Power point technology in class lectures. Sarah's concerns that her topic is not very "newsy." She had a a lot of resources, making an exact direction difficult. One thing she noted was that professors were extremely passionate about power points, and had a lot to say about how they felt about them. Concern is lack of focus.
Important to note: what we have talked about recently in lecture - people are visual pleased first. Such as when reading newspapers - people's eyes are drawn to graphics. I think this could be a good point in noting why power point is beneficial. But, another point to make is that power point isn't newest form of technology, and students expect more out of technology than just power point slides with typing on them.
Alternate Lede: Visual media technology has altered the way professors teach and students learn at the University of Georgia, although neither group agrees whether or not these changes are necessary.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Twitter Establishes Presence in the Hunt for Jobs
Megan Niager
“There are a lot of Twitter naysayers out there. Until you start playing with Twitter, it’s hard to understand the value of it,” said Sloane Kelly, content developer for BFG Communications in Savannah, Ga., who used this social media tool to invite job seekers to post their application for a recent job opening at the company.
Kelly works in the content department at BFG, “a nationally ranked, brand building creative solutions machine,” according to their Web site. Kelly arrived at the company roughly three years ago and while BFG already had blog as a means to get their feet wet, there needed to be more of a social media presence, she said.
BFG has several social media accounts, including Facebook, Flickr and MySpace and while the content department works as a collaborative force to update their social media, Kelly maintains the Twitter account. “Twitter is the world that I like to play in,” she said.
Twitter is a social media networking site that gives users the opportunity to post “tweets” about whatever they wish in 140 characters or less. In the words of the service, “It is what you make of it.”
BFG had previously mentioned job openings via Twitter, but this was the first time they specifically asked for interested parties to apply for a position as Assistant Content Manager without the traditional cover letter and resume, she said.
After posting the opening via Twitter, BFG Communications wrote on their blog, “We decided to do things differently this time around with the application process… The job requires a great deal of social media savvy. So the hope is applicants will not only show us why they’re perfect for the job but also their understanding of Twitter and the social web.”
“It’s been awesome and an interesting way to get to know people,” she said. There was a lot of creativity in the way that people respond, Kelly said.
BFG received highly positive response from an impressive group of people, she said. There have been several applicants who stood out creatively and made good use of the social media space, which is exactly what they’re looking for, Kelly said.
Nicole Galletta, 27, saw the tweet posted by BFG inviting job seekers to apply for their opening via Twitter. Galletta had been recently laid off from Sojo, Inc, a branding and marketing firm in Atlanta, Ga., and used the social networking resources she was already a part of to find a new job.
Galletta replied to the BFG tweet by posting a link to a blog she wrote as a means to sell herself to the company. Her tweet was public, meaning it could be seen by all users on Twitter. “It was pretty bold,” Galletta said. She said she's never put a job out there like that before.
Galletta said she’s definitely benefited from using social media, especially Twitter. Just as in real life, people benefit from the connections they have with people, she said. “With Twitter, you establish a connection and reap the benefits,” Galletta said.
“Twitter is the place to be,” she said. She explained a lot of people are still confused about Twitter, thinking, “it’s like just updating your Facebook status a bunch of times.”
Janet Fouts is an expert in the field of social media. As a "social media enabler", she defines her job as helping people understand what social media is and figure out what their goals are within the social media world. She then helps them implement those goals.
From an article on her Web site entitled “Job Hunting with Social Media”, Fouts pointed out that “everything that is written on Twitter is archived in just a few minutes by the search engines.” Fouts encourages her clients to perform a Google search on themselves and analyze the message and perception they are delivering to the virtual world.
Many people are adopting social media already in job searches, she said. “Pretty soon, you’re not going to be able to ignore it because it’s going to become the norm,” Fouts said. Fouts said to use Twitter to let your loyal followers know that you’re looking for a job, and be specific about what you’re looking for.
Heather Huhman is the founder and President of Come Recommended, which is an online community that connects the best entry level candidates with the best employer, she said. Huhman also tweets and post public relations related job openings on Twitter.
Huhman said she has heard from 100 new hires this year who said they obtained a job through a tweet or link that she posted. "I need people to tell me," she said. She said that there's really no way to track the success rate if she doesn't hear from applicants.
Sloane Kelly of BFG Communications doesn’t know if this form of job application will become a trend for everyone but it has worked for them. "We’re always trying to push the envelope and break the typical mold by thinking outside of the box," she said. "That’s what we’re all about."
Edited by: Kristen Luca
“There are a lot of Twitter naysayers out there. Until you start playing with Twitter, it’s hard to understand the value of it,” said Sloane Kelly, content developer for BFG Communications in Savannah, Ga., who used this social media tool to invite job seekers to post their application for a recent job opening at the company.
