Mediaboss Marketing

20-03-2012 10:27 If you haven't heard of "ambient social networking" yet, get ready, because it's quickly becoming a trend. The concept is also known as social discovery and, essentially, it takes the idea of check-in services a little further. These new location-based apps run silently behind the scenes on users' mobile devices and notify them when other users they know enter the same vicinity. Highlight is one app that does this and, although the space is still young, it is already emerging as a leader. WebProNews spoke with its Founder and CEO Paul Davison who told us that the concept would change the way people interact in the future. As he explained, users have been actively sharing information about themselves for quite sometime. However, with apps like Highlight, this information is shared passively, which he believes will have a "profound impact" on social networking going forward. While these apps are gaining a lot of attention, they've also been raising some concerns over the creepy factor of the trend. Davison told us that this reaction was to be expected with any new form of technology. In fact, he said if users didn't raise concerns, as they had with Facebook and other new concepts, he would be worried that it wouldn't succeed.

Link:
What Is Ambient Social Networking

Nashoba School Committee Chairman Nancy Federspiel gave committee members a preview of a proposed draft of a last week. The draft, which was created by the policy committee and requires, among other things, teachers to use their Nashoba Regional School District email accounts when acting as a Nashoba employee to communicate with parents and students through social-networking sites like Facebook.

Teachers must also use professional etiquette and maintain appropriate boundaries. Additionally, under the regulations of the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act, teachers must contact administration to confirm parental consent before contacting children under 13 through social networking sites.

Teachers can still use personal email accounts to communicate with parents and students when not discussing work-related matters. However, Superintendent Michael Wood said communicating with students on personal matters was strongly discouraged.

When School Committee member Julie Fay asked if teachers should report students who post inappropriate comments, Federspiel said it was not necessary when using a personal account. Wood said postings that violate school policy should always be reported, regardless of whether it is necessary to do so. He cited the honor system of reporting athletes in violation of the alcohol policy as an example.

Federspiel thanked teachers Loretta Williams and Al Fordiani for their dedication to creating the draft, and said its purpose was to provide some guidance for teachers as well as protection for everybody.

Center School

Wood announced that work on the outdoor areas of Center School has resumed after an order to stop work was delivered Wednesday, March 7. Work inside sections of the school was not affected by the order.

The order was the result of actions taken by what Wood called an overzealous subcontractor, who failed to complete paperwork to shut off gas and electricity coming in from the street before demolishing a section of the old school. Wood said gas and electricity had been shut off inside the building before the demolition, but regulations to shut off gas and electricity in the street had not been followed.

Wood said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration agency would investigate the matter. He said the investigation may result in fines, but was not sure of the likelihood of that outcome, nor of the amount the potential fines could cost.

Wood said work is on schedule for Phase 2 despite the brief shutdown.

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Social networking policy previewed

WA's young are more connected than ever, using their mobile devices for everything from social networking, shopping and gambling to reading news and sexting.

_The West Australian _ and HBF's iGeneration survey has confirmed ever-increasing usage of smartphones and social networking among the State's 18 to 30-year-olds, with 40 per cent of them saying they could not imagine their lives without social media.

"Young people take the internet with them everywhere they are going," Curtin University internet studies lecturer Tama Leaver said.

"Most will have a smartphone and not just be using it for text and conversation. They will be doing a lot of the things we take for granted now on the web and social networking is one of the biggest things.

"Facebook is almost a replacement for email these days. It's the thing you almost have to use to communicate."

The iGen survey found just 10 per cent said they did not use social networking sites, compared with 26 per cent in 2009.

More than a third of iGens spend six to 20 hours a week on sites such as Facebook and 7 per cent claim to spend more than 21 hours using them.

The survey also found a third of men and 23 per cent of women used their mobile phone for sending explicit sexual messages or images.

Dr Leaver said sexting was not necessarily a cause for concern between consenting adults. "For a lot of people their mobile devices are caught up in the entire spectrum of their lives and that includes the intimate moments," he said.

"It's by no stretch unusual to think your most intimate moments might be shared across devices as much as they might be shared when you are in the same room.

