Watch Your Mouth!

President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sergeant James Crowley got drunk last Thursday night during their "Beer Summit" and danced the night away to Vice President Biden's raunchy karaoke rendition of "Baby Got Back." After forgetting to reflect on the state of race relations in America, an intoxicated Sergeant Crowley later arrested both President Obama and Dr. Gates for disorderly conduct. Can you say, "Here we go again?"

(DISCLAIMER: The statement above is completely false and is not intended to defame the character of any aforementioned parties or groups).

Obviously, I was joking. I had to add that disclaimer, just in case. It's easy to get carried away when participating in social media, isn't it? Many social networking sites, especially Twitter, allow us to feel creative, expressive and free to say whatever we want. It's easy to think, "who's really paying attention to my rambling?" Well, somebody is, and that somebody may consider your free-tweeting to be offensive or even libelous. That's when it gets messy.

Chicagoan Amanda Bonnen is being sued for $50,000 by Horizon Group Management, a realty group that owned her former apartment. Why? Because of a 90-character statement that she made on Twitter to a friend. The Wall Street Journal's blog reported that Bonnen tweeted:

"Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you? Horizon realty thinks it's okay."

Frustrated with a slow response to her complaints of a nasty growth in her apartment, Bonnen used Twitter as many of us do- to vent. Though Bonnen had barely posted 60 messages on Twitter and had only 17 followers, Horizon claimed that Bonnen's tweet was published "throughout the world" and severely damaged its good name.

Behind the safety of our desks and protected by the shield of our computer screen, it can be easy to feel that we can say whatever we want; but can you deal with the consequences?

Most can't.

Honesty Box, one of the many diverse applications on Facebook, allows you to send an anonymous messages to your "friends." Some may use it to send cute little compliments like "You're a star, keep shining!" Others may use it to truly tell you how they feel ("Your breath stinks and so does yo mama's").

Juicycampus.com was one of the most popular websites used by college students during this past year. With over 160,000 visitors at the peak of its success, Juicycampus ranked above many college websites.

Euphemistically self-described as an "enabler of online anonymous free speech on college campuses," the site served as a virtual bathroom wall for some of the most degrading and hateful fodder around. While many reputations were ruined, others dealt with paranoia and fear that they would be the subject of the next loud buzz around campus. The website has now been shut down due to a lack of funding, but it definitely left an indelible impression on fragile young minds (and some faculty, too).

What would happen if Honesty Box suddenly crashed and revealed the senders of all the previously anonymous messages? You might not get sued, but there could be repercussions.

While Horizon Realty will probably not win the lawsuit against its former tenant, it's important to remember to watch your mouth...some would love to do more than wash it out with soap.

Wanna Be Discovered?

Have you ever wondered how many unknown geniuses came before Einstein? Or how many Elvis Presley's out-danced and out-sang the star in the privacy of their own homes? How many explorers "discovered" America before Columbus?

The truth of the matter is, there have been many "greats" that came before the people that we regard as legends. These individuals were never "discovered" or properly recognized for their talents or contributions; they somehow got lost in the crowd and probably ended up wistfully shaking their heads at the news while thinking, "I thought of that years ago."

These unsung heroes were not recognized because of a lack of resources or outlets to share what they possessed, whether it be talent or information. In the end, self-promotion through effective communication and exposure is what led to the reverence that many such as Einstein, Elvis and Columbus receive today.

Luckily, social media is opening up a brand new, accessible venue for individuals to share what they've got. Last week, a star was born in Australian computer programmer Anthony Wesley. While partaking in his frequent hobby of stargazing, Wesley became intrigued by a large spot on Jupiter that he had not previously seen. He said he immediately recognized its significance and he uploaded images of the planet onto Flickr, a popular photo-managing social media site that allows one to share images with the world.

With his $400 telescope, Wesley was the first to make the ground-breaking discovery of an Earth-sized scar caused by an asteroid or comet collision to the planet. He is now being revered by NASA and astronomers around the world. The once unknown computer programmer is now the first result in a Google search of his name. Wesley is describing his discovery as a dream come true.

Social media is allowing many individuals to gain the fame and fortune that they only dream of. YouTube has served as an open karaoke stage for many singers who have been signed by huge record labels. Soulja Boy, a platinum-selling hip-hop artist from Atlanta, was discovered through the social networking site in 2007. Many others have been discovered through the site, including Canadian YouTube sensation, Justin Bieber, who is on his own rise to fame after being signed to a record label this year.

