Pecha Kucha: Walk Through a Slide and Reflection

This semester in my third module of my introduction to writing arts class called technologies and future of writing my blog group and I have been looking at how new Web 2.0 technologies are changing the rules of etiquette online.  We even discovered that there is a new word to refer to etiquette used online or in digital spaces known as “netiquette.”  In our presentation for the Pecha Kucha, which has 20 slides with each shown for 20 seconds and only 1 image per slide, we highlighted aspects of “netiquette” online that we think are important for everyone to known in this evolving world of technologies that will continue to grow.

A Walk Through a Slide

In my section of the presentation I discussed the term “netiquette” and how it was derived, along with how rules online are changing and evolving with new technologies.  For one of my slides, I wanted to highlight the importance about how new rules form with new technologies and different communities elicit different etiquette rules.  For example, when you are on Facebook, you can talk more informally than you would if you were on a professional site looking for a job.  This is a crucial point that my group’s blog on etiquette has discussed in many of our posts because we want to make sure people understand “netiquette’s” importance when being online.

I chose to use a quote from Sherry Turkle’s article “Who Am We” that discusses how the Internet links millions of people together and changes how communities are created.  I thought that this quote fit in well with this part of the presentation because her quote ties into the point that we are linked to so many people on the Internet that we need to be aware of online “netiquette” rules that different sites and online communities have.  It also drives home the point that how we act and behave online effects more than just ourselves, and this is why we need to be conscious of “netiquette” rules.  Also, my picture for this slide was a sketch of a world with people around it linked together.  I thought it fit in well with Turkle’s quote and brings into perspective that what we write online links us to people all over the world.  Therefore, we need to be aware of our actions in different online spaces.  I also mention how it can be hard to learn all the new “netiquette” rules because they are learned through experience and are constantly changing.  I think that this is important because everyone will make mistakes online, and it is understandable, but we need to realize that how we act online effects more than just us.  I would say a good tip is to think before you post or press send.

I wanted this slide to really drive home the point that “netiquette” rules are important to be aware of when using online spaces.  I think, as a part of my 5 slides in the presentation, it allows people to see that “netiquette” rules are important because of how expansive the Internet allows our connections and communities to be and every site is different in terms of their rules.  It also sets up the fact that new “netiquette” rules will continue to evolve because of the new technologies and online spaces being developed every day.  My slide builds on the idea that our world will not stop developing and evolving technologies, so “netiquette” is important to keep in mind when interacting on the Internet daily, whether in be in online games, social media, or professional sites.   I mention that the rules are hard to learn, but I think if I had to change something about this slide, it might be adding in the fact that everyone will make mistakes online, but we need to be award of our actions and how they affect.  This allows people to feel that it is alright if they would make a mistake, but to maybe think next time about how their actions will affect others and reconsider pressing send.

 

 

What I Learned about my Blog Topic

Over the past few weeks, I have really learned a lot about our topic of etiquette in online spaces.  I think that looking more into this topic has taught me just how expansive and ever-changing Web 2.0 technologies are, and how etiquette online is becoming an important aspect of this growth.  I mean the whole reason for the term “netiquette,” or network and Internet etiquette, is because of the new Web 2.0 technologies that are gaining in popularity each day.  In “Who Am We” by Sherry Turkle, she discusses how people assume different online identities when on the Internet, but more importantly that “the Internet links millions of people in new spaces that are changing the way we think and the way we form our communities.”  This really make me think just how important “netiquette” really is because if we are linked to so many people through the Internet, than we are effecting more than just ourselves when we post, write, or act a certain way online.  I think that by interacting more in online spaces, especially Twitter, I have seen how much social media connects us to other people.  Social media has its advantages, and if we are aware of our actions and how we behave online, it can be a great way to connect and communicate with others.

Another important thing that I learned about online etiquette is that there are different rules for different sites, which can make them hard to learn because you learn through experiences and observations online.  On a blogging site called Gigaom, in an article titled “The Future of Online Etiquette is Already Here-It’s Just Unevenly Distributed” written by Matthew Ingram he says, “As anyone who has missed an important email knows by now, modern communications etiquette is a minefield of unspoken expectations and potential anxiety-inducing behavior.”  This quote allowed me to realize that because of all the new Web 2.0 technologies, and with the rules not written down, we are expected to know what the online etiquette rules are, which can cause for anxiety and stress.  Ingram also points out that this is because people are at different stages in their evolution from one technology to another.  Everything is changing and evolving so quickly, that it can be hard to keep up with all the new etiquette practices.

