Lately, Facebook newsfeeds have been seeing a new page pop up asking for assistance from the community, and the response has been abundant.

Jessica Williams, chief probation officer and program director of the Ross County Probation Department, created a Facebook page for the agency a few weeks ago. She started posting names of people wanted on warrants after violating the terms of their probation, along with their pictures.

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For better or worse, we are all on high alert about the whereabouts of children, even those who are not our own. Adults who saw a creepy looking 18-year-old at a coffee shop sweet-talking an underage girl would become suspicious and some might even contact the authorities.

And certainly parents today — who sometimes go to the lengths of attaching GPS devices to their kids backpacks and tracking them using cellphone apps — would never allow an adult male to have regular unsupervised contact with their young daughters. But it happens regularly through social media.

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The U.S. Digital Registry was announced Jan. 29 as a one-stop shop for the social networking needs of government departments who are actively engaged on such platforms as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Unlike official government websites that end with .gov or .mil, profiles created through third-party platforms can often look deceptively authentic, but are used to mislead the public and steal personal information.

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How do companies stay afloat in recessionary times with so many calls for financial prudence and as far as the additional cost of marketing goes, is a recession a good time to lay back on your Social Media efforts or should you be stepping it up?

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Social media narcissism is on the rise. The team behind Psychology Today compiled research to show that millennials could be the most narcissistic generation in history. Social media is one of the exemplifications of the problem. That is not to say that everyone on social media is a narcissist, but it is where these people tend to hang out.

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I know we think of social media as being a new millennium thing — but the truth of the matter is that the seeds of what would become the social networks we know, love, and sometimes hate today have been around for a heck of a lot longer than the mid-2000s. And these 90s social media sites from before social media was a thing? They are proof.

Most of the sites on this list were originally founded in the late 90s, so I suppose we might also be able to consider them social networks from the early 2000s; after all, that’s probably when a lot of us actually started using them.

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When it comes to online reviews, business owners take the good with the bad. Reviews can be highly influential. On the upside, positive reviews highlight things such as terrific customer service, stellar products, delicious food and the like. There is a local Facebook group for Kansas City foodies, and a positive review of a new restaurant can be a major boon to a new local eatery.

On the flip side, even the most customer-focused and conscientious of businesses will eventually get a less than favorable review. It’s simply the law of averages. Reviewers definitely do not lack places to post their comments: Traditional review sites like Yelp are always in play, but people also take to Twitter and Facebook to air grievances.

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Social media is not always an online distraction or procrastination platform. While some may be addicted to their social media networks, it is one of the best ways to stay informed. Major news outlets, corporations and persons of interest use social media to deliver messages to the masses. With items posting immediately, the public stays informed. Some issues cause controversy, but social media does more good than harm in retrospect.

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After you have you social media profiles up and running, you may forget to pay attention to your profiles. It is easy to do as you are focused on posting, tweeting, and uploading videos. However, in order to maintain a positive image on social media networks a bit of maintenance is required. You need to make sure that you keep your social media profiles up to date at all times.

The social media profile is extremely important, so here are some things that you can do to make sure that you are getting the most out of your profile.

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The more time young adults spend using popular social media, the greater the link to depression, new research suggests.

The finding stems from research—which involved nearly 1,800 men and women between the ages of 19 and 32—that tried to get a handle on how depression and social media habits may interact.

But does greater involvement with social media actually promote depression? Or, are people who are already depressed simply more likely to gravitate to social media? The jury, according to the study authors, is still out.

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Social media is the primary battleground for the most controversial presidential campaign in modern history. Here is what real-time data says about each campaign.

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I previously analyzed their 2013 report and their 2014 report and came to the same conclusion each year. Most companies still do not get social media as a customer service channel.

Six years ago, I did my own tiny social media study. That is back when the Starbucks Twitter profile said that some guy named Brad did the tweeting. Things are pretty much the same as even back then. (Except for Brad. I am not sure what happened to him.)

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Social media is a blessing for small business entrepreneurs to spread the word about their business without spending a huge amount of advertising dollars. Nevertheless, a majority of small businesses are not able to capitalize on this opportunity.

