SoCon 10

Text messages raise a record $5 million for Haiti earthquake victims

admin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 23:48:38 +0000

Disaster fundraising has hit a new high using mobile texting and social media. In just 24 hours, the Red Cross has raised more than $5 million for Haiti quake relief efforts, solely through text messages going viral on Twitter and Facebook. The Red Cross calls it a new record for mobile giving. People are donating $10 at a time by texting HAITI to 90999 on their cell phones. ABC News reports the White House is promoting the program through government websites, Facebook and Twitter. CNN says “Help Haiti” tops the Twitter list, as many celebrities are using their Twitter feeds to ask for donations.

Facebook fix means less hassle

admin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:56:37 +0000

Next time you get an e-mail from Facebook after someone leaves a comment on your Wall, just reply and hit send. Facebook went live Wednesday with “reply by e-mail.” Instead of spending more time logging in and searching for the new comment, photo or update, you can now respond directly by e-mail and the post will automatically show up on Facebook. Mashable predicts this move will make users happy and keep them around longer.

Twitter tied to murder

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 03:16:16 +0000

Taunting Tweets between friends turned into 140 characters of rage. Now one young man is dead and another is charged with murder. Reporters in New York are watching this case closely, because it’s apparently the first time Twitter has been linked to a murder. The NY Daily News reports the D.A. will subpoena Twitter records to look for threats leading up to the crime.

Facebook fellowships

admin — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:00:59 +0000

College students have a friend at Facebook. The big social networking company has a new fellowship program. Five doctoral students will get tuition and fees, along with a $30,000 stipend. In exchange, they will help Facebook developers solve technology problems. To qualify, you must be a Ph.D. candidate, studying fields like internet economics, cloud computing and data mining. Apply at Facebook Careers.

Tweetdeck transforms newsroom

admin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 04:25:49 +0000

A 24-hour news operation in Great Britain is installing Tweetdeck on staff computers this month. Sky News, a TV network owned by News Corp, will focus on Twitter. According to Mashable.com, it’s an organization-wide rollout that signals a transformation in conventional newsgathering. A Sky News executive tells Journalism.co.uk that social media will be embedded throughout the whole news team. Everyone will use tools like Twitter to keep up with the flow of news.

Media Lab ready for Video Boot Camp at SoCon10

admin — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:10:14 +0000

We all have some sort of digital technology that we utilize on a daily basis. It could be the camera on your cell, an audio recorder used in meetings, or the video feature on your digital camera. Believe it or not, these are untapped resources in the PR, marketing, or journalistic world!

I’ll be giving you the basics of using this digital technology to enhance your current (or future) career, and you will be learning in a prosumer and professional grade environment.

Whether it’s High Definition, video editing, or sound basics, you will leave our Video Boot Camp feeling confident in discussing these important concepts and using the basics in your daily work life.

Our Boot Camp will meet in a state-of-the-art Digital Media Lab located at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia. All equipment is current and provided for the three-day camp. Don’t forget to register for this special opportunity.

Please join us!

Dr. Jake McNeill

Twitter: Police scanner for the digital world

admin — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:18:44 +0000

Tweets from our neighbors at the Woodstock, Georgia Police Department:

Slow Down and Drive Safe. The Super Speeder law goes into effect Jan 1, 2010. http://bit.ly/7iNzFq about 15 hours ago from web

12-27: Ofc. Whitley arrested a male on Creekwood Dr for DUI 11:40 AM Dec 27th from web

Every day a new police department or fire department is creating a Twitter account to post arrests, road closings, suspect descriptions, amber alerts and more. This week, the D.A. in Houston Texas is Tweeting every drunk-driving bust.

Public safety officials from Florida, to Iowa and Oklahoma have figured out that social networking can help them get information out faster than traditional media. They’re sending out Tweets right from their Blackberrys in the field.

Twitter makes $25 million

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:46:15 +0000

Twitter is making money. A lot of money. The microblogging site agreed to make tweets searchable by Google and Microsoft in separate partnership deals forged in October. But now Bloomberg Business Week reveals the number: Google will pay $15 million. Microsoft, $10 million.

Mapping social networks

admin — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:27:03 +0000

Want to know who’s talking and where? Check out the maps of online communities, web trends and social networks gathered at Huffingtonpost.com. They vividly show where Facebook dominates. The U.S. has 220 million internet users, while China has 253 million. Tuesday and Wednesday are the busiest on Twitter. Here’s a sample.

Source: NewScientist

Social media ends Dell Hell

admin — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:22:52 +0000

Not too long ago Dell, the big maker of personal computers, was getting a barrage of angry complaints about customer service. Influential blogger Jeff Jarvis was writing about Dell Hell, and other social media experts around the world joined the fray.

Dell executives started listening. More than 100 employees are now actively tweeting to 1.5 million followers, according to Bloomberg.com. And the company claims direct customer interactions on Twitter have generated $6.5 million in sales. Thebigmoney.com tells the story of how Dell dug itself out of the quagmire and rebuilt relationships using social media. It’s a good read.