On Friday, 20/20 had a special on Youtube and how people are using it to make money. They did not upload it with intentions to make money though. It just so happened that the video went viral. In many cases, they got over a million views.
The money is not as impressive as the fact that the internet gives more people the chance to shine. Justin Bieber is a good example of this. I am not a teenage girl so Justin Bieber does not fascinate me so much. But the fact that he was noticed on Youtube does. There are many more like Justin Bieber that the 20/20 episode talked about on Friday.
It used to be that you had to wait to be noticed. NOw people can pretty much throw themselves out there by Youtube, blogging, and other social networking sites. It still takes time, but you can be viewed by several people at once instead of gawked at and rejected by one a day. (Now some people get gawked at by millions:)
I think that we should forget Hollywood. Look at the image that its actors have, and look at what corruption it promotes. Creativity by average people is better. Many people have taken their hobies online to share with whomever wants to se. Many times, as the spoof videos on 20/20 talked about, are better than the Hollywood version anyways!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Script Kiddies new victim: USA Today
At least when The Script Kiddies hacked USA Today's Twitter account, they did not spread rumors about a false terrorist attack. But still, hacking is hacking in the eyes of the FBI. (Not to mention the owners of the hacked accounts).
Groups like this really should have no second chance though. Twitter should have shut down their account after the 9/11 hack. Also Twitter is a bit loose on security. It is questionable who has account credentials once a user clicks allow for a third party program to gain access to the account. Also it appears to be too easy to take over someone's Twitter account. Think about how many times in the past year a Twitter account has been compromised and talked about in the news. It happens less with Facebook. Facebook takes great measures to provide security to deter hacking attempts. If Facebook sees unusual activity on the account (ex: a login which is usually coming from Boston comes from Japan in the same day), they will suspend the account. In order to use the account again, the user must give backup information that Facebook has on file in order to prove maintain integrity, and the user is forced to reset the password.
Twiter does not have this. When thinking about this, it did not make sense for Twiter not to implement this security on the accounts. In profile settings in Twitter, there is a tab for mobile. This tab is for allowing or not allowing mobile alerts. Why not have the users enter in their cell phone number, but they can still have the option to not allow tweets on their mobile phone? This way, if there is unusual activity on their account, Twitter has their phone number and can at least send them a text message alerting the user. This way, the user can take appropriate actions in order to have Twitter suspend the account for their protection or let Twitter know everything is ok.
While the social network sites compete with each other to have the biggest user base, it would be beneficial if they all were mindful of security and implement it to however it may fit into the user experience they provide.
Groups like this really should have no second chance though. Twitter should have shut down their account after the 9/11 hack. Also Twitter is a bit loose on security. It is questionable who has account credentials once a user clicks allow for a third party program to gain access to the account. Also it appears to be too easy to take over someone's Twitter account. Think about how many times in the past year a Twitter account has been compromised and talked about in the news. It happens less with Facebook. Facebook takes great measures to provide security to deter hacking attempts. If Facebook sees unusual activity on the account (ex: a login which is usually coming from Boston comes from Japan in the same day), they will suspend the account. In order to use the account again, the user must give backup information that Facebook has on file in order to prove maintain integrity, and the user is forced to reset the password.
Twiter does not have this. When thinking about this, it did not make sense for Twiter not to implement this security on the accounts. In profile settings in Twitter, there is a tab for mobile. This tab is for allowing or not allowing mobile alerts. Why not have the users enter in their cell phone number, but they can still have the option to not allow tweets on their mobile phone? This way, if there is unusual activity on their account, Twitter has their phone number and can at least send them a text message alerting the user. This way, the user can take appropriate actions in order to have Twitter suspend the account for their protection or let Twitter know everything is ok.
While the social network sites compete with each other to have the biggest user base, it would be beneficial if they all were mindful of security and implement it to however it may fit into the user experience they provide.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Starbucks barista fired over parody song
Based on Chris's attitude, I think he did not care if people saw the video. He just did not expect it to go viral, and he certainly did not expect to get fired. But let this be a lesson for others.
