Title: Face book and Twitter grow up: how were using them to connect, interact, and advocate and have some
1Face book and Twitter grow up how were using
them to connect, interact, and advocate (and have
some fun)
- Cherie Dargan
- Supper Club, April 21 2009
2Overview
- Look briefly at Twitter (micro blog) and Facebook
(social networking site) and why we should take
them more seriously they are not just passing
fads! Furthermore, I will argue that we ignore
them at our own peril, to quote Andy Carvin on an
interview NPR. - Present a few ideas about why so many grown ups
and organizations are using these tools, as well
as some of the ways they are being used. - Share some great cartoons.
- Give you a few recommendations for some good
books, websites, and resources to learn more
about SNS and Twitter. -
3NPR FACEBOOK TURNS five
- Weekend Edition Saturday, February 7, 2009 Scott
Simon speaks with NPR's Social Media Strategist
Andy Carvin about Facebook's fifth anniversary,
and how social networking has changed how we use
the Internet. - There is an expectation that you have a presence
on these sites - You ignore Face book at your own peril.
- --Andy Carvin
4Were living in a wired world.
- Free wireless access great marketing tool for
restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, malls,
airports - Micro blog Twitter is the most popular tool for
creating short messages (limited to 140
characters), typically in response to the
question What are you doing? - Social Networking sites Facebook is now the
number one SNS. - Many people update their Twitter or Facebook
pages using their mobile phones or smart phones
like blackberries or Iphones.
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10Milestone in the Twitterverse
- Last week Ashton Kutcher became the first person
to reach the one million follower mark in a
contest with CNN - In the much-publicized duel, Kutcher's Twitter
account crossed the 1 million mark on Twitter
about 213 a.m. ET Friday, narrowly beating CNN's
breaking-news feed, which had 998,239 followers
at the time. CNN passed the mark at 242 a.m.
ET. - Source http//www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/17/ashton.
cnn.twitter.battle/index.html
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13King of Twitter
- On Friday, Kutcher went on "Larry King Live" to
talk about the battle and why he felt the duel
was so important. - "We now live in an age in media that a single
voice can have as much power and relevance on the
Web, that is, as an entire media network," he
said. "And I think that to me was shocking." - Source CNN story, link listed above.
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15Scenes from a Library Technology conference over
Spring Break.
- As I sit in one of the sessions with my mini Dell
laptop, I notice that as I am Googling the
speaker to find her blog, the person in front of
me is twittering--so I open a window for twitter
as well! -
- The conference posted announcements on its
Facebook page
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18Flash back to 2007.
- I gave my first speech at Supper Club and focused
on the impact of the internet on our language. At
that time, I thought Twitter was an interesting
fad--something passing. It seemed rather
narcissistic (Hey look at me...I'm at the mall. I
just brushed my teeth. I like microwave popcorn) -
- I felt like I was competing with Facebook for my
students' attention. When I finally broke down
and set up a Facebook page, and started looking
around the Hawkeye network, I was horrified by
the bad grammar, inane comments, tasteless
pictures and so called friends' comments that I
saw posted on some of the pages. -
19Resistance is futile?
- Over time, however, I realized that my thinking
was changing about Twitter and Facebook. Mike
began using Twitter early on....I was intrigued
but skeptical. It seemed sort of silly or
self-centered. I was even more skeptical of
Facebook, but set up a page so that I could
better understand my students' fascination with
it. -
- I didn't like the idea of posting messages on
someone's wall--it seemed too public. I liked
email -- that was my idea of "normal." - I wasnt at all sure what it meant to get
poked on Facebook!
20My concerns back then.
- I worried about the possibility of my students
being addicted to Facebook. - I also worried about the danger of sex predators
hanging out there. - I was irritated when I saw stupid, illiterate or
inappropriate comments and less than tasteful
pictures that were posted on so many pages.
21Then something happened!
- Within 30 minutes of setting up my Face book
page, I heard from half a dozen people wanting to
be my friends -- including several that I didn't
have email for and hadn't heard from in awhile.
It was magic. - Several former students found me and were
delighted to see me on Facebook!
22My adventures with Web 2.0
- I set up a Twitter page
- I set up a Tumblr account
- I created my Facebook page and set it so that
when I update my Twitter page, it also updates
the Facebook page! (Okay, I copied Mikethats
how he did it)
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27The Presidential campaign
- We all saw the way that the Democrats, and
especially Obamas team, use the power of the web
all of its tools - Blogs, Facebook, email
- The campaign changed the way we run
campaignseveryone realized that gave Obama
access to people people felt they had access to
him. He asked for ideas, feedback, as well as
donations of time money.
