Fireweed Essay

Baluta and some of his family have moved from Liberia in Africa. It is properly a result of a war caused by â€Å"blood diamantes†. We are not told which country Baluta moved to, but it’s an English speaking country. Baluta speaks and understands English very well. That properly means he has lived there for a couple of years. He is earning his money by working as a carpenter. But that doesn’t make him a millionaire. As you already can sense in the start of the story, it’s showed by, they cannot afford a new and bigger bed or a new car or anything else that could make their lives more pleasant. Another sign is that he lives with his brother and sister-of-law. And they all have to share one bathroom. Baluta is the only one in the family who goes to work by car because there is no bus to the place he works. He doesn’t like that fact; that the rest of the family has to get up very early to take the bus, he wishes that they all could have a car even if it’s an old and used one. Witch also is something that could indicate that the family doesn’t have a lot of money. The story is easy to understand, but doesn’t contains many descriptions of the environment so in that case we have to guess a bit. But it contains a lot of flashbacks to Baluta’s life in Liberia. All these flashbacks appear because something from Baluta’s life in the new country reminds him of something and someone from his life in Liberia. The first flashback appears when he is taking a cold bath in the morning. â€Å"Cold like Kpatawee Falls back home in Liberia, Baluta thought†. And at that point he knows that the day is going to be a day he will remember for the rest of his life. The story stretches over a single day, it is written in third person. In the beginning of the essay Baluta wakes up from a nightmare. In the nightmare he sees his sister Alanso stirrers at him from the dead. It seems like his sister’s death had given him a harsh time. The Maine theme could very well be exactly like that †losses and memories†. Baluta tries to keep all his focus on the work, but he gets distracted because of the flashbacks reminding him of something from his life in Liberia that’s if it is a good or a bad memory. One day when he is at work her hears a conversation between a wife and her husband, the wife is yelling at her husband, because he can’t find the specific wall paint colour â€Å"fireweed† and the wife only wants that colour in their house. When he hears the word â€Å"fireweed† it is reminding him of a specific day his grandma would give him some of it, because she would punish him for something bad he had done. Fireweed it is a plant that grows among others in North Africa and in the Middle East. But he never gets his punishment, because when he was on his way back home, and their shanty once appears in the horizon, he sees his family are attacked by men in jeeps with guns and machetes. He watches his father hanging from a tree, his grandma in a blood puddle of her own on the ground. We don’t get to know Baluta’s age in the story. We neither hear of a wife or kids so he could be relatively young man. Baluta is well-mannered to the people he works for, and for everyone else, and when he talks to the women he refers to them with ‘miss’. Baluta is not an easy name to pronounce so he has decided to call himself Joel when he is at work. Baluta is a nice and good person, an example of that is as earlier mentioned, he feels bad because he needs to take the car to work when his family has to take the bus. That makes us believe that is a good minded person. Generally Baluta he is a good person and good at his job and puts others before himself.

Islam Traditions

Islam is a tradition of love and submission to God that ultimately strives for peace. The ancient religion emerged in the seventh century and was able to appeal to the public through its deeply entrenched attitudes to peace. Islam’s constant endeavour for peace can be presented through its ancient traditions and sacred texts, history and historical events and current practices and contemporary events of the religion. The sacred texts of Islam are the Quran, which contains the revelations from Allah and the Hadith, which outlines the way of the prophet Muhammad. These sacred texts are fundamental to Islam and it is through these texts that Muslims formulate an understanding of peace. This is reflected through the Quranic statement: â€Å"O ye who believe! Come, all of you, into complete peace and follow not the footsteps of evil. Surely he is your open enemy. † (2:208) Despite the world of violence and belligerence that Muhammad was born into, his approach to the ethics of war and peace differed from the prevailing tribal culture of the time. Muhammad’s attitude with regards to the concept of peace was one of active non-violent resistance and open defiance of persecution by non-believers. The essence of this is represented in the Quranic verse: â€Å"The recompense of evil is punishment like it, but whoever forgives and amends, he shall have his reward from Allah; surely he does not love the unjust. † (Sural al-Shura 42:40-43 ‘The counsel’) The history of the religion emerged in Mecca, the birthplace of Muhammad, and later in Medina. Medina was situated on one of the Middle East’s principal trade routes and is home to a large religious shrine and sacred site known as the Kaaba. It was here that that the news of the new prophet was carried from distant lands. One of the most historical events within the history of Islam was the death of the prophet Muhammad in 632 CE. After Muhammad’s death, Abu Baker; Muhammad’s successor and father in law, along with three other ‘rightly guided’ caliphs led the early Muslim community to further success and rapid growth. There is some dispute, however, between the Shi’i and the Sunni branches of Islam as to who is the rightful successor of Muhammad. Shi’is believe that Ali, Muhammad’s closest relative and fourth caliph is indeed the true leader or imam of the Muslim community. The Muslim objective of worshipful submission to God is practiced through the five pillars of Islam. These five duties are a unifying force for Muslims all over the world. The ‘pillars of faith’ are described as the declaration of faith, daily prayer, obligatory almsgiving, fasting in Ramadan and the pilgrimage to Mecca. These everyday practices demonstrate how the individual, through their current, personal devotion, strives for peace. Within Islam, the concept of peace is twofold. Firstly one must achieve peace with God and therefore with oneself; in order to secondly, be at peace with the rest of the world. Islam teaches the importance of strengthening one’s individual relationship with god. Sufism, an ancient mystical movement that marks the spiritual dimension of Islam stresses the importance of the Muslim transcending their base desires and worldly attachments in order to fully allow God’s light to enter their heart. This further reinforces that there can be no universal peace until inner peace and submission to the will of God is achieved. Islam notes that those who strive for peace will experience positive consequences from god. These positive actions can only be experienced by people if there is peace in the world, as written in the Quran. â€Å"Enter it [al-janna] in peace and justice. † (15:46) the place referred to in this verse is the Islamic concept of the ultimate paradise, or essentially heaven. This shows that the qualities for al-janna or the ultimate paradise for which all Muslims aspire are peace and justice. Muslims acknowledge that humans can have a tendency towards aggression, violence and greed. Jihad is the internal struggle against evil temptations in order to fulfil Allah’s desire for peace throughout humankind. It is the Muslim’s duty in the world to do good and prevent harm and evil in every way, therefore jihad essentially runs through all aspects of a muslim’s life. Contemporary Islam unfortunately faces a great amount of criticism and suspicion from the western world. This is due to misunderstandings of the religion, as well as extremist groups that believe that they must fight and act in violence in order to achieve peace for Islam. This contradicts the majority of Muslims, who constantly try to portray peace and kindness to the world, as the Quran informs them to do. And those who believe and do good are made to enter gardens, beneath which rivers flow, to abide in them by their lord’s permission; their greeting therein is, peace! † This reflects the positive consequences that are promised to Muslims who act peacefully throughout their life. It also further reinforces that acting in a way of peace, justice and goodwill will eventually have positive advantage s for all Muslims. Because of such contradictions, Australian Muslims in particular join in initiatives established to increase non-Muslim Australian’s knowledge of the religion. Through these initiatives and through increasing the dialogue between Muslims, Christians and Jews; contemporary Islam attempts to inform the world of their peaceful intentions. It is in the interest of many Muslims to conduct peaceful campaigns such as marches and protests that publically condemn war as well as showing that they do not condone the behaviour of confused, violent and extreme Islamic behaviour. There are a myriad of Muslim organisations for peace activism that contribute to educating people-as well as getting people together to speak up for peace and non-violence. Some of these organisations are: The Coalition of Women for Peace, Muslim Peace Fellowship, Muslim World Initiative, and the World Assembly of Muslim Youth. These organisations clearly show that the majority of the contemporary Muslim community are striving for both peace in Australia, and peace in the world. It can therefore be said that Islam, rich in its ancient history and contemporary practices, is a religion that constantly strives for peace in the world and peace in the minds of all followers.

Sexual Ambiguity in As you like it Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Sexual Ambiguity in As you like it - Essay Example The first slightly questionable relationship the reader sees within the play is that of Celia and Rosalind. They are cousins, but when Orlando is leaving, Le Beau alludes to the fact that they do in fact share a bond that is out of the ordinary. The answer to the question of how close two individuals can be can often take physical and emotional dimensions. Rosalind and Celia are undeniably more than just friends. One can judge the relationship between the two as both emotional and physical. When Shakespeare introduces the two characters (Rosalind and Celia), Celia uses flowery expressions to describe Rosalind. She refers to Rosalind as â€Å"my sweet rose, my dear rose† ideally, one would expect such kind of descriptions to come from a man when describing a woman who is his lover. When Celia was later defending Rosalind against her father, she accepted that Rosalind is a turncoat following the fact that they had â€Å"slept together.† Having slept with Rosalind, Celia a dmits that she too should be branded a traitor if her friend, Rosalind is considered to be a traitor. The use of phrases such as â€Å"slept together†, as well as â€Å"inseparable† by a lady in reference to another lady is in itself complex enough as regards sexuality (Bloom 54). Normally, anyone would expect to hear a man use such terms when referring to his lover or when a woman is referring to her male lover, but in this case, here are two women exhibiting some uncommon sexual bond between them. How sophisticated can it be? The two sisters are presented as two swans that belong together and cannot be separated from one another. Further, Rosalind puts on male cloths to disguise herself against any probable assailant when they set off for the Forest of Arden from the palace. After choosing a male figure, Touchstone, to go with them, his presence as a male companion was enough security for them. They were no longer alone travelling through the forest. In spite of the presence of Touchstone, Rosalind readily agreed to put on male cloths, which puts into question gender role as she takes a masculine responsibility. Rosalind had no reason for disguising herself in male attire to keep off possible attackers because they had Touchstone at their disposal. The fact that she goes ahead to wear male cloths invokes a sense of sexual ambiguity in the play. The relationship between gender roles and attires is brought into focus through cross dressing. Rosalind easily slips into male attire, which enables her to move around with much ease, issue advice and mingle with other men easily without any trouble. The freedom accorded to her courtesy of her dress code gives her the authority to initiate courtship. Rosalind appears to be more active than her friend Celia, who remains largely passive as she retains her female identity. When the two friends are in the Forest of Arden, it is quite fascinating to see Celia, who assumes a female identity sits back and wait for fortune to knock at her door and deliver a man in her life. On the contrary, Rosalinda who dresses up like a man and takes a more masculine role actively seeks for courtship. Sexual ambiguity in the play As You Like It also manifests when Shakespeare presents scenes that contradict the possibility of any sexual relationship having taken place between Rosalind and Celia. As it later emerges, both friends, Rosalind and Celia, are much enthusiastic about getting involved in relationships with Orlando and Oliver. Rosalind and Celia are much willing to take in Orlando and Oliver as their male lovers. Their readiness to accept heterosexual relationships

