Or how, exactly, platforms die.
— Read on www.wired.com/story/tiktok-platforms-cory-doctorow/
We are in the midst of a shakeout of social media.
The ‘Enshittification’ of TikTok | WIRED
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Category Archives: #social media
How to ditch ‘fomo’ and foster ‘jomo’ – the joy of missing out
A prerequisite for jomo is to learn to value our limited time and how it is spent. In doing so, we create opportunities to experience the joy of being present. We value what we have, rather than worrying about what we may be missing out on
— Read on theconversation.com/how-to-ditch-fomo-and-foster-jomo-the-joy-of-missing-out-200400
Has social media had its day in the sunshine?
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5 ways vaccine misinformation spreads in the wellness world – The Washington Post
The content shared in some online wellness spaces has powerful emotional and psychological foundations that can cause even science-minded people to question the public health consensus on the ability of vaccines to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.
— Read on www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/10/22/wellness-vaccine-misinformation-social-media/
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Overcoming Zoomaphopia Part 3 How to set up a zoom discussion/support group
Zoom Room Meeting protocols:
This is the third part of a series of three blogs outlining how to set up and run Zoom social meetings. The first part is how to download and set up the Zoom App, the second part is topics for discussion and the third part is how to set up a zoom discussion/support group.
The Zoom Room experience has been fun and interesting. I think we and others broke new group during COVID19. I have made a list of some of issues that may came up and how your group might tackle them. Option 1 is to set up some meeting protocols at the beginning. Option 2 is to deal with protocols as you go along. Initially too many protocols can be overwhelming, but they can help to set some expectations about behaviour and help build stability during a time of rapid social change and unpredictability.
- Structured vs unstructured meetings: Members will have different experience with speaking out in a group or in a video format. Some people will not want to show their face and just use audio. Some people like having a set time and sequence to speak and others like a more random conversation like at a cocktail party. Try out both modes and see what the group like. The unstructured mode can generate spontaneous discussions, but quiet people may need a prompt from the group leader.
- Focus Be clear about the intent of the Zoom meeting, but this can morph over time.
- Security: lots of people are anxious about the possibility of being hacked. Some general discussion might be helpful about how to protect privacy on Zoom.
- Behaviour: There seems to be some unwritten code of conduct on Zoom. Some of these codes of conduct are about swearing, disrespect, grandstanding, interjections, people talking over each other etc. A group leader needs to attend to these behaviours so they don’t sabotage the meeting.
- Privacy/confidentiality – I have found that bonding occurs in most Zoom meetings. This includes my ESL students as well as friends and acquaintances. I have found conversations are quite deep and that people are open about self disclosure. As a result there is an assumed level of privacy, which is not often explicitly discussed in the meetings.– Decide if you mind having family, guests or others in the Zoom room. Sometimes girl talk is private! Sharing the meeting content with people outside the meeting may come up as an issue. Find a level that is acceptable to most people. If you are a blogger and want to blog about your experiences with the group, get a pre-approval from individuals if you want to refer to their blog or post pictures. One Zoomer says ” What is said in Zoom stays in Zoom”.
- Time out– Feel free to take time out or leave when you need to. Give the group the heads up.
- New members/visitors/guest speakers– There may be subtle groups norms in your group. Its a bit like clique in high school. One group may want to keep the same members and others may welcome new members. In this moment of COVID 19, being open to new members may be the more altruistic approach but it may be challenging for new members to get up to speed. Getting
some agreement about these issues early on is wise. - Zoom fatigue:-
Many people who are working at home may be too Zoomed out to participate. This might lend itself to a once a month drop-in Zoom meeting with a guest speaker that doesn’t require a high cognitive demand. - Leaders:-
constant vs rotating. Once members have learned the Zoom process, they can take on some responsibility for organizing meetings and being the discussion leader. Having the same facilitator is easy but rotating facilitators builds Zoom confidence and polishes up social skills in a time of isolation. Give people a few weeks to get comfortable with the format. - Leadership skills: Having a group leader which experience with organizing and chairing meetings can be an asset. Having a chair who understands meeting dynamics is helpful too.
