The selfie craze - For a good cause, or pointless attention?

By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88

In the past week (starting 17 March), my social media news feeds, particularly Facebook has really hit the selfie craze. In a normal week, it would be full of birthday wishes, status updates and the occasional and slightly tedious game request.

However the no make-up selfie which has driven women to donate money and get the message of beating cancer has really worked. The awareness raised (Cancer Research UK message pictured below) has been truly fantastic and it is great to see this, speaking from an individual who knows about what it can do and the support I give on a monthly basis to one of the leading UK cancer charities.

Cancer Research UK post an important message

In 24 hours in midweek, Cancer Research UK made over £1m in donations from over 800,000 people. However there has been a negative response from some quarters of society and then, other pathetic attempts to to hit the selfie craze. So, is this selfie promotion a publicity stunt, or the way of things to come when the word generosity is used?

The selfie

The definition of the word selfie is it a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a camera on a smartphone or a digital camera. These can be casual shots with a camera held at arm’s length or in a mirror. They can also involve multiple people in “group selfies,” as widely shown at the Oscars ceremony (pictured below) earlier this month.

The Oscars selfie at the start of the month drew plenty of conversation

Whilst selfies are believed to have been around for hundreds of years, they have only really taken off in the last couple of years. In 2012, Time Magazine had selfie as one of its 10 biggest ‘buzzwords’ of the year. Last year, it got so popular that a definition was entered into the Oxford English dictionary.

Whoever you are, most of us have taken a selfie of themselves. They can be from your brother or sister, to a colleague from work or education or even well-known politicians such as David Cameron and Barack Obama.

I was having a conversation on Facebook about this earlier in the week and was thinking of whether I’ve taken a selfie in the last year? I said no to start with but when considering this a bit more, I’ve taken pictures of myself in the past. Sad I know, but I guess who hasn’t done this. Below is an example of a selfie I took back in 2010, before I even understood the word existed. 

A 2010 selfie from my first year as a University student

As you can see from this example, I’m not the most attractive person and the permanently non-existent relationship record can vouch for that but it is a different way of taking a photograph. When I took the above photo, I wasn’t aware of the word selfie but now I am and I don't mind it. 

The surge of donations

I have no idea where this surge in donations has come from for the various cancer charities in the UK, from Cancer Research UK to Breast Cancer Awareness. At first when these selfies were popping up online, I admit that I thought it was just another Instagram burst. I was generally confused until seeing what it was for.

Cancer is one of, if not the biggest killer in diseases. A good portion of us have suffered the agony of seeing one of our favourite famous faces have to deal with this. Some have had the pain of it happening to someone you love or really care about.

Adverts keep appearing on television and rightfully so. Without the help of the British public, cancer will not be beaten. My polite message to cancer would be; ‘Go away and leave us alone.’ Unfortunately it isn’t as easy as that.

This campaign asked women to post selfies with no make-up online using the hashtag #nomakeupselfie. They would then nominate five of their friends to do the same, then text a number with a donation of £3 to the cancer charity of their choice. For many, Cancer Research UK is the main charity but it could be to a local fund or a more personalised group. As soon as this went viral, the craze continued. In my view this is not a publicity stunt; this is a serious message that more needs to be done to find cures for cancer.

Cancer Research UK has insisted this wasn’t their campaign to start with but is incredibly generous to find so much support out there. I make a monthly donation to Teenage Cancer Trust – a cause I have always admired from afar and was able to start making a contribution to their work when I got my break into full-time work in the publishing industry last summer. I know how valuable it is but sadly some don’t get it.

Lack of appreciation

There has be some criticism in the face of this publicity, with accusations of women missing the point of these selfies and just finding excuses to post more photos on their social media feeds.

It has led to some posting their text message or response to their donation from a smartphone onto the internet. It shuts the critics up and anyone who still then finds the right to accuse this campaign needs to think before speaking out.

This is not something like a political argument, a sporting debate or a clash over music genres you can agree to disagree on. By making a cheap and selfish comment, you could be hurting a lot of people out there.

