Ok, before you scroll this article and subconsciously (or outwardly!), say “What the ____?,” allow me to explain…
I started a sort of project (for fun) last fall, in ascertaining what is important to people on the Internet and they submitted their own versions of mini-blog posts. Now, you can read them, yourself, by clicking on the “expand” buttons, below, in each block (blog post). It is minimally-edited so you are reading their thoughts, “as is.”
This is technically called a “crowd-sourced” blog post, as a whole, because it is the contribution of many different people, authors, though leaders, and general people of our global community (which is cool!).
[su_note]I have to stop and do a shout out for one of my favorite people (and dear friends!), Ann Smarty! She is always coming up with brilliant ideas, isn’t she! (Except I get credit for getting her going on Twitter Chats.. I pestered her until she did so and now look at how successful she is with them!But, my shout out relates to her project, MyBlogU. It is a built-in application that you can use to build your own crowd-sourced articles! And, they don’t have to be as complicated as I’ve made this one! This one is the result of my over-doctoral-candidated mind (meaning I spend too much time in research!). Ann keeps it simple for you 🙂 So, why not head over to MyBlogU and try it out for yourself! (No, Ann did not pay me to write this and, in fact, doesn’t know I included it!)[/su_note]
So, the question is, “What does matter to us on the Internet?” Is it news? You will find some of those, below, in the words of the anonymous bloggers. Is it entertainment? How about racey gossip or entertainment-on-the edge? What draws us to turn on the computer and start searching for stuff to read?
Fortunately, on my end, I am attempting to answer that. This time, through the use of analytics. Example programs include the newer “Moz Content” at only $59 per month (?). Do beware, my Chrome kept warning me that their site as unsafe, but I’m sure he Moz folks will get that fixed pronto. There is also the slightly more experienced BuzzSumo which has an added benefit of providing the Tweet counts that we miss so much. They are priced around $100 per month (I think).
So, how many of you want to join me on this journey? What journey? I guess I hadn’t specifically articulated that yet. The journey of comparing Moz Content with BuzzSumo to see which one gives the most bang for the buck, especially taking cost and ROI into consideration. You in on this one?
Oh, and after all the work these precious people put into submitting their blog posts, feel free to read them. They are not “current news” now, but they were probably “buzzable” news at the time. There was no contest or anything. I just appreciate them taking part in my unofficial “research project” on what interests people on the Internet. 🙂
Click the image (below) to tweet
Now for the mini-posts and perspectives from our global community, on what they like to read (or write) on the Internet.
[su_spoiler title=”Grand Jury Indictment Of Walmart Driver In Wreck With Tracy Morgan And Friends” style=”wood” icon=”caret-square” anchor=”first”]Kevin Roper is the truck driver that was driving the truck for Walmart the night that he hit the limo that was carrying Tracy Morgan and his crew. He has been indicted on ten charges including Vehicle Homicide, Aggravated Manslaughter, and Aggravated Assault. That accident was responsible for killing Tracy’s friend and fellow comedian James McNair (Uncle Jimmy Mack) and seriously injuring two others-Ardley Fuqua and Jeffrey Millea as well as Tracy Morgan. The grand jury decided Mr. Roper should be charged on ten charges after reviewing the case and all evidence of the accident from the summer of 2014. He has been charged with one charge of first-degree aggravated manslaughter, a second-degree charge of vehicle homicide, and two charges of aggravated assault for each of the four people injured equaling eight total charges of aggravated assault. The attorney for Mr. Roper tried to get the charges dropped from the accident but he was not successful. He then said that he felt the publicity over the settlement between Walmart and Mr. Morgan made it impossible for Mr. Roper to have a fair trial. Mr. Roper plead not guilty, even though he was driving the eighteen wheeler after not sleeping for over twenty-four hours.
Tracy sued Walmart after he was left with broken ribs, a head injury with brain trauma, a broken nose, and a broken leg in the limo crash. Walmart eventually worked out a settlement with Mr. Morgan based on being accused of being negligent and careless after negotiations went on for several weeks.
