Government Social Media Shutdown

                It’s not one of the consequences of the shutdown we may have initially thought about, but with agencies closing their doors, the employees who were running the Twitter and Facebook accounts for the federal agencies are furloughed as well. While the focus for most of us this week has been on which government web sites are still operating and which are shut down the phenomena actually presents a chance to take stock on how effectively our government is handling its internet and social media presence, and by extension, what businesses in the private sector can be learning from this experience as well.The government is doing itself a disservice by cutting off social media. Digital trends expert Gabriel Shaoolian said, “Besides the negative impact on SEO, the government is discrediting their own authority and making other sites more of an authority because people looking for information will go elsewhere.”

In a time of crisis, an organization should communicate more.  

“Like any successful business, the government needs to have a top notch crisis strategy in place,” Shaoolian continued. “The worst thing to do when your customers (or in this case the American people) are upset and nervous is to cut off communications. It’s the same as telling people you don’t care.”Americans are concerned about the government shut-down in personal ways, Shaoolian noted. They want to know what it will impact. Will their passport arrive on time for a trip? Will their government business loan be frozen? Will their son or daughter still have access to a government loan for college? People are accustomed to finding these answers online. 

What can businesses learn about PR and communication from the current government crisis? Here are the points Shaoolian offers and that I stand by:

1. Never shut down communications during crisis. It tells your employees and staff you don’t care. It also threatens the future rankings of your digital properties as well (the SEO and online reputational damage could carry forward for many months, or even for years.)

2. Never underestimate the power of the underground communications network – especially in this day and age. If you are not in control of your communications someone else will take over (namely, the unsatisfied customers or employees who take tohe internet and create negative impressions  or gossip about you in a variety of ways).

3. Your website and your social media channels are very powerful tools. You should never underestimate their power, and should use them both to your advantage. 

To the U.S. Government, on the PR front, the organization is being widely regarded as a laughing stock for its handling of the current shutdown.  Can the country’s reputation ever recover from this? Time will tell.

Laila Entenman

#cgs2069

http://www.digitaltrends.com/photogalleries/social-media-shutdown-say-goodbye-to-these-stellar-government-accounts/?redirect_override=true#/1

http://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2013/10/05/twitter-blackout-during-government-shutdown-pr-fail/

Technology’s Influence in the Classroom

Technology has influenced our life greatly , one of the greatest things it has done is changed the interface of school for both the students and the teachers. For the student, it has increases productivity for the school through computer labs which makes studying more exciting for students. For teachers it has grading easier through producing fewer errors and also allows the teacher to have more creative assignments fort the students.

With the increase of technology in the student interface on a daily basis it has made it easier for students to write essays without the worry of their handwriting, and with spell check it made it easier to reduce grammatical errors. Opening computer labs in schools has made it more fun for the students. Instead of staring at pencil and paper they can now look at a monitor. With the addition of the benefits of a computer lab students are able to research using the internet instead of checking out several books to read where they may not find as much information as they could find on the internet.

For the younger students there are games that help them develop their math, writing and reading skills while having fun. The kids will carry those traits into adulthood by being able to type on a keyboard, move a mouse smoothly and interact with the interface of technology.

With the emergence of college websites like Lighthouse, and Blackboard students are easily able to navigate and manage their courses and school resources on their own. From managing financial aid to buying books and registering for courses technology has made the entire school process more efficient. Easily updateable notifications allows teachers to keep students up to date on sudden cancelations or changes to a class schedule or homework assignments which helps keep students on track with an already busy schedule. Students now a day can also take classes online instead of going to class which makes it easier for a student to continue going to school even if his work schedule won’t permit them to.

Technology in the schools has made it teacher to interact with the students. Teachers can create fun activities online as well as research activities of other teachers and share their resources. It’ll be easier for teacher to recognize plagiarism with the technology. They can also keep in contact with the students through email. This is faster and more reliable than regular mail. Teachers can cut back errors on grades automated grading systems provided schools. For example with Excel, the teacher would just be able to set up an equation and when you type in the grades it will do the math for you. How about that? It’s one equation for the whole class instead of calculating individually which cuts down on time. With the emergence of technology teachers have moved away from the standard lecture and chalkboard and incorporated the use of projectors. Not the old school protectors with the single lamps and see through sheets. With high tech projectors in the classroom teachers are able to utilize programs like PowerPoint to do lectures, show videos and make their overall presentation more exciting for students.

