Entries Tagged 'Fun Stuff' ↓

WordStream.com recently put out an interesting infographic on Internet privacy. Check it out below and see how much of your information is out there on the web.

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Infographic by WordStream Internet Marketing Software

In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about cyberbullying, the appeal of location-based social networking, and what TMI means in the digital age.

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Cyberbullying is a Problem Many Schools Don’t Know How to Handle

Yesterday, Jan Hoffman wrote an incisive and sprawling article on cyberbullying for the New York Times. The article focuses on the various difficulties school officials face in determining the proper punishment for cyberbullying, particularly if the harassment occurs off of school property. It also features a number of specific examples of cyberbullying in schools and the pain that each event caused its victims.

Danah Boyd: Facebook Needs to Focus on “Trust and Informed Consent”

In a special column to CNN, social media researcher and privacy activist Danah Boyd explains why Facebook’s real privacy problem isn’t its complicated privacy settings, which it has improved, but rather the company’s continued inability to foster a culture of “trust and informed consent.” As Boyd explains, Facebook’s current model does not respect user’s rights.

“Changing things and then forcing users to opt out is manipulative. Instead, they should be seeking informed consent — actively working with users to help make sure that they understand what’s at stake in their choices. It is unacceptable for a company like Facebook to trick people into ‘consenting’ to make their data more visible than they might think that it is.”

Facebook Has Changed the Meaning of “Too Much Information”

Scott Duke Harris at the Mercury News has an interesting story on Internet manners and the way that Facebook and other social networking websites have changed the way people think about sharing information. Harris mainly focuses on the “TMI” dilemma, whereby people knowingly (or unknowingly) share too much information online, leading to embarrassment later.

The article offers one very interesting example for how TMI plays out on Facebook. One user posted this message as a public status update: “This goes out to any girl that ive ever been with. I got tested today for Herpes and i came out positive.”

WaPo Blogger Forced to Resign Over “Private” E-mail List Comments

Washington Post blogger David Weigel was forced to resign this past week after disparaging remarks he made about conservative politicians were made public. The catch, the remarks were posted on a on a private e-mail list for Washington D.C. journalists called Journolist. Of course, they weren’t really private at all, which is why Ezra Klein (the famed political blogger who started the list) decided to shut it down after Weigel’s resignation.

In a separate column discussing the situation, Klein wrote “insofar as the current version of Journolist has seen its archives become a weapon, and insofar as people’s careers are now at stake, it has to die.”

Marshall Kirkpatrick Explains Location-Based Social Networking

Marshall Kirkpatrick at ReadWriteWeb has an interesting and well-written op-ed explaining why some people, including himself, use location-based social networking websites such as Gowalla and Foursquare. If you’ve ever wondered why someone would willingly share their precise global coordinates with friends — and sometimes strangers — Kirkpatrick’s article may answer your question.

When Commenters Attack: Noise to Signal Comic

Lastly, Rob Cottingham of the popular web comic Noise to Signal takes a funny look at the viciousness of some Internet commenters. Cottingham suggests that “civil behaviour ought to be the expected norm of online community, not the welcome exception.” We can definitely agree with that.

In 1993, cartoonist Peter Steiner drew this now-famous comic for the New Yorker. At the time, it perfectly captured a key issue surrounding emerging Internet technology, namely the ability to communicate with someone online completely anonymously. However, with the emergence of social media in the last decade, the resonance of this cartoon has faded.

While anonymity is still an important part of Internet culture, it is rapidly being replaced by a more open mentality. In the social media world, having a clearly defined identity is not only expected, but embraced. More often than not, you want the world to see your blog, or your Twitter, or your Flickr account. There are also times, however, when you don’t want the world to see what you’re sharing online, which is why Facebook has gotten so much bad press over the last couple of months.

When the company first began, Facebook was billed as a way for users to stay in touch and share things with friends through the creation of a closed community. After giving users this expectation of privacy, Facebook pulled a bait-and-switch, flipping its privacy controls so that public sharing was now a default. Needless to say, many users were embarrassed to find that their “private” lives were now public and that the only way they could set things right was through a complicated series of privacy settings.

Recently, cartoonist Rob Cottingham of the popular webcomic Noise to Signal captured the issue of Facebook privacy online with a clever reimagining of Peter Steiner’s original New Yorker comic strip. Check out the comic below, and feel free to leave your own comment on this post. It can be about the comic, Facebook, or any other issue that comes to mind.

Welcome to another awesome edition of Meet the ReputationDefender Team! Last time out, we met former journalist and world traveler Adam Tanguay, who heads up MyEdge efforts for ReputationDefender. Today, we say hello to Veena Padmanabhan, who keeps busy in the all-important role of Financial Planning and Analytics Manager.

Say hi to Veena below.

Who are you and what do you do?

My good name is Veena Padmanabhan. I work as the Financial Planning and Analytics Manager. I take care of payroll, ad hoc reporting, accounts payable and the list goes on, as I enjoy having my hands in a lot of jars.

What did you do prior to joining ReputationDefender?

I went to school in California and New York City. From the time I arrived in the Big Apple to now, I have worked in a number of different finance roles from investment banking to financial consulting in Europe.

What attracted you to ReputationDefender?

I had never heard of reputation management until I read about ReputationDefender. As I did my research about the industry and the company, I came to this conclusion: the bottom line at ReputationDefender is to help individuals recapture their online reputation and give them power over their life online. I wanted to be a part of team that strived toward this goal of helping people.

Why do you think it’s important for people to manage their reputations online?

Individuals, young and old should take charge of their reputation. I always think to myself that face to face (in-person), you can stand up for yourself and not let someone deface you. It should be the same way in the virtual world. You should be able to defend yourself and take charge of who you are on the web, and ReputationDefender helps our clients put their best feet forward online..

When you’re not helping individuals control and protect their good names online, what do you like to do in your spare time?

I volunteer, hike, garden and travel. I enjoy reading and spending time with my friends and family.

What’s your all-time favorite website?

SteepandCheap.com, I love the outdoors and getting gear for cheap!