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Overcoming Zoomaphopia. How to set up and run Zoom social meetings. Part 1 Setting up Zoom
Summary
This is the first part of a series of three blogs outlining how to set up and run Zoom social meetings. The first part is how to download and set up the Zoom App, the second part is topics for discussion and the third part is how to set up a zoom discussion/support group.
Introduction
COVID 19 has brought many challenges to everyone, including loss of social contacts and social support. I have found Zoom (and Facetime) to be vital in keeping me connected to people around the world. I had a wide variety of Zoom experiences including teaching students in China online, a Zoom social group (ZSG), playing games with family, and several large business and social meetings. I have found some people are interested in setting up a Zoom meeting with friends and family, but they express anxiety at the prospect of doing so. I am writing this blog to take some of the mystery out of Zoom. The members of the ZSG have expressed a lot of positive comments to me about the value of the Zoom group over COVID19 and I hope that other people will share the Zoom group experience in their own way.
This blog is as of Jan 2021 but things change almost weekly so be patient and ask someone for help. My instructions are for a PC and not a MAC or IPAD or IPhone. You can Zoom on mobile devices, but the functions and settings are fewer.
For MAC users, there is a website with details about Zoom.
Zoom is free for 2 people and free for 40 min blocks for more than 2 people. Currently the paid subscription is $ 20 CDN mo.
Setting up the Zoom app.
If you are the group leader
- Decide on who you want to join the meeting and create a group in your email contact program. You will use this again and again. Send out an email to find out if people are interested. Some people will not be interested. Give people a couple of options for time. If you have multiple time zones, specify which time zone you are using.
Get familiar with the Zoom program. Download to your PC or Mac and open the program. Set up an account for yourself.
Schedule a meeting. Click on the Schedule a meeting Icon and open the screen and fill in the relevant information.
Send invitation to members. On the Zoom Home screen click on the 3 small dots and then click on Copy invitation.
Then open your email application and post the invitation.
Add the members from your contact list in the TO: line. Add any information about the meeting, topics or personal messages and send.
The meeting
Have a practice meeting is you are a beginner.
Leader – open Zoom and click on Start for the meeting you have scheduled.
Members- click on the invitation in your email, follow the instructions on the screen, wait to be let into the meeting.
Once you are in the meeting, go through introductions and topics for the meeting. You might have some ideas about the order of speaking, time for speaking, how to interject etc. You might discuss with members. Usually the first meeting is just getting used to Zoom.
Sharing pictures
Once of the most frequently used functions is showing pictures. For PC users there is an icon if you move the mouse over the bottom of the Zoom screen called Share Screen. Before you use the Share Screen you should save your pictures to a short cut on your desktop or task bar before the meeting so they are easy to find.
Click on the photo you want to share or use Control/click to choose more than one.
To exit, Click on the Stop Share command at the top of the page.
Technical Issues
If you do not have a strong WIFI speed, it is strongly recommended you use an Ethernet cable to your computer instead of the wireless network. A short one will cost about $ 25 US but usually one comes with your computer. Connect it from the port on your computer to your wifi Modem. A WIFI speed test is free online. A WIFI speed of 15 is adequate. A wifi speed of 5 or less may interfere with ZOOM transmission.
What not to do
- If there is more than one household member on the call, it is better for each to have their own screen/device and mute if the other is speaking.
- I don’t think social meetings of over 10 people work well.
- Differentiate between a party with family and a discussion/support group. Some meetings are more fun or work better than others. Some can be chaotic, others didactic. Choose your meetings wisely.
PDF of Setting up Zoom Meetings
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How to preserve your sanity while keeping up with digital technology
Nothing speaks better to our technology challenges than a word cloud like this. Do we all need to do a reset on our defaults? Just when we got a …
How to preserve your sanity while keeping up with digital technology
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My Frequently Used Apps
Health and Fitness
Feelfit. Bluetooth link to Yolanda brand scales. It is no longer available on Amazon but there are others that use the same methods. The fitbit scale died after 2 years. I have been using this one for about 2 years. Renpho is another model that does the same thing.