Starbucks Management Side
Do not rely on managers at work to have a sense of humor. Managers are not the most common of people. The higher up people are in management, the worse it gets. Put yourself in the mind of a manager for a moment. The picture that should come to mind is Scrooge counting stacks of money not caring about the world. If he sees a video like this, he is going to think "Now my customers are going to think twice about coming to my store for fear my staff is thinking bad of them, the store will lose money, and I will not be able to take that extra vacation or buy that new car I've been working for!"Chris' Side
Personally, I've never had a problem with Starbucks employees. They have always been nice and professional. However, I've also worked in the food industry before, and it is stressful dealing with the various personalities of customers in your face, coworkers, and maybe at times an angry manager. Whether he did it spur of the moment or it was premeditated, Chris just wanted to let off frustration. There are worse things he could have done.Hindsight is 20/20
Anything uploaded to the internet can be shared. It is best not to upload anything that could haunt you online such as incriminating photos or videos. However, sometimes people just have to let go. And yes, the United States of America has a freedom of speech law that people like to tamper with sometimes. So let's compromise. In the case of work, people would likely not tell off a manager or customer. So don't do it online. Things can still be uploaded but the creator must edit the security settings so the content can only be viewed by certain people. If content is more private, there i a less of a chance for it to go viral and end up on the 11 o'clock news. And creators are less likely to lose their job.But, yes, there is always a but. Even if a creator edits the security settings, the website is the one in charge of the security. What if the website breaks if a new snippet of code is put out? Suddenly the content may go public for people to see. So there is always a risk unless people just do not do crazy things. Perhaps it is better just to share possible questionable content with a few people who will not snitch. Aside from not doing this content at all, this might be the better-at least until someone once perceived as not a snitch thinks you have the ost awesome idea ever and decides to upload it himself or forward it to his buddies.
Why not just grab a few beers after work and let off steam like people did before they had Youtube? Geeesh!
Monday, September 12, 2011
if Facebook and Twitter had been around on 9/11
As I lay my head down to sleep, it is almost 9/12, the day after the tenth anniversary of 9/11. A random thought popped into my mind about how powerful Facebook and Twitter are when it comes to any disaster. What if they had been around on 9/11/2001?
Like many, I was headed to work when the first tower fell. I got to work just in time to see the second tower fall. Since that moment, the world was glued to the internet to find the latest news. Back then, people had to go to each website and constantly hit the refresh button. If one was lucky, they had someone on Yahoo Messenger from that area who could possibly provide an eyewitness account of what was happening live.
Now, when a big event happens, it has been proven time and time again that people turn to social media in order to get live updates. One of the first of this kind was the Virginia Tech shooting a few years ago. People could update their Facebook statuses and let families and friends know that they were ok. During the military base shooting spree in Texas a couple of years ago, people on base could give firsthand accounts of what was taking place or where the shooter was. During the deadly earthquake in Haiti, there was hash tags dedicated to people trying to see if anyone in the "Twitterverse" knew their whereabouts and if they were ok.
This is totally hindsight looking back with 20/20 vision here. But social networking during another (God forbid) attack would be a good tool. Information is refreshed automatically and it is more centralized, meaning one doesn't have to open multiple browsers in order to get information. People will update their Facebook statuses or tweet information as it is happening. On a more serious note, people are connected so people can ask within their online network if someone was ok.
The only drawback to all of this is that social media runs on the internet. It is only powerful if cell phone service or Wi-Fi networks do not go down. On 9/11, for example, the entire internet was slow and the cell phone networks were hard to get through due to higher than average usage. Yes, social media is very powerful and will be used over again for every big event. But we need to make sure that the technology behind social media can withstand the effects that social media has made on our society.
Like many, I was headed to work when the first tower fell. I got to work just in time to see the second tower fall. Since that moment, the world was glued to the internet to find the latest news. Back then, people had to go to each website and constantly hit the refresh button. If one was lucky, they had someone on Yahoo Messenger from that area who could possibly provide an eyewitness account of what was happening live.
Now, when a big event happens, it has been proven time and time again that people turn to social media in order to get live updates. One of the first of this kind was the Virginia Tech shooting a few years ago. People could update their Facebook statuses and let families and friends know that they were ok. During the military base shooting spree in Texas a couple of years ago, people on base could give firsthand accounts of what was taking place or where the shooter was. During the deadly earthquake in Haiti, there was hash tags dedicated to people trying to see if anyone in the "Twitterverse" knew their whereabouts and if they were ok.
