In today’s Quick Hits, we touch on NCAA social media policies, why the anti-Facebook might not take off, and why 1981 might be a cut-off for privacy expectations.

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University of North Carolina Develops Tough Social Media Policy

The University of North Carolina athletic department has implemented a strict new social media policy to prevent players from ruining their reputations and embarrassing their school online. According to ESPN, the UNC rule stipulates that “each team must identify at least one coach or administrator who is responsible for having access to and regularly monitor the content of team members’ social networking sites and postings.”

Op-Ed: Why Diaspora is Doomed

This op-ed from The Telegraph explains why Diaspora, the so-called anti-Facebook, might be doomed to failure. According to the author, despite Diaspora’s improved focus on privacy, there simply aren’t enough reasons for users to join another social networking site when they are already occupied with Facebook, Twitter, and other online endeavors. Quoting from the article, “There are already too many networks and services fighting for our attention. (Am I really going to log in to yet another social network to upload the photos I don’t want to share on Facebook?) And this fancy new architecture simply doesn’t matter to most people.”

Twitter Begins Using OAuth for Third-Party Authentication

Today, Twitter began using OAuth instead of basic authentication for third-party applications. Twitter’s switch to OAuth will hopefully allow for a more secure user experience and prevent users from getting tripped up by spammy third-party Twitter applications. There is a catch though. With OAuth, third-party applications will not be asking you for your password but that still doesn’t mean you shouldn’t exercise caution about which applications you approve. Always remember that once you approve a third-party app, you give it total control over your Twitter account.

Teens Log Off from Facebook Because of Parents

This article from CBS News touches on the growing trend of parents following their children on Facebook. Rather than framing this as a good thing that could help parents remain involved in their kids lives, the focus of the article is on how college-aged Facebook users are rejecting their parents and, by default, rejecting Facebook because of the perceived “intrusion” into their lives.

Loopt CEO Says Privacy Expectations Change For People Born After 1981

In a recent article for the New York Times, Loopt CEO Sam Altman said that “the magic age…where we see a big change in privacy settings and user acceptance” is people born in 1981. According to Altman, the difference in user acceptance between those born before 1981 and those born after 1981 explains why the location-based social networking services haven’t taken off to the same extent as other social media technologies.

Reputation.com was recently featured in two articles for TheStreet.com, one of the web’s foremost destinations for personal finance and business news. The first article, Web of Lies? Brands Hire to Secure Reputation, focuses on corporate reputation management and how businesses both small and large are turning to reputation experts to manage their brands online. Reputation.com CEO Michael Fertik is quoted in the article.

The second article from The Street gives advice on how to Control Trash Talking With Free Online Tools. The article highlights Reputation.com’s forthcoming free tool, ReputationAlerts. With ReputationAlerts, users will receive periodic e-mail alerts offering insight into their online reputations as well as updates on exposed personal information such as their age or home address.

As explained in the article from The Street, “Future iterations of the product will include ratings of your social influence and the public’s general perception of you, based on how others portray you on the Web.” Check back to the Reputation.com Blog often for more information on the official launch of ReputationAlerts.

In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about why you shouldn’t use Facebook while you’re in a jury, how geo-location services could be the next big thing, and what a free market economist thinks of privacy regulations.

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Juror Removed from Trial Over Facebook Post

A Detroit-area judge removed a juror from a trial after defense attorneys pointed out a comment on the woman’s Facebook wall claiming that the defendant was guilty before the end of the trial. The woman wrote that it was “gonna be fun to tell the defendant they’re guilty.” The offending remark was discovered by the defense attorney’s son who works in his mother’s law office. He was doing Google searches for the members of the jury pool. It is possible that the juror may be found guilty of contempt of court for her actions.

Facebook Tied to Narcissism in Small Psychological Study

Mashable recently reported the results of a small survey of 100 college students, which showed that “young people with narcissistic personality traits were shown to exhibit Facebook activity that was distinctly more self-promotional.” The study specifically cited “About Me” sections that referred to the individual’s intelligence and photos that “were more about displaying the user’s physical attractiveness than about capturing memories with friends.” Given the subjectiveness of these qualifications, it would be a stretch to say that Facebook is for narcissists, but there are some interesting correlations.

Services Help People Disconnect from Social Media

If social media has taught us anything, it’s that people like being connected. But not everyone wants to be connected 24/7. That’s why a number of services have popped up in recent months that allow social media users to mute, block, or manage their Twitter followers and Facebook friends. This article from the Washington Post highlights some of the most popular of these services.

