Bloggers/Tweeters Not All Bad

So, we discussed in class some of the negative effects that rogue bloggers can have on society or on a particular company.

But blogs and other social media have also given a lot of individuals a voice -a voice they might not otherwise have had - to do a lot of good for the world and their communities. I'm thinking specifically of the "Twestivals" that have been in the news recently.

Twestivals took place in dozens of countries over a 24-hour period in February. Users of Twitter (essentially a mini blog service) organized these gatherings to raise money for the nonprofit organization "Charity: Water" (Charity: Water digs wells and provides water and sanitation services in developing countries). Event organizers publicized their events and recruited attendees through Twitter. On the evening of the events, many of the attendees were tweeting live from their local event. Some made challenges like "I'll give $250 to Charity: Water if 25 new people become my Twitter "followers".

The last update was that Twestivals raised more than $250,000 for Charity: Water through these grassroots Twitter efforts.

Examples of utilizing new social media for public benefit are numerous. Blogs and Twitter have given people and issues a voice and megaphone they might not otherwise have had.

Second Life

Unlike many in our class, I had a pretty interesting experience in Second Life, including witnessing some public affection, being bitten by a vampire, and dancing a little disco.

The first thing I did in Second Life was teleport to Korea. When I got there, I came upon a group of avatars hanging out on the sidewalk watching a female avatar breakdance. To my surprise, a couple of avatars in the crowd began humping each other and playing songs like "Oh, me so horney." It was kind of weird.

Then as I was walking away from the crowd, a vampire bit me. I became a vampire and one of the BloodLine clan of vampires. I have the two red teethmarks to prove it.

Right before leaving Second Life, I went to a disco and did a little dancing. The disco "animated" me, and I was able to choose from a number of different dances to do like "Chicken", "Butt-shaking", "Club", etc.

Overall, I ran into a lot of people in Second Life who just seemed to be standing around, hanging out. Might be some significant business opportunity here, but too soon to tell.