The Growing Influence of YouTube

By Megan Valente

When we were travelling in London, my high school-aged sister seemed to know every restaurant name, brand status and event that we encountered in the same way she would know the score to the latest soccer game. Naturally this garnered my family’s curiosity as to how a girl who barely leaves her room could know so much about a world she had never seen.

The answer? YouTube. Now we finally know what her snarky laughs are about and why her eyes barely leave her screen. She is just one of the many followers that obsess over the channels of YouTube entertainers on a daily basis.

What???
These YouTube artists have managed to break out from the confinements of their screen and touch the minds and hearts of their followers. My sister knew all of these places and things in Europe because a YouTuber taught her about them. How crazy is that?

But…how???
I can walk up to my any of my friends and yell, “Kermy!!!” and they will immediately know that I’m referencing Jenna Marbles. Through constant posting and promotion, we not only learn the faces of our favorite entertainers, but tend to pick up on their mannerisms, habits, dislikes, and lifestyles. According to comScore data, 81.2 percent of Internet users are reached via YouTube, making the possibilities of garnering a following to a quality channel laughably realistic and possible. *Runs to buy a camera*

No, but actually, how?
By excelling in a particular area of interest or being so exceptionally horrible that it’s funny, these artists find their niche and wedge themselves into your life. Email subscriptions keep you hooked, Snapchat follows keep their face on your screen and, in the same style as brand loyalty, the follower and the followee become an integral part of each other’s day.

Are you kidding?
Nope.

So, people put this much stock into YouTubers?
Yup.

Hmm, interesting…very interesting.
I know, right?

So…what does this mean?
From a business aspect, this means that YouTubers are an excellent source for brand and product promotion, because a ‘peer to peer’ recommendation is far more effective than a company shoving a product in your face. That means that I’m more likely to buy something from a YouTuber that I follow because I feel I have built a relationship with them. (Creepy, right?)

From a personal and consumer standpoint, this means that I worship makeup artist Jaclyn Hill and can’t wait until she uploads a new video. Ah!

So whether you are an obsessed fan, a YouTuber yourself, or are totally freaked out by all the information you just read, it is time to not only coexist with but take advantage of this wealth of opinion leaders. They’re all in one spot and, like my sister, you never even have to leave your couch!

Megan Valente is a lifestyle blogger and barista and is currently attending Montclair State University. Follow her on Twitter at @TheDayILived.

Best Free Apps for Black Friday Shopping

By Tracey Dowdy

Depending on how you feel about shopping, Black Friday is either the greatest or worst shopping day of the year. My sister in law and my niece gear up and head out like they’re being deployed and love the thrill of the hunt. I’d rather have a root canal and have never shopped on Black Friday.

So, for those of you who have been eying the flyers and ads, who’ve strategically mapped out your battle plan, here are the best free apps to ensure your mission is a success.

ShopSavvy does not fool around when it comes to Black Friday deals. Get up to date coupons, cash back, daily deals and be notified of price drops at over 40,000 stores nationwide. Create personalized shopping and wish lists, and the app will notify you of sales and price drops as they become available. (Free – iOS, Android)

RetailMeNot was voted the #1 Shopping App: People’s Voice Webby Winner for 2015. The app provides online codes and coupons that can be printed or scanned directly from your phone for over 50,000 retailers and restaurants. Deals are sorted by current location and will send automated updates on local deals. (Free – iOS, Android)

Flipp is the app equivalent to flipping through all the flyers that come in the mail and does the sorting for you. Add your store loyalty card to the app, “clip” the coupons to your card and the discounts are taken at the checkout. Create a shopping list and Flipp will aggregate the best deals from your favorite stores to help you find the best deals. (Free – iOS, Android)

WalMart’s app deserves a special mention when it comes to Black Friday deals. Their “Savings Catcher” feature automatically price matches for you so if there’s a lower price somewhere, they will honor the lower price and give you the difference on an eGift card. It links to Baby and Gift registries and allows you to use your phone as a scanner to create your own gift registry. Even better, it tracks in-store availability of items so if you’re if it’s not the first store on your list of stops on Black Friday, you can check to see if the item you’re looking for is still available. (Free – iOS, Android)

The Coupons App does more than just provide discount coupons at your favorite stores, it will even tell you where the cheapest gas is to get you there and where to eat along the way. Deals are updated daily and throughout the day. (Free – iOS, Android)

Tracey Dowdy is a freelance writer based just outside Washington DC. After years working for non-profits and charities, she now freelances, edits and researches on subjects ranging from family and education to history and trends in technology. Follow Tracey on Twitter.