Kelly works in the content department at BFG, “a nationally ranked, brand building creative solutions machine,” according to their Web site. Kelly arrived at the company roughly three years ago and while BFG already had blog as a means to get their feet wet, there needed to be more of a social media presence, she said.
BFG has several social media accounts, including Facebook, Flickr and MySpace and while the content department works as a collaborative force to update their social media, Kelly maintains the Twitter account. “Twitter is the world that I like to play in,” she said.
Twitter is a social media networking site that gives users the opportunity to post “tweets” about whatever they wish in 140 characters or less. In the words of the service, “It is what you make of it.”
BFG had previously mentioned job openings via Twitter, but this was the first time they specifically asked for interested parties to apply for a position as Assistant Content Manager without the traditional cover letter and resume, she said.
After posting the opening via Twitter, BFG Communications wrote on their blog, “We decided to do things differently this time around with the application process… The job requires a great deal of social media savvy. So the hope is applicants will not only show us why they’re perfect for the job but also their understanding of Twitter and the social web.”
“It’s been awesome and an interesting way to get to know people,” she said. There was a lot of creativity in the way that people respond, Kelly said.
BFG received highly positive response from an impressive group of people, she said. There have been several applicants who stood out creatively and made good use of the social media space, which is exactly what they’re looking for, Kelly said.
Nicole Galletta, 27, saw the tweet posted by BFG inviting job seekers to apply for their opening via Twitter. Galletta had been recently laid off from Sojo, Inc, a branding and marketing firm in Atlanta, Ga., and used the social networking resources she was already a part of to find a new job.
Galletta replied to the BFG tweet by posting a link to a blog she wrote as a means to sell herself to the company. Her tweet was public, meaning it could be seen by all users on Twitter. “It was pretty bold,” Galletta said. She said she's never put a job out there like that before.
Galletta said she’s definitely benefited from using social media, especially Twitter. Just as in real life, people benefit from the connections they have with people, she said. “With Twitter, you establish a connection and reap the benefits,” Galletta said.
“Twitter is the place to be,” she said. She explained a lot of people are still confused about Twitter, thinking, “it’s like just updating your Facebook status a bunch of times.”
Janet Fouts is an expert in the field of social media. As a "social media enabler", she defines her job as helping people understand what social media is and figure out what their goals are within the social media world. She then helps them implement those goals.
From an article on her Web site entitled “Job Hunting with Social Media”, Fouts pointed out that “everything that is written on Twitter is archived in just a few minutes by the search engines.” Fouts encourages her clients to perform a Google search on themselves and analyze the message and perception they are delivering to the virtual world.
Many people are adopting social media already in job searches, she said. “Pretty soon, you’re not going to be able to ignore it because it’s going to become the norm,” Fouts said. Fouts said to use Twitter to let your loyal followers know that you’re looking for a job, and be specific about what you’re looking for.
Heather Huhman is the founder and President of Come Recommended, which is an online community that connects the best entry level candidates with the best employer, she said. Huhman also tweets and post public relations related job openings on Twitter.
Huhman said she has heard from 100 new hires this year who said they obtained a job through a tweet or link that she posted. "I need people to tell me," she said. She said that there's really no way to track the success rate if she doesn't hear from applicants.
Sloane Kelly of BFG Communications doesn’t know if this form of job application will become a trend for everyone but it has worked for them. "We’re always trying to push the envelope and break the typical mold by thinking outside of the box," she said. "That’s what we’re all about."
Edited by: Kristen Luca
Pharmacy Building Receives New Addition
By Amanda Duval
October 6, 2009
ATHENS, Ga.-- Two years, 93,000 square-feet and $44 million later, the University of Georgia has a brand new pharmacy building, filled with brilliant technology and a lot of excited pharmacy students.
In November of 2007 UGA broke ground to begin building Pharmacy South, located on Green Street in South Campus, which came as a much needed addition to the outdated Robert C. Wilson Pharmacy that has been used since 1964.
Pharmacy South is attached to the R.C. Wilson building by a glass enclosed bridge on the second floor. The Wilson building will still be used for lecture for first-year pharmacy students, but the majority of the classes and labs will be held in Pharmacy South.
"It’s just a wonderful, wonderful addition,” said George Francisco, associate dean of the College of Pharmacy.
“Basically we had three years of students and classes that we had to work into two rooms, and it just made everything crazy. Classes were all day and we were trying to sandwich labs in the middle." Francisco said. "This [new addition] gives us some time to spread out the students so they have a more structured learning environment."
