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Social Media

This guide accompanies the What Kids are (Really) Doing Online video (which hopefully you just watched). Kids arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the only ones captivated by the social nature of new media. According to a Pew Internet & American Life Project report [1], although young adults continue to be the heaviest users of social media, 67% of online adults now use social networking sites too, and this number is growing! How To Use This Guide Use this guide to learn more about the social media networks used by young and old alike. If you are reading this online then simply click the links within to access the material they reference. You can also print this guide in order to have a hard copy on hand. Either way, we hope you find the information within useful. Enjoy!

Where to Start? The number of Social Networking Sites (SNS’s) that currently exist is hard to pin down - by some accounts there are over 500! If you want to know which are the most popular (or predict which ones will survive) why not ask the closest teenager? In case you don’t have one handy (a teenager, that is), we introduce you to some of today’s most popular SNS’s in the following pages. But first, click here to find out what happens in one social media minute.

Facebook, the world’s most popular social networking site, was created in early 2004 by Harvard student, Mark Zuckerberg. Originally designed for college students, this granddaddy of social networking enables users to create profile pages with photos, personal interests, contact information, and more to share with “friends” they choose to add to their network. As of 2013, Facebook has over 1 billion users worldwide who are utilizing the SNS through mobile and web devices. Facebook Getting Started Link Learn More: A Parents’ Guide to Facebook Facebook 101: Privacy Settings for Students and Other Minors Should You Accept That Facebook Friend Request? Six Tips for Better Facebook Parenting

According to this 2013 Slide Show from Intel, in one minute 30 hours of video gets uploaded to YouTube, there are 100,000 new tweets on Twitter, 3 million new photos are uploaded to Flickr, there are 277,000 Facebook logins, and 100 new LinkedIn accounts are opened. Now isn’t it time for you to join in all this fun? Check out some of the most popular social networking sites on the following pages.

“Even if you think you have your Facebook privacy settings nailed down, you can never know where your posts and photos will end up. You have no control over what your friends do with them, and it only takes a few ‘Likes’ for a post to be seen by hundreds of people you’ve never heard of.” From @theonlinemom

Twitter, sometimes referred to as a “microblog,” is an online social networking service that lets users post content that is 140 characters or less. Twitter users subscribe to other users’ feeds by “following” them. This SNS, created by Jack Dorsy in 2006, gained popularity quickly. As of 2012, it had over 500 million registered users. Twitter is often thought of in association with the “hashtag” (#) symbol, which allows users to to categorize posts by topic when tweeting. Twitter Getting Started Link

Learn More:

YouTube is a video hosting and sharing networking service that allows users to view and upload their own content. Videos can be shared publicly or privately with others; they can also be shared and viewed via social media, email, websites, and more. Originally created by PayPal employees in early 2005, YouTube has become wildly popular and is utilized by a large variety of users worldwide. The company was purchased by Google in November of 2006 for $1.65 billion. On average, YouTube obtains one hour of video content from its users every minute (as of 2013)! YouTube Getting Started Link Learn More: Parent Resources on YouTube

The CyberWise Twitter Learning Center

YouTube Updates Platform For Social Good

Twitter Best Practices: How to Use Twitter Effectively

The CyberWise YouTube Channel

How to Use Twitter Hashtags: A Simple Guide “There are loads of scholarships, essay contests, STEM competitions and grant opportunities for middle school, high school and college students posted daily on Twitter. Having a Twitter account allows you to access all that and more. Students that are interested in a writing career or journalism can easily promote their blogs and find out about writing contests, opportunities and internships.” From @GrowMap

“YouTube for Good is an initiative that focuses on building tools and audiences for non-profits, educators and activists. The YouTube for Good team aims to make sure YouTube employees, creators and users have the means to "do good" on the platform. As part of the initiative, the YouTube Non-profit Program gives 501(c)3 organizations access to YouTube tools, such as live streaming and fundraising capabilities, for free.” From @mashable

Instagram is an application that allows photo taking and sharing, mostly via smartphones. Users have the ability to follow their friends and “like” their pictures through a synchronous feed. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger conceived the app in early Fall 2010, and have experienced a tremendous following - the SNS had over 100 million users as of January 2013. Facebook acquired Instagram, and it’s youthful audience, for $1 billion in 2012. Instagram Getting Started Link Learn More:

The Beginner’s Guide to Instagram Instagram and Snapchat Becoming More Popular Among Kids Instagram v.s. Twitter: The Showdown in an Infographic

“Instagram is considered tame as long as kids adjust their privacy settings to limit who can see their photos and don't post nudity, which could subject them to child pornography laws. But... many parents don't know their kids are using Instagram until there's trouble - usually when kids post inappropriate photos at parties and these begin to circulate among their social circles.” From@AnneKFlaherty

Snapchat is a photo messaging service that allows users to send and receive messages that can be viewed for a maximum of 10 seconds. After 10 seconds has elapsed, the message is deleted from all records including the user’s device and Snapchat’s servers. This SNS, a favorite among young people, was developed by four Stanford students in early 2004. Snapchat Guide for Parents Learn More: A Growing App Lets You See It, Then You Don’t Snapchat Has Parents of Teens Concerned [video] Here’s Why Your Snapchat Photos Aren’t Private

“More than 60 million photos or messages are sent each day through Snapchat and then, after they are viewed for a few seconds, the missives vanish. That disappearing act — and a volume that is over a tenth of the well-established Facebook’s — has made the tiny start-up a technology hit, amassing millions of users and the backing of some of the most respected names in Silicon Valley, even though it doesn’t make any money.” From@jennydeluxe

Pinterest is a website dedicated to photo and idea sharing through a “pinboard” interface. It allows users to create a collection of images, hobbies, and interests by organizing them into “boards.” Users are also able to follow these boards and subscribe to updates when new items are added. The site, which can connect to other SNS platforms like Twitter and Facebook, was founded by Ben Silbermann in March of 2010.

LinkedIn is a networking platform primarily for professionals in the workplace. It offers a variety of tools from helpful articles related to users‘ occupations and interests to resume publishing tools that market experience. A recent survey from Jobvite found that 93 percent of job recruiters tap into LinkedIn to find qualified candidates, up from 78 percent in 2010. LinkedIn reported in January 2013 that it had acquired over 200 million users from more than 200 countries. The social networking site was created by Reid Hoffman, a former PayPal team member. Getting Started on LinkedIn

Pinterest Getting Started Link Learn More: Pinterest: Why Pinning Is Better Than Posting Pics Ten Things You Need to Know When Getting Started A Teacher’s Perspective on Pinterest “It is one place where sharing content from other people is actively encouraged – it is all about the social activity of interaction and sharing and gaining followers, rather than keeping ownership of your work. Pins are searchable for other Pinterest users, which is what makes it a great tool for virtual learning and collaboration.” From @edudemic

Learn More: Three Ways to Make Your Linked In Profile Shine How To Use LinkedIn to Find a Job At Last, LinkedIn Makes Search More Useful

“Every day we see millions of professionals find others and get found through LinkedIn search. Whether you’re searching for people, jobs, companies or groups, [LinkedIn] provide[s] the most relevant results based on your professional identity, your network, and how the people in your network engage with LinkedIn.” From @jpodemsky

Google Plus is Google’s social media network where users interact with their friends through community “circles.” To differentiate itself from competing social networking sites (like Facebook), Google identifies their SNS as a “social layer” where all of Google’s services are connected, creating an online “experience” for its users. Google Plus offers a variety of features to keep users engaged, including “Hangouts,” “Messenger,” “Instant Upload” (via Android devices), and “Sparks.” Google Plus reported over 500 Million users as of December 2012.

Tumblr is a microblogging platform and social media network that lets users post multimedia and other content to a short-form blog. Users can follow other users' blogs, and can make their blogs private. Tumblr’s features are accessed primarily from a "dashboard" interface, where the option to post content and posts of followed blogs appear. Founder and CEO of Tumblr, David Karp, first conceived of the microblogging site in 2006. As of March 2013 Tumblr had over 96.1 million blogs and more than 44.3 billion total posts.

Getting Started on Google+ Learn More: Google+: New Safety Enhancements, Now Available for Teens Google+ Update With Revamped Feed, And More

“Between strong user protections and teen-focused content, it’s our hope that young adults will feel at home (and have some fun) on Google+. And of course, we do have at least one thing in common with our newest users: we’re both busy growing up.” From Bradley Horowitz

Getting Started on Tumblr Learn More: A Complete Guide to Tumblr Tumblr Reaches 100 Million Blogs

“The main attraction is the community aspect. The dashboard experience is unique. A lot of people come to Tumblr just to make a website. But what a lot of people don’t understand is once you get to the community side of things, you almost never see what’s on the actual website, ” From Chris Mohney, Tumblr Editor-in-Chief.

Terms You Need To Know

Hits: Indicates how many people have visited your page. A measurement used in Web analytics, a "hit" is often defined as any request for a file from a Web server.

Like: A term used on Facebook to give positive feedback or connect with things you care about. You can "like" content that your friends post or Pages that you want to connect with on Facebook.

Microblog: The broadcast of very short messages

Here are some common social media terms and definitions [4]:

to an audience, such as on Twitter, where posts are limited to 140 characters each.

Blog: A website where entries are commonly displayed in reverse

Network: This can refer to a social network like

chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Follow: A term used on Twitter when following the tweet, or message of a user. A “Follower” is one who follows you on a social network, like Twitter.

Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, or the people you are conected to on thoe sites.

Retweet: To repost another user's message on the social networking

Friend: When you want to connect with someone on Facebook through a

website Twitter, usually abbreviated as RT.

personal profile, you "friend" them. The friend connection is two-way, meaning both parties have to agree before the connection is made.

Share: To post or re-post content on a social media site is to share it.

Hashtag: A tag used to categorize posts on Twitter when tweeting, according to topics. To add a hashtag to a tweet, you just preface the relevant term with the hash symbol (#). This allows people who follow that topic to find your tweet and perhaps follow you as well.

Facebook specifically has a Share option, which allows you to post someone else's content on your page. On Twitter, this is called re-tweeting.

Tweet: A message sent through Twitter to friend that is limited up to 140 characters.

Wait There’s More! S OCIAL NETWORKING TIPS 1.

Choose the social networking site(s) best for you! Every network is unique and offers distinct features. This link can help you find the SNS that suits you best.

Get to know the privacy settings on your SNS. Most sites allow you to customize these setting. In addition, remember that will be asked to provide personal information when you join, so be mindful about sharing too much information.

Customize your login information. Sometimes hackers break into financial or other accounts is by clicking the "Forgot your password?" link on account login pages. Sometimes they search the Internet for answers to common security questions, such as your birthday, hometown, or mother's middle name. If the site allows it, make up your own password questions, and don't draw from information anyone could find with a quick search.

Don’t allow social networking sites to scan your email address book. When you join a new SNS, you might be asked if you want to find out if your contacts are on the same network. The site might use this opportunity to send email messages to everyone on your contact list. Think twice before you allow your SNS to access your contacts.

Remember that everything you post on a social networking site is permanent. Even if you are able to delete your account, anyone on the Internet can easily print photos and text or save images and videos to a drive. In addition, inappropriate pictures, posts, or messages can permanently damage your reputation.

6. 7.

Be selective about who you accept as a friend on a social network. Just like you would in real life, choose your friends wisely. Talk to the young people in your life about the social networking sites they use. Chances are they’ll have some tips for you too!

References 1. Duggan, M., Brenner, J. (2013, February 14). The Demographics of Social Media Users - 2013. Pew Internet. 2. Fowler, G.A. (2012, October 4). Facebook Tops Billion User Mark. Business Insider. 3. Frommer, D. (2010, November 1). Here's How To Use Instagram. Business Insider. 4. Constant Contact Social Media Marketing Terms.

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