Loyal friend and social media enthusiast Randy Johnson utilized Twitter, tapping into national sentiment on a level he never expected – exposure to 18,199,953 people – to be exact. Here he describes the experience:

Why did you choose social media as the outlet for your personal contribution?

“Social media has made professional athletes and celebrities more accessible than ever. I chose Twitter because it seems to be the preferred social media outlet for athletes/celebrities to interact with each other and a great deal of their fans. A retweet or mention by an athlete or celebrity is like the ‘autograph 2.0′, especially if you can get someone to personalize their message.”

How do you feel about the process and outcome?

“I’m absolutely thrilled with the overall support I received for Tony with messages thanking him for his service and welcoming him home. I’ll admit this 7-day project spun out of control rather quickly, to the point where I actually had a hard time keeping up with the tweets and retweets coming in. I never imagined I’d have a list of 88 athletes/celebrities from all over the world by the time all was said and done. I couldn’t be happier with the result and the huge response I received from the “twittiverse”. I can’t wait for Tony to get back and see the overwhelming support that too few soldiers receive.”

Maybe you Tweet, maybe not, but I encourage you to view Randy’s Twitter Tribute in its entirety and challenge you to utilize social media in an unexpected way – what do you have to lose?

-Stephanie C.

If I can admit it, so can you – we’ve all been subject to distracted driving and lucky enough not to get caught, but that’s no longer the case. Yesterday, Governor Cuomo approved legislation raising texting while driving to a primary offense.

That distracted driving poses a serious threat and draws national concern is no surprise, but the GHSA (Governors Highway Safety Association) has arrived at the startling statistic that smartphones are tied to 25% of all car crashes.

So what can we do about it?

First, companies can (and should) create internal use policies, particularly for those commuting daily with their smartphone as their only lifeline.

Secondly, we can use advanced technology to solve the problem. Whether it’s tools like T-Mobile’s DriveSmart or the SAFECELLapp offered for the iPhone and Android that rewards users for safe driving, there’s a better alternative than “it won’t happen to me”.

In 2007, 5 local girls suffered a tragic fatality in consequence of distracted driving; consider how that number has grown exponentially as new technology drives our daily lives and people are not only calling and texting, but sifting through emails, scrolling their news feed, and checking Twitter updates during rush hour traffic.

Isn’t it time you became a real “smart” phone user?

 
Stephanie C.

(Photo courtesy of corbisimages.com)

I certainly contributed to HLN’s sky-high ratings, spending much of the last week recording TV coverage and refreshing my Twitter feed. Networks and news anchors like Vinnie Politan whose tweets blazed with real-time updates have personified “the social media trial of the century” as named by Time Magazine.

With countless tweets, over 150 Facebook pages dedicated to the justice and remembrance of Caylee, over 50 debating Casey’s fate, and many more to the trial’s progression alone, who could doubt the power of social media?

Yes, we have an innate emotional drive to latch onto tragedy of this nature; however tens of thousands of people looked to Web platforms for continuous connection leading up to the verdict and to express the obvious majority’s bitter outrage within minutes of its revelation.

Live-stream video feeds, digital apps, and instant access to the twists and turns made social media tools the go-to for new developments. Kip Wotkyns, Metro State College assistant professor of communications, attests to the commitment 24-hour news stations have to providing compelling content – social media makes that possible.

If Facebook and Twitter can engage millions of people, generating nationwide involvement, isn’t that enough for skeptics to jump on the social bandwagon, if for no other reason than to weigh in on the very issues that shape our society’s future?

-Stephanie C.

Photo compliments of blog.hudsonhorizons.com

“Google doesn’t get social and never will, they should give up.”

Facebook has shut down the “export contacts”  feature in order to deter people from exporting their contacts to Google+. I wrote that I thought this was awful. Facebook has shown us time and again that they don’t care what we think, need or want.

On the other side, Google just set up Google Transfer that allows users to remove their data from Google applications. Two different attitudes about user needs.

If you think that Facebook is ‘too big to fail’, I’d like to remind you of a little company called AOL who also tried to keep everything, in the corral. Hmmm. It’s going to be interesting?

If you’re looking for a good explanation and analysis of Google + – check out Chris Brogan. He’s doing a good job. Right now, Google has shut down any new invitations but it’s only a matter of time before it’s wide open.

Oh yeah, Michael Dell… (the owner of Dell computers) he held a ‘hangout’ with selected people and made it public so people could ‘listen in.’ I missed it but I’m looking forward to hearing more from all kinds of people. Including you…   Posted by Deborah Mourey