Sandy not playing!

As we all lie safe and sound in our beds --- some slumbering peacefully despite the heat, others updating their blogs --- the east coast of the United States of America braces for or is already experiencing the effects of what meteorologists have dubbed "The Perfect Storm".

After beating a path across the Caribbean making landfall on both Jamaica and Cuba, Hurricane Sandy is now approaching the US. She will not be alone, however, as she will collide with a number of other weather fronts to form a patchwork mammoth of a storm that has social media abuzz. "Frankenstorm" is now an actual search word that will gain a number of hits on Twitter, blog sites and even Youtube.

Despite the havoc that this amazing storm promises for the American east coast it also promises an amazing show of the ways in which social media can be utilized. Not only will a number of citizen journalists be born, but many persons will use social media to keep in touch with their loved ones, and perhaps even to mobilize assistance for those severely affected after the storm passes.

For those of you who have loved ones in the areas to be affected, our thoughts and prayers are with you and them at this time. All eyes will be tuned in to social media as we follow Sandy on her historical, no nonsense journey...

A recent post on Twitter shows what Sandy looks like from space....

Sandy really not playing, people!

Meme me this...

I will be the first to admit that I did not know what a "meme" was when I first heard the term. Now, as I journey on through social media, I can find out more about this interesting form of social media.

British evolutionary biologist, Richard Dawkins, is credited with coining the term "meme" (pronounced "m-ee-m") in his 1976 book --- "The Selfish Gene". The word "meme" was fashioned after the word gene and referred to a way of "... explaining the spread of ideas and cultural phenomena." ("Meme", Wikipedia).

Today the word "meme" is used, not in a biological sense, but in connection to a form of social media and is used to transmit a thought, idea or concept. This is usually done through the use of  a picture and a small amount of text (most times not directly related to the picture used). Memes are, in most cases, meant to be entertaining:

 But can also be used to communicate serious issues:

With sites such as Meme Generator, quickmeme, zipmeme and others anyone and everyone can show their meme-ing talent! I am actually hoping that this one becomes a sensation very soon:

Like videos, memes have the potential --- when they are VERY good --- to go viral. The video below attempts to give reasons as to why some memes tend to go viral or  mainstream more than others. Additionally it helps to highlight the fact that the meme is indeed a new language --- a new way to share bits of information without going too much in depth to bring this info across.

Viva la meme!

How can I Wiki you today?

Before I begin my update re: my week of Wikipedia, it should be noted that Wikipedia is usually not considered to be a "reliable academic source" by many tertiaty level instituions --- our esteemed College included (i.e. you can use it, but it must not be the main source for the bulk of your research). Honestly, as a tertiary level student, your first port of call --- for an online source --- when doing research should be Ebscohost or other such reputable sources.

 

.... And that was a public service message brought to you by.... Haha! I digress...

Wikipedia's value cannot be ignored as it holds a variety and vast amount of information. For many, it is an invaluable source of information and contains, rather than the possibility of inaccuarate information, the possibility of having a  number of different perspectives on any one topic. Although Wikipedia articles are created by a number of contributors, these articles go through a number of rigourous checks by other contributors; checks that include, but are not limited to, the article's validity, relevance, grammar and use of diction, and the article's objectivity, to name a few.

Although I did not partake in the opportunity (afforded me by signing up to be a "Contributor") to create or edit an article, by simply reading through a few of the articles on the site I became cognisant of its value, for many, as a "go to" source for information. It was also apparent to me that this is indeed a labour of love. Wikipedia, through its facilitation of collaborative work, encourages those that have a passion for and understanding of the need for information to be readily available and widely disseminated to indeed make it so.

I will end my "Wiki-wiki-wild" journey with a personal experience. While utilising a popular social networking site I came across this meme:

Curious, I visited Wikipedia to see if they knew what this was about... I was not disappointed:
Monsanto

I was even able to find, within the same article: Monsanto Legal_issues

All in all, I went away with at least an idea of who "Monsanto" is and what the hullabaloo was about. Also, being aware of the nature of Wikipedia I, like many others following this developing story, know that as more information enters the public domain concerning this matter (and once it passes Wikipedia's criteria for articles to be okayed for publishing) the article will be updated for knowledge seekers.

And so, I continue on this journey through social media.... My next stop? I am not sure just yet, but feel free to leave suggestions in the "Comment" box below or perhaps even on my twitter account: Tweet@blossiebee 

iblossie out!

