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Concord’s Social Media Saturday

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Here at Concord Patch, social media is a big deal.

It’s one way we interact with you, answer your questions and get to see what’s on your mind. Social Media Saturday is a weekly feature where we highlight your questions and thoughts you’ve shared on Facebook and other media throughout the past week.

We’ll also point you to some new and interesting pages you may not have known about before.

Overheard Through Social Media

Here is a sampling of comments and happenings on our Facebook page and the social media world from the past week:

  • We still haven’t quite reached our goal of 215 followers on Facebook yet, but we’re well on the way. We gained four new friends this week, increasing from 203 to 207. Remember to share our posts with your friends, and “Like” us on Facebook.
  • On Saturday, Aug. 20, we posted the first bit of information on a high-speed police pursuit that ended in a motorcycle crash on Sudbury Road. Understandably, Anthony Healy wanted to know, “What was the result of the chase? Was it a legit stop ? Was the Motorcycle operator acting and driving reckless? We want to know all the details!” We let Anthony know we were on it, and over the next few days posted all of the information as it came in. You can read the full story here. On Wednesday, Aug. 24, in response to the  additional coverage, Anthony showed his appreciation, saying, “Thank you for the follow up.”
  • On Monday, Aug. 22, Janet Beyer paid tribute to disability policy advocate Fred Fay. Fay was instrumental in drafting some of the nation’s most important legislation regarding people with disabilities. Maureen Costello Belt “Liked” that post on Facebook.
  • On Tuesday, Aug. 22, we asked where the best ethnic restaurants are in the area. Deanna Leary Stillings emphatically answered, “Viet-Thai in Lowell!”
  • On Wednesday, Aug. 23, Forever Tile Inc linked to Concord Patch in their post, “Concord Patch and clients of Forever Tile Inc are talking about the earthquake that shook the area east of Charlottesville, VA yesterday afternoon. We have had a couple clients sharing their stories in the store about what they felt while working in Boston during the quake. Anyone experience it?”

Social Media Page of the Week

Your town on Facebook

  • For more Facebook pages Concord residents might find interesting, check out our recently expanded list of “Liked” pages on Concord Patch’s Facebook page.


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    Teachers Group Wins Injunction to Halt Facebook Law; Nixon Asks For Repeal

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    The Missouri State Teachers Association (MSTA) just learned it was awarded an injunction to stop a new Missouri social networking law from taking effect Sunday.

    “We just found out about two minutes ago. We’re wrapping our heads around it, but this is a good resolution at this point,” Todd Fuller, MSTA director of communications told Town and Country-Manchester Patch.

    As previously reported by Patch, the Missouri State Teachers Association (MSTA) is suing the state over a new Missouri social network law that prevents students and teachers from having conversations that cannot be accessed by school administrators and parents. This also means they cannot be friends on Facebook.

    Senate Bill 54, also known as the Amy Hestir Student Protection Act, is sponsored by former Ladue school board member and Missouri State Senator Jane Cunningham, R-Chesterfield, and designed to protect students.

    Cunningham appeared at the Rockwood Board of Education meeting Tuesday to explain the law.

    A main thrust of the bill was the need to make the law more clear about a school district’s responsibilities when dealing with teachers accused of sexual misconduct. MSTA opposes the section of the bill that teachers feel will inhibit their ability to communicate with students through social media sites such as Facebook and through text messaging, since it is now a common method of communication.

    MSTA filed the lawsuit Aug. 19 and named Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and Attorney General Chris Koster as the defendants.

    The law was set to take effect Sunday, but a judge awarded the injunction that Turner said takes effect immediately and lasts 180 days. The injunction expires Feb. 20 and allows a trial before the statute is implemented.

    “We’re really happy because the judge realized that there is an issue with this particular section of the law,” Fuller told Patch. ”But the bigger issue is that we don’t have to rush to create the language. At this point, we have time to review the issue.”

