In what appears to be a first in the academic community, a group of researchers are using Twitter to determine the mood of ordinary Americans in different parts of the country. Scientists at Boston?s Northeastern University decided to sift through millions of tweets posted by Americans throughout the country and found that the majority of citizens tend to be happiest during either the morning hours or in the evening, but the gloomiest point appears to set in during the mid-afternoon. It appears as though more Americans post positive tweets ether when their energy levels are higher, or when they are off work. The study, rather predictably, also found that American Twitter users are in the best mood during the weekend.</p> <p>But there are clear regional differences as well, with Californians and residents of Miami posting the largest volume of positive tweets in the country. As a general rule of thumb, the Boston-based researchers discovered that those living in southern, warmer climates tended to be happier Twitter users.</p> <p>As unique as this study may be, Northeastern?s researchers admit that their exploration does not include a representative sampling of the American population and as such, it would be too early to draw wide-reaching conclusions about the mood of the general public. The study?s shortcoming is that the vast majority of respondents are technologically inclined urbanites who already tweet on a regular basis, rather than taking into account the broader, slightly older generations of Americans, who may not be as accustomed to using social media.

Roy Greenslade, a freelance writer, blogger and a columnist at The Guardian, wrote a piece this week examining whether blogging can really be seen as professional journalism, despite the fact that bloggers regularly mix news reporting with biting, often passionate commentary, all in a single post. Greenslade argues that blogging represents an evolutionary development in journalism and that while it does not replace the newspaper, blogging certainly allows for far more rapid communication and rebuttal from readers, whenever they wish to express their displeasure with a given piece. As such, bloggers are held to rigorous standards, as well as checks and balances directly from readers, even if they do not have an editor-in-chief watching over them. While comments from readers take days to appear in print in the case of most newspapers, commentary on blogs is instantaneous.</p> <p>But Greenslade added that while blogs are naturally biased, so are most newspapers. The only difference is that many bloggers are open about admitting this bias upfront, while it is a far more implicit phenomenon in the case of print journalism. Some criticize bloggers for not including both sides of a story in a contentious post, as most ?serious? journalists would be sure to make an effort to contact everyone involved, in order to avoid making the piece seem entirely one sided. Greenslade argues that in some cases, it may be entirely appropriate blogging etiquette not to present an opposing view, as the very nature of blogging allows for anyone to publish their viewpoint immediately and on the same page where the original story appeared.

The world?s two most prominent social media websites, Facebook and Twitter, have a clear impact on consumer choices and the commentary or content that users see posted on these sites can often encourage them to shop. Both a Gartner research study and another survey conducted by Deloitte found that companies that do not use social media tools in their marketing campaigns are missing out on a large consumer base and opportunity to expand their business. Deloitte added that early August, more than even, is the time for companies to plug into social media, as parents and students will soon be in a buying frenzy as the back-to-school shopping periods looms.</p> <p>Alison Paul, Deloitte?s vice chairperson, noted that retailers these days do not only influence their consumers while in the store, but can extend their reach online, using Twitter and Facebook.</p>

Africville was an African-Canadian settlement located near Halifax, until the government decided to demolish the impoverished community, despite protests from locals. While most Canadians have heard of Africville, it took a young freelance writer to actually bring the community?s history to life, through extensive research and interviews with one of the most outspoken protesters against its demolition. Freelancer John Tattrie had always heard about Africville?s demise, but something about the reason to demolish the community in the 1960s never made any logical sense. While authorities argued that bulldozing the impoverished area served as urban renewal, the locals saw the destruction of their community as nothing short of a human rights violation.</p> <p>Tattrie met Eddie Carvery, an eccentric and reportedly volatile hermit who spent 40 years living in a camper near the grounds of Africville, last year and despite repeated warnings from his freelance colleagues and other journalists, he sat down with him for extensive interviews. In total, Tattrie spent some 40 hours listening to Carvery?s stories and personal accounts about Africville and his at times controversial struggle to bring justice, as well as protest Nova Scotia?s mistreatment of African-Canadians and Aboriginal peoples. Tattrie?s book, entitled The Hermit of Africville, manages to do what even more established journalists and writers could not: go deep into a long-vanished community?s history and tell stories about everyday life in Africville from the perspective of an eye witness. The freelancer noted that Africville is still there, but it is literally buried under several tons of landfill and the community?s history has yet to be unearthed.

Queen Elizabeth II is increasingly embracing the various forms of social media, in an effort to bring a monarchy sometimes perceived as cold and distant closer to ?ordinary? Britons, and citizens of Commonwealth countries. After launching a Twitter account and then later an official YouTube channel dedicated to the Queen, the monarchy has now also signed up to Flickr, one of the world?s most popular photo sharing sites, and uploaded more than 600 images, many of them offering rare glimpses into the personal lives of the current monarch?s predecessors.</p> <p>But the monarchy is not the only historic institution to turn to social media, in an effort to remain relevant and show that it can keep up with modern trends. A Methodist minister from Britain, for example, recently announced that he would start offering communion to believers over Twitter. This marks the first time that a religious leader decides to tweet holy communion to the faithful.</p>

