Entries Tagged 'Student Online Reputation' ↓
August 24th, 2011 | Facebook, Google, Legal Issues, Online Reputation Management, Parenting, Privacy, Quick Hits, Research, Student Online Reputation | Rob Frappier
In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about Google’s historic settlement over illegal ads, how social media use is linked to higher levels of substance abuse in teens, and what Facebook’s new privacy settings mean for users.
–
In one of the largest settlements in U.S. history, Google has agreed to pay $500 million in damages after a Department of Justice investigation determined that the company violated U.S. laws by allowing Canadian pharmacies to advertise and sell drugs to U.S. consumers. Google has suspended this practice and apologized for the advertisements.
According to a new survey commissioned by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, teenaged social network users were “five times more likely to report using tobacco (10 percent versus 2 percent), three times more likely to say they used alcohol (26 percent versus 9 percent) and twice as likely to admit using marijuana (13 percent versus 7 percent).” It’s important to note that the survey doesn’t show a causal link between social media and substance abuse, but that certain elements of social networking can contribute to relaxed attitudes about alcohol and drug use.
In an article for HR Magazine, Paul Deakin argues that screening job applicants based on their social media profiles causes hiring managers to prejudge candidates unfairly and should be banned. Quoting Deakin, “By their very nature, social networking sites are not naturally respectful of privacy, reputation and control which is something both HR professionals and job applicants should take into account.”
According to The Register, “Microsoft has deleted code on its MSN website that secretly logged visitors’ browsing histories across multiple web properties, even when the users deleted browser cookies to elude tracking.” These so-called “supercookies” are practically impossible to opt out from and have drawn considerable criticism from privacy advocates.
The Wall Street Journal’s Digits blog has a good report on Facebook’s new privacy controls and how they will affect Facebook users. Reputation.com shared a first look at Facebook’s new privacy controls in a blog post yesterday.
August 11th, 2011 | Facebook, Legal Issues, Online Reputation Management, Parenting, Privacy, Student Online Reputation, Twitter | Rob Frappier
In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about Twitter’s new features, why sexting is an issue for schools (even if teens disagree), and why Rebecca Black of “Friday” fame had to drop out of school.
–
Twitter is rolling out a handful of changes to its popular micro-blogging service, and many of them appear to be taken from social networking kingpin Facebook. This article from MSNBC describes the new features and why Twitter users may like and dislike the ability to see more information about who is interacting with them and what their followers are doing.
In a feature for the New York Times, several teens share their thoughts on sexting, the practice of sending nude or sexually provocative photos of oneself to others via mobile devices or online. Disturbingly, the teens interviewed don’t seem to think sexting is a big deal, even as they acknowledge that the photos routinely get shared with the whole school. For instance, one teen says “About three photos go viral each year and a third of the school sees them.” Simultaneously, however, teens don’t understand the ramifications of sexting. At the end of the article, a different teen is shocked to learn that sexting is actually against the law.
While teens may not think sexting is a big issue, educators and lawmakers disagree. For instance, should two teens who send nude photos back and forth be charged as sex criminals? This article from the Northwest Indiana Times discusses a new Indiana law that clarifies the issue of sexting, making it more difficult for children to be arrested and charged with child pornography for sharing nude photos with their peers. The article also discusses how texting and social media have contributed to bullying, and some of the steps schools have taken to discourage online harassment.
Rebecca Black, whose embarrassing music video Friday caused her international fame (or infamy) after racking up millions of views on YouTube, recently revealed that she had to drop out of her school after being bullied about the song. Black, who is now being home schooled, continues to maintain a positive attitude, saying “one thing that you can’t do is let them stop you from doing what you want to do.” The Internet celebrity singer is now trying to build a real recording career.
Several weeks ago, the state of Missouri banned teachers from interacting with students on social media websites. Since that time, educators and parents have been trying to work out the specifics of the rules, and figure out a way to keep positive interactions from getting swept aside by a blanket ban. This article and segment from The Early Show on CBS talks about the first amendment issues at stake in Missouri’s decision as well as other ways that parents can help keep their children safe online.
July 11th, 2011 | Facebook, Google, Online Reputation Management, Parenting, Privacy, Quick Hits, Student Online Reputation, Twitter | Rob Frappier
In today’s Quick Hits, Groupon has made a big change to its privacy policy, early Google+ users are optimistic about the service, and some thoughts from NPR on kids and social networking.
–
Groupon Changes Privacy Policy to Collect More User Information
In advance of its upcoming IPO, the group discount company Groupon is increasing the amount of data it shares with third party companies. Groupon announced its privacy policy changes in an e-mail to customers on Sunday. According to Cecilia Kang at the Washington Post, Groupon said it would “expand the categories of “personal information” it collects and shares with partners, such as Expedia. Now, Groupon will share data on interests and habits with third-parties. Other information it shares includes contact information, relationship information, transaction information and mobile location information.”
Oakland A’s Suspend Pitching Prospect Over Twitter Updates
The Oakland A’s have suspended top pitching prospect Ian Krol for an offensive tweet involving a “gay slur along with some other offensive language.” This is not the first time that an athlete has been suspended for his social networking presence, but Krol’s low follower numbers make this an interesting story. At the time of the update, Krol only had approximately 90 followers. While 90 people is not a significant audience, the A’s organization determined that anything Krol said, no matter how many people he said it to, reflected on the A’s organization as a whole and that a suspension was necessary.
