Facebook for Dummies

Some people simply should not have a Facebook. Some people like Michael Baker of Jenkins, KY should probably pick up a book about what not to post on Facebook.

Baker was arrested Monday after illegally siphoning gas from a police vehicle. Not only did Baker siphon gas, but he posted a picture of it on his Facebook profile!

Now, I just have to wonder what was going through this guy's head. According to an International Business Times article, Baker did not apologize and admitted to stealing gas. He spent a night in jail and will most likely be fined.

Have you ever witnessed something someone posted on Facebook that they shouldn't have? Share your stories!

Draw Something- Another Reason Not to Pay Attention

Draw Something is the newest app that everyone seems to be raving about. It's an app that is much like the game Pictionary... for your phone and it allows you to connect with friends. The app recently hit 50 million downloads in 50 days according to the Mashable article.

While I am a Draw Something obsessed player just as much as the next person, I'm not sure apps like these are such a great thing. Yes, they keep us entertained. Yes, they're fun to use to connect to friends. Yet, what are they keeping us entertained during? Are you picking up your phone during a conversation to draw your next stick figure?

I think apps like these will be the downfall of face-to-face socialization as we know it, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Facebook Photos Reach China

Finally, Facebook photos have made their way to China... for now. A site called familyleaf has made it possible for families in China to see Facebook photos of their loved ones in America.

According to the Mashable article, the familyleaf co-founder, Wesley Zhao, believes the Chinese government has let these photos slip through on purpose. "The Facebook photos content delivery network is still available because the government is concerned about people organizing protests. Photos are not going to rile up protests," Zhao said.

However, I have my own opinion. If Facebook photos start slipping through to China, then what's next? There's always the possibility of something else making its way around. After all, who says a powerful photograph can't start protests?

I see this site being blocked just like the ones before it. Familyleaf allows people to "add family members" to their accounts by simply plugging in their email... much like "adding a friend" on Facebook. On Familyleaf, people can also "write on your board"... Facebook allows people to "write on your wall." I'm no expert but if Familyleaf continues to have features similar to Facebook, China will block it as quickly as it blocked every other social networking site.

Busted by... Cellphone?

How long will it be before our new media can be accessed by anyone for anything?

In a recent Indiana drug bust, police used cellphones in order to gain the owners' phone numbers according to Mashable. Having access to cellphone carrier's numbers allowed police to gain access to the call history. According to Reuters, the call logs led police to the illegal drug operation.

Now, why should police be allowed access to a cellphone without a warrant, but not a computer? Today, many phones could be compared to a computer you can carry in your pocket. Well, the judge of the trial linking to the drug bust decided that the cellphone is more like an address book or diary. In his opinion, police can look at cellphones at scenes only to get the carrier's number, but they cannot look through texts or anything else on the phone.

Personally, I believe this is just another gateway to limiting the people of our "Free Nation" to having privacy. Yet, I am conflicted because if there were a drug bust near my home and they found cellphones I'd say, "Get the criminals and go through their phones to find the others!" Obviously, there's a double standard in my mind that I can't get past.

So, what do you think? Should police be allowed to grab your number if you were busted?

Pinterest... a fraud?

Bloggers and news sites around the states are talking about one particular subject today. Pinterest.

Pinterest is a site that is designed like a pin-board where people have begun planning weddings, sharing craft ideas, styling themselves, and many other things beyond belief. So, why are people talking so much about it today?

Well, a new question has risen. How is Pinterest making money? There are no visible ads or places to donate. CBSDC's website spoke to Pinterest user, Ingrid Sanden, "With no apparent advertisers displayed anywhere on the site, it leaves Sanden feeling skeptical about every user being real; thinking Pinterest possibly creates fake accounts to suggest certain products." 

Questions arose when it was discovered that Pinterest has become "the fastest Web site in history to break the 10-million-visitors-a-month threshold."

Personally, I wouldn't care if Pinterest is making money by creating fake accounts. I love pinning on Pinterest because there is finally a site where I can laugh, have fun, and not worry about other people's drama or everything about their lives. I have been able to create some really fun boards on Pinterest displayed in my picture. Check it out!

So, will Pinterest continue to gain traction or fizzle out? What do you think?

Facebook Timeline and Privacy

   

     If you haven't heard about Facebook's new timeline, then you are in for a treat... a scary treat in my opinion. Yesterday, Facebook announced that they would be changing everyone's profile to the dreaded timeline feature. This timeline shows everyone everything that Facebook has on you from the past few years.

     Now, I'm not sure how everyone else feels, but I definitely don't want to be checking into my past much less have everyone else nosing around in it. Luckily, Mashable has published an article all about the new timeline. It includes "28 Essential Facebook Timeline Resources."
     While it's good to see what this new Facebook is all about and all of the features it includes, my favorite is the section on how to maintain your privacy. Personally, I do not want everyone seeing my life story on this thing... I was 18 once. While it doesn't seem like a piece of cake to have some privacy with the new timeline, here are some tips from Mashable.

In the end, I will probably delete my beloved Facebook. What will you do and what do you think of the newest timeline look?

iReport Milestone

     iReport of CNN reached 1 million registered members today. It seems that CNN is very proud of this and I'm sure this benefits them in many ways.

     For those of you that don't know, iReport is a "compilation of news items submitted by citizen journalism," as defined by CNN. In other words, anyone can post things about news from around the world. 
     I have a few reservations about this website, but I haven't really come to an ultimate decision on how I feel about it.
     On one hand, it's great that it allows people to share what's going on around the world and let's us see what we might not always be able to know. On the other hand, some "news" will be biased and we can't read up on the people posting to see if they are credible sources or not.

How do you feel about iReport? Is it beneficial or destructive to the media world?