The National Transportation Safety Board found after an investigation, that Mr. Roper had actually been awake twenty-eight hours and had been driving for fourteen hours straight, was speeding, and was exhausted when he hit the limo with Mr. Morgan and his comedian friends in it. They also found that he did not slow down before hitting the limo, even though signs were posted on the turnpike saying to slow down. The Safety Board also found that Mr. Morgan and friends were not wearing seat belts and that they had adjusted the head rests in the limo before they were hit which contributed to their severe injuries. Mr. Morgan took almost a year to recover and be able to function after the wreck. The judge said he will review the grand jury transcripts and then will set an arraignment.[/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”The Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Have Watched Bindi Irwin on Dancing With The Stars Season 21″ style=”fancy” icon=”folder-1″ anchor=”second”]Thanks to Social Media you will be able to catch a glimpse of Bindi Irwin dancing her way through season 21, right from your computer. Watching through Facebook or You tube would have been a rare experience in 2005 when DWTS started, as both companies were just getting launched. Here are some reasons why you should on demand that latest season of DWTS.
10.Curiosity
The sole reason I tuned in to watch. It is easy to be curious about how the daughter of such a captivating man, Steve Irwin ,turned out.
9.Admiration
It doesn’t take long to fall in love with this Australian sweetheart. How can you not admire such a beautiful soul.
8.Fearless
The same fearless little girl who spoke in front of millions at her fathers memorial service shows up on DWTS each and every week.
7. Electric Energy
Bindi has the most electrifying energy and the only person who could rival that is her father, Steve.
6. A Great Example for Children
Watch the show with your children as it will teach perseverance over adversity. Bindi’s can do attitude not only got her through the death of her father but, landed her in the winners circle on DWTS.
5. Her Biggest Supporters
You can see the pride and tears in both mom Terri and brother Robert’s eyes when they cut to their reactions, after each dance. Pass the Kleenex please!
4.Her Father is There
You can feel the presence of Steve Irwin coming right through the television. The judges often mention it as well.
3. She is a Winner
You can feel it the moment you turn on the show, a winning personality and an unstoppable approach.
2. Gives Her All
There is not one mediocre dance on her part, throughout the entire season. You can clearly see she lays it all on the line, whether at rehearsal or showtime.
1. You Need a Good Cry
If you need it, You will get it. This season is packed full of emotional moments from many of the dancers but from one in particular, Bindi. You can’t help but cry tears of joy, sorrow, togetherness and love when you see the videos of her and her family. Who doesn’t need a good cry once in awhile?
https://web.archive.org/web/20221018060945/http://www.crocodilehunter.com.au/crocodile_hunter/about_steve_terri/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0463398/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook[/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Three Unknown Masked Individuals Shoot Five Near Black Lives Matter Protest” style=”wood” icon=”caret-square” anchor=”third”]Social Media continues to give the best, up to the moment news of injustices happening all over the United States and abroad. Years ago it took twenty four hours or longer to get access to an important story. Because, of just how quick things trend over the internet, we now have a much better chance at protecting the civil rights of all. Last night was no different, when yet another shooting occurred this time in Minnesota.
A peaceful black lives matter protest has ended after five are shot. The shooting occurred on a neighboring street while a protest was going on in the parking lot of a police department in Minneapolis. It is not known exactly what happened but currently it sounds like three masked individuals entered the crowd of protesters.
One of the protesters, Oluchi Omeoga told the Associated Press that they ” weren’t supposed to be there” It is unknown at this time if they were definitely not associated with the protest. The first thought is that they had nothing to do with the protest and were there for dark reasons. However, that has not been confirmed or denied by local authorities.
The protest was in response to the slaying of a man without weapons, a little over a week earlier. He was 24 year Jamar Clark. There are rumors swirling that he was handcuffed when he was taken out by a deadly bullet in what is possibly another case of police brutality. Without the release of the video, speculation is all that can be made currently.