Pharmacy South is almost double the size of Pharmacy North and is home to two 194-seat auditoriums, three 30-seat classrooms, seminar rooms, discussion rooms, two large open research labs and an executive conference room.
"It allows the college to go from teaching classes of 120 students to classes of 200 students," said campus architect Danny Sniff. "It allows the College to meet the demands of educating new pharmacy students.”
In addition to the large amount of classroom space, there is also a large study area complete with wireless Internet computer stations, small group seating areas and hundreds or reference books at the fingertips of each pharmacy student enrolled. Kroger donated a large portion of the money used to build the new building, so the study room was named the Kroger Learning Center.
Another technological advancement in the pharmacy building is its capability to use distance learning.
“In each classroom we have two cameras in the back and one camera in the front of the room so that students who are on different campuses can watch and participate in the same lectures in Athens, at the same time as the students here,” said Francisco.
"We'll have some classes where professors in Augusta can teach us via broadcast," said Lora Oliver, a first-year pharmacy student from Oconee.
Distance learning is only one of the many advancements the new pharmacy building has to offer. In each of the open labs, there are flat screen televisions throughout the labs to ensure students can see exactly what their professors are doing at the front of the classroom.
Each lab has at least 10 student work stations with multiple cameras watching the students work and sending live feed to a control room where professors can observe multiple students at one time and ensure their success. At these stations, students will learn how to administer IVs, compound medicines and perform other tasks that practicing pharmacists do everyday.
Pharmacy South will undoubtedly have an effect on the more than 500 students currently enrolled in the College of Pharmacy and the nearly 40 faculty and staff members, but it will also have an effect on aspiring pharmacy students all over the state of Georgia since UGA has the only public college of pharmacy.
“I am so excited to be a part of the first class to use the new pharmacy building,” said first-year pharmacy student Lea Klingenbeck.
“The building is such a great place to learn and with all of the technological advancements, like the recorded lectures and labs,” said Klingenbeck. “The faculty and staff is doing everything they can to guarantee that each student is successful.”
Pharmacy South is the only building on campus to earn the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver Certification - a national benchmark for design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. Decisions to make the building LEED certified came primarily from students.
The new pharmacy building is considered by many students a home away from home. Since most students spend upwards of eight hours a day in the building the designers added space for each student to have a locker, showers for students who ride their bikes to class, and two student lounges for students needing a break or snack between classes.
Although the building only took two years to build, 20 years of planning went into the new Pharmacy South. With all the new state of the art equipment, it is interesting what part of the building is Francisco’s favorite.
Standing in the basement of the four story building, Francisco looks out over an empty parking lot, pushes a quarter-sized button and instantly sirens begin to sound.
“It’s only a garage door, but when you close it, it sounds exactly like Star Trek,” said Francisco.
Edited by Sarah Pelham
The Kroger Learning Center is an important part of the 93,000 square-foot
pharmacy building. The learning center has wireless Internet computer
stations, multiple study rooms and hundreds of reference books available
to the pharmacy students enjoying the new building.
Photo by Jon Kim
October 6, 2009
ATHENS, Ga.-- Two years, 93,000 square-feet and $44 million later, the University of Georgia has a brand new pharmacy building, filled with brilliant technology and a lot of excited pharmacy students.
In November of 2007 UGA broke ground to begin building Pharmacy South, located on Green Street in South Campus, which came as a much needed addition to the outdated Robert C. Wilson Pharmacy that has been used since 1964.
Pharmacy South is attached to the R.C. Wilson building by a glass enclosed bridge on the second floor. The Wilson building will still be used for lecture for first-year pharmacy students, but the majority of the classes and labs will be held in Pharmacy South.
"It’s just a wonderful, wonderful addition,” said George Francisco, associate dean of the College of Pharmacy.
“Basically we had three years of students and classes that we had to work into two rooms, and it just made everything crazy. Classes were all day and we were trying to sandwich labs in the middle." Francisco said. "This [new addition] gives us some time to spread out the students so they have a more structured learning environment."
Pharmacy South is almost double the size of Pharmacy North and is home to two 194-seat auditoriums, three 30-seat classrooms, seminar rooms, discussion rooms, two large open research labs and an executive conference room.
"It allows the college to go from teaching classes of 120 students to classes of 200 students," said campus architect Danny Sniff. "It allows the College to meet the demands of educating new pharmacy students.”
In addition to the large amount of classroom space, there is also a large study area complete with wireless Internet computer stations, small group seating areas and hundreds or reference books at the fingertips of each pharmacy student enrolled. Kroger donated a large portion of the money used to build the new building, so the study room was named the Kroger Learning Center.
