Have I Got News for You!

News on social media is pervasive. Buzz begets buzz, and sometimes the noise can be deafening.  Fortunately there are several good sources for news on social media which not only bring some order to this rapidly evolving world, but do so with entertaining reportage and sometimes even a smidgen of hipness.  Today I’ll highlight two of them: Mashable and ReadWriteWeb.

If significant things are happening in social media, these two blogs will report on them. ReadWriteWeb has been doing so since 2003, which, in the context of social media, was practically Paleolithic; and Mashable got its start in 2007, which roughly equates to the Bronze Age.  Their coverage is wide-ranging and includes the latest twist on Facebook’s dance with privacy issues; what is trending on Twitter; which handheld device is all the rage; and how not-for-profit organizations are leveraging the new tools to improve the world we live in.

ReadWriteWeb is arguably more corporate in its approach, and Mashable is more edgy.  Both, however, are worth exploring to see if they match your interests and temperament.  And lots of folks read them indeed.  According to Technorati, which reports on the blogosphere, Mashable and ReadWriteWeb are consistently ranked in the top ten for all technology blogs.

I tend to read most of my news on a mobile device these days. Mashable has apps for both Android- and Apple-powered handhelds.  Even though ReadWriteWeb doesn’t have a mobile app (yet), it does have a web site optimized for these devices: http://m.readwriteweb.com. 

Excuse me while I catch up on some news.  And feel free to leave a comment on what your sources are for news on social media.

Mark Hammer

Something To Be SMUG About

In the last two blog postings, I mentioned a couple of resources to expand your understanding of social media: AIDS.gov and The Health Communicator’s Social Media Toolkit.  I’ve heard from a few of you that these resources are proving very helpful and that you’d like to have additional, practical guidance on how to proceed with social media.  You’d also like some assurance that you can do so without mortgaging the farm. Today’s featured resource—Social Media University, Global (SMUG)—responds to those interests and is certain to have a particularly strong appeal to those for whom humor and self-paced learning are important.

SMUG is a tuition-free, virtual post-secondary learning institution focusing exclusively on social media. Like its brick-and-mortar counterparts, it has level-designated courses; a faculty; a student union (of the Facebook variety) ; a bookstore; an insignia (whose Latin motto translated means, “It’s not that hard.”); and a campus (well, sort of).  SMUG is the brainchild and passion of its Chancellor, Lee Aase (pronounced: “A.C.”), who is also the Manager of Syndication and Social Media at The Mayo Clinic. Mr. Aase will be joining us as a presenter at Going Viral against HIV and STIs. I’m sure he’d be delighted to find some SMUGgles—as SMUG students are known—among the forum attendees.    

One of the things I love about SMUG is that students can go as deeply and as broadly into the subject matter as they choose.  The core curriculum, which has 15 courses, is complemented by in-depth, specialized tracks on blogging, Facebook, podcasting, Twitter, and Yammer.  There’s something here for everyone.

If you want to see what well-honed social media smarts can do, check out The Mayo Clinic’s blogs and podcasts. You may also want to subscribe to MayoClinic.com’s RSS feeds.

Happy learning!

Mark Hammer