Rachel Ramsey
Graduated from James Madison University with a B.A. in Media Arts and Design and a minor in Communication Studies
| Welcome to Social Spotlight! When I'm not covering a variety of technology and communications industries - everything from the cloud and VoIP to customer relationship management and data centers - you will find me on social media. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, foursquare, YouTube, Tumblr... you name it, I'm there
Social Media
Welcome to Social Spotlight!
November 19, 2012Welcome to “Social Spotlight,” a social media blog designed to be your go-to resource for everything about connecting your world to your people via technology.
My name is Rachel Ramsey and I am a Web Editor here at TMCnet. I’ve worked my way up from the bottom of the TMC totem pole, from interning to freelance writing, and now working to help TMCnet provide the top technology and communications news to the industry as a Web Editor. I am a recent graduate of James Madison University, where I received a B.A. in Media Arts and Design and a Communication Studies minor.
Social Networking is Up, Socializing in Person is Down
November 29, 2012An infographic posted on Socially Aware, a Morrison & Foerster blog devoted to the law and business of social media, highlights the growing impact of social media. The infographic shows that social media accounts for 18 percent of time spent online -- the average time Americans spend on social networking has more than doubled, going up from 2.7 hours in 2006 to 6.9 hours in 2011, and socializing in person has gone down from 22.8 hours in 2006 to 21 hours in 2011.
Not surprisingly, Facebook remains at the top of social networks visited with the average time visitors spend on the site per month at 6.75 hours. Tumblr and Pinterest are tied for second place with 1.5 hours per month, followed by Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.
Justin Bieber and Social Media
November 30, 2012Last night I went to the Justin Bieber concert in Madison Square Garden. (Yes, I am a Belieber.) The two nights in the Big Apple sold out in 30 seconds when tickets went on sale earlier this year, and his entire Believe tour sold out in just an hour. Pretty impressive for an eighteen-year-old. This is worth noting for two reasons.
Microsoft's Social Network, Socl, Now Available to Public on Beta
December 5, 2012Microsoft is joining the social media game with Socl, a service where people connect over shared interests through collage posts that take only seconds to create.
Pronounced social, Socl began as an experiment in social search for students and learning at the University of Washington, Syracuse University and New York University, providing them with a platform on which they could share their common interests through pictures and links.
From the looks of it, Socl is a Pinterest-inspired network that allows you to create your own posts, which are displayed as collages, around common themes of interest with other users. Users with a Microsoft or Facebook account can join the beta version, which just became available to the public.
Instagram and Twitter - 'Social Media Frenemies'
December 6, 2012Over the past 24 hours there has been a lot of talk about how Instagram pulled support for Twitter Cards, resulting in cropped or poorly displayed images if you opt to click “View photo” instead of the actual Instagram link.
Users can still share Instagram photos to Twitter, but the image on the two platforms will look different. The idea is to increase traffic to Instagram and utilize the platform and its Web presence more directly, especially now that it has released its Web profiles.
“A handful of months ago, we supported Twitter cards because we had a minimal Web presence.
Twitter Filters and Instagram Update
December 11, 2012Since the massive adoption and popularity of Instagram, we’ve seen a few other sites pick up filters of their own. Facebook, which acquired Instagram in April, recently updated its photo uploading feature. Users can now upload multiple photos at a time (up to 30) and edit with Facebook's own set of filters.
Pope's First Tweet
December 12, 2012Last week, the Twitterverse welcomed Pope Benedict XVI. His handle, @Pontifex, has been untouched until today.
“Dear friends, I am please to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response.
Share Videos Instantly with YouTube Capture
December 17, 2012If you’ve ever become frustrated with the middle step of uploading a video to YouTube through the site’s browser, today is your lucky day. YouTube has introduced the YouTube Capture app for iPod touch or iPhone that allows you to upload videos instantly to YouTube after filming. You also have the option to share to other social sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+ simultaneously with the upload process.
The app was introduced today in a YouTube blog post, which can basically do it all: capture, enhance and share all from one app.
Year in Review -- 2012 on Social Media
December 27, 2012As we inch closer to the New Year, social networks are rounding up 2012 with the top highlights, trends and events of the past 12 months. Most of these reports came out before the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT shooting and Christmas -- two 2012 events that dominated social media and I think belong on all of these lists.
By now, we’ve gathered that if something big is going on, you can always count on Facebook to find out a) what is happening and b) what all of your friends think about it. As a population, it’s just what we do – share.
Foursquare Updates Privacy Policy
December 31, 2012In an e-mail to users last night, Foursquare announced updates to its privacy policy just after Instagram gained some [temporary] haters for changes to its privacy terms. Beginning January 28, users’ full names will be displayed across the check-in service and venue owners will have increased access to users’ check-in data. The company sent an e-mail to users last night:
As our product evolves, one of the things we do is update our policies to match it.
