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.