Facebook Analytics

Running in Southern Utah can be pretty challenging to the uninitiated. There are strong winds, high elevation changes and scorching temperatures. As a newer runner to the sport, I realized that Southern Utah has a lot to offer and felt that it was important to share this information. This is why I decided to do this page. I am a member of the St. George Running Club and felt there was something extra to add as real world advice. I met with Steve and Kendra Hooper, the owners of the St. George Running Center to pitch my idea to them. They were on board, especially with the idea of testing current products that the store sells. So that is how the page began and continues today.

I began with a simple target market and persona's of people to attract. I focused on three types of people and an action plan to follow. This page is linked for additional insight to the projects goals.

The page has a simple logo that I created using typical Southern Utah colors. Similar to sandstone reds and oranges, black lava rock and sunshine gold. The banner shows a section of the St. George Marathon common to many search engines and promotional photos.

"About": This section gives a description about the purpose of the site. I focused on the aspect of the environment of Southern Utah and the popularity of the St. George Marathon.

Overview: The analytics for the last week. There were two posts combined that had a reach of over 200 people and 20 plus people engaging. This is a big improvement from last week. 

Total Page Likes: The last month average was 102 likes compared to the following month of 86. Looking back at the last few months, I added on average 20 likes per month.

Page and Tab Visits: This is important to note that the initial timeline can be the clincher to get viewers. For the last three months, over 90% of viewers clicked the "Timeline" tab and rarely did the "Info" tab get visited, on average of four clicks to the tab.

Your Fans: Total fan base and locations are displayed with a large majority coming from right here in Southern Utah. Fans are 75% women with most between the ages of 25-44. This confirms data that was reported about the increase of women Marathon runners. There was one like from Papua New Guinea, a large island north of Australia. This maybe a fake Facebook account that just likes public pages.  

Fan Base Reached: The reach went larger than I anticipated. When I did my practice ad, my reach was only to the western United States, where a large majority of runners were from. If I would have actually paid for it my reach would have been greater, as you can see from this link.  I have six different countries being reached now, the farthest being Bahrain and Japan. These views are probably associated with the Paupa New Guinea account or someone with a connection to our sister marathon in Ibigawa, Japan.   

Fan Base Engagement: I was happy with my engagement by users. I wasn't looking to get 10-20 likes per post, so my expectations were low. I knew there were going to be more likes, but the local residents who are connected with ties to the area were the most active. This could be because a few of the posts began right before, on opening day and after registration opened for the St. George Marathon, which most posts centered around.

Average Post Reach and Engagement: The "status" posts were the most successful with the "photos" being the less successful. The could be most "photo" posts were during the beginning of the campaign when likes were low. Now that likes have increased, a photo might be more productive. 

Total Post Reach and Engagement: The last two weeks has been where most of the reach has been seen. Prior posts were seen by less than 50 average people per day.

Individual Post with Reach and Engagement: The individual posts varied from "links", "status'"and "photo" which all had different results. The biggest thing I noticed was the differences between the kinds of posts. Like I mentioned earlier "status" had the largest involvement and likes, mainly because they were associated with a current race/event, I noticed this, but continued to post all kinds in hopes that the increased likes would offset the struggling posts. I will have to see if it makes a difference. There were 11 status posts, 9 photo and 7 links/shares and unfortunately two posts had no support. NONE, ZIP NADA. I guess that goes with the territory. I looked into then and haven't discovered a definite reason why.

Summary: This page has been a success to me considering this is the first time I have attempted one. I learned a lot about how people browse and when they browse. I am happy with the engagement because there are lots of groups, pages and causes that take up a lot of time in peoples busy schedules. I think that if I were to post on a daily or every other day basis instead of the 3-4 day average I would have more engagement and a farther reach. I can say personally this makes a difference in the groups I am in. I get too busy to keep up with all the groups I am in, so i only click on the ones that are showing up in my timeline.

As an additional note Kendra Hooper has agreed to be an administrator to the site. This means the page will continue forward with support from the St. George Running Center and the St. George Running Club.

BottleBand Product Review

I recently had the opportunity to test a product from a small Utah company called BottleBand. Their current product is a small handheld water bottle holder for short distance running and outdoor activities. Running in the cool winters and hot summers, it is important to stay hydrated with water close at hand. Why not have a product that is literally close in hand! That is exactly what BottleBand is, a bottle carrier for “Any Bottle. Any Time.”

