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Mutt Media on cyber bullying

You can’t pick up the newspaper (or, if you prefer to read online, peruse the headlines) lately without coming across one story or another where the phenomenon of cyber-bullying isn’t discussed. The effects of this online form of bullying can be severely traumatizing for the victims and can lead to isolation, depression and suicide.

Children have always been bullied, whether in the playground, in school or on the very blocks that they live and play. It remains a disturbing part of growing up; a seemingly random assignment of torment to particular kids, sometimes with provocation and more often, without any. Bullying today has been taken to new heights with the emergence of social networking and the ability of our children to be constantly “plugged in” whether via their computers or cell phones.

What was once limited to the time kids spent in and around the school or playground has now infiltrated our homes on a 24 hour rotation without end. Kids are not only using Facebook, but text messaging, AIM Instant Messaging, YouTube and video chats. The ability to virally reach an infinite audience – even those we don’t know personally, has given new meaning to the word torment. There is, quite literally – NO ESCAPE.

What can we do to stop this? In a word? PARTICIPATION. If that word is not enough, then here’s another. WATCH (closely!). TALK is a good one, too. As parents, we have got to step up and engage with our children. Find out what they are doing online, and just as you would correct their manners at the dinner table, do so with their behavior in this forum.

Don’t even get me started on monitoring your children’s “harmless” photos that they post and tag for all to see. That’s a topic for another post.

For now, I will leave you with this thought. It is much easier to post your feelings, thoughts, etc (both naughty and nice) on a screen of some sort. Let’s try to encourage real, LIVE interaction whenever possible. So much gets lost or misinterpreted via emails, texting and the like. What ever happened to actually picking up the phone?

I will post instructions on how to limit your children’s computer time, which programs they use and for how long in a future post, but for now – dialogue!

I, for one, would hate to think that one of my kids could be participating in cyber-bullying a classmate or friend – or worse – to be on the receiving end of this awful behavior and taunting.

Here are links to just a few of the articles of interest on this subject.

Rachel Neblett, Cyber bully victim

Click here if you’d like to read the official press release announcing Suffolk County Legislator Jon Cooper’s co-sponsorship of an important bill that will criminalize cyber-bullying against minors.

Some cyber-bullying resources and sites of interest:

• Stop Cyber Bullying Now
• Cyber Bullying Research Center
• Real life Stories
• Alexis Pilkington (Local Long Island Girl posthumous Facebook Page)
• the story of Rachel Neblett (another girl who committed suicide)

Technology Update

According to Reuters…

Microsoft is set to announce the launch of a much-anticipated product – a cell phone targeted for frequent users of social media. Called “Project Pink, the phones will be sold by Verizon. Invitations were sent to various media to attend the unveiling of the new product…which supposedly will happen on or about April 12th.

On another note, Apple announced that iPad sales topped 300,000 on the first day they were available. Over a million apps were have been downloaded as well as approx. 250,000 ebooks from the iBookstore.

China vs. Goole

China is threatening to pull Google off it’s internet feed citing Google’s refusal to censor the online content available to citizens of the country.

According to the New York Post, China said, “Google would be unfriendly and irresponsible if it defies rules to censor online content”. This statement has escalated the already heated dispute between the two giants.

As recently as today, a piece appeared on SevenSidedCube.net, Nicole Wong (Google’s VP) stated, “We are no longer willing to censor our search results in China, and we are currently reviewing our options. If the option is that we’ll shutter our .cn operation and leave the country, we are prepared to do that.”

This is one to watch. Representatives from China have gone on record stating they will give Google the boot for failure to comply.

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Hulu, the (so far) free internet website that allows visitors to watch movies, tv shows and play video games is toying with the idea of charging in the neighborhood of $5 for a subscription plan that will allow unlimited access to groups of shows. For example, instead of limiting views to a handful of shows, you may have access to an entire season…a great feature if you like to play catch-up and cram it all into a day or weekend.