What I like: Measures 13 body compostion things: % body fat, body water, skeletal muscle, BMR, Fat-free body weight, subcutaneous fat, viceral fat, muscle mass, bone mass, protein, metablolic age. Integrates with other apps e.g Fitbit. App free with scale.
What I don’t like: You have to open the app to you weigh yourself. Not sure how accurate it is or how things are measured.
Sleep Cycle
What I like- Easy to use, free, lots of metrics
What I don’t like- can’t change location
Entertainment
Vancouver Public Libary
What I like: Holds function, and they now send and email to adjust time for delivery. Download books to read
What I don’t like: confusing to use, takes a few trys to set it up.
Scrabble
What I like: brain exercise, competition
What I don’t like: ads unless you pay, not as good as old scrabble app.
Pacer What I like: keeps me motivated to stay active; GPS mapping function, links to weight app and other apps; Free What I don’t like: nothing
Cannon Camera Connect Imports pictures to phone or PC.
What I like: easy to use
What I don’t like: nothing so far
Spotify
What I like; they create playlists based on your likes. I got tired of my own music. They have a huge selection of music.
What I don’t like: it’s not free
Other handy apps
Pay parking if you are in a city: Honk, Paybyphone, Hangtag, Easypark. You need them all
Mint – banking app you can use for budgeting
Smart bird – identify birds from photos.
Tides – for beach walking
Accuweather -includes wind and humidity on an hour by hour basis.
Twitter
CBC Listen
Google Maps
Roboform password manager.
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Why Do Most Blogs Fail? – ELENA PETERS | MIDLIFE BLOGGER
Why Do Most Blogs Fail? – ELENA PETERS | MIDLIFE BLOGGER
— Read on elenaopeters.com/2020/10/18/reasons-blogs-fail/amp/
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The 25 best and worst work trends of the past 25 years
From #MeToo and Lean In to open offices and remote work, the workplace has transformed many times over in the past two and half decades. Let’s take a look at how we got here.
— Read on www.fastcompany.com/90558785/the-25-best-and-worst-work-trends-of-the-past-25-years
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My Social Media Experiences
Social media friends & followers
I was curious to put my experiences on social media down on paper as another blogger asked me about posting blogs to different platforms. I have also reflected on the pros and cons of the social media platforms I use.
Most of my friends are on Facebook so it is my core friend platform. I have followers on other platforms that are strangers to me. Not many of my friends use the other social media platforms apart from Facebook. I have the impression my WordPress blog is mainly viewed by my followers on WordPress or WordPress Reader.
Word press
In the diagram below I show the distribution of friends and followers among social media sites. The arrows show where I post my WordPress blog. WordPress does not automatically post to a Facebook Page so I selectively post to my facebook page depending on the topic. I stopped the automatic posting to Linkedin as I did not see many Linkedin readers were picking up the WordPress link. I have posted to Facebook Hornby Island occasionally and this generates a lot of viewers when the topic is pertinent. This group is like a Twitter feed and I have blogged about this. My WordPress blog post is automatically posted to my Twitter feed but I have the impression no one on Twitter reads the link.
My perception of friends and followers use of social media
Pros and Cons of Different Social Media Platforms in my experience.
I went on to compare the strengths and weaknesses of the social media I use and have to confess I am a twitterholic.
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| Linked in | Business contacts in theory | Very little communication | |
Seniors using the internet
This study explores internet use by seniors in Canada and mirrors my experience. Seniors uptake of social media increased with the onset of COVID-19. This might be considered a positive spinoff. Tech Use by Older Canadians for Health, Wellness and Independence in the Time of COVID-19. oatechsurvey-sep2020-final-1.pdf
The dark side of social media
In lieu of watching the presidential debates I watched a documentary on Netflix about the effects of use of the internet on society called The Social Dilemma. Ex-employees of major social media companies are interviewed and they raise alarms about intense use of social media. A revealing look behind the scenes.
TheUnRetired.life 