"What's on your mind?"

Anything you post WILL be taken against you. The Internet is forever. Think before you post.

How to Become Unemployed Courtesy of Facebook

Who can forget last year's Ashley Payne, the former high school teacher in Georgia, who was forced to resign after a parent complained about the impropriety of one of her vacation photos?

Where this photo is from: "Straight from the A"

Looks harmless enough, don't you think? She was, after all, on a Euro trip, and you know what they say... "When in Ireland, do what the Irish do--drink a Guinness beer." Apparently, the school administrators thought otherwise.

Just recently, news of this kind broke out again, as an editor of a Fairfax newspaper was immediately terminated after a smart-ass and totally insensitive status update.

Where this photo is from: The Daily Telegraph

Seeing his post "there's nothing better than a death to lift circulation," people in his Facebook were aghast, as this was in reference to the death of a police officer who was shot and killed on duty.

Yet, there are stories of many others who have lost their jobs over Facebook that don't make it to the news. Here's a look at a few of them:

Where this photo is from: a Facebook group called "Fired Because of Facebook"

There are so many of them that a book called "Fired for Facebooking" is already in the works. It's going to be a collection of their stories, pretty much like Chicken Soup for the Soul--only depressing, scary, and more likely, an if-I-knew-then-what-I-know-now read. (For more Facebook phenomenon related books, click here)

WE'RE NOT IMMUNE TO THIS.

Anyone with a Facebook, Twitter, or any other social networking account is exposed to the risk of getting fired over Facebook everyday.

10 Ways You Can Lose Your Job for Facebooking

10. It's counter-productive, as I've already explained in My Facebook Hypothesis.

9. Your boss is on Facebook, and he/she is making very good use of the News Feed to check whether you're doing your job or not.

8. Whether you're ranting about your job or gloating over how you pulled a fast one on your boss, remember this: Anything you say can and will be taken against you. Read: Status Updates Spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E

7. Venting via your status updates or your Wall--no matter how unrelated to your profession--and "Like-ing" certain pages can get the honchos dishing the "conduct unbecoming of an employee of this company" memo. (Wait. Let me just Unlike "If you're talking about me behind my back, you're in a good position to kiss my ass." Okay. I'm back.)

6. Uploading a photo of you on a drinking spree--glazed eyes and all.

5. Uploading a photo of you with your head down the toilet after such drinking spree.

4. Posting a video of you and your friends in a compromising position.

3. Getting tagged by your friends in any incriminating photos.

2. Tagging yourself in (self)incriminating photos from your friends' albums.

1. Tagging your boss in incriminating photos and/or videos.

   

Spell "trouble": S-T-A-T-U-S U-P-D-A-T-E-S

I know that you're only reading this entry because my amazing work of art has caught your attention, so I won't keep you long. Anti-Facebook blog sickfacebook.com quoted Australian psychologist Dr. Michael Carr-Gregg as saying that people who post status updates (and tweets) "could be suffering from insecurity... [they're] sending a message out to everybody that rather than just quietly getting on with what [they're] doing [they] need external recognition.” OUCH! I didn't see that one coming. As if it weren't enough, he went on to explain further that status updates crying or implying depression shows attention-deficit behavior.“This is a digital SOS. They can be very, very upsetting when you send out something and you get absolutely nothing back," he said.

I know that the guy means well. In fact, I totally understand how dangerous status updates get. Perverts and players can get the wrong (or right) signals, as singles put themselves at risk of sounding desperate for a little romance--which is pretty much like handing your house keys to a thief, with your address attached. Employees getting sacked, cheating husbands busted, and a soldier botching a raid by unwittingly leaking information via his Facebook status update are only a few examples. Not only that. Status updates destroy friendships, too. I know someone who knows someone who thought that a friend's status was directed at him. I can't blame him for overreacting, though, as many use tweets and statuses for cyber bullying or "flaming." (In Dr. Carr-Gregg's book Real Wired Child, he provides practical tips for parents in guiding their teens' online communications, social networking, web surfing, downloading, and gaming activities to ensure their well-being in cyberspace.)

