Vine

A very influential jazz composer, Charles Mingus, once said “Making the simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.” This is sure what Twitter is promoting with their new video sharing app called Vine. What is really unique about this app is that the videos you share are only allowed to be 6 seconds long. That’s right, 6 seconds. At first I thought it would be impossible to be creative in 6 seconds but to my dismay, it sparks a very unique quality with its users.

The prominent argument is whether or not the app will spur creativity or bewilderment. Twitter was once criticized for limiting its character count to 140. But one can argue that a constraint can inspire, inform, and benefit the ones reading the content. Vine is trying to do the same thing, but with videos. Dan Hofmann, Vine’s co-founder and GM, stated himself that the videos are meant to be a “shortened form of something larger.” We are a society that has been accelerated, we want everything at our fingertips and we want it done fast. Twitter is known for making your point and quickly doing so. The time limit on videos that Vine uses could profit its actual content. It turns video sharing into more self-made content rather than the same video clip done by different people over and over again. Thus, eliminating redundancy on the internet.

There are many users that are intrigued with Vine’s concept. It is very similar to GIF’s and some are calling it the Instagram of Video. But does Facebook think so? Definitely not, within hours of Twitter announcing the app, Facebook cut off the feature to find your Facebook friends on Vine. We all know Instagram was a great move for Facebook. Twitter could not compete and could not find any social network like it for photo sharing so why not give up on the battle and fight the war? What it comes down to is the simple question if Vine will succeed amongst the rest of its competitors. In my opinion and many others, Vine will make Twitter a stronger social network and bring their financial revenue up. Or it could cause mild seizures and make for great “I shouldn’t have posted that video” moment that we all love to see encountered.

So I am recommending that you try this app out. It is free and is currently only accessible to iPhone and iPad users. Users can link their Twitter accounts to it and start sharing. Go get creative!

By Ana Nickolaou

Socially Non-Profits

The American Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that knows what it is doing with social media. With over 700,000 followers on Twitter, the organization uses these websites to advance their mission and increase awareness for their causes. They tweet about natural disasters that are happening in the world, along with how to keep safe during it, and ways we can help when tragedy strikes. They are not the only nonprofit group that understands that web based PR is their best strategy. The American Cancer Society and the Humane Society follow in their footsteps as well.

                  Nonprofit organizations are an essential part of the social, political, and economic landscape of society. So if you are a nonprofit organization, simply having a profile on a social media site will not be enough. You need to increase awareness with careful planning and research. You have to think of a social media site as a channel of communication that can add value to your cause and your supporters. Tweeting or posting that allows viewers to share and discuss will help you gain awareness. Deliver quality information and allow users to share it on their personal sites. Nonprofit organizations need to inspire people. Social media can be used to move people and that is the main approach they should layout. Connect with your supporters by RT’ing, replying, letting them participate in polls and publicizing volunteer opportunities. Remember, sites like Facebook started to connect friends and family members together. Now it’s connecting their beliefs and what issues they support.

                  Even though nonprofits can gain a tremendous amount of value by using social media, they do run into some nuisances. Most organizations have a slow embrace of technology. They might not understand the practices and resources that social media allows. Learning the tools that are available with these sites is the key issue. Many are just not embracing the change that has occurred with the world of connecting online. This can seriously hurt a group that may be fighting for such an important cause.

                  All in all social media is dynamic in its very own way. If a nonprofit organization is smart they can utilize these sites to build awareness to their mission. With just a few tips they can empower a wide group of followers to their cause. By listening to their supporters and allowing the public to participate it will promote the cause and spark concurrence.

The New Myspace

 

I must say finding out about New Myspace was at first appealing. I mean, we all remember our old profiles, joined by that person we were almost a decade ago. It was the first social network to hit the mainstream and get recognized. The features included ranking your friends, creating bulletin boards, and joining groups to keep tabs on the latest drama at school. For our generation it was a new and exciting way to connect to our friends, but it quickly moved to the backburner as social networking emerged.  While the look of it is sheek and refreshing, it lacked some serious qualities. Now we are introduced to New Myspace, if you can even get access. That is the first major flaw, not many can even experience it yet. So here are the qualities of the new network you can look forward to, once the real world gets to test it out.

Like every other website these days, you can sign on using your Facebook or Twitter log on. It then shows your friends from those networks that also have Myspace and allows you to invite them to connect. You have the ability to transfer photos over quickly to update your profile. Friends are now called Connections, similar to LinkedIn. You add these connections to your library not your friends list. Your home page is now called a stream which scrolls sideways instead of up and down. At first, a little confusing, but it makes it look inviting to play around with. The stream page shows your connections and what they are up to like the latest music they are listening to. Now, probably the best feature of this new site is the Discover Tab. Sticking by its title it shows interviews, news, song premieres, covers, and soundtracks. If you like what you hear you have the ability to merge it into your library. Once it is merged there you can create mixes with your photos and the music you admire. Everything to discover is right at your fingertips, even allowing you to connect to artists to follow their latest news. 

Now for the downside, previously mentioned, not many can access it. I conducted some research on what others out there on the web think and I am afraid it does not sound promising. Most say it is hard to navigate. The side scrolling is too far-fetched and not easy to adjust to. There are no clear instructions on how to use New Myspace. It also seems like it is only targeting celebrity and entertainment junkies. When you first sign on to Myspace you are asked to choose if you are a writer, actor, and so forth. What if you are a single parent or a lawyer? You can certainly skip that option but then you feel like you are not really welcomed in this elite social network.

Now the real question is whether the New Myspace will last among its competitors. Will it be the new Facebook or will it quickly fade into the darkness like so many other one hit wonders? So if you get a chance, check it out. It might intrigue you like no other website.