    “Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem granted MSTA’s request for a preliminary injunction this morning. Judge Beetem found that based upon the evidence, teachers in Missouri use social media as one of their primary forms of communication,” MSTA stated in a news release. “Judge Beetem stated that the law ‘clearly prohibits communication between family members and their teacher parents using these types of sites. The Court finds that the statute would have a chilling effect on speech,’” the news release said.

    “This gives everyone time to debate and discuss the issue to come to a proper resolution rather than rushing to piece together language that doesn’t resolve the concerns of educators or allow time for teacher input,” said MSTA’s legal counsel, Gail McCray, in an news release.

    Following Friday’s morning injunction, Governor Jay Nixon announced plans to ask state lawmakers to repeal some of the provisions in Senate Bill 54, which have been called confusing by Missouri teachers and other school staff. The governor plans to address the issue with the General Assembly in the special session that begins Sept. 6, Scott Holste, Nixon’s press secretary, said in a news release.

    “First and foremost, our top concern and priority is and always will be protecting children across Missouri and making sure students receive the quality education they need and deserve,” Nixon said in the news release.

    “In a digital world, we must recognize that social media can be an important tool for teaching and learning,” he said in the release. “At the same time, we must be vigilant about threats posed to students through the Internet and other means. Because of confusion and concern among educators, students and families over this specific provision of Senate Bill 54, I will ask the General Assembly to repeal that particular section, while preserving other vital protections included in the bill. In addition, I will be asking for input on this issue from teachers, parents and other stakeholders.”

    According to the release, Nixon will specifically ask for repeal of the sections which require school districts to adopt a plan to address student-teacher electronic communications by Jan. 1.

    Cunningham tells Patch she has received more than 75 interview requests since the injunction and that she and her chief of staff, Kit Crancer, are working through them all.

    Crancer did tell Patch that Cunningham’s office still hopes for compromise and the opportunity during the special session to “remove any ambiguity” from the legislation. He added that the injunction and the Governor’s call for sections to be repealed doesn’t “have any effect on our willingness to compromise.” He reiterated that the teacher groups were on board with this legislation when it was being proposed and passed, that the main purpose of the bill was to protect children and that the social media component was a small aspect of that.

    Parkway School District Spokesperson Cathy Kelly tells Patch it is too soon to issue a response on Friday’s developments. Kelly said district staff is meeting this afternoon to review and discuss the new information.

    (Read Previous Story: Parkway Teacher Says New Facebook Law Goes Too Far)

    The Missouri National Education Association issued the following statement in an email Friday, “We are pleased that Governor Nixon and the court agree with our members that this portion of the new law needs to be fixed. Missouri NEA will continue to work with legislators and the other education organizations to find a long-term solution that goes well beyond the 180 day time frame outlined in this morning’s court decision. The problematic language in SB54 needs to be addressed  by the General Assembly–and not by the courts–because that allows educators, school districts and the students we serve to be a part of the solution.”

    Town and Country-Manchester Patch is waiting to hear back from Attorney General Koster on Friday’s developments. Check back for any updates.

    “Local Editors Gregg Palermo and Julie Patton contributed to this report.

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      Facebook Deals dumped

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      After its four-month test, Facebook has decided that whatever form its entry into the local deals market takes, it wont look like Facebook Deals, which will be shuttered in the coming weeks.Deals sites, in which businesses tip money into the pockets of middlemen so they can offer notional discounts for Brazilian waxes, are the engine-room of the current dotcom bubble. Facebooks market test took place in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, San Diego and San Francisco.Facebook Deals was touted as a competitor to Groupon and LivingSocial, and as well as flogging offers secured by its own sales team, it added an extra layer of middleman into the deals business by on-selling offers set up by companies like ReachLocal, Gilt City and Zozi.Putting a brave face on the flop, Facebook told Reuters it will continue to evaluate how to best serve local businesses. It is sticking with Facebook Ads, Pages and Sponsored Stories, as well as its Check-in Deals product.August has been volte-face month for Facebook, which a few days ago also gave up on its Places product, a move that apparently caught its sales teams by surprise, since in Australia, the decision came shortly after major shopping centre operator Westfield would try marketing through Places. airline pilot training .

