Platforms

I am addicted to Facebook.  I have it on my phone AND computer, so whenever I am on either one, the urge to check for status updates is ridiculously overwhelming.  Why am I so interested in the mostly meaningless tidbits of information people post on Facebook?  And why do I get so much excitement whenever the little red dot pops up informing me that I have a notification?  These questions have been bothering me for a while.  And yet, although I saw Facebook as a giant waste of time, I could not stop myself from using it.  I even heard stories of “Facebook addiction” as a disease.  Think I’m crazy?  Check this out:  http://mashable.com/2012/11/03/facebook-addiction/

But after some education on the benefits of social media as a whole, I came to the conclusion that maybe Facebook is not so useless after all.  I mean, how else could it grasp this hold on people’s attention for so long?  Facebook can be used to plan parties, discuss issues, connect with friends, share important news, get the name of your secret garage band out, whatever you want!  And these sound like pretty valuable traits to me.

                So once I validated my excessive Facebook use, I got thinking about other platforms that I might not use as frequently.  I have a Twitter account, but don’t really utilize it.  Maybe its character count restraint makes me feel like I’m missing something.  I have yet to sign up for LinkedIn, because I don’t really view myself as a “business professional” just yet.  Occasionally I browse Pinterest, but only if I am looking for a recipe or new 5 minute hairstyle.  Instagram has won some points with me, because, come on, who doesn’t like seeing pictures of food, dogs and babies?

                Yet, none of these platforms (or any other of the countless that exist) have captivated me quite like Facebook.  Facebook has taken over other social media platforms and continues to rule as the king of the instant post world.  http://mashable.com/2013/01/10/facebook-top-social-network/  With the power it has gained over us, I cannot wait to see what Facebook, or maybe an unknown platform, will think of next.

Aaron Schwartz

Reddit has a reputation.  Whether it is good or bad is up to whoever is talking about it.  But people ARE talking about it.  If something happens, if something is funny, if something is big news, it is on Reddit.  And the amazing thing about it, is that the news would appear on Reddit nearly instantly, oftentimes far faster than other forms of social media.

Aaron Swartz, the young co-founder of Reddit and RSS newsfeeds, recently committed suicide.  His daring to push the limits of what was acceptable for the internet world launched him to the next level.  Certainly, he faced many lawsuits and plenty of bad-mouthing for his courage.  It has even been speculated that his legal issues gave him the desire to end his short life.

To me, Aaron Swartz’ death is a tragic one.  He was young, a genius, and certainly had the promise of producing powerful products in the future.  By pushing the boundaries, he inspired other internet moguls to do the same.  He also drove the idea that news needed to be out there fast.  After all, it IS the internet and people expect things to be instant.  The faster the better.  I believe Swartz’ revolutionary ideas helped that ideal spread.

Reddit, as far as I’ve used it, it also a great source when you are looking for funny video clips, jokes, etc.  Although I’m not certain which sites emerged first, I do know that Reddit is often preferred over 9GAG, Imagr and other websites of the kinds.  One of the best things that is promoted on the site is the idea of “up-votes” and “down-votes.”   Meaning that other users have the control to not only show that they like your video, but also to express that they don’t.  And whatever you may have posted will literally move up or down the newsfeed due to its popularity.  Showing your support of things on the internet is common.  Showing your dislike, much less so.

So whatever you may think of Aaron Swartz or Reddit in general, you have to admit that he made a huge difference on the internet world.  And I believe his death may solidify his ideas and inspire others to use them more fully.

Blogging

Blogging can end up being a huge project if not managed correctly.  The first article is written by a practiced blogger who addresses the different roles that can be involved in blogging.  The author talks about different types of bloggers who use various styles and timeframes to fit their needs and tastes. 

The writing in this blog is helpful to think about blogging as a more complex writing.  It is truly a way of expressing yourself.  My only complaint is that it doesn’t really explain how to use these roles.  It simply says to execute the role you chose.  It is fairly self-explanatory, but not necessarily helpful for first time bloggers.

The second article is written by wordpress.org.  They are a tool used for blogging.  In this article they go through the different parts and mechanics of a blog post.  It even goes into detail about comments and archives. 

Compared to the first article, this piece is much more useful for new bloggers.  It helps to explain how things work in the blogging world and gives specific instruction on how to implement these tools.

As someone new to the blogging world, I found the webpage by wordpress.com far more helpful.  However, it used very basic words.  It was not exactly an academic piece of work, but still nice to look at to help you understand blogging.

The second article is more helpful when trying to understand which personality you want to take on as a blogger.  It can also be good to read when you are jumping into the blogging realm of the internet, but may not make much sense at first.  For instance, I believe it takes a few times writing a blog post to really understand your writing style and blogging personality. 

Either way, I believe it is extremely helpful to read about blogging before beginning a blog of your own.  It will help to understand how you want to set up your blog and what tone of voice you will pick up as you develop your blogging abilities.

http://bloggingwithamy.com/blogging-time-management/

http://codex.wordpress.org/Introduction_to_Blogging