Google+ has just celebrated it’s first birthday. It now boasts 250 million users, which although only a quarter of that of Facebook (which recently exceeded 900 million), is still a considerable number in such a short time. So what’s it all about? Continue reading
Twitter has a brand new logo! After six years the logo has been simplified.
You can download the new logos from https://twitter.com/logo
On Twitter’s blog Doug Bowman, Creative Director says:
This bird is crafted purely from three sets of overlapping circles — similar to how your networks, interests and ideas connect and intersect with peers and friends. Whether soaring high above the earth to take in a broad view, or flocking with other birds to achieve a common purpose, a bird in flight is the ultimate representation of freedom, hope and limitless possibility.
This is a presentation I gave at a conference earlier this year. The session was aimed at those who were new but intrigued with what social media might be about. This wasn’t so much a ‘how to use’ the individual tools, but more an introduction to some of the tools I have been using to give people a flavour of how they can be used.
Sharing on social media websites is clearly seen as a positive step forward but we still need to be mindful of copyright and that we cannot just use somebody else’s work without permission. Where permission is granted then it is important to attribute the source, that is the name of the person alongside any materials we may use, be this text, photos, video or audio. Where authors have given their work a Creative Commons licence, life is made that much easier. Continue reading
This is a blog about Social Media and will introduce you to some of the many social media tools there are now available.
What is Social Media
Social Media is the use of web-based and mobile technologies which allows the user to produce and share information online using text, images, audio and video with others, who in turn can engage and communicate in interactive social dialogue about the content posted.
Social media can be used as a way to keep in touch socially with your family and friends, creating online connections using social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. There are also niche social networking sites which focus on specific hobbies or interests and sites to share and comment on news and current affairs. Others allow people to share photos, videos and audio, both publically or as a closed group. Examples include Flickr and YouTube. A useful network connecting professionals is LinkedIn. In addition there are a growing number of tools that allow users to collaboratively add content such as Google Docs and Wikis.
Social media tools enable user generated content, that is anyone can choose to create an account using a social media tool and add their own content. The social aspect is that it provides an opportunity to have a dialogue about the information shared. In a blog for example you will see a comment box. Readers may choose to leave comments about the posts on the blog, to which the author can respond.
The video below gives a real indication of the exponential growth of social media. This was produced by Erik Qualman, author of Socialnomics a book that looks at how social media transforms the way we live and do business.
The Guardian: Social Media
Sue Beckingham
Social Media for Learning 