Social+Network+Update+4

** New Social Network Combines Twitter, Blogging and Reddit **
By Kelly Wood So here we go again...yet another company is jumping onto the social network bandwagon. The latest site to hit the internet: chime.in, which will have its official launch on Tuesday. Now the creator of this project Bill Gross says he knows that just making another social networking site is not going to get them legions of fans-since the market is so saturated and dominated by sites like Facebook and Twitter. So to combat the fact they they are up against some stiff competition Gross added a few different features to his site. First of all the site is described as a sort of love child between Twitter a blog and Reddit, secondly they are giving users control over their profile, that differs from that seen on Facebook. Users are able to chose the ads that are running on their page, and they can also include their own ads and keep 100% of the revenue, or let the site sell ads for their page and split the revenue 50-50. This type of advertising control is not comparable to any other social networking site as of yet. Another thing they say makes them different is their quick access to content on mobile phones. Unlike the Twitter Ap where you need to click a link and wait for it to load to see the main content, Chime.in says their content loads almost immediately in part to caching and hosting their own content. Only time will tell if this site will take off, or go the way of Friendster. The idea seems almost novel enough, but in such a bogged down market who knows if they can find their footing.

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"Game App Teaches Kids Social Networking Safety."
By Ashley Cingolani

Carnegie University has made a new app that will teach kids how to interact on social networking sites using safety precautions. The application is called, " BeSeen," and is in a partnership with Web Wise Kids that specialize in Internet safety. This application is a one player game that has the child create a profile and they way to "earn points" is to make smart decisions while using the internet. "The game is designed to help kids understand responsible online behavior such as securing their personal information, protecting their privacy and defending their peers against cyberbullying." The director of Trend Micro Internet Safety for Kids & Families, Lynette Owens emphasis that, " Using the Internet is an important life skill. As parents introduce new technology to their kids, this is another tool they can use to help their kids make good choices.” In my opinion, I feel that it this application is a smart, safe, fun, and interactive way to get kids to pay attention to the positive effects of social networking sites/internet, while also understanding the negative consequences of internet/social networking site usage. Using an interactive game will help kids make smart decisions on their own and this game will also be able to teach kids the reasonings behind their bad decisions while using this game. Using games for children understanding seems to be the best way to teach children internet safety.



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44948523/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/#.Tp87Ipz_JXI

=Facebook Initiative Could Lead to Job Posting Service [|Link]= By Drew Inabinet It was announced today that Facebook has partnered with the U.S Department of Labor and three other employment agencies to help solve the unemployment crisis. Recently facebook has created a "Social Jobs" feature on the website, which includes educational material provided by the Department of Labor, National Association of Colleges and Employers, DirectEmployers Association, and the National Association of State Workforce Agencies. Facebook also plans to add a job listings feature where "new job postings can be delivered virally through the Facebook site at no charge.” I'm excited to see what facebook does with its new partnership, I can see myself using a job listing feature on facebook this spring when I start searching for jobs.

Findings Focus on Fa **cebook Friends and Brain Function**
by Taylor Restaino source

An Article, from the social media news website, Mashable.com, talks of a study that found correlations with people's brain density and their friend count on Facebook. Studies show that people with a higher friend count actually have a higher brain density in their amygdala which happens to be the social-functioning part of the brain; another area found to have more grey matter than most was the right entorhinal cortex, associated with memory. The article goes on to question if this is, in fact, a recent development or if it is just a "chicken-and-egg" scenario. But before people start logging onto Facebook and requesting everyone they may or may not know, I give fair warning: friends may come and go, but eventually, so does brain function.

By: Melissa Roldan
 * Social Media uses in Mexico **

While many of us are familiar with the usage of social networks for entertainment and socializing, citizen of Mexico have a different agenda. The current most popular use of social media is, according to the New York Times, survival. More and more people are turning to Twitter to give them information on places to be avoided and the latest incidents of violence and corruption. While many countries are turning to social media to organize efforts of protest, “what Mexico has ended up with is a crowd-sourced universe of morbid, frightening information — which is often not available elsewhere.” People are relying more on others through twitter than they are on the news organizations in Mexico. However, at the same time certain parts of Mexico such as Veracruz have “made it a crime to use Twitter and other social networks to undermine public order.” The important idea here is that the citizens of Mexico are using social media to help others stay safe. [|Article]