In terms of the five people shot last night it appears that three were taken to the hospital and none had life threatening injuries. Apparently all we know now, is that the three masked men left the crowd and were followed by a few protesters. More details will be coming as the story evolves.
Black Lives Matter,formed and has been protesting tirelessly since Trayvon Martin’s killer walked free in 2012. It is an effort to stop the blatant racism across this country of all black people no matter who they are. Social media has given us the opportunity to hear these stories, band together and fight for all things right, equal and just in this world.
Reference
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mbvd/people-shot-near-black-lives-matter-protest-minnesota#.xuxPaPp0R[/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Vaping Replaces Smoking Drastically In 2015″ style=”fancy” icon=”folder-1″ anchor=”fourth”]
Vaping is the process of applying heat to a liquid to produce vapour. It is the alternative to smoking, and in 2015, a lot of smokers quit smoking and opted to vape. Compared to smoking, vaping is considered less harmful because, it does not leave one with bad breath. It also has less likelihood of causing cancer or other smoking diseases, no cigarette burns and dirty ashtrays are a story of the past.
Vaping like smoking is not allowed in all places, there are places, however, designated for vaping.
In Britain, the e-cigarette sales saw an increase by 24%.http://www.buzzfeed.com/saraspary/people-are-turning-to-e-cigarettes-instead-of-quitting-smoki#.ejg4PAGeK
During the annual anti-smoking campaign held by Public Health England, it was evident that a large number of smokers opted to turn to vaping as an alternative. Few smokers quit entirely, and a small number also turned to other alternatives like using patches. It was derived from research conducted by IRI, a Market Research Firm.
Compared to 2014 there was a 1million decrease in the number of quit-smoking aids sold in 2015 in the UK. Blu, which is an e-cigarette brand had a recorded a sales growth of 347%.The brand is now owned by Imperial Tobacco.
The Vaping community continues to grow, and industries that produce tobacco in bulk are benefiting from this growth. These industries include Camel, Marlboro, and Richmond. That Tobacco is toxic is is an agreed fact. However, the effects of vaping are still a topic under discussion considering e-cigarette can be given different tastes such as mint strawberry, etc.
Scientists across the globe although not confirmed are linking the increased cases of cancer to vaping. Tobacco producers, on the other hand, are dismissing these claims since they are not proven, and they regard to them as rumours. It is the same old story of science versus business again.
According to a study conducted by Veterans Affairs San Diego HealthCare, some e-cigarette brands contained toxins that can initiate growth tumour. Public Health England gave e-cigarette stamp of approval in August 2015 they said in a report that it is 95% safer than smoking.
It is important to provide smokers with alternatives that will help them quit smoking for good rather than giving them an option that still is risky.
According to anti-smoking Group founded by the Royal College of Physicians, vaping is a way out of smoking but the involvement of large tobacco produces is a major concern.
[/su_spoiler][su_spoiler title=”Chris Brown Is Back In The Headlines But Is It Something That Pop Sensations Should Deal With?” style=”wood” icon=”caret-square” anchor=”fifth”]Chris Brown has been one of the unfortunate stories that we hear about thanks to the trending stories all a buzz on social media formats such as sites with the same name an original article can be found here at the site itself. Chris Brown is once again being the subject of many quips heard around the internet and probably not for the best reason but, it should not surprise us after famously being charged as one to assault singer Rihanna less than a decade ago.
Taking a photo of a pop icon can land a person in hot water
- Unlike someone who is taking a picture of almost anyone else
Most celebrities see it as a rite of passage but, apparently Brown felt his privacy was slighted and he once again got the urge to assault another, allegedly.
- It brings to question whether a celebrity should have the same rights as someone in public
In normal life it is unlawful to go up and just take a picture of someone. If they don’t want their picture taken. Although I often argue that giving birth to you means it is my right. So what makes celebrities fair game to be photographed? Perhaps, just that, they are celebrities and it kind of goes with the public love for all things flashy.