Anyway, Dr. Carr-Gregg's study found that our status updates reveal more about us than we think, even more than all the things we write in our profiles combined. Affected yet? I wouldn't be too bothered, if I were you. He also said, "You could be forgiven for thinking no one cares [about you], but not everybody is online or checking their phone all the time.” It's just you, you insecure, attention-deficit, danger-hungry addict! See? You should really feel better now. lol

Facebook is selling WHAT?!

Take a good look at this picture:
 

Is this what you see?

 

If online dating is the new singles bar, then Facebook is open bar 24/7, what with over 400 million ACTIVE users. From the soft-light profile photos to the catchy status updates (not to mention the ubiquitous "Like" thumbs up icon), Facebook has the particular charm that online dating sites SHOULD have but, unfortunately, don't. And what's that? It leaves you enough room to maneuver and tell people that you're in the market without having to BE IN THE MARKET. So what, Facebook is not a dating site, right? At least, not officially. Even if you're actually looking, you no longer have to hunch over the monitor the way a football carrier would. With Facebook, you also get more opportunities to do an in-depth survey before the buy-in. Best of all, it's free. But then, again, Facebook can't solve all of life's problems (what?!)--meaning, it's not cheat-proof and perv-proof, as there's no way that Facebook can verify each of the profiles. At least, for now.

So, if you've been on Facebook long enough to have gone through that phase, when you suddenly feel the urge to type your exes' names into the search field--assuming that they're using their real names--or to "Like" every one of your Facebook crush's posts (and spend an entire hour waiting for the red notification flag to pop up), don't beat yourself up. Blame it on the subliminal message on Facebook's log-in page instead.  

Mad Hatter Craze

It's Mad Hatter Day! With Johnny Depp playing the role in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, it's no question that the Mad Hatter is more talked-about than Alice herself. But did you know that in Lewis Carroll's book, Alice's Adventure in Wonderland, the author didn't refer to him as such? Carroll named him as the Hatter or "Hatta," and it was the Cheshire Cat who alluded to him being "mad." Also, did you know that Lewis Carroll was a Math professor by the name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson? And that he made up Alice's Adventure in Wonderland for his friend's three daughters, one of which is named Alice, while they were on a picnic?

Now that you have enough trivia to survive the upcoming Wonderland mania, join the Mad Hatter's army against the Red Queen and pledge allegiance by mad-hatting yourself! Here's how:

• Log in to your Facebook account.

• Type "Alice in Wonderland" on the search field and choose the first of the results shown.

• Better yet, simply click on this link.

• Read the Terms and Conditions and hit "Accept."

• Take a picture of yourself using your webcam or simply choose from any of your Facebook photos.

• Don't worry if the photo doesn't fit well. As soon as you click "Next," you'll be able to adjust the size, position, and angle of the photo to get the best fit for the Mad Hatter's face.

•  Click "Next" one more time and --Voila! You're already ready to revolt against the Red Queen.

Unfortunately, there's no way you can upload photos from your PC (unless you upload it into Facebook first) or download the finished product for your archives or Facebook profile pic (unless you hit the most precious key on your keyboard--Print Screen). *Hint, hint* Instead the application only allows you to share the mad-hatted you by sending a message to 10 Facebook friends at a time. You may also send the Mad Hatter's hat as a free gift on Facebook. Chances are that it's a limited offer, so better hurry. Go ahead and start the hatting frenzy before the Red Queen's spies get you.

For Alice in Wonderland merchandise, simply click on these images.