Another technological advancement in the pharmacy building is its capability to use distance learning.
“In each classroom we have two cameras in the back and one camera in the front of the room so that students who are on different campuses can watch and participate in the same lectures in Athens, at the same time as the students here,” said Francisco.
"We'll have some classes where professors in Augusta can teach us via broadcast," said Lora Oliver, a first-year pharmacy student from Oconee.
Distance learning is only one of the many advancements the new pharmacy building has to offer. In each of the open labs, there are flat screen televisions throughout the labs to ensure students can see exactly what their professors are doing at the front of the classroom.
Each lab has at least 10 student work stations with multiple cameras watching the students work and sending live feed to a control room where professors can observe multiple students at one time and ensure their success. At these stations, students will learn how to administer IVs, compound medicines and perform other tasks that practicing pharmacists do everyday.
Pharmacy South will undoubtedly have an effect on the more than 500 students currently enrolled in the College of Pharmacy and the nearly 40 faculty and staff members, but it will also have an effect on aspiring pharmacy students all over the state of Georgia since UGA has the only public college of pharmacy.
“I am so excited to be a part of the first class to use the new pharmacy building,” said first-year pharmacy student Lea Klingenbeck.
“The building is such a great place to learn and with all of the technological advancements, like the recorded lectures and labs,” said Klingenbeck. “The faculty and staff is doing everything they can to guarantee that each student is successful.”
Pharmacy South is the only building on campus to earn the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver Certification - a national benchmark for design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. Decisions to make the building LEED certified came primarily from students.
The new pharmacy building is considered by many students a home away from home. Since most students spend upwards of eight hours a day in the building the designers added space for each student to have a locker, showers for students who ride their bikes to class, and two student lounges for students needing a break or snack between classes.
Although the building only took two years to build, 20 years of planning went into the new Pharmacy South. With all the new state of the art equipment, it is interesting what part of the building is Francisco’s favorite.
Standing in the basement of the four story building, Francisco looks out over an empty parking lot, pushes a quarter-sized button and instantly sirens begin to sound.
“It’s only a garage door, but when you close it, it sounds exactly like Star Trek,” said Francisco.
Edited by Sarah Pelham
The Kroger Learning Center is an important part of the 93,000 square-foot
pharmacy building. The learning center has wireless Internet computer
stations, multiple study rooms and hundreds of reference books available
to the pharmacy students enjoying the new building.
Photo by Jon Kim
Technology Devices Attractive in Car Break-Ins
By Ashley Bene
While the Athens “crime emergency” hasn’t affected on-campus crime, the University of Georgia Police Department warns students to be safe and keep their personal items out of their cars.
Corporal Darrell Ponder of the UGA Police Department said that while on-campus vehicle break-ins haven’t been on the rise, students should always take precautions to keep their valuables like iPods or laptops safe.
“Lock your doors,” Corporal Ponder said. “Roll up your windows, and anything of value, take it with you.”
Thieves tend to be looking for things they can grab quickly, according to Corporal Ponder. Small electronics items like iPods, GPS devices, or even laptops are most likely to attract thieves. Even change in the center console can spark a break-in.
“The main thing we find is a lot of the time people leave items of value in their car,” Corporal Ponder said.
Although being on a campus can make students feel safer, Corporal Ponder warns against students letting their guards down. He says people forget UGA is an open campus, and its not just people from outside breaking into cars either. It can be students too.
“Sometimes people just walk by and pull on door handles and if the car is unlocked, they get your stuff,” Corporal Ponder said.
Many students are already taking precautions.
Lindley Curtis, a senior majoring in Public Relations from Jonesboro, Ga., parks in the North Campus Parking deck. She said she never worries about her car being broken into.
Curtis said a friend’s car was broken into last year because her friend left his iPod on the front seat. She said she takes her iPod and GPS device with her whenever she leaves her car.
“I’m very conscious of my surroundings and I make sure every time I leave my car that I pick everything up off the seat,” Curtis said.
Jennifer Bell, a sophomore Spanish and geography major from Lawrenceville, Ga., says she went to a police seminar about staying safe around campus.
“After going to that, I definitely stepped it up.”
Bell says she keeps valuable items, like her iPod, on her at all times. The only things she leaves in her car are clothes or similar personal items.
“I set my car alarm, but I feel that no one’s going to steal anything.”
Corporal Ponder warns that parking decks tend to be the most heavily hit. They are more difficult for police to patrol because of the many levels. Parking lots closer to downtown are also more likely to be hit.
And as for using a car alarm, Corporal Ponder warns that it’s not a sure-fire safety device.