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        Facebook racist lashed

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        The white man pictured holding a rifle over the apparently lifeless body of a black child told police in 2007 that he paid the child to pose.

        Police questioned the man from Knysna in 2007 when the picture first surfaced.Hawks spokesman Colonel McIntosh Polela said yesterday that Western Cape police contacted him yesterday morning after reading a Sunday Times report which stated that the photograph featured on the profile of a Facebook user who called himself “Eugene Terrorblanche”.”I was told that the photograph came to light in 2007 and that it was investigated. how to get rid of cockroaches . rmls . The man was taken in for questioning.”He told police that the child was alive and that he paid the child to pose.”Polela was unable to confirm the status of the 2007 investigation.”The police report is expected to be sent to me on Monday morning,” he said.He added that an investigation will have to determine why the photograph resurfaced four years later.”That picture speaks volumes and is a big worry. painting services . We have to understand what happened in the previous investigation.”Polela did not know if the child were alive.”I got the impression that the man told the police that the child was alive. I don’t know how far the police went to find out if the child was indeed alive. I will have to read the report,” he said.The police yesterday emphasised that the photograph should not raise “racial connotations” but instead should focus on the murder of a child.”Whether the child was white or black, the photograph is still a big concern because it depicts the murder of a child,” said Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa’s spokesman, Zweli Mnisi.Yesterday, Talk Radio 702 reporter Mandy Wiener said the radio station’s news team exposed the picture after it appeared on a Facebook page called “Ek laaik nie ‘n houtkop nie so what” (I don’t like a fool, so what).Ray Hartley, editor of the Sunday Times (sister publication of The Times) said: “If this is the same picture that was reported on earlier as being doctored, it is comforting to know that the child was not physically harmed. The fact remains that a very sick individual has this picture posted on his Facebook profile in 2011 along with a string of extremely racist remarks.”The police are investigating this Facebook racist, who has concealed his identity, for very good reason and we believe the public should assist [them].”The national director of public prosecutions, Menzi Simelane, tweeted: “Race crime legislation is needed in SA” and DA leader Helen Zille said she was horrified by the picture.”Whether or not the picture is genuine, it represents a scene of extreme violence perpetrated against a child by a man. The intention is to evoke racial hatred and polarisation,” she said.By yesterday afternoon, 25 Facebook users had removed themselves from Terrorblanche’s contact list after authorities suggested that anyone who viewed the picture and failed to report it could face prosecution.Two Facebook groups, one calling for the arrest of Terrorblanche’s friends and another protesting against him, grew quickly to more than 300 supporters yesterday.White Facebook users expressed fear that the picture would give rise to violence against them, whereas black users said they were shocked that the profile had not been deleted.

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          Missouri teachers win fight to be Facebook friends with students

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          The Missouri State Teachers Association (MSTA) has managed to win their first battle in blocking a new law regarding social networking with students. Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem granted MSTA’s request for a preliminary injunction (PDF), effective for 180 days. It will expire on February 20, 2012 and will allow a trial before the statute is implemented.

          Beetem found that based upon the evidence, teachers in Missouri use social media as one of their primary forms of communication. He stated that the law “clearly prohibits communication between family members and their teacher parents using these types of sites. The Court finds that the statute would have a chilling effect on speech.”

          The judge also ordered that under this ruling, teachers cannot be disciplined or suffer adverse consequences for using non-work related social media. “This gives everyone time to debate and discuss the issue to come to a proper resolution rather than rushing to piece together language that doesn’t resolve the concerns of educators or allow time for teacher input,” Gail McCray, MSTA Legal Counsel, said in a statement.