Last October, my world was hit by the loss of a family relative to the disease. He was in his 80s and had lived a good life. Nor was he afraid of what was going to face him but it must have been truly horrible to deal with. I know it was dreadful seeing it happen to someone so close to me. When I saw my dying relative a month before he passed away, it was a really tough moment for me to take. It was a new experience and a situation I for one struggled with massively.

The best thing I could do was to keep my family strong in such a hard moment. On the outside, I put on a brave face and threw myself into my work – both as a picture researcher at my job and the freelance writing I do in my spare time but on the inside, it was incredibly hard. This is where you need the support of your friends too – to know that they are there for you. I got some amazing messages of kindness and I won’t forget that gratitude. Others who I expected the support were not there which at one of the most difficult experiences of my life was like a slap in the face.

The no make-up selfie is for valuable and important causes. It is a shame that some don't quite appreciate the full context behind the background stories.

Stupid sellotape

Off the back of this has come selfie craze number two of the month and that is ‘sellotape selfies!’

I find this completely ridiculous and I can’t see donations going to the sellotape industry!

In the words of Buzz Lightyear from the first Toy Story movie; ‘There are some sad, strange little people out there and I have my word. Farewell!’

Some just have far too much time on their hands. If I see someone I know, decide that with nothing to do, they will stick sellotape all over their face, then they will be unfollowed or unfriended. It is childish, pathetic and stupid. What’s next – sticking blu tac all over faces and taking a selfie of ourselves!

The selfie should be a happy shot, a surprised look or one like we’ve seen in the last week of dealing with an important issue like beating cancer – not one of making yourself look like an utter fool just to be at the centre of attention! It isn’t required, simple as that.

In summary, the selfie craze is something different about our interactivity. I hope it doesn’t become too frequent as it would become a bit bland after a while but when an important message is wanted to grab the eye of the general public, it is a new and interesting concept. So, no make-up selfie for cancer charities gets a big tick from this writer; sellotape selfies for Britain’s Stupidest Individuals gets angry thumbs down from this writer.

To donate to Cancer Research UK, Teenage Cancer Trust or Breast Cancer Awareness, click on the links. 

Categories: Cancer, Cancer Research UK, Donations, Facebook, Oscars, Selfie, Sellotape, Social Media, Society, Teenage Cancer Trust

Facebook - Can it survive another 10 years?

By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88

A decade ago, the word social media was almost non-existent. It certainly wasn’t a very common word. If you wanted to interact with friends online, it used to be through sites like Friends Reunited or through internet forums/chatrooms.

Nowadays, without social media – the majority of us would struggle to live without it in some form of capacity. There are so many things we can do with this power. We can upload videos in seconds and hope they become the next worldwide sensation. We can express our feelings in 140 characters and use the popular hashtag to see if it trends. We can keep in touch with friends and family, play addicting games and still have the ability to poke one another #notcoolanymore.

Facebook has reached 10 - but is under pressure to keep its audience

The facts are that without this communication, you would be lost in today’s technological planet. Recently, Facebook celebrated its 10^th anniversary. The question is, can it survive another decade?

Facebook’s early power

When Marc Zuckerberg launched Facebook in February 2004, it happened fairly quietly. In fact I don't even remember it. The background to it was documented in the lengthy and slightly tedious movie The Social Network.

It came at a time when Facebook could take supreme control of the social media audience. Its main rival at the time was MySpace and they simply couldn’t compete on the same level as what Zuckerberg could produce with his network. MySpace has since faded into complete obscurity and similar sites like Friends Reunited and Bebo have gone the same way.

I was invited and joined Facebook in July 2007, so that was three years after it was launched. The only use for it in its early days was to organise events and post the occasional status update. In fact when I went to Milton Keynes College after sixth form for two years, I was one of only three students on my media production course to have Facebook. Everyone before that connected and communicated on MySpace. I did have a MySpace profile shortly afterwards but it was so limited. While it wasn’t my ultimate mission to convert everyone, I knew Facebook was the social media channel to have and by the time I left in 2009 for University, all but two had switched platforms.

You could see Facebook’s persuasive power. Certain games have got people occasionally hooked. Others would rather just poke people. Seriously, one of the most annoying e-mail messages you can receive is ‘You have been poked’ on Facebook. I find that really irritating!

Facebook does have its downsides and I expressed some of my own personal problems with the site in a piece I did on social media in general last year.

However it did create a lot of early power and could get really addictive to use at the same time.

New threats

Zuckerberg might have made his money and has continued to evolve Facebook over the years. The simple early days of a News Feed and your Homepage have been replaced with expansive graphics. That sometimes hasn’t always worked and I know the current ‘Timeline’ concept wasn’t greeted with that much enthusiasm to begin with.

As it went through its own trough, the new threats began to arrive. Video calling technology from Skype started to develop. Facebook’s power though was soon about to be targeted by its biggest threat to date. The introduction of Twitter into our world in 2006 was again met with little in terms of immediate impact.

Slowly but surely, Twitter started to take on a vast audience as celebrities/famous people started to use it and get followed by fans or slightly obsessive normal members of the general public. If a famous face doesn’t have Twitter, it is quite surprising. I know the current motorsport king Sebastian Vettel doesn’t have Twitter, nor does the UK’s former PM Tony Blair but you would be hard pressed to find people who don’t have official feeds now.

Popstars, sports professionals, the leading journalists, club associations, actors and actresses; the list goes on. Twitter’s audience continues to grow and that has caused a serious threat and dent to Facebook’s popularity.

The days where Zuckerberg could control the social media audience reach are gone and he has had to adapt to the competition.

Personally, I prefer Twitter and made it into a professional account, moving Facebook into the personal spectrum. I joined Twitter in my first year at University in October 2009 – initially only as it was required for a journalism assignment. Over 3,300 tweets later and I use it now as a source to find out links to news stories as well as to comment on some of the main worldwide topics, especially in sport, television and occasionally political issues – despite not showing huge interest in this field.

Facebook’s power has been hurt also by the rise in private and free messaging tools on smartphones. Whilst the UK riots in the summer of 2011 brought BlackBerry virtually to its knees, the BBM service became a free and useful way to have a private conversation. It was just a shame that it soon became a tool to organise violence and hooliganism. Since then, other services such as WhatsApp Messenger and SnapChat (I only have the former) have taken over from BBM to provide stiff competition in the Instant Messaging market. Not forgetting Instagram, another application that has done very well in recent years to attract a global following.

With all that in mind, Facebook has done well to continue appealing to its market. It has had to adapt because if it hadn’t, it would have gone the way MySpace did - into oblivion.

The future

While Facebook has to be congratulated on reaching the 10^th anniversary of its launch, does it need to do more to keep its audience?

In my view, it does. New emotions and buttons for status updates can be added; security certainly could do with tightened reviews. The ‘Poke’ button needs to be removed and the News Feed could do with another revamp, perhaps in splitting it between your friends and family communication and the likes you have of hobbies/people/interests. For example if I want to see how my friends are doing, I don’t want my newsfeed clustered with updates from Walkers Crisps, The Chemical Brothers and UEFA.com.

While it is important to come up with radical and new ideas to keep the network afresh, Zuckerberg might need to incorporate some of Twitter’s successes to keep him active in a sector that continues to evolve.

I think Facebook will be around for another decade and probably longer than that. However it will need to continue to embrace change to stay fresh and different from its competition. A lack of change in this environment will see it start to struggle to stay near the forefront of social media interaction. 

Categories: BBM, Facebook, February, Internet, Marc Zuckerberg, MySpace, Skype, Social Media, Technology, Twitter

Personal development and happy memories

By Simon Wright - Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88

Yesterday marked 18 months since I finished my journalism degree at the University of Northampton. As I walked home on Friday from my 9-5 job in publishing, I started to think and reflect on how I have changed as an individual and how things have progressed because of the Uni experience.

When I look back at my three-year stint at University, it was a time where things changed again in the world, especially in the field that I studied in. When I was a fresher in 2009, one of the first lectures we had was about journalism law and I always remember one of the senior lecturers saying to us; ‘No journalist has ever been prosecuted for their work.’ That changed when the general public found out what Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks had been doing at the News of the World. That doesn’t mean their six-year affair which was revealed at the phone-hacking trial recently.