Whether you're an aspiring writer, singer, dancer, amateur astronomer or circus clown, there is no longer a reason to not be recognized for your talents. Social media is an accessible resource for everyone and by sharing your talents with the world, you could be the next big discovery.

I've Been Stung!

It finally got me.

I've been making a conscious (and generally successful) effort to dodge it for a while now...but I was surrounded. There was a swarm too big for me to escape and before you could say "what are you doing now?" I was already one of them: a living, breathing, yearning, twittering machine. The culprit? My phone. Go figure.

My epiphany happened at the Harry Potter midnight premiere (a magical setting where anything can happen, apparently). In the midst of Wizards and Muggles alike, I realized that the audience shared a common connection. We were all ecstatic about the movie and each of us wanted to share our thoughts about it as much as we wanted to see it. Such an outburst of shared experience could have posed a problem for the innocent, semi-interested guy who merely wanted to see Harry Potter in the middle of the night, but I credit Twitter with saving that experience for him. Aside from the random outburst, frequent chuckle, anticipatory sigh, or frightened gasp, this bystander was literally "saved by the phone." We all seemed to be letting our fingers do the talking...and I was one of them.

It's been difficult for me to latch onto Twitter. I didn't know how I felt about the concept of updating the world on my “status” all the time...I mean, what am I really doing? Most of the time, I would find myself sitting at my computer thinking, "what can I tweet about at this moment?" Tonight, it finally came naturally...and I blame it on convenience. This was not my first time using the Internet on my phone, but it was the first time that I fully immersed myself into this whole new world, defined as it is by quick and easy accessibility. I had resisted using social media on my phone because I viewed it more as a treat- like something to look forward to when you get home. Now that social media is becoming such a significant presence in everyday life, the quick accessibility of it is becoming, dare I say, necessary.

Infamously known for my sideline commentary during movies, I found solace in my Blackberry as my stream of consciousness flowed straight from my brain to my hand to the twittersphere. I tweeted about my excitement about being there, my impatience with the previews and my feelings about the cast, script, and cinematography. Though I was soon too enchanted by the film to type anymore, I found myself making mental notes to tweet about later.

I've finally been stung by the Twitter-bug and I'm yearning to share. Consider this your warning...it's contagious!

I Know What You Did Last Summer...

Don't let the Internet get you in trouble. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, in most cases it's easier said than done.

Take the Governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford, for instance. His private e-mailed love notes to his Argentinian mistress became public banter for us all. One quotation from his letter lovingly states: "I could digress and say that you have the ability to give magnificently gentle kisses, or that I love your tan lines or that I love the curves of your hips, the erotic beauty of you holding yourself (or two magnificent parts of yourself) in the faded glow of night’s light — but hey, that would be going into the sexual details we spoke of at the steakhouse at dinner — and unlike you I would never do that!"

Well, Governor, you gave us all enough details for a lifetime.

What Governor Sanford failed to realize is that the Internet is not as private and secure as we may think it to be. Gone are the days of storing clandestine love notes in tightly sealed glass bottles and sending them off into open waters. While an online message may be deleted or "hidden," one takes the chance of it being shared in a variety of online arenas. This has happened often in the past, especially in the case of inappropriate celebrity photographs and video that was "accidentally leaked," and then spread into an area too vast to clean-up.

The truth is, information that is put on the Internet is virtually fair game for anyone to see; and celebrities aren't the only victims of this solemn truth. Last week, when explaining her reasoning for not being on Facebook, a friend's mother told me that Facebook is not for married couples. "Facebook can get you caught-up!" she told me.

After some thought, I understood her reasoning. I have seen much tension derived from social media sites such as Facebook. Whether someone tags you in that picture of your wild weekend in Vegas or writes something a little too friendly on your wall- it's likely that your significant other will eventually find out; but is this really a legitimate reason for not participating in such a social phenomenon?

Social media and all interactions on the Internet should be approached responsibly. You don't want the Supreme Court or the "Court of Public Opinion" coming after you saying, "I know what you did last summer." So, in the words of my friend's mother, "Don't get caught-up!"