New Discovery - Apps for Androids being sold through Amazon

Today as I was browsing through Amazon (this can be dangerous), I came across Android apps for sale. To me, it is interesting that Amazon is now selling apps.  However, Amazon does have an e-commerce business model that works well so it makes logical sense as to why Amazon is a desired place to sell Android apps.  It is interesting to note that all of the apps are only for the Android market and not the iPhone market.  Where will the rivalry between these two smart phones lead?

The Amazon Android App site resembles iTunes app store as seen in the image below.

What will Amazon come up with next?  Perhaps, one of Amazon's future ventures will be to deliver complete grocery orders, like some of the grocery stores already do.

What does +1 mean?

In addition to finding the Facebook button and a comment's box, I have seen the Google +1 button.  So, I started to look into the function of this +1 button.  Initially, you could only find the +1 button on Google pages.  Now, you can find it all over from newspapers to companies, such as Best Buy.  While surfing the web if you come across something interesting that you want to share with your Google + circle(s), then you click on the +1 button.  By clicking on the +1 button, you indicate to your friends that you either like or dislike something.  Also, you have the opportunity to provide your comments.  If you have a Google + account, then you can track all of your +1 likes/dislikes/comments in one place.

Google provides it's account of the +1 button on it's blog.

Why use the +1 button?  When the people in your Google + circle search for something that you have used the +1 button with, they will see whatever comments you have written about the item.  It is an interesting form of communicating your recommendations for something.

Currently, I am not using the +1 button as I am not sure if I want everyone to know all of my purchase decisions and what I am thinking about articles.  Perhaps, in the future, I will start using the Google +1 button and when I do I will let you know.

How to keep up with the news? And everything else?

Ever wonder if there is a more efficient way to discover what is happening than checking each individual website that you want to follow.  I found that when I went to the different newspapers' websites I would spend a lot of time looking at the advertisements on these websites and then stopped going to them because I was losing too much time.

Thus, I decided to research alternative ways to obtain the same information in a more productive manner.  Through this research, I discovered the beauty of RSS feeds.  The RSS feeds allow me to gain information from a multitude of different sources all in my email client and through an app on my phone.  I am able to read all the news I want without being bothered by advertisements.  Typically, I am able to get through the morning's news within about 20 minutes.  I enjoy being able to read the various news sources without the advertisements as a result I am a better informed individual.

So, how can you use RSS feeds to make your life easier?  By using an RSS feed in your email or through an app, you can keep up with a larger variety of information (both news and otherwise) in one location.

Steps to setup an RSS feed:
1.  Select where you are going to direct your RSS feeds.  You can send it to google reader, the mac mail client, Microsoft Outlook.
2.  Go to the source(s) from where you want to receive the RSS feed.
3.  Find the RSS link/button.  Typically, it is an orange button, such as the one below from the "Wall Street Journal."


4.  Once you have discovered the RSS link/button, click on it and it will provide you with the different options of RSS readers.  Select the RSS reader that you have chosen to use.

If you follow these four simple steps, you should be able to set up your RSS feeds, where you can have all of your news in one location.

Addictive???

Tonight, I started working on the task of making my blog more findable and before I knew it was after 4am.  Thankfully, finals were last week and I am on "vacation".  To me, it is amazing how addictive working on creating an online presence can become unknowingly.

Is this the future where we all are sleep deprived because we become absorbed in our social networking?  For me, this is not a regular occurrence as I highly value my sleep time.  It does make wonder how the connectedness of our time impacts our interpersonal relationships, both personal and professional.  With a cursory Google Scholar search, it appears that some research has been done on the topic of social media and connectedness.

During this past semester, I have attempted to block at least the majority of one day a week from using my computer and only using my iPhone for texting or calls.  In order to be successfully in achieving this goal, I checked my email in the morning as I started my day and then before I went to sleep at night in order to deal with whatever might have come up in terms of group work.  By taking a mini-break from using my computer, I was able to be more productive.  Also, I felt refreshed.  While it is a small step, for me it has become essential to maintain this practice as I finish graduate school and head back into the workforce.

For now, that is all, I am going to try to get some sleep before it is too late to attempt to sleep.

Joining Twitter

Recently, I joined Twitter as it is another way to connect with others who have common interests.  Also, I have thought that if I want to do a PhD related to social media, then I need to become more proficient in various aspects of social media.  Prior to joining Twitter, I had created a Facebook profile that I only use minimally, maintained LinkedIn account, and written two blogs (http://techforchronicdiseases.blogspot.com/ and http://innovativeglobalhealth.blogspot.com/).  So, I am in the process of learning about other tools and aspects of social media.

I have been exploring the different aspects of Twitter.  So, far I have learned how to develop my profile, create a list, follow people, and post tweets.  I am trying to decide if I want to be able to access Twitter from my iPhone as I have a feeling that this might overtake my "free" time if I do not actively manage my Twitter time.

Prior to joining Twitter, I read the book, Twitter for Good, by Claire Diaz-Ortiz.  This book provided insight into how to use Twitter for organizations/individuals that are socially oriented.  Prior to jumping in and starting your Twitter profile, Diaz-Ortiz encourages you to create an objective for creating a profile and metrics by which you would consider the profile a success.

