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LOS ANGELES, Feb 3 (TheWrap.com) - From SOPA to Ellen DeGeneres, protesting keeps getting more social.

Thanks to Twitter and Facebook, digital agitation has entered the mainstream allowing people to affect change at a dizzying speed. Going viral is no longer reserved for cute puppy videos.

Social networking has moved into new areas of social protest, Tim Stevens, editor-in-chief of the technology blog Engadget, said Friday, shortly after Susan G. Komen Foundation reversed course on pulling Planned Parenthood funding in wake of a fierce social media protest. "It's not just techies anymore," he said. "It's people who are interested in women's rights and other civil liberties."

Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation bowed to blow back on Facebook, Twitter and other digital platforms on Friday. It apologized for its original decision to withdraw support for breast cancer screening at Planned Parenthood.

That viral protest ignited this week, around the same time as a social networking uproar sprang up against a conservative group's attempt to force J.C. Penny to ditch openly-gay spokeswoman Ellen DeGeneres. The Stand Up for Ellen campaign attracted thousands of supporters, who signed an online petition sponsored by GLAAD. That outpouring of support emboldened the retailer to stand by the popular talk show host.

These successful movements come on the heels of a stunning online campaign by technology companies and average citizens against two pieces of federal legislation, the Stop Internet Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA), that were seen as Draconian and censorious.

After millions tweeted and posted their displeasure on Facebook and sites like Wikipedia went dark, the Hollywood studios pushing the acts and their congressional counterparts were forced to go back to the drawing board.

"There's a new political and media ecology that social networking provides and it's not controlled by the mainstream media," said Andrew Rasiej, the chairman of New York Tech MeetUp, a key opponent of SOPA and PIPA. "It's controlled by citizens who are able to wield power at a speed that has the mainstream media, the politicians and the institutional players in shock."

Some of these causes would have inspired protests in the past, but the rate at which a movement materializes, intensifies and concludes has accelerated from years to months to, in the most recent instances, a matter of days.

"It's not just the agitators who are figuring out how to stage these eruptions of dissent," Clive Thompson, a columnist for Wired, told TheWrap. "The people on the other side, who are being agitated against, are now aware that they can't ignore this."

Not everyone is so convinced that Twitter and Facebook are the difference makers in these equations.

Writing in the Huffington Post on Friday, political analyst Andy Ostroy argued: "Let's not take away from the power of protest, and what we as citizens can achieve, by wasting so much time fawning over technology's role in all of it.

At the end of the day, it's the people who use Twitter and Facebook, just as they used other media throughout history to foment dissent and harness protest."

That may be the case, but before Twitter and Facebook got hold of them, SOPA and Susan G. Komen were hardly household names. In short order, they became public enemy number one for many socially networked people and the subject of articles and television segments across the media landscape.

"It used to be that social media would play off something that happened in the mainstream news, but that role has reversed and Twitter and Facebook have become the ringmaster that's setting the agenda," Rasiej said.

(Editing By Zorianna Kit)

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Social media at forefront of social protest

ORLAND PARK, Ill., Feb. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Social Networking has long been known as an easy way to keep up with friends and family. Yet with the introduction of Timeline by the world's largest social network the whole concept of social media is suddenly modified as Timeline transforms profiles into scrap booking pages. With these constant changes and too many privacy issues making headlines a group of Facebook® users wanted change.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120203/CG47536LOGO)

With some real ambition Friendio, Inc., an Orland Park, Illinois based company, was born. This new rival offers people classic social networking with strong privacy and popular features. "Friendio does not modify privacy settings, nor do we force people to create a scrapbook of their life," said Doug Freitag, the company's President. The site's slogan, "It's all about you!" really sums it up. People can customize profile layouts, change the site's theme to their liking, add music, insert Places, add company Pages and create their own circle of friends through custom lists. It's simple, easy to use, and makes sense. It's a way for people to further express their personal style, and share more about who they are.

Even more, the company has already opened their API to developers, allowing connection to the network from the outside for the development of apps. The 'Like Button' is already available to Website & blog owners. With this addition the network can quickly grow to a global scale.

People are flocking to Friendio and the site is booming. Although many people never heard of it until now they are sure to hear about it a lot more in the future. The company is a private corporation but has considered an IPO or private placement to further its reach.

To learn more visit http://www.friend.io where people can start inviting friends.

About Friendio

Friendio is a growing global provider of alternative social networking services and is synonymous with privacy. The company provides its members with convenient access on a computer or mobile device. With a growing brand and the ability to share with friends & family without the privacy concerns, Friendio's network holds the capability to serve millions of people around the world with a new way to connect, create and share.

Disclaimer: Facebook is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc., herein incorporated for reference. Friendio, Inc. has no affiliation whatsoever with the company or its trademarks.

CONTACT:  Doug Freitag, 1-866-932-0383, friendio@friend.io

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Note to Social Networking Giants: Friendio is Booming

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on February 1, 2012

According to a new report, innocuous personal information on social networking sites can be grounds for job dismissal.

While most prospective job searchers understand that employers will usually review a site such as Facebook before tendering an offer of employment, many are unaware that posting what would seem to be “normal” pictures or discussion may result in job loss.

The report, found in a professional magazine of elementary school managers, describes the dismissal of an educator because the social network site showed an individual posing for a picture holding a glass of wine.

According to background information found in the article, school administrators are facing a growing dilemma resulting from social networking that goes beyond preventing cyber-bullying among students.

Administrators also faced with balancing the rights of privacy and free speech of educators with what should be the appropriate behavior of teachers as role models.

