College Alcohol Use Essay Example for Free

College Alcohol Use Essay Summary: Argumentative essay on the topic of drinking on campus. Compares the consequences versus the benefits of alcohol consumption by college students. Drinking on campus is a problem that affects most college students, either directly or indirectly. I, for one, am against drinking on campus. As a student of Stevens Institute of Technology, I can say that drinking on campus is as rampant as a fire in a toothpick factory. Several friends of mine at colleges around the country tell me that their schools face the same problems. Here, at Stevens, much to the college communitys surprise, we had a snow day in February. The night before our well-deserved day off, a Tuesday, most of the general Stevens populous got drunk. That wouldnt have been so bad if everyone locked themselves in their rooms and drank to their livers content, but it was not so. In addition to getting wasted, everyone partied all night, with music blasting and partiers yelling. Needless to say, it wasnt a good night for anyone trying to get some sleep. The whole night wasnt wasted though; it was fun watching inhibition-less people wander around. On a trip to the bathroom, I saw one guy making a fool of himself trying to get together with this girl. Ten minutes later, that same person walked into my room and sat down on my chair. He then told me to get out of his room. A friend of mine had a similar experience. A drunken resident stumbled into his room and fell down on his bed, saying, I think Ill crash here tonight. Luckily, he got up and decided to leave before my friend beat the alcohol out of him. Upon reaching the door, it took him a good 10 seconds before he realized that the knob was on the other side. While I realize that college students generally dont have it easy and they need to unwind every now and then, large consumption of alcohol simply isnt the answer. I suppose its OK to go out and have a drink every now and then, but many people take that to an extreme. Plain and simple, the statistics disfavor drinking on campus. Perhaps the most stunning statistic is the fact that fourteen-hundred college students between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four die each year from unintentional, alcohol-related injuries, the majority of which includes car crashes. Thats not surprising when coupled with the fact that 2. 1 million students drove under the influence last year. Five hundred thousand more are inadvertently injured under the influence of alcohol and six hundred thousand students are assaulted by another student who has been drinking. Approximately twenty-five percent of college students accredit low academic performance to alcohol and thirty-one percent of students met criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse. Another huge impact of alcohol is sexual abuse. In excess of seventy-thousand students fell victim to alcohol-related rape and sexual assault. Four hundred thousand students had unprotected sex and twenty five percent of them say they were too drunk to even remember if they consented to it. Property damage is another plague brought unto colleges by alcohol abuse, especially here at Stevens, where several card-readers that allow access to residence halls were destroyed on several occasions. Around eleven percent of student drinkers say they have committed vandalism of property while drunk. Many administrators also report that their campuses have an increasing problem with alcohol-related property damage. Alcohol inevitably leads to health problems. More than one hundred and fifty thousand students develop alcohol-related health problems and almost 1. 5% of these students have attempted suicide. Five percent of college students are involved with the police for alcohol-related issues and an estimated one hundred and ten thousand students have been arrested as a result of their drinking. In conclusion, although I recognize the pro- side to this debatable issue, I think that the consequences of drinking far outweigh the pleasures. Drinking should not be allowed on college campuses.

Differences Between Personnel Management And Human Resource Management Essay

Differences Between Personnel Management And Human Resource Management Essay Nowadays, we can see some changes that we all have experienced in social, political, economic and technological aspects in depth especially to the style and management regime of their goals that a company must make to achieve maximum impact of the rapid changes in the industry. In our research paper we are concentrating on researching about the comparison between Personnel Management and Human Resource Management, it is related to the phrase the same wine, only different bottles. In this topic, we will try to clearly explain what is meant by the term Human Resource Management (HRM) and Personnel Management (PM), and clarify the differences and similarities between the both of them. Our research begins with some differences and similarities of Personnel Management and Human Resource Management according to some references from the internet and books to apply to the phrase the same wine, only different bottles . Besides that, we will give our argument in favor to one of the approach to managing employees. In our argument we believe that Human Resource Management will be preferred to managing employees and we will give some our idea of Human Resource Management to help us in the future . We also have some examples to prove and demonstrate own opinions regarding our topic. Finally, we will have a conclusion summarize our research. Differences Personnel Management and Human Resource Management As we all know nowadays, management is very important in hospitality industry as well as the other industries. According to our research, we can find some differences between Personnel Management and Human Resource Management. We highlighted some of the differences for example, Human Resource Management create a more flexible condition whilst Personnel Management establishes rules and regulations. (Blurtit, 2007-2010), (Storey, 1995) First of all, Personnel Management is a combination of a traditional routine, and it can also include reporting to administrative job as well as it is applied to support managers, while Human Resource