I had the chance to go to University before I eventually did make the step to higher tier education and that was in 2007. After a couple of visits to Universities a year earlier, I made the decision that I wasn’t ready to go away and study further. As an individual at the time, I didn’t feel like it was the right thing for my development and needed to grow more as a person and to realise what I really wanted to do. I’ve always believed that this was the right decision and a pivotal one at that.

Once I get settled into a routine or into a position, I get into a decent comfort zone. My lengthy stay in the former retail job I had at Clarks Shoes can vouch for this. However, if I had gone to Uni earlier than I did, I don’t think I would have lasted six weeks. Therefore, the two years I did at Milton Keynes College, studying media production were both valuable and essential to my future. I wasn’t there to socialise heavily and enjoy life outside of college, I was there to study, work hard and get the results required for my future goals.

Northampton gave me plenty of memories over three years

That eventually took me onto the Northampton journey (Avenue Campus pictured) and it is an experience I will never forget. The other day, I looked through some of the photos of the nights out and even the projects I worked on during the three years. Recently, I wrote a case study for the UoN alumni association so who knows – my words could be appearing in the next prospectus for upcoming students! I remember the good times but also the not so good times, when things didn’t go to plan or times were the façade I used to show started to see signs of cracking under the pressure. I nearly walked away once from it all halfway through second year and had another big wobble at the start of third and final year. It is in these periods where some self-assessment was required (nothing to do with tax forms by the way!) Did I want my degree bad enough to survive the testing challenges? As a harsh critic of my own abilities, the answers were to keep going and see where everything ended. Sacrifices were made to get back on track and I ended up with the rewards come graduation day itself.

I consider myself lucky to still be in touch with many of my course colleagues

Luckily, I have more or less stayed in touch with a huge proportion of the people (myself and three colleagues pictured) who were on the same course as me. It might be distant and through services such as Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook and even the ‘old-fashioned’ text message but it is better than losing complete contact – something that I have had to unexpectedly get used to from unlikely sources in recent times. The hope is that in the coming months/years, a reunion could be organised in the future. As a course, we knew how to work hard but also how to party at the same time. Now that I'm in a professional environment, my partying days ended a long time ago…but a small part of me would like to revisit this element just once more before the age catches up on me!

After graduation came the hardest challenge. It is almost a year now since an unpaid internship ended as a paid contract was offered, agreed and then rejected in harsh circumstances. The story behind all this will come out one day, perhaps in a future post on this site, maybe in the inevitable autobiography in around 30 years’ time but the people who did use my services for no pay in the year as a freelancer have been proven wrong. I now have a secure position until the start of summer 2014, on a solid salary and a role that is both enjoyable but also demanding at the same time. Even this week, I have had to take greater responsibility in a couple of consuming projects in my job. I’m honest enough to say it is demanding but keeping busy is important to my characteristics, especially having had to go through a personal loss myself in the closing stages of another landmark year (more reflection on in my yearly review in December.)

I do believe though that now, 18 months on from handing in that final project, the sad farewell to colleagues and friends on the journalism degree I did, I can assess where I really am with my background. I feel that I am a stronger person, a better individual, a more confident human being and accept much easier now both criticism and approach tasks with a lighter but focused attitude. All these skills were developed through University. If I had never gone, who knows whether I would have developed these personal abilities? While the Uni chapter is now firmly in my past, the happy memories and even the tougher times will stay with me for a lifetime.

Categories: Avenue Campus, Facebook, Publishing, University of Northampton, WhatsApp

Five useful equipment products for University students

By Simon Wright - Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88

This article is also available on TheRankTank

So you have moved into student halls in your first year at University, miles away from home and those creature comforts. It can be a great chance to flourish and gain much-needed independence but there is bound to be times where you miss the comfortable environment you have grown up in.

There are some useful equipment tools to have as a student. One of the most valuable items required is a decent laptop. Whilst most Universities will have public PCs and Macs in libraries and computer rooms, students should have a laptop for personal use to keep in touch with friends and loved ones on Facebook and Twitter.