A recent ProOpinion poll found that many small business professionals don’t use social media or a social media calendar on a regular basis. Only 31 percent post frequently on social media, and whats even worse, just 15 percent interact with their audience.

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One click on social media can reach hundreds of people. But the wrong post could reach your boss and cost you your job.

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Social media is a double-edged sword, providing both benefits and drawbacks.

In order to stay connected, many of us are becoming captivated by these pervasive tools. A social media report by Sensis in 2015 reported that nearly half of all Australians access one or more social networking sites every day.

The report also found that Australians now spend an average of 8.5 hours a week on Facebook alone, with 24% checking social media more than five times a day. Seven in ten people used a smartphone to access their accounts.

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Displaying your social media network activity on your website can have tremendous advantages. It shows your readers that you’re an active participant in your niche and helps you establish yourself as a thought leader. The best part is that displaying your activity is fast and easy in WordPress.

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~ Over 70% of teens have smart phones which means they have access to the internet which in turn means they have easy access to pornography.
~ Most teens are on their phones all the time - in school, in bed at night, when they go to the bathroom, while you are trying to talk to them, and while they are trying to do their homework.
~ They are in instant access with each other all the time - living in a perpetual state of staccato interruptions.

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The most fervent political supporters think only their candidate can possibly win. Bloomberg View columnist Megan McArdle blames these beliefs on the echo chambers found on our social media feeds.

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Many investment professionals are naturally competitive people, myself included. Accustomed to being benchmarked and trained to quantify impact, we run an unusual risk of thinking that social media is a contest.

But applying that perspective is counterproductive. It is a bit like going to a dinner party and trying to keep score. People might be into it if you have strange friends, but there’s a better chance that you will alienate everyone there.

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Although consumers want brands to use social media as a two-way communication channel, the vast majority of businesses are not adhering to those desires, according to a study from social media management software provider Sprout Social. On average, businesses send out 23 promotional messages for every one consumer response.

Social media is now the No. 1 way consumers interact with businesses. The research revealed that 34.5 percent of consumers turn to social media first when they have a problem, compared with just 16 percent who call and 5 percent who visit a store in person.

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Not so long ago, customers were isolated. Their ability to voice their dissatisfaction with the service they received from business was severely limited.

The once feared television show Fair Go was just about their only option.

Today they can air their gripes instantly on Facebook, Twitter or other social platforms and build alliances with similarly disgruntled customers. They can take pictures wherever they go and record or even film their interactions.

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The federal government has confirmed that it will start targeting social media posts by prospective employees as part of its review process for security clearance.

The new policy, which will allow investigators to scan an applicant’s history on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other similar sites, will be adopted soon, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

The guidelines make clear that agencies can target publicly available social media posts, if they deem it necessary, but cannot force individuals to hand over their passwords for private accounts, or provide pseudonyms for any profiles.

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I was interviewing Antonio Lucio, the CMO for HP, for my CMO Insight series (see article here), when we started talking about social media. For perspective, Lucio has over 33,000 Twitter followers, has a 62 Klout score, and is the 4th most influential CMO on Twitter (see list here). I asked him why he is so personally involved in Twitter. Very few CMOs tweet and of those who have a lot of followers, few tweet themselves, instead delegating the task to somebody on their marketing team. His response to my question was fascinating, and an important one for any CMO or aspiring CMO to hear.

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I remember a time before Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, emojis, instant messaging and memes. I remember when my friends used to ride their bikes passed my home to see if I was there -- now, we always know where everyone is. Sometimes because it is self-reported (on a social media platform) but also because we can send them a quick text.

So the term digital native is a little too loose for me, the date range is too baggy around the sides.

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Influencer Marketing

According to the latest Nielson study, over 90% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family. We have slapped a fancy name on it, but at the end of the day, this is what influencer marketing really is: getting products into the hands of people whom others trust. Peer recommendations have the power to sway buyers and inspire purchase decisions, not because they have a zillion followers or have perfect lips, but because they are reliable, personable sources we believe.

Most people with a smartphone are constantly tapped into some form of social media. Sharing cute pictures of kids and pets is simply a routine part of life these days. Some people even use social media to vent frustrations or look for advice.

