Response to Notes 6

Generally I wasn't planning on pinpointing any one topic. I wanted my blog to be more vague than not. I saw this article and was instantly intrigued by the title. Who would have thought that police could catch people in the action on the Internet just of what they may or may not post, or who or who they befriend? I think this was really helpful because it helps me to see that social networking isn't all bad, like some may think it is. It can be used for good, and apparently for catching the bad red handed. It's obvious to me now that those who have a Myspace or Facebook; if you're in trouble with the law in any way; be careful what pictures you put up on your profile, what conversations you have, and what you actually post on your page. Nothing on the Internet is private.

Notes 6. Police use social networks, fake profiles in investigations.

Law enforcement officials are recently getting their own personal profiles on Facebook and Myspace. Because of how out of hand this industry has become, they believe that a lot of people will befriend anyone who requests them. Who doesn't want to meet someone new? Over half of the 14-area law enforcement in Boston admitted to the fact that they do indeed use social networking to collect evidence of discussions of illegal activities to photographic evidence of crimes, including underage drinking and vandalism. More and more police are making fake profiles under fake names even though the network says that creating a false profile is against the Terms of Service. Though most people probably have nothing to hide, it's still happening.

Response to Notes 5

Hearing the economy is going down hill is a bit of a scare for most people in small businesses. Certain things are going to get cut out of peoples' lives that they don't think they need as much as they think they did. This article was really enlightening to know that online networking is still up and running, and will hardly be phased by the economic crisis. It's nice to know that not all expenses are being cut down, and it's even nicer to know that online networking is one of those that are not being cut down.

Notes 5. Social Networking Still the #1 Growth Area in Online Marketing

It is very well known that the economy isn't doing so well. A lot of people are giving up certain things so they don't have to pay as much money, and can save more. When asked if online networking would be one of those things, 33% of small businesses stated that they would probably pay just about the same as they are now for online networking. Only 5% reported they would pay less. What is that telling us? That online networking is bound to have a good year. Costs are certainly being cut elsewhere, but maybe, just maybe, online networking is a bit better off than other areas of the economy.

Response to Notes 4

I've heard this being said for a long time now; since last year. At first I didn't believe it to be true, but recently I've begun to change my mind. This article helped me see that a lot of companies, (almost half) will look at your Facebook, Myspace, or any other social network, or personal profile you might have before they even bother to contact you. I understand how that can possibly be good if you profile portrays what the job you applied for is looking for in a person. On the other hand, and the more dominant hand. I understand completely of how it could be extremely bad for you as well. Being a teenager I know how it is when people want to show off what they did last weekend for fun. I can only imagine what a 22 year old, who's looking to have a good time, but also looking to find a long term career would put on his or her personal profile. This article really helped me to understand if you're going to have a personal profile of some kind to be extra safe, than to not be safe at all. The safest way to avoid this is to not have one at all, but I'm sure that won't happen.

Notes 4. Prying eyes. Be Smart about your online profile.

Because there are smaller budgets and less staff companies are increasingly using peoples' personal online networks' for hires. Lauren Miller is very careful when it comes to her friends posting inappropriate pictures of her, or posts on her wall of her Facebook page for the fear of not being hired, or being fired. Social networking sites allow you to post as much information as you want about yourself. They allow you to join certain groups which can tell how you're feeling at that time, or how you feel about a certain subject. A complete stranger could know more about you than someone you've met in person just the day before. It is possible to tweak your settings so you can control who can see what on your profile. Anything you post online, though, can become public with the right hacker. There are ways for it to be good and bad. It could be good for someone who is looking to recruit you to look at your profile and see your interests, and become more interested in hiring you. On the flip side, your profile could be inappropriate for the work force, therefore you probably wouldn't be getting hired by those companies that check personal profiles before actually contacting the person.