Management does not only focus in the importance of employees, but also about the importance of obtaining continuous benefits for organizations management team. (Blurtit, 2007-2010), (Storey, 1995) According to the theory of Human Resource Management in planning perspective, it was also said that Personnel Management can be described as a reactive and it provides response to demands and concerns in a management, another way is a psychological contract which needs compliance from managers. For Personnel Management however, it includes procedures, consistency and audit, which mean that Personnel Management will usually need to take a look and let the employees know their responsibilities of the team or department, and they will also need to think about the emotions of their employees for example, how can they do or what are they thinking about their job. With Human Resource Management actions include to set up and organize needs, flexibilities and commitments, which are related to the strategies for managers and the development organizations of their team, it is proactive and long, and it is related to continuous development policies with purposes of improving to manpower. (Blurt it, 2007-2010), (Storey, 1995) Now we move to control system of both of Personnel Management and Human Resource Management. In theory, Personnel Management has external control which they usually find some help from other function instead of dealing with it by themselves. By contrast, Human Resource Management is self control, which means for example, when a company has a problem they will be able to solve it by themselves and they do not need any support from the other departments or other teams. (Blurtit, 2007-2010), (Storey, 1995) The relationship between management and employees under Personnel Management rather than monitoring and control, because Personnel Management are like pluralist so they need to do a lot of different functions and normally Personnel Management have some difference in space amongst their employees for example, Personnel Management have some divide class with employee, sometime they think that their employees are not good enough to solve problems so they will contact the management instead of their employees and that is why there will be low trust from their employees. With Human Resource Management, they normally care about the benefits of an establishment so they tend to always to listen their employees and they also care about improving the problem of employee satisfaction, interest in working groups and effective for employee job, active participation, evaluation and reward policies and training cost for example, how can the employees control the work, so this is why we think that H uman Resource Management is individual and has high trust from their employees. (Storey, 1995), (Blurtit, 2007-2010) Personnel Management prefers a structure that is bureaucratic, which means that it always follows any decisions and they normally think they are always true so they are said to be a defined role in their job and Human Resource Management is a more organic and flexible role because Human Resource Management creates a good team work and they can help employees feel comfortable in their work, as we mentioned before Human Resource Management is a very flexible role because if their employees are not good for working, they can help send their employees for training to elevate their talent, for example. Human Resource Management is more individualistic. (Blurtit, 2007-2010), (Storey, 1995) These are some major differences between Personnel Management and Human Resource Management as we have researched and explained before. Here is a summary of some main points according to what we have researched from Guest (1987) identifies the differences as: Long-term rather than short term Psychological commitment rather than compliance Self control rather than external control Unitarian rather than pluralist Organic rather than bureaucratic Integration rather than specialist The Similarities of Personnel Management and Human Resource Management Human Resource Management is defined as an administrative activity that relates with human resources planning, recruitment, selection, orientation, training, appraisal, motivation, providing benefits and incentives, etc. Human Resource Management aims at developing people through work. (Businessdictionary.com, 2010) Although so, there have been many attempts to define what exactly Human Resource Management might be and as stated by Heery and Noon (2001): It has been recognized that Human Resource Management is a subject of considerable academic analysis and that, ultimately, there is no common agreement on what Human Resource Management actually means. (Heery Noon, 2001, p.161) According to Heery and Noon, there are a few definitions which they feel capture the complication and dynamism of Human Resource Management: It is seen as simply being another name for personnel management and there is nothing different or special about it. A convenient shorthand term that allows for the assemblage of a whole series of sub-disciplines that are mostly concerned with people management: such as employee relations, labour relations, personnel management and organizational behavior. Used as a map to help guide to understand the concept and ideas associated with the management of people. Set of professional practices suggests that there are a range of personnel practices that can be integrated to ensure a professional approach to managing people. A method of ensuring internal fit again sees the need to co-ordinate approaches to people management, also with other areas of the organization. A method of ensuring external fit where the activities have to be fully integrated with the demands of the external environment. A competitive advantage where by an organization can gain competitive advantage, a view best captured by the clichà © of our people are our greatest asset. A market-driven approach is that decisions will often be market driven and the needs of the business determine the manner in which employees are treated. Manipulative device sees it as inherently exploitative and manipulative. (Heery Noon, 2001) However, Personnel Management is defined as an administrative discipline of hiring and developing employees so that they become