From natural disasters to large-scale attacks, plenty of unnerving incidences have occurred in the past several years. While people have always responded to disasters in the quickest way possible, the new media has significantly changed the way that happens. Basically, the new media refers to instant access to new stories and the contribution from users to these stories. How have these forms changed the ways we respond?

As It Unfolds

Previously, people were unable to learn many details of disasters until after the event was over. Now, we’re practically able to watch all of these stories as they unfold. Consider a huge storm that ravages a particular area of the country. As the death tolls are counted and people are found, the audience is finding out along with the rest of the country. Depending on the information reported, the audience can experience a number of highs and lows in terms of emotion, journalistic integrity and facts before the final legacy of a disaster takes hold.

Accuracy

While the new media can help people to stay on top of current events, it also enables them to hear inaccurate information, since media outlets will often report information confirming it. They respond by posting it on their own Facebook pages and texting to all of their friends. By the time the outlet realizes the mistake, thousands of people could already believe falsities. These falsities can then take quite awhile to clear up, leading to countless rumors or worse, lawsuits or loss of life.

Having a Voice

On many new media outlets, the audience is able to respond just as quickly as the information and details are revealed. Before any solution is formulated, political arguments might erupt on media sites, influencing the direction that policy and recovery take. People might start to argue over whether federal government aid is needed to help deal with a situation, and others might even start to allocate blame for the disaster to certain individuals or groups. While this may always seem to open the doorway for negativity, the new media also helps people to respond in a positive manner as well.

Sending Help

In the positive sense, individuals are usually able to send help to those in need right away. When people respond on various media outlets, they might come together to work toward a solution. If a particular area of the country has experienced significant damage from a storm, others may start to donate to them. They may start to set up funds or to host events where the benefits go to these people. Through the use of media, the people in charge of these efforts can get the word out there quickly and inspire plenty of others to join in their noble causes.

New media has changed a lot in this world. Instant access is at the center of the change, because both media outlets and the audience are able to read and respond to a vast array of information in such a short amount of time. These changes have both positive and negative effects on the world as a whole, so it’s up to savvy consumers like you to discern between the good and the bad – and respond accordingly. With great power comes great responsibility.

Michelle Jones writes about technology in media. Her recent work is on how to become a latent print examiner.

Image credit: Moore Oklahoma Tornado Recovery via Facebook

The article How New Media Has Changed How We Respond to Disasters appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

This is the second part of the interview with the magazine Positively Smitten. Read the first part here.

The women behind the website tells us about theirs hopes for the future of Positively Smitten, challenges they faced making the website and more.

Toonari Post (TP): Why do you think that it is important for there to be websites like Positively Smitten for women to access?

Positively Smitten (PS): So often, magazines targeted for women tell us all the reasons we’re not good enough while simultaneously telling us what we need to do to make ourselves acceptable. Articles are about how to get a man and then how to keep him – the overall message is that women aren’t good enough as they are, and even once they are, they have to keep working at it. Positively Smitten exists to tell women they’re wonderful as is. You don’t need to lose those last 10 pounds to be beautiful in our eyes, although if you want to, more power to you! Positively Smitten is about acceptance and support. It’s about building a community where women can share their genuine experiences and feel appreciated. (Liz Reddinger, Managing Editor)

TP: What do you think you (and everyone involved in making the website) have personally gained from it?

PS: We’re so incredibly lucky in that right now we’ve got three dedicated staff writers who are part of this – and literally doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. Lyndsey, Amy, and Kendra have been great additions to the magazine and I hope seeing their writing on Positively Smitten, and seeing how overwhelmingly positive the responses have been, makes them feel that their work and thoughts are valued. I know Liz, Steph, and I can’t thank them enough. And our contributors! They’ve all been completely fantastic, so I hope they’ve taken away a sense of accomplishment from their involvement with the magazine.

