The first avatar I spoke to was Cassie Kass, a woman I met at a convenient store early one morning. This women had what many might consider the ideal women’s body – a body with curves in strategic locations. Kass was wearing tight, hig-hugging jeans and a sleeveless blouse that was v-cut in the middle to expose her chest. When I asked this woman why she was dressed this way she said, frankly, “because I like it and because I can.” I took this answer to mean more than it might seem in words. Kass chose the clothes she did because she has the freedom to do so (especially in Second Life) and so she took advantage of the opportunity.

After talking with Kass a while longer I learned that they way her avatar looks in Second Life is not an entirely true representation of how she looks in real life. This reinforced my belief that people send subliminal messages through their avatars. Perhaps the appearance of the Cassie Kass avatar is a representation of what the creator of that avatar wishes she looks like, or finds ideal, in the real world.

The second avatar I had a conversation with was Leeroy Wheatcliffe. I met this avatar at the Bay City Municipal Airport. Unlike the first avatar I interacted with, who, although dressed inappropriately, was dressed in “normal” clothes, this avatar was in a costume. He carried a sword and was covered head to toe in an outfit that made him look like a wolf.

Through discussion with Leeroy Wheatcliffe I learned that he too was dressed the way he was because, simply put, he could. He is taking advantage of the freedom of Second Life to be someone he cannot be in real life and has chosen to live vicariously through his avatar. Second Life is giving Wheatcliffe the opportunity to live a fantasy life that he otherwise would not be able to do.

Here is a snapshot of my avatar, Warren Collazo:

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What is all the buzz about. Or,  should I say, what is all the (Google) buzz about?

On Friday, February 9 2010 Google introduced Google Buzz - a social networking and messaging tool from Google, designed to integrate into the company’s web-based email program, Gmail (via Wikipedia).

To get a brief introduction into exactly what Google Buzz can do check out this video:

Here is the unveiling of the platform during the introductory press conference:

Initially, most people seemed unsure of whether the “buzz” was much ado about nothing. Even now, after it has been a full week since the launch, it seems Google Buzz has taken off like most would expect a Google product to do.

What I took from the introduction of this new social media platform is this: It seems everyone is trying to create the one platform that allows people to do “everything.” I mean, Google certainly has enough money to purchase sites that already exist, but each site only serves a niche of the social media market.

Facebook is still at the top of the social media mountain, but there are several competitors chasing them. With each top company competing against one another it only, in the end, helps to make greater products…which is good for me (the consumer).

Perhaps one day Facebook, Twitter, Google Buzz, and any other platforms that emerge will morph into one. Scary to think what that might be like. Until that day, though, I will stick with my Facebook and Twitter accounts. I can only update so many accounts and learn the ins and outs of each program. Either way, it seems the growth of social media is likely continue before we ever see its demise.

Initially, most peoples’ opinion (and, admittedly, mine as well) was that the iPad was nothing more than an giant iPod Touch/iPhone…or, as I referred to in a tweet, an iGiga (see original tweet). Giga, of course, is a play off the word nano, which refers to something small in size. But now I am beginning to think differently about the iPad…

Upon further review, I have decided that the iPad is great…and the possibilities are endless. In my opinion, much like with Twitter, it will be the users of the iPad who truly define how the device is used. Here are just some of the possibilities that I can think of:

Saving the publishing industry. This includes magazines, newspapers, and books
Presentations on the go. Instead of having to bring a folder full of papers you carry one 10″ tablet.
Sync with the iPhone. Imagine being able to play a card game where players, with their iPhones, sit around the iPod, and “fling” their cards from their iPhone (their “hand”) to the iPad (the “table”).

At this point there are many questions, and not too many answers. The iPad, as all Apple products tend to be, is sure to revolutionize the technology industry, and society as a whole. But there is one other question that the introduction of the iPad should raise:  will the iPad cause a decline in smartphone sales?

To learn more about the iPad, check out this video:

Now, I’ll give you my take on the situation:

Social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, etc), without question, is changing many forms of media as we know it – not only how media, in this case news, is disseminated, but how consumers receive information as well. To give a quick example, take Twitter. News publishers, say the New York Times, can provide links and “tweets” about breaking news stories, updated coverage, ask poll questions, and do a host of other things all through one program. For followers of the New York Times on Twitter they can then decide whether or not they would like to follow the links that appear in the news feed. Even more, they have the power and ability to decide if they want to “follow” the New York Times in the first place. If they do, this is also a change in how the media operates. No longer are media corporations able to decide who reads their content. Rather, it is the consumers’ choice to decide, or “aggregate” the content that appeals to them, often from many different sources.