This is totally hindsight looking back with 20/20 vision here. But social networking during another (God forbid) attack would be a good tool. Information is refreshed automatically and it is more centralized, meaning one doesn't have to open multiple browsers in order to get information. People will update their Facebook statuses or tweet information as it is happening. On a more serious note, people are connected so people can ask within their online network if someone was ok.
The only drawback to all of this is that social media runs on the internet. It is only powerful if cell phone service or Wi-Fi networks do not go down. On 9/11, for example, the entire internet was slow and the cell phone networks were hard to get through due to higher than average usage. Yes, social media is very powerful and will be used over again for every big event. But we need to make sure that the technology behind social media can withstand the effects that social media has made on our society.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
NBC's Twitter being hacked is a reminder to verify info
Hackers are as diverse as the reasons and motives for why they hack in the first place. The consequences vary, but the one thing that they have in common is some form of destruction.
Today's hack of NBC's Twitter account brings about another consequence-confusion and fear. The United States has been on high alert since 9/11. This year's tenth anniversary is certainly no exception, especially with a new terror threat over the American people's heads. So today, when people read that planes hit Ground Zero, it looked legit. After all, it came from a mainstream news source. People are conditioned to believe anything from news because for years, they got it from TV or radio.
More people get their news online than ever before. While many just type in the usual urls of CNN or Fox news, many are getting their news source from Facebook or Twitter. Usually it is not a problem to not see the news anchor as news is read online like seeing it on TV. People assume it is someone from the news source if they see an update on Twitter or Facebook. In this case, it was not a legit source as the account was hacked in order to spread fear into millions of mourning people.
While the appropriate authorities go after hackers, cyber criminals, and to a growing extent, cyber terrorists, let's remember to use our own vigilance online. To the average person, this is called common sense (for those who still have it, that is).
Taking the false reports of a terrorist attack, for example, things like this can always be verified. There were other news sources besides NBC, so a smarter move would be to look on another news source. The greatest news with social media such as Twitter is that people can be contacted whether they are acquaintances in real life or not. So just ask! The worst thing to do is spread the information since rumors on Facebook and, to a greater extent, Twitter move at the speed of light!
Keep these tips in mind always when something alarming is read online. Til then, let's remember all the victims, firefighters, rescuers, and the people who fought the terrorists on Flight 93. Let's remember all the people who are hurting everyday. Let's not pay any mind to someone who would spread such atrocious rumors on this day especially.
Today's hack of NBC's Twitter account brings about another consequence-confusion and fear. The United States has been on high alert since 9/11. This year's tenth anniversary is certainly no exception, especially with a new terror threat over the American people's heads. So today, when people read that planes hit Ground Zero, it looked legit. After all, it came from a mainstream news source. People are conditioned to believe anything from news because for years, they got it from TV or radio.
More people get their news online than ever before. While many just type in the usual urls of CNN or Fox news, many are getting their news source from Facebook or Twitter. Usually it is not a problem to not see the news anchor as news is read online like seeing it on TV. People assume it is someone from the news source if they see an update on Twitter or Facebook. In this case, it was not a legit source as the account was hacked in order to spread fear into millions of mourning people.
While the appropriate authorities go after hackers, cyber criminals, and to a growing extent, cyber terrorists, let's remember to use our own vigilance online. To the average person, this is called common sense (for those who still have it, that is).
Taking the false reports of a terrorist attack, for example, things like this can always be verified. There were other news sources besides NBC, so a smarter move would be to look on another news source. The greatest news with social media such as Twitter is that people can be contacted whether they are acquaintances in real life or not. So just ask! The worst thing to do is spread the information since rumors on Facebook and, to a greater extent, Twitter move at the speed of light!
Keep these tips in mind always when something alarming is read online. Til then, let's remember all the victims, firefighters, rescuers, and the people who fought the terrorists on Flight 93. Let's remember all the people who are hurting everyday. Let's not pay any mind to someone who would spread such atrocious rumors on this day especially.
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