Who the Filipina Is

Of the Earth's creatures, only humans are fond of confining each other in boxes and sticking labels all over them. If there's one thing I feel  really sad about, it's that some people believe they can look down their nose at others. I am tired of Filipinas being typecasted as nothing more than domestic helpers and mail-order brides. Sure, many pinays aspire for better lives for their families by taking these paths, but they are more than just servants and marriage-for-convenience transactions. They are daughters and sisters. Women. Persons. For this alone, they deserve respect.

The average pinay is a woman of great value. She is someone who prizes family and loyalty--sometimes, even to the detriment of her personal dream. Yet, she is capable of opening her heart to new dreams, going beyond her comfort zone, and growing more resilient with each challenge. She is capable of rising above the stereotype, and this is what empowering the Filipina is all about.

"Over the years, Filipinas working overseas have been greatly stereotyped and put in a negative light. This documentary follows a collective group of global Filipinas who have been deeply affected by these issues and how they chose to respond by sharing the positivity, and the advocacy of a common mission -- uplifting the morale of Filipinas everywhere."

To those in Dubai, do catch the full length premiere on 27th March, Godolphin Ballroom, Emirates Towers. To my fabulously pinay readers and visitors, let's help this video go viral. You may tweet and link it on Facebook: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4j6Z1htZi0 or get its embedding code from YouTube


The Empowered Filipina: A Woman of Substance


A Timonera Grafik Production
Produced by Lalaine Chu-Benitez, Ramon Benitez
Director: Kamil Roxas
Director of Photography: Kahlil A. de Pio
Gaffer: Franzty Magsakay
Sound: Ed Aquino
Art Director: Ramon Benitez
Production Assistants: Choi Dalocanog, Rony Aquino
Make-up: Ginno Alducente

Who started Doppelganger Week on Facebook?

That is the question. I'm asking because I want to know who to thank. Until the last week of January, visitor stats to my relatively new blog was over 500 but definitely far from a thousand. Within the next 2 weeks, it rapidly skyrocketed to over 3,000 hits! I attribute these hits to one particular entry--how to find your doppelganger. This is all thanks to the latest and most viral of Facebook memes: Doppelganger Week.

"Meme" is derived from the Greek mneme and mimëma, meaning "memory" and "something imitated," respectively. An Internet meme is an idea or practice that spreads like wildfire through the Web and thus becoming pop culture. This includes viral videos, e-mail hoaxes, and other Web-based media turning obscure personalities into instant Internet celebrities, or e-lebrities (see YouTube).

Like the "change your fb status into your bra color to raise breast cancer awareness" meme, Doppelganger Week seemed to start out as an internal arrangement between Facebook friends to use as profile picture a photo of a celebrity whom you've been told you resemble. Soon enough, Facebook began to crawl with Megan Foxes and Robert Pattinsons, driving more and more users into a wild search for celebrity look-alike generators or facial recognition applications, such as MyHeritage.com, FaceDouble, and Find My Doppelganger.

NowPublic says that Chloë Carter this meme, while NYDailyNews gives credit to Bob Patel as Doppelganger Week's creator. Although the definite source of the meme is yet to be known, one thing is certain: there are too many people who want to find their "twin," especially the famous variety--whether out of curiosity or narcissism.

Doppelganger Week has spawned critic Facebook groups, such as "But... Your Doppelganger is hot, and you are really, really ugly," which, I must admit, is a bit funny albeit a tad harsh (if not cruel). Personally, I have mixed feelings about doppelgangers. It's exciting to know that somewhere out there, there's someone I resemble, someone that I'm totally unrelated to. At the same time, it makes me think that I look too common. I guess, the reason why finding our celebrity look-alike is so important for many is that it is a personal affirmation, in a way. It somehow gives you a sense that there's something likable, if not special, about you.

Cebu Dancing Inmates with Michael Jackson's Choreographer

As if you haven't seen it yet, the most recently memed Youtube video in the PI within the last 2 days is this: Cebu's world-famous dancing inmates! Oh, but it's not just another dance video from the viral hitmakers who rose to e-lebrity status via "Thriller" in 2007. Michael Jackson's (and Lady Gaga's as well) choreographer Travis Payne trained and danced with the inmates of Cebu Provincial Detention And Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC), along with dancers who are featured in MJ's post-humus "This Is It" video.