28CNN and Facebook team up
29Facebook's announcement
30I watched the ceremony with friends
31Why were we so skeptical?
- 1) Facebook and Twitter seem like the old west,
with not a lot of law and order. Pages look
messy, chaotic, and lots of visual clutter, along
with demands to play games, takes surveys, and
give gifts. We heard some jokes about the inane
comments posted by some of the Senators and
Congressmen during the Presidents address in
February. - 2) Email is our comfort zone --it is private and
secure in contrast to posting comments on
people's "walls" (pages) or in tweets. We can
also easily manage email--sort it, create
folders, etc. so it seems to be more in our
control. -
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33Why were we so skeptical?
- 3) Some of us worried that in typing short little
chunks, we were encouraging shallow thinking, and
in danger of becoming incapable of sustained
thought. - 4) HOWEVER, we overlooked the very reasons that
Social networking Sites and Micro blogging tools
like Twitter are popular. They are EASY to use.
Someone else has done the hard work it takes
minutes to set up your page and then, like magic,
you hear from people that you have lost touch
with years ago.
34Why are grown ups flocking to Facebook and
Twitter?
- To find old friends you lost track of after
college - To keep up with your teenagers, college age
children, or young adult children (or
grandchildren) - To more fully understand why everyone's so crazy
about it (curiosity) - Easy way to share photos and news with family
and friends who are scattered around the country
35Why are grown ups flocking to Facebook and
Twitter, cont.
- In addition,
- 1) to promote a cause (breast cancer, Darfur, or
earth day) - 2) to sell a product or service
- 3) to provide support (weight watchers)
- 4) to promote a special event (a marathon, fund
raiser, - 5) to organize people during a crisis (to get
rescuers to the scene after a plane crash or get
sand baggers to help prevent flooding, or after a
crime to help catch the criminal)
36Signs that Facebook and Twitter are now in the
mainstream
- I was amazed at how many cartoons mentioned
twittering or posting to Facebook. - Almost every media outlet, politician, and VIP
has a twitter presence. I get Twitter feeds from
CNN, KWWL and the Waterloo Courier. - You can read about twittering in blogs,
newspapers, books, and even PEOPLE magazine.
Jennifer Aniston may have broken up with her
boyfriend John Mayer because he was so hooked on
Twitter that he wasn't paying enough attention to
her! - The very respected Pew Internet Research project
has studied them.
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39Facebook Twitter in the funnies
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47A few facts about Twitter
- Twitter is just three years old
- Many people twitter from their cell phone or
Smartphone - Twitter "tweets" (individual messages) are
limited to 140 characters - Wikipedia lists Twitter as the third largest SNS,
with Facebook as the first and MySpace as second - They estimate that there are 6 million users of
Twitter, with 55 million monthly visits - Another source said that approximately three
million twitter messages are sent each day - Articles now refer to the Twitosphere (remember
when blogs were new and we read about the
blogosphere?) to refer to the people online on
Twitter
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52A few statistics about Facebook
- Facebook just had its 5th birthday. It is the
number one SNS, with 132 million users in 2008 - It makes profits of 10-50 million every year
(from ads) -
- The demographics are changing. Between June 2008
and January 2009, number of people 35 to 54
quadrupled, and people over 55 tripled according
to a report by iStrategylabs. - They cite Facebook as having 175 million users
- Most of the users are under 35 but only about 41
percent are college age
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57Clay Shirkys book on the power of organizing
without organizations
- He describes how people are using twitter,
Facebook, and text messaging to organize
political protests, flash mobs, solve crimes, and
when needed, let the world know what is going on
inside oppressed countries. -
-
- Here Comes Everybody (2008)
- Great story about a stolen cell phone
58Clay Shirky
- Revolution doesnt happen when society adopts
new technology, it happens when society adopts
new behaviors. - Furthermore, it is only when the new technology
becomes normal that that this is possible. - the ability of people to share, cooperate, and
act together is being improved dramatically by
our social tools. (Epilogue, 321)
59How can you use Twitter Facebook?
- Organize a group -- like Mike's Library group,
with 400 plus members -
- Post pictures from a recent trip -- like my son,
Jon, who went to Vegas with his wife and her
parents over Spring Break -
- Catch up on news from your friends
-
- Read about what some of your local politicians
are doing -
- Get more information about a special event or
activity, as with the Library Tech Conference
Facebook page
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64How can you use Twitter Facebook, cont.
