World Series Goes Social
The Story
Opening Day of the World Series brings new ways for fans to celebrate -- and commiserate -- with other fans.
Discussion Starters
- How would you expect social media tools to affect MLB fans' connection to the games and to each other?
- From the teams' owners' perspective, what are the challenges of managing social media? What are the benefits to the teams?
Activity Ideas
- Compare Facebook fan pages of the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers. Which is more effective for engaging fans and why? Write an email to the creator of the weaker fan page with 3-4 suggestions for improvement.
- In small groups, search for news about the World Series on Twitter. What keywords work best for your search? What does your search reveal about how people are using Twitter?
University Blocks Access to Social Media
The Story
Could you live without Facebook for a week? Students at the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology couldn't. To encourage students, faculty, and staff to think about the role social media plays in their lives, the university blocked access to several social media sites from the campus network. University officials estimate about 10% of the students went "cold turkey." The rest used their smartphones or other wireless networks to stay connected.
Read more here. Image source: blog.theduffyagency.com.
Discussion Starters
- Why would the university block access to social media sites? Ideally, what was the administration hoping would happen?
- What are the downsides of the university's move? What were the possible repercussions for students, staff, faculty, and the university as a whole?
- Overall, do you think this was a good strategy for the university? How would you react if your school blocked access to sites for a week?
Assignment Ideas
- In small groups, discuss how you use social networking as a distraction. How does your online activity prevent you from doing your work and from participating in other types of communication?
- Give it a try! Take a break from Facebook and your other favorite social networking sites for a week (or how about a day?). After the break, write a brief memo to your instructor to discuss what you missed out on and what you gained from the experience.
Get Your Inbox in Order
The Story
Google just released a beta version of Priority Inbox, a tool to help you manage your Gmail. Priority Inbox categorizes messages, so you see the most important first. This may be a good way to manage some of your email overload.
Discussion Starters
- What are the effects of email overload? What challenges do you face in managing your own email?
- What alternatives to email are discussed in Chapter 1 and elsewhere in the book?
- In what ways do you think Gmail Priority Inbox might be useful for you? What new problems could it cause?
Assignment Ideas
- In small groups, discuss ways you manage email messages today (e.g., filters, rules, folders). On your own, try one or two of the ideas you heard from other students. See what works for you.
- If you use Gmail, install Priority Inbox and give it a try. If you haven't used Gmail, sign up for a free account and see how email is managed through conversations. Try it for a week to compare it to your current program.