“Alarms go off so much, they don’t mean anything to people,” Corporal Ponder said. “If the police hear an alarm, we’ll usually go investigate though.”
Corporal Ponder said sometimes students who come from small towns or affluent areas aren’t as diligent about locking their car doors as they should be.
Curtis says her hometown, Jonesboro, Ga., is ranked as the 5th most dangerous county in Georgia.
“I have to take those precautions whether I’m at home or in Athens” Curtis said. “It’s just something that, because of where I grew up, it’s a habit.”
While the Athens “crime emergency” hasn’t affected on-campus crime, the University of Georgia Police Department warns students to be safe and keep their personal items out of their cars.
Corporal Darrell Ponder of the UGA Police Department said that while on-campus vehicle break-ins haven’t been on the rise, students should always take precautions to keep their valuables like iPods or laptops safe.
“Lock your doors,” Corporal Ponder said. “Roll up your windows, and anything of value, take it with you.”
Thieves tend to be looking for things they can grab quickly, according to Corporal Ponder. Small electronics items like iPods, GPS devices, or even laptops are most likely to attract thieves. Even change in the center console can spark a break-in.
“The main thing we find is a lot of the time people leave items of value in their car,” Corporal Ponder said.
Although being on a campus can make students feel safer, Corporal Ponder warns against students letting their guards down. He says people forget UGA is an open campus, and its not just people from outside breaking into cars either. It can be students too.
“Sometimes people just walk by and pull on door handles and if the car is unlocked, they get your stuff,” Corporal Ponder said.
Many students are already taking precautions.
Lindley Curtis, a senior majoring in Public Relations from Jonesboro, Ga., parks in the North Campus Parking deck. She said she never worries about her car being broken into.
Curtis said a friend’s car was broken into last year because her friend left his iPod on the front seat. She said she takes her iPod and GPS device with her whenever she leaves her car.
“I’m very conscious of my surroundings and I make sure every time I leave my car that I pick everything up off the seat,” Curtis said.
Jennifer Bell, a sophomore Spanish and geography major from Lawrenceville, Ga., says she went to a police seminar about staying safe around campus.
“After going to that, I definitely stepped it up.”
Bell says she keeps valuable items, like her iPod, on her at all times. The only things she leaves in her car are clothes or similar personal items.
“I set my car alarm, but I feel that no one’s going to steal anything.”
Corporal Ponder warns that parking decks tend to be the most heavily hit. They are more difficult for police to patrol because of the many levels. Parking lots closer to downtown are also more likely to be hit.
And as for using a car alarm, Corporal Ponder warns that it’s not a sure-fire safety device.
“Alarms go off so much, they don’t mean anything to people,” Corporal Ponder said. “If the police hear an alarm, we’ll usually go investigate though.”
Corporal Ponder said sometimes students who come from small towns or affluent areas aren’t as diligent about locking their car doors as they should be.
Curtis says her hometown, Jonesboro, Ga., is ranked as the 5th most dangerous county in Georgia.
“I have to take those precautions whether I’m at home or in Athens” Curtis said. “It’s just something that, because of where I grew up, it’s a habit.”
ChriSTOPHER BENTON--Article 2
New Artists Hits It Big Through Social Media
From the Bedroom to the Stadium
Christopher Joshua Benton
Fuzz-skuzz buzz band Wavves is just some regular-guy dude from San Diego who smokes weed, wakes up late, rides his skateboard, trying to catch old-ass Garfield cartoons in the wee hours, or at least that’s the impression he gives off; he’s best-coast chill and sings about it. Watching Nathan Williams in his music video for “No Hope Kids,” filmed during his world tour, it is easy to imagine him a picaresque hero, getting wasted and playing shows, unwittingly implicated in the machinations of blog hype and Internet coolhunting. In less than two years, he’s released two albums, a bevy of cassettes, and has endured the hype and backlash waves of fickle music listeners. Already, he’s in the redemption phase. Wavves is the paradigm for a new kind of alternative band made on the Internet and in bedrooms, and promoted via social media tools.
Wavves was the bedroom pop project of one Nathan Williams (age 23); now, the epitome of “Gorilla v. Bear” blog hype, don’t-take-too-much-X-before-playing-stadiums advice from your mom, and the poster boy for the no-fi genre. Wavves also now includes the hardest working drummer in showbiz, Zach Hill.
His music probably hinges on an impossibility: if you ever tried playing a scratched Smiley Smile bootleg LP on blown-out speakers, so you used the line-out; instead, connecting the vinyl to that amp that’s been stuck in overdrive since you found it at some garage sale, the output would sound something like shit, but it’d also, maybe, reach that equilibrium of vaguely tuneful/ groggy pixilation/ distortion noise that Wavves has adopted as his own.
