Archive for the ‘Social Networking’ Category

Be Careful What You Post – Protect Your Reputation

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Two days ago, “the world” celebrated Safer Internet Day 2010.  Unfortunately, and as I predicted, you probably didn’t hear anything about this event unless you read it here on the JumpstartMyPC.com blog.  I am not quite sure why, but this movement didn’t get any exposure or hype in the United States.  The real issue with this is that we desperately need to educate our children, teens and even adults on the harm that can be caused by posting inappropriate materials anywhere on the web.

Computers have really changed since the days of the apple IIe.  No longer are they giant beige boxes with floppy disc drives.  Today, computers come in all shapes and sizes and it seems like you can’t turn on a device without connecting it to the internet.  Phones, cameras and even game systems make it possible for anyone with the ability to punch a button to post material to sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, Flickr…. the list goes on and on.  Yet, there are no warnings of the potential dangers associated with your behavior behind that keyboard and mouse.  So how do we educate the children and teens of today to prepare themselves for the world ahead?

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Safer Internet Day 2010 – Think B4 U Post!

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

Today is a big day, although you might not hear much about it at all.  In my research to bring you information on the Social Media Credit Score series, I stumbled across a movement from the European Schoolnet called Safer Internet Day 2010.   This event, which has been held for several years now, was organized to “promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially amongst children and young people across the world.”  The topic for 2010 is Think B4 U post!

Although this movement was originated in Europe, and now encompasses 500 events in 60 countries all over the world, it doesn’t seem to have caught on in the US. I’m not sure why, but I know that this is something we definitely need to start teaching our children, teens and well…. everyone.  New technologies, like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, cell phone cameras, Flip video cameras, etc. have turned us all into publishers of information.  Thanks to these technologies, a photo or video can be taken, posted and shared to hundreds, even thousands of people, in minutes.  More recent technologies, like “tagging,” make it even easier to find and share photos of friends and family.

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Addictive Games You Can Play in 5 Minutes or Under

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Games and personal computers have been linked since the earliest days of computing.  My earliest interactions with computers were the hours spent gaming on the Radio Shack Tandy Color Computer, the Atari , the Apple IIe and numerous other systems.  Movies released during these groundbreaking years, like Tron, War Games and even Big made an entire generation aware of computer gaming.  Today, the platforms are more advanced, the technology has improved like we only imagined it could and games are available everywhere.  From Facebook to the XBOX360, you can kill 1 minute or thousands of hours trying to beat that high score or simply make the hours go by.

Today, we will look at a few of the most addictive games I have played in the last year.  These are very basic, easily accessible games that you can play in just a few minutes, if you can walk away after you’ve started.

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Google Social Search is Coming! Are You Prepared?

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

So, you have a question about… anything.  Depending on who you are or how you operate, you are probably going to do one of two things.  You are going to ask friends, family and co-workers for the answer or you are going to go directly to the internet (specifically Google).  Sure, there are other options like phone books and ….. well, I don’t know.  I think the vast majority of people in the world will use one of these two options.  Now, thanks to Google Social Search, these two methods might begin to merge into one very useful solution.

Google Social Search is a new way to search the web.  You simply Google as you always did and a new section will appear in the results, aptly titled “Results from your social circle.”  These results will include more relevant, personal web content from your friends and online contacts.  These links, images, blogs, etc. are taken from the social networking sites that your friends are part of, like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn, etc.  We could explain it further, but this video (by the amazing commoncraft) does it so well.

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Social Media Credit Score – What the Future Holds

Friday, January 8th, 2010
Where Are Our Flying Cars?

Where Are Our Flying Cars?

Over the course of the week, we have provided you with some valuable information on the concept of a Social Media Credit Score (SMCS).  Our four previous articles, all available on JumpstartMyPC.com’s blog, outlined the following areas of this idea:

Social Media Credit Score Definition

Social Media Credit Score Formula

Who Sees Your Social Media Credit Score and Why

Social Media Credit Score Tools and Tricks

Our overall goal with this series has been to educate and inform.  The SMCS is a concept that people are currently using, in small parts, without knowing that they are doing so.  In time, this concept will most likely evolve into a tangible “thing”, whether that be a real-time score, a research site or a combination of the two.