Monday, November 28: Gift Buying in the Internet Age

GIFT BUYING IN THE INTERNET AGE

#FiOSNY

When:  Monday, November 28, 2016
9:00 – 10:00 pm ET
6:00 – 7:00 pm PT
Join host Misty (@mistygirlph) and the #FiOSNY team on Twitter at 9 pm ET on Monday, November 28 as we chat about Gift Buying in the Internet Age!
With high speed networks and easy access to the Internet, personal electronics will once again feature prominently on this year’s Holiday wish lists. Join us as we take a look at what’s new, share a few ideas, and make sure your gifts are just what the family wanted!
RSVP and attend the chat for a chance to win a Mophie portable charger or a Kindle Fire HD 10 tablet!

(Click here to learn more about our Twitter chats. You must RSVP and attend the party to be eligible for a prize.)

To RSVP:
  1. Email RSVP@theonlinemom.com subject line: FiOSNY) indicating your Twitter ID.
  2. Spread the word and RT this link on your Twitter feed: http://bit.ly/2gvFjNc
  3. Join us on TweetDeck or HootSuite (#FiOSNY) on Monday, November 28 between 9:00 – 10:00 pm ET.
  4. Tell your Twitter followers!
PRIZE WINNERS will be announced during the Party!

(The Online Mom LLC receives a fee for participating in certain promotional programs for Verizon.)

Monday, November 21: Getting Ready for the Holidays

GETTING READY FOR THE HOLIDAYS

#FiOSPhilly

When: TODAY, Monday, November 21, 2016
9:00 – 10:00 pm ET
6:00 – 7:00 pm PT
Join Mary Beth (@5cupcakes) and the #FiOSPhilly team at 9 pm ET on Monday, November 21, as we chat about Getting Ready for the Holidays!
Are you ready for the Holidays? And we’re not just talking about ordering the turkey. With family and guests arriving you also need to be TV and Internet ready. Join us as we make sure you keep everyone entertained at this busy time of the year!
RSVP and attend the chat for a chance to win a Mophie portable battery charger or a Kindle Fire HD 10 Tablet!

(Click here to learn more about our Twitter chats. You must RSVP and attend the party to be eligible for a prize.)

To RSVP:
  1. Email RSVP@theonlinemom.com (subject line: FiOSPhilly) indicating your Twitter ID.
  2. Spread the word and RT this link on your Twitter feed: http://bit.ly/2guuLhn
  3. Join us on TweetDeck or HootSuite (#FiOSPhilly) on Monday, November 21 between 9:00 – 10:00 pm ET.
  4. Tell your Twitter followers!
PRIZE WINNERS will be announced during the Party!

(The Online Mom LLC receives a fee for participating in certain promotional programs for Verizon.)

Facebook or Fakebook? The Problem with Fake News

By Tracey Dowdy

Let’s play a game. How about “Two Truths and a Lie”? I’ll share three headlines from the last three months before the election and you decide which two are true and which one is a lie. Remember, all three are published news stories, but one is from a fake news site. Ready? Here we go:

A. “I Ran the C.I.A. Now I’m Endorsing Hilary Clinton”
B. “It’s Over: Hillary’s ISIS Email Just Leaked and It’s Worse Than Anyone Could Have Imagined”
C. “Trump Sees Dead People: Promises Crowd He’ll Bring Joe Paterno Back from the Grave”

So which headline is from a fake news story? It’s B – the headline from an article published by Ending the Fed, a site notorious for its completely unreliable content. In fact, Ending the Fed is responsible for four of the top ten fake election stories shared by users on Facebook.

So much fake news has been shared on Facebook that Paul Horner, the man who created an entire fake news empire on Facebook has stated, “I think Trump is in the White House because of me.” Turns out he’s not the only one that feels fake news had an impact on the election or that the amount of fake news being generated has risen exponentially in the past few months.

Brendan Nyhan, Professor of Political Science at Dartmouth College who researches political misinformation and fact-checking says, “I’m troubled that Facebook is doing so little to combat fake news…Even if they did not swing the election, the evidence is clear that bogus stories have incredible reach on the network. Facebook should be fighting misinformation, not amplifying it.”