Hard Drives are a valuable equipment purchase for students

In that instance, there will be many projects students will work on at Uni. Your lecturers will remind you early on that it is absolutely essential to back up all your Word documents, InDesign creations and other raw programmes. So purchase a hard drive with plenty of space to keep those assignments together and stored in case technology lets you down. Don’t back up data and there won’t be any symphony from those who do the marking and hand out the final grades. Amazon is the best place to find hard drives (a Toshiba hard drive pictured) and they all do the same job so no need to find the best manufacturer either.

Most rooms in halls of residence will be small in space. The majority will have to share a kitchen in first year and students will need a caffeine boost to get through the day, so buy a decent kettle as it will come in very handy as assignment deadlines get ever closer. Shared kitchens will probably have a standard kettle to start with but these can often get overused, or dirty pretty quickly. Think of 4/5 people sharing and that’s a lot of boiling water per day. A nice way to catch up with a friend that doesn’t involve the expecting partying in pubs and clubs is to chat over tea or coffee. Those who prefer specialised coffees like cappuccinos and espressos could invest in a coffee maker but these aren’t cheap. Then again, nor are the specialised drinks at Starbucks or Costa branches.

With laptop sorted, a decent data storage device and a warm drink beside you, what else should fresher students invest in? Make your room look like home with a bit of decorating. Forget painting or slapping up wallpaper on the walls. Instead, blu-tack photos of good times and invest in getting posters to make the walls look bright and colourful. The fresher’s fair is ideal to stack up on posters but also try places like HMV, who have a good range of A3 prints. Yes girls, Harry Styles and One Direction posters will be stocked but don’t forget, there are other boybands available!

Lastly, a handy small piece of kit to invest in is a door wedge for your room. When busy or wanting some ‘me’ time, keep your door closed but by sticking a wedge on your door, it makes it easier to make friends and socialise better in first year. This is excellent in student residence but might not be allowed in other accommodation, so check landlord contracts carefully when it comes to using this equipment.

So there you go, these five items should help all fresher’s socialise, enjoy and find the right balance between relaxation, calmness and having a good time. University is a great experience; make the most of it before entering the full-time work world.

Categories: Amazon, Facebook, Hard Drive, InDesign, Kettle, Laptop, Posters, Starbucks, Tea, University

The dangers of social media

By Simon Wright

The good world of social media has made a massive impact on so many, if not all of our lives.  Does anyone remember the days before 2004, which was the year Facebook was launched by some guy called Mark Zuckerberg – have you heard of him…thought you might have.

Just over a decade ago, what was the best way to stay in touch with your loved ones, your close friends or even your work colleagues?  It would be through phoning them to arrange a time to see them, or a simple text message.  E-mail was also around, although not as easily accessible than it is nowadays.

The amount of social media choices we have today is endless

Now, whatever we do – social media seems to follow us.  Sending a tweet in 140 characters, plastering your wall with photos from a wild night out on Facebook, watching crazy or classic videos on YouTube, or keeping a professional database on LinkedIn.  

These are some of the main tools we use, and let’s not forget the impact of other sites or applications such as WhatsApp, Skype, Google Talk, Google+, MySpace, or BBM.  Yep, carry on listing these and I’ll sound like a broken old record.

There is a time and a place for social media, but just what are the dangers when it goes wrong?

Twitter – Professional or personal

When Twitter was launched in around 2007 or 2008, it was something I was absolutely not interested in.  In fact, I thought it was just a site where fans could just stalk the movements of everyday celebrities, from TV personalities and pop singers to Premier League football players. 

I first got Twitter at the start of my University degree in 2009, but still didn’t get into it until well into my second year at the University of Northampton.  Over 2,500 tweets later, it can get quite addicting, but where do you need to find the right balance?

Some will use Twitter for personal use and feelings.  That is all well and good for some, but don’t promote this as a professional account on a professional website.  You have to be very careful with what you tweet nowadays.  A lot of people have got into hot water with using Twitter.  Examples have stretched from the superinjunctions row in 2011 when celebrities were using gagging orders to stop the press getting their hands on a story that was quite revealing, to Lewis Hamilton’s major blunder of tweeting McLaren confidential race telemetry just hours before last season’s Belgian Grand Prix to his millions of followers.