Rubber for Multiple sized bottles.

The BottleBand is similar to many handheld water carriers on the market with one exception.  Unlike most standard carriers, that use a propitiatory bottle for that brands holder, this band adjusts to many sized bottle. Brands like Nathan, Amphipod, Asics and GoLite all offer molded bottle that are not interchangeable with other companies’ bottle. The BottleBand stretches to fit various sized bottles from the cheap 16 oz. Walmart brand bottles, to 32 oz. Nalgene bottles. The flexibility of choosing your own bottle or just grabbing one that you have around the house makes this the ideal product for your short runs and events.

I ran with a cheap bottle and when I was done, I was able to just toss the bottle and then slipped the band around my wrists with no trouble. One reviewer ran with a screw on capped bottle and found it a little difficult to take the lid off and on to hydrate. Recommendation was for a flip-up cap that is common on water bottle.

The BottleBand comes in over 20 different colors and with different sayings and symbols. They range from generic BottleBand name, distances like 13.3 or 26.2 up to Ragnar logos. There is also the ability on the website to make custom bands for race organizers, event planners or company promotions.

The con for a band like this comes in the simplicity of purpose. As a water carrier that is all it does. There are no pockets, clips, bands to fit a Gu, a key or anything else. Most other brands offer the ability to carry some extra cargo, but that adds weight and cost.

If you are running a short distance or taking a fun family trail hike, I would highly recommend it. On the other hand if you are running a 10K plus or needing more fluid, I would go with something to ensure you stay hydrated. The price point is $5.99 at the local St. George Running Center or $7.99 at Bottleband.net. At that price, it’s a great way to save some money getting one handheld carrier that lives up to the “one size fits most” mantra.

                

Contextual Analysis: The Most Wanted Man in Television.

Who is Jeremy Clarkson? If you have to ask you probably have been busy keeping your corvair from spewing gas from every rock that flips up or wondering where Walter White got that sweet aztek. Jeremy Clarkson, the main host with co-hosts James May and Richard Hammond are the life blood of the BBC’s most popular show. Top gear, hailed as one of the most popular factual program by Guinness Book of World Records, has a viewership of about 350 million in 212 countries.

Jeremy, known for is witty, yet abrasive sense of humor, has caused several controversies in the last few decades. Since 2002 Jeremy has been involved in many incidents and comments ranging from “little Hitler bastards”, Mexicans, Asians to mouthing the n-word, and homophobic slurs. It seems that nothing is off limits to Jeremy Clarkson. That includes verbal assault and physical violence to his fellow staff. 

On March 10^th while filming near Hawer, North Yorkshire, England, Jeremy returned to the Simonstone Hall Hotel to discover the kitchen closed and no hot food prepared. What waited for him were cold cut sandwiches which infuriated Jeremy. He verbally assaulted Oisin Tymon and then ended up hitting him several times for about 30 seconds. That 30 seconds was enough to crumble one of the most iconic television shows in history. 

This quite possibly could be the last episode of Top Gear produced. 

Jeremy was immediately suspended from the show, the upcoming episode that week was cancelled and the two remaining episodes of the season were pulled. BBC chairman Tony Hall announced an investigation into the "fracas" and would make a determination on Jeremy and the Top Gear show. This is when social media decided to take things into their own hands. The twitterverse quickly created  #bringbackclarkson as a way to start a movement to bring back Jeremy.

The Psychological context of this event was seen from all over the world as people react to this crazy event. There was anger, outrage and disgust that the BBC would suspend Jeremy, much less cancel the last two remaining episodes of the season. On the other hand many felt that Jeremy got what he deserved, were supportive of the actions by BBC officials. Clarkson supporters were so passionate about their loved Jeremy that they started an online petition to let the BBC know that they wanted him back. This support lead to the largest Online petition on Change.org. This single petition has set the record for highest signatures EVER at 1.06 Million signers. As a side note, a petition was started over a year ago to "Sack Jeremy Clarkson" with little success. Up to a month ago there were only 750 supports and then, as the Internet does, it got a little push and now stands at over 7,500 signatures.