Geo-Location Services Still Await Wide Adoption

With the emergence of Facebook Places, geo-location services looks like they’re set to become the next big thing in social networking. They’re not there yet though. According to Forrester Research, “4 percent of Americans have tried location-based services, and 1 percent use them weekly.” This article from the New York Times discusses some of the obstacles faced by geo-location services, chief among them being the issue of privacy.

Paul Rubin: Ten Fallacies About Web Privacy

In today’s Wall Street Journal, Paul Rubin, an Economics professor from Emory University, discusses “Ten Fallacies About Web Privacy.” Rubin approaches the subject from a free market perspective, arguing that overly stringent privacy regulations are a detriment to the economy and hurt consumers. It is an argument that we have heard before, and we don’t entirely agree with, but Rubin argues his points well and the op-ed is definitely worth reading.

In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about the “Anti-Facebook,” how Google is ready to monetize real-time search, and Apple’s creepy predictions for future iPhone technology.

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Diaspora to Launch on September 15th

The founders of Diaspora, or the so-called “Anti-Facebook,” have set September 15th as the launch date for their new social networking website. Diaspora was started by four New York University students in response to anger and unrest over Facebook perceived privacy problems. According to Wired, the Diaspora project aims to “create a social network that puts users in charge of their own data” The founders themselves describe Diaspora as a “privacy-aware, personally controlled, do-it-all, open source social network.” Whether or not Diaspora can make any kind of dent into Facebook’s massive userbase remains to be seen, but it certainly demonstrates that privacy is not an afterthought when it comes to social media.

Google Expands Real-Time Search

Google has expanded its real-time search capabilities yet again. According to the Wall Street Journal, Google has developed a new service called Google Realtime Search, which “can be used separately from the company’s main search engine to help people find the latest Web conversations on regional and global hot topics.” Google, along with rival search engine Microsoft Bing, has been investing heavily into real-time search throughout the past year, striking search deals with both Twitter and Facebook. Google Realtime Search will make it easier for Google to place ads in real-time search content.

Major Increase in 50 and Up Social Media Users

According to new research from the Pew Research Center, “between April 2009 and May, the percentage of internet users 50 and up who said they use social-networking sites has risen from 22 percent to 42 percent.” This increase is significantly higher than the comparable increase for the 18-29 year old demographic (a mere 13%). With an increased influx in older users, including parents and grandparents, many younger social media users have had to learn how to manage their digital identities more scrupulously.

Apple’s Disturbingly Orwellian Patent Applications

Apple is known for pushing the boundaries when it comes to consumer technologies, but are their latest patent applications predicting a far too Orwellian future? This column from Evan Schuman at CBS News discusses Apple’s recent patent applications, which discuss, among other things, the iPhone’s ability to “use a consumer’s heart rhythms to not only confirm that person’s identity but analyze vibrations to determine the kind of transportation that person is likely using.”

Another patent application talks about automatically using the camera to “take a plurality of photographs of the surroundings of the electronic device” in order to “identify distinguishing landmarks in the photographs and determine the location of each photograph based on the identified distinguishing landmarks.” Even creepier, “The photograph can be taken without a flash, any noise or any indication that a picture is being taken to prevent the current user from knowing he is being photographed.” Hopefully, by the time Apple’s technology actually evolves to this complexity, consumer privacy laws will be strong enough to protect users.

Reputation.com CEO Michael Fertik recently began contributing to the Harvard Business Review. In his first article, Fertik offered 15 Hyper-Practical Tips on Starting Your Own Company. In his second contribution to the publication, the Harvard Law School graduate shares tips on effectively managing workers who are older and have more experience.

Check out portions from some of Michael’s tips below.

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Load them up on context. Even more than with other colleagues, you should over-communicate your company vision, industry objectives, and company-wide targets. This should be the number-one focus from the first recruiting day and should remain so for the duration of your relationship.

Avoid getting too granular. The excellent senior manager will take it upon herself to apply the context you provide to the mission with which you have charged her. Expect as much, and she will feel respected and fired up.

Let them know that you are working long and hard. Even accomplished, self-motivated senior colleagues won’t work harder than you will for very long. Send emails early and late. Invite meetings on weekends and at odd hours. Be in the office or online all the time…Expect them to be working long and hard, whenever it is, and make sure you are always doing more than they are.

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For the complete versions of the above tips, as well as many more useful suggestions for managing older managers, check out Michael’s full article at the Harvard Business Review. And keep your eyes open for more articles from Michael Fertik in the future.