There is a place and a time to use it.  It can be seen as peace of mind, but be mindful when tweeting of what might be seen as funny, or a joke, to when it becomes too personal or going as far as using words of a racial/discrimination nature. 

It is difficult finding a right balance at times.  I attempt to keep a fully professional approach, and use Twitter to promote my links for my websites, or retweet a friend who is doing well, as well as having the occasional opinion on modern life, or the general news.  For example, the Leveson press enquiry was a big thing to follow, and easy to have your own view. 

There are times where Twitter can get funny.  The RIM server crash in October 2011 allowed BlackBerry to be ridiculed with hilarious tweets such as ‘Dear Blackberry, HAHAHA! Sincerely Apple’ or the usual jokes about John Terry’s affairs off-the-field using the hashtag #JohnTerryExcuses.  

However, to be taken seriously in life – it is important to keep a balance between the funny, the opinionated and the totally offensive.  

Up and coming journalists especially like me must be extra careful, because nowadays, some prospective employers tend to search your name when applying for a job and check your Twitter activity.  

If they think you tweet inappropriately with examples such as ‘That party last night was totally dope….or ‘my dog just licked my friend’s face, was so funny LOL,’ then that employer will simply screw your application up and throw it in the bin. 

Facebook – Don’t let it get you down

It is quite incredible to think that Facebook has been around for almost 10 years, and has made a significant impact in the last six years.  I joined in July 2007, and used to use it excessively.  

Nowadays, I will only use it for an hour a week which was one of my New Year resolutions which is still going strongly into June.

Facebook’s impact on the world can’t be lost, and the background story is interesting, especially if anyone saw the movie ‘The Social Network’ three years ago.  It is probably the number one choice still for many when it comes to social media, and it annihilated its opposition like MySpace until Twitter came along to invade and take away some of its popularity.

What doesn’t help Facebook is the amount of times Zuckerberg and his team change the profile layout.  Since I’ve been on Twitter, I can only recall one major change to the website layout; Facebook is almost in double figures.  It is still the place to share video links, post photos and keep in contact with friends involving long messages that can’t be summed up in 140 characters.  However, don’t get too addicted to it.

I previously will happily admit that I used Facebook for at least one hour a day a few years ago, sometimes more than that.  That’s not as bad as people spending half their life on it, but it can turn into quite an unhealthy obsession.  Also, be aware of what you might be posting.  Don’t make Facebook public in your privacy settings if you want to keep your personal business away from those search engines. 

There have been a few times where I’ve been using Facebook, and it got me so down, I needed to take a clean break.  In late October 2011, things were not going well for me on a number of levels.  I wasn’t having a great stint in my part-time job at the time, my early third year work at University was simply not good enough, and I was being affected by some world events that were happening far too much.  Every time I went on the site, I felt like I was either taking things too personally, or felt in a negative mood afterwards.  At the start of November 2011, I banned myself from Facebook for 25 days to see if I could live without it.  I managed it very comfortably and have rarely slipped into old habits since. 

Facebook can be a great place to start a lengthy message conversation or keep in contact with those you may not see any more from college, Uni or sixth form.  It is great to arrange events, and share those great or sometimes more embarrassing photos the morning after a hectic night out on the dance floor, and it can be a good form for communication.  I know for sure it helped having a page for the UoN journalism group I graduated with, so if anything came out that was updated, or some information was required, it was handy to answer queries, or to express opinions or even calm situations down that looked like they might get out of control.

Facebook is a good tool to have in the modern world, but don’t take things too personally.  If you do, this social media alley is not for you.

Deciding what to have

I think my social media balance is very good, and I don’t think the use of it is out of control.  I have LinkedIn (professional), Twitter (professional and opinions) and Facebook (personal). 

However, the individual in themselves need to strike the right balance with social media.  

For example in my case, I deleted my MySpace in late 2009 when I realised I wasn’t using it anymore, and if I ever decided to go down the Google+ route, Facebook would have to go.

Make decisions and stick to them.  The most important ingredient about social media is enjoy using it in moderation, but don’t take it personally, don’t let it take over the whole of your life and know what is right and what is wrong when it comes to using these sites.

Here are just a few pointers of knowing what is right and what is wrong when it comes to using social media.

