Changes Facebook has brought about

Although primarily a social networking tool, Facebook has brought changed to all areas of life. A few are highlighted below.In Business
The basic principle of Facebook is communication, which is a vital asset for any business. But it doesn’t have to be limited to text, as companies increasingly use apps, games and video to get their message across. It can also allow for more targeting, as the information people share on their pages can help indicate who is more or less likely to want a particular service or product. Nothing is more effective than the influence of friends however, and once a social circle sees one member liking and using a business, the others are very likely to follow.

In Recruiting
Facebook allows companies to give a face (or many faces) to their name. Increasingly they use real images of their workers and work environment on their profile pages, to demonstrate to job seekers what it would really be like as part of the team. This has been particularly popular in Australia and New Zealand where Deloitte have gone as far as live webcam feeds into their offices. Some companies, such as Ernst and Young, even broadcast interviews to provide a demonstration of how the process works.

In Relationships
The average length of courtship before marriage is far shorter for couple who meet online than for those who meet offline. This may due to the quick and simple way we access information about people’s interests, tastes and hobbies; what could take weeks of dating to find out now takes minutes of profile perusing. Perhaps this also reflects a shift in attitude from viewing romance as a slow blooming process, to something we want as quickly as simply as everything else we search for online.

In Travel
Online service is about more than just the company website. Airlines have been giving special Facebook offers, such as ‘Facebook Friday Fares’ with AirTran, and travel agents promote their latest holidays to their fan list, but apps are the current hot topic as they become all the rage for smart phones and social networks alike. Skyscanner’sflight searcher is a great example of this, allowing Facebook users to look up great prices with no hassle. For example, if you were searching for flight prices for September from the UK to Canada you could

a) Visit a site like Skyscanner/Flights Direct or

b) Visit the Skyscanner flight searcher page and type ‘UK to Canada in September’ and immediately you would get pinged back with a price.

Do we really need a flight search app in Facebook? Of course not. It’s just a nice little gimmick and something that’s ideal for those that don’t want to leave Facebook.

In Politics
Political views have never been easier to spread and put into practice than since the advent of Facebook and Twitter. Middle-Eastern uprisings have be coordinated though social media, student protest groups formed and rallied to action, regular marches such as Gay Pride are planned and promoted through groups. In this sense, Facebook is proving that the younger generations are not politically apathetic, and that protest is not a relic of the past.

What is Google Apps

If you are unfamiliar with Google it would be assumed that you are from Mars. However, if you are unfamiliar with the Google Apps platform, it could be assumed that you are operating out of Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Notes, Novell GroupWise, or a myriad of other legacy platforms. When I first learned of Google Apps I was, in short, confused. “I already have Gmail for my personal use, why would I need to pay for things?” I asked myself this question multiple times, but then, finally, the answer was explained to me.

There are different versions of Google Apps, such as Google Apps for Business, Google Apps for Government, Google Apps for Education, and Google Apps for Non-Profit Organizations. They are all essentially the same platform with a few differences. For example, Google Apps for Government’s main difference is that the information receives government level security over mail and other information stored upon Google Apps. The servers that store the information for the government organizations will also be stored on servers located in the United States.

While there are certain differences, the Google Apps platform entails, for the most part, the exact same apps. The apps listed in the Google Apps suite are as follows: Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Video, Google Sites, Google Video, and Google Message Security powered by Postini. Here’s a simple breakdown of the products and some of the benefits:

1. Gmail: Email…No shocker here really, however the amount of space offered by Google Apps for Business in your email is larger than you could fathom using. Each user receives 25 GB of message space which is 50 times the industry average.
2. Google Docs: Google’s version of a word processor. The main benefit is that Google Docs allows complete control over who you share the document with. You can not only share the document with anyone on the Google Apps platform, but also you can allow those users to edit the document as well. Simply put, Google Docs is the pentacle of document collaboration.
3. Google Calendar: Very aesthetically pleasing and clean so it’s easy to read. Also it is very easy to share calendars among users, as well as schedule events very specifically and pass them along to users in your organization.
4. Google Message Security: In the past months there has been this fear that Google Apps is not a secure platform, or that the security of the cloud is risky at best. These fears are simply not true. Not only are all messages encrypted so that they can only be read by the account they were sent to, but also Google Apps features Two Step Authentication.
5. 2 Step Authentication: This is the backup security system that Google Apps has created. The way it works is as such: You have your normal password, but once you enter that password you have another screen. The way the next screen works is that you have your phone number stored on your account so when you get to this screen Google sends you a pin number that changes every time you log in. Once you receive this pin you will then have access to your account. The main benefit of this system is that even if your password is stolen, only you are able to get past the second layer of security. Pretty helpful right?

Whether your business is small, medium, or large in size Google Apps is a useful platform that you might want to explore. It certainly isn’t for everybody, but how exactly do you know unless you do the research and testing?

Socrates thoughts on gossip

Keep this in mind the next time you are about to repeat a rumour or spread gossip.

In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom.

One day an acquaintance ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about Diogenes?"

"Wait a moment," Socrates replied, "Before you tell me I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
'Triple filter?" asked the acquaintance.

"That's right," Socrates continued, "Before you talk to me about Diogenes let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"No," the man said, "Actually I just heard about it."

"All right," said Socrates, "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about Diogenes something good?"

"No, on the contrary..."

"So," Socrates continued, "You want to tell me something about Diogenes that may be bad, even though you're not certain it's true?"

The man shrugged, a little embarrassed. Socrates continued, "You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter, the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about Diogenes going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "If what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even useful, why tell it to me or anyone at all?"

The man was bewildered and ashamed. This is an example of why Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.

It also explains why Socrates never found out that Diogenes was shagging his wife.

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