Trending of Top Gear and Jeremy Clarkson

As I looked at the social context of the event Jeremy seems to be the one thing that sticks out like a sore thumb. He has been given so much power by the people, the company and society as a role model he believes that he is justified in his actions. As mentioned before, he has had numerous complaints and warnings for his behavior, but nothing has happened. Because there have been no major consequences, he begins to feel untouchable. The role of an actor and employee has become blurred and gives the image that "I can do anything" whenever he want. The company went through an investigation and determined that Jeremy Clarkson had "crossed a line", would not have his contract renewed and that he was no longer employed with the BBC. These types of incidents and rule breaking are typically not allowed or tolerated.

The cultural context really shines a light on the differences between The United States and United Kingdom. As a culture, the United Kingdom is believed to be more established and often considered more civilized in the world. They established and influenced many of the foundational beliefs of our country, but also paved the way for more "out of the box" thinking. The United States may be more powerful in influence, business and military power, but often times, as an ally, we look to the UK for input on a global level. The influence and power of military are one of the tools that countries use as a way to show power and dominance, so much so that the petitions that were signed and gathered were delivered to the BBC headquarters driven by a tank with "The Stig" on board.  

As a entertainment society things are just as different. The UK standards of television are a lot more relaxed than US standards often allowing more nudity. Top Gear has a international following, and also national icons in Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. Despite these icons, the BBC still followed through with action. If this was the US, most stars would get a slap on the wrist, given a warning or a temporary suspension. Very rarely are companies willing to fire arguably the most famous TV personality and risk losing $50 million a year and face heavy fines. US stars like Kayne West whose actions push the boundaries of stars behaviors, was not reprimanded, but idolized and glorified. This shows the differences between the two cultures with one saying we will not allow it and stand their ground even it it means losing revenue. BBC director-general Tony Hall issued a statement that sums it up saying: 

"Common to all at the BBC have to be standards of decency and respect.  I cannot condone what has happened on this occasion.  A member of staff – who is a completely innocent party – took himself to Accident and Emergency after a physical altercation accompanied by sustained and prolonged verbal abuse of an extreme nature.  For me a line has been crossed.  There cannot be one rule for one and one rule for another dictated by either rank, or public relations and commercial considerations."

The temporal context reveals how these events played out in real time. The incident happened the weekend of March 8th but wasn't reported until March 10th when Jeremy himself reported it to the directors. Within the first 24 hours after the cancellation notice, 300k people petitioned for Jeremy's return and the continuance of the last 3 episodes. On March 12th Prime Minister David Cameron commented on the event and by the 13th 800k petitions had been signed. On March 19th James May and Richard Hammond discussed continuing Top Gear stating they "didn't want to do it without Jeremy". On March 25 the BBC made their final decision to not reinstate Jeremy, Richard, and James's contracts, the Top Gear Brand quickly changed it's website banner, removing the three hosts and replacing it with solely "The Stig".

  
Since March, there have been two major developments in the story. First is the sudden backlash from the public and supporters of Clarkson. Death treats were made to BBC director Tony Hall, his wife and producer Oisin Tymon among others as Tony Hall and his wife went under 24-hour protection. Second was probably the best news Top Gear fans could have expected as this unfolded. Jeremy agreed to "keep quiet" about his firing in order to keep the ability to do the show "Top Gear Live", a live action motoring theatre show that was re branded to "Clarkson, Hammond and May Live".

In the last few hours (4/23/15) things have shaken up quite a bit in the Top Gear world. First thing that was reported was BBC officials promised to show the last remaining episodes with the help of some creative editing. Kim Shillinglaw confirmed that footage of Jeremy Clarkson would be used to create a show that would air this canceled footage. Secondly, James May has confirmed that he would not return to the show for Season 23 (if it were to continue) without Jeremy. Mays stated "it would be a bloody tough call to do Top Gear without Jeremy, that would be a daft idea" and remarked that "the BBC haven't completely closed the door on Jeremy's return. They've not banned him or fined him, only just not renewed his contract for the moment. Its a subtle difference but an important one". Lastly, as plans for the 23rd season were being made, longtime executive producer Andy Wilman resigned from the show. Andy helped to reinvent the show and create the current format that so many people have come to love. The future 23rd season will definitely turn out to be a completely different show with these new changes.  

