Business Networking | Ecademy

Here is Thomas Power's Ecademy, a powerful social network / social capital building tool.

Business Networking | Ecademy

Brian Gray - Authorise sharing on other networks

Brian Gray - Authorise sharing on other networks

       Now That I’ve got your attention what say we take, what I hope will become a broader discussion, in a more positive direction.  Believe it or not, if you’re a parent this part is even more important than the first.   

       While my friend Amanda (see comments from the previous Blog entry) responded correctly to her daughter’s inappropriate use of social media, like me until very recently, she may not be aware of the growing importance of appropriate social media usage particularly for members of generation “Y” a.k.a.“Generation Next”.  More specifically, those born after 1984-85.

       Most adults are all too familiar with their credit scores and the three credit scoring agencies, Experian, Transunion and Equifax.  However, did you know there are Social Media scoring websites, namely KLOUT, KRED, and PeerIndex?  I sure didn’t.  Yet the further I go down this proverbial rabbit hole the more I realize that, barring an all out nuclear war that would wipe out the entire grid, those who disengage from the online world or worse, abuse it, are going to find themselves marginalized and disenfranchised from the inevitable and emerging global market.  

       With more and more Universities requiring social media pass words as a condition for acceptance of applications, many prospective college students are coming face to face with the cold, hard reality that they have their social Capital is deeply in the red and they have sold themselves short by chronicling years of misspent youth online. See http://unicornbooty.com/blog/2012/03/06/ruh-roh-colleges-now-requiring-your-facebook-password-in-application/  In addition the Universities themselves are recognizing the need to maintain their own online reputations and are even hiring people to build and manage their “Social Capital”. Basically Social Capital the level of influence you have and the level of generosity you demonstrate online. It is measured by the aforementioned Social Media scores and is going to affect among pother things, insurance rates, the cost and availability of credit, and even employment.  Yet rather than my reiterating what I have only begun to learn myself over the past several weeks; why not listen to a primary authority on this subject, Thomas Power the founder of Ecademy a social media site for business?   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9qrq_5dHbY&feature=g-user-u 

        Then check out this 4 minute video by his wife, Penny Power, the founder of Digital Youth Academy as she provides a snap shot of what DYA is doing with Youth and Social Media in the UK.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj5OhIBxpLo   Then please comment.  Share   your own thoughts and ideas and even questions while I rack my own brain seeking viable ways to shift the our own adolescents’ social media paradigm in a more positive direction while also training them in the safe and skillful use of sites like Face Book, Twitter and Instagram etc.

WHERE HAS YOUR TEEN BEEN on the web today?

       Welcome to my world.  As an adolescent substance abuse treatment counselor I have the privilege and sometimes the horror of knowing the inner worlds of adolescents ages 11-18.   "Why should I care?  You ask, My kid doesn't use drugs."  Perhaps not.  But then this blog isn't a
">bout adolescent substance abuse.
       We've all heard the myriad stories about online bullying and the ensuing rash of suicides that often follow. Even so, the primary issue there is actually bullying not internet use itself.  It is therefore my aim in this blog to fill some of the gaps in parental knowledge regarding tech trends, trends in adolescent social media use as well as the current and future importance of establishing "social capital".  More on that later.
      So why, you ask, am I an authority on this subject?  Actually I'm not.  Not yet anyway.  However, thanks to Federal Confidentiality Rules that  limit the re-disclosure of information about clients in  substance abuse treatment, I am an authority regarding the actual thoughts, feelings and  behaviors in which adolescents engage without their parent's knowledge.  This includes on line behavior. It is this knowledge that has propelled me onto the emerging tsunami of social media that is about to impact every facet of life as we know it.
       So, if you are a parent, ask yourself these questions. When was the last time your adolescent was online?  What were they doing?  To whom were they communicating?  On what sites?  Who do they have as online contacts or friends?  What was the content of their searches? Their conversations?   Do they use Chat Box or Chat Roulette?  Do they have My Space, Face Book, Instagram, Twitter, Tumbler or Four Square accounts. How familiar are you with these sites? Assuming that you are tech savvy yourself; are you listed as a contact or a friend on every Social Media site that your child is on.  Do you have the user name and password for each Social Media site to which your child belongs and has an account?  If not, then how can you be sure you  know what they are doing?
     But wait. Before you answer let me counter a few common parental thinking errors when it comes to adolescents behavior on line
        Thinking error number one: "I trust my child".  I have a 14 year old son. I trust him too. Even so, I wouldn't leave him alone with a loaded gun without first providing some extensive education in the safety and care of fire arms followed by an extended period of supervised, demonstrated, competency on his part. People commit physical suicide with firearms.  They commit social suicide with the internet.
       Thinking error number two:  "Social Media is a fad.  Its just a bunch of silly nonsense for kids."  Wrong again,  Online presence via social media is score-able similar to one's credit score and is becoming more and more relevant every day. Everything from insurance quotes to college admission to student  loans and future employment will  be heavily impacted by by one's online reputation. Like any social skill, building a positive reputation online does not come via osmosis. It must be taught and learned.
       Thinking error number three: "So what if my kid does stupid things online now.  We'll just make sure he or she deletes it."  Sorry but no.  While there apparently are some very very complicated very labor intensive methods for deleting yourself from the web, for the most part what ever goes on the web now stays on the web somewhere forever.  What your child does on line now will more than likely have an impact on the quality of his or her opportunities later in life.
       Have I struck a chord in you yet?  If  the answer is yes then please join me as I venture to learn and hopefully teach the nuances of pro-social social media use to adolescents in the physical world as well as online.