Communing with God (Meditation and contemplation ) Essay

Communing with God (Meditation and contemplation ) - Essay Example Meditation is more of a response to something like after reading a passage in the Bible. Meditation is to study God’s Word and to think of ways in which it can be applied in one’s day-to-day life. Literally, meditation is defined as: "the act of meditating; continued or extended thought; reflection; contemplation; transcendental meditation; devout religious contemplation or spiritual introspection."1 Contemplation, on the other hand, is defined as: "the act of contemplating; thoughtful observation; full or deep consideration; reflection: religious contemplation; purpose or intention; prospect or expectation."2 Meditation is more of a response to something like after reading a passage in the Bible. Meditation is to study God's Word and to think of ways in which it can be applied in one's day-to-day life. Contemplation is more of reflecting without necessarily using any reading material. It is an act of deep, thoughtful thinking that leads to a renewed mind and heart.3 Th ese two terms often come together and are usually associated with prayer.The Christian faith has prayer as one of its major pillars. One has to communicate with God and vice versa. Humans talk to God in prayer and God talks to humans through the Bible. It is in this manner where meditation and contemplation enter in. Through this exercise, man learns discipline, calmness and a sense of security. Through constant mediation and contemplation, one becomes more "spiritual" and "holy."The Buddhists also practice meditation. This is done to discipline the mind and the body. Yoga is "a school of Hindu philosophy advocating and prescribing a course of physical and mental disciplines for attaining liberation from the material world and union of the self with the Supreme Being or ultimate principle."4 Both the Christians and the Buddhists believe that by subjugating the body through meditation and contemplation, one is able to reach a higher level of spirituality. Why is there a need to subjugate the body and make it submit to one's mind Father Rolheiser's book5 leads the reader to the reason why humans need to commune with God. It also serves as a guide to those who are aspiring to be spiritual. According to Rolheiser, every healthy Christian should possess the four essentials of living such as: "private prayer and private morality; social justice; mellowness of heart and spirit; and community as a constitutive element of true worship."6 We are always "restless, dissatisfied, frustrated, and aching. We are so overcharged with desire that it is hard to come to simple rest. Desire is always stronger than satisfaction."7 About two years ago, I was so depressed and downcast because my mother was lying in the hospital bed for almost a month without any sign of recovery. The doctors kept telling us that if she would cooperate, she could get better. Sleepless nights had really affected me and I became irritable, impatient and irrational. In order to avoid further damage to my relationship with my siblings, I decided to "go away" for a while. I drove some 100 miles from the hospital, stayed in my mother's house and just literally "kill time." When news came that my mother was already in comma and would pass away any moment, I had the urge of going back to her side immediately. However, deep within me is a prompting that even if I get near her that very moment, I could not reverse anything. So I attended a church prayer meeting, listened carefully to the preacher and silently meditated on God's Word. As I sat still in silence, I felt a certain calmness that I have not experienced for a long time. There was this sense of peace

Participation and Discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Participation and Discussion Questions - Essay Example A specific ethical challenge an accountant could be confronted with is encountering a client that wants to underestimate the net income in order to lower his tax obligations. Accountants are not supposed to accommodate these types of requests from clients because it violates the code of ethics of the accounting profession as well as the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Another ethical concern in regards to financial performance is payroll policies. Companies can decrease their labor costs by paying below market value to its employees, but such a practice can be counterproductive because personnel will be persuaded to leave the company and work for a competitor that pays better. 2. Discussion questions The Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 helped improved many aspects of the accounting profession that had ethical implications. For instance Section 404 of SOX deals with internal controls. These internal controls can be used to detect misappropriations and fraud. The Act increa sed the accountability of the profession. CEOs are now responsible for the accuracy of the financial statements. If fraud is detected the Sarbanes Oxley Act created capital punishment penalties of up to 25 years in prison. Sarbanes Oxley positive impacted Wall Street because it increased the customer confidence in the stock market. SOX helped safeguard the assets of a company. The Sarbanes Oxley Act also created auditor independence. The Enron scandal showed that how collusion can occur between and auditors and the managers when auditor independence does not exists. There things that could be done to improve the efficiency of the SOX law. Currently it is costing public companies over $1 million for compliance costs. The Sarbanes Oxley Act should be revised to eliminate the waste or inefficient processes that are causing compliance cost to escalate in the United States of America. Agency problems were reduced in companies that are complying in the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002. 3. Parti cipation - Gigi I agree with you to a certain extend that the use of cameras can be perceived as a breach of privacy, but in reality business are protected by the law because they have to right to monitor the work of its employees. A grey area in the practice is the usage of hidden cameras. The employee should know if they are being recorded by video. It is my opinion that hidden cameras without the knowledge of the employee that they are been recorded is unethical and could be violating civil rights, but I am not a lawyer. If anybody knows the answer to this please continue the discussion going. 4. Participation – David Accounting is a profession that functions well when the accounting staff has high moral and ethical standards. There have been rotten apples in the corporate world that have caused major accounting scandals such as WorldCom, Tyco, and Enron, but the majority of accountants are very honest people. All accountants know they have to comply with the generally acc epted accounting principles (GAAP). A lot of people don’t realize that accounting is a precise science that when prepared following GAAP will always give the same results. Currently the NBA and the players are on a lockout. To me it is sad that the players are claiming that the accounting losses of $300 million that the league suffered are not true considering the fact that a CPA certified those numbers. 5. Participation - Taneda I agree with you that ethics is extremely important in the business

Demand assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Demand assessment - Essay Example There are various options for controlling diffuse pollution which are listed and discussed in the following sections. Soil and water pollution is a common feature of population growth which is brought about by industrialization, development in agriculture, and exploitation of natural resources. Man-made chemicals, pest control, discharge from agricultural activities; and chemical waste products from industries all contribute towards pollution. Diffuse pollution is a form of pollution which results from long term contamination from urban or rural human activities. Diffuse pollution originates from different sources. In rural areas diffuse pollution has a different context when compared to urban diffuse pollution. Rural diffuse pollution problems arise from poaching livestock, spraying of chemicals, the use of fertilisers in farming, soil erosion due to extensive forestry etc. These problems can be controlled by using the following options: Nitrogen and phosphorus are harmful chemicals which lost from the soil seep into groundwater and surface waters, and pollute them. Agro chemicals impact the ecology of river waters and drinking water through mere 0.1ÃŽ ¼g/1 (Defra 2009) Experts (DArcy 2004; Halm and Grathwohl 2005) are of the view that diffuse pollution control strategies should either reduce or restrict polluting substances. These can be achieved by adopting combination strategies to improve the environment. Intervention should be based on the following hierarchy of preferred control measures: The most preferred control option(s) for diffuse pollution should fall into the three broad categories of drainage infrastructure, containment or behavioural change. From the above listed diffuse pollution control options, the author recommends the following for each problem: i. Pollution from livestock - fencing of livestock is a viable option as it would help contain cattle heads

Siemens Social Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Siemens Social Performance - Essay Example Siemens’ network has involved in different social and environmental aspects and the always act as a rich asset to different stakeholders in the business. They are socially committed and always remain the frontrunner in keeping the society safe and the environment hazard free. This international firm has put their investments in the ecological shelter and the industrial protection to preserve their potential feasibility and the extensive period of prosperity. They have also developed their pioneering machinery and tools for the management of wastewater to relieve the public of the problems associated with scarcity of water. â€Å"Siemens has developed alternating-current drive systems for the heavy trucks that transport the material at opencast mines. They ensure that diesel engines run within their optimal speed ranges. Compared with conventional diesel drives, these diesel-electric drive systems not only have a lower environmental impact, but also save fuel and cut operating costs. Gearless drive systems (GD) also help to reduce energy consumption.† (Environmental Issues and Social Aspects Make New Investments Necessary in Mining Area 2010). Currently, they have new programs like Siemens Generation21 and Siemens Caring Hands intended to serve the community in different ways. Siemens Generation21 is targeted for the education of youth all over the world to provide them a bright future. With these, they are helping the students with learning materials, research funds, and other training programs. Siemens have developed the Caring Hands program to help the public when they require it most through the contributions and social supports. â€Å"It covers a wide scope of activities including volunteering, disaster relief, social sponsorship, and supporting or donating funds to good causes.† (Corporate Social Responsibility