As for the three of us, I think we’ve each taken different things away from this. It’s certainly helped strengthen our friendships. It’s challenging to work on a project, but it’s even more challenging when it’s a project you and three friends are collaborating on from different states, in your spare time, while you juggle full-time jobs and the rest of that thing called life. But it’s so rewarding. I feel so close to these girls and I know, personally, I would not have been able to do this on my own. For me, this website has also shown our resilience and determination – as a team. Our personalities complement each other’s and when one of us is feeling weighed down by responsibilities, the other two are there to carry that load for a while. It’s so nice. I feel like together, the three of us can conquer anything. (Crystal Maldonado, Co-Founder, Editor)

TP: Have you faced any challenges or difficulties in producing the website? If so, how have you overcome them?

PS: We are still very new in the grand scheme of things – our site just launched March 1. We were extremely flattered and surprised by the amount of support right from the start, including bringing on writers very quickly! Because of our strong following as a fledgling website, we didn’t have much time to devise a marketing strategy to keep these new followers interested. That has certainly been a challenge. Recently, we’ve joined as many different social media accounts as we could to help spread the word. We divide the tasks and conquer to stay on top of it all. (Stephanie Wilcox, Co-Founder, Editor)

TP: What advice would you give other women thinking of using the internet to get their voices across?

PS: Be clear about your intention and mission, and know what makes you unique. Don’t be afraid to be yourself because ultimately this is what will set you apart. Don’t try and replicate something that’s already out there – instead, use your voice in an authentic way. (Liz Reddinger, Managing Editor)

TP: What are your hopes for the future of your website?

PS: I’d be lying if I didn’t admit we all secretly dream of someday having our own offices where we get to work next to one another and we have a full staff and we’ve been interviewed by Oprah. But I think, ultimately, the three of us would be pleased just knowing that Positively Smitten has impacted some of our readers, whether it’s in making them feel like they’re less alone, or providing a useful life tip, or making them stop to think about an issue they hadn’t questioned before.

We really want to make a difference, and we want to change how not only other people view women, but how we view each other and ourselves. Forgot these stereotypes about women – we just want to show we’re all real and everyone’s life experience is different and that’s okay. And if Oprah decides to someday come knocking on our door, offering to buy us up and give us a nice little office, we’d never turn it down. (Crystal Maldonado, Co-Founder, Editor)

‘Positvely Smitten’ is a wonderful reminder of how great a resource the internet is for people, women in particular, to speak up about issues that they find important. Their value for the average women is heart-warming and I think that you should check out their website www.positively-smitten.com to support and find out more about them.

Look out for the next article in the series ‘Women’s Voices in New Media’ where Toonari Post will have another interview with a woman centered website.

Image credit: Positively Smitten Magazine via Facebook

The article Women’s Voices in New Media: Positively Smitten Part 2 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Women all over the world can relate to the feeling of their voices not being heard. Although we make up around half of the world population, sometimes it seems we don’t exist. We have struggled for equality for years, and yet in many countries we are still being paid less, not achieving the best job positions, and constantly criticized by the media, men and even our own gender. But the fight to have our voices heard is far from over: new media has enabled women with the same opportunity to be heard and make a difference.

‘Positively Smitten’ is one such website. Toonari Post was fortunate enough to get an interview with Crystal Maldonado, Stephanie Wilcox, Co-Founders and Editors, and Liz Reddinger, Managing Editor.

Toonari Post (TP): What influenced you to make Positively Smitten?

Positively Smitten (PS): We really wanted to create an online magazine that supported women. There are so many blogs and magazines out there that target women, but we felt many of them gave conflicting messages about self-acceptance. At the end of day, the magazines didn’t make me (or any of us) feel represented. The result was unproductive; I walked away feeling like I had all of these things I wanted and needed to change about myself. As much as I loved these magazines, I didn’t feel they were meant for me, and it became a dream of all of ours, independently, to create our own magazine at some point.