10 Safe Social Networking Websites for Kids
NPR writes about social networking websites for children and how there is a growing demand for such services. Quoting the article, “The need is undeniable; the market potentially huge and lucrative. Companies are gearing up for this gold rush by creating websites strictly for children and websites that allow parents to create profiles for their kids.” The article then lists 10 of the better known social networking websites for kids, including YourSphere from fellow ABC 20/20 Web Avenger Mary Kay Hoal.
When Should Children Join Social Networks?
In another NPR article on social networking for children, Linton Weeks discusses the appropriate age for kids to join social networking websites and how some parents are approaching the issue. Weeks’ article does a good job of discussing the various dangers involved with social networking for young users as well as the possible benefits, citing a number of academic sources.
Understanding Google+ Privacy Settings
As Google’s new social network, Google+, continues to roll out to a larger audience, many tech journalists are on high alert for privacy slip-ups. So far, Google has done a good job with privacy on Google+, earning mostly positive reviews. As the product becomes more popular however, there is potential for even one confusing privacy setting to turn off users. This article in the Wall Street Journal discusses Google+ privacy settings and where the company may run into some problems.
June 29th, 2011 | Facebook, Google, Legal Issues, Online Reputation Management, Parenting, Privacy, Quick Hits, Social Networking, Student Online Reputation | Rob Frappier
In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about the Google+ Project and delve into the lives of Australia’s hard-partying, Facebook-sharing teens.
–
Yesterday, Google rolled out its long-awaited social networking feature, the Google+ Project. Initially, only a handful of people were given access to Google+. The folks at Business Insider were among the early users, and they have broken down the entire Google+ Project into 29 slides. If you’re still waiting to check out Google+ for yourself, Business Insider’s tour is a great way to learn more about the product.
One thing that Google has been getting high marks on with Google+ is the company’s deference for user privacy. In an article for CNET, Declan McCullagh writes that Google+’s “Circles” feature makes it easier to group your friends and selectively publish online content. McCullagh also notes that Google+ also has significantly fewer privacy settings, making it easier for users to customize their Google+ accounts than their Facebook accounts.
Two years after a New York man left a violent, Fight Club-inspired Facebook rant against an Apple store, a judge has decided to throw out the charges against him. On his Facebook page, the man wrote he “might walk into an Apple store on Fifth Avenue with an Armalite AR-10 gas powered semi-automatic weapon and pump round after round into one of those smug, fruity little concierges,” which is nearly identical to a similar line in the book Fight Club. This incident highlights how one individual’s online content can be misconstrued and cause significant reputation problems.
This article in the Sydney Morning Herald offers a disturbing glimpse into the wild, alcohol-fueled lives of Australia’s 17 and 18-year-old teen girls. While the article goes into a wide range of issues surrounding this hard-partying set, one element of the story is worth highlighting. According to the Herald article, these girls not only party, but document every moment of the party to share on Facebook the following day, with no regard for the reputation consequences.
Quoting Gordian Fulde, the director of emergency medicine at St Vincent’s Hospital, from the article: “And these days, if a girl goes out and gets trashed and vomits, maybe even ends up in emergency, they freak out at the time but you can see that they’re getting a badge of honour. The next day the photos will go up on Facebook.” Setting aside the many health risks of binge drinking, this “badge of honor” can quickly become a scarlet letter for these girls as they move on to college or into the adult workforce.
According to the MIT Tech Review, via Forbes privacy blogger Kashmir Hill, “if you’re not making efforts to anonymize your Web browsing, you may be leaking information to your competitors when visiting their websites.” Kashmir goes on to describe how businesses can track and log IP addresses to their websites and determine who is visiting and from what company. In a highly competitive market, it could be damaging if a competitor learned that you were investigating a specific product or service through your unfiltered IP address.
June 6th, 2011 | Facebook, Internet Safety, Legal Issues, Online Reputation Management, Privacy, Quick Hits, Student Online Reputation | Rob Frappier
In today’s Quick Hits, we share an unusual story from Germany as well as some news on social networking legislation.
–
California Social Networking Privacy Bill Rejected for Second Time
California State Senator Ellen Corbett’s hotly debated Internet privacy bill was recently rejected by the California Senate for a second time. The bill, SB242, would have forced social networking websites such as Facebook to require users to opt-in to information sharing prior to joining the website. According to the San Jose Mercury News, lobbying by Internet companies played an important role in the rejection of the bill. On her part, Sen. Corbett promises to “vowed to continue working on the issue and organize a summit on Internet privacy.”
A 16-year-old girl in Hamburg, Germany, didn’t have such a sweet sixteenth after more than 1500 people showed up for her birthday bash. The party, which was accidentally listed as a public event on Facebook, drew a wild bunch of uninvited guests. According to Businss Insider, ”11 people were temporarily detained, several girls wearing flip-flops cut their feet on broken glass and a garbage can was set on fire” during the night’s rather unusal festivities.
In an op-ed for the New York Times, Jonathan Zimmerman writes about the growing number of incidents involving teachers being suspended or fired for inappropriate online comments. While some of these teachers have supporters, Zimmerman believes that “by supporting teachers’ right to rant against students online, we devalue their status as professionals and actually make it harder to protect real academic freedom in the classroom.”
In an op-ed for the Denver Post, Lisa Wirthman writes in support of the Do Not Track Kids Act of 2011. In her article, Lisa says that the bill would improve upon the existing COPPA legislation because it would “include mobile devices and add new privacy protections to prohibit tracking of kids’ online activities for commercial purposes without consent” as well as “require ‘Eraser Buttons’ to allow teens to delete personal data.” The Do Not Track Kids Act is one of the more closely followed bills related to online privacy in Congress.