Compensation and Benefit Systems n Dominos Pizza in the US Essay

Compensation and Benefit Systems n Dominos Pizza in the US - Essay Example The company chosen for this paper is Domino’s Pizza as this is one of the world biggest companies of pizza production and delivery. The company was founded in the USA in 1960 by Tom Monaghan. Since that time Domino’s Pizza Company became one of the leading fast food delivery companies in the world: â€Å"We have been delivering quality, affordable pizza to our customers since 1960 when brothers Thomas and James Monaghan borrowed $900 and purchased a small pizza store in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Since that time, our store count and geographic reach have grown substantially†. Domino’s Pizza combines some methods of international expansion and development, but there are some most effective ones which provide the best penetration to the international markets. Compensation and benefit systems of Domino’s Pizza in the United States are tightly connected with its methods of international expansion. The most important parts of the system are licensing and franc hising: â€Å"We have developed a large, global, diversified and committed franchise network that is a critical component of our system-wide success and our leading position in pizza delivery. As of March 21, 2004, our franchise store network consisted of 6,878 stores, 63% of which were located in the contiguous United States†. This system has doubtless advantages namely for such global international company as Domino’s Pizza. The franchise system allows minimizing such negative barriers of international expansion as a language barrier, local governmental measures and the registration of a trademark.trademark. The system also provides the adaptation of Domino’s Pizza rights and regulations to the cultural differentiations of various countries. Domino’s Pizza quick service restaurants in different countries are not a wholly subsidiary of Domino Pizza Company (like McDonald’s in the UK). They are based on Franchising Agreement with Domino’s Pi zza International, Inc. A franchisee must have appropriate local market, business strategies and experience knowledge. Through well developed franchising system Domino’s Pizza Company gains constant royalty payments which allow the company to develop and expand to international markets. The growth and benefit of Domino’s Pizza is mainly provided by its franchising system development and royalty payments from numerous stores throughout the world. This system provides competitive compensation and appropriate benefit for the company: â€Å"All the other HR processes and systems, like competitive compensation, appropriate benefits and providing a learning environment, add to that† (Whitney K., 2005). The company has chosen the most appropriate method of international expansion. Domino’s Pizza makes franchising agreements with appropriate firms working in relevant market segments and having local market features knowledge. This mode of international expansion protects Domino’s Pizza from superfluous financial costs connected with wholly owned subsidiaries. To increase franchisee compensation and benefit and support the brand image of Domino’s Pizza, the company provides different kinds of franchisee supporting programs. The training course gives appropriate knowledge of Domino’s Pizza functioning, its rules and policy, as well as other relevant elements of Domino’s Pizza business. One of the most important moments in Domino’s Pizza international expansion is franchisees attraction as franchising and licensing system is the key-point mode of Domino’s Pizza international market entry and development. For attracting new franchisees

Human Resources Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Human Resources Management - Assignment Example Most people can also express themselves more clearly when they talk rather than the writing it down. Lastly, a spoken message can be delivered in a much more human and understanding way which helps to reduce any prejudices against the speaker. For employee feedback on short and regular basis, a more convenient way of communicating may be used. Weekly evaluations may be applied. In this method, employees are given a chance to write their reactions and feedbacks regarding certain matters. It is less costly and less time consuming. For periodic communication, a monthly meeting may be held which is also a face to face communication. These meetings should be held in a way where employees may be free to discuss their opinions without the fear of losing their jobs or being "picked-on" by the bosses. There should be trust and confidence so that reactions and opinions may be better expressed by everyone/ Business decisions may not always be certain but the issues must be understood by all. The employees also need to be understood as people who think a lot and observe a lot, therefore having many different opinions so it is good to know them and what they can do. The bottom line is that you are dealing with people and people's opinions may be affected, changed or directed depending on how you communicate with them so you must be aware of the different things that is happening not only within the company but also outside, especially those which may affect the company in more ways than one. Exercise: 106 Tutor: Dr Alan C Arokiam Title: Pollock Mining and Pulverising plc Subject: ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT II Level: 3 Exercise 22 Tutor: Dr Alan C Arokiam Title: Decision Trees Table A If company's prices are: Low Medium High Profit if there is no competitor Low 30 42 45 50 Medium 34 45 49 70 High 10 30 53 90 Table B If company's prices are: Low Medium High Low 0.8 0.15 0.05 Medium 0.2 0.7 0.1 High 0.05 0.35 0.6 References:

New Orleans Jazz Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

New Orleans Jazz - Assignment Example Further societal differences like the class difference present in the society between these two communities is also attributed to result in the rise of Jazz music (Custodero). It is from these societal differences that the drum beats and horn blowing sounds were taken by the whites and blended with the music they heard from the churches and barrooms to give birth to this new genre of music now known as Jazz music. In line with the social factor that led to the rise of Jazz music in New Orleans, an ethnic group known as the Creoles were also credited for the rise of this new genre of music. These were French and Spanish speaking blacks who majority originated from the West Indies before settling in Louisiana. After the purchase of American state of Louisiana, these individuals out rightly became American citizens, therefore, the Geographical aspect of both Louisiana and New Orleans are contributor to the rise of Jazz music (Jazz In The International Sphere: Glocal Jazz Dialects And Po ly-Idiomatic Creative Music). The Creole musicians made some of the best society bands in New Orleans due to their delicate tone, precise technique and authentic flow of music. It is the blend of this music from the blacks living in New Orleans that gave birth to jazz music.

My Future Goals and Why Essay Example for Free

My Future Goals and Why Essay My future goal is to obtain enough education for me acquire some of the skills I want to work with women and children that have been abused, either violently or sexually. One of my main reasons for enrolling In the Addiction Studies Program here at Peninsula College is because drugs and alcohol play a huge part in Domestic Violence and other forms of abuse among other things. I would like to open a unique center, where women and children could go for safety, and I would incorporate and introduce Art Therapy as one of the many tools one needs to heal in this life long process. see more:how to achieve my goals essay I strongly feel as a child, art helped me escape to a place that I needed to go to in troubled times. As an adult, just plain therapy was on the top of the list, as a different form of abuse crept into my life. To my amazement, art helped me escape to that same place I went to as a child in troubled times. I want to help others heal, and educate all so as to stop these painful cycles of abuse that many times can be foreseen or stopped, with just a little awareness and education, as in my own personal case. The education, Ive only just begun. Compared to what I’ll need to be an Art Therapist, Ill be going to college for the next 5 to 7 years. Personally, Im not sure I have it in me to go to school for that long. I’ve decided recently that Im not going to make my goals too high, so as not to set myself up for failure like I have done so many times in the past. I am almost done with the Addiction Studies program here at Peninsula College, and when finished, I will continue to take classes to finish my Associate of Arts degree. If I decide to pursue Art Therapy, I will seek a Bachelor’s and Masters degree at Antioch College in Seattle. The reality of it all is that Ill probably do an online program through Western College in Bellingham. I have also been considering going all of the way and get my CDP, because I’m interested in Trillium Treatment Center and what they offer. For now, I am all about just taking one day at a time and trying to get healthy again, I have suffered from depression, PSTD and anxiety most of my life, and it seems that the older I get, the harder it is to snap out of it. I am going to change my medication next week because the Cymbalta doesn’t seem to be working as well as it should. I am looking for work because I believe that it is good therapy and I need the extra financial help. I have not worked since 2009, due to surgery on both left and right hands. I have Carpal Tunnel still but not as bad as I did before, and I know that not working has contributed to the depression. I believe that staying enrolled in classes has kept me somewhat sane, although it has been a struggle at times. Currently I am in the process of filling out an application at Healthy Families. I think it would be a great place to get my foot in the door while working with the population that I want to work with. I also have the contact person at Trillium Treatment Center, so I need to find out what it will take to maybe get my foot in the door there. I feel that it would be important for me to pursue my CDP since I am so close to completing the Addiction Studies program, and completing this is detrimental to my current state of mind. In the past, I have always come so close to getting my degree, but for whatever reason, I never finish anything I start. One of the drawbacks I am currently experiencing is that I really need to get a job that pays something, even just a little. Another drawback is that I have something on my record that has previously just kept me from getting a job that I really wanted and felt that I was ready for. The bad thing is, is that there shouldn’t be anything on my record, but I took the charge just to get it over with. I have been way too trusting most of my life, and never would have thought that other people could be so devious in their actions. I have taken this as one in many life-long lessons that needs to be applied to my life. I know that I need to get out into the community more and network with more people, so I have signed up to volunteer for the Project Homeless Connect on March 30th. There will be a training session that I need to attend on March 27th or 28th, and I am very excited to be doing this, as I am kind of a homebody and don’t really go out much unless I have to. In order for me to make any kind of difference, not only in my life, but others, I need to commit to doing it. On that note, I need to take some bold steps in the direction that I want my life to move in. As I explore and develop some of my ideas about what I really value in my life, I can use these values as a sort of road map into my future. Each value that I have can be like a compass point by which I can chart the course of my life and start walking in that direction. This is basically a four-point process that constantly repeats itself through life: First point is to contract my alues, second is to develop my chosen goals that will help me move into a valued direction, third, is to take very specific actions that will allow me to achieve those goals, and fourth, I need to contact and work with my internal barriers to move towards action. To help me achieve this, I have taken the first action in obtaining and reaching my goals by Creating the Road Map: Setting Goals. In Chapter 12 of the ACT workbook, I had listed some of my values in order of importance, manifestation, and life-deviation scores. Now I will need to decide which of those values I want to work toward incorporating into my life right now. I know that ultimately I will work on all of these, but for now, I will choose only one. This will give me a good model in which to work from and follow for the other valued directions I will want to take. I am going for the middle-of-the-road in order of importance, because there are some barriers that I am not quite ready to take on, but I feel that if I can just get past a few, I can build up my mental strength and self-esteem. I read a quote in the workbook that I wrote down and posted in several places throughout my home. The quote says, â€Å"I just want to do this because that’s what I want my life to be about. It’s not really about any outcome. I want to be alive until I’m dead. † I guess I liked this because I do not feel like I am really living anymore. I do not do any of the things I used to do and I have become dependent upon one person, and that person is not me. In the past I have felt like the goals I set for myself was the true goal, but that really isn’t the case. I have chosen a short-term goal that is obtainable and will help me with some of my long-term goals also. I have already signed up to volunteer for the Project Homeless Connect on March 30th. I only need to go to one training session, and have a choice to do the one day training either on March 27th or 28th. For me, this is huge, this is something outside of my daily routine of school and home, but I have checked my goal for the following items: Is it practical? Is it obtainable? Does it work with my current situation? Does this goal lead me in the direction of my stated value? I answered yes to all of the above, so the only barrier I would face in not accomplishing this goal would be fear, sickness or pure laziness. I also believe that one of the problems that I suffer with is an issue with self-control. Avoidance and fusion feed this pattern of mine, which in essence, disrupt my life and make it nearly impossible to achieve any goals, whether they are short or long-term. I have decided that I need to make a commitment to myself and follow through with it. I need to break the old behavioral pattern that has doomed me ever since I can remember. I am tired of being a failure and giving up, tired of making a commitment, breaking that commitment, the quitting that commitment all together. I am going to work on setting my goals and following through for myself. I want to live my life, not just pass through it. I want to thank you for your commitment to us as students; I have to say that you are one of my favorite Instructors, although you are not easy, I appreciate that you make us try harder, and sometimes that is just what a person needs.