          Last week, the MSTA filed a lawsuit asking the Circuit Court of Cole County to determine the constitutionality of the law’s social media portion. The group argues the law infringes on educators’ first amendment rights of free speech, association, and religion. It asked the court to keep that section of law from being implemented until the constitutionality can be determined.

          Senate Bill 54, also known as the Amy Hestir Student Protection Act, aims to fight inappropriate contact between students and teachers, including protecting children from sexual misconduct by their educators. It is named after a Missouri public school student who was repeatedly molested by a teacher several decades ago.

          The new law is broad enough to prohibit teachers from communicating privately with students over the Internet, and inhibits educators’ ability to converse with students via text messaging and social networks. As I outlined earlier this month, it means teachers and students can’t be Facebook friends.

          Last month, State Governor Jay Nixon signed Senate Bill 54, which goes into effect on August 28, 2011 in the state of Missouri. The new law bans direct social networking contact between teachers and students in the hopes of setting more distinct boundaries on the relationships between the two.

          The law said teachers would still be able to have a Facebook Page for interacting with students on a slightly more personal level, as long it’s still work-related. It’s the actual friending, messaging, and whatever other direct connection you can make on a social network that was to be banned.

          See also:


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            Facebook boast tips cops to speeding motorcyclist

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             Justin West on FacebookYou can run, but don’t count on hiding in cyberspace.That’s what 19-year-old Justin West found out in Yakima County, Wash., after he reportedly took a wild motorcycle ride through sand and brush to elude police — but not for long.A word to the wise: The cops are on Facebook.According to the Yakima County Sheriff’s Department, a young man was spotted Friday evening driving his off-road motorcycle in a residential area just outside of town. Atlanta Plumbing . When officers in a patrol car tried to stop him, the motorcyclist took off at a high rate of speed along the Rosa Canal ditch, leaving the police car in the dust.But that wasn’t the end of the story.A few hours later, the Sheriff’s Department received an anonymous tip that West was bragging on his Facebook page about eluding police officers in the same area in which the errant cyclist earlier had been seen.”This officer had a Facebook account, he logged into his Facebook account, viewed this other young man’s profile, and this guy had indeed posted a couple of statements about how he had just outrun a police officer on his motorcycle,” Stu Graham, chief of the department’s criminal division, said in an interview.The officer, Deputy Chris Gray, ran West’s name through another database, came up with an address and showed up at West’s house at 4 a.m. with a search warrant.He “cooperated” once he was shown a printout of his Facebook page, the department’s news release says. 

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              5 Reasons Daily Deals Are Tanking–and 3 Reasons They’re Not Dead Yet

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              CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 10: The Groupon logo is di...

              Image by Getty Images via @daylife

              Just in time for Groupon’s initial public offering of stock, it looks like the daily-deals business is already on the decline. Last Friday, Experian Hitwise reported that Web-based traffic to “daily deal and aggregator sites” is down 25% this summer.  Groupon’s traffic plunged 50%. Daily-deal tracker Yipit also reported that deals revenues overall were down 7% in July from June.

              Now big-name companies are actually dropping their daily deals. Last week, Facebook said it’s ending its deals service. (They’re still showing up in my inbox even as recently as this morning, however.) And today, Yelp scaled back its deals.

              What’s going on? Mainly a serious case of bubble thinking, as entrepreneurs and venture capitalists pile onto the latest hot trend and then discover the market isn’t as boundless as they hoped. But more specifically, the deals business is suffering from a number of challenges:

              * Inbox overload. Some 52% of people in a June survey by Experian’s PriceGrabber said they’re overwhelmed by the sheer volume of deal offers. I get deal offers from seven or eight services, even from a couple that I swear I didn’t sign up for.

              * Lame, repetitive offers. Seriously, I’m never going to a spa, no matter how many or how big the discounts.

