Monday, November 26, 2007

iTunes U

So all college students know what iTunes is, and there are all kinds of fun things associated with it. Well iTunes just got that more fun because it now has iTunes U. I came across this article from the LA Times called "The iPod lecture circuit" and it talks about iTunes new program.

Since we made our own podcasts, we all know what one is. Also, since Professor Martinez came to class and took us on a Second Life field trip, we all know that it's possible to tune into class lectures online. However, iTunes U lets you choose a university and listen to lectures about various topics within a podcast. Some of these universities are top schools in the U.S. like Stanford and Berkeley and have tons of available lectures to tune into.

You should definitely go to iTunes and check out iTunes U because it's pretty spiffy!

Are you a social media addict?

I found this site that talks about the Top Ten Symptoms of Being a Social Media Addict. Just thought it was pretty funny and interesting, so I wanted to share it with you guys!

If you admit to doing at least half of these, I think you qualify as a social media addict!

Blogger Boot Camp!

"It is easy to become a blogger, but it takes special skills to be an effective one."

I completely agree with that statement. We have learned throughout this course how effective blogging can be, whether it's personal, school related, or business wise. It's interesting to think that some people might not be good at it, but in order for blogging to have the effect you want you must know what you're doing and do it well.

I came across this website that talks about DeVry University, in Westminister, CO, hosting a Blogger Boot Camp on January 15, 2008. When I first read the title I thought it sounded silly, but after reading through the page and finding out information about the boot camp, it seems like it could be extremely beneficial.

There are going to six instructors ranging from online consultants and writers to different CEOs of technology and media companies. They are going to cover all topics concerning blogging, such as the history of blogging, why it's important, RSS, the latest trends in blogging, the future of blogging, and more.

It has now been months since we began taking this course and I think I finally realize how incredibley useful and popular blogging is all over the world. I think it's great that other universities are giving people the opportunity to learn this type of information because blogging is the next big thing...well, it kind of already is. If you read through the page, you'll see how intense this Blogger Boot Camp really is, it's pretty impressive.

Anybody who's anybody is blogging!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

College Humor

So this is not related to class, so I won't be counting it as a blog post, but I wanted to just show all you guys this video.

I don't know what college students have time to come up with this stuff, but it's really creative. If you have some free time and want some entertainment, check it out!

Watch it here....Harder Bodies Faster Stronger. It's also on YouTube I'm sure. Let me know what ya think!

Google Blog Search

So lately I've been really into browsing and reading other people's blogs, and I came across Google Blog Search. I don't know if anyone has seen this before, but it's pretty cool.

You can type in any word, name, or thing that you want and search all of the blogs online. Google is probably one of the best things ever invented, and I know as college students we all use it almost daily. Now that blogging has become one of the biggest things on the net, I think it would be pretty useful to use Google Blog Search to find out lots of interesting info.

I think this site is not only great for students, but for businesses wanting to search for blogs online as well. Also, I know a lot of people have mentioned starting their own personal blogs outside of class, so it's great for personal use too. Sometimes just reading what other people have to say about things can be pretty interesting and useful at times. Check it out!

Monday, November 12, 2007

Podcasts and Radio Shows

A few years ago I interned for Clear Channel Radio. I worked remotes for all six stations: KISS FM, Jammin' 105.9, 1500AM Sports, KVET, KASE, and 102.3. My favorite station to work for was 96.7 because I loved the morning show and the DJs.

Almost everyday I look at Bobbybones.com and just realized how great things have become for radio. On their page they have detailed lists about what happened on each of the show, podcasts, their Myspace page, and even display tons of videos from YouTube. Many of these videos are from different segments they do on the show, competitions/contests, and various events mentioned on the show.

I have shown a lot of these videos and news stories on this site to some of my friends, and not only do they visit the site almost daily too, but they have started listening to the show as well.

It's amazing how far social media, technology, and the web have come today and this is one perfect example of how beneficial it is for something like a radio show.

Social Networking Sites & Security

Is it possible to be protected when it comes to Social Networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace? Recent ad on BBC News titled "Facebook Security" states that security on these popular social networking sites should be automatic.

In the article, Dawn Teller, talks about how her identity was stolen online. She logged onto her online bank accounts and thousands of dollars were overdrawn from her account. She sat and thought about how someone might have accessed her information online and mentioned that her Myspace and Facebook pages displayed her name, birthday, address, and other miscellaneous personal information.

Yes, as well all know because the majority of us have our own Facebook or Myspace pages, you can keep things private. However, the question is, should these social networking sites automatically do it for us? I think so. I don't understand why so many people want thousands of people they don't know looking into their personal information and lives.

The article goes on discussing how they created a fictional character with a Facebook account and tested out different things within the sites. They asked 100 strangers to be friends and out of that 100, 35 said yes. All of these strangers got to see this characters personal information, such as address, name, and even phone number.

All in all, I just think people should be careful about who they are talking to on these sites and what their reasons are for using them. I personally do not put up any personal information on my sites other than birthday or email, but who knows, maybe that is even too much. What do you guys think about security on Facebook and Myspace?

Defining the Social Marketing Landscape

Jeff Petry (Marketing Director) from the Austin company, Powered, and Patti Freeman Evans (Senior Analyst) from Jupiter Research are going to be discussing social marketing on Thursday November 29th. They are going to be discussing all sorts of topics concerning social media, such as:

Social marketing trends to watch in 2008
Differences in social marketing technologies and vendors
Pitfalls to avoid when planning your social marketing strategy
Benchmarks for measuring your social marketing programs success
Features and functions to leverage for your social marketing program

They will also be discussing Pamorama, Powered's most recent social commerce platform.

This "conference" is titled "Getting Into the Game: Defining the Social Marketing Landscape."

Check out the link, this would be a great opportunity to learn more about social media and see what changes might be coming in 2008! I think it would be pretty interesting to see what else could possibly be added to this immense world of technology. It's only going to be about 45 minutes long, so if you have time and are interested you can reserve your seats online at the link above.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

MySpace and Music

I'm sure everyone in class knows about how music works on Myspace, but it's just crazy to me how Myspace has become such a great networking site for musicians.

The famous artist Colbie Caillat was discovered on Myspace. She created her own music page on Myspace by putting up her most recent hit "Bubbley." In time, she was contacted by a producer and is now played all over the radio all over the nation. She is just one example of how this social networking site can be used for great things and make someone's dreams comes true.

Many people think Myspace is just a place to chat with friends or waste time, but it really can be used for networking of all different kinds whether it's business, music, advertising, or just keeping in touch with friends. So for those who think it's pointless, think again!