Overall, I have learned that “netiquette” has become such an important part of our world because of how much Web 2.0 technologies are evolving and changing.  It will not go away either because children in this generation and generations to come will grow up in the age of technology.  It will affect how they apply to college or interact with the world.  New technologies already impact how we interact on a daily basis.  I think one of the major things that I learned is that we need to be aware of how we act online because you never know who you are effecting.  Learning the new “netiquette” rules will allow for more effective communication in online and digital spaces.

Pecha Kucha and Etiquette Reflections

In the beginning of the semester, my Introduction to Writing Art’s class at Rowan University was split into three modules. Students would spend 4 weeks with each of 3 professors, learning about different aspects of writing. For my 3^rd module, I was presented with the topic of The Future of Writing. For our big assignment for this class, we were asked to create a different kind of presentation called a Pecha Kucha. This style of presentation follows the outline of 20/20/1. This means that there are 20 slides, which are shown for 20 seconds, with all slides containing only 1 image. This blog post will capture why I chose to present one slide the way I did, and what I have learned about the topic of Etiquette.

To read through the narrative of the presentation, and see the slides we used, please refer to my previous blog post, “Pecha Kucha and Narratives.”

A Walk Through a Slide

I think throughout my entire section of my presentation, my favorite slide was when I discussed how you can learn the rules of etiquette on various social media sites. I approached this topic by trying to remember my first experiences using Facebook and Twitter. I found that when I first started to use these social media sites, I sat quiet for a while. For about a week, I watched the types of posts that people were making. I would check back to see the amount of “Likes” or “Comments” on Facebook, or “Retweets” and “Favorites” on Twitter that each post got. I seemed like this was the best thing to do because I am the type of person that does not like confrontation. I needed to make sure that my first post was not going to be something that someone was easily offended by. I did not want my first week on Facebook or Twitter to end in a “cyber fight.” The image that accompanies this part of my narrative came directly from my Facebook newsfeed. A couple weeks ago, people on Facebook started changing their profile pictures to equal signs on red backgrounds which was meant to represent their acceptance of Gay Marriage and Gay Rights. I am aware that everyone is allowed to have their own opinion on societal topics, but this post was completely inappropriate. The person that posted this was put in her place by the 87 comments telling her that she was being rude for posting such nasty words. This is where my idea for trial and error came from. When posting on Social Media sites, it is tempting to post everything and anything that you are feeling. However, etiquette rules state that people need to be aware of who their audience is in order to maintain a friendly environment. This person obviously did not have the right audience for this post.

By quoting Margaret Atwood in this section of my narrative, I wished to show that people in the writing world are aware that Social Media sites tend to be places where people say things they shouldn’t. It also helped show that everyone learns the etiquette rules by testing out the waters and observing others. If I had to do this project over again, I might change the narrative of this section to represent more of the trial and error part of social media etiquette instead of making up a scenario to go with the picture. I really believe that the picture speaks for itself, and instead of further explaining the picture, the presentation would have been more effective if I had explained my point further.

 

What I Learned about my Blog Topic

Over the last couple of weeks, I have blogged about the topic of Etiquette on the Internet. I especially paid close attention to etiquette when it comes to social media. I have always been interested in this topic because I have been exposed to many fights on social media sites due to lack of Etiquette. Along with etiquette, we were asked to consider how Web 2.0 tools are affecting the topic we are using for our blogs. Although I have heard the term, Web 2.0, before, I was never aware of what it truly was. The readings for this class really opened up my eyes to the amount of resources are available on the Internet, and the rapidly changing way things work. Even though I paid close attention to etiquette and social media, the topic of etiquette as a whole really opened up new paths for me to explore. After reading lists and lists of rules people think you should follow on the Internet, I started to create my own. Of course my list included numbers of things other people had already thought of, it also went off in its own direction. By researching the topic of etiquette, the most important thing that I learned is that etiquette is constantly changing due to the change in purposes of writing, where we are writing, and who is writing. It is important to keep an eye out for new etiquette rules as things change around us, because we do not want to be left behind posting things that are no longer appropriate. Just like writing technologies are constantly changing and improving, the rules of etiquette are changing too. Another important thing that I learned is that it is hard to write down the etiquette rules for all communities of people. What is appropriate to say in one place may not be appropriate to say in another. People need to be aware of this shift and try hard to stay connected to what is allowed to be posted and what is not. With Twitter, the number of people that can now see our writing as increased, according to Steven Johnson in “How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live.” It is important to remember who your audience is when composing a Tweet or a Facebook Status. Although some people crave the online drama of posting inappropriate things and then fighting about it, I certainly do not. After reading all these articles and blogging about them, I know that I am a lot more cautious about the things that I am posting, and I always think before I Tweet or send a Facebook post.