              * Merchants can’t take anymore. Lots of them have been complaining that whenever they offer a deal, other services come out of the woodwork and pitch them incessantly. Others think they’re no good for their businesses in the first place, since they condition customers to expect profit-killing discounts. Most of the deals I’ve taken are for businesses I already frequent and probably still would, deal or no deal.

              * They’re not as easy to do as they look. Facebook’s deals, which were mostly focused in San Francisco and only occasionally in Silicon Valley where I live (and where Facebook is headquartered), were largely useless to me. And how many people, really, are going to do things like flying lessons? Maybe if the flying-lesson company gets a few takers, it’s worthwhile for them, but for the vast majority of people, offers like this are the worst thing in their email box besides spam.

              * Too many of the companies doing them have no particular expertise or the brand breadth to offer them credibly. Really, why would I expect Facebook to offer daily deals? It’s a social network, not an e-commerce site. And daily deals aren’t nearly as social as Groupon’s name implies.

              Still, daily deals aren’t dead yet. Here’s why:

              * They’re deals! People will always love deals. And despite complaints of too many cold calls from deal services, clearly a lot of merchants like them.

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                Wanna hack? Facebook will pay

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                facebook-bug.top.jpgNEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Facebook wants you to try to hack into its site — and if you succeed, it will pay you for the details.Facebook said this week that that it has paid out more than $40,000 under its new “bug bounty” security initiative. Launched three weeks ago, Facebook’s program invites security researchers — both the professional kind and hacker hobbyists — to send it the details of any Facebook vulnerabilities that they uncover. dui charges . If the report checks out, Facebook will pay a finder’s fee of at least $500.It’s willing to go higher for extra-impressive bug spotting.”We’ve already paid a $5,000 bounty for one really good report,” Facebook Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan wrote in a blog post. “One person has already received more than $7,000 for six different issues flagged.”Although the social networking has its own security team, Facebook launched its bug bounty program to tap into the collective wisdom of the site’s 750 million users.”We hire the best and brightest, and have implemented numerous protocols,” Sullivan wrote. “We realize, though, that there are many talented and well-intentioned security experts around the world who don’t work for Facebook.”Researchers from more than 16 countries have successfully submitted bounty bugs, Facebook said. Its public “thank you” list names dozens of contributors.Facebook also took pains to assure bug-hunters that it won’t take any legal action against those who submit bugs, even if they were uncovered through less-than-legal routes into Facebook’s systems.That’s often how hackers find vulnerabilities, but even those without any ill intent — so-called “white-hat hackers” — can land in hot water with companies if they tell them about their intrusion.”We worked with several third-party groups to ensure that the language in our policy protects researchers and makes clear our intent to work with, not punish, those who report information,” Sullivan wrote.The Electronic Frontier Foundation, an advocacy group that often weighs in on Internet-related legal issues, is a fan of that approach.”We hope to see others follow Facebook’s lead and go even further,” the EFF wrote last year about Facebook’s security policy. “The more transparent companies are about their approaches to vulnerability disclosure — and the more they encourage users to come forward — the more often they will learn about problems that need to be fixed.” To top of page

                NY judge leaves deadline in place in Facebook case

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                Associated Press

                BUFFALO, N.Y. oven repair atlanta . A federal judge says a New York man who’s suing for part ownership of Facebook can’t have more time to produce documents and electronic media seen as important to his case.Paul Ceglia of the western New York village of Wellsville was given until Monday to produce the materials. dental veneers . But his attorneys had asked the judge to delay that deadline, saying they needed more time. Facebook attorneys opposed the request, saying Ceglia was just trying to stall. atlanta chiropractic . On Friday, the Buffalo judge sided with Facebook and left Monday’s deadline in place.Ceglia claims he made a deal with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in 2003 that entitles him to half ownership of the $50 billion social network. Zuckerberg says his dealings with Ceglia had nothing to do with Palo Alto, Calif.-based Facebook.Copyright 2011 Associated Press