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Social media sustains young

NEW YORK, March 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --"On the Map," an interactive social reality TV show created for the Facebook platform, has won the 2012 MediaPost Appy Award for Social Networking Apps. The Appy Awards acknowledge creativity and excellence in app design and recognize extraordinary mobile, social, and Web-based Applications living inside another Web site. The Appy Awards feature a prestigious panel of judges, including executives and editors from Zynga, PopCap, Macworld.com and Mac|Life.

"We are thrilled that 'On the Map' has the honor of winning the prestigious 2012 MediaPost Appy Award in the Social Networking category," said David J. Russek, founder and CEO of 7Echo. "'On theMap' capitalizes on real-life travel experiences that are shared through a Social TV app on Facebook, in a way that hasn't been done before."

The show combines social interaction with original reality TV programming. This enables people to select friends to join them on their journey, engage with story elements, and share virtual souvenirs through special "Social Propagation Techniques" that attract and engage the audience.

"It is an honor to accept this award especially at a time when there is so much excitement around the evolving Social TV space. Forward thinking TV advertisers recognize that audiences are building in mass in online places such as Facebook, and now see the potential to allow ad units to be part of the audience experience based on targeted demographics. It is also a great validation that the TV experience and advertising is becoming a proactive and interactive experience 'inside' the show, vs. the 'lean back' passive watching of the past," continued Russek.

"As the presenting sponsor of 'On the Map,' HTH Worldwide is excited to see the application succeed and recognized for its innovative approach, that can leverage social in new ways for consumers, business and multiple advertisers," said David Weber, Managing Director of HTH Worldwide.

Shot on location in Barcelona, Spain including the city's famed La Merce Festival "On the Map" follows seven young people and combines experiential storytelling with innovative digital and social techniques to create the most advanced social TV series to date. "On the Map" allows audience members to interact with their Facebook friends by inviting six "Core" friends to travel with them "inside" the show for the rest of the series after they watch the first episode. Audiences can also compare the experiences and attributes of the actors with those of their socially connected friends and exchange virtual souvenirs with the cast and their friends after they interact with the second episode. As the show progresses through 12 episodes, users' interactions become more involved and the show becomes more socially connected and personalized, based on their previous behaviors.

"On the Map" was produced by Emmy award-winning Banyan Productions, whose credits include TLC's Trading Spaces. This first-of-its-kind show is built on the 7Echo Social TV platform that enables in-show social connectivity, dynamic content and advertising. The show's presenting sponsor is HTH Worldwide, a global specialty healthcare information and services company.

The first seven episodes of "On the Map Barcelona" are available at https://apps.facebook.com/onthemapsevenecho and new episodes will be released weekly through April 19.

About 7Echo

7Echo is the Social TV Platform that puts "Social" inside the show. 7Echo enables friends to connect within and as part of interactive TV shows that are delivered through social networks. 7Echo's patented technology makes Social TV programming more relevant and engaging for both social audiences and advertisers.

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"On the Map" - Interactive Social Reality TV Show on Facebook - Takes Top Social Networking Honor at 2012 MediaPost ...

KUALA LUMPUR, 21 MARCH, 2012: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) received 716 complaints on content of social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter last year, says Information Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.

Of the total, 289 complaints were offensive or threatening, 247 false, 40 obscene and indecent, 124 hacking while 16 were others.

"MCMC also received 1,112 complaints on websites, blogs and emails," he said in reply to a supplementary question from Datuk Noraini Ahmad (BN-Parit Sulong) in Dewan Rakyat here today.

Rais also said that MCMC also received 693 complaints relating to phishing (attempts to steal data from data groups).

"Impersonation, fraud and abuse of social networking sites are committed for the sake of excitement and to broaden views without taking into account the negative aspects arising from the act.

"Some members of society forget that we have constraints and way of life which should be based on pure and religious values and customs."

He said that no less than 15 cases had been prosecuted in court adding the people still need to be educated and briefed on the matter.

"The use of television and having talks and preventive measures led to a drop in the number of cases. Parents and society must also play a role in enforcing the social constraints," he added.

Asked whether the ministry plans to monitor or restrict Facebook accounts due to abuse, he said contents or comments made by users did not undergo screening, approval or evaluation by authorities including MCMC.

He added that network content is subjected to laws like Sedition Act 1948, Penal Code, Evidence Act 1950 and Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

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Rais: 716 Complaints on Social Networking Websites in 2011