 

 

Tragedies and Social Media Etiquette?

How did you find out about the bombings at the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013? More likely than not, you probably find out from a Social Media site. I know I did. An analytic company studying Twitter stated that around 4:10 p.m. there were over 300,000 mentions of “Boston explosions.” Just 20 minutes later, there were 700,000 mentions of the “Boston Marathon.”

The amount of support that was seen through Social Media sites throughout the day on the 15th, was incredible. People were sharing their emotional reactions, and it was spreading. Quickly after the spread of the news, support from the community was starting to shine through the feeds. The hashtag #prayforboston was trending, and more than 75,000 tweets mentioned “Pray for Boston” within an hour. Tweets were being written about how the person posting was willing to help. People were tweeting the addresses of Red Cross locations for people to go to donate blood, or if they needed more help. People were even willing to house people who were evacuated from the buildings in which they resided.

While Social Media support is great, it does not always come in such generous forms. There were many people who were oblivious to the tragedy taking place in the city of Boston. Many people went along their day like nothing had happened at all. While I am not suggesting that the world needs to stop when there is a tragedy, I am suggesting that people need to start thinking about their audiences. While some people are grieving the loss of a loved one, they may seek support from others who are grieving as well. Social Media becomes a great place to get this support, but when Newsfeeds and Twitterfeeds are clogged with spring break pictures, or mindless sentences like, “I love my dog,” people become upset with the lack of support that they are getting. It is even worse when people who are not grieving start attacking those who are. Many tweets sending condolences to those who lost during the bombing at the Boston marathon were replied to with things like, “Things like this happens everyday in the Middle East. What is so special about Boston?” While there is always going to be hate in the world, it is not necessary to attack someone for posting a compassionate Tweet or status update.

It truly is amazing to consider the amount of power that Social Media sites have. But it is true that this power is not always a good thing. I know that happy thoughts are the best medicine when it comes to a grieving country, but sometimes people take it too far. Please be aware of the people that are reading the things you post. Someone who is grieving may not be appreciative of a picture of you in a bikini, or with a cold beer in your hand. In a world where the forces of hate are becoming as common as the forces of love, let’s try to be sensitive to the people around us. I know that you would want other people to be conscious of your troubles, too.

To read more about the effects of social media on country wide tragedies, please refer to the following articles:

Boston Marathon Bombing: The Wave of Social Media Reaction

Boston Marathon Bombings Brings Light to Social Media Etiquette Issues

 

Inspiration All Around

For this assignment, I was required to blog about an educator I decided to follow on Twitter. While to some this may seem easy, I found myself very overwhelmed by the entire process. The mass amount of people on Twitter led to massive amount of people who called themselves educators. Weeding out the good profiles form the bad profiles took a while, but ultimately I found some very inspiring and interesting educators to follow on Twitter.

The one educator I have chosen to discuss is Joan Young and her twitter name is @flourishingkids  and quite honestly you should really consider following her. What I learned from Joan Young’s Twitter page is that she is an elementary teacher and an academic coach. I found this very interesting because I am not even sure what an academic coach is. Immediately I was interested so I decided to dig further, and I was very pleased with everything I read. Joan Young describes herself as “having a passion for building efficacy in kids.” She is also the author of “25 Super Sight Word Songs & Mini-Books” which was published by Scholastic. She also has a blog, http://www.allkidscanflourish.blogspot.com , which she runs daily along with keeping up with  her Twitter account. Joan Young has 8,451 followers but in the past few days I have been following her that number grows quickly.