- Mike uses it to let his librarians know where he
is working that day -- as well as share
observations, insights, and -
- I use them as places to share great articles,
websites (if you see a link for sharing, Twitter
is becoming a more common choice. You can also
post a link on Facebook.) -
- I also use them to get support for my efforts in
Weight Watchers, to follow newsmakers like Rick
Sanchez and Rachel Maddow, and keep up with
friends scattered around the state. -
-
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66Sources of controversy
- 1) Are we so obsessed with the web that we are
isolating ourselves from family and friends in
the "real world" in order to have a life online? - 2) Is the quick and easy interface of Twitter and
Facebook encouraging people to be even more self
involved, posting the silly trivia of their day? - 3) Are features like the 140 character limit of
Twitter and Facebook's brief postings on the wall
making us even more fragmented in our thinking
and communication style? - 4) Will all of this quick communication make us
more distracted, and less able to focus on
creating or reading/processing longer chunks of
text? -
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68More concerns
- 5) Is the line between personal and
professional--and public and private--even more
blurred by the use of Facebook and Twitter? - 6) Shirky points out that the line is also
blurring between cyberspace and IRL, as people
make plans on FB Twitter to meet up. He even
suggests that it is changing the way that people
make plans, as in text me when you get done with
your meeting and well meet up
69Who is studying SNS?
- The Pew Internet American Life Project
- http//www.pewinternet.org
- Home page for the project
- http//www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/Adults-and
-Social-Network-Websites.aspx - Report on the use of SNS by adults
70Topics for MA and PhD researchfrom danah boyds
website
- Silverman, S. C. (2007). Creating community
online The effects of online social networking
communities on college students' experiences. How
can student affairs professionals best respond to
this emergent phenomenon.. Ph.D. dissertation,
University of Southern California. - Vanden Boogart, M. R. (2006). Uncovering the
social impacts of face book on a college campus.
Unpublished Master of Science Thesis, Kansas
State University, Manhattan, Kansas. - Vie, S. (2007). Engaging others in online social
networking sites Rhetorical practices in MySpace
and Face book. Ph.D. dissertation, University of
Arizona.
71So, in conclusion, how are people using these
tools?
- 1) Engage people in discussing topics, sharing
ideas, interacting online (the Church in Seattle,
WA) - 2) Let people "follow" others and get quick
updates on their activities and thoughts and
daily routines (Rachel Maddow, Rick Sanchez,
Barak Obama, Joe Biden) - 3) Give quick headlines and news (CNN, Courier,
KWWL) - 4) Educate and support people (Weight Watchers)
- 5) Mobilize people to act (or vote, or buy, or
show up--see Clay Shirky's book) - 6) Strengthen interpersonal relationships (and
find out things about your spouse that he/she
would never tell you F2FTexas Red Chili
incident)
72Resources for learning more about SNS and Micro
blogging tools
- Researcher danah boyd (did her doctoral
dissertation on identity, teens and SNS (its
posted online) - http//www.danah.org/papers/
- Writer Lev Grossman. Why Facebook Is for Old
Fogies. Time - Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009
- http//www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1
879169,00.html - Face Book In Reality - idiotsofants.com and BBC's
The Wall. This video pokes fun at Facebook, and
shows how silly it would be in real life to
have someone show up at your front door, asking
if you want to be their friend. - http//www.youtube.com/watch?vnrlSkU0TFLs
73Resources for learning more about SNS and Micro
blogging tools, cont.
- The Pew Internet Research Project
- http//www.pewinternet.org/Media-Mentions/2009/Fac
ebook-takes-strides-toward-Twitter-territory.aspx - Writer Clay Shirky, Here Comes Everybody The
power of organizing without organizations.
Penguin Books, 2008. - http//www.shirky.com/ (his website)
- http//www.herecomeseverybody.org/ (his books
blog) - Scott Simon speaks with NPR's Social Media
Strategist Andy Carvin about Face book's fifth
birthday. Feb. 7, 2009 - http//www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?story
Id100377329
74Microblogging and SNS
- http//tumblr.com
- http//twitter.com
- http//facebook.com
- http//cherieedtech.tumblr.com/
- Cheries Tumblr page
-
- http//twitter.com/professorpost
- Cheries Twitter page
-
- http//twitter.com/MikeDargan
- Mike Dargans page
75For the Presentation cartoons
- I will post the entire PPT on Googledocs.
- I will also post a shorter one with only the
cartoons. - Cherie Dargan, cheriedargan_at_gmail.com