- Take a picture and become assaulted
It still does not give anyone the right to assault another person and when a celebrity crosses that line or is accused of it must be investigated to the full extend of the law and is currently being done in Las Vegas after someone at a private party took a picture of the cagey Chris Brown, only to become assaulted.
Would any of the rest of us snap a picture of the trouble making celebrity?
It is actually something that is quite likely. If a celebrity is seen and excitement ensues a photo is snapped, perhaps he deserves the same peace as the rest of us or perhaps he does not, it is certainly a matter of debate. The law will speak where it must but, many of us in, Wow there is a celebrity lets take a picture land might not consider the consequences of taking a photo. I certainly bet the victim will not make this mistake again.[/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”The Three Main New Characters From Star Wars: The Force Awakens” style=”fancy” icon=”folder-1″ anchor=”sixth”]The latest Star Wars movie has lots of great characters that everyone loves, but there are three characters that play the most important parts in the movie and are key to the story line, they are:
1) Rey-Daisy Ridley plays the character Rey which is from the planet Jakku which is a far off desert planet which is in the Western Reaches, she is not from Tatooine as everyone originally thought. She scavenges in a graveyard for ships where she lives, she is independent, takes care of herself without depending on anyone and keeps to herself. They never say who her parents are but she was five years old when she was left on the planet of Jakku. The planet is filled with the junk left over from a war so she had to learn to make due for herself so she has learned to do mechanic work, be a warrior, and learned to be a pilot. Because she has never been anywhere else, she does not know about all that is out there in other galaxies and what all has gone on in the world around her. She has lived in a wrecked AT-AT and has scavaged to make it by pulling parts from the various ships left after a war.
There are a lot of things that are very similar in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: A New Hope. For Rey, The Protagonists Start Out On A Deserted Planet-Luke’s parent’s abandoned him on the desert planet of Tatooine and Rey is also left on a deserted planet-Jakku-by her parents.
2) Finn- John Boyega’s character is the first key character that is shown in the movie. He is a human who is trying to stay a secret from everyone else and is in imminent danger, it will change everything in his life as he ends up in the Star War’s universe as a stormtrooper. He was known as eight-seven, and was involved in the First Order Storm Troopers, he was the best until he left to fight against them as part of the Resistance and then became “Finn.”
For Finn, the similarities are: He fought with the saber that belonged to Luke and Anakin Skywalker and Rey and Finn are both given Luke Skywalker’s light saber in both movies.
3)Poe Dameron-Who is a character that is played by Oscar Isaac, he is a human that is a great X-Wing Starpilot for the New Republic Star Fleet. He decided he wanted out and then later became part of the Resistance and was known as Black Leader when he was an operative for General Leia Organa. He flew a special, T-70 X called the Black One and became a pilot like his mom, his parents were part of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. He is the one that shot and blew up the weapon of the Starkiller which ended up saving the Resistance.
In both movies a cute droid is given something that is important to deliver, in this case Lei helped R2D2 get away with the message that was supposed to be for Obi-Wan; in this movie Poe helped BB-8 get away with the missing piece of the map to Luke Skywalker.