In the article, published in the January issue of Principal Navigator, Janet Decker, Ph.D., said a large number of educators have been fired for Internet activity.

“Despite the evolving issues, the courts have not provided extensive guidance for administrators,” writes Decker. “Part of the difficulty is that technology advances at a quicker pace than legal precedent, leaving school employees and administrators unsure of their legal responsibilities.”

Decker’s article highlights cases that have landed in court as a result of school policies on social networking that “were not clear or effective.” The article also examines the law surrounding sexual harassment or abuse of students and freedom of speech for public employees and employee privacy.

“In general, it is important to understand that school employees are expected to be role models both inside and outside of school – even while on Facebook,” concluded Decker.

Decker’s article features the following 10 recommendations as she encourages school administrators to implement technology policies for school employees:

Educate! It’s not enough to have written policies; schools should also offer professional development about these issues. By doing so, staff is notified about the expectations and they have a chance to digest and ask questions about the content of the policies. Be empathetic in policies and actions. Administrators may wish that the school’s computers will only be used for educational purposes; however, an expectation such as this is unrealistic. Create separate student and staff policies. Much of the law pertaining to students and staff differs greatly. Involve staff in policy creation. This process will help school employees comprehend the policies and will also likely foster staff buy-in. Be clear and specific. Policies should include rationales, legal support and commentary with examples. Ensure your policies conform to state and federal law. Include consequences for violations in policies and implement the consequences. Provide an avenue for appeal and attend to employees’ due process rights. Implement policies in an effective and non-discriminatory manner. Amend policies as the law evolves. Much of the law related to technology is in flux. What is legal today may not be tomorrow.

Although the recommendations are directed toward an educational setting, the suggestions are appropriate for managers in a variety of professional settings. Moreover, employees of a business or institution must be knowledgeable on company policy to ensure compliance and avoidance of unintentional actions.

Source: University of Cincinnati

APA Reference
Nauert PhD, R. (2012). Online Social Networking May Cause Job Loss. Psych Central. Retrieved on February 3, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/02/01/online-social-networking-may-cause-job-loss/34323.html

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Online Social Networking May Cause Job Loss

Facebook, the social networking giant that connects 845 million people to one another, may be a jolly gabfest for the self-assured. But for those who suffer from low self-esteem, it appears to be a rather nasty trap, luring such people into self-disclosures that prompt many a Facebook friend to agree with their low opinion of themselves.

A new study, set to be published in the journal Psychological Science, explored the dynamics of friendship on Facebook to see what benefits or pitfalls the site might offer to a population that could use the propping up of a few new friends: those who think poorly of themselves, fear judgment by others and are prone to social isolation and depression.

Enlisting a slew of undergraduates for three separate studies, they found that those with low self-esteem are encouraged and emboldened by Facebook's capacity to provide a forum for social interaction that doesn't risk awkward face-to-face communication. They established that, given the opportunity for such social interaction, those with low-esteem do engage in the kind of self-disclosure that is thought essential for friendships to take hold and deepen.

But they also gleaned that the messages broadcast to Facebook friends by those with low self-esteem follow a pattern seen in their face-to-face interactions: Like Winnie the Pooh's friend Eeyore, they tend to issue glum, pessimistic status updates. And among strangers and Facebook friends alike, those dreary Facebook postings did not inspire a desire to make or deepen a friendship with the person.

In short, much as those with a low negative self-image could use the friends, they tend to use Facebook "in a manner that may push others away," wrote the authors, a group of psychologists from the University of Waterloo in Canada.

"It is ironic that feeling safe enough to disclose on Facebook may encourage [those with low esteem] to disclose things that could lead to the very rejection they fear," the authors conclude.

In a finding that many readers may recognize, the group further discovered that when people with a high opinion of themselves issue status updates that are discouraged, sad or angry (in short, when their posts defy expectations), their Facebook friends tend to swarm them with expressions of comfort and support. On the bright side, when those with low self-regard post updates that are uncharacteristically upbeat, they too are rewarded with electronic expressions of friendship.

"We do not advocate being inauthentic," the authors write. But if social networkers who lack self-confidence want to use Facebook to get around their social anxieties, they might want to accentuate the positive. "Rather than posting phony positive updates, [those with low self-esteem] might try sharing more of the positive things that do happen to them, and try being selective about what negative things they post."

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Facebook: Is this any place for the not-so-self-assured to make friends?

19-12-2011 18:19 http://www.CherysOnlineGamePlan.com 5 Top Social Networking Sites / Why You Should Use Them Using Social Networking sites can help you generate qualified leads for your home based business, I have set some guidelines below you to get some ideas to help you get started. Facebook is the most popular social networking site where you can connect with friends and family. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, download and look at others photo's, it is a great way to meet new friends. They even have a chat feature you can use while on the site. Facebook also allows users to create pages for businesses, products, or brands. You can create your Facebook fan page to promote yourself, your home based business or just about anything of interest to you and others. Twitter is a micro blogging site, which means people can get there ideas out without spending much time doing it. Twitter limits answers to 140 characters. A nice feature with twitter is that you can get tweets on you computer or your mobile phone. If you have a home based business you can put your link into your message, this is an excellent way to get free exposure for yourself, especially if you have a few followers. Myspace is loosing popularity but it is still a great place to meet new friends. They have enabled you to integrate your activity to your Twitter and Facebook accounts, to attract and show others that you are still on myspace. You can share messages, photo's, promote movies, listen to music and write blogs on ...

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5 Top Social Networking Sites / Why You Should Use Them - Video