6 Things You Probably Didn’t know About Social Media and the WWW

September 23, 2011

Did you know…?

In 1978 authors Roxanne Hiltz and Murray Toroff envisioned a future in which computer-mediated communication (CMC) would have a major effect on people’s every day lives. Their book,”The Network Nation”, is published by MIT Press in Cambridge, MA. It has been updated and revised since its original printing and is now considered a classic book in the field of CMC.

In 1992 the World Wide Web was officially launched to the public. (Can you believe that the Web is only 20 years old?!)

In 1997 SixDegrees was established as the first social networking site that most resembles the sites we use today, but users were skeptical and reluctant to interact with strangers. The company was sold in 2000 and today many people believe that the original company was too ahead of its time.

LinkedIn was created in 2002 and publicly launched in 2003 (before Facebook!)

In 2004 Facebook was launched.

Two years later, in 2006, Twitter was launched.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Social media: A catalyst for revolt and revolution

September 22, 2011

Protesters shout anti-government slogans during a protest in Suez, Egypt., AP

In January of this year, Egyptian activist turned to Facebook to increase awareness and invite participation in public protests held in the streets of major cities there. People from around the world watched with both horror and curiosity and the events in Egypt unfolded. It was the first time (as far as I know) that social media had been used on such a large scale to promote political and social protests. But it was not the last.

Here is just one example of a news article about how Egyptian activists used Facebook to inform, educate and invite support. Social media has become a force for social change… And not just in Egypt.

Over 3600 Air Canada flight attendants are reportedly participating in a Facebook page (limited to Air Canada employees) to vent their anger at the company, as well as union leaders who are representing them in current negotiations.  That’s over half of all the flight attendants who work for the company, who are spread out across the country. Sixty percent (60%) of the company’s pilots have joined a private website, limited only to pilots, to dialogue on related issues. (Check out the news story here).

Management and the union at Air Canada are in the middle of talks to negotiate a new contract. It is reported that a six-page letter written by Susan Welscheid, Air Canada’s senior vice-president of customer service, sparked a wave of rage among the company’s workers, causing them to join the Facebook group and vent their frustrations.

The employees voted last month on a new contract. Eighty eight per cent (88%) of unionized flight attendants members who cast ballots rejected the contract, one that had been endorsed by their  negotiating team. By way of a comparison, less than 60% of Canadians voted in the 2008 federal election. Canadians tend to be a bit of an apathetic lot when it comes to voting in anything, really. Getting 88% of a Canadian group out to vote on something is startling in and of itself, really.

Union leaders and management say they are floored by the Facebook outburst, saying that it is making negotiations difficult.

So what do the cases in Egypt and Canada have in common? We can see some commonalities, as both groups

  • chose Facebook pages as their medium
  • united people who are spread out across a nation
  • gave voice to a group who felt that those who were supposed to represent and protect them were not fulfilling their responsibilities
  • created a space for people to express anger and talk about what actions to take
  • sparked interest by the media by the very fact that they used (and continue to use) social media as a catalyst for change, driven by the people themselves

The use of social media as a social force to rally ordinary citizens joined by a common cause, ready and willing to fight for something they believe in — seems to be a growing phenomenon. My guess is that we’ll continue to see social media used by people for causes, concerns and as a catalyst for change.

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

7 Things That Make Me Want to Unfollow You on #Twitter

May 2, 2011

I’ve been on Twitter for just over 2 years now. I had my account for well over a year before I actually got “into” it. For the longest time, I wasn’t really sure what it was all about or why anyone would Tweet. I’ve made a concerted effort over the past six months to learn more about Twitter and to engage others in conversations. It’s been a fabulous way to discover amazing work being done by people! I find Twitter to be a fountain of inspiration and great resources. There, however, a number of things that make me want to “unfollow” others…

1) Tweets that are trying to sell me stuff – all the time.

I don’t mind the occasional sales pitch now and then. But really, if there’s no content there and your tweets are just a barage of “buy my stuff!” it’s a turn-off.

2) Tweets that try to get me to your website – all the time.