Impact of Social Networking Sites on Children

Impact of Social Networking Sites on Children Social networking sites offer people new and varied ways to communicate via the internet,  whether through their PC or their mobile phone. Examples include MySpace, Facebook and  Bebo. They allow people to easily and simply create their own online page or profile and to  construct and display an online network of contacts, often called friends. Users of these  sites can communicate via their profile both with their friends and with people outside their list of contacts. The rapid growth of social networking sites in recent years indicates that they are now a mainstream communications technology for many people. Social networking sites are most popular with teenagers and young adults Research shows that just over one fifth (22%) of adult internet users aged 16+ and  almost half (49%) of children aged 8-17 who use the internet have set up their own profile on a social networking site.4 For adults, the likelihood of setting up a profile is highest among 16-24 year olds (54%) and decreases with age. Some under-13s are by-passing the age restrictions on social networking sites Despite the fact that the minimum age for most major social networking sites is usually 13  (14 on MySpace), 27% of 8-11 year olds who are aware of social networking sites say that  they have a profile on a site. While some of these younger users are on sites intended for  younger children, the presence of underage users on social networking sites intended for  those aged 13 or over was also confirmed by qualitative research . The average adult social networker has profiles on 1.6 sites, and most users check their profile at least every other day. Adult social networkers use a variety of sites, with the main ones being Bebo, Facebook and  MySpace. It is common for adults to have a profile on more than one site on average each  adult with a social networking page or profile has profiles on 1.6 sites, and 39% of adults  have profiles on two or more sites. Half of all current adult social networkers say that they  access their profiles at least every other day. The site people choose to use varies depending on the user. Children are more likely to use Bebo (63% of those who have a social networking site profile), and the most popular site for adults is Facebook (62% of those who have a social networking profile). Two-thirds of parents claim to set rules on their childs use of social  networking sites, although only 53% of children said that their parents set  such rules For many children, the rules and restrictions that their parents set on social networking site  usage are an important influencing factor in the childs use of social networking sites. Two thirds of parents whose children have a social networking page say they set rules on their  childs use of these sites. Most commonly these concerned meeting new people online and  giving out personal details. However, significantly fewer children (53% of those with social  networking profiles) say that their parents set rules on their use of these sites. Attitudes and behaviours towards social networking sites Social networkers fall into distinct groups Social networkers differ in their attitudes to social networking sites and in their behaviour  while using them. Qualitative research indicates that site users tend to fall into five  distinct groups based on their behaviours and attitudes. These are as follows: Alpha Socialisers (a minority) people who used sites in intense short bursts to flirt,  meet new people, and be entertained. Attention Seekers (some) people who craved attention and comments from others,  often by posting photos and customising their profiles. Followers (many) people who joined sites to keep up with what their peers were  doing. Faithfuls (many) people who typically used social networking sites to rekindle old  friendships, often from school or university. Functionals (a minority) people who tended to be single-minded in using sites for a  particular purpose. Non-users of social networking sites also fall into distinct groups Non-users also appear to fall into distinct groups; these groups are based on their reasons  for not using social networking sites: Concerned about safety people concerned about safety online, in particular making  personal details available online. Technically inexperienced people who lack confidence in using the internet and  computers. Intellectual rejecters people who have no interest in social networking sites and see  them as a waste of time. Introduction INDUSTRY OVERVIEW Social Networking sites- Overview A  social network service  focuses on building and reflecting of  social networks  or  social relations  among people, e.g., who share interests and/or activities. A social network service essentially consists of a representation of each user (often a profile), his/her social links, and a variety of additional services. Most social network services are  web based  and provide means for users to interact over the  internet, such as  e-mail  and  instant messaging. Although  online community  services are sometimes considered as a social network service in a broader sense, social network service usually means an individual-catered service whereas  online community  services are group-centred. Social networking sites allow users to share ideas, activities, events, and interests within their individual networks. The main types of social networking services are those which contain category places (such as former school-year or classmates), means to connect with friends (usually with self-description pages) and a recommendation system linked to trust. Popular methods now combine many of these, with  Facebook,  Bebo  and  Twitter  widely used worldwide;  MySpace  and  LinkedIn  being the most widely used in North America;[1]HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NexopiaNexopia  (mostly in Canada);[2]  Bebo,[3]  Hi5,  Hyves  (mostly in The Netherlands),  StudiVZ  (mostly in Germany),  iWiW  (mostly in Hungary),Tuenti  (mostly in Spain),  Decayenne,  Tagged,  XING;[4],  BadooHYPERLINK #cite_note-4[5]  and  Skyrock  in parts of Europe;[6]  Orkut  and  Hi5  in  South America  andCentral America;[7]  and  Friendster,  Mixi,  Multiply,  Orkut,  Wretch,  renren  and  Cyworld  in Asia and the Pacific Islands and  Orku t  and  Facebookin India. There have been some attempts to standardize these services to avoid the need to duplicate entries of friends and interests (see the  FOAFstandard and the  Open Source Initiative ), but this has led to some concerns about privacy. Although some of the largest social networks were founded on the notion of digitizing real world connections, many other networks as seen in the  List of social networking websites  focus on categories from books and music to non-profit business to motherhood as ways to provide both services and community to individuals with shared interests. Typical structure In general, social networking services allow users to create a profile for themselves, and can be broken down into two broad categories: internal social networking (ISN) and external social networking (ESN) sites such  as  MySpace,  Facebook,  Twitter  and  Bebo. Both types can increase the feeling of community among people. An ISN is a closed/private community that consists of a group of people within a company, association, society, education provider and organization or even an invite only group created by a user in an ESN. An ESN is open/public and available to all web users to communicate and are designed to attract advertisers. ESNs can be smaller specialized communities (i.e. linked by a single common interest e.g. TheSocialGolfer, ACountryLife.Com, Great Cooks Community) or they can be large generic social networking sites (e.g. MySpace, Facebook etc). However, whether specialized or generic there is commonality across the general approach of social networking sites. Users can upload a picture of themselves, create their profile and can often be friends with other users. In most social networking services, both users must confirm that they are friends before they are linked. For example, if  Alice  lists Bob as a friend, then Bob would have to approve Alices friend request before they are listed as friends. Some social networking sites have a favorites feature that does not need approval from the other user. Social networks usually have privacy controls that allows the user to choose who can view their profile or contact them, etc. Social networking sites typically have a section dedicated to comments by friends. On Friendster, this section is called Testimonials. On Facebook, this section is called The Wall. In the beginning, this was a feature that encouraged people to write messages about the person in the profile. But over time, people started writing creative testimonials back, creating a form of conversation.[32] Some social networking sites are created for the benefits of others, such as parents social networking site Gurgle. This website is for parents to talk about pregnancy, birth and bringing up children. .com. This social network allows professionals to exchange information, opportunities, and ideas. Professionals are able to stay informed with new knowledge about their field  Some social networks have additional features, such as the ability to create  groups  that share common interests or affiliations, upload or stream live videos, and hold discussions in forums.  Geo social networking co-opts internet mapping services to organize user participation around geographic features and their attributes. There is also a trend for more  interoperability between social networks  led by technologies such as  OpenID  and  Open Social. Lately, mobile social networking has become popular. In most mobile communities, mobile phone users can now create their own profiles, make friends, participate in chat rooms, create chat rooms, hold private conversations, share photos and videos, and share blogs by using their mobile phone. Mobile phone users are basically open to every option that someone sitting on the computer has. Some companies provide wireless services which allow their customers to build their own mobile community and brand it, but one of the most popular wireless services for social networking in North America is Facebook Mobile. Other companies provide new innovative features which extend the social networking experience into the real world. Another social networking feature in a professional aspect is LinkedIn. Emerging trends in social networks As the increase in popularity of social networking is on a constant rise, new uses for the technology are constantly being observed. At the forefront of emerging trends in social networking sites is the concept of real time and location based. Real time allows users to contribute content, which is then broadcasted as it is being uploaded the concept is similar to live television broadcasts.   Twitter  set the trend for real time services, where users can broadcast to the world what they are doing, or what is on their minds within a 140 character limit.  Facebook  followed suit with their Live Feed where users activities are streamed as soon as it happens. While Twitter focuses on words,  Clixtr, another real time service, focuses on group photo sharing where users can update their photo streams with photos while at an event. Friends and nearby users can contribute their own photos and comments to that event stream, thus contributing to the real time aspect of broadcasting photos and comments as it is being uploaded. In the location based social networking space,  Foursquare  gained popularity as it allowed for users to check-in to places that they are frequenting at that moment.  Gowalla  is another such service which functions in much the same way that Foursquare does, leveraging the  GPS  in phones to create a location based user experience. Clixtr, though in the real time space, is also a location based social networking site since events created by users are automatically geotagged, and users can view events occurring nearby through the Clixtr  iPhone  app. Recently,Yelp  announced its entrance into the location based social networking space through check-ins with their mobile app; whether or not this becomes detrimental to Foursquare or Gowalla is yet to be seen as it is still considered a new space in the internet technology industry.[35] One popular use for this new technology is social networking between businesses. Companies have found that social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are great ways to build their brand image. According to Jody Nimetz, author of Marketing Jive[36], there are five major uses for businesses and social media: to create brand awareness, as an online reputation management tool, for recruiting, to learn about new technologies and competitors, and as a lead gen tool to intercept potential prospects.