He’s not the only one: Why is everyone and their mom in a lo/no-fi band these days?
(Laughs) “I don’t know. Maybe because it’s easy to do, it’s easy to record, and it doesn’t really cost money. But I’m not sure. I wouldn’t say I’m any scene in particular, I’m just labeled that,” Williams said.
At 21, after quitting his day job, Nathan Williams spent a month making ramshackle home recordings in GarageBand that would become his first two albums. Through the course of those two D.I.Y. albums, titled Wavves and Wavvves, Williams has explored kinda-sad themes like ennui, stupid sub-cultures, and drug freakouts, titling his songs plainly “So Bored,” “California Goth” and “Weed Demon.” Simple and wide-eyed, it’s his pseudo-adolescent, bratty Brian Wilsonisms and up-Beat-Happening-floor-tom pop that transforms such drab subject matter into optimistic stoner anthems.
It wouldn’t be reductive to say Wavves has tapped into the cool zeitgeist where everyone has a fuzzy bedroom pet project, where everyone has a little too much consonance in their name (see UUVVWWZ, Lovvers, Nodzzz), and where no one can really play their instruments.
It is arguable that without the power of the blogging community and other social media like Hypemachine, a forum mostly consisting of free-to-create weblog platforms, Wavves and bands like him would still be very obscure. "I think the first place that gave me press was that blog Gorilla v. Bear."
Perhaps most significant of this new rockist narrative is that “overnight success” is a literalism—relative popularity is instantaneous and measured by a new temporality called “blog years,” an ADD blank (screen) generation eye-blink test, akin to a “light year.” The short incubation period from obscurity, to hypeblogged, to Pitchfork Best New Music wunderkind, to backlash, only magnifies that most of these bands can’t perform live. When Williams first started playing live shows last spring, he sucked. His inexperience reached a tipping point during his so-called “meltdown” at the Primavera Sound Festival in May where he took a cocktail of ecstasy, Valium, and Xanax, harassed the audience and was booed off stage.
“When I first started playing, the first couple of shows were with 500 people, so I just got thrown into it and I didn’t have any time to work the set out with somebody and practice and play smaller shows for a while. It just kinda blew up so quickly and I was playing for tons of people right away so it wasn’t necessarily very good in the very beginning. There was stuff to work out and its just like with anything, you do it enough and you get better at it,” he said.
Since then, Wavves has played to glowing live reviews and plenty of redemption feature stories. And with a new album already recorded, it seems he’s about go through it all over again. Whether he’ll be relevant a few years from now is anyone’s guess, but if he can write fifteen stuck-in-your head melodies in month, I’d go with longevity. Either way, he’s down for the ride, one that hopefully includes munchies. I’ll leave you with William’s last words:
“I’m sorry, I have to go, we’re pulling up to the Burger King right now!”
The New Political Wheel
Kristen Luca
With the expansion of online social media, politics and political campaigning may be developing a new face on the Internet.
Social media services like Twitter and Facebook allow users to quickly get messages out to large groups of people, and are quickly gaining in popularity. According to a recent New York Times article, the tracking firm comScore has measured Twitter’s traffic at 54 million visitors a month. For politicians and political candidates who devote much energy to getting their names and messages out to their constituents, these Web sites might hold potential.
Samantha Jose, communications director for the Young Democrats at the University of Georgia, said that the Democratic party has already taken advantage of the possibilities social media offers. She referenced President Obama’s 2008 campaign, and his use of Facebook and Twitter to spread the word about his platforms on issues and updates about events.
Jose also thought the Democratic party takes more advantage of social media services than does the Republican party. “I’d like to think we’re a little bit quicker on the uptake,” she said.
Matthew Ralston, PR Director for UGA’s College Republicans, said that he thought the Republican party as a whole was not using social media as much as the Democratic party. Ralston said he at the moment few Republicans were utilizing the services and others were behind.
“It’s like the wheel has just come out of the sky for them,” Ralston said.
However, he also thought that in the future more in the party would come to use the services to get their messages out. He pointed to the low cost of the services and their ability to reach many people in just a few clicks.
But social media is not useful only to campaigning politicians. In June, Reuters reported that the U.S. State Department had asked Twitter to delay an upgrade that would have shut down the service during the daytime in Iran. Iranians protesting the presidential election results were using Twitter to speak with each other and get past blocks on communication set up by the Iranian government.
At a time when options were severely restricted, Iranians turned to the Internet and social media sites to broadcast their thoughts and political movements. The U.S. government recognized the importance of Twitter to the situation in Iran and interceded with the company to minimize the inconvenience to those in Iran.
