Media Lessons From Michael to Elvis: King to King
By · Comments(Editors Note: This post and the one below it were written by Dr. Sybril Bennett. Dr. Bennett is an Associate Professor of Journalism at Belmont University. Dr. Bennett is the author of the blog Multimedia Maven)
One of my Facebook friends sent me this message, “baby, it’s just like Aug. 16, 1977 when Elvis died…”
I pondered the thought. I had heard it mentioned in passing through the traditional media. I was shocked and abhorred when several hours after Michael Jackson’s death, a man who the media labeled as the Jackson Family attorney, Brian Oxman was on CNN and said that Michael’s death would basically pale in comparison to the death of Anna Nicole Smith.
King of Pop’s Sudden Death
By · Comments
“For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don’t have the words,” said Quincy Jones, who produced “Thriller.” “He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.”
Social Media Helps to Generate a Revolution in Iran
By · Comments(EDITORS NOTE: This blog post was actually written by Rick’s RSS newest blogger Christine Gratton. Be on the lookout for more great posts from Christine about the unrest in Iran and how social media is being used to tell these stories.)
These days, the “social media revolution” is living up to its name. Literally. In the midst of the political turmoil raging in the streets of Tehran, Iranian government officials are blocking cellphone text messaging, cutting off Internet access and shutting down electricity in an attempt to stifle the post-election riots by breaking down communication lines.
The Official Switch to Digital TV
By · Comments
The switch has finally occurred from analog to digital. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said the number of households without a signal has been reduced greatly.
Neilsen Co. said Wednesday that 2.8 million US households — 2.5 percent of the television market — were “completely unready” for the switch.
Neilsen said the elderly were more prepared for the switch than others.
Acting FCC acting chairman, Michael Copps said in a conference call with reporters on Saturday, up to three million household were unprepared at the beginning of the week. Over the course of the weekend we’ll get much closer to zero.”
Twitter Verifying Identities
By · CommentsTwitter’s verification experiment will begin with “public officials, public agencies, famous artists, athletes, and other well known individuals at risk of impersonation.”~ Biz Stone, Foun
der of Twitter
On Friday, Twitter tested a way to verify that people tweeting are who they claim to be. Accounts belonging to celebrities, such as Ashton Kutcher and Oprah Winfrey bore blue seals containing white check marks to indicate the identities were verified.
Kutcher’s verified account had more than two million followers. But, dozens of others tweeting in his name.
Claiming Your Social Media Name Just Got Easier
By · Comments
The Facebook username dust up is one more reminder of something I’ve been saying for a while now: Claim your name on as many social media platforms as you can.
It doesn’t matter if you are rich and or famous, claiming your name now — even if you never use the social media service — may save you a ton of headaches in the future.
Well, I’ve come across a pretty cool tool that can help you find out if another you, or somebody pretending to be you is out there sending out Tweets, Tumbles, Blips, Blogs, Nings or Flickers.
Facebook Vanity Countdown Clock
By · CommentsWhere were you when Facebook made you a somebody?
Check-out The New Twitter
By · Comments
Will the new Twitter verification system be the new celebrity status symbol?
A few days ago I blogged that Twitter was going to address the growing problem of fake celebrity accounts being created.
The problem, Twitter hopes, has been addressed!
With the addition of a simple blue check located on the upper right hand of a users profile Twitter believes it has checkmated the malicious attempts by some to co-opt the Twitter identities of the rich and famous.
Of equal interest will be to see how Twitter determines who is rich and who is famous and who will get the blue check
Facebook Rids Site of “hate Muslims” Group
By · Comments“We disabled the ‘I Hate Muslims in Oz’ group a day or so ago because it contained an explicit statement of hate. Where Holocaust-denial groups have done this and been reported, we’ve taken the same action.” – Barry Schnitt
After President Obama’s statement that Holocaust denial is “hateful,” Facebook’s response was that Holocaust denial isn’t hateful per se and doesn’t interfere with the company’s terms of service. Schnitt said, “We’re always discussing and evaluating our policies on reported content, but have no plans to change this policy at this time. In addition to discussing it internally, we continue to engage with third-party experts on the issue.”
Social Networks Really Are Taking Over The World!
By Rick · Comments (1)According to Royal Pingdom “Social networks are getting huge. So big, in fact, that many of them are competing in size with some of the largest countries in the world.”
Read more here.