Instant gratification by Jemma @cousinslowpoke

Twitter is my new bff. I have been on twitter for just a few short months and I already cannot live without it. I would have chuckled if I had heard someone say this a bit ago but here I am saying it to you. We are in an era where we are always waiting for the next new and improved something or other. Most are dependent on some type of tech gadget like an iPhone, Blackberry, etc. Ever see someone misplace their phone and have a full blown panic attack from withdrawl? I thought so. I'm only 35 but I feel ancient remembering what life was like before computers, cell phones and cable tv. We are fortunate to be spoiled with so much technology to keep our ever growing appetites fed. Although I was never part of Myspace I assume their users experienced the same euphoria that I feel now with Twitter just as I did in my first few months of Facebook. I haven't resorted to Twitter being my set home page when I turn on my lap top but it is definitely the second site I check after my email. My hubby loves to make fun of me for always being on Twitter and I actually see @ signs when I close my eyes at night. So it is safe to say I am a Twaddict. Hello my name is Jemma and I'm a Twitter addict.

Now that I have made fun of myself I would like to tell you why Twitter, Facebook and the internet in general is so important to me. I was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's 5 1/2 years ago at the age of 30, right in my prime techie years. As a result of ALS I have lost the majority of my speech. So although most cannot understand me in person I am definitely heard online. It keeps me entertained from an otherwise mundane day due to my illness. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that will eventually leave my body paralyzed. So I am very grateful to technology for making my life easier and more fun while living with such an awful fate. While I cannot just pick up a phone and call a friend to chit chat I can still sign on to Twitter and chat away with my new friends until I lose the function of my right hand and my typing finger. Twitter is an open forum unlike Facebook that only connects you with friends and family you already know. I've "met" quite a few amazing people through Twitter and call them my friends. I am just hoping they are legit users and not men in a creepy basement wearing only boxers posing as my friends. Whether you are looking for friendship, business contacts, social media tools or all the above it's amazing how you can connect with people for a wide variety of reasons. I'm only on for the entertainment value and it has definitely lived up to what I expected of it.

No matter what kind of mood I'm in I can sign on to Twitter and find someone that shares my temporary state of mind. Amazing right? Feel like complaining about something or want to share exciting news with someone, well then jump on Twitter and express yourself. What a concept. Instant gratification. Now that's my kind of site. It also opens your eyes to others, other's issues, other's feats, etc. I've met people fighting a battle just like me. People that need the support and ear of someone that understands. It's not just about being silly it's also about learning of people and causes in need. Twitter is amazing like that because information can spread like wildfire. It's an online support system. Let's just hope Twitter isn't just a fad and forgotten like cameras with film because I'm not ready to lose my bff.

by Jemma @cousinslowpoke

Thank YOU Jemma, you are such a great inspiration, I'm honored to call you "my twitter friend" :) Jade

Give Unconditionally !

Help someone today who can never help you...you will both feel so good! Thank you @Joebees
It just made me think about how important this is :) Truly, how many of us help someone without expecting anything in return.
This should be it. Than you really feel good, its like without self-pity and prejudice, you are giving to somebody who can never return your favor. I send my positive attitude to universe sometimes, or say hi to somebody that I never met in my life, who knows may be thats only what she needs that day. A warm hi :) A hug, little smile, answer a question, or just wait when you say "hi, how are you?" may be there is something they want to say in return :)))
So please help someone today who can never help you :)

University Student 2.0

University student 2.0 what does this mean? The argument that the Web 2.0 internet more social convergence, sharing and individual activities with intense expression mean that Web 2.0 is coming from.

University is the host of lots of activities, organizations for students. However, students are looking for different areas, tastes. Internet is the very first place to be more social. You can easily realize that importance of Internet. When I walk around the Bilkent Campus, drink coffee at Mozart or Break or take photocopy at Library. They are talking about Facebook, MSN, and Twitter.

Social media supports the human need for social interaction, using Internet. Especially at the beginning of social networks; they were created by young geeks at university dorm rooms or their garages. On the other hand, Turkey does not enough infrastructures to create global social network places so; we would have focused on consumption rather than production. A recent ComScore Survey (Q1 2009) shows that Turks spend more time on the internet than all other European countries. Turkish users spend an average of 32 hours online per week and are also active on social networks.


Relations are now also start Facebook is continuing to MSN chat, Text messages also ends. In this way, they don’t have real-life experience and feel in the deep. I have many friends who are just speaking their friends just online. Their Facebook and MSN lists full of people but they are always doing something lonely.

Of course, Lots of benefits for using the social media and networks. Especially in the ongoing exam week, you can chat classmates on the MSN and create online discussion platforms with your friends, or send lecture notes to each other. Furthermore, before you met people, you can check in out their Facebook profile activities, latest news about them.

Aykut Karaalioglu

Co-Founder Impreda Tech./Marro.ws

aykut@impreda.com

Human in Social Media

I've been thinking lately about the human factor in Social Media a lot. Why is Social Media a huge success? Why more and more people are signing up those social networking and other sharing sites? That is because since we are human we need to interact, we need to socialize and we need some place that we can be just ourselves. We now need each other more than ever :) It's true that for a long time we have been building walls around us not letting many people in. We always keep an arm distance. Because we do not trust each other anymore, we are scared and this fear leads us to being left all alone. Even though while we're networking in those meetings, we are not really ourselves, we mostly pretend a person that we want to be.
Now that we have Twitter, Facebook and others, socializing has become easier. We mutually introduce ourselves and instantly we drop our shields and we start sharing, laughing and trusting eachother again. Look around you. Nothing is the same anymore. We used to love and respect one another. We need to gain our values back, because that is what makes us different. Don't you agree?