Who to follow on Twitter

Whether you're new to Twitter or just looking for more people to follow, there are two sites you can check out for influential tweeters.

Twinfluence

Twinfluence is a website that allows you to measure the combined influence of a twitter user and their followers. According to the website, as of right now, 243,700 twitterers have had profiles analyzed. Unsure of how influential someone your following is? Type their name into the search bar and find out!

WeFollow

Unlike Twinfluence, WeFollow is a Twitter directory and search tool. Twitter users are separated into different categories such as Celebrity, Music, Entrepreneur, Social Media, and News. Top Twitter Users as well as Top Tags and Top Cities are also featured.

Both sites are very helpful when searching for people to follow on Twitter.

Wikipedia: Server Not Found

Though Wikipedia is working now, it was not working earlier today. People on Twitter were producing dozens of tweets per minute on the uncommon error message they were getting when trying to access the site. According to the Wikipedia Tech Blog, "overheating in the European data center and broken DNL resolution" caused the unexpected outage. They were then forced to move user traffic to the "Florida cluster" but shortly after, the Wikimedia sites stopped working globally. The problem was eventually resolved, but it was a major inconvenience for the people that needed it at the time it was down.

If I needed Wikipedia and found out that the "server was not found," I would probably fall into a state of panic for a minute but then remember that I can still Google search anything and everything I need to find at the click of a mouse button.

Lady Gaga breaks another record

Lady Gaga, social media genius, broke a new record this week. The controversial music artist has been a regular on the "100 Million Views Club," a list of videos put together by a company called Visible Measures. Updated monthly, the "100 Million Views Club" contains the most watched viral videos of all time. If you think that is noteworthy, try being the first and, as of now, only artist to reach one billion online video views. Three of her music video views, including "Poker Face" (374,606,128), "Just Dance" (272,941,674) and "Bad Romance" (360,020,327) add up to over one billion.

As a fan of Lady Gaga, I think her music video views are well deserved. While many people may not like her music or persona, there is no denying that her music videos are creative and interesting to watch.

Google's new experiement

Google Bookmarks is experimenting with a feature called, Lists, currently being used by its English users. Lists allows people to privately save links in buckets, share them, or publicly post them around the web. According to Mashable, some features include "list comments, in-line Youtube and content previews, as well as recommended links and location features." If Google detects that you search the same kind of topics frequently, it will automatically save the search in your bookmarks - into Lists. For people who research and use Google often, this can be a huge timesaver.

I think this new feature is very convenient and will become a very useful tool in everyday life. Using Google Lists, I will be able to save searches for one topic specifically in one place. I will not need to search through my browser history, but rather click on one link and have all the information I need at the tip of my fingers.

How much information is too much information?

While browsing the web earlier today, I came across a website by the name of Spokeo. Started in 2005 by a college student who wanted to keep track of his friends on various social networks, it was simple idea with a simple objective. Today, the technology of the site has expanded and now includes phone books, marketing surveys, and business databases. According to the official site, Spokeo's mission is to "organize the world’s people-related data, and it will continue to integrate additional types of data to better connect people."

At first glance, Spokeo immediately caught my attention. Why hadn't I heard of such an amazing site before? It's been five years since it was created!

I immediately began searching names, phone numbers, and email addresses of myself, as well as people I know. What I found however, was shocking - and quite scary. Along with full names, ages, addresses, and in some cases annual income, Spokeo offers real-life pictures of where people live and their photos. While some of the information provided is a bit off, the major details provided seem to be correct. I don't know why I was so shocked at first. I know nothing on the internet is really private at all. I suppose it was seeing a picture of my actual apartment building and address as any person around the world could see it really blew my mind. Essentially, it is a more advanced type of phone book, and completely legal...I am just not sure I want people to access my information so easily and so in-depth.

I urge all of you to browse this site and look at all the features it offers. While most information is free, paid memberships are required if you wish to get more information on who or what you are searching for.

How do you feel about your information being available for strangers to see?

Is Social Media Addictive?

Retrevo Inc., a Califoria company that runs a consumer electronics shopping site, surveyed 1000 people and according to them - social media is addictive. According to the survey results posted on The Bulldog Reporter:

• 48% of people check/update Facebook and Twitter after they go to bed
• 56% feel the need to check Facebook at least once a day
• 7% of people reveal they would not mind being interrupted during sex by an electronic message
• 40% do not mind being interrupted during meals due to a text message

Eighteen percent of the people surveyed are under the age of 25 and 11 percent are over the age of 25, and they all admit they cannot stay away from sites like Facebook without checking every couple of hours.

Do you check your Facebook or Twitter account as soon as you wake up, throughout the day, and before you go to bed? If so, you are one of the many people that cannot function without their daily dose of social media. I know I am constantly checking my BlackBerry's Facebook and Twitter applications to see what my friends are up to, keeping up with current events, and updating my own statuses. When I do not have access to a television or computer, I receive my news updates through those outlets. If I do not have those outlets available all the time, I feel disconnected from the world.

Social media is essentially participating in conversation using the internet and sites such as our beloved Facebook. Do not be ashamed of your addiction- keep conversing!