Online content is volatile, out of control and sometimes harmful. We all know it and try hard to stay on the safe side and use common sense when posting our own writings on the Internet. Other than that, content is a great source of revenue, if played smart, and when it’s user generated, it can be turned into a money making resource with little to no creative effort.

But the tricky part with user generated content is responsibility. Technically, it’s enough to have a disclaimer on your website saying you are not responsible for what users post and then let all the ugliness of abuse, offense and gossip take over your online space.

The most recent successful recipe for online fame built on such negative concepts is College ABC, a gossip site for college students that encourages them to post anonymous messages about their colleagues. The amount of negative comments, going from simple gossip to insults and bullying is impressive. And the fact that it comes for people in college is even more disturbing, but not exactly surprising, as a degree does not guarantee intelligence, nor common sense. Continue reading

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Guest post by Alin Ivenţa

The process of developing one’s communication skills must currently take into consideration a wide range of books, articles, conferences, tips and tricks etc., all of which are based on things written or discussed years ago.

As a retrospective insight, the ’80s have put the spotlight on “body language”, “powerful presentations”, overall “behavioral communication” for those demanding economic business growth. Then in the ’90s, we clearly saw a revolution in all that is visual: from graphic design to subliminal messages that get stuck in our minds.

Early ’00s came up to show the World Wide Web potential: ease of access to more information, different resources, new kinds of media and so on. Nevertheless, it was impossible to predict such a high expansion in such short time, as in 2009 we now have Wikipedia, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, newsletters, virals, tons of websites, gigabytes of information and don’t forget about Google which seems to be doing everything for you. Continue reading

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I’m sure you’ve all heard quite a lot lately about VIPs joining the Twittersphere. I’m also sure a lot of you (out of curiosity or expecting to see something different) also started following some of said stars. It’s fun if you’re already on Twitter and you want something of a different flavor than your usual. But did any of you like what you saw? I for one read the articles, saw the profiles and drew my own conclusion.

Want to hear it? Then get closer! I’ll share a major secret with you. Stars and VIPs are the worst teachers you could ever get if you want to learn some valuable social media skills. And here’s why!

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This is the kind of news that makes all those predicting the end of print media go “Aha!”. Starting February 2009, we’ll have to say goodbye to the print version of PC Magazine. It will be changed into a digital format, with similar subscription options. I’m looking forward to see how advertising options will change, but even more curious to see how many of they readers switch from paper to downloadable format.

How did they announce it? Well, it’s all posted on their site, the CEO emailed their contacts and, just in case that email was lost among others, account managers also contacted their clients. From what my contact shared with me, before this move, a large part from the magazine’s income was generated by their digital branch. This leads me to believe the complete switch was a pretty smart move.

What do you think? Any predictions you’d like to share? Will other magazines follow the same pattern? Is this easier for a tech magazine? I’d love to read your thoughts.

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