1. Only criticise when you feel it is worth it, or you feel you can do a better job.  Repetitive criticism gets boring, and if you’ve only got something nasty to say, keep it to yourself rather than tweet it to your number of followers, whether it’s 3, 33 or 3,333.  For example: Piers Morgan’s regular criticism of Arsenal is fun to start with, but can get pretty tedious after a while.

2. When you have photos you want to share, make sure that they are appropriate to use.  It can just take one person to make a suggestion or a comment and the whole thing could go viral.  When deciding what to put online, think long and hard about it before posting.

3. If you still decide to use Facebook to poke people, seriously get a life.  Why would you want to poke an individual?  The e-mail message from Facebook: ‘You have been poked,’ is the most pointless e-mail message you can receive – unless you get constant spam from medicine companies!

4. Think before your tweet or update a status.  This isn’t a problem if you’ve got good news to share such as passing a driving test, or celebrating your graduation.  We all like good news.  Even posting your heartbreak at losing a close individual is okay if you are looking for messages of symphony and thoughts.  Do not post anything that is going to be offensive in any way, or makes you sound angry about the entire planet everytime you go online.  Your followers count or friends count will drop if you do this. 

5. When in the job market for a new job, take extra care when using social media.  Companies will always want people who will respect their values and standards.  Those who go too personal can kiss goodbye to their dream job.  If you don’t want to be made searchable on search engines etc…check your privacy settings, as there will probably be a way to stop this coming up.

6. Those looking for news stories, take it with a pinch of salt.  For example, Twitter is very good as a starting reference point, but don’t forget that it will be the websites that report the full story, and that is a better guideline.  You never quite know what is factual and what isn’t on Twitter unless it looks obvious from the name of the account.

7. Be very careful of what personal information you post online.  Posting your date of birth is fine, but only put contact details down such as address and phone numbers if you feel comfortable with doing that.  You never know who might be looking at your profile.

8. Have fun using it and feel like you can express yourself, but be aware of the risks when it comes to using these sites.

Social media has had an impact, and for many, a positive impact on our lives.  However, there are dangers and consequences for misuse of information, so have knowledge of what’s right and what’s wrong before entering the social media pantheon.  

Categories: 2004, E-Mail, Facebook, LinkedIn, Mark Zuckerberg, Skype, Social Media, Twitter, WhatsApp, YouTube

New Year resolutions

We are now 12 days into 2013.  2012 gave us all plenty of great memories – both personally and publicly, and it is a year that I am sure none of us will forget in a hurry.

Did you make any New Year resolutions and have you stuck to them, or broken them already?

My record in this department is mixed.  I never kept them growing up, but succeeded in 2011 with a plan of controlling the amount of alcohol I would have per week.

Last year’s resolution was not great.  I vowed to watch one news bulletin every day, whether that be BBC, ITN, Channel 4, Five News or Sky News.  It lasted 10 days, and I know the news is normally a depressing thing to watch but in reality, I should have done better with this.

By the end of last year – my lack of stability and security led to me making several misjudgements, and I really wasn’t happy with my personality either.  So, rather than make one resolution, I decided to go for an ambitious target of eight in 2013. 

The chances were that two of these wouldn’t see the year out, but I want to stick to these for as long as I can, and my target is for five to at least see out the year.

So – here are the eight resolutions I have made and how I have fared so far in 2013.

1. Limit my use of Facebook

This is priority number one.  It’s true; Facebook has at times taken over in a big way.  When you start feeling insecure about a number of things – ranting on social media is not the right way to go about things.  Trust me; I have learnt this the hard way.  

I have taken breaks from this before, lasting from a week to a month in November 2011 – and although I stayed away for these periods, I always came back and slipped into old habits.

My target for 2013 is to only use Facebook for one hour per week – limiting my status updates, and focusing more on published links, radio show promotions and YouTube video clips.

Two weeks in and I have stuck to this just.  There are no restrictions to Twitter and LinkedIn, but this had to be done and I hope to keep it up.

2. Exercise more

The exercise bike could & should get a lot of extra work this year...

Back in the college days, the best description for me was ‘couch potato,’ because that is what I was.  I use the home gym frequently in summer, but not enough in winter – and my lack of general fitness is a concern.