I have had an interest in this show because it is my favorite TV show, Period. I do not agree with the remainder shows of the season being cancelled, Jeremy being fired along with Richard and James contracts not renewed. However I do have to respect the fact that what Jeremy did was not right and needed some sort of discipline. Social media played a large part of the press, because it showed that people were able to come together about something that millions of people value and take action, any action that was possible. The records of signatures on the petition shows exactly that. Unfortunately they were not able to make a difference in Top Gear, but I believe they were able to influence the Top Gear Live program. The BBC was willing to take a risk and stand up for its beliefs and morals and so I will support one of the hardest decisions in British television history.

Internet of Things

So I just watched this video that was sent to me from Amazon about this new Dash Button. This thing is a business owners dream. I find it interesting to see if it connects to your wifi, how you keep it secure and what happens if you press the button twice. This is a short post, it's late and I might add more later, but please comment and let me know what you thing? Would you use this?

Amazon Dash Button

UltrAspire Io Product Review

                         

I recently had the opportunity to test a new product from local St. George running company UltrAspire. Their products range from small handheld water bottles, and waist belts all the way up to full hydration backpacks for long distance running and biking. Running in the cool winters and hot summers, key items need to be close at hand.  The product is called the Io (get it!) a minimalist waist pack that offers a lot more than meets the eye.

Patent-pending Max O2 Waist™ attachment system.

The Max O2 attachment is like nothing I have seen before. I personally think it is great design, ease of use and uniqueness. Basically it is a bungee system with a hook that gives a wide variety of size options. The Large will work on waist 30”-41” and still be comfortable. I am a 38 waist and the Io gave me more and faster adjustability that my main waist pack. The adjustability comes from a locking clip that the bungee slides into that stays secure. It had excess bungee and there is a nice loop to tuck in any extra.

Minimalist weight and design.

The Io weights in at .11 lbs with a decent sized mesh band in sizes small, medium, and large with a large zippered pocket. The Io can even hold an iPhone 6 thanks to its gusseted pocket. I hardly noticed the weight carrying my phone, keys, Gu, ID and other trinkets. In addition, there are reflective points front and back to add visibility and safety.

Additional thoughts.

If I could make one change in the design, it would be in the zipper pull. It has a unique red plastic pull that kind of sticks out and if doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the design. Changing that pull to a smaller gray bungee pull similar to the Max O2 system would make the pull easier to grab, less likely to snag on a shirt and make a more cohesive design element.

I have really come to admire the products that have come from UltrAspire. I have seen them in action around Southern Utah, and can say they are a quality product. They focus on “comfort, fit, freedom of movement, function, and ease of access”. If you are running a race or taking a course that has water spots or dropped water, I would highly recommend this pack. On the other hand if you are running a cupless race, or going somewhere without water spots, I would go with something to ensure you stay hydrated. It is available at the St. George Running Center, located at 2736 E. Red Cliffs Dr. St. George or online at UltrAspire for under $30, that’s a bargain for a quality, easy to use product. 

Facebook Ad

My ad started just like every ad with a question. Who is my target market? I spent sometime playing around with this side of Facebook and I was really impressed. I almost feel like one of those hackers that spend time in the "Dark or Black" web. I think this because there is so much more under the surface than likes, links, and look at my cat/baby/outfit/food. So I started with the United States, then changed that to cover the western states. I did this because most of the runners that come to Southern Utah come here from a majority of these states. So offering something on a regional level seem like a good idea. I pick the average age of runners 20 to 60. If I actually do this ad, I will move the age up to 65, based on ages of Marathon runners. I know they are more experienced runners that would benefit from knowledge about St. George.

 I started adding the interest and they seeming to catch on fire. It seemed to going out of control with all the interest I was adding, but i felt justified adding them. Things like long-distance running, nutrition, physical exercise and weight loss. I added a section that focused on travelers and people that might be coming to the area and might enjoy a little fun run. I also tried to focus on people that weren't just running but also biking and outdoors things. this might be something that would beneficial as far was weather and hydration issues. Lastly I targeted to people that were friends of the friends that liked St. George Running Tips. I personally will like something if I have a personal friend that has liked it. So just random people that have no connections might not be receptive. This gives me a reach of 19,800 people.