Here a few example of popular news aggregators:

Google News
Digg
Popurls
Twitter

Aside from aggregating (AKA, collecting or gathering in mass) news, social media also has transformed news consumers in news producers. YouTube is a perfect example. Any person can post a video of any event, and in most cases, do so before a major news corporation releases one to the public.

But, if you’ve read this far, you are probably asking yourself what else social media is changing besides media. Well, here it is: the term, and concept, of being social.

As I have always understood it, being social is to interact with others in person, face-to-face. However, as social media continues to grow on the internet (a place where, for the most part, people do not “see” others) it is creating a paradox with what it means to be social. Or it is beginning to create an entirely new definition. I mean, you can spend an entire day on the computer going from Facebook to Twitter, email to IM, YouTube to Flickr, communicating and exchanging information with others without actually seeing the person, or even hearing him/her speak. So, is this still being social?

Most people would say, especially before the advent of “social media,” that any person who spent the entire day on the computer was antisocial. Now, though, more and more communication is taking place over the internet, behind walls. We might be meeting more people, but how many of those people do we really know? Social or antisocial, whatever it is that you consider yourself as you spend hours at your computer, it seems the two are merging into one.

Like I said, social media is changing more than the media business. Facebook, in 2009, gave us the word of the year in “unfriend.” To learn the dictionary definition of Twitter, go here. So, maybe the social media revolution that is currently enveloping our lives will produce new words and a new language…although, I’m not necessarily sure that would be a good thing.

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After reading Julie post, “Overwhelmed,” coupled with my own extensive use of social media, I couldn’t help but think, is social media taking over society?

I know, that might seem like a rather ambitious accusation, but I don’t find it to be too far fetched. Consider these few videos that further depict the current revolution we are in:

Social Media in Plain English

Social Media ROI: Socialnomics

Social Media Revolution … (You’ll have to forgive me, I used this one in an earlier post. It’s just too good).

Still not convinced? Follow this link to learn more.

If you really want my opinion, I think that social media is becoming the way of life. I fear to say that it is “taking over” as that, to me, carries a negative connotation. Yes, many might argue that social media is reducing worker productivity and personal security and is an addictive source for gossip and online hate, but consider what business and industry has been able to do with the technology.

Go here to see what social media can do for business.

Lastly, social media is giving individuals an opportunity to be seen, heard, and better understood by millions upon millions of people around the world. If that is something you are interested in check this out.

The question of whether social media is taking over people’s lives is a difficult one to answer. In many cases, it depends on the individual. However, it is clear that there are many benefits to using the social media tools that currently exist…starting with, of course, the fact that most programs are free!

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Twitter and Facebook continue to grow and succeed at informing you of what your closest friends, family, peers and colllegeaus are doing. But aside from learning what they are doing on a day to day basis, what is likely the one thing you most likely turn to them for: advice and their opinion (sorry, I lied, that was two things).

Lets say you are a college student and are not from the area that you go to school. Well, you want to go out to eat on a Friday night but you don’t really know what the best places are or even what to expect anywhere else. What do you do?Text your friends? Call them? Facebook chat them? Perhaps.

New sites such as Yelp, Gowalla, and Foursquare, provide reviews of local restuarants, bars, stores, etc., all based on the location you choose. Just as it is done on movie review sites, people who visit the restaurant (for example) that you serach provide brief, concise reviews on their experiences.

So does this have anything to do with your friends? Heres how: Google is now entering the local search arena with a Google Local – a search engine comprised of local reivews, including those offered by your closest friends, family, peers, and collegeauges (as I mentioned above) as the post them on any of the number of popular social networking sites; Facebook and Twitter, of course, being the most popular.

To get a better understanding of what Google Social Serach does and can do, check out this video:

It seems that, although social media allows people to connect with many others, at the same time close realtionship are being depended upon even more.

To learn more AT&T Buzz, which has not yet been released to the public, go here.