Steph, Liz, and I all grew up writing; Steph and I actually pursued journalism (and women’s studies!) in college. We felt our experience was, at the very least, a strong foundation to tackle a magazine of our own. We have been consumers of magazines aimed at our gender since we were young girls, yet we felt there was a void in mainstream media that we could fill. (Crystal Maldonado, Co-Founder, Editor)

TP: What type of people do you have working on the website?

PS: As far as leadership goes, the three of us, as editors, are exactly the type of individuals we want to target with our articles. We all strive to be “positively smitten” with all aspects of our lives; that is, feeling engaged, proud, excited, amused, in control, and working toward the best version of ourselves possible. We want to acknowledge that all of us are a work in progress and have our flaws. If we want to encourage other women to be proud of who they are, even as flawed human beings, we need to lead by example. On our Founders page, we come right out and introduce ourselves immediately with our flaws and vulnerabilities.

Our current group of contributors are all very different, and that’s our strength. There are a mix of people in various life stages, with different careers, backgrounds, and lifestyles. We are even lucky to have Bill, our one male working on our graphics and branding, and he fully supports our mission .Working on this site, and writing for it, is fun, because there’s no holding back. We can be who we are. (Stephanie Wilcox, Co-Founder, Editor)

TP: What type of content do you include on your website?

PS: Our online magazine covers the following sections: Advice, Beauty, Career, DIY, Entertainment, Inspiration, Life, Relationships and Wellness. All articles are uplifting, positive and hopefully thought-provoking. Articles range from lighter, more fun topics like Springtime beauty staples, to media critiques analyzing diversity on television, to deeper topics like how to deal with the loss of a loved one. We aim to entertain, inspire, and make all women feel represented and welcomed. (Liz Reddinger, Managing Editor)

TP: Who are the people that your website is targeted towards?

PS: Right now, our entire staff is made up of women in their mid-twenties and early thirties, so I think a lot of the stories and experiences we’re sharing resonate with that age group. However, some subjects really do transcend age, especially when it comes to things like body acceptance and coping with the loss of a loved one or really learning to appreciate your family – all things we’ve covered. As much as we’re writing for ourselves, we’re also writing for the younger versions of ourselves, sharing things we wish we’d known or advice we wish we’d been given. And we’re writing for our future selves, or at least, women who are older than us now, but who can see themselves in us. We’ve been lucky to have readers and commenters of all ages; good writing with a message, which is ultimately what we’re striving for, can resonate with anyone. (Crystal Maldonado, Co-Founder, Editor)

Continue reading the rest of the interview with ‘Positively Smitten’ in the article Women’s Voices in New Media: Positively Smitten Part 2.

Image credit: Positively Smitten Magazine via Facebook

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Dallas, U.S.A. — Social Media Club of Dallas, a premier networking and education organization dedicated to marketing and new media, along with platinum sponsor, Sprint, has announced that its August 16 meeting will feature a panel of social customer care experts moderated by Bryan Person, Director of Social Insights for Social Dynamx. Bryan and panelists Tony Turnage of FedEx, Sean Valderas of Nokia and Mike Cearley of Fleishman-Hillard will discuss the challenges that businesses and brands face in building a successful customer service operation in a social world, including:

• Customers’ impatience and expectation of instant responses
• Confusion associated with tracking posts across multiple channels
• Using social tools that weren’t designed to support customer service
• Tracking the elusive ROI of customer service
• Communicating with customers in a public forum

The panel will educate the audience on how to overcome these challenges and deliver exceptional social customer service to customers and fans.

“More than ever, customers are reaching out to companies on social media when they have customer service issues and questions,” said Bryan Person. “And when they do, they *expect* a response — and fast. I look forward to discussing how businesses and brands are adapting to this new reality during our panel.”

The meeting will take place from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 16, 2012, at the Angelika Film Center Dallas in Mockingbird Station. Guests are invited for more networking at a post meeting Tweet-Up at Trinity Hall. Early registration tickets cost $35 and are available through August 15, 2012. Tickets on the day of the event are $45, if available.

Please register here for the event on Eventbrite.

The article Social Media Club of Dallas Hosts Social Customer Care Meeting appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.