My plan was to do some stretches at least in the winter months, before doing longer gym routines in the spring and the summer.

Unfortunately, this hasn’t started yet – so it is a fail, but it is something that I want to start soon.

    

      3. Stop being so paranoid

This was a big problem that needed to be ratified.  I often got paranoid about the smallest things – and it got as ridiculous as thinking I had done something wrong, when I probably hadn’t.

This also involved taking things far too personally, over-hyping arguments and even getting concerned if I didn’t get a reply back to a message.

The amount of paranoia I had was so crazy, things had to change and for the better.  In 2013, I am aiming to relax more, not worry so much about the small things and appreciate more what I have at my disposal – both in terms of friends and family.

Already I feel like I’m making progress on this front.  I like to generally think I’m a nice, caring individual but at times, I act like the biggest clown around.  This year – that won’t happen.   

4. Watch my choice of words

In today’s day and age, it is important to have two personas in my view.  That is both a personal view and a professional stance.  Mixing up the two can lead to trouble, especially with the use of words, particularly explicit language.

This is a bad habit I have picked up throughout my education and needs to stop.  I know that swearing is wrong and we all do it.  I probably will still have moments where I utter the wrong word, but more control needs to be shown.

This is a trial and error resolution.  I’m doing what I can in January, but if I say the wrong type of language, I feel guilty.  In February, I’m considering setting up a ‘Swear Jar,’ so if I say a bad word – I have to put some money into the jar and then, I give it away to a good cause.  It is the only way I will learn.

5. Start to support a charity

This is something I would like to invest in, and especially once I get the paid breakthrough in media, whenever that will be. 

I haven’t decided which charity to get involved in and how this will be done yet, but it is a venture that not only I would like to do, but feel it could be a good thing to have on a CV.  Plus, it will be worth it to some who aren't so lucky. 

6. Be less controversial

In my life, I always have had a strong opinion on many topics in current affairs, and this can range from questionable refereeing decisions in football to the latest wrangle in the coalition government, and that is despite not having any serious interest in politics.

Taking a phlegmatic approach to things that you simply can’t control, rather than act like it is the end of the planet is the best way forward.  I will still agree/disagree with decisions/principles/proposals – but hearing both sides of the argument would be wise.

I feel like this resolution is on track – although I can’t help think that the future of the coalition isn’t great when David Cameron compares his relationship with the Liberal Democrats to a tin of Ronseal!  That wouldn’t fulfil anyone with much confidence.

7. Learn shorthand/a new language

Learning shorthand is something I need to do

As a trainee journalist, shorthand is still a practical and useful skill to have.  I did a brief bit of training right at the end of my UoN journalism degree, and even purchased a book to do it in my own time.  Then the Total Football position came up, and I completely forgot about it after mid-June.

I’ve been hoping to learn a new language too over the past few years, but never stuck to it.  So, these are two things I would like to start and have a firm grip on by the time 2013 concludes.

The bad news is – I haven’t started either yet so this is already broken.  However, this doesn’t mean I won’t do it either.  I still could do with learning both, and that is something I will be starting real soon.  However I have said this before, especially about the new language…

8. Keep caffeine levels down

I had a high amount of caffeine in my diet in 2012, especially if I was having an energy drink and a can of fizzy drink in the same day.

So in 2013, I’m limiting my caffeine drinks to one cold drink + two hot drinks.  Trying decaf coffee is something I have already done and it still has a nice taste, just without the high caffeine boost which is a good thing.

At the moment, I have stuck to this so far – so I’m pleased with this.

My diet has never been the best, and is something I want to work on in the long-term.  It won’t happen overnight so if I can control this area in 2013, I will be delighted.  I can move onto another aspect in 2014.

So there you have it, I want to make plenty of changes.  Two of these eight have already been broken, but it could be worse – it could have been eight from eight.  So I’m relatively happy with how my New Year Resolutions are going so far.  I hope I can keep this up longer-term until the end of the year.

Categories: Alcohol, Charity, College, CV, Decaf, Exercise, Facebook, Language, New Year, News, Personal, Professional, Resolutions, Shorthand, Social Media