Would you believe that they trained for only 2 hours in 2 days? Only in the Philippines!


The Youtube clip was made available just a few days before the release of the Michael Jackson: This Is It DVD on January 26, 2010. To order your copy of the video, simply click on the image below.

Cure That Facebook Addiction

Do you find yourself tweeting or Facebooking when you should be working or studying instead? Like everything else, extreme activity on social networking sites is bad for you. It's counter-productive and unhealthy. Some employees have been fired--or received disciplinary action at least. Some friendships have been broken. Don't even let me get me started. I should know. I was a self-confessed Facebook addict  until I decided to take action. Now, I can go for days without logging in to Facebook or Twitter. There is no secret formula to fighting social network addiction. It all depends on your willpower. Let me share with you some rehab tips:

Deleting applications

Becoming app-aholic is a major symptom of addiction to social networking sites. Remove applications that require regular interaction, such as simulation games. As human beings are creatures of habit, it's easy to get caught in a trap. Pretty soon, you'll find yourself going online just to make sure that your scores won't fall even if there's nothing at stake. If deleting these apps seem to drastic for you, take it one step at a time. For instance, delete one game that you're most likely to check/play on a daily basis and leave apps that don't take up too much of your time. Later on, you'll realize that you don't really need all these apps, and removing them gets easier.

Limiting notifications

If seeing the red flag makes your heartbeat go fast, or if you find yourself clicking on "@yournamehere" every now and then, you know you've become addicted to feedback. Keep your notifications settings at a minimum, such as allowing alerts only for messages posted on your wall. If you leave your notification for photo comments "on," you'll find replying to comments hard to resist. And before long, you're logging in hours just browsing through friends' photos, caught in an endless comment exchange. Turn off alerts sent directly to your e-mail as well. This way, you won't be tempted to log in to the social networking site each time you check your mail at work.

Using alternative sites

Don't get me wrong. This isn't about replacing one bad habit with another. Try to find a site that allows you to post an update on all your social networks. Mine is Plurk, a microblogging site like Twitter, but with a more user-friendly interface. It works more like a personal journal, and you can count on it to be spam-free. Since it syncs my posts to my FB and Twitter accounts, I don't have to log in to these sites anymore. For this reason, I don't get to see feedback as often as I used to. After a while, I found that my "need" to reply to comments began to fade. 

If your addiction is really severe, you might want to consider Web 2.0 Suicide Machine. A word of caution, though: its actions, such as deleting all your contacts, will be permanent, leaving only a "cyberskeleton," or a blank profile. Why would you do this when you can simply deactivate your account, you ask? With FB, you can always re-activate your account without losing all your connections and previous inputs, so it's just like being invisible for a while. As for Suicide Machine, it's designed to kill your online social life, so this means that it will purge all your records and prohibit any future attempts to re-activate your accounts. It works the same for MySpace, LinkedIn, and Twitter. There's even going to be a cybermemorial held for you on the site.

As you can see, Suicide Machine should only be a last resort. After all, social network sites have their benefits too, such as increasing traffic to your blogs or reconnecting with long-lost friends. Stopping your addiction to online social networking doesn't have to mean becoming anti-social. It's about enjoying their service without letting them control you. Try these rehab tips and be free of your addiction. I did it; so can you. Good luck!

Taser: From stun gun to spying tool?

The days when Taser is simply known as a law enforcement device are over. The Taser (an acronym for Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle) trademark has provided both young and old a sense of security since developing the stun gun in 1969. Its popularity resulted in the use of the word "taser" as a noun referring to any electroshock weapon, in general, and stun guns, in particular. The word has also become a popular verb. On Superpoke!, a Facebook application that allows you to "do" certain actions to a friend (or more appropriately, post these "actions" on a friend's Wall), it's featured under "mean" actions as a sort of joke (Read: "X has tasered Y"). 