As I continue my adventure deeper into the social media and social networking world, I will share my challenges, successes, and insights along the way.

Create a Professional Online Presence

Being an MBA student, from day 1 of being accepted into the program we have been told to create a professional online presence.  The first thing that we were strongly recommended to do was to utilize the privacy settings on social networking sites, such as Facebook.

The second action item was to create a LinkedIn profile.  As part of developing your LinkedIn profile, use a professional picture, if possible.  Also, incorporate as much of your resume as relevant to your purpose of being on LinkedIn.  Then, once you have a LinkedIn profile, start connecting to people you know both personally and professionally.  Join groups that relate to your area(s) of specialty and/or experience.  Remember, the purpose of being on LinkedIn is to start developing your brand.

From there, my personal recommendation is to create a Twitter account so you can put your message in front of your audience and network simultaneously.  In order to remain in front of your audience, Tweet often.  Make it pertinent and relevant.

My second personal recommendation is to create a blog about something about which you are passionate.  For instances, as part of one of my courses, I created a blog about my experiences of my consulting project in India (http://innovativeglobalhealth.blogspot.com/).  If you are going to blog, I would recommend that you plan how many posts you will be able to make every week before you start.  So you can give your followers realistic expectations about your blog.

As you start to create an online presence, you might want to consider tracking how many followers and other statistics so you can better cater to your audience.  Also, you might want to google your name on a regular basis as well as google images.  If you want you can create a google alert for your name, so you can receive updates about yourself in your email.

By taking these four steps, you are on the path to creating your own online presence.

How did we get here?

With explosion of smart phones and social networks, social media is impacting our day to day lives.  For example, what is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?  For me, I grab my iPhone, which is my alarm clock, to check my email and the weather.  Then, as I get ready for the day, I check my RSS feeds to see what is going on in the world.

So, how did we get to this point of being so reliant on social media?  The precursor to Facebook and Google + was Usenets, which allowed users to post articles or posts to newsgroups.  These Usenets did not have a centralized server or dedicated administrators, which is contrasted with Bulletin Board Systems (BBSs) that were initially hosted on someone's personal computer with only single user access at a time.  Then, came corporate attempts at accessing the Internet. (Examples: CompuServe and Prodigy)

In 1988, Internet Relay Chat (IRC) was developed to share files and links as well as to generally keep in touch.  This is the foundation of instant messaging as it is known today.  A distinct difference is that IRC was mostly UNIX-based, limiting access to the majority of people.

Building off of the Usenets, dating sites were developed.  Many believe that dating sites are the initial social networks.  These dating sites allowed users to create profiles with photographs and to connect with other users.

Forums, more user-friendly interfaces of BBSs, are another key foundation in the evolution of the social web.  Forums are a popular and integral part of the online culture.  As the evolution of the social web has exploded, many of these forum sites have added the ability to create profiles.

Building off of the idea of using profiles, Six Degrees, which was launched in 1997, allowed to create a profile and become friends with other users.  At its peak, Six Degrees had approximately one million members.  In 2000, Six Degrees was purchased for $125 million and subsequently closed.  Following Six Degrees, AsianAvenue, MiGente, and BlackPlanet were developed between 1997 and 2001 with few innovations among them.

In 1999, a new approach to social networking led to LiveJournal.  LiveJournal allowed users to create profiles to create a social network based off of constantly updated blogs.  Users could follow each other and interact with the other users.  This was the precursor to the live updates found in today's social networks, such as Facebook and Google +.

In the early 2000s, massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGS) have allowed for the creation of social networks solely related to these games.  One of the most famous is World of Warcraft.  Players are able to interact both in the game world as well as forums and community sites.

Then, there were significant advances in social networking.  The first modern, general social network  recognized is Friendster, which was founded in 2002 and is still very active.  Friendster has over 90 million registered users with 60+ million unique visitors each month.  Another major social network, Hi5, was established in 2003 with 60 million active members and is popular primarily in parts of Asia, Latin America, and Central Africa.

In 2003, LinkedIn was founded with goal of becoming a social network devoted to business.  Initially, LinkedIn allowed users to post a profile and to interact through private messaging.  Also, LinkedIn believed that in order to connect you should personally know the person.

At the same time, MySpace was created and grew to be the most popular social network in the world in 2006.  On MySpace, users could completely customize the look of their profiles.  Over time, MySpace evolved to allow instant messaging between users and to include real-time status updates with news feed showing friend activity.

Building off the idea of MySpace, Facebook was created initially as a Harvard-only social network in 2004.  By 2008, Facebook surpassed MySpace.  Facebook continues to integrate other features and to create new features.

In addition to these social networking sites, there are many others social networks - include niche social networks, company-sponsored social networks, media sharing, real time updates, and lifestreaming and lifecasting.

Since social media is pervading our lives, we must recognize this and determine our strategy of how we want to utilize social media for our own personal edification and to create an impact for the greater good.

The history of social media presented above was adapted from http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/10/the-history-and-evolution-of-social-media/