One of the most popular forms of blogging in China has to do with grassroots fashion; rather than posting blog entries about the most famous designers or divulging details on the lives of prominent models, ordinary citizens use their own blogs and engage in micro-blogging in order to show how creative their sartorial habits truly are. According to a report in China?s English news publication, XinHua Net, a 24 year old resident of Shanghai has become one of the most popular bloggers in China, after launching a blog on Weibo, the Chinese version of Wordpress.</p> <p>Sammy considers herself a fashion enthusiast, though her style is decidedly different?and maybe even a little alarming?to those who stick to mainstream attire. In her recent blog post, Sammy became bored with a plain, white motorcycle bag which she found at the bottom of her closet. She took a can of grey spray paint and gave the accessory a new lease on life, while posting photos of her recent fashion ?adventure? to her Weibo blog. More than 10,000 users read each of Sammy?s blog entries and she has managed to attract 6,000 subscribers in just over two months.</p> <p>This fashion blog signals an important trend in Chinese social media and blogging; it is increasingly embraced by locals with no prior experience in publishing their work and rather than simply regurgitating material published in other sources, blog entries tend to reveal aspects of the blogger?s personal life. Some of these bloggers, however, find success even beyond the blogosphere, as a growing number of designers are looking to prominent blogs when it comes to creating their newest line of clothing. Sammy knows this first hand?just two months after launching a blog read by tens of thousands of people each day, she was one of five Chinese bloggers invited to participate in a prominent fashion show in Hong Kong.

Yemen?s secret police reportedly abducted and interrogated a prominent freelance writer earlier this week, according to information obtained by the Reuters news agency. </p>

According to media reports, 70,000 blogs hosted by a blogging platform called Blogetery were shut down this past weekend by the web hosting company Burst.net. While original reports indicated that the blogs were closed due to copyright violations, Joe Marr, the company?s chief technology officer confirmed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had called the firm?s attention to several blogs which included dangerous and illegal content. The FBI first contacted Burst on July 9th, in order to inform the web host that Blogetery included bloggers who posted bomb making instructions and purported messages from Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden. One of the most insidious blog posts even encouraged the assassination of American citizens.</p> <p>Employees at Burst.net initially told journalists that the FBI was the one to shut down the blogging platform. But Marr corrected this information, adding that his company made the decision on its own, after the FBI passed on its concerns and information. Most of the blogs on Blogetery never posted illegal or questionable content, leading thousands of bloggers to charge the FBI with blatant censorship directed against the increasingly influential blogosphere. Some believe that the American Patriot Act, which gives government authorities extensive powers to combat terrorism, was behind the decision to shut 70,000 blogs. What is known, however, is that the FBI sent a letter informing Burst of the dangerous content hosted on its server and noting that the firm had the right to suspend access to these sites. Yet the closure of tens of thousands of blogs has writers worried that the actions of a few can have a negative impact on such a large group of bloggers and lead to the deletion of sites.

Can a run-of-the-mill bottle of men?s body wash change the way companies around the world use social media in their marketing campaigns? If the recent series of online ads and tweets rolled out by Old Spice that tell men to go ahead and ?smell like men? are any indication, then the answer to this question is a resounding ?yes.? Old Spice launched an online advertisement campaign on YouTube which attracted 70 million viewers so far and continues to draw in hundreds of thousands of hits each day. What many believe made social media history was Old Spice?s decision to get the ad?s star, football player Isaiah Mustafa, to answer the questions of fans and hundreds of viewers on Twitter and Facebook, using humorous short video clips. Each video refers to a specific question and viewer, and many of these short clips appeared online only minutes after the question was first posted.</p> <p>The producers of the Old Spice ads posted more than 187 videos as answers to the world?s major social media sites. Rather than creating a single, generic ad for all users, Old Spice used Web 2.0 technology to reach out personally to over a hundred users, and each video ad managed to attract far more hits and interest than any one generic commercial could have ever done. Some marketing specialists are calling it ?live advertising improv.?</p> <p>Matt Fiorentino, a prominent marketing analyst, added that Old Spice?s use of social media sites is ?unprecedented,? as this is the first time that a major company actually makes an authentic effort to personally answer the questions of hundreds of consumers and then turn these responses into ads.

According to Associated Press reports, China?s communist authorities have launched a widespread campaign aimed at silencing the country?s most vocal and critical bloggers and freelance writers. Micro-blogging sites have started to flourish in China over the past year, with many local companies taking a page from western giants, like Twitter and Wordpress. But one of China?s largest micro-blogging platforms is inaccessible, apparently due to ?maintenance? work. Bloggers affiliated with two of the other largest sites in China have also experienced mysterious technical problems over the past week and what appears to be state censorship.<br /> Pu Zhiqiang, a prominent lawyer and blogger told Western journalists that he was unable to post his latest blog entry, as his blog simply refused to open, while Xu Zhiyong?another legal consultant?also found himself incapable of accessing his blog. The legal expert realized this morning that his blog had been shut down, along with the entire micro-blogging platform operated by Sohu Incorporated.<br /> The Associated Press reported that Chinese authorities have shut down at least 61 blogs over the past few months. Major western social media sites, including Twitter and Facebook, are still banned in China, as authorities fear that this might lead to social unrest among the more than 420 million Chinese citizens who use the internet on a regular basis.<br /> While authorities seem intent on cracking down on bloggers and freelancers with critical opinion, the government has now embraced blogging and social media for its own propaganda purposes. The country?s main communist newspaper, the People?s Daily, now uses micro-blogging to stay in touch with its readers, while Beijing?s police force will launch its own blog later this year.