http://www.cinemablend.com/m/new/Star-Wars-Force-Awakens-3-Main-Characters-What-You-Need-Know-70924.html
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Rey
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Finn
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Poe_Dameron
18 reasons ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ will remind you of a movie you’ve already seen
[/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Affluenza Teenager-Ethan Couch Was Given A Going Away Party Before Running From Police” style=”wood” icon=”caret-square” anchor=”seventh”]The teenager who was given probation after killing four people when he crashed into them while driving drunk, ran away with his mother to Mexico. He missed his probation meeting in December and right after that was shown in a video on twitter playing a beer game with his friends which is a violation of his probation. You may remember that his attorney used the defense of having “affluenza,” being too spoiled by rich parents and not having a sense of responsibility for his actions. Somehow the court agreed when they asked for leniency and he only got ten years of probation instead of the twenty years of prison time he might have gotten and the prosecutors wanted. Tonya Couch and her son Ethan Couch had a going away party for themselves before leaving in a black pickup for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Investigators were able to track Ethan by his cell phone usage on his phone and were able to capture them on Monday. Ethan Couch was originally arrested in 2013 for that crime and was given probation which he has now violated since he didn’t show up for his probation appointment and ran with his mother. Ethan is now eighteen years old and could now be required to do that ten years in prison as well as have charges brought against him for violating his probation as well as fleeing from authorities. His mother also faces charges of hindering the authorities from capturing her son, as well as other possible charges. Now the police are working with authorities in Mexico to bring them back to Texas to face charges. The truck had already been seen as well as the license plate on the news so they were able to be found. He will be returned to the juvenile jail since the case started when he was a minor and his mother will be taken to Tarrant County jail. The authorities said they were not surprised that she helped him escape because she never wanted him to be held accountable for his actions. Police are still waiting to see if his father also helped aid them to get away from authorities. The District Attorney is asking that Ethan Couch be put in an adult jail and be tried as an adult and possibly be given a ten year sentence for each death from the wreck which could end in a forty year sentence.[/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Class Action Lawsuit Against Wen Hair Product” style=”fancy” icon=”folder-1″ anchor=”eighth”]Social media, is an excellent place to find all things recent and sometimes what you find is quite disturbing. Have you ever met a night owl? I would consider myself one,once in awhile at least. Night owls love to stay up late and quite often they become hypnotized by that once tubular screen. It starts out as a trip down memory lane with their favorite sitcom and eventually becomes a trip to the mall through the television. No really, it does! They mention all types of products from the vintage chia pet to celebrity proven products for skin.
If you have heard the name Guthy-Renker they are a well known infomercial company and they own the Wen line of hair products. There is a class action lawsuit against the product line with over 200 women claiming that the product made them lose their hair. Some, on their first use, they put the shampoo in and clumps of hair came falling out. This is not cheap shampoo, it is around $30 dollars a bottle. Maybe they hit the wrong niche and should have marketed it as a leg hair removal product, too late for that.
This brand has mentioned that Brooke Shield is a user of the product. It was invented by Chaz Jean, who is not a fan of normal shampoo. Now in the companies defense they have had great success and when they spoke to Buzz Feed they mentioned they will be fighting the lawsuit. The lawsuits are not coming from just one state but, many and some are mothers suing on behalf of their children.
According to Buzz Feed the news spread from one social media site to the next and the company should have know it was happening. There are pictures all over social media of the results after use. The company remains adamant that there have been millions of sales and these women could have lost their hair from unknown health conditions.
Only time will tell what happens and if it is proven to be an issue of bad hair products or coincidence. It would be interesting to find out if the accusations have slowed down the sale of the product? It may turn out to be a bogus claim but, I like my hair and will stick to my drug store $1 a bottle shampoo until they do.[/su_spoiler] [su_spoiler title=”The Trending News of Kevin Hines and His Story” style=”wood” icon=”caret-square” anchor=”ninth”]Recently, on social media news, a man has decided to spread suicide prevention awareness by sharing his story of how he attempted to commit suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. This man, on December 9th at 8:00 pm, posted a video on BuzzFeed of how he attempted suicide. Ever since this video was posted, it has gone viral to receive many comments and likes.
Kevin, the man who attempted this, has found new meaning in spreading awareness on how to prevent suicides. Kevin currently has a website called the Suicide Ripple Effect. Kevin is now a global speaker who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the young age of 19. His disorder encouraged him to take the giant leap off of the Golden Gate Bridge. By some miracle, Kevin was the 1 percent that was able to survive the fall.