Private citizens, more traditionally associated with the expansion of social media, have the opportunity to use the technology not only as an audience but as active participants. Samantha Jose, of the Young Democrats, thinks that the greatest advantage in using social media to spread political ideas is that citizens are more informed.
The nature of the Internet also allows for communication and debate in a way that more traditional forms of media, like print and cable, do not. “Social media allows for debate to be way more instantaneous,” Jose said.
She added that on the Internet, there is no filter for information. Access to publishing software on the Web is cheap and often free, allowing anyone with a connection to upload their thoughts and hold a conversation. However, Jose thinks that the overall benefits of using social media outweigh the risk of encountering less substantial or non-credible information.
Users can find other benefits to having politicians on Facebook and Twitter, too. Ben Clark, a UGA student and member of the Young Democrats, says that he ‘friended’ several politicians on Facebook during the 2008 election season. Including President Barack Obama, he also follows Sen. Chris Dodd and former Sen. John Edwards.
Having his Facebook accounts associated with the politicians’, though, is not entirely to read through their updates and messages. “During the election,” Clark said, “I wanted everyone to know who I supported.”
Politicians are not the only ones who can send political messages through social media.
With the expansion of online social media, politics and political campaigning may be developing a new face on the Internet.
Social media services like Twitter and Facebook allow users to quickly get messages out to large groups of people, and are quickly gaining in popularity. According to a recent New York Times article, the tracking firm comScore has measured Twitter’s traffic at 54 million visitors a month. For politicians and political candidates who devote much energy to getting their names and messages out to their constituents, these Web sites might hold potential.
Samantha Jose, communications director for the Young Democrats at the University of Georgia, said that the Democratic party has already taken advantage of the possibilities social media offers. She referenced President Obama’s 2008 campaign, and his use of Facebook and Twitter to spread the word about his platforms on issues and updates about events.
Jose also thought the Democratic party takes more advantage of social media services than does the Republican party. “I’d like to think we’re a little bit quicker on the uptake,” she said.
Matthew Ralston, PR Director for UGA’s College Republicans, said that he thought the Republican party as a whole was not using social media as much as the Democratic party. Ralston said he at the moment few Republicans were utilizing the services and others were behind.
“It’s like the wheel has just come out of the sky for them,” Ralston said.
However, he also thought that in the future more in the party would come to use the services to get their messages out. He pointed to the low cost of the services and their ability to reach many people in just a few clicks.
But social media is not useful only to campaigning politicians. In June, Reuters reported that the U.S. State Department had asked Twitter to delay an upgrade that would have shut down the service during the daytime in Iran. Iranians protesting the presidential election results were using Twitter to speak with each other and get past blocks on communication set up by the Iranian government.
At a time when options were severely restricted, Iranians turned to the Internet and social media sites to broadcast their thoughts and political movements. The U.S. government recognized the importance of Twitter to the situation in Iran and interceded with the company to minimize the inconvenience to those in Iran.
Private citizens, more traditionally associated with the expansion of social media, have the opportunity to use the technology not only as an audience but as active participants. Samantha Jose, of the Young Democrats, thinks that the greatest advantage in using social media to spread political ideas is that citizens are more informed.
The nature of the Internet also allows for communication and debate in a way that more traditional forms of media, like print and cable, do not. “Social media allows for debate to be way more instantaneous,” Jose said.
She added that on the Internet, there is no filter for information. Access to publishing software on the Web is cheap and often free, allowing anyone with a connection to upload their thoughts and hold a conversation. However, Jose thinks that the overall benefits of using social media outweigh the risk of encountering less substantial or non-credible information.
Users can find other benefits to having politicians on Facebook and Twitter, too. Ben Clark, a UGA student and member of the Young Democrats, says that he ‘friended’ several politicians on Facebook during the 2008 election season. Including President Barack Obama, he also follows Sen. Chris Dodd and former Sen. John Edwards.
Having his Facebook accounts associated with the politicians’, though, is not entirely to read through their updates and messages. “During the election,” Clark said, “I wanted everyone to know who I supported.”
Politicians are not the only ones who can send political messages through social media.
Flood Victims Turn to Twitter
Ali Rosenberger
ATHENS, Ga. - In the past two weeks, Atlanta and its surrounding areas have seen anywhere between 5 to 20 inches of rainfall, at least twice as much as this time last year. TV and radio stations have been broadcasting updates and details daily to inform the public of damages and future forecasts.
Although TV and radio news maintain their audience, it is social media outlets that many are beginning to turn to as their primary news source. From Facebook updates to tweets on Twitter, people of all ages are exchanging all kinds of information through social media. With this constant flow of information—present 24 hours a day—these social media users expect their news organizations to keep up.