more valuable to the organization. Personnel management includes conducting job analysis, planning personnel needs, recruitment, selection, orienting, training, managing wages and salaries, providing benefits and incentives, appraising performances, resolving disputes and communicating with all employees at all levels. (businessdictionary.com, 2010) There is not much of a difference between the two as it was said that the newer alternative term Human Resource Management has been used rather than Personnel Management, reflecting the increased importance of this function in labor-intensive, service-sector industries. Here are the similarities between Human Resource Management and Personnel Management: Planning employees needs In charge of the recruitment and the selection of staff In charge of the orientation and training of staff Manage employees wages and salaries Assess employees (appraisal) Motivate and have constantly communication with employees Provide benefits and incentives for employees In addition, according to Armstrong (1992) there are similarities between the Human Resource Management and Personnel Management that has been summarized below: Both of their strategies result from the business strategy Both need line managers in order to manage people One of their basic process is to put the right people into the right jobs Both they use almost the same techniques such as rewarding, training, appraisal, etc. Personnel Management prefers the soft version of Human Resource Management which stresses the significance of constant communication with the employees as well as respect for the individual. (Armstrong, 2000) The same wine, only different bottles In this case, we agree that both Human Resource Management and Personnel Management are the same wine, only different bottles. This means that it is just the names that are different, but the job descriptions and objectives are the practically the same. It is just stated that the Human Resource Management has a broader scope compared to Personnel Management yet what they do are basically the same, managing people. As stated above, both of their strategies result from the business strategy, both need line managers in order to manage their people in their organization, put the right people into the right jobs, manage their employees wages and salaries, they use almost the same techniques such as motivating, orienting, training, appraisal, etc. of their staff, as well as providing benefits and incentives for employees. (N. Madison, 2003-2010) Human Resource Management is Preferred for Managing Employees From the differences and similarities stated above, we strongly believe that Human Resource Management is the first-rate choice and that it should also be the favourable management for managing employees in every organization. Reasons are as follows: Human Resource Management is the most effective way of managing people Human Resource Management is ideal in hiring the right people for the right positions in the organization Any problems or complications that occur in an organization, the Human Resource Management are the ones to turn to, to simplify them Human  Resource Management involves ongoing strategies to manage and develop an organizations workforce Human Resource Management is proactive as constant improvement of functions and policies is important for the development of employees Employees of an organizations managers of all levels often involve themselves and their main goal is to have managers from a range of departments to develop the essential skills to handle  every staff-related task Having  Human  Resource Management in an organization, primary motivators like work groups, strategies for meeting challenges and job creativity are perceived Human resource management does not only focus in the importance of employees, but also about the importance of obtaining continuous benefits for organizations management team Finally we have summarized a few points of Human Resource Management to help us in the future. They are as follows: People are the most important assets that a business has. The success of the enterprise depends on the effectiveness of the people management of you-including the management of myself, managing employees, customers, suppliers and lenders as how? Supply management, work environment you provide for your employees and how to communicate the values and goals will determine your success and the success of the business. To achieve the objectives and implementation of strategic plans you need to link closely the personnel policies and procedures with business objectives. For example, you need to know when and why to recruit staff, what you expect from them, you will be rewarded and / or discipline employees can do to achieve their strategic business goals. Conclusion For the conclusion of our research, we believe that Human Resource Management it the best choice for managing employees. In addition, we also believe that if all the organizations in every industry use Human Resource Management, it is definitely better than Personnel Management in ways of their functions. For example, it can make their department harmonious and they can recruit the best people for the right positions. Also, the trouble of your organization can easily be fixed through the Human Resource Management department. This is because Human Resource Management are meant to and always there to manage their employees that they have as well as for their future employees, in every way possible. From our research, we found that with the ways of Human Resource Management, the employees find it easier to realize their values towards an organization. However, we also found that the Personnel Management and the Human Resource Management have their own way of management even though they have the same objectives. Last but not least, we strongly agree that Human Resource Management is more effective than compared to Personnel Management based on the examples and the history that we have mentioned above. This project gave us the opportunity to understand more about the Human Resource Management and Personnel Management, and its effects on an organization. This is also very important for us to acquire the knowledge which we will definitely need for our future undertakings in the working industry.

