What the Tweet: The Language of Social Media

by W Hudson

You probably read that the New Oxford American Dictionary recently crowned unfriend as the Word of the Year for 2009. This was more evidence that social media has become a permanent fixture in our culture. As Christine Lindberg, Senior Lexographer at Oxford U.S. said about unfriend as the pick for 2009, "It has currency and potential for longevity." Yes, I can see that, but even more evidence was the ensuing debate on whether the word should have been unfriend or defriend. The debate continues, but personally, I don't care if you use unfriend or defriend; we get the idea.

A Whole New Tworld

This discussion of new social media language entering dictionaries got me thinking about the sometimes goofy vernacular that accompanies some of our most popular social networking sites. I'm talking specifically about Twitter. Forgive me if I mess up the twetiquette, but I have to say that a lot of the Twitterspeak has me rolling my eyes to the point of getting a headache.

I understand the need for words to express new technology. I'm fine with tweet, retweet, and hashtag (which, by the way, was a runner-up for Word of the Year). I'm even getting used to the term follow after receiving a DM that said, "thanks for the follow." The follow? It was just a little too WWJT for me, but I appreciated the good manners of the sender.

The Latest Twend

It's really the twords that are getting to me. I can't think of a more unfortunate pair of consonants that tw to start a word. It doesn't sound cool, it certainly doesn't sound cute; it just sounds like Elmer Fudd.

I mean, tweeple, tweeps, twitterhea, twitterati, tweetup, twibe, twaigslist, twaddict, twitwit? The list goes on and on. I'll forgive Twestival and Tweetsgiving since they support good causes, but most of the others are simply twannoying. There's even a site, Twittonary.com, devoted to the language of Twitter. Check out the long list of words under T. Anyone can submit words on this site, and anyone can give each entry a thumbs up or a thumbs down. many of these words haven't really made it into the lexicon just yet, but they're trying, with new additions every day.

I know the likelihood of ending this twingo is nil, so I guess if you can't beat 'em, join 'em (sorry for being so twite). Maybe I'll try to snag @elmerfudd3 -- right after I finish twowing up.

Social Media: The New Golf Course

Mother knows best.

By The CakeMansWife
The Cakemanswife is a busy mom, and a full time student

Recently one of my fellow bloggers Tracy blogged about when is too young for social media. In Tracy's blog, she writes about a recent article that was on CNN. The article states that scientist worry about adolescents who use the site because it can lead to internet addiction among adults, and it could be damaging to children's relationships and brains. According to a recent article on Mashable , it stated that a recent study showed that this was simply not true. All this made me think of my own children, and how much social media, I allow them to use.

One size does not fit all

I have three children. They are age 6, 9 &15. Each one of them is allowed to use the computer. My 6 year old knows more about a computer than I do. My two younger children are only allowed to be on a computer when my husband or I are home. We then monitor what sites they visit. They are only allowed to go on sites that we have approved. These sites are generally ones that do not have you sign in, good ones are Disney and Starfall.

My teenage daughter is a different story. We allow her to be on Facebook, and MySpace. We gave her guidelines and rules before she was allowed to sign up. First, we spoke about the dangers. I talked with my daughter not only about the online predators, but also about cyberbullying. We explained that people hurt people. This is a sad fact of life. Second, we explained that yes, we trusted our daughter, but because we did not trust others who were out there that at any time we, could visit her sites and check her pages.

Isolation, Relationship and Brains Oh My

Has my daughter been isolated after signing up for these social media sites? No, in fact just the opposite. She talks to relatives we barley see, she has more friends and she seems more social. My daughter is generally on the shy side. She has formed relationships, toned up on her research skills that have made her a better student. I am not saying that all the credit is due to social media, but what I am saying is that if you trust your children, and talk to them about the dangers social media can be a good tool.

"I Just Made Love" Transforms Into "I Just Volunteered"

By Tracy Platt

Back in October, Mashable posted a couple articles about two new social media websites: I Just Made Love, and My Sky Status. People log on to I Just Made Love in order to document on a world map their sexual escapades. My Sky Status offers a plane tracking service. So if you enter your flight number on the site, your flight’s status will be automatically updated on your Facebook or Twitter account every hour. While these sites have very different purposes, they both have a common novelty effect: tracking where people are.

I think many of us are attracted to sites like these because they make us feel like we are connected to one another, strangers and friends alike, in a world where we are becoming more and more disconnected from each other. So, wouldn't it be a great idea if this concept of creating sites that map and track people were used to promote the greater good? How about the creation of a website that allows people to map where they have volunteered in the world, what the volunteer position entailed, and where they hope or plan to volunteer?

This could fuel ideas for people looking to get more involved, and help encourage a culture of volunteerism! My social media classmate, Shanadi, suggested that a website could use GPS or some other technology to track and post on a map people's charitable contributions to specific causes (such as famine, education) across the globe. I am sure these ideas are just the tip of the iceberg, and that there are many other scenarios for which mapping/tracking social media sites could be used to promote positive social change!

Google Wave "A Change is Gonna Come"

In May of 2009 Google announced Google Wave a new "Personal communication and collaborative tool." This tool will replace email as we know it. Email has been around for about 40yrs and no significant change has happened during that time, Email was text based when it was first introduced, but today you can email any number of multimedia files. Other than that, email looks the same today as it did in the early 70's.

What is a wave? A wave is a conversation and a document at the same time. A conversation can take the form of an email or threaded conversations if participants are not online at the same time. An email originally was a way of exchanging messages, transmitted from one users device to another. A threaded message is different in that both sides of the conversation appear on your screen in chronological order. With Google Wave if participants are online at the same time, the conversation can take the form of text messaging, but what Wave offers that is revolutionary is the ability for participants to see each letter being typed in real time unlike the current way of texting. Some have expressed concern about that feature because it allows others to see just how bad one is at typing, however that feature allows for more of a real life interaction.

I’m terrible at typing, but I’m looking at the possibilities, imagine if you will what will happen when Google Wave releases an app for smart phones, there will be no need for the unlimited text package as it will be part of Google Browser package. Google Wave also takes it further with some added features like real time translation, at this point only available in 40 different languages. You are also able to share pictures, links and videos.

Wave will also be open source allowing anyone who wants to be a developer to create apps.

Is Growing Up with Social Media a Problem?

By Tracy Platt

On November 2nd, CNN posted an article on its website entitled "Social networks and kids: How young is too young?" While no under 13 is "allowed" to sign up for a Facebook or MySpace profile, these sites do not verify ages. CNN cited a study that found that 38% of kids ages 12 to 14 have a profile on at least one social networking site.

Could using Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and various other social media sites impact the brain development and interpersonal skills of young kids? Before reading this article, I never thought about the possible repercussions of becoming a social media consumer at such a young age. But I think it is definitely possible. I have noticed firsthand the impairment of interpersonal skills of a few young adults who have used Facebook and/or MySpace since their inception back in 03' and 04'. But I do think most people have found ways to integrate social media into their lives, instead of letting it take over their lives!

So here are the big questions:

Should kids under 13 be allowed to use social media sites?

If not, is it possible to put in place real safeguards to keep kids from accessing these sites?

Let me know what you think!

Social Media: Wear your Sunglasses at Night