Many students at the University of Georgia are Atlanta natives and turned to Facebook and Twitter for information about their hometown during the flood.
“My family lives in Buckhead, and I knew they were being affected by the flood because of what I heard on the news,” said Kieva Hannon, currently in her fifth year at UGA. “Having to be in class every day and not with my family during such a hard time has been really stressful.”
Hannon said that she stayed updated with details about her area through personal tweets by her friends and neighbors still living in Atlanta. “Being able to see what was happening every minute through Twitter really gave me piece of mind throughout the whole thing,” Hannon said.
Because people are obtaining newsworthy information through outlets like Twitter and Facebook, news organizations are presented with a challenge: maintaining their audience by having the most recent and reliable news at any second, at any time of day.
TV Stations like WSB-TV even have Twitter sites.
“Watching the news on TV is reliable, but not all day long. Sure, I can turn on CNN and watch until they decide to switch to the topic that I am actually interested in,” said Brian Stearns, a UGA sophomore from Decatur, “but I don’t have the patience for that. I’d much rather go online and look at their website or their recent tweets to get the information I’m looking for,” Stearns said.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution posted flood updates via Twitter almost every hour during the primary days of the flood. From weather forecasts to school closings to missing persons, the AJC made sure to have up-to-date information that its audience could rely on.
Even now, in the days after the flood, the AJC continues to tweet information about repairs being done, missing persons, and even information on hazards like sinkholes caused by the excessive rainfall.
“The only reason I use Twitter is to stay updated with news. I can connect to it from my iPhone, and get updates all day of what’s going on or who’s doing what,” said Pam Griffin, a 44-year old mother and career woman originally from Marietta. “And what’s more is that I can follow a number of news sites at a time, unlike listening to a radio station or watching TV,” said Griffin.
“I have had to change my route to work twice since the flood because of road closings,” said Griffin, an insurance agent who commutes from Woodstock to Atlanta daily, “and I only heard about the closings before I actually stumbled upon them because of Twitter,” Griffin said.
ATHENS, Ga. - In the past two weeks, Atlanta and its surrounding areas have seen anywhere between 5 to 20 inches of rainfall, at least twice as much as this time last year. TV and radio stations have been broadcasting updates and details daily to inform the public of damages and future forecasts.
Although TV and radio news maintain their audience, it is social media outlets that many are beginning to turn to as their primary news source. From Facebook updates to tweets on Twitter, people of all ages are exchanging all kinds of information through social media. With this constant flow of information—present 24 hours a day—these social media users expect their news organizations to keep up.
Many students at the University of Georgia are Atlanta natives and turned to Facebook and Twitter for information about their hometown during the flood.
“My family lives in Buckhead, and I knew they were being affected by the flood because of what I heard on the news,” said Kieva Hannon, currently in her fifth year at UGA. “Having to be in class every day and not with my family during such a hard time has been really stressful.”
Hannon said that she stayed updated with details about her area through personal tweets by her friends and neighbors still living in Atlanta. “Being able to see what was happening every minute through Twitter really gave me piece of mind throughout the whole thing,” Hannon said.
Because people are obtaining newsworthy information through outlets like Twitter and Facebook, news organizations are presented with a challenge: maintaining their audience by having the most recent and reliable news at any second, at any time of day.
TV Stations like WSB-TV even have Twitter sites.
“Watching the news on TV is reliable, but not all day long. Sure, I can turn on CNN and watch until they decide to switch to the topic that I am actually interested in,” said Brian Stearns, a UGA sophomore from Decatur, “but I don’t have the patience for that. I’d much rather go online and look at their website or their recent tweets to get the information I’m looking for,” Stearns said.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution posted flood updates via Twitter almost every hour during the primary days of the flood. From weather forecasts to school closings to missing persons, the AJC made sure to have up-to-date information that its audience could rely on.
Even now, in the days after the flood, the AJC continues to tweet information about repairs being done, missing persons, and even information on hazards like sinkholes caused by the excessive rainfall.
“The only reason I use Twitter is to stay updated with news. I can connect to it from my iPhone, and get updates all day of what’s going on or who’s doing what,” said Pam Griffin, a 44-year old mother and career woman originally from Marietta. “And what’s more is that I can follow a number of news sites at a time, unlike listening to a radio station or watching TV,” said Griffin.
“I have had to change my route to work twice since the flood because of road closings,” said Griffin, an insurance agent who commutes from Woodstock to Atlanta daily, “and I only heard about the closings before I actually stumbled upon them because of Twitter,” Griffin said.
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