Essay --

Forgotten women activists This section will highlight some of the women who were active in the civil rights movement as well as the roles they played. Because the events of the civil rights movement were quite immeasurable, it is often hard to name every single person involved. Consequently, some people who advocated for the beliefs of the civil right movements were often left out of the discussion unless their case made it to mainstream media. It does not mean that they served as a lesser influence or didn’t contribute as much; it simply means that the courageous act that they performed did not receive universal recognition due to not being present in the media sources. No matter how big or small their contributions seemed to be, collectively, they all contributed to our freedom today. The first person that comes to mind is Claudette Colvin. Colvin was the fist African American to resist white officials and remained seated when asked to give her seat to a white American. She was later arrested for the lack to comply with the segregation law of Montgomery, Alabama. She served as an inspiration for other people to stop being passive when dealing with the white Americans. The civil rights movement still quite new and no one had stepped up yet, quite possibly due to fear. When discussing the bus boycotting and how it began, Colvin is not mentioned because her incident did not receive any news coverage. Among four other women, she was required to attend a federal court case Browder v. Gayle, which determined that segregation laws in Montgomery were unconstitutional due to the fourteenth amendment that gave equal rights under the law. The case later went to the Supreme Court who made the same ruling, confirming the decision made in f... ... During Dr. King’s fight for the advancement and equality of African Americans, Scoot-King stood by his side in support of the cause. In many situations, she was in attendance at countless events and mass meetings that her husband was featured in despite the fact that she had three young children in that timeframe. This is also true about the actions sponsored by the NAACP as well as other organizations that stood for the rights and equal treatment of African Americans. Even after his death, Coretta Scott King continued to stand for the ideas that her husband imparted into the hearts and minds of black people. Until her passing in 2006,strived to keep his legacy alive by continuing to attend seminars, meetings, and demonstrations in order to enforce the equal treatment of African Americans. He has even served as a keynote speaker on the subject in several occasions. Essay -- Forgotten women activists This section will highlight some of the women who were active in the civil rights movement as well as the roles they played. Because the events of the civil rights movement were quite immeasurable, it is often hard to name every single person involved. Consequently, some people who advocated for the beliefs of the civil right movements were often left out of the discussion unless their case made it to mainstream media. It does not mean that they served as a lesser influence or didn’t contribute as much; it simply means that the courageous act that they performed did not receive universal recognition due to not being present in the media sources. No matter how big or small their contributions seemed to be, collectively, they all contributed to our freedom today. The first person that comes to mind is Claudette Colvin. Colvin was the fist African American to resist white officials and remained seated when asked to give her seat to a white American. She was later arrested for the lack to comply with the segregation law of Montgomery, Alabama. She served as an inspiration for other people to stop being passive when dealing with the white Americans. The civil rights movement still quite new and no one had stepped up yet, quite possibly due to fear. When discussing the bus boycotting and how it began, Colvin is not mentioned because her incident did not receive any news coverage. Among four other women, she was required to attend a federal court case Browder v. Gayle, which determined that segregation laws in Montgomery were unconstitutional due to the fourteenth amendment that gave equal rights under the law. The case later went to the Supreme Court who made the same ruling, confirming the decision made in f... ... During Dr. King’s fight for the advancement and equality of African Americans, Scoot-King stood by his side in support of the cause. In many situations, she was in attendance at countless events and mass meetings that her husband was featured in despite the fact that she had three young children in that timeframe. This is also true about the actions sponsored by the NAACP as well as other organizations that stood for the rights and equal treatment of African Americans. Even after his death, Coretta Scott King continued to stand for the ideas that her husband imparted into the hearts and minds of black people. Until her passing in 2006,strived to keep his legacy alive by continuing to attend seminars, meetings, and demonstrations in order to enforce the equal treatment of African Americans. He has even served as a keynote speaker on the subject in several occasions.

The Friendship of Gilgamesh and Enkidu Essay -- The Epic of Gilgamesh,

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a historic story of the king of Uruk, Gilgamesh. The story depicts the short lived friendship of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. The story begins as Shamat the harlot seduces Enkidu and convinces him to go to the city of Uruk and meet Gilgamesh. From that moment on, the two were very close. They planned a trip to the forest of cedars to defeat the monster known as Humbaba so that Gilgamesh could show his power to the citizens of Uruk. However, Enkidu tried â€Å"vainly to dissuade† (18) Gilgamesh in going to the forest. Despite Enkidu’s plead, the two continued on their voyage to the forest where Humbaba lives. Once they arrived, they found the monster and killed him. They cut down trees, â€Å"then Enkidu builds a gigantic door†¦as a gift to Enlil.† (44) Upon their arrival to Uruk, Ishtar the goddess of sex, love and warfare wanted to wed Gilgamesh. In spite of this, Gilgamesh did not feel the same and did not wish to marry her. Ishtar was so upset with the decision of Gilgamesh that she sent down the â€Å"Bull of Heaven† (50) to kill him. The bull ultimately met its’ demise when Gilgamesh and Enkidu killed it. Of all of the events that occurred, the gods were not pleased. After the bull was killed and the cedar trees were cut, Enkidu had to be seen by the gods in council. Thus, the decision that Enkidu must die because of these acts was established. (53) The death of his friend is unreal to Gilgamesh. Thorkild Jacobsen points out that â€Å"†¦it touches him in all its stark reality, and Gilgamesh refuses to believe it.† (Thorkild Jacobsen, â€Å"And Death The Journey’s End,† 191) Gilgamesh goes on to seek eternal life. Death had never been a topic he had to deal with. Jacobsen explains, â€Å"death, fear of death, has become an ob... ...ves after him. There is a measure of immortality in achievement, the only immortality man can seek.† (Jacobsen, 196) The whole reason Gilgamesh takes this journey to search for eternal life is due to the death of Enkidu, with whom he was close with. Before all of the events occurred, Gilgamesh had never thought about the topic of death. It’s as if it never crossed his mind; as though he would live forever. He went through phases along his journey. The first was not accepting reality, the second was fighting for eternal life, and the last was accepting reality. Now, his aspirations for immortality are no longer apparent as he enters the last stage. Works Cited Thorkild Jacobsen, "'And Death the Journey's End': The Gilgamesh Epic" â€Å"The Epic of Gilgamesh,† trans. and ed. Benjamin R. Foster, A Norton Critical Edition, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2001

