Val's New Media Blog

I'd have to say the closest thing to a "second life" that I've created is my Bitmoji. But to be honest, I LOVE my Bitmoji! My avatar really does resemble me and it's so easy to bring it to "life" when I use Snapchat or message my friends. There's pretty much a Bitmoji design to match everything I'm feeling. Snapchat recently added a "Snap map" and my Bitmoji shows my friends where I am. This is brings the Bitmoji game to a whole new level.

I read Brooks Barnes' article "Disney Tolerates a Rap Parody of Its Critters. But Why?" and learned that corporations like Nickelodeon and Disney see the value in allowing people to create humorous content with their original content. It's crazy to think about how often we see mash ups on social media and don't think anything of it. I remember the first time I saw a mashup of Spongebob on Facebook and I thought it was the funniest thing ever. Someone had voiced over a scene from the show and turned it into a "dirty" skit. There is a clear benefit for Disney/Nickelodeon when someone chooses to use their content for creative mashups. It puts the characters in the minds of viewers and draws attention to the corporations. However, the article does note that Disney is not as lenient with use of their material as Nickelodeon is. Disney "picks their battles."

Virtual worlds have a lot more uses than you'd think. I've always thought virtual worlds were just your typical gaming platforms but after reading more about them, it's clear that they're impacting the business world in a huge way. I read the article "Going to the Virtual Office in Second Life"by Mark Tutton. I would have never expected to find out that large corporations like IBM were testing our virtual meetings in leu of face-to-face meetings. The craziest part is that software allows them to create avatars that simulate employees. This technology cuts the huge costs of travel. That sounds pretty good, right? But of course, there's a downside to having a virtual world. Tutton mentions that employees may feel a sense of isolation from the lack of face-to-face communication. There are also no "water cooler" conversations that encourage the flow of new ideas. Human interaction is an important aspect of a healthy business, so I don't think we

I enjoy using twitter opposed to blackboard for class discussions. I don't typically use my personal twitter account, but after using my class account to hold a discussion, I think it would be a great tool for all classes to use. I think the technology behind blackboard is outdated. It's easy to jump right into a conversation by looking up the class hashtag. It's also convenient because the twitter phone app works great, whereas blackboard isn't exactly mobile friendly.

I love social media. In fact, my job is to manage social media for a home improvement store. I'm on several platforms all day long...half of the time it's for work and the other half is for my own profiles. My impressions change from time to time - I used to think Facebook was annoying and I couldn't stand status' from people I haven't seen in years but in the last year or so I have rekindled my relationship with Facebook. I find that a lot of the information on my newsfeed is relevant to my life and what I find interesting. My least favorite platform to use is twitter. I find that there's just not enough time in the day, and, I just really don't care about what people say... but that's not meant to be rude. I'd just rather use my time elsewhere.  My favorite social platforms are Instagram and Snapchat. I think this is because I love art and photography and anything that involves being creative. I like how Instagram allows me to express myself

       Social media has become monumental for business the last 10 or so years. Platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook are beneficial to businesses for two very important things; marketing and hiring. Social media has a clear benefit to businesses/employers but there is an even bigger benefit to society. Everyone has access to a computer one way or another, allowing everyone to create their own social profiles. It is important to make sure that social profiles are accurate and represent you and your best work. In the article "Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting" by Frank Langfitt, he discusses how LinkedIn has taken the place of the rolodex. He quotes Shally Steckerl, a recruiter for Microsoft, in saying that instead of calling on of the thousands of contacts she had, she can login to LinkedIn and see potential employees by searching through her contact's connections.         When it comes to marketing, Facebook is a huge tool for businesses. In the article

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