Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Texas Tech pulls the plug on Twitter

So the latest furor over the use of the insanely popular social networking site Twitter is centered on the Raiders. Texas Tech recently issued a team-wide ban on the Raiders team's not-so-private usage of Twitter, after a senior linebacker confessed to his Twitter viewers Sunday afternoon that the season was not going as expected, in a Tweet which read:



His post has now been taken down, but Williams' gut-reaction to the Houston loss - "WTF I can't believe what happened man my senior season isn't goin' anything like what I busted my azz for... - still remains proudly posted, along with very similar sentiments from offensive lineman Brandon Carter:

"This is not how I saw our season," [Carter] wrote on Twitter early Sunday morning. "I just cried like am (sic) idiot. I want us to be so good my last year and I feel like I’m letting everyone down."

Carter also used the feed to break the news that he'd been suspended for next week's game against New Mexico and stripped of his captaincy. That post was also soon deleted, but not before it had fueled a round of high-profile wire stories Sunday night.

Obviously one might wonder why anyone even remotely famous would be using a public social networking site... but as the Raiders found out, it's not about what you say but how you say it.
The danger of sites such as Facebook and Twitter (come on, is anyone actually using MySpace any more?) is that within seconds, a single random (and possibly career-destroying) thought can be broadcast worldwide to a phenomenally large audience.

They may not be sitting in front of a microphone, but stars and celebs alike need to realize that their 'private' usage of Twitter is akin to putting out a worldwide press-release each time they so much as report on what they're eating for breakfast.

Forget Drunk-Calling, Highway-Texting or Pants-Pocket Dialling, the Twitter Hangover is the latest and greatest social Faux-Pas. Whether you're famous or not, the fallout from an errant remark like this can be not only embarrassing, but potentially libelous. Here's five Tips on how to avoid embarrassing yourself on Twitter.

For those of us still in the Dark Ages on how to use Twitter, here's a nice simple introduction to the site:

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Match It for Pratchett - Donate $1 to Alzheimer's research

Terry Pratchett, the bestselling fantasy author, is suffering from a rare form of Alzheimer's but would like it to be known that he is not dead yet.

In a statement posted on the website of his illustrator Paul Kidby, the author in typical humorous fashion describes the diagnosis as "an embuggerance."

He adds: "Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there's time for at least a few more books yet."

Terry Pratchett, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in December, recently donated $1 million to the Alzheimer's Research Trust to help find a cure.

The best-selling author said:

"I am proud to become a Patron of the Alzheimer's Research Trust. Alzheimer's is a nasty disease, surrounded by shadows and small, largely unseen tragedies. I understand the desperation of sufferers and their carers and their hopes for, if not a cure, at least some regime that might help us live with Alzheimer's. Frankly, I'd eat the arse out of a dead mole if it offered a fighting chance. It was a shock to find out that funding for Alzheimer's research is just 3% of that to find cancer cures. Right now, one thing we can do is make certain that Alzheimer's does not remain out in the shadows. Once upon a time, cancer was only spoken of as "a long illness". When people felt able to talk about it, the battle could begin. The same thing can happen with Alzheimer's. Before you can kill the demon, you have to say its name."

Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said:
"We're so pleased to have Terry's continued support. He is an inspiration to the 700,000 people who have dementia and 25 million friends and family affected by the disease. With a force like Terry demanding a drastic increase in dementia research funding, the government must recognize soon that it can no longer put off urgently needed reform."

Pratchett, 59, is best known for his satirical Discworld novels and he has sold more than 55 million books.

Pat Cadigan started an online campaign (dubbed "Match it for Pratchett" by participants) on her blog to get half a million Discworld fans to each donate a pound (that's about two dollars in U.S. currency) to Alzheimer's research, thus matching the half-million pounds/a million dollars donation Terry Pratchett made yesterday to the Alzheimer's Research Trust in the U.K. Cadigan says on his blog, "So whaddaya say, guys? … You can spare that much. Go here and make your donation. Tell them it's in honour of Terry Pratchett."

The Match It For Pratchett site, www.matchitforpratchett.org, has been set up for more information. A Facebook page has also been set up by the originator of the initiative, which includes a letter from the Alzheimer's Research Trust.

Check out this latest interview with Terry Pratchett (below). You can donate directly to the trust by going to their official site at the Alzheimer's Research Trust.