I had no idea how many people blog on the internet. Before writing this post, I searched article upon article on topics I didn’t even know existed. It seems that social media really is dominating our lives and the way people connect. I find it all kind of overwhelming, with so many different blog sites and topics to write about. Where does one even start opening up their thoughts to the internet? This is one of the main reasons I don’t blog, aside from following my friends on Facebook. I also don’t have the time or passion to come up with creative messages for others to read. I would much rather meet face-to-face with people than through a computer screen, which raises an interesting question: when has social media gone too far?
When searching for a blog related to public relations, I came across a post about a new social media site in Belgium for babies that are both born and unborn. Weird, right? I found it slightly disturbing and unnecessary that parents would put their unborn child on the internet when they haven’t even taken their first steps. When did it become normal for a child to have an online identity before they even have a sex or a name?
The more I hear about these crazy new websites, it makes me wonder what happened to good old-fashioned relationships. Social networking is obviously growing at an unstoppable rate, and is an excellent tool for connecting people and releasing information, but it shouldn’t be replacing the personal aspect of life.
“Public relations” appears to be changing more into “impersonal relations” with the spread of social media. I decided to major in public relations because I enjoy being a leader, making decisions, and most of all, working with people. Not working with people via the internet and through blogs 24/7, but actually physically meeting with others to discuss business. I think having somewhat of an emotional connection with someone is vital in creating a strong relationship. So until the world is completely managed on the internet, I am happy with not being as tech-savvy as others.
courtesy of http://thelastman.wordpress.com/
Lauren's PR Blog for Beginners 
Lauren – My nephew and his wife registered their (yet unborn) daughter’s domain name not long after they found out they were expecting. I wish I’d claimed my own name years ago when it was still available. As it is, someone owns it, but isn’t using it. Frustrating. Is your name available?
I agree with the comment Professor Nixon has made. I am currently in the process of trying to claim my name. I think an online identity is important to have with all of the new things being introduced into the way we run business and new media convergence. One thing that a lot of people do not realize about social media is though it takes away from the face-to-face conversation it provides avenues for people to connect with people faster and a lot easier than before. For example, if a student would like to set up a meeting with a professional for an interview for class and that professional is not available the student could conduct a twitter interview or get in touch with them via skype. Social media has opened a lot of doors and made it easier to build relationships that were hard to build before.
Pingback: The Comment Tango « SoTal