The Dayton Business Journal recently published the list of the top ten most visited social media websites. The list was compiled based on total number of visits. No big surprise with Facebook, YouTube and Twitter in the top three spots. Interesting to me was that Pintrest ranked fourth and that two relatively new sites, MeetMe and Tagged, scored pretty high up there, bumping Yelp at the same time. Nothing much legal about a list of sites, but I think it interesting to have a sense of just what we are speaking of when we say “social media.”
Category: Social Media Platforms
“Social Media” Speech Protected at work
After we all agreed that we use social media as a way to vent about the life of a law student it makes sense that most people like to do the same thing by venting on fbook. It is good that people can have a sense of group therapy without having to fear they might lose their job. Apparently, the NLRB feels the same way! An NY Times article concerning the NLRB’s series of decisions can be found here.
Judge Probably Wants to Call an Audible
Johnny Manziel, also known as “Johnny Football” won the Heisman trophy in his freshman year, the quickest ever to do so. He also is pretty quick on the road. He received a speeding ticket after the season ended. What makes this story interesting is that we found out about the speeding ticket because Judge W. Lee posted the news on his Facebook account.
Husband of Prosecutor Defends Wife on Twitter
So, the Husband of the U.S. Prosecutor who charged Aaron Swartz was using Twitter to defend his Wife’s reputation. It didn’t go over well, apparently. Interesting to note that under the Model Rules, a Prosecutor probably shouldn’t be saying the kind of things that her husband did on his Twitter – does SHE have any responsibility for what HE posts?
Law Enforcement Using Social Media
As I was browsing I found this Blog site called “The Social Media Beat” which is supported by the IACP Center for Social Media. This blog is all about how law enforcement is using technology and social media to their benefit. There are posts about Twitter, Skype, and YouTube. One author even mentions that from his point of view as a police officer, it is his duty to listen and respond to the community, and the community utilizes social media and so must he.
Everything on the site is really interesting and covers a range of posts, even one about reflecting on 2012 and looking forward to 2013 which was full of interesting statistics. I have just never thought about law enforcement and social media before and thought this would be a good blog URL to pass along. You can find it at http://blog.iacpsocialmedia.org/
Should Apple prohibit new NRA App?
The NRA recently released a new app called Practice Range, which is exactly what it sounds like; allowing users to engage in virtual target practice. Now it is time for Apple to decide whether to accept or reject the App for distribution to its iPhone and iPad consumers. According to an article Dan Rowinski posted on Breadwrite Mobile, activists are lining up to encourage Apple CEO Tim Cook to reject the App. The issue presents another instance of the increasingly debated concern over whether Apple’s “censorship” policy is overreaching. Read more about the issue and Rowinski’s full article at http://readwrite.com/2013/01/16/apple-should-not-censor-the-nras-practice-range-app?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+readwriteweb+%28ReadWriteWeb%29
Watch your reputation!
This one comes from Megan Hodes. Time Magazine recently published an article titled, “Don’t Ignore Your Social Media Reputation,” which discusses the (surprising) failure of small businesses to monitor what others post about them. The article discusses a study by the Zeno Group which found that while 71% of large companies concern themselves with social media, only 55% of small companies do the same.
One issue the article doesn’t raise, is the problem of monitoring favorable and non-favorable reviews of both large and small businesses. Companies face two major legal issues in their fight against maintaining a positive on-line reputation; the First Amendment rights of posters and the ability to post anonymously (making potential defamation and or other dignitary wrongs virtually impossible to mount)
Perhaps the inability to monitor the veracity of on-line postings is making them inconsequential. (note to students – is this folly for an article?)
The Time Magazine article is available at http://business.time.com/2013/01/14/dont-ignore-your-social-media-reputation/
The Facebook effect – it does exist!
During yesterday’s law and social media class we discussed the effects of social media. When queried on the downside of social media, students (and even this prof.) discussed the feeling of mild dissapointment in our own daily lives after watching others post their “good fortune” for all to see. Facebook envy, however, isn’t the only problem caused by excessive Facebook browsing. Prof. Darren Rosenberg alerted me to a recent study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Columbia Business School, which finds that self-esteem can be tied to the number of “likes” one receives. But beware, the self-esteem boost that comes from “likes” can be followed by a loss of self-control which may lead to excessive noshing or on-line purchases. For a more comprehensive article on the study, go to http://www.psypost.org/2013/01/social-networks-may-inflate-self-esteem-reduce-self-control-15931
Top Ten Internet Law Developments of 2012
With thanks to Prof. Anne Bartow, I am posting Prof. Eric Goldman’s recent article in Forbes Magazine. The article shares his list of top ten developments in Internet law for 2012. Scroll down and you can find his top finds for years past.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericgoldman/2013/01/07/top-ten-internet-law-developments-of-2012/