Historical Fiction in B for Buster by Iain Lawrence :: essays research papers

Throughout our lives we encounter dilemmas which help us learn the real meaning of courage, which differs with every person. Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. This could be interpreted that courage isn't committing an act of temerity without a reason, however, it is facing your fears to accomplish something which is more important than fear itself. Throughout the book B for Buster by Iain Lawrence, the main character of the novel learns the real meaning of courage through his acts of temerity in order to achieve something which is important to him. This novel takes place during World War II, when an underage sixteen year old signs up to become a crewman in the Halifax bombing of Nazi Germany. Although he is young, Kak makes it through his missions through his courage and determination to accomplish his dream and his love for flying. Lawrence uses characterization and many examples from the novel to show the t rue meaning of courage. An example of courage, as the judgment that something else is more important than fear, is through the character of Kak in B for Buster by Iain Lawrence. In this novel, Kak is characterized as a young, determined boy, desiring to turn himself from a comic book reading boy into a World War II hero. Planning to escape his drunken, abusive father, Kak enlists himself in the Canadian Air Force although he is underage and only sixteen years old. During his first mission, he is becomes frightened of the risk of not coming home alive, but doesn?t show his emotions because of his austere, intrepid crewmen. During this mission, Kak did not have an absence of fear, but he felt that becoming a hero like the ones in his comic book, and accomplishing his dream of fly, was more important than his fear of dying. Throughout the novel, Kak exhibits many examples of how he overcomes his fears. Previous to one of his missions he states that: ?When I was still in school I read a story about a boy who had to Choose between two doors. Behind one of them was a beautiful princess who would love him forever. Behind the other was a tiger who would kill him. I didn?t remember anything else about the story, only those two doors and the boy?

Microscopy of Living Microbes

Purpose: To prepare students to familiarize themselves with the lab equipment such as the microscope, square glass, cover slips, etc.; to facilitate students to observe the pond water; and enable them to discern and identify the microbes as bacteria, algae, fungi, or protozoa within the pond water. Additionally, this lab experiment will permit students to observe and distinguish the yeast suspension from the other microbes.Data/Results: (Attached)Conclusion: The student acquired the fundamental skills in which to properly handle lab equipment and execute an experiment. By examining the pond water with the 40X lens, the student was able to distinguish and identify the protozoa with cilia: colpidium, which was recognized by its unique oval shape, resembling a peanut, with small hair-like particles comprising the entire surface, and the vascular plant, which was discrete due to its array of composition of cells.By examining the pond water with the 100X lens, the student was able to diff erentiate and classify 1) the cyanobacteria: nostoc due to its distinctive S shape and beads with surrounding cells, 2) two nematodes (phylum nematoda) parallel to one another (the nematodes appeared as slender worms, colorless, and encompassed of cells), and 3) the cyanobacteria: anabaena, which was blue-green in its feature with long filaments of cells (resembling a seaweed structure). By examining the yeast suspension with the 40X lens, the student observed millions of budding yeast cell structures. The student was able to discern between the various structures of pond water microorganisms, such as cilia and algae, and the yeast suspension cellular material.Questions:1. What is Brownian motion and why is it generally seen when bacteria are observed in liquid media? Some bacteria, perhaps many in your presentation did not display Brownian motion. Why is that? Brownian motion is a non-directional movement triggered when cells are blasted by water molecules. Brownian motion is gener ally seen when bacteria are observed in liquid media primarily by the production of gas that bacteria yields, which is converted into liquid fluids. Thus, some bacteria, many in the experiment presentation, did not display Brownian motion because of the lack of energy of the system and the absence of flagella that impels bacteria to move voluntarily.2. How can Brownian motion be distinguished from motility?As mentioned previously, Brownian motion is a non-directional movement triggered when cells are blasted by water molecules whereas motility is the capability of an organism to independently move either towards or away from a specific stimulus. Therefore, Brownian motion is distinguishable from motility due to it being a false movement while motility enables organisms to transfer by means of flagellum, endoflagella, or axil filaments. 3. What are flagella? What is the difference between bacterial flagella and eukaryotic flagella?Flagella are long protein structures responsible for most type of prokaryotic motility and also propel cells through liquid. Bacterial flagella, which are also referred to as prokaryotic flagella, are smaller than eukaryotic flagella and have a simple structure, are made up of protein flagellin that provides a mechanism of motility, are proton driven, and have a rotatory movement. On the other hand, eukaryotic flagella have a larger and more complex configuration, are composed of tubulin that delivers a mechanism of locomotion, are ATP driven, and have a bending movement.4. In wet mount preparations, is it possible to see eukaryotic flagella? Prokaryotic flagella? In wet mount preparations, it is possible to see eukaryotic flagella, but it is not possible to see prokaryotic flagella. 5. Does crystal clear pond water contain living bacteria? What about air? Your finger? All things that are not sterile do contain living bacteria such as pond water, air, and fingers.

