Kristin Chenoweth uses social media to fight back

Earlier this week, Ramin Setoodeh posted an article in Newsweek straight out saying that gay actors can not play straight characters convincingly. In the article, he mentioned the television show Glee and Broadway show, Promises Promises. Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth, who has worked on both productions, felt so strongly about the article that she took to Newsweek.com to voice her opinions on the subject.

Being a fan of "The Cheno," when I read her tweet on Twitter asking her followers to read her response, I immediately wanted to know what was going on. Not long after she tweeted about it, people such as Perez Hilton and Christina Applegate began to follow suit. I love that she took the time to defend her gay fans and co-stars using social media to make sure her voice was heard...and it was definitely heard. Setoodeh's article now has over 10 pages of comments both agreeing with Chenoweth, as well as arguing their own opinions.

Whose side are you on?

How to be sneaky using social media!

Ever wanted to follow someone's tweets without them actually knowing you're following them? If yes, your wishes have come true! TweetStalk is a website started by people from a website called Sitening, where they make other cool web applications. All you have to do is download and install the Firefox add-on and BAM, you can 'stalk' tweets. You can even set up an RSS feed of the people you are stalking.

Have fun ;)

What's the trend?

What The Trend's Week in Review show Twitter's top 100 trends. The trends on the website are ranked, have points, the time they were trending is shown as well as their peak index, category, and description. According to the site's notes on the top 20 list, "this list includes both the top 10 regular and hashtag trends, plus a few extra this week. Thus, you can derive a full list of hashtag-related trends, and a full list of non-hashtag-related trends from this chart." The picture below shows the top 5 trends.
I found this site very interesting. It is great to see what the trending topics on Twitter are, why they are trending topics, and how long they have been trending topics. As a Twitter user, this is definitely going to be a site that I frequent.

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.

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!