I was giving the option use my own pictures or select stock pictures. I chose the latter, because i felt it added diversity for my ads. I picked 5 pictures other than my profile picture to be included in the ad. As you can see they all have running actors and elements, but having (I'm assuming) different photographers, it creates variety. My personal favorite is the group running shown from waist down. This is a common experience that most runners have, being elbow to elbow with strangers all united for a cause....Finish. I changed the text to target the heat aspect of running, as spring and summer approaches I know this will become a concern and factor. This gives you an idea about my ad.

Climate Controlled

Climate change, Global warming, freak weather patterns have become all the rage now that social media is the soapbox any Tom, Dick or Harry can get on and portray as being an "expert". Social Media, especially Twitter and Facebook, have been responsible for the constant barrage of outlandish stores of extreme heat and or cold. Recently a global warming protest was cancelled at Yale University because of the cold weather and snow. In Boston, the National Weather Service tweeted “Congratulations Boston!” for the 108.6 inches of snow the city received for the month of February. In 2014, an expert from the National Autonomous University of Mexico predicted that in about ten years the Earth will enter a “little ice age” which will last from 60 to 80 years and may be caused by the decrease in solar activity". These few examples seem to contradict the messages society receives about Global Warming

On the other side of the coin, global warming theorist continue to show scenes of killer dust storms, dried lake beds and rising temperatures to make us believe this hoax. In the state of California the "first half of 2014 was by far the hottest in 120 years of record-keeping, and that heat is exacerbating one of the most devastating droughts in state history". These rising temperatures cause wildfires, melting glaciers and raising ocean waters. Food production is decreased, plants die, creating a domino effect of less Carbon Dioxide being created by these plants, As these plants die, it promotes erosion, standing waters after flood events and the perfect breeding ground for insect carrying illness and disease.

What really is going on with our crazy planet? Are we the cause? Who is to blame? The biggest barrier that keeps this idea of global warming alive and growing is the mixed messages that we are receiving. Because there are so many theories, ideas, and examples, it is easy for people to get bored, apathetic and just accept the fact that maybe, just maybe this is one big hoax. I mean, if scientist can’t all agree, who am I to talk? This kind of think will only allow the problem to persist.

* views given are not those of the author.

Social Media Project Ideas

I have three different ideas that could fit for this project.

1. NBC newscaster Bryan Williams and the loss of credibility of news anchors and news stations.
2. Tesla Motors and the National Automobile Dealers Association battles for sales dealerships.
3. Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear and the influence of Online Petitions.

These ideas all have been focuses in social media.

Senior Capstone

Hello fellow classmates,

I hope your spring break was exciting. I am in need of your help for my senior capstone project. I am doing research about Facebook Privacy and would like you all to take my survey. This is only for students 18 years and older. There is the typical Consent form and then the survey. It should take about 5 minutes. Thank you for your time and willingness to help a fellow student. Click this Link to go directly to the survey. Also the address is http://tinyurl.com/ktq6qnk

Mikey Nelson

Data Points 2.0

So I was looking at this site from Strava, a cycling and running GPS tracker that recently took the data points of their users and created a "heat map" of popular routes that have been used in the area.  As of the last update, more than 41.5 million runs were represented on the Global Heat map, In addition to showing you where to run, the information also makes it possible to see how popular various roads and routes are among runners who use Strava. In their words "160 million rides and runs totaling 375 billion data points, a fraction of all Strava activities".

As I looked at the local map of southern Utah and saw two common trails. The map gives you the option to toggle between "Run", "Bike", or "Both". As I toggled between the two I could see the St. George Marathon route, LIGHT up solid blue. On the other screen I could see the Iron Man course for the riders that loop around Gunlock/Veyo, around Sand Hollow and also the Green Valley Loop. This data is taken from uses who probably didn’t know that their personal routes, favorite secret spots that only they track on their private device is now being able to be seen by any and all users and the general public. 

Just gives you something to think about as you plan your next run, bike ride or use your personal GPS. 

Here are the Links to the article

http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/stravas-heat-map-reveals-where-runners-are?cid=social41570616&adbid=10152642507316987&adbpl=fb&adbpr=9815486986

And the link to the actual map

http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#11/-113.62052/37.26261/blue/run

                

Sex X.oooh.

This has been an interesting conversation about sex, porn, and the idea of beauty in our society. I will preface this by saying I will try to be as natural on the topic as possible. It seems to be a touchy subject with most people in our local community, so I won’t rock the boat...too much. 