What I found most inspiring about her was her dedication to all different fields in Education. Along with all of the above mentioned accomplishments, she is well versed in using technology to benefit her classroom and students. All of these aspects make her a great educational role model and a great resource to follow on Twitter. Twitter provides the easy access to her interests, ideas, views, and blog. Most of her followers consist of other educators, administrators, people in the educational technology field, and there appeared to be some aspiring students like myself! She tweets about different types of technology she used or liked, educational issues, or just about her personal experience in the classroom which leads to many discussions from other educators and professionals in the field from all over the country ( and sometimes even the world!) Many of the people Joan Young follows are also credible resources for educational topics and when I started to skim through them I found many more people who I would like to follow because of how inspiring they are!

There are a few main reasons why I found Joan Young so inspiring. First, she teaches the age group I would like to and provides clear examples of how she uses technology every day in her classroom. I hope to one day be able to do this as well as many of the people I have now followed on Twitter, so what better way to learn than from a source who is clearly successful! Second, I admire how she has branched off into all different fields of educations, from writing blogs to writing published books! This is also something I aspire to do, so I feel like she would be a good person to talk to about these ideas and dreams of mine. Finally, she just seems very cool, personable, and down to earth.

Overall, I really enjoyed the experience of going and finding educators on Twitter. This had made me realize what a good information, networking, and advertising tool Twitter can be. I look forward to being able to participate in the education twitter dsicussion/debates once I have a classroom of my own!

All About Maggie Cary

 

So, this week on Twitter I found a woman named Maggie Cary.  I found out through her biography that she is a teacher, writer, and mom.  She writes about education, parenting, and has written a book for elementary school children called “The Secrets of the Crystal Cavern.”  I am currently studying teaching and writing arts in college, so I decided to take a more in depth look at her follower list as well as who she is following to see what else I could find.  I found out that she has been teaching for over 20 years and shares her experiences and knowledge on a blog called “Classroom Talks.”  Someone can instantly access this blog because she has a link to it right on her Twitter profile.

After finding out a little more about who she is I went and checked out her followers.  Her 23,396 consist of educators of all grades, Twitter accounts with resources for teaching or parents, and even some students who are looking to have a career as an educator.   I also noticed a lot of authors and writers that followed her.  From this list of followers, I can tell that educators, parents, and other authors trust her opinion.  She has been teaching over 20 years, which in my opinion, makes her a valid source in educational topics.  I could see why she has the followers she has because they directly relate to her interests that she lists in her biography.  The people who follow her also may look to her for ideas and advice.

After checking out her blog on Classroom Talks, I think that it is a great source for future teachers.  It gives helpful information on everything from helping children to make friends to how to help a struggling learner to advice on using social media.  With such varied topics and the ease of getting to the blog right from Twitter, her followers are opened up to another world of helpful sources and posts.  I can see why her followers, which are mainly educators or future educators and writers, would want to connect with her because she gives helpful advice and ideas related directly to those fields.

Maggie Cary not only has the followers, but she is following 11,551 people.  The people she follows are mainly other teachers, writers, bloggers, or resources for teachers.  This makes sense because these directly correlate to her interests.  This shows how dedicated she is to the field she is studying, and is still looking to learn new things and connect and collaborate with others about new ideas.

I admire how she still wants to learn and work with others because I want to be a teacher who is willing to collaborate others to share ideas to be the best I can be.  I think that the best teachers are those who are willing to listen, collaborate, and share new ideas to better themselves and others, which seems to be exactly what Maggie Cary does.  Maggie Cary takes the time to share ideas, and let others share ideas, through her Twitter and blog.  She seems dedicated to her fields of teaching and writing and wants to share her knowledge and experience with others.  I hope that one day I can be as dedicated and knowledgeable as her about teaching.  You can check her out at @maggiecary!

 

 

 

 

779 Hideously Lucky Individuals

Book cover, American Gods (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors. In general, his works are fantasy and incredibly witty. But if Lord of the Rings isn’t your cup of tea, don’t worry, his work is very modern and would better be described as urban fantasy, which is probably the best sub-genre out there (in my humble opinion). I’ve laughed out loud many times while reading his novels. He’s best known for American Gods, or at least it seems that way because that’s the book everybody recommends. And if you haven’t read it, I highly suggest you do. It is definitely in my top 5, which you should know is a very selective list. And if you know the movie Stardust, well, it was based off his short book with the same title. He is also responsible for The Sandman comic series which I haven’t personally read but it seems pretty amazing.

I follow Neil Gaiman both on twitter and on tumblr. Really, his books are only part of the reason I love him so much. Seeing him on social networking sites, I’ve watched him give invaluable advice to aspiring writers like myself, as well as talk about his personal life, like his relationship with his wife, Amanda Palmer (they’re very adorable). And even beyond that, there was his recent, inspirational graduation speech. If you haven’t heard it, I highly recommend taking the time to listen to it. It blew me away when I did. I’m not ashamed to admit that it made me cry—more than that, it was the main thing that pushed me to continue down the path of becoming a writer. See, when you tell people you’re a writing major, mostly they just ask “What for?” It’s worse when I say I want to write books. I’m usually met with: “Okay, but what do you want to do?” Okay, I would think, I can’t be a novelist; it’s not realistic. What else is there for me? Quite frankly, there’s nothing I really want, and as I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, this has been a great source of anxiety for me. But when I listened to Gaiman’s speech, it really hit me. Yes, writing is exactly what I want to do. I have to “make good art.” Nothing else will do.

Surprisingly, the actual point of this blog post is actually not to gush about how wonderful Neil Gaiman is. I’m actually supposed to be analyzing who he follows on Twitter, so let me do just that.

Gaiman follows 779 people as I write this. It’s nothing compared to the almost two million people following him, but it’s still a lot more than a lot of other famous people follow. Like many of us, a lot of the people he follows have that blue check mark of authenticity, although a greater amount do not. Much of the list consists of writers, actors, artists, and musicians, although mostly they seem to be writers of various kinds. Of the writers, most specify that they are fantasy/sci-fi authors. Very few of the bios I scrolled past did not make any claims at being an artist, and most of those had silly phrases like “A comedian from the 90s. Capable of almost 12 facial expressions though I rarely use more than 4 of them.” Honestly, I don’t think I’ve scrolled farther than two names without seeing another artist. There are a few fans sprinkled in, such as the girl with this bio: ”

• I just love reading, that’s a fact… Oscar Wilde, Jane Austen and Neil Gaiman are my favs…”

I can only imagine how she screamed when she saw him on her followers.

Gaiman’s “following” list suggests, very obviously, that he is very committed to the arts. This makes sense, seeing as how he is an artist himself. Yet, it would be very easy to isolate himself, but he doesn’t. The people he follows, as well as his tweets and tumblr posts, show that Gaiman participates with the writer community all around him. He seems to value this community, and he contributes to it while also showcasing the contributions of others. It is the embodiment of the writer as a social creature, and idea I’ve written about previously in this Intro to Writing Arts course. Also it shows that he cares about his wife, who he follows and retweets very often. Did I mention that they’re adorable?

I want to be a “Cool Cat Teacher!!”

After going through lists of the Top 100 Edu Tweeters,  100 Professors you Should Follow and Learn from Twitter, and Top Rated Educational Resources to Follow on Twitter, one particular woman caught my eye. Her name is Vicki Davis but she goes by @coolcatteacher on Twitter. She is from Camilla, Georgia.  According to her bio on her Twitter page she is the “Best teacher blog winter, co-founder of @flatclassroom, author of the book, “Flattening Classrooms,” a pioneer and a Mom.”

The reason why this woman’s Twitter sparked interest in my eyes was her uncanny ability to reply to anyone and everyone that contacted her on this Social Media site. I’m sure there are some tweets that go unanswered, but from what I can see, she takes the time out of her busy schedule to answer questions, make comments, and make her followers feel like friends. She tweets about topics ranging from “the health of your hard drive,” to “Fresh Fruit Salad for Mother’s Day,” to “Daily Education and Technology News for Schools.” She provides amazing resources to her followers. These resources are also included in her blog, called, “Cool Cat Teacher Blog.” This is a blog where the ideas for her Tweets come to life and are able to be expanded on.