[36]. These companies are able to drive traffic to their own online sites while encouraging their consumers and clients to have discussions on how to improve or change products or services. One other use that is being discussed is the use of Social Networks in the Science communities. Julia Porter Liebeskind et al. have published a study on how New Biotechnology Firms are using social networking sites to share exchanges in scientific knowledge.  They state in their study that by sharing information and knowledge with one another, they are able to increase both their learning and their flexibility in ways that would not be possible within a self-contained hierarchical organization. Social networking is allowing scientific groups to expand their knowledge base and share ideas, and without these new means of communicating their theories might become isolated and irrelevant. Social networks are also being used by teachers and students as a communication tool. Because many students are already using a wide-range of social networking sites, teachers have begun to familiarize themselves with this trend and are now using it to their advantage. Teachers and professors are doing everything from creating chat-room forums and groups to extend classroom discussion to posting assignments, tests and quizzes, to assisting with homework outside of the classroom setting. Social networks are also being used to foster teacher-parent communication. These sites make it possible and more convenient for parents to ask questions and voice concerns without having to meet face-to-face. Social networks are being used by activists as a means of low-cost grassroots organizing. Extensive use of an array of social networking sites enabled organizers of the 2009  National Equality March  to mobilize an estimated 200,000 participants to march on Washington with a cost savings of up to 85% per participant over previous methods.[38] The  use of online social networks by libraries  is also an increasingly prevelant and growing tool that is being used to communicate with more potential library users, as well as extending the services provided by individual libraries Issues Privacy On large social networking services, there have been growing concerns about users giving out too much personal information and the threat of  sexual predators. Users of these services also need to be aware of  data theft  or  viruses. However, large services, such as  MySpace  and  Netlog, often work with law enforcement to try to prevent such incidents.[citation needed] In addition, there is a perceived privacy threat in relation to placing too much personal information in the hands of large corporations or governmental bodies, allowing a profile to be produced on an individuals behaviour on which decisions, detrimental to an individual, may be taken. Furthermore, there is an issue over the control of dataâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ information that was altered or removed by the user may in fact be retained and/or passed to 3rd parties. This danger was highlighted when the controversial social networking site  Quechup  harvested e-mail addresses from users e-mail accounts for use in a  spamming  operation.[43] In medical and scientific research, asking subjects for information about their behaviors is normally strictly scrutinized by  institutional review boards, for example, to ensure that adolescents and their parents have  informed consent. It is not clear whether the same rules apply to researchers who collect data from social networking sites. These sites often contain a great deal of data that is hard to obtain via traditional means. Even though the data are public, republishing it in a research paper might be considered  invasion of privacy.[44] Privacy on Facebook is undermined by three principal factors: users disclose too much, Facebook does not take adequate steps to protect user privacy, and third parties are actively seeking out end-user information using Facebook. Every day teens go on social networking sites and reveal their most inner thoughts for the whole world to see. Information such as street address, phone number, Instant Messaging name are disclosed to an unknown population in cyberspace. Whats more, the creation of a Facebook, MySpace, Twitter etc. account is a fairly easy process to do and no identification is required, which can lead to identity theft or impersonation. For the Net generation, social networking sites have become the preferred forum for social interactions, from posturing and role playing to simply sounding off. However, because such forums are relatively easy to access, posted content can be reviewed by anyone with an interest in the users personal information. There has been a trend for social networking sites to send out only positive notifications to users. For example sites such as Bebo, Facebook, and Myspace will not send notifications to users when they are removed from a persons friends list. Similarly Bebo will send out a notification if a user is moved to the top of another users friends list but no notification is sent if they are moved down the list. This allows users to purge undesirables from their list extremely easily and often without confrontation since a user will rarely notice if one person disappears from their friends list. It also enforces the general positive atmosphere of the website without drawing attention to unpleasant happenings such as friends falling out, rejection and failed relationships. Many social networking services, such as Facebook, provide the user with a choice of who can view their profile. This prevents unauthorized user(s) from accessing their information.[49]Parents have become a big problem to teens who want to avoid their parents to access their MySpace or Facebook accounts. By choosing to make their profile private, teens are able to select who can see their page and this prevents unwanted parents from lurking. This will also mean that only people who are added as friends will be able to view the profile. Teens are constantly trying to create a structural barrier between their private life and their parent A common misuse of social networking sites such as Facebook is that it is occasionally used to emotionally abuse individuals. Such actions are often referred to as trolling. It is not rare for confrontations in the real world to be translated online. Online bullying (aka Cyber-bullying) is a relatively common occurrence and it can often result in emotional trauma for the victim. Depending on the networking outlet, up to 39% of users admit to being â‚ ¬Ã…“cyber-bulliedâ‚ ¬?.[54]  danah boyd, a researcher of social networks quotes a teenager in her article, Why Youth (Heart) Social Network Sites. The teenager expresses frustration towards networking sites like MySpace because it causes drama and too much emotional stress.[55]  There are not many limitations as to what individuals can post when online. Inherently individuals are given the power to post offensive remarks or pictures that could potentially cause a great amount of emotional pain for another individual. Interpersonal communication Interpersonal communication has been a growing issue as more and more people have turned to social networking as a means of communication.Benniger (1987) describes how mass media has gradually replaced interpersonal communication as a socializing force. Further, social networking sites have become popular sites for youth culture to explore themselves, relationships, and share cultural artefacts. Many teens and social networking users may be harming their interpersonal communication by using sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Stated by Baroness Greenfield, an Oxford University Neuroscientist, â‚ ¬Ã…“My fear is that these technologies are infantilizing the brain into the state of small children who are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights, who have a small attention span and who live for the moment It is not unusual if you often hear your siblings or your friends talk about the people they have met and made friends with through the Internet as social networking is one of the phenomena that have taken the world of Internet by storm. Almost every Web surfer has an account in at least one of the  social networking sites, for these sites are the more enjoyable places to hang around in. Pros: Social networking sites  have paved the way for easier communication to your friends, family, or colleagues. One example is that instead of meeting in a certain place, you and your classmates could discuss a school activity by having a conference in a certain site that you are all members of, thus saving you time and effort. Virtual communities are also formed, which are composed of people connected together by common interests, purpose, and goal. People of different races also get to mingle with each other in just a few clicks. The idea of socializing with millions of people of different backgrounds excites the Web surfers. This is one thing that you can hardly do outside the virtual world. Communication with distant family and friends. Meet new people, be creative, and be yourself It entertains you when youre bored Social networking  websites  are a great way of keeping in touch with family and  friends. You can post blogs, share photos, use instant messaging (Myspace has its own instant messaging service), make comments and add people to your friends list. Social  networkingHYPERLINK http://www.blurtit.com/q430795.html  HYPERLINK http://www.blurtit.com/q430795.htmlsites  allow you to create a profile, where you can share your interests with other users and also, you can make new friends. These type of sites, Myspace in particular, are also used people such as bands or authors to build up friends in order to generate interest in their music and books Cons: Social networking sites require or give you the option to provide personal information such as your name, location, and email address. Unfortunately some people can take this as an opportunity for identity theft. They can copy your information and pretend to be you when engaging in illegal activities. Bad news! So be cautious with what you enter into an online networking site. You could fall into the trap of someone who pretends to be somebody else. For example, they might offer you a job or want to meet up with you just to get your money. This can lead to cyberstalking, where the stalker uses electronic media such as the Internet to pursue or harass you. there is also the chance of peoples profiles being hacked or identities being stolen   Another downside is that sites such as Myspace, which allow users to add their own background, are often very slow due to backgrounds taking up a lot of memory. This has led to users  computers  crashing every time they got onto a profile which uses up a lot of memory. Also, because these types of sites have millions of users, errors can often occur. It hampers the students the most. Students waste a lot of time on the social networking sites. This disturbs their education. It distracts you from your work that is needed to be done. Social Networking-Stats and figures The way we communicate online has gone through a sea-change over last few years. In fact, majority of net users spend most of their time on social Media / Networking sites. Even though  India Software companies are lagging behind  in adoption of social media, others are flocking them in large numbers. Twitter has been a rage over past 1 year, Facebook has become one of the most visited sites on the web, Professionals are flocking Linkedin and keep their profiles updated. Facebook  claims  that 50% of active users log into the site each day. This would mean  at least 175m users every 24 hours. Twitter  now has  75m user accounts, but only around 15m are active users on a regular basis. LinkedIn  has over  50m members worldwide.. Facebook currently has in excess of  350 million active users on global basis.Six months ago, this was 250mÃÆ' ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦This means over 40% growth in less than 6 months. Flickr now hosts more than  4 billion images. More than 35m Facebook users update their status each day.   Wikipedia  currently  has in excess of  14m articles, meaning that itÃÆ' ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s 85,000 contributors have written nearly a million new posts in six months. Photo uploads to Facebook have  increased by more than 100%.  