In the days ahead, "taser" is yet to acquire a new connotation: from protection to privacy breach. This morning, I came across the Tech News that Taser has come up with a phone application called "Mobile Protector." It's designed to enable parents to monitor their kid's mobile phone use. With this application, parents can block contacts and screen the text messages and calls that their kids receive and send. Services like these have been around since 2007, but Mobile Protector levels things up by allowing parents to listen in on the phone calls! The people behind Mobile Protector say that when this happens, it's going to be announced to both parties that the call is being shadowed. Still, I can't get over the thought of having a parent eavesdrop on me as I indulge in girl-talk. Taser further claims that it's not spyware, but what else would you call an application that gives someone so much control over somebody else's communication system?


I can understand how much important it is to provide guidance and protection, especially to kids. I'm all right with the porn-blocking features and the GPS tracking, especially during emergency situations, but for the Mobile Protector to allow a parent to disable the phone for a specific period? Wow, that's remote grounding! Using the application, someone can pull up records from your phone, such as calls made, text messages received and sent, and last known location, among other data. That's like sending the FBI after you. Tough love, indeed!


Aside from the privacy issue, my main concern is this: what if the application falls into the wrong hands? Won't this endanger kids even more? Watching shows like CSI and Criminal Minds has taught me that perpetrators use the same strategies and tools that law enforcers do. Think about it: what if your Mobile Protector falls into the hands of a potential sex offender? Would it make you sleep better at night?


Taser's Mobile Protector will be out in the market by summer, and subscription rates will range from $10-$30. Let the buyer beware!



(Photo credit:  abcnews.go.com)

Online New Year's resolutions, anyone?

HAPPY 2010! It's that time of the year again. In my Sunny Side Up! blog, I wrote about making and keeping your New Year's resolutions. As I've mentioned there, placing your New Year's resolutions where you can regularly see them is important. So I thought, for the cyber folks out there, what better way to remind yourself of your promises than posting them online? For one, you can't tear it down and apart. Sure, you can delete it later, but where's the fun in that? As for other advantages, let me digress. People who are more socially active online usually reveal themselves better to "cyberfriends" or e-friends than the ones they personally spend time with. Why? As a self-acclaimed mouse potato, I'd say that the best thing about online friends is that they can't make judgments about who you are as a person. Aside from the witty comebacks that you normally get on your Facebook or blog posts, what you can expect from people you meet online is to take you at "text value." You can expect them to ask how your plans are coming along or at least wish you good luck and cheer you on. No "remember whens" or I-told-you-so's.  Also, going public makes you more accountable. Like being pushed into the spotlight, you are left with no choice but to deliver.

Getting back on track, I looked up a site that does have "bucket list" features. Using my Google eyes, I found My50, a site designed to motivate you about the things that you want to accomplish. The tagline "things to do in my lifetime" speaks for itself. Although it's meant for hosting your lifetime to-do list, some of the posts there are popular New Year's resolution items, such as "clean up my room more often," "lose weight," and "quit smoking." From daily tasks to lifetime goals, My50 enables users to get more creative. It allows you to post pictures, previous accomplishments, and set deadlines. Once a task or goal is done, it gets automatically moved to your Achievements list, so there's no need to cross items out manually. You may also organize your lists into activities and sports, holidays and travel, health and relaxation, making or saving money, and the list goes on! It also has this nice Places to Visit and 50 Suggestions tab. It's like a task-list-and-time-capsule-in-one application. Sounds great, right? You can also choose who get's to see your list, as it can be set to "private" anytime. The best thing about it is that it's free.

That's it for now. I need to go and create my own list. Just the thought of it makes me so excited to start accomplishing them right away. Wish me luck! Either that or start your own list now.