This is how it's done in social media. Viral kindness. If social cruelty can get piled on in social media, so can compassion. Just watch "We Are All Daniel Cui," which shows how more than 100 students at Hillsborough High School in northern California defeated cyberbullying by swamping it with support for soccer goalie Daniel Cui, after somebody in his school created a "Worst Goalie Ever" page. … [Read more...] about What defeats cyberbullying: Viral kindness
1 billion smartphones
As of the beginning of this month, there are now a billion smartphones being used on the planet, up from 708 million a year ago, MobileBusinessBriefing.com reports, citing data from Strategy Analytics. That's 1 in 7 people on Earth, the market research firm says, and "16 years after the first smartphone [the Nokia Communicator] was launched in 1996." The iPhone arrived in the market in 2007. The … [Read more...] about 1 billion smartphones
To keep advertisers from tracking your kids’ phones
A lot of people find targeted advertising creepy – and just plain wrong if targeted at kids, especially little ones. Well, if your kids have iPhones and they have the latest operating-system software, iOS 6, then you can help them turn off apps' ability to "learn" their interests and target ads at them. Apple calls the setting "Limit Ad Tracking." My ConnectSafely co-director Larry Magid explains … [Read more...] about To keep advertisers from tracking your kids’ phones
12-year-old New Zealander’s mixed-media publishing business
I'm a long-time fan of Marie Forleo and other 21st-century media moguls and gurus, interested as I am in how people of all ages make (and make a living with) media in a digital age. So I've been following Marie's story and noticed an interesting plot twist this week. In her MarieTV video, she says she's been hearing from more and more parents who are sharing her messages of self-love and … [Read more...] about 12-year-old New Zealander’s mixed-media publishing business
Smart public image management in social media
High school students are displaying serious online spin control skills in their college quests. It's more like "public image management" than the reputation management so often referred to in online-safety discussions. In an interview for ReadWriteWeb.com, a high school teacher in Reno, Nev., called it "admissions jiu jitsu," referring to his students' workarounds for college and university … [Read more...] about Smart public image management in social media