Like a sales pitch, I can see that you’re trying to drive traffic to your website. Everyone wants website traffic. I’m OK with Tweets that share new blog posts or offer resources, but messages that just tell me to visit a website for no reason? Yawn… I’m more interested in real content. And there’s plenty of that on Twitter.

3) Tweets that are trying to get me to donate to your cause – all the time.

Much like the Tweets that try to sell me stuff, I get tired of the messages asking me to donate money. I follow a lot of non-profit organizations. I’ve worked with clients in the non-profit sector for the past decade. I believe in the causes of the organizations I follow… and I may already donate money to them. Really, I’m more interested in finding out about the good work you do… Share some success stories. Tell me about that latest grant you just got. Share a news article about something interesting in the non-profit sector or your particular cause.

4) If you follow me… and I follow you back… and then you promptly unfollow me.

Hello?! Do you think people don’t notice that you’re just trying to stack your following that way? If you’re really not interested in my tweets, that’s cool with me. It’s a personal choice that I reciprocate when people follow me. But stacking your followers, meh… Not a game I’m interested in. I will unfollow you back. 🙂

5) Direct messages (DMs) (especially the automated kind) trying to sell me you stuff or get me to your website.

Really? You think you can send me an automated direct message telling me to buy something and I’m really going to rush to your site and do that, just because you DMed me? If you think that, you’re DuMb… and annoying… and it makes me want to unfollow you for presuming I’m that gullible.

6) Foul language.

It’s not that I’m a prude. I’ve been known to make the air blue with my words on occasion. But there’s a time and a place. (You know, like when you get a flat tire in -40 Celcius and your cell phone battery is dead and you have no idea how to change a flat tire.) Twitter is not that place. Take your #%^&( foul language elsewhere.

7) Tweets that are you, pontificating. Incessantly.

There are a few people who can legitimately pontificate. The Pope. The Dalai Lama. But really, if you’re more or less just like me… I’ll probably like you more if you share other interesting stuff you find, too. I am interested in your opinions and what you have to say, but if all you ever Tweet about are your own pearls of wisdom, your own little sayings and your own bits of advice… I will probably lose interest at some point. If you never re-Tweet others or have conversations, you’re not really engaging… Though I do follow the Dalai Lama, overall, I’m not here to be a virtual disciple… Basically, if you’re interested in others, I’m more likely to find you interesting, too.

This post is dedicated to all my wonderful Tweeps… the ones who engage me, inspire me, feed my brain, make me laugh and make the Twitterverse a joy to be part of. You know who you are. 🙂

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

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Successfully promoting and marketing your language program: a webinar

June 5, 2010

This event has passed. But, don’t despair!

Click here to see the post that shares the slides and recording of this program – free and open access.

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“Successfully promoting and marketing your language program: a webinar”
Presenter: Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.
June 15, 2010

08:45 – 09:30 (with optional Q & A after)

Login-time: 08:45 Mountain Time (Calgary, Canada) (Adjust accordingly for your time zone.)

Start time: 09:00
End time: 09:30
Questions and Answers: 09:30 – 10:00

This webinar will go over

  • Marketing basics
  • Strategies and tips on how to market your language program on a shoestring budget.
  • Social media and networking for marketing

Who is this webinar for? Program directors and managers, department heads of language units, teachers, tutors, and other language professionals. If you already have the means to work with a professional marketing company, this session isn’t for you. This program will be most useful for those who have a limited budget and those who do their own program promotion.

How do you join the webinar?
1) Mark the date and time of the event in your calendar
2) at 08:45 Mountain Time (adjust for your time zone!) on June 15, click on this URL:
https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/launch/dropin.jnlp?sid=lcevents&password=Webinar_Guest
3) Have a pen and some paper handy to take notes.

With thanks to the folks at Elluminate (www.elluminate.com) who are generously providing the webinar platform at no charge for this event.

This is a free professional development seminar. Everyone is welcome to attend, so pass this along and invite a colleague.

Remember to convert the time of this webinar to your own time zone. You can do this at http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html. In the top of the box where it asks you to “Select time and place to convert from” choose “Canada – Alberta – Canada”. In the box under that, select your country and closest city.

Related post:

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

6 Comments | 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program, ESL, language program administration, languages, marketing, social media | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

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