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Social Media Credit Score Tools and Tricks

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

toolsFor part 4 of our week-long look at the concept of a Social Media Credit Score, we are going to focus on the tools and tricks of researching yourself or someone else on the internet.  We have already defined what a Social Media Credit Score is, documented the “SMCS formula” and discussed who would possibly research your SMCS (in our previous articles).  So logically, we now want to give some very specific ways to track yourself or others through social media outlets.

In our article What is the Social Media Credit Score Formula we outlined the areas of the internet that make up the majority of what is currently defined as social media.  While social media continues to grow and change, so will the areas that you need to keep an eye on.  We’ll start you off with some tools for each site/area, but it will be up to you to add to your toolbox as time goes on.

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Who Sees Your Social Media Credit Score and Why?

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Monday began our week-long review of the new Social Media Credit Score concept, developed right here at JumpstartMyPC.com.  Today’s topic Who Sees Your Social Media Credit Score and Why? is part 3 of our look at the idea of  a Social Media Credit Score and how it might one day (or currently) affect your life.  We encourage you to look back at our last 2 articles (Article 1, Article 2), if you have not already read them, but here is what you’ve missed so far (flash card version).

Both

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What is the Social Media Credit Score Formula

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

social-media-3Yesterday, JumpstartMyPC.com began a week-long look at the concept of a Social Media Credit Score.  In case you missed it, Social Media Credit Score is a measurement of social risk, for an individual, based on information available through social media outlets.  Today we are going to focus on the elements that make up your score, so you’ll know how you are seen and what you need to keep an eye on.

Although the idea of a Social Media Credit Score is based on the more well-known financial credit score, there are some key differences that make the development of a formula very difficult.  This social media measurement (SMCS) has no governing body and there is no required reporting that most be followed by users/creators of social media web sites.  Also, most areas of measurement are not black or white, but gray.  As we look at the components of the SMCS, you will see the difficulty in developing a true formula for your Social Media Credit Score.

The idea I want you to walk away with is this.  How do others see me? “Others” can be defined as any person/group who has an interest in you as an individual (an area that we will focus on later in the week.)  What are the first impressions of a would-be researcher?  How do your actions, or the actions of others, (in social media) portray you?  Are you a positive or a negative?  Are you a strength or a liability?  These are not numbers or a traditional “score” but they are a measurement of an individual nonetheless. (more…)

Your Social Media Credit Score

Monday, January 4th, 2010

Social Media Credit Score - Day 1The new year is here.  Millions will make promises to themselves about how they will change their old behaviors and become a better person.  Some will actually succeed.  Whether the goals are weight loss, quitting a bad habit or saving money, the process of making a change starts with taking inventory.  What have you done in the past?  What mistakes did you make?  How can you change?

I have been working on an idea for some time now, and I felt that a new year and a new decade were the time to present it to the JumpstartMyPC.com audience.  Whether you choose to participate or not, you live in a digital age.  At the two ends of the social media spectrum, we have those who have jumped in with both feet and live a large portion of there day online and at the other, we have those who are scared of the computer and just don’t grasp the concepts of Facebook, Twitter, texting, etc.  Regardless of your digital commitment, one thing is certain.  There is information about you online.  You might not have placed it there, but it exists for the world to see.

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Online Wish Lists – In Depth Comparison of 5 Services

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

Yesterday, we detailed the use of online wish lists in organizing and sharing Christmas/holiday gift lists.  The article 51 Days Until Christmas – What’s On Your Wish List was a popular one and we received some great feedback from a few of our readers, so I decided to dig deeper and reveal some additional information that might be helpful for you all.

I began testing the different online wish list services yesterday afternoon and through much of the morning.  On each of the 5 sites we mentioned yesterday, I created a profile and added gifts to my list.  I also took the time to search and view the lists of other users, so I could get a feel for things from both sides of the fence.  All of the sites I reviewed were functional and easy-to-use, but I realized that each user might be looking for some very specific things out of a service like this.  I analyzed each site and compared them to put together a list of features that I found important.  Below are my findings.

Online Wish List Comparison Chart - brought to you by JumpstartMyPC.com

Click on Image for a Larger View

** Note that “Universal Wishlist” is the Amazon.com wish list service in this chart.

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