In a divorce case, however, shares on social media can create ample evidence that can be used against one or both parties to affect alimony, child support, child custody, and more.

Email and Text Messages
Email and text messages are admissible in court and can even be subpoenaed. If one party in the marriage reveals something about a new job or an upcoming bonus that has not been revealed in court, this can be used as evidence that the person is not being honest in his or her financial declarations.

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In what has become a heartbreaking routine—employed during the Paris attacks of 2015, as well as after recent terrorist attacks in such places as Belgium and Istanbul — people shared emotional memes in solidarity with the city of Nice, where 84 people were killed by a truck driver barrelling into the crowd on the Promenade des Anglais.

Using the hashtags #PrayForNice or #JeSuisNice, people expressed solidarity over the deaths of at least 84 people, which French President Francois Hollande says was caused by an act of terrorism.

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Facebook has 1.6 billion users. Inevitably, a sizable portion of those people pass away, leaving behind a number of inactive social media accounts.

Last year Facebook took a major step forward in how to deal with the 8000 plus deceased accounts that appear on the social network each day.

Its Legacy contact scheme helped make dealing with the death of a loved one easier on the world's largest social network.

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With Lines IPO, I thought this would be a good time to ask about the role that new social networks will play in the larger social network ecosystem. Will they cannibalize Facebook’s usage? Or can we expect to see the biggest players continue to be dominant in social networking?

For those of you who don’t know, social networking has a special place in my heart. In 1997, I launched the world’s first online social network called sixdegrees. And as part of that, we wrote a patent that defined a social network as the ability to index multiple relationships in a single database. It gives you the ability to see the people you don’t know through the people you do know.

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If my mother invented a social network it would be a lot like Pinterest. Thousands of pictures, tons of content, and everyone talking with everyone about everyone else’s favorite things. This social network would consist of people just like my mother, caring, hip, and quickest to the draw when the silence calls for a witty comment.

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Maintaining assets used to be considered a necessary evil, but manufacturers now see strategic asset management as an important way of delivering value and achieving competitive advantage.

With the emergence of sensors and novel data collection technologies, we can connect and monitor assets in a way that is light years from the old method of maintenance, which was essentially ‘wait until a machine fails and then fix it’.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has enabled a new paradigm called e-maintenance where assets can be monitored remotely. This enables OEMs to provide innovative maintenance service solutions to their asset users.

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The former Top Gear crew seem to be embracing the internet in a whole new way. Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond have announced that their new social network, DriveTribe, will be launching this autumn.

Details are scarce, but each of the founders shared a quote of what they would like to see from this new venture.

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Two years ago, I wrote a story about Nextdoor, a private social network that requires users to register with proof of both their identity and address. Once accepted, you belong to a neighborhood and can see and speak with any nearby users who have signed up. It's trying to build a local graph to complement the social graph, and it has quietly grown into one of the largest social networks in the US, with over ten million registered users spread across more than 100,000 neighborhoods.

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I had never heard of Nextdoor when I lived in New York City. Social media services catering to individual neighborhoods weren’t useful in an apartment building where most tenants lasted a year, and longtime residents kept to themselves.

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For more than 56 years the charity I work for, Bloodwise, has been working to beat blood cancer, the third most fatal form of cancer. In our work, we have had to constantly evolve and adapt to meet the ever-changing needs of our supporters and patients.

Unsurprisingly, the rise of digital channels has been transformational for us, from the delivery of patient information online to communicating with supporters via social media. However, as the importance of digital grew, we knew we needed to use data and insight to understand our online audiences better and measure our performance.

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Last week, a prominent feminist writer left Twitter after a rape and death threat was directed at her 5-year-old daughter. Online violent threats are not uncommon, especially for women and minorities, but when they are reported, police are often not responsive.

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While you may be tempted to check out a job candidate's social media presence before hiring, doing so might not be worth the risk.