Social Media: Bane or Boon?

SOCIAL MEDIA: BOON OR BANE? Roberto M. Macatuggal, Ph. D. Web 2. 0 has enabled web-based services, such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools, etc. , that emphasize collaboration and sharing among users. This platform (Davis, 2012), described simply as the read/write web, allows users to be both consumers and producers of online content. It is an interactive two-way web; a place where everyday folks with Internet access can create and edit stuff. Davis compares Web 1. 0 and Web 2. 0: Web 1. 0 was a place to go and get, while Web 2. 0 is a place to be and do.Gregory (2011) clarifies further that Web 2. 0 allows for participating and sharing in the production of resources. It is about communities, participation, and peering. A social network (Wikipedia) is a theoretical construct that is used to study the relationships between and among individuals, social units, or even whole societies. Georg Simmel pioneered in early structural theories in Sociology and Jacob Moreno is credited for having developed the first sociograms in the 1930s to study interpersonal relationships. Web 2. 0 social networking working capabilities have spawned the development of social media tools.What is social media? According to Parker (2011) social media are the uses of Web technology to spread messages through social interaction that happens online. Rean John Uehara (Webdesigner. com) defines social media as a combination of human interaction through web applications where people produce their own content, mold their own experience, and define their online presence. A loose definition of social media is that it’s like a country, people gather and interact with massive amounts of people from their area and abroad. It’s really a broad place, both wonderful and terrible depending on its use.Two of the most popular social media are Facebook (visited at http:// blog. facebook. com/blog. php? post =287542130) which claims to have more than 400 million users and T witter (http://blog. twitter. com/2010/02/measuring-tweets. html) receiving around 50 million updates a day from users, which is an average of 600 tweets per second. Parker (2011) differentiates the following social media tools: 1. Blogging – an informal conversational medium for writing and publishing content online on regular basis. (e. g. , Blogger, Typepad, WordPress). 2. Microblogging – a short form of blogging where posts are usually limited in length and format. e. g. , Twitter, Friendfeed) 3. Social Networking – a way to engage and interact with a specific online community by way of a fan or profile page. 4. Social Bookmarking – a central location for posting links to useful resources which can be seen and shared by other users. (e. g. , Digg, Stumbleupon, Delicious). 5. Multimedia – Sharing rich media such as video, images, and presentation online. (e. g. , YouTube, SlideShare, Flickr). 6. Reviews and Opinions – a way for customers to share opinions and reviews of products and services online. (e. g. , Yahoo! Answers, Epinions, eHow). 7.Wikis – a central repository designed to be edited by a group rather than one person. (e. g. , Wikipedia, Wikia, Wikitravel, Dealipedia, Wikimapia). What are the benefits of social media? Nakul Arora wrote in his blog that in today’s fast growing world, social media is the latest thing which has made its presence felt virtually across all the sectors. Facebook and Twitter are two big players having majority control within social media. Thus, it becomes very important for any organization today to be present in some form or the other on these networks so as to connect with the wide following these networks have.These networks have also taken individualism to another level altogether with each person having a considerable say over his friend group. Thus if any educational institution at all succeeds in winning over a student to avail of its educational services, the chance of influencing his friends also increases. According to Arora, there are 5 things that educational institutions can do to tap into the students on Facebook and Twitter: 1. Forming a dedicated team. This aspect involves creation of a dedicated team for the sole purpose of managing the social media setup for the institution.This is very important in the present environment there being more than one department in an institution. It is also important to ensure the smooth functioning of the online groups with the social media team managing and ensuring a proper sync between all the different aspects of the institution. An example here to show the need of such a team would be to simply take a case wherein an ex-student of the university sends out a job opportunity to a group of present students online. Now, the social team would keep track of this and forward it to the respective department which an then ensure that the opportunity is properly utilized by the students. This dedica ted team would also ensure that the institution’s updates are well planned and organized instead of doing them at random. This would thus, cater well to the different groups of ex, current and prospective students. 2. Giving before receiving. A common rule of the internet is that you have to first give before you receive. Any person would only follow a particular group or institution if they are sharing things that are unique and beneficial in some way for the person.This is not a tough thing to achieve, for every institution is unique in its own aspect and thus, creation and sharing of unique things wouldn’t offer such a big problem. Also, the university can utilize its previously existing case-studies, problems, etc. for the purpose of engaging the prospecting and other interested students. It can also share newsletter articles about happenings in the institution with the people who are interested in keeping updated with the affairs of the school. 