 

 

Wiki-wiki-wild!

You just picked a folded piece of paper out of the little opaque plastic bag that your lecturer just passed around. Full of trepidation you unfold this dastardly harbinger of doom to reveal your research topic on... "The Bottle Cap"!

Your first thought (after trying to switch topics with the person next to you) is probably: "What the fireball am I going to write about bottle caps?"
And then the answer dawns on you like a ray of sunlight bouncing off of one of those little shiny devils themselves --- Wikipedia!


Social media has many facets of use; one of which involves collaborative hubs such as Wikipedia. Wikipedia is an online encyclopaedia that is home to twenty-three million articles that have been collaboratively written and edited by several thousands of contributors to the site. The amazing thing is the way in which this hub was initially conceptualized to work was revisited and revamped to achieve what it is today --- one of the largest and most referenced sites available on the Internet (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia). Internal links (hyperlinks I believe they are called... I'll check this on the Wiki :)) dot almost every article in an effort to help anyone utilizing the information contained in the articles to truly understand a wide range of inter-related terms and ideas. This short video (below) gives a quick rundown of the advent of today's Wikipedia...

 I created an account on our topic of discussion... No! Not bottle caps! Wikipedia!

And although I do not have a doctorate (yet) I think that in browsing I too may be able to become "A Contributor"... I'll try to stick to articles about Trinidad... Being a Trini that should give me some level of credibility, right? Well... To end on a humorous, but albeit relevant note you can take a gander at this short video (above) as well...

To Wikipedia and beyond!

So... I tweeted...

Imagine a lone bird twittering and tweeting to any other member of his species that might be within range of his call... His message. He seeks someone to tweet to about good feeding grounds, the fact that he is moulting a bit early this season, where he could find a good mate or maybe just to express how wonderful the sun feels on his little birdie breast on that particular day.  It is in this way Twitter seeks to connect friends, family members and perfect strangers that share similar interests, across the globe.  

Twitter is a social media platform --- a micro blogging service --- that allows people utilising the service to update their statuses or views on important, or sometimes random, topics using short messages or “tweets” of no more than one hundred and forty (140) characters. According to Alexa Internet, Inc. (www.alexa.com), Twitter is among the ten top visited websites on the Internet and is recorded as having five hundred million users as at April 2012. It allows you not only to communicate in a text-based format, but lets you post pictures and videos as well, thus allowing information to be communicated relatively effectively in a small space.

My week on Twitter, though brief, was truly a learning experience. I explored the site on the few opportunities that I got and noticed the freedom with which people expressed themselves. The site can be used for a number of purposes besides keeping up with friends and family members separated by distance. Many “causes” are fought in this sphere, e.g. GoTeamTheodore, and many businesses utilize this medium as a way of advertising and marketing their products. In these ways Twitter can indeed be an asset; making cyberspace, and by extension, the world a little easier to manoeuvre. It also gives a voice to those whom --- without this social media outlet --- would otherwise remain voiceless.

Below is a video that explains Twitter in very simple terms (although not capturing fully the potential of the medium). Although it should have been included in my first post, I think here it can act as encouragement for those who may have been “Twitter-shy”.

My journey through social media continues … Our next stop?

Stay tuned to find out!  

 

Tweeting...

Sometimes playing around with stuff is a good idea!

I signed up for Twitter... Not knowing exactly what to expect ... Or to do....

Tonight, through some idle exploration, I uploaded a profile picture, changed my header and linked my blog to my Twitter account... And get this --- I managed not just one but TWO "Tweets"!!!

Well... The second one was actually a tweet linking my two followers (YES!!! I have TWO whole followers!!!!) and any potential future followers to my blog....

Social media is pretty handy wouldn't you say? :)

Twitter me this...

Soooo... I'm all signed up for Twitter... I'll give it a week and tell you guys how it went :)

What is Social Media?

Breaking news, keeping up with friends or family members over dividing distance or simply connecting with persons with whom a common interest is shared; social media is an amazing facilitator for all of these activities.

Social media has changed the way that we use the internet --- rather than being a passive user as was the case when the net first debuted, users can now be more active participants on the World Wide Web. It is these barrier-breaking qualities that make social media the dynamic force that it is in today’s ever changing world.

In order to gain a new appreciation for the world of social media and to learn a few things about it (new forms, their uses, etc.), this blog will be my digital journal to capture my journey through the world of social media.

Come join me on this journey! It’s but a click away!