Posting videos in apps and Web services has become a mainstream online activity, and not just for our kids. More than three-quarters (78%) of US adults watch online videos and the percentage of them who post them has more than doubled since 2009, from 14% to 31%, according to the Pew Internet Project. "That includes 18% of adult internet users who post videos they have created or recorded … [Read more...] about Posting, sharing, shooting video: Study
Instagram adds video
Facebook's little photo-sharing app just became a video-sharing app too. Whether they're using Apple or Android phones, Instagram's 130 million users can now simply pick whether that image they want to capture is better static or in motion, then click on either the little camera or videocam icon (see the left-hand screenshot below). If they go with video, they can capture up to 15 seconds (no … [Read more...] about Instagram adds video
Undercover mom on Instagram
One of her aliases is CupcakePuppy44. That's parent, author, and former teacher Sharon Duke Estroff's Instagram handle. She created a join account with her 10-year-old after some stonewalling and some external investigation (with kids, fellow parents, and psychologists), not to mention a certain amount of hounding by her daughter, who – not unlike other 4th- and 5th-graders – indicated she was … [Read more...] about Undercover mom on Instagram
Help with mobile apps kids love
I am delighted to announce the release of our new parents' guides to two of the most popular social apps among teens, Instagram and Snapchat. You can read or download and print the free guides at ConnectSafely.org. Just 6 pages – including the "Top 5 Questions" parents have about each app right up front – the guides are meant to demystify these mobile apps so parents and kids can have an informed … [Read more...] about Help with mobile apps kids love
Why not a gazillion ‘likes’?: Getting wise to gamification in social media (& life)
Likes in Facebook and Instagram, +1's in Google+, (potentially) "HISCORE(s)" in Snapchat are fun to get (though there isn't much evidence having a HISCORE is a big deal for Snapchat users yet). They're a great example of gamification, a word that's increasingly heard in pop culture as much as education. There's nothing wrong with liking likes and other gamification forms (more on this in minute). … [Read more...] about Why not a gazillion ‘likes’?: Getting wise to gamification in social media (& life)