When analyzing the list of followers that Vicki Davis has, as well as the list of which she follows, I felt like my future educational career was all coming into focus. To date, Vicki Davis has 51,93 Followers, and is following 6,702 people. The term “learning community” has been said so many times in the last 2 years of my college experience, and I have to say that Twitter is its own learning community, especially when you have as many followers as Davis does. Many of her followers are teachers, or active members in the field of education. It is important to know that there are many different types of teachers following Davis. She Tweets about various different school subjects, leaving no teachers behind in the availably of resources. Along with the huge numbers of teachers, hundreds of her followers are parents who are extremely involved in the education of their children. I think her list of followers says a lot about the type of person that she is. There are people following her from all over the world. There are even people who do not speak English. This speaks worlds of the type of person Vicki Davis is, as well as what she is Tweeting about. People enjoy the things she has to say, they look forward to reading the things she is blogging about and the new ideas she has to share. She is not just someone they follow to get their numbers up. She is someone to follow because she has a lot to say, and all of it is important.

Although I may not know Vicki Davis on a personal level, I feel included in her “conversational” Tweets about various things. She does an amazing job in involving all her followers in her Tweets and really makes you feel like you are all sitting down to a cup of coffee together. Just because I do not know Davis on a personal level does not mean that she is not an inspiration. I hope that one day, as an educator and as a mother, I can make as much of an impact on a learning community that she has.

 

My Week Without Facebook

So, I have gone this week without using Facebook.  It was to see what it was like to not use a site that so many of us so use so often.  For me, I felt fine without using my Facebook because I am not on it as much.  I barely post statuses or pictures.  I mainly use my Facebook to see if I have any messages from clubs I am a part of at Rowan or to just see what people are up to by scrolling through my newsfeed.  For me, it is a boredom buster or a way to procrastinate on doing my work or something I check before I go to bed.  My friends and I use texting and Twitter more to chat, so I don’t expect to see many messages from them.  I didn’t let them know that I was going to be gone from Facebook, either, and surprisingly enough not one of them has said anything.  I also did not deactivate my account, so my profile is still up. There is just no one behind the profile for a week controlling what it says or does.  I don’t post much on Facebook to begin with, so people probably just assumed it was a typical week, but for those that post a lot I could see where friends or family would wonder why they haven’t posted in a while.  It is crazy to think that there is just a profile out there with no one controlling it.  While I really didn’t mind the week without Facebook, I will say that I am curious about what’s happening.  I just want to log on and see what’s happening, which is quite easy to do, but then that would ruin the whole experiment.

You are probably thinking that I am crazy when I say that going on Facebook really didn’t affect me that much this week.  It’s true though.  While I am curious about what is going on, I have learned there are others ways to find out information or keep in touch with people.  Without Facebook, I have been using Twitter a lot more.  After this week of exploring Twitter more, I think that it is a powerful social media site that can connect individuals and allow for easier networking than Facebook.  In an instant you can follow someone on Twitter, instead of having to request to be someone’s friend.  This allows you to begin to compile followers] from around the world.  Your followers can be friends, colleagues, or people in your professional field.  I think that the last one is important because the more that you network with individuals in your field, the more you can learn and network with them.  I have started to search for people that are teachers or in the teaching profession to see what types of things they post.  They post tips, quotes, or advice about ideas for the classroom or ways to stay motivated.  This shows that teachers can collaborate in ways that go beyond their school, and extend around the world.

While Facebook does have the ability to connect people around the world, Twitter seems to allow us to do it with more ease.  Followers can be easier to compile, and it is easier to find people in your professional field.  I guess that this week without Facebook has shown me the advantages to another social networking site.  Facebook took a back seat, and I was able to see what it was like without it and think about why we use it so much.  Facebook may be addiction for many, or maybe it is simply just something to pass the time or to procrastinate.  Whatever your use for Facebook is:  Would you ever think about taking a week away from it?  Would you let people know?  Would you deactivate the account completely?  Would it make you use another social networking site more?  You could see what would happen, and possibly learn a lot about yourself, such as, the extent to which Facebook is a part of your life, and the power of different types of social media.

This video shows the extent to how much Facebook has really grown around the world and how many people use the site.

 

A Netiquette lesson from Margaret Atwood

Today begins my responses to readings from class and applying the to the theme of this blog- netiquette on the internet. While I read a lot of articles that really made me think about technology (specifically Web 2.0 tools), my favorite article I had to read was “Atwood in Twittersphere” written by Margaret Atwood herself. If you do not know who she is, get to know her because she is fabulous and funny, which was very refreshing after a few in depth articles. However, back to the issue at hand!