Here is a review from AppVee.com of the Yelp app for the iPhone:

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To help explain what I mean, take a look at this:

While this is just a picture of a man asleep on the job, it is also much more that; MUCH more than that. The picture above is a sign that social media can be, and IS, everywhere.

Imagine you decide to take a quick “power nap” at work and your friend, thinking it would be funny to play a joke on you, takes a picture of you with your head down at your desk with his/her cellphone and posts that picture on your Facebook for all your friends to see. Or lets say you happen to be at a nightclub and see a famous celebrity behaving mischievously (sure, maybe a far-fetched scenario, but possible nonetheless). Either way, the point is this: social media is taking over lives. What you think, say, and do can be broadcast to millions of people without you knowing. First impressions are now 24/7.

Social media lets us connect with friends, network with professionals, and learn more about the world, but is it also becoming a way to build a better society? Think about it, now that much of the Internet has seen the man pictured above sleeping at his desk, people are now likely to think twice about what they say and/or do.

It is definitely a close call, and perhaps a matter of opinion, as to whether social media a betterment or detriment to society, but because it doesn’t look as though it will be going away any time soon, I think people will begin to choose their actions more wisely.

To take a line from Papa Johns (a personal favorite of mine – the pizza that is), here is my take on social media (at least when it pertains to matter such as the subject of this post): Better choices. Better society. Social Media.

Well, there is now more reason than ever to believe that the answer to that question is yes.

Apple sent this invitation to the press indicating a special product launch on January 27. Take a look at the invite:

I, for one, am extremely giddy about the possibility of Apple releasing such a device. I mean, it will be an Apple device so, much like the iPhone, Apple is likely to create a device that not only makes a bold statement but one that forces other companies to create the highest of quality products. And secondly, newspapers, books, magazines, etc. are likely to benefit enormously from the iSlate…er, iGuide…well, the Apple tablet.

Whatever the name, just imagine what can be done with the device. As the graphic on the invitation might suggest, perhaps Apple is planning to use the tablet as a design medium for artists, designers, etc. much like the products Wacom creates.

Or, as this rumor on The Inquisitr suggests, Apple’s device will takeover the Ereader market currently occupied by Barnes Noble. With a 10″ screen (which is the rumor) the Apple tablet will likely be able to deliver magazines, newspapers, books, and other publications in color, displaying images and graphics, both static and interactive.

Will the Apple tablet be just a larger version of the iPhone? Will it be a new e-book reader that competes with the Kindle and Nook? Will it be a fully-capable Mac computer that is entirely touch screen? Or, will it be a combination of all of these? If Apple’s product history is any indication, whatever niche the device serves it is likely to be of the highest quality and set new standards.

Although there has been no confirmed image of the new device (Apple is very good at keeping secrets), here is a rumor from Gizmodo.com:

The two former terms, of course, belong to Twitter – the micro-blogging social media website. The latter is Facebook’s newest feature, and it’s response to Twitter’s popular retweet – or RT – feature, which allows users to share the best links “tweets”  found from others using the service.

According to Mashable.com, to use the “via feature,” just go to a friend’s posted item in your news feed, click “share,” and you’ll see a “via [your friend’s name]” (with an option to remove it). Once shared, the item will appear on your profile, with a via link that points to your friend’s profile. Your friends will also see the item in their News Feeds, creating the viral loop that is the Twitter retweet.

Go here to learn more.

It is important to note that, at this time, Facebook’s newest feature only works for posted links – you can’t “via” someone else’s status update or photo.
The addition of this new feature goes to show that, despite the contrast in services offered by the two social media giants, Facebook and Twitter continue to mimic one another. For example, because Twitter offers up to the minutes updates on what people “are doing now,” Facebook added a live feed. Twitter allows users to link another user in their status. Facebook added @mentions. The list goes on (including, most recently, Twitter’s answer to Facebook connect.)

Although each site continues to dominate its own social media niche, with the two sites continuing to blend together, it makes me think that only one can eventually remain standing. I guess only time will tell.

I apologize for the new, unfinished look of the blog, but I am just getting started with the site. Give me some time and I will have things running smoothly.

In the mean time, check out this video. It provides some staggering figures on the evolution of media as it continues to enter, in both greater number and influence, the social realm.

Check back soon for a new post!

RC