Considering that over 60 percent of U.S. adults get at least some of their news from social media, there’s a huge amount of false information being shared and accepted at face value. “During these critical months of the campaign, 20 top-performing false election stories from hoax sites and hyper-partisan blogs generated 8,711,000 shares, reactions, and comments on Facebook. Within the same time period, the 20 best-performing election stories from 19 major news websites generated a total of 7,367,000 shares, reactions, and comments on Facebook.” (Buzzfeed, 2016).

Did you catch that? Fake news did better than real news among Facebook users.

When I was a kid, papers like the National Enquirer were the gold-standard of fake news. Bat Boy, Bigfoot and alien abductions were its stock in trade. The difference was we knew it was mostly fake with the occasional fact thrown in. Today, the fake news hides in plain sight, we just aren’t looking for it nor are we pushing back against it.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, has stated he thinks fake news shared on Facebook had little effect on the election but nobody seems to be buying his position. In fact, it undermines his earlier claims that Facebook as a platform is an agent of change and has been influential on the world stage. Columbia University student Karen K. Ho tweeted, “Facebook and Twitter cannot take credit for changing the world during events like the Egyptian Uprising, then downplay their influence on elections.”

In response, five Facebook employees have launched their own investigation. “It’s not a crazy idea. What’s crazy is for him (Zuckerberg) to come out and dismiss it like that, when he knows,

and those of us at the company know, that fake news ran wild on our platform during the entire campaign season,” said one Facebook employee, who works in the social network’s engineering division.

Still, at the end of the day, Facebook is simply the vehicle. We are in the driver’s seat. If we want to stop the proliferation of fake news, it is our responsibility as news consumers to look to verifiable and legitimate sources and, for the love of all that’s good and right, don’t believe everything you read!

Tracey Dowdy is a freelance writer based just outside Washington DC. After years working for non-profits and charities, she now freelances, edits and researches on subjects ranging from family and education to history and trends in technology. Follow Tracey on Twitter.

Take the Device Free Dinner Challenge

When my kids were younger I insisted on mealtimes being device free. That wasn’t as big a sacrifice as it sounds. It was back in the day when flip phones were all the rage, so phones weren’t nearly the distraction they are today.

Fast forward 10 years to where handheld devices and technology have become ubiquitous. Our screens are on the table, in our car headrests, and in the palms of our hands. From our bedrooms to the bathroom, on a plane, in the car, screens are everywhere.

Combine this with our busy schedules and you realize it’s become a real challenge for most people to sit down and connect with their families. A survey by Common Sense Media found over half the parents and caregivers polled said they were concerned about technology detracting from quality family time at dinner; 47 percent said family members had brought a device to the table and 35 percent admitted that it had resulted in an argument.

Enter the Device Free Dinner Challenge.

Recognizing that children whose family regularly share meals have better socialization skills, develop a larger vocabulary, understand more about nutrition, are less likely to act out, and are less likely to engage in substance abuse, Common Sense Media developed a program encouraging families to go device free and engage in conversation.

Looking at your weekly calendar, the prospect of carving out regular, relaxing meals may seem as likely as convincing your toddler that a bathing suit, rubber boots and a toque is not an acceptable outfit for playing in the snow. (FYI, I’ve had that conversation.)

The last thing any parent needs is another guilt trip or the suggestion that they’re falling short in yet another area of parenting. The idea is to try. Be intentional in carving out one or two nights a week to sit down as a family and connect with your kids. Play games like “Best thing/Worst thing”, “Who Am I?”, Twenty Questions, or “Would You Rather…” if you’re stuck for conversation starters. Dinner itself doesn’t need to be complex – frozen pizza or takeout counts as dinner just as much as pot roast or taco night.

Stepping away from our devices is a healthy move for all of us – mom and dad included – and modeling behavior is the surest way of demonstrating to your kids the kind of habits you want them to develop.

Tracey Dowdy is a freelance writer based just outside Washington DC. After years working for non-profits and charities, she now freelances, edits and researches on subjects ranging from family and education to history and trends in technology. Follow Tracey on Twitter.

Are You Guilty of “Sharenting”?