The sexualization of our society has been one that has evolved with the advances in technology and is turning a taboo topic into a creature that is hard to destroy. What I mean by that can been seen in the way that movies and TV shows in the 1950s-60s' wouldn’t even show married couples in the same bed. I love Lucy is a classic example of this taboo idea that, heaven forbid, husbands and wives copulate. But today, on almost every TV show on almost every TV station, there is sex and the idea of sex being bombarded into our houses. Discovery Channel has the show "Naked and Afraid', TLC has "Sister Wives", and History channel has "Vikings". These are television stations that have typically been an information gathering channel has turned to, al some times, low-culture viewing. 

Now low-culture viewing has really hit rock bottom in the objectification, oversexualization and objectification of both men and women. These shows are popping up on every station and now comes to life on the cellphone that your 12 son carries to school in his pocket. 

That culture is now being spread to adolescents, where recently over 100 students were involved in a "sexting "ring in Virginia, apps like snapchat that destroys nudes that teens send, and even secrets decoy apps that are designed to trick parents to the actual use of the app. 

But on the other hand, this "ideal" image of what is sexy to a man is all created in order to create money. Makeup, high heels, breast implants, thong panties, are some of the COUNTLESS ways women are exploited to make money. They are given unrealistic expectations of what "beauty" is. I have seen PLENTY of classmates get boob jobs for their graduation presents or their 18th birthdays. Beauty to me is confidence, personality, loyalty, honesty, intelligence, smiles, a warm heart and love. I know that may sound cheesy, but I have met some physically attractive females with an ugly personality that have stayed ugly to me. As an older man, I have been around the block a few times to know that looks fade, but personality stays once all that superficial B.S. is gone. If she can make me laugh, poke fun at and with me, gets my weirdness that is a win in my book. 

United States of Secrets

I just finished watching "United States of Secrets" part 1 & 2. This has been a revelation to what I had already known about what was revealed by Edward Snowden. I knew there were serious overreaches in certain areas like email and some text messages, but I am in shock. Phone calls, recording of conversation, pictures, emails that are casual... EVERYTHING! This discredits the U.S. Government completely. I understand the need for national security, but as the movie said, there needs to be ways to use the privacy protections to "anonymize who it's listening in on". I have mixed feeling about Edward Snowden. On one hand he could have put thousands of lives at risk buy revealing this information that is classified. I don't think he had a choice to do it, but maybe not as much. On the other hand, as a Army solider, he made a promise to "support and defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic". There is the greater good, and at the end of the day he said the purpose was to open conversation about "These things need to be determined by the public, not by somebody who’s was simply hired by the government. This is the truth. This is what’s happening. You should decide whether we need to be doing this". I agree it needs to become a public debate. I know that my information, not matter how careful I am, will get out there somehow if I use modern technology. What people need to do is take preventative measures to ensure their privacy and security. They should read all the terms and conditions, check the privacy settings of Facebook and  be mindful of what and how they post, share and use the technology. 

1. President Obama's reversal on FISA, refusing to uphold his promise of Federal transparency, is the reason why Edward Snowden became a whistleblower. a. True

2. "Metadata" refers to b.email and text message content.


3. President Obama commissioned a committee to investigate the NSA, giving them free reign to assess every aspect of the agency's behavior, as long as their investigation did not
c. interfere with his Constitutional oath in defending the United States of America.

4. Snowden's interview and revelation of the NSA's surveillance techniques that violate the IV Amendment rights of Americans brought the President to the point of justifying efforts in the balance of b. freedom and privacy.

5. What kind of access were internet companies such as Google, Facebook, YouTube, Microsoft, and Apple giving the NSA? a. Unknowing access to their physical data streams. b. Enforced secret compliance through a National Security Letter.d. Both a and b.


6. The NSA modeled their internet data and intelligence gathering after a. social media's marketing algorithms.

7. Prism was not only the code name for a data-collection program of the Federal Government but was the actual method through which the NSA was copying internet data from AT&T's internet backbone in San Francisco. a. True

8. Google, Facebook, Amazon, YouTube, Apple, Microsoft and and others were amassing huge data troves on their users, just like the NSA was amassing on US citizens, resulting in a. surveillance for advertising instead of law enforcement.

9. ________ messages are scanned for content much in the same way the NSA scans data for meaning. c. Gmail

10. The NSA piggy-backs on _______ developed by social media companies to surveil US citizens. c. tracking cookies

The Future of Learning.