                                                                                                                                Eric Lam

Force Feeding Advertising

     So for a while now I have been noticing these ads on YouTube that I am being forced to watch before being “allowed” to view my video I want to watch.  I do not get it! Personally to me it is annoying and pointless.  There has been a total of ZERO times I have been interested in or further researched whatever the ad was talking about. So why exactly am I being forced to watch these ads?

     Some ads are not that bad, they allow you to click skip within about 5 seconds and continue on to your video.  However, some ads are forced upon you to watch for 30 seconds!  I understand that YouTube is being paid to do this buy these companies, but do people really ever interact any further based on those ads? I would think not.  At least not with me, personally I find it leading me away from these companies and products due to the level of annoyance I find them to be.  It’s like force feeding me your products….No Thanks!  If more people would take a stand against this type of advertising by speaking out and letting companies know that this type of force able advertising does not work well, then it might stop. 

     I have started seeing the same type of ads on facebook, “suggested sites”.  Another one of those things that companies pay a site for, It goes even further because facebook links them to your specific interests.  How convenient that is.  Another form of useless advertising if you were to ask me, I have never clicked on one of those sites facebook suggests for me.  So if they do not work, why do companies continue to spend money on them? Maybe I am the anomaly here, does anyone else frown upon this type of advertising? Are there any people who are in favor of this type of advertising and actual interact with it and continue forward with that company? I would like to know! Comment away and let me know!!

 J.D.

 Jonathon Muszynski

CGS 2069

MOTORCYCLE SAFETY AWARENESS

I am always an advocate for motorcycle safety, not motorcyclists that indulge in unsafe dangerous practices as the so called "Hollywood Stuntz" group has done as reported on September 30th 2013 after they allegedly attacked a motoriust while his wife and 2 year old watched in horror. I also take issue to the news reporting that they were "Bikers" and a "Bike Gang" neither statements are true in the least. This bunch of idiots may be on two wheels but they are in no way "Bikers" like myself and myriad others I know personally that are always respectful, courteous, genuinely lend ahand when needed expecting nothing in return and being one of the largest segments of our society that are educated, professionals, and most are either active duty or veterans of U.S. military service. We "Bikers" also are responsible for raising and donating money for many charities through out the land.

The few always spoil it for the many and shows like the "Sons of Anarchy" do nothing but inflame the public at large who do not know anything about the motorcycling world. Shows such as the aforementioned only serve to promulgate the public distrust and misunderstanding about the many many fine upstanding citizens that do ride motorcycles safely.

The Tracey Connor of NBC News article on the incident.

http://nbcnews.to/15GmjeL

 



Appaling behavior by any standard you wish to measure with.

Cary W. Deeter Sr.

XBOX One VS. PS4 The new age of console wars

                The next generation of console wars is about to begin.  When dual juggernauts of the industry both release new consoles in November, it’s sure to spark a big debate.  The Sony PS4 is releasing on November 15^th and the Xbox One a week later on November 22^nd.  So which console is better?

 Well that’s debatable.  For me it’s the Xbox One, first and foremost for me is the controller.  I know this is the biggest issue for either side of this war.  Sony fans hate the Xbox controller.  Xbox fans hate the Sony controller. So chalk that one up to personal preference on which design you personally like better. There has also been a long term debate for online experience.  Sony has always had an advantage because they do not charge for their online service……well until the PS4 comes out that is.  As Sony has announced they will now charge for the online service.  What about hardware?  Well honestly in this day and age the competition is even both consoles are very capable systems that can deliver the next generation of gaming.  So much so that both systems even use the same company (AMD) for their graphics processors, so in this war what really is the factor that stands out?

  PRICE! The PS4 is releasing with a price tag of $399 while for some reason the Xbox One is releasing with a price tag of $499.  A bold move by a company with such a comparable competitor launching a week earlier and at $100 cheaper, so bold that this lifetime Xbox fan and extremely anti Playstation gamer is seriously considering purchasing a PS4 rather than a Xbox one. I have yet to fully decide on my purchase yet, I waiting to get better knowledge on launch titles before my decision is made. However, at this point I’m leaning to PS4 based on price, let’s face it, aside from controller these systems are pretty much the same so why am I paying an extra $100 to buy the Xbox one? Please Microsoft someone tell me why I should do that! I really do not want to have to adapt to the PS4 controller!

