Technology and Social Media Have Really Changed Pictures

It is without question that we are in the most picture taking era we have ever been in. Cameras are easily available on our cell phones/smart phones and even tablets.

Nowadays, some of the main reasons one chooses a particular smartphone is for the type of camera: the resolution, front facing feature for selfies, size, and also easy availability to upload photos to social media.

Photos have definitely enhanced the social media process, so much that Instagram was created, and goes hand in hand with Facebook. You take pics from a night out, an event or just for the heck of it and instanteously share them.

Many even back their pictures up to the Cloud and print their pictures so they can forever preserve the memories.

Digital cameras and social networking both became popular in the 90s. During these days, you had to have a scanner to save your photos to a disk and then upload them to your pages. Things continued evolving as MySpace and Facebook came along. Then cell phones with cameras were introduced around the same time. It's almost like this was a match made in Heaven and has worked out well.

One can do so much with photos from simply the smartphone. Pictures can be edited, cropped, placed into multiple frames as a collage, and so forth. Apps such as PhotoGrid and PicsArt are perfect for this and even work well with all of the social networks.

Both technology and social media will continue to evolve, as will our capability to preserve memories and day to day living.

Social Media Etiquette

Social media has been around for quite sometime now, and grows in popularity and relevance daily. I have already written about the three most popular networks: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

However, some of us still don't know how to properly conduct ourselves on these platforms.

Here are some etiquette guidelines I have came up with throughout my many years on social networks.

1. Follow everyone back, unless you're a big celebrity.

If you cannot follow back everyone on Twitter and Instagram, they really serve no purpose on your follower list. Social interacting is supposed to a two way street, not a popularity contest to see whom has the most followers.

2. Do you really need that many friends?

Yes yes I know, some of you know I have huge friend lists on all three major outlets. However, I ensure you that each and every friend and follower has a legitimate purpose on my list. I do regular housecleaning, filtering and deleting. Sometimes you simply have to clean house.

3. Be an active friend

Comment and like on certain pictures and comments. Retweet certain tweets. Most importantly, take the time to talk to a few friends/day if possible.

4. Go outside your close circle of friends and family.

Many people have their settings and filters set so they only see and comment on the updates of certain people. Heck we're all guilty of it. However, it's simply polite and shows good character when you like and comment on something you like, rather than just because your best friend from kindergarten posted it.

5. Respond to every comment in some way.

This can simply mean just saying "thanks everyone" or liking all the comments on a post.  Nevertheless, skipping over a comment someone has made to you is rude and thoughtless.

6. Actually network!

That is part of the purpose of social media, to reconnect with people you already know, and connect more deeply with those you just met or barely know.

7. Answer those idle friend requests.

Don't leave a friend request in limbo for months. Add or delete that person. It's not brain surgery.

OK it's simple. Be kind, exercise good judgment and interact with others.

How do you normally behave on social media? What is your purpose for having a social networking account?

Hashtag Knowledge: #thisishowyoushouldusethissocialmediatool

Many use hashtags regularly in this social media driven world. It started with Twitter when hashtagging catchphrases,  trending topics,  talking about sports, television shows, and your favorite teams became popular.  Now you see these tags on all three of the major social networks: Facebook,  Twitter, and Instagram. Also, they're getting too long and out of hand. People are using entire sentences now and excessive tags in a post. It's become messy and clique'.

Here are some discrete ways to use hashtags in your social media posts and otherwise. 

1. Short but sweet.

You need not use one long as a summer day, as the example in the title. Use a buzzword or two that gets right to the point. Try quick phrases instead of whole, run-on sentences that have your former English teachers feeling embarrassed. Now I find it interesting that people use shorthand and slang regularly, but can suddenly construct a complete sentence within a hashtag. That seems odd and backwards to me.

2. Less is more.

In my post about Instagram last year, I touched on this point. Use five or less tags. Better yet, try to keep it to about three. More than five makes the post seem messy and distracting. It's almost like a cry for attention when you have about 50 long tags #really #attentionwhore #unnecessary #seewhatIdid #hotmess

3. Make them meaningful and catchy.

The original intent behind these was to further the social networking process. This is why when you watch a TV program,  you see a tag on the bottom of the screen. That gives you a starting point right there.  Now be creative and come up with some quick ones that grab attention and apply to many folks and your post. Examples are #workflow,  #turnup (which I despise) #God, #awesomeness #happy, and #epicfail. Use your emotions and your words.

4. Don't use them in a serious post or a remorseful one

Even hashtags have their place. If the post is one of a serious tone, perhaps you shouldn't be drawing attention away from it.  One colorful may not do harm, but it could be best to refrain from them all together. 

5. Don't get so obsessed with them that you are having entire conversations with them.

I have a longtime friend who I do this with for kicks. Nevertheless, try not to do this on a social media platform. Regular words do not go out of style,  and remember what the actual purpose of a hashtag is. It is intended to draw attention towards a certain topic, nog away from the discussion at hand.

Happy hashtagging! 

Do you use hashtags in your social networking?  How often and how long are your tags typically?

Cold Water Challenges: The Latest Craze and Danger

There always seems to be a craze driven by television,  music, the media, social networking,  and often all four. Remember planking,  those number games, and now even selfies. Now you are seeing these cold water challenges all over social media and even the news.

It started out as seemingly a good thing, given the summer weather and all. Many people I know that were/are doing it had sincere purposes.  They were raising money for charities , ALS, or their churches. However,  it has gotten out of hand and ugly as the phenomenon has grown nationwide.

Many people now are diving into cold pools, rivers,  sitting in buckets of ice, all trying to see who can withstand the freezing the longest. It has turned into something more annoying than a Facebook game. This seems like something daring Johnny Knoxville,  Steve-O, and the gang from Jackass would do. Consequently,  people have been getting hurt and sick,  trying to fit in with the crowd and help others simultaneously. 

Many cities and even water conservation societies have issued warnings and disclaimers due to this widespread behavior.  You can do it safely and innocently. However,  you can still get hypothermia during the month of June, and even drown. One must exercise good judgment and be cautious if you are going to join the masses keeping cool to be cool.

I am leaning towards not doing it. Most of you know I am not the type to follow the herd, and I do not like fads and social media-spawned games. Also, given all of the negative publicity,  it may be best for myself, and maybe you, not to partake.

Have you already did a cold water challenge?  Did many others you know participate?  Were there any dangers involved?

Twitter 102: Effectively navigating the Twitterverse

I wrote a while back about how big and major social networking has become. Most everyone seems to be on Facebook now. Many more folks are joining Twitter now. However, its a different platform, and can be hard to figure out. It's actually a little more effective far as finding out the latest news in world and entertainment, plus it has better networking tools. Here are some tips from my 2 years of experience to help you make the most of Twitter.

- Follow actual people, and not just celebrities. Try to engage in conversation with them as they tweet and such.

-Participate in TTs (Trending Topics) often. These can be world events such as the upcoming Royal Wedding, or topics in hashtags such as #tragicmoviedeaths. You would put the hashtagged subject into your tweet, and tweet something related to the topic.

- Less is more. Refrain from going over the 140 character limit in your tweets whenever possible. Many folks do not care to read too much on an extra link. One and two liners are key.

- Retweet the tweets are others, but don't overdo it. Make sure you mix it up with your own tweets and convos with others. This will make your timeline (TL) more interesting and therefore a more interesting follower.

- While you shouldn't expect every one you follow to follow you back, try following back your followers. Be interactive!

- Whether on your computer or your cell phone, get a Twitter app. It makes your Twitter experience more exciting and easier. Tweetdeck is a good app, available for the PC, iPhone, and Android phones. There's also Tweetcaster and Plume for Android, Twitbird and Echofon for the iPhone, and UberSocial for the Blackberry, to name some of the more popular Twitter apps out.

-Make your tweets and accounts private. Due to spammers and such, this should be a given.

-Upload interesting photos (or Twitpics) frequently.

Beware of follower services and even Follow Fridays. Many times these are ineffective ways to gain followers. The best bet is to gain followers through interacting with others.

- Check frequently to see if you have been unfollowed. FriendorFollow.com is effective for this purpose. You don't need your TL cluttered with folks that followed you just to increase their follower count.

- Lastly, have fun, don't bash others or become an e-thug, and be socialble. If you feel the need to blast a follower, send them a direct message (DM) . Discretion is best.

Happy Tweeting!

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Social Networking: here to stay, and a necessary evil

Social networking's a big part of our lives now. It started out seemingly as a fad, a way to pass the time. Now many businesses, social organizations, and of course, folks wanting to socialize, utilize one or more of the many social networking outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Skype, LinkedIn, etc.

