Social Networks and their uses

Nowadays almost everyone has a Facebook account. This and other social networks allow us to communicate easily with others, whether friends, family, or just acquaintances. But these communication facilities offered by social networks give way to some important questions about the use that people do or can do with them.

A clear example is where doctors and patients. Maintain direct communication between physicians and patients through Facebook can be useful and successful but, on the other hand, one wonders whether it is ethical or acceptable for a physician to accept a friendship request from his patient. From my point of view, this is not appropriate. I think the only relationship that a physician or, in general, any professional must maintain a patient or client should be limited to that necessary to perform the job properly.

Another important question is if the social networks are changing our perception about the friendship concept, since from the moment someone sends a friend request on Facebook to someone else and this one accepts it, come to be considered “friends” in the network (but, of course, that does not mean they are true friends, they may not even meet each other, but have a friend in common).

I think there are many people trying to make new friends through social networks, reflecting somehow the image they want to convey about themselves through photos and comments. That is, using social networking as a showcase to sell a positive image to their acquaintances seeking to establish new social relationships. Moreover, among those interested in social networks we find more and more marketers and companies. The first ones attempt to find customers or promote their products while the latter use user profiles to find out how are their employees or staff.

As far as I am concerned, I don’t like that the personal information I share with my friends is going through the network. My Facebook profile only contains personal information (who are my friends know me), and never admit a friend request from someone you hardly know or not know at all. I think that social networks are useful to maintain contact with those who are your friends but not to make new friends or for a company or a vendor to find out things about me.

Copyright

Internet makes possible people to access to almost all cultural resources and download them including, of course, music and movies. But, what users, artists, producers or even countries think about this situation? What happen with the copyright in this case? In Good Copy, Bad Copy we can see different points of view about these questions.

From my point of view, sharing of information by Internet should be unrestricted for users, always that people don’t do it with profit motive. Moreover, I think this is the natural flow of things, as you can’t pursue every user who downloads a movie or a song. So, companies should to accept this situation and find new ways of financing, like offer their selves their own productions with the highest quality possible and a low cost by Internet. I’m sure if they would offer good products with a reasonable price, people prefer to buy original products. I think Internet isn’t a thread for producers and artists, but an opportunity. They can show their products to the entire world and come into all houses easily, and this is an advantage.

Maybe the problem is that old powerful companies don’t want accept this new situation, as they have been much money with their traditional way to work, and it will be difficult to maintain their turnover working differently.

I found very interesting how Brazilians faced this new situation. There, new artists use CD’s and Internet as merely advertising. They don’t expect to sell millions of copies, but they hope to make money basically with their concerts and shows. So, as much people listen to their music, more people will probably go to their shows.

But, in this different model, what happen with the record companies which produce the new music? Maybe they could get a percentage of the revenue from the shows, and maybe they should strike deal with the telecom and cell phone companies and internet service providers to get part of their profits too. Be that as it may, the fact is that the actual model is more and more obsolete, and it will change sooner or later.

What do you think about the issue? Do you think current record industry will fight to keep its working model, or it will be changed? Will the users have to pay each time they download music or movies?

The triumph of the nerds

Nerds are people who really enjoy using technology and electronics things; people who don’t mind spend hours and hours using technological devices. A nerd can stay in front of his personal computer for several days with some food and Coke-Cole, even without take a shower, and some of them consider a waste of time to do another thing with their lives, so they haven’t got time to do sport or to have a girlfriend or social live. But the world wouldn’t be like it is nowadays without them.

In the documentary The triumph of the nerds we can see how a handle of nerds started to change the world in the 70’s, people like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, who have been possible the development of computers from then to now. At first, most of them only wanted to impress their friends, or enjoy and learn using technological things, but more and more their hobby became in a business, in a very big business, and some nerds became winners and earned millions and millions of dollars. But, in their way to the glory, they have to compete very hard.

I’ve enjoyed watching this documentary, and I’ve appreciated the importance of have a good vision of the future and take correct decisions on time in order to triumph in the word of the business.