Social Media Facts and Figures

Need some statistics to convince yourself that you should be teaching social media in the classroom. Check out this YouTube video and I think you'll be a believer. It makes a great intro to social media for students too.

Viral Marketing Works...at Very Low Cost!

Integrating Web 2.0 tools into the classroom is not particularly difficult. Convincing students that they need to learn about these tools can be more of a challenge. I usually try explaining to the students that they can use these tools when they get out into the business world. To visually illustrate this point, try showing them this video which is sure to grab their attention!



Blendtec is a company that sells a fairly expensive ($400) high tech blender. The company stumbled on an inexpensive way to gain a lot of exposure for their product. The company made short, simple videos entitled "Will It Blend?" and posted them on YouTube. In these videos they attempt to blend a variety of objects, such as an iPhone, golf balls, glow sticks, a Nike shoe, a Grand Theft Auto IV cartridge, etc. According to the Wyoming Business Report, in just one year the videos garnered over 6 million views and the company increased their profits by 500 percent! And it costs very little money to make a video and post it on YouTube. Now that's effective viral marketing!

As a class project, have your students go out on YouTube and find other examples of viral product videos that have gained substantial numbers of views. They won't have to look too long or hard to find them.

Free Polling for Your Blog or Web Site

Micropoll provides bloggers and other web site owners an easy way to create and embed polls in their sites. As opposed to the poll tool that comes with Blogger, Micropoll offers the ability to have others easily embed your poll in their own web site or on a social networking site such as Facebook. This can substantially increase the reach of your poll. Want feedback on a question from more than just your current students? Have your students embed the poll in their Facebook or MySpace accounts and watch the results roll in!

Feel free to take the poll on the right that is powered by Micropoll to see how it works. The Micropoll features video shows you how to create your first poll and explains the major features of the polls. So try it on your web site today!

Seen This in Your Classroom?

Here's an advertisement set in a classroom that might remind you of a few students you've seen in your classroom over the years. Of course, this instructor is pretty irresponsible for not encouraging his students to set higher standards. Still, it is good for a chuckle.

Pictures Not to Include on a Blog or a MySpace Page

I'm always amazed at the pictures that students will put on blogs or social networking sites. They may be great photos to share with their friends, but if they are identified in the photo, is it worth jeopardizing your chances of being selected for a job? Just in case your students need some guidelines about what not to include on a web site, here are a couple of suggestions...

You may feel passionately about a particular cause...which is fantastic...get involved! However, a prospective employer may not agree with your views. In the majority of cases, you should keep your personal views separate from your work life.


Anything showing you with alcohol, partially clothed or in an embarrassing situation. It might have been a great party, but will it impress an employer?


It is hard to imagine how the ability to do a keg stand would impress any boss! Yet I constantly see these photos on the web.


Discussion Questions for Students:
1. Have you ever posted anything online that you feel that a potential employer should not see? Do you think it would affect your employment opportunities?
2. Should employers check the Internet for information before hiring potential employees? Why or why not?
3. Do you think that you should have a right to privacy regarding information you place on a MySpace or Facebook page? How would you ensure that your privacy was protected?

Fun With Hard Drives

Hard drives need to remain hermetically sealed otherwise they tend to stop functioning. But have you ever wondered what a hard drive looks like on the inside while it is running? Thanks to someone sacrificing a hard drive (they won't be able to use it again), now you can see what really happens.



And if you've never defragmented a hard drive, this is what it looks like in time lapse mode.

The Mom Song (William Tell Overture)

This is a good video to play for 8am classes while you are waiting for class to start. The William Tell Overture is very difficult to sleep through, IM through, etc. And Generation Y students can usually relate to this video as the comedienne does remind them of their mom!