Data Privacy Day is Jan 28

The Texas Social Media Research Institute (TSMRI) is encouraging everyone to “Take 5” for social media safety on Jan. 28, Data Privacy Day.  

“In our busy lives, we must set aside just a few moments every so often to check our data privacy -- and for most of us, that means social media,” said Dr. Jennifer Edwards, founder of the Texas Social Media Research Institute.

TSMRI offers these five tips for your quick five-minute social media privacy check-up:

1. Check your smartphone or tablet to see if location-based data is enabled, and disable it if you don’t want others to know your location.  Keep in mind that thieves have been known to use social media information.
2.  Google or Bing your full name, with and without quotation marks and using different keywords, to see what information about you is available online.
3.  Beef up your password. Ensure you have strong (and different) passwords across accounts, so that you are less likely to be hacked. Use these tips to help.
4. Check the application permissions on your Facebook & Twitter accounts. Delete any that you don’t absolutely need.
5.  Stay informed. Watch for news stories about privacy updates and warnings.

The group’s members hope business leaders will encourage their employees to “Take 5,” and that teachers will carve out five minutes on Jan. 28 for age-appropriate discussions about online safety.

Data Privacy Day, every Jan. 28, is sponsored by the National Cyber Security Alliance: http://www.staysafeonline.org/data-privacy-day/

TSMRI will host “Who’s Creeping You?” from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30. Organizers will share sites you should be checking and what you can do to protect your privacy.

About TSMRI: The Texas Social Media Research Institute is a cross-collaborative institute consisting of faculty, staff, and students who are focused on social media research and education in Texas. TSMRI is based at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas.

Keeping up with social media

As the years go by our world evolves into a a place where being tech savvy seems mandatory. I can remember being a freshman in high school when we went from MSN (now Windows Live) Messenger and AOL messenger to Xanga (which didn’t last too long) and then MySpace.  MySpace was the "cool thing" for a little while, but only  an amateur version of what was to come.

 Facebook was then set up for  college students (at first) to use. Not only is Facebook good for networking, but it allows us to keep in touch. I like Facebook because it is a good source for finding and posting photos.  A downside is all of the whiney and opinionated people .... sometimes it can get a little out of hand.

You can find more social media pins under TSMRI's Pinterest account.

I have entered the world of Twitter and at first I wasn't  the biggest fan. However, the more I use it and familiarize myself with it, the more I enjoy it. You can update as often as you feel with random thoughts. You also don’t end up with an enormous amount of friends on your page if you don't want them. With Twitter someone can follow you and you don’t have to follow them back. 

Our social media will be forever evolving because we live in a world where people can’t stay off of the computer and they constantly have to know what is going on in everyone’s lives.

Sara Rader is a Senior Ag Communications major at Tarleton State University from Mt. Vernon, Texas. You can find her on Facebook or Twitter.

Pinterest on a Budget

Decorating your room, bathroom, apartment, or house can be costly, but, as many people are learning, the do-it-yourself (DIY) crafts look just as wonderful without the price. DIY craft ideas are becoming more and more popular thanks to Pinterest. From planning a dream wedding to children's crafts, Pinterest has just about every DIY idea you can imagine. 

            Many people have boards on their own profiles that contain ideas for creating decorations for individual rooms or even the holidays. Pinterest on a budget may seem like a contradiction in terms.  When I think of crafting, I think of lots of money spent on materials. However, many crafts are as simple as coloring Styrofoam balls and spraying them with glitter for the added touch of design. Hundreds of designs are available on Pinterest that can be designed and created with a small budget.

Searching "DIY" in Pinterest yields a variety of ideas.

Setting a budget at the start of your project allows for you to see the price of the products used as well as the final costs. The number of crafts that can be made on a budget depends on the individual and the materials used.

For example, Megan Cockerham is an avid crafter who gets many of her ideas from Pinterest. One of the crafts she had pinned on her board “Crafts” was modeled to resemble a stained glass window.  With pins like this, you are sure to have craft ideas for every day.

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                Katherine Martin is a junior speech communication major at Tarleton State University. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter. 

Do you have "social media amnesia?"

It’s ok to admit it...we all have a bit of social media amnesia.

In the beginning...
I have been involved with social media for a very long time.  Probably almost as long as social media has been a “thing”.  My very first forays were postings to Usenet groups in the old days before we had chat rooms on the Internet.  Then I graduated to joining email listservs, some of which are still active. 

Over the years, I’ve posted in the comments sections of multiple news sites and other venues.  I bet you’ve done some of this, too.  In fact, I bet we’ve all done so much of it that if we stopped to think about, we wouldn’t begin to remember every post we’ve ever made. 

Is ignorance really bliss?
“Social media amnesia” is a term that’s been used before, but in a different context.  In an editorial, Nancy Scola of Reuters discusses tweets about the presidential election and how people forget what has been said and how there is no search engine designed to track  words used in Tweets since Twitter was first inaugurated. 

To me, the phrase “social media amnesia” means forgetting what and where I’ve posted through social media over the years.  This kind of amnesia is actually quite important because the strength of online search engines means that things a person has posted days, months, or even years ago can be found and potentially used against the writer.  

Have you taken the "Google Yourself" challenge?

Employers and Google
Google yourself now and then so that you’re not blind-sided.  For example, when I Googled myself recently, I found a post I had made to an email listserv in 1995.  I did not recall making the post, I do not recall the listserv or even the topic of discussion! What I posted was perfectly fine, no one would be offended by it in any way, but someone could ask me about it, which could be awkward for both of us.  It’s better for me to be able to address such things than to look surprised and have to say, “I don’t remember that.” 

If you're a student, potential employers are going to Google you and they may ask you about things you have posted.  The last thing you want is to be in an awkward situation where a potential boss asks about photos or comments you have put on the internet that are easily found when searching your name.

If you search for yourself every 6 months or so, you might be able to remove tags or photos you don’t like; sometimes, you can’t remove or untag anything, but just knowing what is out there can save you potential embarrassment.

Dr. Marcy Tanter is an Associate Professor of English & Languages and Director of the Graduate English Program at Tarleton State University.