When I got the leaflets through the door the other day I have to admit that it was the first I knew of the European MP elections that are taking place this Thrusday. I know this is very ignorant and the only defence I can put forward is that I have been working hard on my dissertation and at my work experience placement.

However, I think the political parties have missed a trick here, although I don’t watch the news or read the newspapers everyday or look at the leaflets that come through the door, I do log on to Facebook and Twitter nearly every day. Canvassing online should be given more prominence as the age group which predominantly uses social networking sites is precisely the age group that is under-represented in voting statistics.

My dad rang me and asked me if I was coming home to vote, now it’s only a 1 1/2 hour drive and luckily I am registered to vote in Leeds, but he was very insistent that I must vote as he feels everyone over 18 has the right to vote and should exercise that right. However, for my brother, who is at University in Exeter, he knew nothing of the upcoming elections and it is too far for him to travel home ‘just’ to vote.

Social network sites and new social media in general should be utilised more effectively. It is important that we have the relevant information, and in the digital age we live in, it fits that we are communicated with via digital channels. I still haven’t decided who I’m going to vote for on Thursday but I do think there would be a significant rise in voting by the under 30s if socail media was used more effectively in the campaign process.

The issue of privacy is a prevalent and powerful one and regardless of the fact that today’s online world is accessible 24/7 globally, it is something we all have a right to. As technology has advanced, this has been paralleled by a change in how privacy is protected and violated; the increased ability to share information has ultimately led to new ways in which privacy can be breached.
The amount of information stored online in databases around the world is staggering, therefore it is only natural that concerns over privacy have arisen and become more significant as the consequences can be more severe. Various types of personal information such as an individual’s religion, political affiliations, medical records and financial information often cause privacy concerns. Issues of discrimination, embarrassment, loss of reputation and increasingly, identity theft, are primary causes of anxiety.
Recent examples include Government offices losing CDs containing the National Insurance numbers and bank details of thousands of people or the disgruntled former BNP member who released details of hundreds of current BNP members.

Generally the increase in the ability to gather and send information has had negative implications for retaining personal privacy online.

The other side of the argument would use social networking sites such as facebook, twitter and blogs as a defence. If people are willing to put all their personal information on these sites, share their photos, their contact details, the minutiae of their day-to-day existence and thoughts then what right have they to complain about loss of personal privacy?

I think that the fundamental difference is that medical records and political affiliations are private details which we entrust to certain organisations and which we wish to remain confidential whereas information we put on social networking sites is our choice. There is a clear distinction here between information we release ourselves and information released by someone else without our consent.

This is central to my thoughts on the issue of personal privacy online. The information I put on my facebook page is my personal choice and I have set my privacy settings on the site so that only my ‘friends’ can view my page. The personal information that Government agencies and hospitals hold on me should remain confidential unless I specifically agree it can be used or released. It all comes down to personal choice, which along with privacy is a right we should all have.

Twitter seems to have become the new Marmite – you either love it or hate it. It’s not a generational thing either, whilst talking about Twitter with my coursemates there was about a 50-50 split of those who like and use it and those who just don’t ‘get it’. There are also people like Stephen Fry and Jonathan Ross, who, despite having a few decades on my generation, are avid Tweeters.

Personally, the reason I joined is that my dissertation covers elements of social networking and it is important for me to experience it for myself. The problem I’m finding is that I just don’t have the time to go on it throughout the day and update my profile with the latest tweet on what I’ve been doing.

However, I do think that it is becoming increasingly important in today’s online society to be au fait with the latest technologies and communications tools, after all, those of us on the PR Masters course are aiming to be the communicators of tomorrow. I also plan to use Twitter on a more professional basis for work-related issues and to keep Facebook for personal friendships.

The online world offers so much opportunity for communicating with clients, experts, companies and the wider general public, it is a media for reaching the masses so for me, I would have to choose Yes to Tweeting! It’s here, it’s here to stay and all the PRs out there should be willing to try the Twitter experience.

Although it has been many years since Margaret Thatcher was in power, the concept of the ‘nanny state’ appears to be alive and well. Let me clarify what I mean by this. Today’s papers had a prime example splashed all over the front pages – ‘Online Networking Harms Health.’

Now, I can understand concerns over online safety and online privacy but trying to argue that using social networking sites harm our health? It’s like everything, if you use them 24 hours a day, seven days a week then of course it would be damaging. In today’s society there are warnings about everything from bacon to mobile phones; it just seems overblown and exaggerated.

The expert in this story said that sites such as facebook end up keeping people apart and this lessened face-to-face interaction can cause hormonal imbalances and increase the risk of serious health problems such as cancer and dementia. This expert says that new technology such as social networking should serve as a tool to enrich lives not damage them.

But the point is, sites such as facebook DO enrich lives. For those people who have emigrated or travelling it means they can keep in touch will family and friends, for those who have disorders which affect their social interaction skills it can be a useful way to meet people and for those who are housebound through illness it means they can still engage in social interaction.

Obviously the interaction isn’t the same as a face to face conversation or a chat on the phone but it is still a useful and easy way for people to communicate. I wouldn’t engage in a deep and meaningful talk or a debate about politics on facebook but as a means of communicating short messages, gossip and sharing photos with my friends, especially those that live in different countries, it is fantastic.

As with everything, moderation is the key. Social networking should not completely take over from real-life contact but used to enhance lives as another means of communication.

Hi and welcome to my blog!

I thought a brief introduction to the blog (and myself) would be the best starting point for my first post.

I’m Charley – a 24 year old postgraduate currently studying on the MA Public Relations course at Leeds Metropolitan University.

I first became interested in blogging last year when I went travelling with my boyfriend in Asia and New Zealand. We felt that setting up a blog would be a good way to share our travel stories and pitcures with friends and family.

Ever since we returned I have been meaning to set up my own blog but it was only when some of my coursemates started setting up theirs for a module assessment that I finally got round to doing it.

I plan to use this blog as a medium to express my thoughts and opinions on various issues relating to PR, PR 2.0 and all things communication related. I hope it will be interesting and a forum for other like-minded (or not!) individuals to engage in discussions and make comments.

Anyway…I think for now I need to get better acquainted with how to format, tag and create links etc as it’s more complicated than it seems (at least it is to me at the moment!).

Welcome to PRblogs.org. This is your first post. Read it to learn how to choose your theme and do more with your blog …

You should have received an email confirming your blog. If you don’t, please follow these instructions.

• Please visit the login page for your blog. It is http://blogname.prblogs.org/wp-login.php
• You will be able to click on the link – Lost your password? – and enter the following information.
• Username: This is whatever appears before “.prblogs.org” in your blog’s address.
• E-mail: This is whatever email address you used when signing up.
• This should cause an email to be sent to you with instructions on how to reset the password.
• If you still have problems, please write to prblogsupport (at) gmail (dot) com and we will send you a new password.

Now, you have your blog. Here are some important things to do:

• Select your blog’s theme, or appearance
• Activate plugins, like those that allow you to post videos
• Activate “Spam Karma 2″ to stop pesky unwanted comments (and then visit the “Spam Karma 2 >> About” to finalize the activation)
• Create categories for your posts and links
• Become familiar with your blog’s Administration panel
• Start blogging

So, to get started, read on … (Read the rest of this story.)