J.D.  ( Jonathon Muszynski )

DIG 2000

http://www.heavy.com/games/2013/06/xbox-one-design-vs-ps4-design-five-fast-facts-you-need-to-know/

http://blogs.kqed.org/election2012/2012/11/05/state-watchdog-agency-accuses-arizona-group-of-money-laundering/

What I Want to See in Kingdom Hearts 3

It was announced at the E3 game convention the KH3 is now in the works, however in recent times it has been speculated that it will be some time before the game is officially released. Until then let’s speculate and dream about what this long awaited game holds.

Story

Ever since KH2 Square Enix has been pushing a number of spinoff games, Birth by Sleep, Dream Drop Distance(3D), and so on. I believe were meant to deepen the story and lead up to the long awaited third game. To that end I want this game to give the closer that Fans like myself have been waiting nearly ten years for.  Who are the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness that Master Xehanort has gathered to wage a new Keyblade War? Who are the Seven Lights that will face them?

Gameplay

When I was playing KH2 the one thing that bugged me was that all the high level bosses kept using powerful super moves and the closest thing I hand to that was the combo attacks with the partners form each world I visited. In the spinoffs super moves were added and in some cases the player could unlock new ones. One form of these super moves I want to see return is Keyblade-Morphing. First used by the Lingering Will in KH Final Mix, he was able to transform his Keyblade into various forms that could deal massive damage, like a giant cannon, a hearken-like weapon, and even a vehicle that can travel to other worlds. This skill added with the idea that each Keyblade gathered along the way will have different morphing ablities attached to them would make the Keyblades far more useful than simple statistics and one small ability.

Worlds

            Returning

Aladdin and the King of Thieves

Agrabah has been a spot on Sora’s journey from the beginning and I see no reason not why Sora and friends should not be invited Aladdin’s wedding.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

This movie is one of my top favorites and would love go back there in KH3.

            New

Marvel

Like you didn’t see this one coming. Marvel would be awesome, and I like the idea DAVE37 posted on DeviantArt http://dave37.deviantart.com/art/Kingdom-Hearts-3-Marvel-idea-197507307 .

Star Wars

Of course I want to see this one. Sora and friend fighting side-by-side with Luke and Han to destroy the Death Star.

Poasted By James T Parsons

READY, SET, TWEET!, 5 Basics of Twitter

READY, SET, TWEET!

 

5 Basics of Twitter

Social media is certainly her to stay, and including Twitter into your daily dose can be fun, informative and profitable. The keys to success are knowledge and participation and the basics of getting started are really quite simple.

Log into www.twitter.com

● First you will have to set up an account and choose a Twitter name (limited to 15 characters). This is much like your user id in many online applications. This can include your actual name or variations of it, a business name, or be anonymous. 

● Insert a picture of you (called an avatar) and spend the time to write a brief bio, this lets others know a little bit about yourself. Unless you are a business, an actual picture that is identifiable is most appropriate and helpful.

● Choose who to follow. This may sound simple, but many people in the Twitterverse tweet way too much! I have personally quit following people who tweet and re-tweet so much that others I’m following are lost in the list. Friends on Facebook, family and professional people or businesses are a good place to start. On your home page and under “Who to Follow” there will always be suggestions but you have the option to search and follow only those you choose.

● Hashtags (#) You will see many tweets with this symbol, and a word attached with no spaces. The purpose of the hashtag is to make finding the same relevant information easy by identifying it using a keyword. Examples of hashtag keywords include events, news, brands, teams and a million more. Try searching for your favorite sports team using the hashtag name entry. (#miamidolphinfootball).

● Tweet! First, your message must only contain 140 characters so keep it simple. Second, grammar and punctuation are out the window in tweeting. Abbreviate and shorten your words without making your message totally alien. From your home page click in the area identified with “compose new tweet”, write your message and click the tweet button. Click on the gear icon, top left on the home page, to send a direct message to someone following you. Using the @theirtwittername at the beginning of your tweet directs it only to them, and visible only to you as a sender and the recipient.

So with the basics in hand your new adventure into the online Twitterverse is awaiting you.

READY, SET, TWEET!

 

Karen Bellman dig2000