A (fake) guest blogger
This Tuesday is like all Tuesdays. I write a blog article about science or technology-related policy — either government, corporate, or both.
This Tuesday is different from other Tuesdays. I am in Bulgaria with extremely restricted access to the Internet.
It is an unfortunate truth that these articles take more time to write. I need to find the particular topic, research and find references. Then I need to form an opinion (forming it prior to informing it is not something I’m in to) and develop arguments supporting it that I am happy with. Finally, I must find or produce some images to include with it, and go through the lengthy editing process during which (if I find a logical error, particularly) I may need to rewrite a large portion of the whole thing.
You see how this is impossible. Luckily, there’s the folks at Mashable. They recently wrote a list of social media blunders, and what can be learned from them. Thank you Mashable. I will comment on what you wrote, rather than generating my own content. You folks really know how to help a guy with hotel Internet troubles.
1. Facebook’s News Feed
It’s hard to argue with Mashable’s take here — prepare users for major changes, and be “proactive in responding to criticism”. I put that second part in quotations, because a response is necessarily reactive, and cannot be proactive. But their point is good — be so reactive that people consider it to be proactive.
Funny thing, though, Mashable misses the big problem here. There are two big concerns from users in social media: The first is privacy — they want to be sure that they can limit their stalkers in some way, if they have some. The second is ownership: They want to retain the right of pulling content off the site, if it becomes valuable (or dangerous) to them, somehow.
Social media providers should be asking themselves two questions every time they make a change:
1. How will people being stalked by an ex feel about it?
2. How will people who suddenly realise they are looking for a job and want to remove the connection between their name and the photographs of them drunk, in drag and licking farm animals from the Internet feel about it.
If Facebook asked these questions, they would have no problems. Sadly enough, these are the primary concerns their users have.
2. Sony’s DRM creates security holes in users’ computers.
I have to assume that this should be #1, and they only put Facebook there to separate the two Facebook entries. Putting security holes in computers is most likely illegal in most countries. Sony broke the law.
Don’t break the law, kids. It’s bad policy. You get caught.
3. Motrin Moms
I’ll have to trust Mashable on this one. I never heard of it until now.
4. Astrospace Twitter Account
Another one I never heard of. This is, apparently, about a single Twitter user (aka Tweeter). I’m not sure if this makes it the best one (something all of us could potentially learn from) or the worst (does it really belong with the Facebook entries, or Sony’s multi-million dollar losses?). But hey — it’s there.
5. Facebook redux: Changing the TOS
I’ve already spoken about this, and there is more to come tomorrow, so I won’t go on about this anymore.
Plus, I already talked about Facebook in #1. I’m good that way.
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Hello!
Very Interesting post! Thank you for such interesting resource!
PS: Sorry for my bad english, I’v just started to learn this language
See you!
Your, Raiul Baztepo