3. Forming and coor dinating student online groups.Students are any institution’s biggest asset and can be the best people to spread the message of the happenings and current life of the institution. Thus, any institution should maintain an online students group where it should form a dedicated team of student volunteers to share the latest things from the campus. This would give the prospective students a real glimpse of the actual life in the campus and also help them connect with the current students. The ex-students can also use this group to remain connected with their Alma Mater.Such groups can also be formed for specific purposes: a group can be formed solely for the purpose of sharing internship opportunities by the alumni with the current students. Another such group can be exclusively for the alumni and staff members to reconnect and be in touch. Also, smaller groups can be formed to influence students who have negative attitudes and perceptions about the school. 4. Presence of influen tial personalities on the networks. Every college has its heroes: professors or teachers who are famous for their service in a particular field of study.These are people who have a huge fan following and thus, any update that they make will be followed by a large number of people. The university has to ensure that professors of such repute have their presence in the social world as well and they also communicate on a regular basis with their followers. Many institutions have already initiated this with their chancellors and heads having an active Facebook or Twitter account. They can actually hold open forums, discussions or simply answer some queries occasionally on the social media. 5. Trying to create a better world.The institutions can also use the social media for their aims towards providing a good education to all. This can be done with the creation of free online courses which can be taken by anyone and everyone. The world has been propelled in that direction with the introd uction of Apple’s iUniversity which gives the universities an opportunity to provide a host of courses, either free or paid. This will go a long way in developing the reputation of the university while benefiting in the process due to development of good content and new courses.This will help towards creating a better world where quality education will be free and available to all. As the prevalence of social media continues to rise, organizations of all types and sizes are recognizing the ways in which social media can help them better understand, respond to, and attract the attention of their target audience. As a result, businesses are now jumping on the social media bandwagon at a rapid pace, embracing blogs, social networks, wikis, and other vehicles to achieve their marketing and public relations goals.The types of benefits that corporations achieve with an effective social media strategy (http://shiftcomm. com/social_media_benefits. html) are the following: 1. Get the message out faster – and to more people. Social media enables more rapid sharing of information. It may take hours, or even days, for a new announcement to reach the end consumer through traditional channels. Why? Because when a press release is issued, a journalist or writer must first wade through all the sales and marketing lingo to find the key points.Then, the content must be re-purposed in article format, and sent to an editor or proofreader before it is published. Social media vehicles, on the other hand, allow for instantaneous dissemination of not just news, but images, audio, video, and other multimedia content as well. And because releases geared toward social media outlets contain only key highlights, pertinent facts, and hyperlinks to related statistics and quotes, the information they contain can be immediately picked up and posted by bloggers and other online journalists.Social media also provides more widespread coverage, enabling breaking news to reach a much larger and broader reader base than standard media outlets alone. While magazine readership and the number of available print publications continue to decline, the number of consumers using the Internet to access and share information continues to rise sharply. For example, one recent study showed that almost one out of every four Internet users – over 41 million people total in 2006 – visits MySpace on a regular basis. 2. Improve branding.Social media, and blogs in particular, can be a highly useful tool for enhancing both awareness and image. Blogging can help â€Å"spread the word† about a company, its products, and its services to more people, dramatically increasing brand recognition and awareness. Additionally, social media can enable executives to gather input and feedback directly from their target audience, and use that intelligence for more effective reputation management. Insight into why people like – or hate – a brand is needed to hel p change and control audience perceptions and preferences. 3. Boost the impact of direct marketing.Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a key component of today’s direct marketing and lead generation strategies, and social media has proven its ability to significantly complement SEO initiatives. Many social media techniques – such as frequent use of common jargon and key phrases, title tags, ticker symbols, and links to blogs and other relevant Web content – can dramatically improve search engine rankings. Additionally, while SEO relies on just a handful of popular search engines such as Google and Yahoo to drive target prospects to a site, social media expands the potential audience by creating alternate channels.For example, when content is published to a site, and that content is then linked to delicious or reddit, it can generate a tremendous boost in Web traffic. Many companies also find it much easier to generate compelling content that is likely to be pick ed up by bloggers, than it is to keep up with the â€Å"rules† required to rank high in today’s popular search engines Parker (2011) suggests five (5) steps in the effective use of social media in business: 1. Think of the bigger picture. Be consistent with the message you wish to convey across various tools. 