The public education system is going to have to change. It is not a matter of "if", but "when". Young kids today are using the internet was a way to get information, but are not really learning anything. This is where the changes need to be made. I think that standardized testing needs to be eliminated. I am currently experiencing this as I prepare to take the Graduate Requirement Exam (GRE) for grad school. The test does not determine your knowledge, intellect or your experience, but how well you learn to take their GRE test. This I see is the problem with the current educational system. Having a cookie cutter, one size fits all style of education, and then using that same system to test your ability to remember and regurgitate that information is flawed. The current tests force you to remember what is going to be on a test and not understanding the concepts. This also goes for standardized scoring of GPA's. GPA's are society’s way of measuring your ability to follow the instructions, coloring in the lines and do what "they" expect. Not that there shouldn’t be a way to measure ability, but if your whole life revolves around remembering what needs to be on the test to get the good grade, then you have missed the point. I know that when I have to incorporate a concept into my life, how does it relate to me and how will I use it in the future, I will have it with me forever. The saying goes "give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime". This is true in our world. Helping students to learn and understand the concepts and measuring on that understanding instead of a test to see if they remember what was written down, would prove to be a greater benefit.

Follow the Dots...

Where are people finding all of these people with all this stuff? That's a great question in our society, especially when you start to consider the vastness of the Sharing economy. Collaborative consumption as it is also known, is a system build around people coming together to share resources. These can be cars, houses, farm equipment and even their own food. The ability to get the information out there and on the web is through apps, data collection and personal disclosure. 

We focused on the term "Stuff", which resembles the day to day items that we use and definitely take for granted. This can be things like your rakes, shovels, your books, art, toys and even clothes. But how is this information help others. You can post on an App that you have a particular item that you can lend out, have a particular skill that you have knowledge about, or even access to stuff. Also if you have a need, or a want. People now have the ability to find someone with that thing, skill or same desire. They do this by posting or liking an event and their profile and information becomes available. 

Another thing that helps people find you, or you find then is the location information that you share from your phone. This helps people know what is available around them, but can and has been used for more sinister plans. If you are posting pictures from your house, would be thieves, stalkers and predators can see and know where you live, what you have and who you are with. Monitoring your dots will help you to be actively involved with the groups that you want to be and also have that safeguard to protect yourself

Never Having To Explaind Yourself

I think what this boils down to the old saying "Say what you mean and mean what you say". It seems that so many people are either having vague generalities like josh is saying to get attention, or they not really trying or wanting to get their point across. There seems to be so much context missing from everyone’s story and that can be eliminated by adding context. Give us some back story, throw us some bones here! I’m not a mind reader, especially when it comes to females in my life (wife, mom, sisters, etc.), so I need something more. If people really meant what they said, and/or said what they meant there would be less confusion. In addition I think that people need to be consistent. This is where a lot of the confusion comes in. If you are saying that you are against same sex marriage and then you post a "equals" sign as a profile pic, or you are against medical marijuana, but make pro-posts about Washington and Colorado, then it sends an unclear message. If I agree for or against some cause or belief and enough evidence comes to light to change that thought, then make it clear. "I felt this way, and now after I feel this way". There would be no "having to explain yourself" when you post something that contradicts your original beliefs. People know your new position. DONE, Move on!

Facebook Page Intro

Facebook Page: on: St. George Running Tips 
https://www.facebook.com/st.gerogeutrunningtips

Mission Statement and Description: St. George Running Tips is a group dedicated to help runners gain knowledge about running in Southern Utah. Southern Utah, home of the St. George Marathon, offers some unique challenges for runners of all levels from around the world. We offer tips, tricks, hacks and advice to new, intermediate and advanced runners. Please feel free to ask questions, offer advice and share your experience in one of the best places to run in the world.

Person 1: Jen, 23 year old mother of newborn twins, is wanting to get rid of some of the "baby weight" and regain her fitness. Having lived in Northern Utah all her life, she is unfamiliar with the local area and some of the popular running trails. In addition, Jen is wanting to broaden her friend group and find runners that may match her pace but also her running schedule

Person 2: David, a longtime local has been running in the Southern Utah heat all his life. As a member of the 10 year club for the St. George Marathon, David has guided several runners to new personal records. His experience with high heat and demanding conditions give a unique perspective for runners wanting to up their game.  