By Tracey Dowdy

Are you guilty of “sharenting”? Don’t know what that is? Actually, you’re probably familiar with the concept, perhaps just not the term.

Last week I came across a news story of an Austrian teenager who is suing her parents for sharenting. They had been sharing her childhood photos on Facebook and despite her repeated requests for them to stop, particularly posting photos of her in the bath or having her diaper changed, they continued to post. As a result, she felt she had no recourse except to pursue legal action. That’s obviously the far end of the spectrum, but she isn’t alone in her attitude.

So, how much is too much? If they’re your children and your photos, don’t you have the right to post and share? Well, ask yourself, “Do I have the right to curate someone else’s social media presence without their consent?”

The divide seems to be generational – if you’re the parent or grandparent, the answer tends to be “Yes” but if you’re the child, the answer is almost always “No.” In fact, a 2016 study by the University of Michigan found three times as many kids as adults felt it was important for parents to have rules about what could be posted on social media.

As a parent, we want to share those funny anecdotes and charming videos and most parents aren’t looking for an audience beyond their family and friends. But, once it’s online, those photos and videos take on a life of their own.

Remember the video of 3 year-old Mateo and his negotiations for a cupcake? No? What if I said, “Linda, Linda, Linda, you’re not listening to me!” Now you remember don’t you? At the time of this post, the video has 48,620,411 views on YouTube. Mateo made it to The Ellen DeGeneres Show, received not one but an entire tower of Batman and Superman cupcakes, and Linda got a trip to a spa plus a check for $10,000. Not a bad return for three minutes of negotiations between a mom and her toddler.

You may know Laney Griner’s son Sammy as “Success Kid”. Initially, Griner was unhappy about Sammy’s photo going viral until recently when she was able to capitalize on the meme and raise $90K for her husband’s dialysis. “Without that happening, how much could I get this recognition about my husband’s kidney transplant?” she asked in an interview with ABC news.

Both those examples, despite Laney Griner’s initial displeasure, have happy endings but that’s not always the case. Aside from cyber-crimes like digital kidnapping and photos being stolen and posted to child-porn sites, kids are just flat unhappy that parents don’t consider the post from their perspective.

According to Dr. Leonard Sax, child and adolescent development expert and author of The Collapse of Parenting, “A lot of these things you think are harmless, are not actually that harmless… My first question to parents when they ask if it’s okay to post about their child is, ‘Why are you doing this?'” says Dr. Sax.

I think that’s a good rule to apply to anything we post online. Why are you posting it? Attention? Validation?

Engaging in an online community of support can be a positive thing. But those of us so mindful of curating our own digital identities would do well to offer our children the same consideration.

Tracey Dowdy is a freelance writer based just outside Washington DC. After years working for non-profits and charities, she now freelances, edits and researches on subjects ranging from family and education to history and trends in technology. Follow Tracey on Twitter.

Tuesday, November 29: A Healthy & Stress-Free Holiday

A HEALTHY & STRESS-FREE HOLIDAY

TwitterLogo450

When: TODAY, Tuesday, November 29, 2016
8:00 – 8:45 pm ET
5:00 – 5:45 pm PT
followed by a 15 minute Facebook Live Recap with guest Jessica Northey (@JessicaNorthey)!
The holidays are upon us! Let’s make this season one of joy and merrymaking and leave the stress behind. We will chat about easy entertaining, keeping the family healthy, and quick and simple weeknight meal ideas that take a lot off your to-do list.
RSVP and participate in the chat or Facebook Recap and you will be eligible to win one of TWO holiday-themed prizes courtesy of Sanderson Farms!
(Prize includes a casserole set and a $50 gift card to buy chicken and seasonings!)

 (Click here to learn more about our Twitter chats. You must RSVP and attend the party to be eligible for a prize.)

To RSVP:
  1. Email to RSVP@theonlinemom.com (subject line: SandersonFarms) indicating your Twitter ID.
  2. Spread the word and RT this link on your Twitter feed: http://bit.ly/2ghH0P5
  3. Join us on TweetDeck or HootSuite (#SandersonFarms) on Tuesday, November 29 between 8:00 – 8:45 pm ET.
  4. Tell your Twitter followers!
PRIZE WINNERS will be announced during the Party!

(The Online Mom LLC receives a fee for participating in certain promotional programs for Sanderson Farms.)