Thoughtpick: A unique perspective of the Web and social media...
A unique perspective of the Web and social media...

November 6, 2009

Interesting: The Boom of Social Sites Visualized [image]

A fun visualization by Focus magazine about …“the explosion of social networking sites over the past decade has facilitated a transformation in the way we communicate with each other. Here’s a list of some of these communities with over 1 million users, both active and defunct.” It’s ironic how I almost never heard about most of the sites on this list!

Do you think there are many other active social communities that we don’t know about? How many of them can help your business? And what is the best way to choose between them to best fit your business needs?

[read full article >>]

Filed under: Web News — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Beirut @ 9:00 pm

August 6, 2009

Social Media Dead in 2020: May it “Rest in Peace”!

Has social media “worn out its welcome“? Are people getting tired of social media? Is social media changing who we are? Are the arguments against and the threats imposed by social media able to bring it down to its knees? How long will social media users tolerate the negative effects of utilizing its sites, tools and channels?

A brief introduction…

Yes I admit it: I'm a Twitter Addict!

Yes I admit it: I'm a Twitter Addict!

I’m a dreamer and have always been since as long as I can remember. A common activity dreamers partake in is continuously wondering about the future: What is it going to be like? What are the things that are going to change or become obsolete? Is it going to be better or worse? And so on…

A few days ago, while carrying out a tremendously boring task, the idea of the future came to haunt my thoughts and I found myself strangely wondering about social media in 2020 – I might need to emphasize that working with a team of geeky computer addicts contributed to this!

As I thought of social media, I drifted off to my childhood days and recalled the need to buy a certain toy or another, play with it and then, just like that, throwing it away and forgetting it even existed! In some ways, I think what it happening with social media users is similar! To social media new comers, every single tool, site or channel represents a toy; a new discovery, a fresh challenge and an intriguing experience yet the question which we ought to ask is: For how long could this interesting social media last, given all the issues social media is facing and the problems it’s creating, day by day?

A Deeper Analysis…

To prove my unbiased opinion, it is rather essential for me to mention that I am who you may like to call a social media “addict” (please see figure above). I developed habits such as checking my Mixx, Twitter and Facebook accounts every single morning before my coffee, during the day and right before I lay my head down to sleep. Come to think of it, I truly believe that many of my dreams revolve around social media as well!

So, why do I believe social media will be dead is 2020? Here is a list of reasons that I’d like to share with you:

  1. Identity Alteration: Although many of us do not recognize the seriousness of this issue, the fact of the matter remains to be that our personalities are constantly being altered or even more so sabotaged through the prolonged use of social media. Since you can choose to be whoever we want, impersonate whomever you desire and say almost everything on your mind, it is rather easy to forget who you really are and get lost into the image that you have created online!
    [read full article >>]

August 3, 2009

Should Twitter, Youtube & Facebook be Banned from the Workplace?

Do social media tools, channels and sites pose a threat to the quality of work produced in the workplace? Do we realize the actual negative outcomes of using social media within working hours? Is it morally unethical to spend a portion of the 8 to 9 daily working hours utilizing social media for personal use? Do you think social media use should be completely banned from the workplace?

The Web's top visited sites are social media sites - should they be banned at the workplace?

The Web's top visited sites are social media sites - should they be banned at the workplace?

Whether it be Facebook, Mixx, Reddit, Digg, Youtube, Twitter or any other social media channel of your preference, it is a fact that most of the tools, sites and channels, which flourished as a result of Web 2.0, are of a time-consuming nature. Naturally, if you are to waste your own private time working around those channels; sharing information, watching clips, meeting new people, chatting or listening to music, then it would be acceptable. But what about when your utilization of those channels gets out of your own room, home and free time and steps into your working hours?

The way I see it, and from personal experience, unless your job description dictates that you utilize social media for public relations, marketing, promotion, engagement and interaction with potential clients, social media could cause severe discrepancies between the quality of work you do and the quality of work that should be achieved!

Why would that happen?

Allow me to present you with the 5 top reasons why I am completely against the use social media within the workplace: [read full article >>]