Social Media

What Has Happened to Continuity?

by Michael Sheehan on April 29, 2013

in General, Opinion, Social Media

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Was it something I said or did? Why aren’t you talking to me any more? Did I not do everything you asked? No, I’m not talking about dating here, although, in some way I sort of am. I am talking about being “dumped” by a brand. This is particularly painful if you are a blogger or content creator. Breakups are really hard, especially if you worked diligently to maintain the relationship. When it comes to commitment, you need to think about another word as well – continuity.

I have been very lucky. I have worked with a lot of amazing global brands like Sony, Ford, Intel, AT&T, Trend Micro, IBM (see some of the programs by clicking through the links) and plenty of smaller brands and firms. Some of these were longer-term projects and some were much shorter. Some were with other groups of bloggers or content creators like the Cast of Dads and other groups put together by brands or PR firms.

There is also another set of brands and vendors that I have worked with that are slightly different. These are sort of like the “summer time romances” where they are active for a while and then go away until the next project comes out. They provide me with new products to review from time to time or new experiences to participate in. Some of these brands are LG, Belkin, Microsoft, Logitech, D-Link, Jabra, Honeywell, Hyundai, Klutz, Nintendo, Norelco, and even Apple, among many others.

Continuity

Continuity

There is still one thing really irks me though. It’s when these brands go quiet…for a long time. They may come back, but often it is after an extended silence where much of the momentum and excitement that was originally present is lost due to a long period of “inactivity.” Don’t get me wrong though, I place an extremely high value on each and every program that I have participated in (or am currently involved in), regardless of whether they are long or short term.

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Social Media Policy for Families

by Michael Sheehan on April 10, 2013

in Family, General, Opinion, Parenting, Social Media, Social Networking

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Quite a few years ago, I came up with some Social Media Guidelines, primarily geared towards businesses. I realized I also seem to write a lot of tips and recommendations for parents on how they can help their kids with social media. That got me thinking. Perhaps, I should come up with a social media policy for families (kids and their parents).

Social Media Policy for Families

Social Media Policy for Families

Below are some ideas, rules and discussion points that you might want to implement with your children as they embark down the path of social media. Of course, you can and should pick the ones that are the most appropriate for you and craft some that are specific to your family values (e.g., “you will not do social media at all until you have your own job and even then, I will be watching”).

These “policies,” guidelines and promises are divided between parents and children. There is some overlap. And honestly, I feel sometimes the best way to approach this is with some humor!

Social Media Policy & Guidelines for Families

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5 Reasons Why Social Media Might Actually Be Good for your Child

by Michael Sheehan on March 25, 2013

in Family, General, Opinion, Parenting, Safety, Security, Social Media, Social Networking, Technology

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WARNING: The repeated use of Social Media can be dangerous to your child’s well-being. Should we have a Surgeon General’s warning label slapped onto each and every social media site out there? What about some sort of age rating system like we have for movies, music and video games? No, of course not. The Internet is all about freedom of speech and expression and is a wealth of knowledge. But we all continue to get the message that social media is dangerous for children. Even I have written a couple of articles to that effect.

Surgeon General's Warning: Social Media can be dangerous to child.

Surgeon General’s Warning: Social Media can be dangerous to child.

But as I reflect on it and watch how my children use social media, I wouldn’t be a balanced parent if I didn’t look at both sides of the argument. Sure, social media can be dangerous to children, but there are lots of caveats to that statement. In fact, the statement needs to be really qualified. “Unmonitored” social media makes that statement much more true than without the descriptor. But I won’t be dissecting that statement. Instead I will offer one that is potentially controversial: Social media might actually be good for your child.

I’d like to preface my reasoning however. I am not saying to just turn your child loose on social media. I am, however, saying that not all aspects are dangerous to them. In fact, I believe that some social media, in moderation, can have a positive influence on a child’s life.

5 Reasons Why Social Media can be Good for a Child

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15 Top Cloud Computing Use Cases

by Michael Sheehan on March 22, 2013

in Cloud, General, Opinion

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Cloud computing is established. And it has been proven by small and large businesses alike. Over the past 5 or so years, I have seen all types of companies adopting cloud computing as both primary and secondary sets of on-demand compute. Some cloud computing use cases are pretty traditional (e.g., a simple web presence) while others become extremely complex and complete edge-cases (think Netflix).

Cloud Computing Use Cases

Cloud Computing Use Cases

Where do all of these companies fit in with their use of the cloud? I won’t talk to the edge-cases simply because they are often too complex or too niche-oriented (might be an interesting article though…the most unique cloud computing use cases). However, I do believe that going through some of the most commonly found scenarios can spark interest and ideas, especially for those businesses who haven’t moved to the cloud yet (what are you waiting for, by the way?).

From first-hand experience working at a cloud infrastructure provider as well as from regular scouring of industry news, I have compiled a list of the 15 Top Cloud Computing Use Cases. But before I go into these, I want to sidetrack just a bit. I have long talked about the 3 layers of cloud computing: Infrastructure, Platforms and Applications. I would be completely missing an opportunity if I didn’t talk about Cloud Platforms (PaaS) and Cloud Applications (SaaS). These are two important use cases to think about broadly, especially that of SaaS – Software as a Service. While Platforms as a Service could potentially utilize Infrastructure as a Service as their foundation, I have found that many PaaS environments tend to be built directly from bare metal infrastructure as opposed to using Cloud Infrastructure. SaaS, however can much more easily be built and powered by Cloud Infrastructure. So there’s your first use case – SaaS – using clouds to power clouds.

Assuming you are not a SaaS developer or provider, what can cloud computing do for your business? And where, if you are starting a business, are in the planning stages or looking to get a project off the ground within your organization, are you going to host your success? I have an answer. Think cloud.

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Why It’s Important to Teach your Kids How to Cook and Use Social Media

September 19, 2012
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A recent post of mine which focused on an informal and potentially dangerous marriage between Instagram and Kik Messenger seems to have gotten quite a bit of attention lately. I’m always excited when I can share my ideas, opinions, insights and personal recommendations when it comes to educating kids about the evolution of social media [...]

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Parents Beware: Instagram & Kik Messenger Are A Dangerous Combination & What Social Dangers to Check For

July 2, 2012
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Over the past few years, I have written about security and safety for the family, especially when it comes to protecting your kids from online predators and social bullies. My wife and I really try to practice what we preach. But as social networks and sharing services evolve, sometimes it is hard to keep up [...]

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Using Cloud Computing to Test, Develop and Innovate

April 26, 2012
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Are you using cloud computing yet? If so, that’s great. If not, what is holding you back? Do you know enough about it? Do its capabilities confuse you? Have you not found a good use for it? I would guess that you are using cloud computing without even knowing it. As I work in the [...]

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10 Ways Brands Can Work More Effectively with Top-Tier Bloggers

April 17, 2012
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Bloggers are not second class citizens. At least not all of them. I do have to draw a bit of a line here between those “bloggers” who simply post sales, coupons, contents and giveaways, and those who produce content in the form of reviews, how-to articles, social commentary, experiences, analysis and the like. In my [...]

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