8/10/2019 What The Tweet - Social media FTW*!
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By NIKI CHEONG
S
OME of you might be like me, andfind it hard to understand why
thereare people out there who arent so
een to accept social media and recognisets usefulness. Granted,
some of us are moreech savvy and find it easier to get acquaint-d
with new technologies. After all, if youhink about it, the current
generation ofeenagers has never lived in a world withouthe
Internet.
There are many reasons, however, foreople to be sceptical about
social media. Athe moment, tools like Facebook and Twitterll seem
like a fad.
Then, there are others who are justuncomfortable with
technology, and try toely on it as little as possible. Everytime
Incounter doubters like this, I try to take theime to talk to them
about the benefits ofhe Internet and social media, hoping toonvince
them to join in the fun.
Of course, those of us who are active
users know that its not all games.
On Monday night, news of a fire in theheart of Kuala Lumpur
first broke onTwitter. There were a couple of tweets onmy Twitter
stream about a fire, but the loca-tion was unknown. Because of
this, no onecould immediately confirm much, until aTwitpic (picture
attached to a tweet) wasposted by a user who lives on the top
floorof a building just outside the city centre.
Slowly, via Twitter, the pieces cametogether and the fire was
confirmed to be at
Jalan Tun Sambanthan in KL.On a larger scale, social media is
proving
to be a useful tool in the aftermath of theHaiti earthquake.
Just minutes after the 7.0magnitude earthquake hit, social media
siteswere abuzz with updates and calls for help.
People thousands of miles from Haitiwere mobilising efforts to
help the victims,including collecting aid money.
Across the globe, good Samaritans, includ-ing Hollywood
celebrities (check out SharmOn The Scene on page 8), have come
togeth-er to rally donations to support humanitari-
an efforts there.Technology is one of the major tools of
fundraising. At one point, The American RedCross reported that
almost a quarter of themoney that poured in over the first fewdays
came from text messages. In thissystem, people who wanted to donate
US$5(RM17.50) or US$10 (RM35) could text tospecific numbers and the
amount would becharged to their phone bills.
Meanwhile, Facebook created a GlobalDisaster Relief page to
spread news aboutwhat was happening as well as point gener-ous
visitors to authentic fundraising effortson the Internet.
Using Facebooks Causes application,Oxfam in the United States
reported that it
has raised over US$100,000 (RM350,000) forearthquake
victims.
These are only two instances in whichsocial media has proven to
be an effectivetool for spreading information and bringingpeople
together.
It will take a while before everyone jumpsonboard, and look at
using social network-ing tools in their lives. After all, social
mediais flexible and malleable, and there aremany ways to use it.
Find the best use foryourself, and let yourself be converted
ifyoure not on board already.
*FTW stands for for the win, in Internetslang.
T7
Bangsar Babehttp://bangsar-babe.blogspot.comFoodies will already
recogniseSue Lynn by her onlinemonicker, Bangsar-bAbE. Theyoung
blogger, who recentlyfinished fourth in the MissWorld Malaysia 2009
beautypageant, also has a monthlyfood column inStarMetro.
Eric Gohwww.ericgohsw.comEric is relatively new tothe blogging
scene anddescribes himself as anaverage teenager takingphotographs
of everythingI see that I like. You cansee lots of pictures on
theself-confessed gadget freaks blog, and postsabout the latest boy
toys.
Lienn Siawhttp://bgurl-love-bboy.blogspot.com/Lienn says she is
addicted toblogging, and proudly told herfriends in school, When
Istarted to write, I knew therewill be readers. The confidentyoung
lady loves dancing and
has a larger-than-life personality.
E-mail [email protected] if youthink you have what it
takes to be a featuredblogger. Include your contact details, URL
and ashort description of your blogging activities.
R.AGE Featured BloggersYou(ths) have a lot to say, and you say
itin your blogs. Every week, R.AGE high-lights three young
Malaysian bloggers.
[email protected]
STARTWO, WEDNESDAY 20 JANUARY 2010
Fiery scene: A building on fire in KualaLumpur.
Social media FTW*! Our picks this week:
