the-standard.org
Volume 107, Issue 15
The Social Media Issue
#PrezTweets MSU President Clif Smart is on Twitter — are you following?
By Trevor Mitchell The Standard At 4,001 and counting, MSU President Clif Smart probably has more Twitter followers than you. And why shouldn’t he? He’s not using it to show off Instagrammed pictures of his lunch or to share the funniest MSU hashtags — he’s using it to promote the university. In the past few months, Smart’s Twitter account has featured pictures from the winter graduation ceremony, highlights from Jay Nixon’s speech on campus, live tweets from basketball games and even some interaction with students. Smart also retweets articles about the university and Springfield, sometimes adding his own commentary. But what gave him the idea to start using Twitter? In an interview, Smart said there were several reasons that he began using the website. Admissions staff and others at the university had told him it was an effective tool, and Smart believed it would be a good way to interact with students he wouldn’t otherwise ever see around campus. He also pointed to Kirk Schulz of Kansas
State University and Santa Ono of the University of Cincinnati as examples of university presidents who use Twitter effectively. Finally, Smart said he “hoped it might change my image away from the old bald guy who works in Carrington.” Smart said he did Screenshot/THE STANDARD feel as though using President Clif Smart’s Twitter feed. Follow him at @ClifSmart. Twitter had helped him become better connected to the campus accomplishments that the university has and what was going on around the university. achieved. In the future, Smart said his plans for his “I follow 192 accounts, most of which are connected with MSU, Springfield or other uni- Twitter account simply include continuing what versities, and I can much more easily get out he’s been doing but always trying to improve, information about the university and what while also “engaging the university community in some specific discussions.” events are happening.” And what about #ComeOnClif — the hashSmart gave the gun scare at Drury University and other Springfield universities early last tag asking Smart to cancel classes that comes October as an event that benefited from his up any time the weather’s looking bad? “Makes me smile — has no impact on the use of Twitter, saying they were immediately able to send out a “we goofed” message to decision though.” You can follow President Smart on Twitter over 3,800 people. He also said it enabled him to share photos @ClifSmart, or visit his blog for more informaand accounts of happenings around the uni- tion at http://www.missouristate.edu/presiversity that many might be unaware of, or dent/.
2 | the-standard.org
The Standard
Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014
MSU students going digital for news By Rose Marthis The Standard
If you look around the PSU on any given day at lunch time, you will see nearly all of the students on their phones. It is easy to write everybody off as looking at Facebook, but more and more students may actually be looking at news sites on their mobile devices. Fewer students are picking up traditional newspapers and more are drawn to looking up their news online or through apps because of the accessibility and convenience of always having their laptops, tablets or smartphones with them. “I prefer it because I can easily click links instead of searching through a paper with written news,” said Jessica Dorney, a sophomore entertainment management major. “I am able to go from link to link very quickly and it is more convenient. I can switch from different news sources — local to national to worldwide — with just three clicks,” Dorney said. “I can skip over what I don’t want to hear about and get to things that are important to me.” Dorney said that she stopped getting her news from papers and television broadcasts and starting using social media sources right around when she came to Missouri State.
Calendar Tuesday, Jan. 14
Blackboard Learn 9.1: Building Course Content, 10 a.m.-noon, Meyer Library 205
Blackboard Learn 9.1: Jumpstart, 2-4 p.m., Meyer Library 205
Wednesday, Jan. 15
"Building the Ultimate Business Plan" Seminar, 6-9 p.m., Plaster Center for Free Enterprise and Business Development, Robert W. 1000
Thursday, Jan. 16
Faculty Senate meeting 3:30-5 p.m., PSU 313
Friday, Jan. 17
Refund Deadline - Full Semester Schedule Change at 100 percent Credit/Refund
Saturday, Jan. 18
Jim Crow to Barack Obama, 2-4 p.m., Plaster Student Union Theatre
Monday, Jan. 20
Springfield Multicultural Festival, Juanita K. Hammons Hall noon-4 p.m.
Briefs
Winter break brings energy saving for Missouri State campus
Missouri State implemented measures to conserve energy over winter break. As a result, Missouri State saved $49,079 in electricity and natural gas compared to the same number of days during the month of December, according to a press release from the university. This is a reduction of 24 percent in electricity and 18 percent in natural gas.
This appears to be the case for most students, seemingly because of the busier lifestyles they adopt when coming to college. Having easier access to news can help students in both their academic and personal lives. Katelyn Shively is a junior elementary education major who says she likes getting her news through apps on her iPad to stay connected. “Professors always end up relating the lesson to current events, and as a student in college, most of the conversations are about them as well,” Shively said. There are many top news apps that students can use for free, including CNN, Yahoo and Flipboard for both Apple and Android devices. Locally, the Springfield news stations KY3, KSPR and KOLR 10 launched their news apps for Google Play on Dec. 12, 2013, and they have since been downloaded by 354 users collectively. These news organizations launched the Apple version of the apps last fall, potentially having more users download them for their iPhones and iPads. Though students are encouraging the growing trend of social media news, they are aware of the challenges it is presenting to traditional news outlets and those who report it. “I think, because of the growing presence of social media,
those who create it have to find a balance between informative, entertainment and length,” said Shively. “We are getting accustomed to shorter stories and videos, so it’s harder to focus on the longer stories.” Cody Eidson is a recent December graduate who saw the changing trends in how students received their news during his time at MSU. He says that the demand for instant news may have a negative effect on those who write and publish it by creating a “pressure for ‘edgy’ and sensational pieces that just have catchy headlines.” Society’s need for convenience and instant gratification will always change how news is traditionally shared, but this might not be an entirely bad thing. Students are using the accessibility of apps and mobile devices to their advantage and staying updated on current events because of the benefits academically and socially. Dorney, Shively and Eidson all said that they like to read news stories on government and business affairs. College students today are the politicians and CEO’s of tomorrow, so using available resources to stay educated on what is happening in the world might just be another form of advantageous career preparation.
Photo manipulation can give false image to some Ad campaign fights back against the unrealistic expectations for women By Nicolette Martin The Standard
“You are more beautiful than you think.” This seven-word phrase has its roots in a campaign started by Dove that asks women to sit down with an FBI-trained forensic artist and describe themselves the way they imagine themselves. Afterward, a stranger — whom the original woman had been getting to know earlier in the day — begins describing the woman to the artist. What’s the result? Two very different images of a woman: one as the woman sees herself and one as the stranger sees her. Dove’s campaign for real beauty was launched in 2004, intending to “(start) a global conversation about the need for a wider definition of beauty after (major global study, ‘The Real Truth About Beauty: A Global Report’) proved the hypothesis that the definition of beauty had become limiting and unattainable.” The campaign, which was created to “provoke discussion and encourage debate,” according to the company’s website, has included ads featuring “real women whose appearances are outside the stereotypical norms of beauty.” This has come in the form of plus-size women to women with wrinkled skin — those who would not be considered “beautiful” by most
of society’s standards. The campaign even featured a time-lapsed video of a woman undergoing changes via photo editing software to display the large amount of work that is done to make women appear flawless throughout media and entertainment. The altering done professionally to images of celebrities and at home to everyday people alike has raised the question of how much technology and photo editing can alter someone’s own perceptions of reality. An article by Dr. Robert Tornambe for Oprah.com notes that “the bar for women has been set unrealistically high by the role models people have today. The deck has been stacked against the modern woman … Now, thanks to Photoshop and other photo-editing software, photos may be manipulated to make their subjects look thinner or heavier, taller or shorter, bustier or flatter chested … The touch-up technician has become an essential part of every photo project.” Because of this, Tornambe goes on to beg the question: “How can women, young or not, aspire to look like modern-day role models when the role models themselves don’t even look like their photos?” This unrealistic expectation, however, isn’t all without opposition — not just from movements similar to Dove’s campaign for real beauty, but from some of the
role models to which Tornambe alludes. According to DoSomething.org, “the country’s largest not-for-profit for young people and social change,” many celebrities — from Keira Knightley to Brad Pitt, Jessica Simpson to Kim Kardashian — are actually speaking out against Photoshop and other editing programs after their bodies were changed into the ideal physique. It isn’t just Photoshop — or technology in general — however that can leave you with an altered perception of reality. Have you ever seen a photo of yourself and just thought, “I just look so bad in that” or “That doesn’t look anything like me”? Chances are, you aren’t alone. Photographer Duncan David gave a TED talk on “Perception, mirrors and the uncanny valley make us hate photos of ourselves,” referring to the fact that the way we perceive ourselves is through our memory of what we think we look like. “How do we perceive ourselves?” David asks. “What is the map that we use to view ourselves? Well, it’s like what no other camera sees: it’s a mirror, in your bathroom, at arm’s length, reversed. That’s a very personal view; you’re the only person that has this view in the world. Whenever somebody takes a photo of you it does not match your personal mirror view.” In a growing world of technology, it’s easy to put u See PHOTOS, page 8
Nicolette Martin/THE STANDARD
Above: A picture before photo manipulation and editing has taken place.
Nicolette Martin/THE STANDARD
Above: A picture after photo manipulation and editing.
Social media profiles shouldn’t impact employment
By Amber Duran, Life Editor
I’m told that the way I present myself on social media matters to future employers. I find that interesting. In Sarah Alspaw’s article in Career Journal titled, “Building a Professional Image Through Social Media,” she has very specific guidelines to maintaining a hirable social media profile. “As with polite dinner table conversation, or during job interviews, you may wish to avoid politics, religion or polarizing social issues on even a semipublic profile. Avoid name-calling or any lack of civility during discussions, even on another person’s post, wall or comment feed,” she wrote. She even encouraged social media users to only post positive comments on ANY subject and never negative comments. These are not uncommon principles in a world where social media makes the world go round, or so it sometimes feels. Since when did social media take the place of job interviews? When I think of social media, I think of the exchanging of ideas, not the relaying of ideas that will only look good to a very limited number of people, like prospective employers. Have we really digressed so much as a society that we avoid any kind of verbal contact with another human being in exchange for hiding behind the wall of the internet? I can’t help but think that these employers, who turn down a candidate for a job based off his or her social media image, must not be looking for honest, free-thinking individuals ready to bring some creativity to the table, but rather boring, cookiecutter people ready to morph and change how they appear only to become some sort of shape-shifting, robot workers. Because employers would never themselves think to express an opinion that may be less than popular or be seen in a photograph where alcohol is present. Right? I doubt that’s the case. Still, we are told to hide the photos that might make us look bad, delete the friends who comment with inappropriate things and keep our political, personal and religious views to ourselves. Looking at a person’s profile and making a judgment based off that limited amount of information is no doubt judging a book by its cover. And so we are taught to create a cover suited for all those employers out there, and they have critiqued their own covers, and we thus perpetuate a society of covers, not real people. We judge them, regardless of how we ourselves act, and toss people by the wayside for reasons like having a photo on Facebook that’s less than professional.
The world is a much different place than it was 20, 10 or even five years ago. With much of peoples’ lives lived out online, and with the advent of more and more social media outlets, it’s difficult to keep track of what you’re sharing with whom, and much of your private life plays out publicly if you aren’t careful. Almost everyone is on social media — including Missouri State University president Clif Smart (find out how he does Twitter on page one) — and as reporter Rose Marthis points out in her article “MSU students going digital for news,” more and more young people are going to social media to get their news, meaning they are spending more and more time online. While some may argue that your social media presence shouldn’t have an impact on your professional and public life, you should still be smart about the kinds of things you’re posting on the interwebs. Sports reporter Mike Ursery points out on page six the even stricter guidelines enforced by the NCAA and universities when it comes to athletes and social media.
The Standard Physical address: Clay Hall 744 E. Cherry St. Springfield, Mo.
Newsroom: 417-836-5272 Advertising: 417-836-5524 Fax: 417-836-6738 Standard@MissouriState.edu www.the-standard.org
Postal address: 901 S. National Ave. Springfield, MO 65897
The Standard is published on Tuesdays during the fall and spring semesters.
The Standard
Editorial Policy The Standard is the official student-run newspaper of Missouri State University. Student editors and staff members are responsible for all content. The content is not subject to the approval of university officials, and the views expressed do not represent those of the university.
If we suppress new ideas how can we facilitate growth or change at work? We have the constitutional right to speak our mind, but what I’m told by the processes of the education system, employers and “the man” is that my ideas aren’t what they want to hear. My ideas need to be compressed and compartmentalized to fit in the context of other, more advanced, people’s ideas. They want to hear a regurgitation of what they already know. It’s like we developed a culture content to run on this vicious cycle of vomiting things out of our mouths that don’t really matter. And it shuts down creativity. In a book titled “Creative Action in Organizations: Ivory Tower Visions and Real Voices,” Barry Staw writes how even advocates of creativity stifle it. “The term creativity has a nice ring to it and nearly everyone thinks it is a good thing; but few people or organizations really want creativity,” Staw wrote. We all want to stand out to employers, bring something new to the table, but all of that hardly matters if deep down all they really want is for you to follow orders and be something you’re not. It’s our culture to be scared of people who are different. It’s the same reason politicians dress themselves a certain way and try so incredibly hard to perpetuate an image to America. People buy the image, not the reality. I think what our society needs is a cultural shift away from our extreme tendency of being offended by differences; in opinions, beliefs, ideas, looks. I guess what I am trying to say is that a person’s social media should be an outlet where they can express their personality, whatever that may be, and not a platform for employers to make rash decisions about a person’s professional career or character. That’s what a job interview is for. And just because you have a strong opinion on something or like to have a drink every once and a while, that shouldn’t negatively impact your chances of getting a job. It doesn’t make them a bad worker. I concede that employers can get some insight from a person’s profile, but that shouldn’t stop them from learning more about that person. I would tell employers to not shove creative thinkers to the curb because they walk to the beat of their own drum. Be an outside-of-the-box thinker. Be an employer everyone wants to work for. Let social media be what it is: a social community, not a substitute for a job interview.
While it is ultimately up to you what you post and who you share your life with, it’s important to be smart and careful about the things you could potentially reveal to strangers. Teenadvice.about.com offers many tips for staying safe online, and even though many of us aren’t teens anymore, they are still tips that any adult can use to keep their privacy a little bit more guarded. The things they say you shouldn’t share online include: • Party pics • Flirty Pics • Your phone number or address • Complaints about teachers and bosses • Your drama While some of this has to do with your image and your online presence, it’s also about staying safe in a sea full of strangers. Whether you’re an avid Internet user or a social media guru, just stay smart and stay safe. And remember: nothing you post on the Internet is really private.
Editor-in-Chief Nicolette Martin Nicolette012@Live.MissouriState.edu
Photo Editor Nic Deckard Deckard993@Live.MissouriState.edu
Life Editor Amber Duran Duran1989@Live.MissouriState.edu
Faculty Adviser Jack Dimond JackDimond@MissouriState.edu
News Editor Trevor Mitchell Trevor613@Live.MissouriState.edu
Letters and Guest Columns Letters to the Editor should not exceed 250 words and should include the author’s name, telephone number, address and class standing or position with the university. Anonymous letters will not be published. Guest column submissions are also welcome. The Standard reserves the right to edit all submissions for punctuation, spelling, length and good taste. Letters should be mailed to The Stan-
Advertising Manager Sandy King SandyKing@MissouriState.edu
dard, 901 S. National Ave., Springfield, MO 65897 or e-mailed to Standard@Missouri State.edu.
al orientation or disability. The Standard reserves the right to edit or reject any advertising copy at any time. The Standard encourages Advertising Policy responsibility and good taste in The Standard will not accept any advertising. Political advertisements advertising that is libelous, promust show clear endorsement, such motes academic dishonesty, vioas “Paid for by (Advertiser).” A samlates any federal, state or local laws, ple of all mail-order items must be or encourages discrimination submitted prior to the publication of against any individual or group on the advertisement. Advertising havthe basis of race, sex, age, color, ing the appearance of news must creed, religion, national origin, sexu- have the word “advertisement”
Our View
Be smart about technology
The Standard Editorial Board
Copy Editors Theresa Brickman Cali Shobe Ad Representatives Trevor Collins Brandi Frye Derek Yost Ad Designer Brent Rinehart Office Assistant Derek Yost
Sports Reporters Chase Probert John Robinson Mike Ursery Eli Wohlenhaus News/Life Reporters Kelsey Berry Taylor Burns Rose Marthis Brittani Schlager Andrew Shields Peyson Shields
printed above. Such ads must be bordered. Clear sponsorship must be shown on each advertisement. Position requests will be honored when possible but are not guaranteed. In case of error or omission, The Standard’s liability, if any, will not exceed charge for the space occupied by the error. The Standard is not responsible for typographical errors that do not decrease the value of the advertisement. Liability for any error
Briana Simmons Sadie Welhoff Cartoonist Rachel Brown Photographers Evan Henningsen Raven Kohlenberger Distributors Chad Grittman Brian Hamm Gus Skibbe
is limited to the first insertion of the erroneous advertisement. Newspaper Theft Each reader is permitted one copy of the paper per issue. Additional copies may be purchased from The Standard office for 25 cents each. The Standard may waive this fee on a case-by-case basis if extra copies are available. Newspaper theft is a crime. Violators may be subject to civil and criminal prosecution.
What not to do with social media
Think your potential employers won’t take the time to look up your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn account? Better think again. A survey by http://www. careerbuilder.com found that “45 percent of employers use social networking sites to research job candidates.” According to the same survey, many employers chose to put some applications in the “no” pile after applicants’ social media profiles displayed some of the following: • provocative photographs or information • evidence of drug or alcohol use • negative posts about previous employers or coworkers • comments that were prejudiced in regard to race, age or sex If your profile displays something from the list above, you might have some virtual housecleaning to do before you send out those applications. Karen Shannon is the
human resources consulting director at Ollis & Co. in Springfield, and she said she uses social media for recruiting. “A lot of students aren’t aware of it, but 77 percent of companies use social media in their recruiting,” Shannon said, referencing a statistic published by the Society for Human Resource Management in the fall of 2013. “One of the key points for students preparing for their first job is to think about how social media can help, not hinder, their job search,” she said. “I think they need to look at it as a way to market themselves. It’s a critical tool that’s just as important as their resume or cover letter.” Shannon said students should really consider taking the time to make their profiles presentable, because employers will be looking at the way they present themselves in photos or through tweets and posts. Here are some guidelines Shannon suggested following as you begin to clean up your social media profiles. Six simple steps to clean
Cloud storage vs. hard drives
Jack once required magic beans for access to the clouds, but in 2014, all it takes is an Internet connection. Instead of having to climb a beanstalk to a land full of giants, however, consumers can tap into a kingdom of storage and accessibility — all with the click of a mouse. With no magic beans necessary, cloud computing allows users to access files, documents and even software from anywhere with a computer and Internet connection. Cloud computing is the practice of using a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage and process data, rather than a local server or a personal computer. This format is on the rise as consumers and Web surfers alike yearn for convenience in the world of technology.
u See CLOUD, page 5
By Nicolette Martin The Standard Editor-in-Chief
u See SOCIAL, page 5
By Kelsey Berry The Standard
Nicolette Martin/THE STANDARD
A man dressed as a pirate offers free hugs (and bad advice) on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, La.
Life Reporter
Spring cleaning
This spring can be a time for cleaning up your social media
Hit Clips became iPods, floppy disks became USB ports, Disney got raunchy and Furbys are still creepy. A lot has changed since the ‘90s, when most of us watched Rugrats and slurped down Capri Suns. Now we try to stay awake through lectures and have a celebratory round after a big exam. Technology also changed throughout our childhood. Apple isn’t just a fruit anymore, and now we have access to the Internet anywhere and on almost any technological device. Social media is also
Illustration By Nicholas Deckard
something that has flourished just in the past eight years or so. Even though there are tons of social media platforms, I got a Facebook my sophomore year of high school, and it became almost an addictive thing. Everyday when I got home from school, I would immediately check Facebook and post pictures, statuses and write on my friends’ walls. Having a Facebook made me feel cool and in the loop. There was one time when a guy I had been crushing on sent me a friend request, and I was so
excited because I was like, “he must love me!” Getting older, Facebook became a status symbol. How many friends did I have, who wrote on my wall for my birthday and who “liked” my status? Now, I’ve learned that stuff doesn’t really matter… actually I take that back. Coming to college, my Facebook wasn’t as spick and span as it should have been. I mean, I wasn’t running a brothel from it or anything, but I had spring break pictures up, and as a sorority woman, I was required to clean up my account, which was — and is — a good thing. u See CLEAN, page 5
By Peyson Shields The Standard Life Reporter
File Photo The Standard
A digital age of musical pirates The way our parents listened to music decades ago is much different from our everyday jam sessions. The latest in the evolution of music is not only the content of today’s songs, but where we are getting our music. Chelsea James, a freshman business administration major, understands the impact of music on everyday people. “I would change nothing about the music industry,” James said. “Music is constantly evolving, and it reflects the lives of Americans.” In a matter of decades, we’ve shifted from records to cassette tapes to CDs and now MP3 files. This shift has brought about technological advances, legal issues and questions about where the music industry will be in the next decade. Downloading is nothing new. Napster was introduced by Shawn Fanning in 1999 as the first peer-topeer file sharing site used specifically for music. Since then, the sharing of MP3 files hasn’t had the best reputation. Users can “rip” music from CDs and post it to several websites to share it with other people, burn CDs for friends or download entire albums from the Web. All of these are examples of online piracy. Piracy is defined as the unauthorized reproducing, distributing, displaying or performing of copyrighted work. The Recording Industry Association of America is “the trade organization that supports and promotes the creative and financial vitality of the major music companies and they work to maintain the First Amendment rights of artists, major music companies and conduct consumers while monitoring state and u See PIRATE, page 8
By Briana Simmons The Standard File photo by Evan Henningsen/THE STANDARD
Springfieldians gather at the city’s annual Cider Days festival in downtown SGF.
Life Reporter
Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014
The Standard
Calendar Social
Continued from page 4
Tuesday, Jan. 14
University Ambassador Information: Learn to Walk Backwards, 9-10 p.m., Plaster Student Union 313, free
Wednesday, Jan. 15 SAC Films present: Ender’s Game, 9-11 p.m., Plaster Student Union Theater, free
Thursday, Jan. 16
SAC Grocery Bingo, 9-11:59 p.m., Plaster Student Union Food Court, free
Friday, Jan. 17
El Monstero: The Definitive Pink Floyd Tribute, 7 p.m., Gillioz Theatre, $20-45
Saturday, Jan. 18
417 Magazine Whiskey Fest, 5-8 p.m., University Plaza Hotel, $65
The Improvadors, 8-10 p.m., Big Momma’s 217 E. Commercial St., $5
Monday, Jan. 20
Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom March and Celebration “Fulfilling the Dream Changemakers,” 9:30 a.m., Mediacom Ice Park, free
up your social media profiles. Six simple steps to clean up your online image Step one: Don’t try to tackle everything at once. If you’re a social media junkie and have six different profiles to clean up, just take a deep breath. Spread things out and set realistic deadlines and short-term goals for cleaning up each profile, bit by bit. Step two: Untag or set priva-
Cloud
Continued from page 4
In fact, 97 percent of responders in an August 2012 survey conducted by Wakefield Research, a “market research consultancy specializing in strategic and tactical research for corporations and organizations throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia,” according to its website, said they are using cloud services today via online shopping, banking, social networking and file sharing.
The good
Briefs
Students honored with Citizen Scholar Award
The MSU Board of Governors designated the 2013 recipients of the Citizen Scholar Award at its Dec. 13 meeting. This award honors students who have made significant accomplishments while at Missouri State. The recipients were: Nii Kpakpo Ekow Abrahams, a senior communication major, Mariah Gregg, a senior philosophy major, Jared Horman, a senior graphic design major, Kris Keilty, an MBA student, Walter Orr, a senior professional writing major, and Paige Oxendine, a senior public relations and socio-political communication major.
There are many benefits to utilizing an Internet-based storage system as opposed to a more traditional method of backup, such as an external hard drive or flash drive storage. There are many options for cloud storage, including options from bigger technological names such as Google, Apple and Microsoft. For people who require storage for just files and documents, there’s Google Drive, a service that lets your files “go everywhere,” according to its website. “Change a file on the web, on your computer or on your mobile device and it updates on every device where you’ve installed
Clean
Continued from page 4
I have had a few interviews in the past year and a half, and for each interview they were very upfront about the fact that
cy restrictions on any photos you wouldn’t want your grandma to see. Cliche? Yes. Effective? Heck yes. Employers will most likely disregard your application if 98 percent of your Facebook photos are of you half-dressed, slamming shots at your favorite local bar. Step three: Avoid using your profile as an online journal. If you really need to vent about a personal issue, problems at work, your relationship woes, etc. then call a close friend. Guaranteed you’ll get better feedback and potential employers will see that you are able to remain discreet
and collected in the face of adversity. Step four: Monitor your friends’ comments. An inappropriate post on your wall can look just as unappealing to employers as if you had said it yourself. Deleting a comment or even unfriending someone may increase your chances of getting your dream job. Step five: Use your online presence as an opportunity to market yourself. Maintain a list of your professional accomplishments, post examples of past projects or things you are currently working on. Doing so will cre-
ate an online, multimedia portfolio that also displays your ability to communicate effectively. Step six: If you have aspirations to work for a specific company, follow them on Twitter or add them on Facebook. It’s a great way to keep yourself in the loop and gain important knowledge by staying up to date on the current company news. Developing your social media image as you begin to blur the lines between college life and the professional world can be a challenge, but following these six steps may make such a large task just a little bit more manageable.
Google Drive. Share, collaborate or work alone: your files, your choice,” the website states. Google Drive is available for free to store the first 15 GB, and 100 GB of space or more starts at $4.99/month. The iCloud, which was released on June 6, 2011, “automatically and wirelessly store(s) your content in iCloud and automatically and wirelessly push(es) it to all your devices,” according to a June 6, 2011 Apple press release. “Today it is a real hassle and very frustrating to keep all your information and content up to date across all your devices,” then Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in the press release. “iCloud keeps your important information and content up to date across all your devices. All of this happens automatically and wirelessly, and because it’s integrated into our apps, you don’t even need to think about it — it all just works.” Now just four months after the service’s two year birthday, the iCloud allows for photo streaming to friends and family, location services for your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, and storage of contacts, calendars, music, books, apps and more. You automatically get 5 GB of storage free in the iCloud, and you can purchase additional iCloud storage from 10 GB for $20/year
to 50 GB for $100/year.
The ugly
they checked out my Facebook account. I was never worried, because I know that my account is appropriate. Here are some tips to keep your Facebook appropriate: Delete and untag all pictures of yourself participating in illegal activi-
Weekly Crossword © 2014 King Features Synd., Inc.
ACROSS 1 Thick slices 6 Modeling materials 11 John le Carre spy 12 Excursion 14 Impede 15 RV 16 Scepter topper 17 Cleavagehiding scarf 19 Shell game need 20 "So be it" 22 "You've got mail" co. 23 Bacterium 24 Suitable for singing 26 Nobility member 28 Enjoyment 30 Hearty quaff 31 Parlor pieces 35 Phi Beta 39 Quarry 40 30-Across provider 42 Mountain lake 43 Anger 44 Wheat bundle 46 Central 47 Monkey (with) 49 Put a - on (deaden) 51 Sound system 52 Lubricate 53 Decorate 54 Dadaist Max DOWN 1 Sleazy 2 Lithe 3 Jungfrau, for one 4 Complaint
5 Middle East nation 6 Coiled part of the inner ear 7 Waikiki wingding 8 $ dispenser 9 "Hooray!" 10 Villainous looks 11 Sandbar 13 Metric measures 18 Officer of the law 21 Swell 23 Terrific 25 Prompt 27 Wapiti 29 Kidney component 31 Skewers 32 Mistakes in print 33 Abounded 34 Seek
Last Week’s Puzzle Answers
restitution 36 South American plains 37 Mass figure 38 Violinist Rieu 41 18-Down's emblem
the-standard.org | 5
44 Prophet 45 Jamie of "M*A*S*H" 48 Expert 50 Chaps
The bad
Although there are many advantages to cloud storage, there are also many disadvantages to the Internet-based services. First: the requirement of an Internet connection. Because you must be connected to access, any spotty wireless connection or disruption to the service could leave you without access to your files. Google offers an Apps Status Dashboard (www.google.com/appsstatus) that offers performance information for Google Apps services, including Google Drive. The information, shown in the user’s local time zone, can tell you whether there are no issues, a service disruption or a service outage. Apple’s iCloud offers a similar service at www.apple.com/support/systemstatus. Second: it’s in a cloud. Because all of your files, photos, music and whatever else you decide to store are located in the cloud, you don’t actually have something physical. Third: accessibility. Not all teachers or classes can be used to share assignments, so at this point the cloud storage simply becomes an option for organizing your work before turning it in.
ties like underage drinking, smoking or using drugs. Moderate pictures of yourself at bars and/or parties, even if alcohol isn’t seen (future employers don’t want to see that all you do is party). Be mindful with what
Cloud storage could have more long-term disadvantages than just not being able to turn a paper in to a professor. A November 2011 survey by Nasuni, “the leading next-generation enterprise storage company,” according to its website, found that 81 percent of information technology decision makers had concerns about data security in the cloud, and 48 percent were concerned about the level of control they would have over data stored in the cloud. “You can’t see the cloud. You can’t cruise around it (unless you’re Superman). And your service provider is the one that gets to reboot the servers,” the press release said. “In short, IT no longer has the control it is used to.” Boston University’s Information Security Department offers many tips to cloud users to keep their files safe, including making sure the company that is operating the cloud has a “good reputation and solid security policies,” encrypting data being uploaded to or downloaded from the cloud, understanding your options if the cloud provider should be hacked or lose your data, choosing good passwords and backing up your data. So if you’re ready, grab your magic beans … er … your computer, and climb up to the cloud.
you post. Posting statuses about your job can compromise your position, so think twice before you type. Monitor your friends: if their behavior shows up on your timeline, it is your responsibility too. One of the easiest ways
to see if your Facebook is appropriate is to look at it as an outsider; you can even call your family to see what they think. Even though it’s not the ‘90s, you can still be hip and cool on social media, especially Facebook.
The do’s and don’ts of athletes on social media
Posts made on social media mostly originate from personal opinions, but the risk of those opinions becoming public is greater than several people may think. Cardale Jones, third-string quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes, learned that lesson after a post he made on Twitter quickly went public. “Why should we have to go to class if we
came here to play FOOTBALL, we ain’t come to play SCHOOL classes are POINTLESS,” he tweeted. In just a matter of days, his tweet made its way into the spotlight. The story was reported by several national news outlets, including sports giants ESPN and Yahoo! Sports. As a result, Jones was forced by Ohio State to delete his Twitter account.
This is just one example of how student athletes find themselves in trouble for things that they post. Social media is a platform that allows athletes to express themselves and interact with fans. However, athletes also have guidelines to follow concerning how they are to use that platform. u See ATHLETES, page 7
Technology bringing sports fantasies to life What used to be as simple as “go outside and have fun” has turned into something far more indepth and competitive. In today’s fast-track technological society, it has become so much more than people just throwing a ball or running around — it’s an
interactive experience. Not only has the use of such things as instant replay changed the face of sports, but major change came with the invention of “fantasy sports” — a way for those who aren’t good at the physical nature of sports to compete (i.e. Eli
Wohlenhaus). Now, in the National Football League especially, fantasy sports have become a large market amongst fans. It has created an atmosphere that, instead of just rooting for one team, you will also be rooting for specific players from
many different teams. For instance, a Ram’s fan in this area could finally have the excuse to root for a player from a team who might actually have lot of success. With fantasy football, there u See FANTASY, page 7
Building a Twitter empire with Little Debbies
If you spent any time around Plaster Student Union last fall, chances are you interacted with men’s soccer head coach John Leamy, who not only led an incredibly successful season of soccer, but also made a push for the team into the world of Twitter with a little perseverance and a couple of snack cakes. The idea started when men’s soccer, the
Missouri State Reserve Officer Training Corps program, and local band Luna Jamboree (who are also MSU alumni) were planning the events that would make up the “Living OUR Legacy” game. The last home game of the regular season for the Bears that would also include a 5k run, and a concert from Luna Jamboree all to raise money for the ROTC program. The Lega-
cy games of the past always averaged the biggest crowds, with an average attendance of 1,973 fans. To keep that record strong, the Bears looked to increase their presence on Twitter. The idea was simple, Leamy would u See TWITTER page 7
A beginner’s guide to following baseball insiders At the risk of sounding like an old man, I am going to start off by complaining about news and talking about baseball. News these days is produced as fast as possible through Twitter, Facebook or any news source on the Internet. Unfortunately, the focus tends to be on how fast the news can be
produced as opposed to how accurate it is. With that, baseball is no exception. With a variety of “sources” that includes bloggers, schmucks, sabermetricians, old-school purists and new-school numbers guys, baseball writers can manipulate news and trade rumors just as eas-
ily, coming up with these things seemingly out of thin air. Heck, even some of the guys out there with credibility that just state their opinions on baseball are not worth your time and effort (I’m looking at you, Dan Shaughnessy). I could go on for days on what is wrong with some of today’s base-
ball beat writers, but instead, I will just give you my list of trustworthy forward thinkers, as well as their Twitter handles and where you can find their work: u See BASEBALL, page 7
Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014
Athletes
Continued from page 6
“It’s a great way to connect with the community and with recruits,” MSU Athletic Director Kyle Moats said. “So we need to be involved with it, and it needs to be an everyday occurrence.” Schools in the NCAA are required to monitor all social media accounts belonging to student-athletes. This mandate was established after the University of North Carolina was punished for violations committed by its football program, including academic fraud and players receiving improper benefits. The NCAA discovered in its investigation that these violations would have been prevented if UNC had monitored athletes’ social media accounts. Annual social media training is also a requirement for college athletes. Fieldhouse Media is an organization dedicated to teaching both athletes and coaches about how to properly use social media. According to its website, Fieldhouse Media has been called on by more than 45 universities and conferences to educate studentathletes and staff about social media use, from the risks involved to how they can leverage it in a way that benefits both player and program. “The goal of the session is to give athletes an idea of how big and how public social media is,” said Kevin DeShazo, a representative for Fieldhouse Media. “We show them how their words
online matter and prepare them to use social media in a way that is useful and positive.” One of the techniques Fieldhouse Media uses is showing athletes examples of negative posts seen by the public. They use examples that have made national headlines, but they also use examples of posts committed by athletes of each program they work with. “We do not do this to humiliate anybody,” DeShazo said. “We do it to show them just how public their posts are, and how easy it is for anyone to find them.” While the public mainly hears about the impact social media has on athletes, coaches use social media in a different way. Coaches use social media to enhance recruiting strategies. Social media has made it much easier for coaches to reach out to potential recruits. However, coaches have their own set of rules to follow. The NCAA places limits on how many phone calls coaches are allowed to make to recruits, and it has made texting impermissible. However, the regulations placed on the use of social media are not as constricting. Coaches are not allowed to publicly communicate with recruits — they can’t write on a recruit’s Facebook wall or post tweets on their twitter — but sending messages is allowed. Sending private messages on Facebook or direct messages on Twitter is allowed because they are seen as a form of email, which is permissible under NCAA guidelines.
The Standard
For this week’s regular sports coverage, visit us online at the-standard.org
Continued from page 6
stand around the PSU with other representatives from the ROTC program, soccer team or Luna Jamboree and approach students asking if they would take a moment to follow the team (@MSUBearsMensSoccer), and in return, they would receive a Little Debbie snack cake. The reasoning behind the snack cakes was a simple one. Leamy simply said, “Little Debbie makes people smile and be happy, whether it was an Oatmeal Creme Pie, a Swiss Roll, or a Nutty Bar. If students were willing to spend time with us and allow us to visit with them, it was the least we could do to give them a Little Debbie treat!” It was a simple idea that received a Screenshot/THE STANDARD big response. The Twitter account shot The Missouri State men’s soccer from a couple hundred or so followers team built a large Twitter following to over 1,700 followers in the course of a semester. The campaign accomplished in fall 2013 by offering students something much greater than the num- snack cakes. ber of followers on a Twitter page; it allowed the team to build a stronger body. “There were so many great moments connection to the rest of the student
Fantasy Continued from page 6
are no more secret “crushes” on other teams or players because you no longer have to hide your truest feelings. This integration has not only created a larger audience for the sports themselves, but has provided jobs for some sports “gurus” out there. Television segments and stattrackers are now a large part of networks such as the NFL Network and the MLB Network — segments that break down athletes’ past performances and predict their future performances. It is really quite fascinating how fantasy sports came into being and then reshaped the physical sports. What started as a couple of gentlemen betting on football players and recording their stats on paper has turned into an industry in and of itself, riddled with websites, fanatics and stakes raised far beyond that of “who
Baseball Continued from page 6 Jonah Keri Grantland @jonahkeri
3-5 BR house
across from The Monroe on National for rent. Price negotiable. See MSUHousing.com or call Greystone Properties at 417-865-3350
1/2 block from MSU
3BR/1BA brick house, hardwood floors, all appliances, basement w/ W/D. $725 Available December. 417-839-6532 or 417-839-4189
511 E. HARRISON NEAR MSU 2 BEDROOM / 2 BATH APARTMENT Available NOW
$675/month for 2 people $475/month for 1 person University Properties 417-864-0012
1BR apartment, $425 Includes utilities, laundry, covered parking. Bear Blvd/Holland. Available 1/1/14. (417) 848-8264
thing from sports to business to entertainment and has worked for the likes of FanGraphs, ESPN, The Wall Street Journal and GQ. Keri wrote the New York Times best-seller “The Extra 2%: How Wall Street Strategies Took a Major League Baseball Team from Worst to First “and is currently working on a book about his beloved Montreal Expos (Keri was born in Montreal), due out later this year. Keri is one of the best at combining sports, humor and business in his writings and is almost constantly interacting with his followers on Twitter. Between writing thousand word articles on Grantland, responding to tweets, and watching and researching baseball, I do not know
Tired of paying up to $600 for a room, having to share the frig and missing food, and needing a place to “entertain” out of the range of “nosey” eyes and ears?
Why not spend less, ditch the room, and have your own apartment? Studios from $389, 1BRs from $449.
417.869.5421
southwoodproperties.com
visiting with the students,” said Leamy. “They had a great sense of humor and we had a blast with them. We tried to not take things so serious. Hanging out with students was a privilege. We received so much feedback from students about what’s important to them.” Even though the men’s soccer Bears lost that game, the event itself saw the fourth largest crowd in program history at 1,623 spectators, and to Leamy, that is what the importance of a campaign like that is all about, the support. “The boys were so appreciative and grateful to see so many students take an interest in them and support them at the Legacy game and throughout the season! We work for and play for our students!” As for what the next campaign will be, Leamy has an idea, but he’s not ready to let the world know just yet. “We don’t know exactly what next year will bring, but we would like to see another great event come together in the fall. We hope to keep engaging with our students and supporters throughout the spring semester. In fact we are working on doing something coming up soon. Stay tuned! Announcement coming soon!”
won the game yesterday, pa?” Its appeal comes largely due to the fact that it gives the participants a feeling of control and power. lt combines the skills of picking your players and choosing MLB when to start them or sit Regular season: April-October them. But how does one go Drafts begin late March, early April about participating in a fantasy game? According to NFL Yahoo, the best sites for fantasy baseball belong to Regular season: September-January CBS Sports, Yahoo and Drafts begin in August Major League Fantasy Baseball. Yahoo also has CBS Sports and Yahoo NBA among the top sites for fanRegular season: October-April tasy football, with ESPN being the other site in the Drafts begin in late September top three. The Fantasy Sports Trade Association reported NHL that 33,559,990 people parRegular season: October-April ticipated in fantasy sports Drafts begin in September in 2013. The largest percentage being adult men who have a household income of more than Source: toptenreviews.com $50,000 a year. Regardless of what is to blame, fantasy sports have that have been around for tasy sports to a global audience, and has helped fans blossomed into a world of so long. Technology has expand- feel more included in the their own, whilst kindling the passion for the sports ed the participation of fan- activities that they enjoy.
Fantasy sports seasons
where this guy finds the time. It seems like he lives and breathes baseball, and this is why I consider him one of the best.
Craig Calcaterra NBC Sports Keri has covered every- @craigcalcaterra
Last Week’s Sudoku Answers
the-standard.org | 7
Calcaterra, a former law practitioner, is now the “blogger-in-chief” for NBC’s Hardball Talk. The former lawyer does not consider himself a journalist, as he often writes opinion pieces, then does his best to support his claims. Calcaterra will often tweet with followers who choose to argue his claims and will often post multiple articles a day, providing ample reading material. Calcaterra is usually on point and usually makes a pretty good case for himself even when I don’t necessarily agree with him.
has climbed the journalistic ladder the right way. Getting his start by properly citing where he gathered his news, Cotillo then started gaining some information on his own after developing relationships with players via Twitter. Cotillo eventually found the resources to start breaking news on his own before his senior year. Though Cotillo’s age is the reason he doesn’t garner proper respect from his peers, his fresh take on news and the game is the reason for following this young writer.
Dan Szymborski ESPN @DSzymborski
Szymborski is a sabermetrician and creator of the acclaimed projection system called ZiPS (Szymborski Projection System), which he developed in 2003 using weighted averages, Chris Cotillo player comps and trends to MLB Daily Dish predict statistics for players @ChrisCotillo for the upcoming years. The 18-year-old wonder- Aside from ESPN, Szymkid and high school senior borski is also a frequent
Used laptop/desktop computers needed by new non-profit organization. We can format all personal items off for you if needed. somoes@rocketmail.com
BUYING ALL SMARTPHONES! ANY CARRIER, ANY CONDITION! PLEASE CALL OR TEXT 417-770-4332
contributor to FanGraphs. Much like Keri and Calcaterra, Szymborski does a good job addressing his followers, but isn’t shy about (hilariously) voicing his distaste of others and their opinions, either. I know it seems like I am casting aspersions, but once you read his Twitter bio, you’ll understand.
Ken Rosenthal Fox Sports @Ken_Rosenthal
Rosenthal is one of the game’s best insiders and is often responsible for breaking the latest transactions. Rosenthal has been known to value his relationships in the game and has maintained many relationships with players, managers, scouts and front office types in order to break news. While Rosenthal will hide behind “sources,” he doesn’t do it to the point of discontent and still remains a great source of the latest MLB news.
8 | the-standard.org
Pirate
Continued from page 4
federal laws, regulations and policies,” according to its website. James, who like many Missouri State students grew up in the digital age, said she doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with downloading. “Sometimes I don’t want to buy a whole album, especially if I know that I’ll only listen to a few songs,” James said. “Now, if there’s an artist that I truly love and support, of course I will buy their music.” Beyonce recently debuted her virtual album of 14 songs and 17 videos on iTunes for fans to purchase and download immediately. Although her fifth, self-titled album debuted on the Billboard 200 charts, according to Rolling Stone.
Photos
Continued from page 2
a filter on the world. It’s easy to take out your cell phone, position your arm at just the right angle to make your cheekbones look fantastic and hide that little bit of extra skin on your chin that you’d so lovingly refer to as your double chin, crop it in just the right way and
The Standard
The copies of “Beyonce” that were illegally downloaded would have sold at $15.99, profiting another $3.8 million if they were purchased instead. Minimal penalty for illegal downloading, according to the RIAA’s website, is $750 per song. James, like many others, has found a solution to avoiding online piracy. “I prefer to listen to Internet radio such as Pandora,” James said. “It gives you a variety of songs, and you don’t have to worry about listening to the same song over and over.” Online radio is the latest trend for music listeners. Sites like Pandora, Spotify, iHeartRadio and Slacker allow you to create and play a continuous playlist from your favorite artists. As trends typically change every few years, who knows how you’ll be listening to music by the end of 2014.
add the perfect filter to make yourself happy with how you look. However, this constant editing and altering leaves you with a very different perception of what’s real and how you should really look, and it’s campaigns like Dove’s that aim to keep technology out of reality and bring back the true definition of what is beautiful — without editing software.
Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014
Bullying online can hurt people, or worse As technology becomes more prevalent, the issue of cyberbullying grows along with it. By Sadie Welhoff The Standard
For everything positive the Internet has given to the world, whether it’s connecting people, getting the word out for causes or giving the answer to a homework question, negativity has found a way in. Bullying pops up in about every form on the Internet. Social media users can hurl their insults over a Facebook page from the convenience of their home. MSU Counseling and Testing Center Director Doug Greiner said cyber bullying presents unique challenges compared to other forms of bullying. If the bullying happens face-toface — in a school — for example, at some point you can leave and go to a different classroom or go home.
Get daily updates at our all-new website!
Online bullying can happen 24/7 and follows you wherever you have Internet access. No longer participating in the social media sphere where the bullying is taking place is an option, but Greiner said if the site also provides support from friends or family, leaving it could decrease their support system. Greiner said since the Internet creates more opportunity for anonymity, it could be harder to take steps to deal with the bully. “I think that’s the biggest thing about bullying anonymously; how do you track them down?” Greiner asked. While laws exist to deal with physical harassment, laws concerning online harassment are still being shaped and have limits on how much
they can stop. For students at MSU, the code of students’ rights and responsibilities puts down policies showing that harassment has consequences. A student being harassed by another student could pursue a punishment on that route, which could include loss of privileges, probation and possibly suspension. Greiner said from a psychological standpoint, bullying online could remove the bully’s ability to realize the effect they have on the victim. “It’s challenging for people to say harmful things and see the impact that you have on them,” Greiner said. When a bully harasses someone and sees that person have a negative reaction, it could potentially push him or her to stop the bullying behavior. Cyberbullying deals with a medium that does not have physical interaction, and the online bully might not ever see the negative impact hurting the victim. According to Greiner, the longlasting effects of bullying include self-doubt, issues with self-value, anxiety and sometimes depression. Greiner said his advice for victims dealing with bullying of any kind is to find someone trustworthy and supportive in your situation.
the-standard.org