I've personally been part of the social networking craze since 1998. I started out with CollegeClub and BlackPlanet. I was slow to get into Myspace and Facebook, not getting accounts on either one of those until 2006. It's been a very positive, fun part of my life despite the negativity and evils that comes with it.

Being that I'm a big fan and advocate of the social networking concept, I believe I've learned from observing others, from my own trial and errors and mistakes, some tips in successful social networking. And this can apply to Facebook, Twitter, or whatever your social networking site of choice may be.

- Adjust your privacy settings as strict as possible. Make your tweets private so they cannot be easily googled. Set your Facebook photos so that a limited group of folks can see them (preferably friends only). Do not allow other folks to see your friend's lists. Many folks will add friends off of your list that they don't even know. Then you are receiving phone calls, texts, saying "Who is Jane Person? I don't know her, she's on your list?". Also, do not put your phone number on your pages. Be very careful with your email of course, but definitely leave your phone number off. Not everyone needs that info.

- Be careful what you say. Yes, we live in a free country with 1st Amendment rights, but there is also common sense and discretion. Don't talk and bash personal things such as your job or your family. Those types of things should stay within those particular networks, especially your job. Your employer can terminate you for bashing the place of employment. It's best not to talk about these types of things at all.

- Use discretion in which pictures you pose. I know this sounds strange, but I don't have a pic up of my current vehicle on my profile. Unless you've met me and know me well, I don't need for you to know what type of car I drive, where I live, etc. Also, it's ok to show yourself having fun and having a nice social life. However, pics of yourself overly inebriated and/or half-naked are not always favorable, unless you're an actor, model or both. As a man, I enjoy looking at the sexy photos many of my female friends post on their profiles. However, even I must admit that sometimes they are too much. You want to portray the proper image on your page. It doesn't have to be of a saint, but you should be willing to accept any potential fallout and consequences.

- Make sure every friend/follower has a purpose on your page. You are, for better or worse, showing some part of yourself to cyberspace. You don't want to just accept anyone's friend request. Preferably, if it's not friends, family, co-workers, or classmates, it should be at least someone you want to get to know. Yeah having 4,000 FB friends can look cool. But what if you only know AND talk to like 100 of them? I have quite a few myself and I'm proud to say I know more than half of them, and talk to most of them. Which brings me to,...

- Every few months, do a friend inventory. Discard and delete where you have to. If you have that belligerent friend that's always causing trouble on every update you make, is overly critical, or always poses an overall problem, then they should go. I like to call it "spring cleaning". I sometimes delete around 200 friends in a given year. It's nothing personal. It's just that if we're not at least conversing on FB or Twitter and you're NOT a big-time celebrity or a franchise, you're wasting space.

- Her are a couple of real brief tips for internet dating. If you're going to use social networking for this purpose, chat with this person extensively. Use your mutual friends to find out what you may/may not already know about this person. After that, if the chemistry's still right, agree to meet at a party, shopping mall or a park (a public place where both of your sets of friends will be present). Internet dating is still dangerous, but much more common. Therefore, use common sense and good judgment, just as you would when courting anyone else. All can turn out well.

- FINALLY, remember it's only social networking, it doesn't have to be your entire world. It's just an important component of your life now, like a supplement. Therefore, don't take anything on a social network too seriously. Use it for good and not for evil. Don't become co-depedent upon it either.

From the numerous horror stories about Facebook, MySpace, including the recent MSNBC special, it can make you want to delete every social networking profile. I say pump your brakes on that action first and take heed and caution. Many things and ideas, including the Internet itself, were feared and weren't rapidly accepted in the world. However, like the Internet, the automobile, electricity, cell phones, and the like, social networking is definitely a necessarily evil in our world. It's no longer a guilty pleasure, it's beneficial and a powerful part in the overall networking process. Many folks use it for mating, sharing information with their current friends, finding old friends, networking about jobs and upcoming events, promoting their various causes, and much more. If you haven't seen the Oscar nominated "The Social Network", I would highly recommend renting it. Mark Zuckerberg and crew were definitely on to something when they originally wanted to create a network where they could get to know their college classmates better, and the students at other colleges. Now it's a widespread concept.

Social networking is now a permanent fixture in our lives and world. It will be here in the good and the bad. It can only get better with folks being responsible and sensible with its usage.