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There was once a time when companies could only see the negative side of social media and as a result many banned the use of it within company hours. However, in more recent years I have witnessed companies becoming increasingly savvy about how to leverage the potential benefits of their employees’ extensive social networks. I have worked with several clients (ranging from blue chip multinationals to smaller more boutique affairs) on how to do just that. Today I want to share with you the ins and outs of implementing your own company-wide social media advocacy program.

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Displaying your social media network activity on your website can have tremendous advantages. It shows your readers that you’re an active participant in your niche and helps you establish yourself as a thought leader. The best part is that displaying your activity is fast and easy in WordPress.

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Everyone realizes the importance of social media marketing. Businesses are tapping benefits of using networks created on social sites to sell products.

What is social media marketing?

Social media marketing is using social sites such as Facebook, Twitter and many of the social media tools to create awareness about products. It is an approach where business can reach their customers. Many customers interact with brands through social media. A company that has a high social media-marketing plan can thus tap into the opportunity and increase their customer base.

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Did you know that there are thousands of people out there earning incredible amounts of money through social media? That s right, social media stars can make thousands, even millions of dollars per year through sponsored posts, original content, and consistent engagement with their followers. Here are five social media celebs who might make you want to quit your job to go full-time on Instagram!

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From solo entrepreneurs to Main Street businesses and multinational brands, marketers at all levels struggle with finding new ways to keep their followers’ attention. I often see brands fall into the habit of posting repetitive types of content. This usually leads to a sharp drop in engagement.

Your followers need variety. If you don’t mix it up a little bit, you’ll risk losing their attention permanently. To inject some diversity, start working these 10 social post structures into your daily content calendar.

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Use a Conversational tone On Facebook
Facebook is probably the only site that still holds that perfect mix of business and pleasure. In order to not upset that balance and lose followers, your posts and updates should blend in perfectly with your fans and encourage more click-through. While repurposing Facebook for marketing, make sure to use a conversational tone to sound less spammy.

Follow the 80/20 Rule
Just making your presence felt over social media is not enough, it has to be worth following in the first place. Make sure to post valuable, productive and useful content instead of just promoting your company. The most useful tip to keep in mind is the 80/20 rule, where 80 percent of all your posts should be of value to your audience and 20 percent will be self-promotional.

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Imagine if you were an entrepreneur in the late 1980s, or even 10 years ago. It may be hard to believe, but at that time — and in all other eras of business history except now — social media did not exist. You relied on word of mouth, paid advertising, and old-fashioned grunt work to get the message out about your business.

All of that is still necessary — any savvy entrepreneur knows you should not rely on social media alone to promote your business. Despite its pervasive reach, social media still only reaches a limited and largely distracted audience. For that reason, you have to take care with your social media promotion. Unfortunately, you can’t flood your account with random tweets and sell huge volumes of product.

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This might be the last article I ever write. I’ve built up a substantial portfolio over the past few years, championing the use of video marketing via carefully considered words of wisdom, offering my two cents on subjects such as why emotive storytelling works in content marketing and how to sell yourself in six seconds.

And now it seems that companies all over world are actually paying attention, practicing what I preach and putting video at the heart of their marketing mantra. Pretty soon, nobody will bother reading or writing anything online as the internet becomes totally submerged by the medium of moving pictures.

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You read all the social media guru blogs, post religiously across your social media channels, and even publish your content at peak times of the day to capture more views. Despite all of this, you still see competitors gaining ground while your social media influence remains stagnant.

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Social networking is pretty marvelous, but it isn’t the end-all-be-all for making business connections. There are actually times when you’d do better to look elsewhere.

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The results of an interesting survey by FindLaw came out recently that should have all lawyers paying attention. According to the survey, the majority of consumers, at least 54 percent, say they are more likely to hire an attorney who has an active presence on social media than a lawyer who isn’t. This is especially true for consumers between the ages of 18 and 44 – at least 69 percent said they would hire a lawyer who is active on social media.

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It is absolutely crucial for brands to keep a crisis management plan handy. Ideally, this plan gives an idea of who internally should lead the response and what stance they should take. An effective crisis management plan (or lack thereof) can have a substantial impact on your business.

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Reddit, YouTube, and Twitter have all been the target of passionate groups of users claiming that the sites have embraced censorship.

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