Currently, there are around  2.5bn  uploads to the site each month. Back in 2009, the average user had 120 friends within Facebook. This is now around 130. Mobile is even bigger than before for Facebook, with  more than  65m users accessing the site through mobile-based devices.  In six months, this is over 100% increase. There are more than  3.5bn pieces of content  (web links, news stories, blog posts, etc.) shared each week on Facebook. There are now  11m LinkedIn users across Europe. Towards the  end of last year, the average number of tweets per day was over27.3 million. The average number of tweets per hour was around  1.3m. 15% of bloggers spend  10 or more  hours each week blogging, according to Technoratis new  State of the Blogosphere. At the current rate, Twitter will process almost  10 billion  tweets in a single year. About 70% of Facebook users are outside the USA. India is currently the fastest-growing country to use LinkedIn, with around 3m total users. More than 250 Facebook applications have over a  million  combined users each month. 70%  of bloggers are organically talking about brands on their blog. 38% of bloggers post brand or product reviews. More than  80,000  websites have implemented Facebook Connect since December 2008 and more than  60m  Facebook users engage with it across these external sites Top Social Networking sites in India 2010 Orkut.com Facebook.com Twitter Bharatstudent.com hi5.com ibibo.Com MySpace Sites LinkedIn.com PerfSpot.com BIGADDA.com Fropper.com friendster Literature Review Literature review Social Networking in Education BY Geetha Krishnana Overall, an astonishing 96 percent of students with online access report that they ever used any social networking technologies, such as chatting, text messaging, blogging and visiting online communitiesâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦Staggering as the 96 percent statistic is, it is intriguing to wonder what the other 4 percent is doing. Just e-mail and web surfing?Further, students report that one of the most common topics of conversation on the social networking scene is education. Almost 60 percent of students who use social networking talk about education topics online and, surprisingly, more than 50 percent talk specifically about schoolwork.Tempting as this statistic might sound to champions of the social-networking-for-education cause, it may be worth considering that most of the discussions that people have on education could be to do with help on homework and troublesome topics, classical problems that would otherwise get discussed in the college canteen perhaps.  It may not mean a new avenue for learning something new it is just a new medium to get problems shared and solved. That is not to say it is not a good thing, but it may not be much more than that.Nonconformistsâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ students who step outside of online safety and behavior rulesâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ are on the cutting edge of social networking, with online behaviors and skills that indicate leadership among their peers. The report offers some recommendations for school board members as well. Explore social networking sites.  This is an important recommendation because most often we tend to condemn something without really understanding it. Consider social networking for staff communication and professional development.  This could well help achieve the previous point as well. It will also serve to integrate students and staff in the networking space. Find ways of harnessing the educational value of social networking.  This is a seemingly motherhood statement, but it could be worthwhile for teachers to consciously think of projects and assignments to be executed through networking approaches. Ensure equitable access.  An obvious point, strengthen the access mechanisms for students to technology. Pay attention to nonconformists.  This has already been touched on earlier in this post. Re examine social networking policies.  Another obvious point, come at social networking as an integral component of the education process, not as a diversion. Facebook Impact on Student Grades Raises New Questions for Business BY Lawrence Walsh An Ohio State University study links Facebook use to lower grades. The study comes as businesses worry about the impact of social networking tools on worker productivity, integrity of their intellectual property and data security. Security vendors such as Websense, Fortinet and Trend Micro release new tools to combat embedded threats in social networks.As enterprises grapple with whether social networking creates security risks and productivity losses, a new study from the Ohio State University suggests there is a link between the use of Facebook and lower grades among college students.According to the survey of 219 students, those who said they use Facebook have grade point averages between 3.0 and 3.5 and study 1 to 5 hours per week. Conversely, non-Facebook users have GPAs between 3.5 and 4.0, and study 11 hours or more per week.The study found that 79 percent of Facebook users believe that it has no impact on their academic performance. Research methodology Research methodology Problem Definition In todays era, education is seriously getting hampered through these social networking sites. In the name of connectivity, students and teens are actually wasting a huge amount of time in facebooking and orkuting. The sufferer is none other than them, and the worst part is that they do not even realise it. 80% of the teens and students in India have atleast one active account in either facebook or orkut. So the need of the hour is to find out whether these social networking sites are useful or is it a mere waste of time. Hence, the research objective is to find the factors that motivates the students to open an account in the social networking sites and thus wasting time. Research Objectives 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To find out whether Social networking sites are a threat or a helping hand for education 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To find out the reasons that compel the students to join the networking chain   3) To find out ways by  which the social media can be used constructively in the field of education Research Methodology The research design that will be used would be exploratory research Impact of Social Networking Sites on Children Impact of Social Networking Sites on Children Social networking sites offer people new and varied ways to communicate via the internet,  whether through their PC or their mobile phone. Examples include MySpace, Facebook and  Bebo. They allow people to easily and simply create their own online page or profile and to  construct and display an online network of contacts, often called friends. Users of these  sites can communicate via their profile both with their friends and with people outside their list of contacts. The rapid growth of social networking sites in recent years indicates that they are now a mainstream communications technology for many people. Social networking sites are most popular with teenagers and young adults Research shows that just over one fifth (22%) of adult internet users aged 16+ and  almost half (49%) of children aged 8-17 who use the internet have set up their own profile on a social networking site.4 For adults, the likelihood of setting up a profile is highest among 16-24 year olds (54%) and decreases with age. Some under-13s are by-passing the age restrictions on social networking sites Despite the fact that the minimum age for most major social networking sites is usually 13  (14 on MySpace), 27% of 8-11 year olds who are aware of social networking sites say that  they have a profile on a site. While some of these younger users are on sites intended for  younger children, the presence of underage users on social networking sites intended for  those aged 13 or over was also confirmed by qualitative research . The average adult social networker has profiles on 1.6 sites, and most users check their profile at least every other day. Adult social networkers use a variety of sites, with the main ones being Bebo, Facebook and  MySpace. It is common for adults to have a profile on more than one site on average each  adult with a social networking page or profile has profiles on 1.6 sites, and 39% of adults  have profiles on two or more sites. Half of all current adult social networkers say that they  access their profiles at least every other day. The site people choose to use varies depending on the user. Children are more likely to use Bebo (63% of those who have a social networking site profile), and the most popular site for adults is Facebook (62% of those who have a social networking profile). Two-thirds of parents claim to set rules on their childs use of social  networking sites, although only 53% of children said that their parents set  such rules For many children, the rules and restrictions that their parents set on social networking site  usage are an important influencing factor in the childs use of social networking sites. Two thirds of parents whose children have a social networking page say they set rules on their  childs use of these sites. Most commonly these concerned meeting new people online and  giving out personal details. However, significantly fewer children (53% of those with social  networking profiles) say that their parents set rules on their use of these sites. Attitudes and behaviours towards social networking sites Social networkers fall into distinct groups Social networkers differ in their attitudes to social networking sites and in their behaviour  while using them. Qualitative research indicates that site users tend to fall into five  distinct groups based on their behaviours and attitudes. These are as follows: Alpha Socialisers (a minority) people who used sites in intense short bursts to flirt,  meet new people, and be entertained. Attention Seekers (some) people who craved attention and comments from others,  often by posting photos and customising their profiles. Followers (many) people who joined sites to keep up with what their peers were  doing. Faithfuls (many) people who typically used social networking sites to rekindle old  friendships, often from school or university. Functionals (a minority) people who tended to be single-minded in using sites for a  particular purpose. Non-users of social networking sites also fall into distinct groups Non-users also appear to fall into distinct groups; these groups are based on their reasons  for not using social networking sites: Concerned about safety people concerned about safety online, in particular making  personal details available online. Technically inexperienced people who lack confidence in using the internet and  computers. Intellectual rejecters people who have no interest in social networking sites and see  them as a waste of time. Introduction INDUSTRY OVERVIEW Social Networking sites- Overview A  social network service  focuses on building and reflecting of  social networks  or  social relations  among people, e.g., who share interests and/or activities. A social network service essentially consists of a representation of each user (often a profile), his/her social links, and a variety of additional services. Most social network services are  web based  and provide means for users to interact over the  internet, such as  e-mail  and  instant messaging. Although  online community  services are sometimes considered as a social network service in a broader sense, social network service usually means an individual-catered service whereas  online community  services are group-centred. Social networking sites allow users to share ideas, activities, events, and interests within their individual networks. The main types of social networking services are those which contain category places (such as former school-year or classmates), means to connect with friends (usually with self-description pages) and a recommendation system linked to trust. Popular methods now combine many of these, with  Facebook,  Bebo  and  Twitter  widely used worldwide;  MySpace  and  LinkedIn  being the most widely used in North America;[1]HYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NexopiaNexopia  (mostly in Canada);[2]  Bebo,[3]  Hi5,  Hyves  (mostly in The Netherlands),  StudiVZ  (mostly in Germany),  iWiW  (mostly in Hungary),Tuenti  (mostly in Spain),  Decayenne,  Tagged,  XING;[4],  BadooHYPERLINK #cite_note-4[5]  and  Skyrock  in parts of Europe;[6]  Orkut  and  Hi5  in  South America  andCentral America;[7]  and  Friendster,  Mixi,  Multiply,  Orkut,  Wretch,  renren  and  Cyworld  in Asia and the Pacific Islands and  Orku t  and  