Hulu is owned by NBC, Fox and the Disney Channel. I must say, I do like the idea of watching the entire season of 24 and getting my Jack Bauer fix all in one shot. The $5 fee doesn’t seem all that prohibitive from where I stand. Just no commercials, please!!!

Here’s a link to a piece ABC News did on Haiti and the first responders. You may be surprised (or not!) to learn that Isreal was the first country on the scene to lend a hand. The medical structures they set up are well-stocked with supplies and run with the military precision that has become synonymous with the Isreali government. An interesting segment…take a look. Makes you wonder how Isreal got to the scene so quickly and efficiently with the great distance they had to travel while it took the US more time to physically arrive there and still struggling with organizational issues.

Click here to view “Low Supplies, Many Injured”.

Happy Holidays.

Here’s a true gift given in the spirit of the season….How to remove those annoying Facebook notifications that alert you every time one of your “friends” makes a move using Farmville, Mafia Wars, Yoville or one of the umpteen others.

We have all experienced the constant stream of notifications that have become part of the daily experience if you are a Facebook user. And lets face it, who isn’t using Facebook at this point?

Applications on Facebook, in my opinion, have become nothing short of noise that completely clutters my News & Live Feeds. I have eliminated having notifications sent to my phone which was a big improvement but I am finding that even when I visit the site (having mentally prepared myself for the inevitable onslaught), the updates have become intrusive and ridiculous. I have taken action and so can you.

I asked myself what kind of gift could I give my readers in the spirit of the holiday season that will adequately say a genuine “Thank you” for your comments and encouragement during my first six months. I think this fits the bill. So without further adieu, here you go.

Go into your Live Feed or your News Feed and find the notification that really annoys you most…..there are a million to choose from. Here’s a partial list:

Some Facebook Apps

Once you are in your Live or News Feed, let your mouse hover over one of your notifications. If you pull your mouse to the right, you will see a button that says “Hide”.

Click on it!!!

Mutt Media on how to hide annoying Facebook App notifications

You will then see a pop up window dialogue box, similar to the one below. Simply click on the button that says, “Hide ______________” and voila – you are done!

Mutt Media on hiding your Facebook App notifications

Please give this a try and let me know when you’ve found Facebook bliss. No – that’s not another App, it’s a state of being.

Happy Holidays, everyone!!

I love technology. We are able to find so much information so easily.

Example – Dr. Scott Becker was separated from his daughter, April when she was only a few months old. April’s mom left him and took their only daughter with her.

About 10 years later, Becker created a website totally dedicated to finding his daughter AprilBecker.com. Becker spent thousands of dollars and countless hours in hopes of reuniting with his long-lost daughter. Finally, just a few weeks ago, April performed a Google Search and entered the words “Scott Robert Becker looking for April” and the website popped up.

She sent her dad an email and he responded with a question that he thought she would instinctively know the answer to, “Are you a green baby?”. Having been born on St. Patrick’s day, she answered in the affirmative and after 30 years – father and daughter were reunited.

Becker’s website has since been pulled.

This weeks’ inspiration…….

Another incredible story, courtesy of Facebook.

Rodney Bradford is a Brooklyn teen who was accused of a robbery that took place on October 17 and was held on Riker’s Island for 12 days!!!

Turns out that Bradley had been wrongly identified at the scene by a “witness” who claimed to see him there. In fact, he was at his father’s home in Harlem – nowhere near where the robbery took place in the Farragut section of Brooklyn. Even other, multiple witnesses coming forward to say they saw Rodney at his father’s wasn’t enough to clear him from being a suspect.

It was only thanks to a status update on Facebook, “Where my IHOP?” that they were able to trace Bradley’s electronic “fingerprint” back to his dad’s computer back in Harlem.

The family is taking the position that Facebook saved Rodney. Pretty scary. Robert Reuland, Bradford’s attorney said it well…”It reflects the pervasiveness that Web sites and social networking has on our lives.”

You can read the story in its entirety as it appeared in the New York post by clicking here.

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