2. Use less rather than more media tools.It is important to consider your objectives as a basis for selecting the appropriate media tool. 3. Appoint a social media champion. The person would be responsible in engaging the clients / customers regularly; develops strategies to promote the business through social media. He/she would also be responsible in coordinating employees’ personal and social media activities. 4. Tracking the effect. Track the impact of social media efforts on the business such as increased traffic to the website of your business. 5. Take action. Retain the social media tool that gives you more business.Schools have likewise taken advant age of social media to reach out to as many students as possible. For universities competing to attract top students, it's no longer enough to have a glossy brochure and a sleek website. Schools like Johns Hopkins are reaching out to engage with applicants on Facebook and Twitter. They're also finding that a robust social media campaign, along with such creative features as student-run blogs, can lure prospective students while a stale online presence can turn them off. College admissions officers are indeed learning to interact with students where they hang out: online.According to a recent study by the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, 100% of universities surveyed use social media to communicate with students, up from 61% in 2007-08. The study found that 98% of the responding colleges have a Facebook page and 84% have a Twitter account. What are some of the misuses of social media? Social media, according to Prateek Shah, is as prone to m isuse as your computer is to virus. One of the misuses of social media is defaming people/groups/religions/communities. This is possible because of the anonymity of the person posting the derogatory statements.Celebrity fake accounts are being made and untrue stories about them are being spread. ‘Hacking at home’ has led to stealing of passwords and accessing the private lives of others, leading to relationship woes and even divorces. A survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) revealed that four out of five lawyers reported a growing number of divorce cases that cited evidence derived from networking sites. What is at stake when social media is misused and abused? Because of social media misuse and abuse, Uehara (posted at Webdesigner. om) says that you as a social media user may lose: 1. Your soul. If you have a huge audience and you make one little blunder, people will strike you with their pitchforks. 2. Your integrity. Huge claims, especially in public, can easily be cross-examined. 4. Your privacy. Often, people would share snippets of their personal lives on social media sites which is tantamount to loss of privacy. 3. Your job. People have lost their jobs because of a single tweet! 4. Your future. People remember. What you share now with people can haunt you several years from now.The future of social media Gregory argues that social networking through the web with sites such as Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, Second Life, YouTube, and Flicker is becoming a widespread if not dominant form of communication among Internet users, and most popular phenomena prognosticators forecast that this type of collaborating will continue and grow exponentially. Prateek Shah warns that regular attempts at curbing the freedom of social media will be made, but the truth is that it is leading us towards a new world where the lies will be trashed and the guilty will be charged.He says that It will not happen overnight but change has begun and i t is for the common good. In the Philippines, our legislators have crafted House Bill 3732, otherwise known as the Freedom of Information Bill. Social Media and the Internet will be among the enablers of the Freedom of Information Bill, which will boost transparency and minimize graft and corruption in the government. Maintaining ethics in the hyper-networked world of social media Tyler Pennock, Director of Social Media, Rude Finn Creative Edge formulated the following ethical guidelines in the use of social media: 1. Honesty: State nly what you know to be true – and be clear about opinion or conjecture vs. fact. 2. Transparency: Be straightforward about who you are – and who you’re representing online. 3. Respect: Respect for yourself, your peers, and even your adversaries. 4. Privacy: Treat the intimate details of others as you would your own personal information. 5. Relevance: Ensure that the content you’re posting is relevant to the audience and the v enue where it’s being posted. 6. Responsibility: Take ownership of your online activities, the content you’ve created, and any missteps you’ve made along the way.Conclusion Social media is man’s creation to respond to a need for expanding the network of social relationships, towards the realization of a real global village. However, the effectiveness of such social media depends on the selection of the tools that suit one’s purposes and objectives, including their proper use through the observance of ethical practices that respect the rights and uphold the dignity of the human person. References Arora, Nakul. 5 Ways Educational Institutions Can Use Facebook and Twitter For Studies And Coordination.Davis, Cheryl Ann Peltier. (2012). The Cybrarian’s Web. London: Facet Publishing. Gregory, Vicki L. (2011). Collection Development and Management for 21st Century Library Collections: An Introduction. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc. Parker, Catherine . (2011). 301 Ways to Use Social Media to Boost Your Marketing. New York: McGraw-Hill. Prateek, Shah. Use, Misuse and Abuse of Social Media. Posted at http://greensmyles. com/2012/06/the-use-and-misuse-of-social-media/ Uehara, Rean John. Social Media Misuse That Could Cost You Big Time. Webdesigner. com.