Facebookin India. There have been some attempts to standardize these services to avoid the need to duplicate entries of friends and interests (see the  FOAFstandard and the  Open Source Initiative ), but this has led to some concerns about privacy. Although some of the largest social networks were founded on the notion of digitizing real world connections, many other networks as seen in the  List of social networking websites  focus on categories from books and music to non-profit business to motherhood as ways to provide both services and community to individuals with shared interests. Typical structure In general, social networking services allow users to create a profile for themselves, and can be broken down into two broad categories: internal social networking (ISN) and external social networking (ESN) sites such  as  MySpace,  Facebook,  Twitter  and  Bebo. Both types can increase the feeling of community among people. An ISN is a closed/private community that consists of a group of people within a company, association, society, education provider and organization or even an invite only group created by a user in an ESN. An ESN is open/public and available to all web users to communicate and are designed to attract advertisers. ESNs can be smaller specialized communities (i.e. linked by a single common interest e.g. TheSocialGolfer, ACountryLife.Com, Great Cooks Community) or they can be large generic social networking sites (e.g. MySpace, Facebook etc). However, whether specialized or generic there is commonality across the general approach of social networking sites. Users can upload a picture of themselves, create their profile and can often be friends with other users. In most social networking services, both users must confirm that they are friends before they are linked. For example, if  Alice  lists Bob as a friend, then Bob would have to approve Alices friend request before they are listed as friends. Some social networking sites have a favorites feature that does not need approval from the other user. Social networks usually have privacy controls that allows the user to choose who can view their profile or contact them, etc. Social networking sites typically have a section dedicated to comments by friends. On Friendster, this section is called Testimonials. On Facebook, this section is called The Wall. In the beginning, this was a feature that encouraged people to write messages about the person in the profile. But over time, people started writing creative testimonials back, creating a form of conversation.[32] Some social networking sites are created for the benefits of others, such as parents social networking site Gurgle. This website is for parents to talk about pregnancy, birth and bringing up children. .com. This social network allows professionals to exchange information, opportunities, and ideas. Professionals are able to stay informed with new knowledge about their field  Some social networks have additional features, such as the ability to create  groups  that share common interests or affiliations, upload or stream live videos, and hold discussions in forums.  Geo social networking co-opts internet mapping services to organize user participation around geographic features and their attributes. There is also a trend for more  interoperability between social networks  led by technologies such as  OpenID  and  Open Social. Lately, mobile social networking has become popular. In most mobile communities, mobile phone users can now create their own profiles, make friends, participate in chat rooms, create chat rooms, hold private conversations, share photos and videos, and share blogs by using their mobile phone. Mobile phone users are basically open to every option that someone sitting on the computer has. Some companies provide wireless services which allow their customers to build their own mobile community and brand it, but one of the most popular wireless services for social networking in North America is Facebook Mobile. Other companies provide new innovative features which extend the social networking experience into the real world. Another social networking feature in a professional aspect is LinkedIn. Emerging trends in social networks As the increase in popularity of social networking is on a constant rise, new uses for the technology are constantly being observed. At the forefront of emerging trends in social networking sites is the concept of real time and location based. Real time allows users to contribute content, which is then broadcasted as it is being uploaded the concept is similar to live television broadcasts.   Twitter  set the trend for real time services, where users can broadcast to the world what they are doing, or what is on their minds within a 140 character limit.  Facebook  followed suit with their Live Feed where users activities are streamed as soon as it happens. While Twitter focuses on words,  Clixtr, another real time service, focuses on group photo sharing where users can update their photo streams with photos while at an event. Friends and nearby users can contribute their own photos and comments to that event stream, thus contributing to the real time aspect of broadcasting photos and comments as it is being uploaded. In the location based social networking space,  Foursquare  gained popularity as it allowed for users to check-in to places that they are frequenting at that moment.  Gowalla  is another such service which functions in much the same way that Foursquare does, leveraging the  GPS  in phones to create a location based user experience. Clixtr, though in the real time space, is also a location based social networking site since events created by users are automatically geotagged, and users can view events occurring nearby through the Clixtr  iPhone  app. Recently,Yelp  announced its entrance into the location based social networking space through check-ins with their mobile app; whether or not this becomes detrimental to Foursquare or Gowalla is yet to be seen as it is still considered a new space in the internet technology industry.[35] One popular use for this new technology is social networking between businesses. Companies have found that social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are great ways to build their brand image. According to Jody Nimetz, author of Marketing Jive[36], there are five major uses for businesses and social media: to create brand awareness, as an online reputation management tool, for recruiting, to learn about new technologies and competitors, and as a lead gen tool to intercept potential prospects.[36]. These companies are able to drive traffic to their own online sites while encouraging their consumers and clients to have discussions on how to improve or change products or services. One other use that is being discussed is the use of Social Networks in the Science communities. Julia Porter Liebeskind et al. have published a study on how New Biotechnology Firms are using social networking sites to share exchanges in scientific knowledge.  They state in their study that by sharing information and knowledge with one another, they are able to increase both their learning and their flexibility in ways that would not be possible within a self-contained hierarchical organization. Social networking is allowing scientific groups to expand their knowledge base and share ideas, and without these new means of communicating their theories might become isolated and irrelevant. Social networks are also being used by teachers and students as a communication tool. Because many students are already using a wide-range of social networking sites, teachers have begun to familiarize themselves with this trend and are now using it to their advantage. Teachers and professors are doing everything from creating chat-room forums and groups to extend classroom discussion to posting assignments, tests and quizzes, to assisting with homework outside of the classroom setting. Social networks are also being used to foster teacher-parent communication. These sites make it possible and more convenient for parents to ask questions and voice concerns without having to meet face-to-face. Social networks are being used by activists as a means of low-cost grassroots organizing. Extensive use of an array of social networking sites enabled organizers of the 2009  National Equality March  to mobilize an estimated 200,000 participants to march on Washington with a cost savings of up to 85% per participant over previous methods.[38] The  use of online social networks by libraries  is also an increasingly prevelant and growing tool that is being used to communicate with more potential library users, as well as extending the services provided by individual libraries Issues Privacy On large social networking services, there have been growing concerns about users giving out too much personal information and the threat of  sexual predators. Users of these services also need to be aware of  data theft  or  viruses. However, large services, such as  MySpace  and  Netlog, often work with law enforcement to try to prevent such incidents.[citation needed] In addition, there is a perceived privacy threat in relation to placing too much personal information in the hands of large corporations or governmental bodies, allowing a profile to be produced on an individuals behaviour on which decisions, detrimental to an individual, may be taken. Furthermore, there is an issue over the control of dataâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ information that was altered or removed by the user may in fact be retained and/or passed to 3rd parties. This danger was highlighted when the controversial social networking site  Quechup  harvested e-mail addresses from users e-mail accounts for use in a  spamming  operation.[43] In medical and scientific research, asking subjects for information about their behaviors is normally strictly scrutinized by  institutional review boards, for example, to ensure that adolescents and their parents have  informed consent. It is not clear whether the same rules apply to researchers who collect data from social networking sites. These sites often contain a great deal of data that is hard to obtain via traditional means. Even though the data are public, republishing it in a research paper might be considered  invasion of privacy.[44] Privacy on Facebook is undermined by three principal factors: users disclose too much, Facebook does not take adequate steps to protect user privacy, and third parties are actively seeking out end-user information using Facebook. Every day teens go on social networking sites and reveal their most inner thoughts for the whole world to see. Information such as street address, phone number, Instant Messaging name are disclosed to an unknown population in cyberspace. Whats more, the creation of a Facebook, MySpace, Twitter etc. account is a fairly easy process to do and no identification is required, which can lead to identity theft or impersonation. For the Net generation, social networking sites have become the preferred forum for social interactions, from posturing and role playing to simply sounding off. However, because such forums are relatively easy to access, posted content can be reviewed by anyone with an interest in the users personal information. There has been a trend for social networking sites to send out only positive notifications to users. For example sites such as Bebo, Facebook, and Myspace will not send notifications to users when they are removed from a persons friends list. Similarly Bebo will send out a notification if a user is moved to the top of another users friends list but no notification is sent if they are moved down the list. This allows users to purge undesirables from their list extremely easily and often without confrontation since a user will rarely notice if one person disappears from their friends list. It also enforces the general positive atmosphere of the website without drawing attention to unpleasant happenings such as friends falling out, rejection and failed relationships. Many social networking services, such as Facebook, provide the user with a choice of who can view their profile. This prevents unauthorized user(s) from accessing their information.