Person 3: Steve, the owner of the local running store has been running for years and loves his business. As new products come out, he adds it to the inventory, but really doesn’t try or use them as much as he should. Why should he? He is a creature of habit, and he likes certain things. Trying to get a feel for what his customers like and don’t like, he offers up some of his products for testing and relies on the feedback from the users to help tailor his products with the demands of his customer base in Southern Utah.

Action Plan: The action plan consists of three areas. The first will be an question and answer portion that will have various questions about topics. These questions can include things like favorite race, trail, time of day to run, ect. This will also be running tips for the local area that can include tips for hot weather and elevation. The second will be articles shared from other sources like runners world, running blogs, studies. This will be an aggregation of studies and content that is already created. Lastly is a product review from local running outlets. This will have products that are for sale at local stores that are real world tested and how they hold up to the local elements. These areas will include some videos, pics, links and polls.

Boko Oh No!!

With all the news about the recent attacks in Paris, a recent terror attack seems to fly under the radar. This is not surprising considering it occurred in African Nigeria. The attacks were performed by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram in the town of Baga. With the amount of killing that happens in other countries, why do we hear about some and not others?

I think the main reason we didn’t hear about Baga is because of its competition. The competition in the news media played a big part of this. Terrorist attacks in developed countries like France, England, and The United States do not happen very often. Because of this fact, that is where most of the mainstream media was able to focus on. This is an event that was captured on camera by various people, and was spread around the world via social networks. Having this kind of publicity was the main driving factor. 

In countries like Nigeria, where social media and internet access is not as accessible, this automatically gives it less of a chance. In addition to the access, in an area that is so socially controlled by the Boko Haram, it is hard to verify the attacks with much accuracy. How many people were really killed? Was there any footage? In the movie "Training Day" Denzel Washington says to Ethan Hunt "It’s not what you know, it's what you can prove". This fits for this example because there is so little evidence and publicity. These events have become the norm in these war torn third world countries. Because it has sadly become the norm, it takes more killing and destruction to actually make the news. We have seen this in cases like the abduction of over 300 girls from a local school and a social movement with the trending tag of #brignbackourgirls. About 50 or so of the girls have escaped or been returned but the rest are still missing. These kinds of events were able to get the social recognition and help bring some media to Africa, but most cases it doesn’t happen. 

Despite the fact that most stories don’t make the mainstream media, they are still happening and as consumers of information, we have to take a proactive role to seek out these unknown, lightly reported stories and help share the message, when others won’t.

Social Networking and Stabilization.

I think that social networking and social media has already made a dramatic change in our lives and our children’s lives. Social Networking Sites (SNS) have been at the forefront of many of the latest political movements this decade. We can see this in 2010 with the demonstrations and protest in the Middle East and Northern Africa as the "Arab Spring". The use of SNS allowed many demonstrators to communicate even when the governments of some of the countries (Egypt) shut down news and radios channels. Recently in the last six months two main events have shaped the world and hopefully stabilize it. 

The first was the Ferguson Missouri shooting of a black youth that brought police use of deadly force, overuse of police force, and the militarization of police in the mainstream media. Hashtags like #iftheygunnedmedown, #handsupdontshoot and #icantbreath have all been associated with these types of incidents.

The second would be the terrorist attacks by extremist Muslims in Paris France on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper headquarters. These attacks have created an increased awareness of terrorist who travel and train in foreign countries and then come back and preform attacks as sleeper cells. America’s attacks on September 11th started the major push for security, but countries like France and England have not tighten their forces until now. Seeing these attacks on the news and in SNS have made the world feel smaller, more intimate and gives the realization that this can happen anywhere to anyone. 

The use of SNS has reinforced globalization and the notion of a "shrinking world". This is a good thing. It lets Americans know that we are not alone, not the center of the universe and I believe helps humanize former enemies of our country. This can be beneficial if we are willing to embrace a global world and try to become united.

Let it begin.

This is a blog for my "New Social Media" class, but as my professor put it, "Social Networking" class. This is maily because social media isn't considered new any more and Media can be any form of transmitting messages, but the whole aspect of communication revolves around networking. So this will be a work in progress. Feel free to comment or add any ideas, thoughts and feelings.