5 Things for Wednesday

1) Twitter has started to email account users when someone retweets your tweets. Assuming you check your email often or get prompted when you get a new email, it makes it a little easier to know when someone has retweeted your work.

2) Twitter is buying Tweetdeck. If you use Tweetdeck already, you shouldn’t notice much change.

3) Who has rights to photos you post on social media? A woman posted a photo of the latest shuttle launch on a social media site. News agencies picked it up and used it but few asked permission. This has opened up the debate of who owns the photos, videos, and anything else you post to social media. You should read the privacy and permissions policies for each social media tool/platform/product you use to know.

4) Hashtags continue to be important in social media. I’ve discussed them in the past. Here’s a list of 30 hashtags you may want to follow that are specific to nonprofits.

5) People often ask me what is the future of social media? Is it a semantic web? Is it mashing up current tools? Is it a new and easy way to measure social media? Yes, Yes and Yes. What are your thoughts on the future of social media in the near and distant future?

Future of Computing

Do you ever wonder about the future of computing and how social media may fit into it? There are quite a few web-based resources that you can access to read about predictions and research of the future that is happening now. I wanted to share some links with you that address this issue.

The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project studies has some very insightful research that you can read. Their research looks at how technology impacts the many different facets of our lives. Their newest report is a look at the status of cloud computing in 2020.

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Elon University’s Imagining the Internet project, which is a partner of the Pew Research Center, also has great research-based predictions of the future of technology and the internet. They also allow you to add your input on how you see the future of the internet.

A third resource is the New Media Consortium’s Emerging Technology Initiative. Their Horizon reports are annual reports deciphering future trends. These are definitely worth a read.

What are some of the resources you have used when looking at the future of technology? Please feel free to share them with others in the comments section.