[49]Parents have become a big problem to teens who want to avoid their parents to access their MySpace or Facebook accounts. By choosing to make their profile private, teens are able to select who can see their page and this prevents unwanted parents from lurking. This will also mean that only people who are added as friends will be able to view the profile. Teens are constantly trying to create a structural barrier between their private life and their parent A common misuse of social networking sites such as Facebook is that it is occasionally used to emotionally abuse individuals. Such actions are often referred to as trolling. It is not rare for confrontations in the real world to be translated online. Online bullying (aka Cyber-bullying) is a relatively common occurrence and it can often result in emotional trauma for the victim. Depending on the networking outlet, up to 39% of users admit to being â‚ ¬Ã…“cyber-bulliedâ‚ ¬?.[54]  danah boyd, a researcher of social networks quotes a teenager in her article, Why Youth (Heart) Social Network Sites. The teenager expresses frustration towards networking sites like MySpace because it causes drama and too much emotional stress.[55]  There are not many limitations as to what individuals can post when online. Inherently individuals are given the power to post offensive remarks or pictures that could potentially cause a great amount of emotional pain for another individual. Interpersonal communication Interpersonal communication has been a growing issue as more and more people have turned to social networking as a means of communication.Benniger (1987) describes how mass media has gradually replaced interpersonal communication as a socializing force. Further, social networking sites have become popular sites for youth culture to explore themselves, relationships, and share cultural artefacts. Many teens and social networking users may be harming their interpersonal communication by using sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Stated by Baroness Greenfield, an Oxford University Neuroscientist, â‚ ¬Ã…“My fear is that these technologies are infantilizing the brain into the state of small children who are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights, who have a small attention span and who live for the moment It is not unusual if you often hear your siblings or your friends talk about the people they have met and made friends with through the Internet as social networking is one of the phenomena that have taken the world of Internet by storm. Almost every Web surfer has an account in at least one of the  social networking sites, for these sites are the more enjoyable places to hang around in. Pros: Social networking sites  have paved the way for easier communication to your friends, family, or colleagues. One example is that instead of meeting in a certain place, you and your classmates could discuss a school activity by having a conference in a certain site that you are all members of, thus saving you time and effort. Virtual communities are also formed, which are composed of people connected together by common interests, purpose, and goal. People of different races also get to mingle with each other in just a few clicks. The idea of socializing with millions of people of different backgrounds excites the Web surfers. This is one thing that you can hardly do outside the virtual world. Communication with distant family and friends. Meet new people, be creative, and be yourself It entertains you when youre bored Social networking  websites  are a great way of keeping in touch with family and  friends. You can post blogs, share photos, use instant messaging (Myspace has its own instant messaging service), make comments and add people to your friends list. Social  networkingHYPERLINK http://www.blurtit.com/q430795.html  HYPERLINK http://www.blurtit.com/q430795.htmlsites  allow you to create a profile, where you can share your interests with other users and also, you can make new friends. These type of sites, Myspace in particular, are also used people such as bands or authors to build up friends in order to generate interest in their music and books Cons: Social networking sites require or give you the option to provide personal information such as your name, location, and email address. Unfortunately some people can take this as an opportunity for identity theft. They can copy your information and pretend to be you when engaging in illegal activities. Bad news! So be cautious with what you enter into an online networking site. You could fall into the trap of someone who pretends to be somebody else. For example, they might offer you a job or want to meet up with you just to get your money. This can lead to cyberstalking, where the stalker uses electronic media such as the Internet to pursue or harass you. there is also the chance of peoples profiles being hacked or identities being stolen   Another downside is that sites such as Myspace, which allow users to add their own background, are often very slow due to backgrounds taking up a lot of memory. This has led to users  computers  crashing every time they got onto a profile which uses up a lot of memory. Also, because these types of sites have millions of users, errors can often occur. It hampers the students the most. Students waste a lot of time on the social networking sites. This disturbs their education. It distracts you from your work that is needed to be done. Social Networking-Stats and figures The way we communicate online has gone through a sea-change over last few years. In fact, majority of net users spend most of their time on social Media / Networking sites. Even though  India Software companies are lagging behind  in adoption of social media, others are flocking them in large numbers. Twitter has been a rage over past 1 year, Facebook has become one of the most visited sites on the web, Professionals are flocking Linkedin and keep their profiles updated. Facebook  claims  that 50% of active users log into the site each day. This would mean  at least 175m users every 24 hours. Twitter  now has  75m user accounts, but only around 15m are active users on a regular basis. LinkedIn  has over  50m members worldwide.. Facebook currently has in excess of  350 million active users on global basis.Six months ago, this was 250mÃÆ' ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦This means over 40% growth in less than 6 months. Flickr now hosts more than  4 billion images. More than 35m Facebook users update their status each day.   Wikipedia  currently  has in excess of  14m articles, meaning that itÃÆ' ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s 85,000 contributors have written nearly a million new posts in six months. Photo uploads to Facebook have  increased by more than 100%.  Currently, there are around  2.5bn  uploads to the site each month. Back in 2009, the average user had 120 friends within Facebook. This is now around 130. Mobile is even bigger than before for Facebook, with  more than  65m users accessing the site through mobile-based devices.  In six months, this is over 100% increase. There are more than  3.5bn pieces of content  (web links, news stories, blog posts, etc.) shared each week on Facebook. There are now  11m LinkedIn users across Europe. Towards the  end of last year, the average number of tweets per day was over27.3 million. The average number of tweets per hour was around  1.3m. 15% of bloggers spend  10 or more  hours each week blogging, according to Technoratis new  State of the Blogosphere. At the current rate, Twitter will process almost  10 billion  tweets in a single year. About 70% of Facebook users are outside the USA. India is currently the fastest-growing country to use LinkedIn, with around 3m total users. More than 250 Facebook applications have over a  million  combined users each month. 70%  of bloggers are organically talking about brands on their blog. 38% of bloggers post brand or product reviews. More than  80,000  websites have implemented Facebook Connect since December 2008 and more than  60m  Facebook users engage with it across these external sites Top Social Networking sites in India 2010 Orkut.com Facebook.com Twitter Bharatstudent.com hi5.com ibibo.Com MySpace Sites LinkedIn.com PerfSpot.com BIGADDA.com Fropper.com friendster Literature Review Literature review Social Networking in Education BY Geetha Krishnana Overall, an astonishing 96 percent of students with online access report that they ever used any social networking technologies, such as chatting, text messaging, blogging and visiting online communitiesâ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦Staggering as the 96 percent statistic is, it is intriguing to wonder what the other 4 percent is doing. Just e-mail and web surfing?Further, students report that one of the most common topics of conversation on the social networking scene is education. Almost 60 percent of students who use social networking talk about education topics online and, surprisingly, more than 50 percent talk specifically about schoolwork.Tempting as this statistic might sound to champions of the social-networking-for-education cause, it may be worth considering that most of the discussions that people have on education could be to do with help on homework and troublesome topics, classical problems that would otherwise get discussed in the college canteen perhaps.  It may not mean a new avenue for learning something new it is just a new medium to get problems shared and solved. That is not to say it is not a good thing, but it may not be much more than that.Nonconformistsâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ students who step outside of online safety and behavior rulesâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬ are on the cutting edge of social networking, with online behaviors and skills that indicate leadership among their peers. The report offers some recommendations for school board members as well. Explore social networking sites.  This is an important recommendation because most often we tend to condemn something without really understanding it. Consider social networking for staff communication and professional development.  This could well help achieve the previous point as well. It will also serve to integrate students and staff in the networking space. Find ways of harnessing the educational value of social networking.  This is a seemingly motherhood statement, but it could be worthwhile for teachers to consciously think of projects and assignments to be executed through networking approaches. Ensure equitable access.  An obvious point, strengthen the access mechanisms for students to technology. Pay attention to nonconformists.  This has already been touched on earlier in this post. Re examine social networking policies.  Another obvious point, come at social networking as an integral component of the education process, not as a diversion. Facebook Impact on Student Grades Raises New Questions for Business BY Lawrence Walsh An Ohio State University study links Facebook use to lower grades. The study comes as businesses worry about the impact of social networking tools on worker productivity, integrity of their intellectual property and data security. Security vendors such as Websense, Fortinet and Trend Micro release new tools to combat embedded threats in social networks.As enterprises grapple with whether social networking creates security risks and productivity losses, a new study from the Ohio State University suggests there is a link between the use of Facebook and lower grades among college students.According to the survey of 219 students, those who said they use Facebook have grade point averages between 3.0 and 3.5 and study 1 to 5 hours per week. Conversely, non-Facebook users have GPAs between 3.5 and 4.0, and study 11 hours or more per week.The study found that 79 percent of Facebook users believe that it has no impact on their academic performance. Research methodology Research methodology Problem Definition In todays era, education is seriously getting hampered through these social networking sites. In the name of connectivity, students and teens are actually wasting a huge amount of time in facebooking and orkuting. The sufferer is none other than them, and the worst part is that they do not even realise it. 80% of the teens and students in India have atleast one active account in either facebook or orkut. So the need of the hour is to find out whether these social networking sites are useful or is it a mere waste of time. Hence, the research objective is to find the factors that motivates the students to open an account in the social networking sites and thus wasting time. Research Objectives 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To find out whether Social networking sites are a threat or a helping hand for education 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To find out the reasons that compel the students to join the networking chain   3) To find out ways by  which the social media can be used constructively in the field of education Research Methodology The research design that will be used would be exploratory research