Years later, in 2012, Kevin received a Lifetime Achievement Award for using his own hurtful experience in order to prevent it from happening to anyone else. Kevin has been using social networking as well as news stations in order to make his website and non-profit organization bring in more of a public.
When looking up this gentleman, I was stunned to see that he had transformed from being in a world of pain to being in a world of hope. I watched one of CNN’s clip and was heart broken to learn his story.
Currently on Kevin’s website, there is a list of resources that can be used to prevent suicide. These following resources are:
- The National Suicide Prevention Hot-line
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- Suicide Awareness Voices of Education
- Veterans Crisis Line
- National Council for Behavioral Health
- Mental Health America
- National Alliance on Mental Illness
Kevin Hines personally suggests everyone of these suicide prevention resources. He realizes that coming out about any problem is difficult, but since he has been in the same position, he asks those who need help to ask for help.
Over the past 13 years, Kevin has been creating documentaries and books about his experience. Kevin Hines does not want to see anyone else end up the way he would of ended up if luck was not on his side. Kevin Hines, the survivor of the Golden Gate Bridge jump understands pain and sadness, but wants to mend those feelings and turn them into positive ones.[/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Anything You Like Article” style=”fancy” icon=”folder-1″ anchor=”tenth”]Since the advent of the Internet in the 1990s, the number of different communication types carried over the World Wide Web has skyrocketed. From humble beginnings in the form of “primitive” text e-mails to advanced phone and video capabilities, Internet communication has spread virtually everywhere on the planet.
The Internet is basically a type of “phone line” that carries data between the web server and computer. Early Internet access was made possible through a dial-up modem. In the dial-up process, an analog signal was carried through a phone line consisting of a pair of copper wires.
As Internet access has evolved from DSL to broadband to cable to wireless technology, opportunities have arisen for communication types that require a greater bandwidth. Modern Internet technology has generated more advanced forms of communication including instant messaging, chat, forums, blogging, social networking, audio and video conferencing, and VoIP.[/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Social Media is Affecting Uganda’s Presidential Election” style=”wood” icon=”caret-square” anchor=”eleventh”]In the United States we accept (or are resigned to) all the presidential candidates bombarding us with their messages on Facebook and Twitter as well as with email and every other form of electronic communications invented since smoke signals.
But the United States presidential candidates don’t have a monopoly on social media use.
It’s also big in Uganda.
According to the Uganda Communications Commission, over 9.5 million people subscribe to mobile phone services. That’s over half the population of 8 million. That 9 million figure is nearly two years old, so the current figure must be significantly higher.
With over 900,000 Ugandans on Facebook and over 00,000 on Twitter, clearly social media user by the population is increasing, no doubt driven by the spread of mobile phones.
By now, many Americans of both parties are already tired of presidential debates and the controversies that surround them. Maybe people in the U.S. have forgotten that how the candidates handle themselves can affect the election. In 1960 people who listened to the debate between Republican Richard Nixon and Democrat John Kennedy on the radio believed Nixon won. But for the first time, more people watched the debate on that new electronic media, television, and therefore saw Nixon sweat and look uncomfortable. It may have been one factor in deciding that very close election.
In this article, Colin Asiiwe predicts social media will have a great influence on Uganda’s next elections.
In January, Uganda held its first president, and made news when the debate’s hashtag #UGDecides16 became the highest trending on Twitter. The candidate who seems to have won the debate, Joseph Elton Mabirizi, is now a social media star. He and his hashtag AskMabirizi continue to trend.
From the outside of Uganda, we can’t judge how much that will translate into votes during the election, which is tomorrow as I write this. We don’t know what Ugandans who are not online think about him and the other candidates. We don’t know what people online are saying to each other or in their private groups in their local languages.
Still, people are clearly using social media to participate in their national debate on which candidate should lead their country moving forward. They’re excited, as they should be. It’s called democracy. That excitement, and the role social media is playing, is a harbinger of a great future.[/su_spoiler]
The End of the mini blog post… Until next time.