Bebo, once you've joined you can start creating your own personalised homepage. You can choose from their selected backgrounds or you can get your creative juices flowing and make your own. Users can add songs and videos, and upload photos to make their own personal space.
MySpace can be used to make new friends, connect your friends to other friends, for single people to find other single people, map family trees, socially network with co-workers, and even to find long lost friends or classmates. As you build your network you can share photos, journals and interests with your friends.
Video sharing application, MySpace TV has become a rival to YouTube, but there is a bit more of an emphasis on professional and studio produced material. They have recently clubbed together with BBC Worldwide and now selected BBC shows (including The Mighty Boosh, Doctor Who and Top Gear) are available to subscribers of the BBC Worldwide channel on MySpace TV for viewing and virtually sharing across your online community.
There is a huge music emphasis on MySpace and the site has become almost essential for new acts that want to promote themselves and also major artists as a way of connecting to their fans. Bands can make their own profiles containing their music and videos and start their own blogs and forums. Kate Nash found herself a manager after uploading some of her songs to MySpace where she was noticed by Lily Allen, who then added her to her favourites' and helped direct a lot of attention to her.
The classified section on MySpace allows members to post free ads and search millions of free ads for used cars, jobs, apartments, real estate, pets, tickets, dates and more.
The thing I have struggled with the most when using MySpace is the code writing. You have to edit your page’s code in order to add new applications, whereas you just have to press ‘add’ on some of the other social networks. So that is why I personally prefer Facebook.
The average age of MySpace users is 31. More than 85% of MySpace members are over 18.
There are many similar features to Facebook on MySpace- you can create your own groups and events and there are many of those annoying little applications like 'adopt a virtual pet' and other 'games' that clutter up the pages.
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