One of the main rules of netiquette is to be yourself .  Although the number is always changing, it is believed that on average 1 in 10 internet profiles are fake. Even if the profile is of a real person, some of the information they post could be fake. Currently on Facebook and in the Twittersphere there is a growing number of fake profiles and followers , which according to netiquette is a BIG NO NO! I wonder how many of Margaret Atwood’s followers are fake…

There is a lengthy list of reasons you should not create a fake profile, but in my opinion I think the main one is that it is just not right! (and nice). Poor Margaret Atwood was a Twitter newbie ( as was I up to a week ago) and someone stole her name and her picture, “My first problem was that there were already two Margaret Atwoods on Twitter, one of them with my picture. This grew; I gave commands; then all other Margaret Atwoods stopped together.” Luckily for her this stopped, but the same can not be said for everyone. With more and more socialization taking place through social media and the internet the issue of fake profiles is increasing daily and completely falsifying the social interaction those people get.

The internet is a scary place. Especially when someone could be using your name and picture. I typed my own name into Facebook and found three other people using my profile picture- which honestly freaked me out ( if anyone knows how to fix this please tell me). The more I read about this issue and found statistics, the more I realized why people need to be educated about internet usage before they take part in all of these social media sites. Everyone should know simple techni

ques to keep their information safe as well as how to identify what a fake profile looks like. For all of you curious out there, here a few tips provided by abcnews.com to identify fake profiles! However if you feel you need more information- type identifying fake profiles in on Google and tons of helpful tips will show up!

 

 

Please protect your information and yourself from these fake profiles and mean people. I hope one day the learn what proper netiquette is and their real selves and internet selves become the same person!

 

Here is a list provided by Yahoo.com of the people with the most fake Twitter followers. Crazy, right!?

What’s Up with Etiquette Online These Days?

With all the new forms of communication available to us today, there are so many different opinions on what the appropriate etiquette is when using them.  In a post on the blog Gigaom called “The Future of Online Etiquette is Already Here-It’s Just Unevenly Distributed” written by Matthew Ingram he says, “As anyone who has missed an important email knows by now, modern communications etiquette is a minefield of unspoken expectations and potential anxiety-inducing behavior.”  This quote perfectly sums up the issues with modern etiquette these days.  We are so unsure of the ways in which to behave online because it is not written out in a rule book.  We are left to guess what the expectations are, which can lead to people being stressed out about what to do, and then writing something online that they regret.  Part of the problem is that “we have more competing forms of communication available to us than ever before-and not only are different people at different stages in their evolution from one to the other, but people also use then for very different purposes.”

There comes new types of etiquette with each new form of communication, and with all the new forms of communication that are growing and evolving, it can be hard to keep up with all the new etiquette practices.  As mentioned above, not only are different communications evolving, but people are evolving at different stages through them.  The younger generations are quicker to adapt to new forms of communication, like Twitter, so they pick up on the etiquette practices at a faster pace.  Older generations may only just be getting comfortable with the communications and not be aware of all the etiquette practices involved.  In a blog by Thomas Farley, also known as Mr. Manners, he says in the post “How to Lose Friends and Alienate People” that, “one in five people have lessened their contact with someone in real life on account of a virtual argument.”  So what is appropriate to post online, especially if you know it will offend someone?

It is hard to say because you never know who will get offended.  I think that people feel more inclined to post these things because they are behind a screen.  What they don’t get is that people still can get offended whether it is said online or in person.  Do people understand that they are offending someone or do they not know the etiquette rules?  It is hard to say, and I’m sure it goes both ways.  Some people are probably aware that they are posting rude comments or acting inappropriately on a certain site, but others may not even realize it.  We have to realize though that the scope of the Internet is so large that there probably is someone who will be offended.  Mr. Manners sums it up nicely by saying, “The time is now for all of us to make a commitment to being nicer when we log on.  Think twice before you post…if you wouldn’t say it face-to-face don’t say it monitor-to-monitor.”  This is just one piece of advice that can help all of us online.  While I think it will take a long time for people to catch on to all the online etiquette practices, being nicer online is something we can all do, no matter what age or stage in the evolution of communication we are in.  It just takes little steps to improve our etiquette online, and I think that being nicer is certainly a start.