Speak Out, Suwanee

SPEAK OUT: Do You Like Facebook Changes? (Video)

The social media giant is changing its News Feed, and reportedly plans to incorporate the 'hashtag,' a la Twitter. Tell us your thoughts.

The social media site where people, businesses and government in Suwanee and Gwinnett interact daily is making some key changes. The Los Angeles Times has reported that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Julie Zhou, director of design, said the new layout will put photos and visuals front and center. Zuckerberg said the change comes as a result of photos now making up nearly 50 percent of all posts on users' news feeds. "News Feed has become primarily about visual content," Zuckerberg said. Also, Mashable.com and other outlets have reported that Facebook plans to incorporate the "hashtag" symbol that already is a fixture on Twitter. Hashtags already are popular on Instagram -- which is owned by Facebook. Mashable said that adding hashtag…

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What Was Social Media Use Like During the Super Bowl?

Facebook and Twitter were lively during the game, halftime show by Beyonce, and the blackout. Share your experiences.

Social media use is prominent in everyday life in 2013, and Sunday's Super Bowl was no exception. For example, users posted 24.1 million "tweets" on Twitter during the telecast, according to mashable.com. Top moments included the 34-minute power outage at the Superdome early in the second half, which generated 231,500 tweets per minute, Mashable reported. Beyonce? Her halftime performance generated 5.5 million tweets. Her 12-minute show's conclusion: 268,000 tweets per minute. And speaking of the power outage, one post showed how "in the moment" social media can be. One business -- @oreocookie -- had the infamous "you can dunk in the dark" photo with its tweet "Power out? No problem." (See the attached screenshot.) In all, social media use…

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SPEAK OUT: Social Media Use Increasing in U.S.

Billions of hours monthly are spent on such sites as Facebook and Pinterest. Share your thoughts.

Are you spending more time on social media sites these days? You're not alone. According to the Los Angeles Times, a Nielsen report shows that in July 2012, U.S. users spent the equivalent of 2 billion hours on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. That's an increase of 36 percent from the same month in 2011. As you might suspect, Facebook, with more than 900 million users, accounts for about half of that time -- which was about 17 percent of the total time spent on computers. The growth of mobile social media apps was strong, also. The report said we spend one-third of social media time on mobile, up 76 percent from July 2011. Another finding was that more than half of adults age 25-34 use social media at work, tops of any age …

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Turning the Screen Off

Disconnecting from social media helped me reconnect with my children.

Being a Stay-at-home Mom can feel isolating, especially if you have young children at home with you. There was a time, when my youngest was a baby and my other son was no bigger than a grasshopper's hind leg, that I felt alone in a sea of diapers and burp cloths. The days would drag on between naps and nursing and I needed a network of people that I could reach out to. Enter Facebook. Social media became a lifeline for me at a time when I needed a connection. Between finding friends from my past, new friends, and eventually blogging friends, I felt a sense of community whenever I logged in. At first I only checked in when the kids were napping. Grabbing a handful of minutes to read everyone's updates to get a sense that I was an active …

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Over-Sharing Parents, Beware

Sites mock parents who share too much information about their kids on Facebook.

It's super exciting that your little toddler piddled in the potty for the first time and you want to share photographic evidence of the moment with all of your friends on Facebook. Well, you might want to reconsider before you hit the "share" button.  There are a slew of websites these days dedicated to informing over-sharing parents that their childless friends are over reading about their kid's crap, literally. Take for instance, the blog ST*U, Parents, a submission-based "public service" blog that pokes fun at parents whose Facebook statuses have been hijacked with inane updates about their children. The author of the site, known simply as "B," created the blog in 2009 in response to annoying parental over-share posts that popped up in …

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Racer X

11:25 pm on Friday, August 24, 2012

6'4" 190lbs. No fat here. I spend 15 minutes a day on Patch. Moderation is the key to everything, especially Facebook. Now, go have yourselves some ice cream and check to see if anybody liked your latest pictures before you turn in :-)   more ›

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Our newest Patch sites will launch within the next few weeks. Until then, you can get the latest Gwinnett, Buford and Monroe Patch updates through our social media accounts: You can also click here to sign up for the Gwinnett, Buford or Monroe newsletters. Each of these sites will provide users with a platform to post news and events, engage in conversation with other members of the community and start their own conversation through blogging. We look forward to serving the residents in our growing coverage area.

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2012 Olympics: Must-Follow Athletes on Twitter

Since social media is now mainstream, you can follow the top athletes yourself.

The 2012 Olympics began Friday, July 27, and now the world is looking to London. And online. As mashable.com noted, social media’s growth and influence has been exponential since 2008. Facebook has gone from 100 million users to over 900 million. And more than 400 million tweets are sent each day, compared to just 300,000 four years ago. While International Olympic Committee restrictions on social media posts have some athletes frustrated, there will still be plenty to enjoy. But it all begs one question: Out of more than 10,000 Olympians, who should you follow? So now to plug in, we bring you the top Olympics athletes to follow on Twitter. One in particular for Suwanee and Gwinnett: Maya Moore, who played at Collins Hill High and went on …

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Entrepreneur Corner

Gardening With a Digital Touch in Suwanee

Nancy Wallace, Suwanee resident since 1992, shows how small businesses can connect with clients through social media.

Nancy Wallace of Suwanee, owner of Wallace Gardens, is living testament to entrepreneurial persistence and using digital media to connect with customers. Many business owners are challenged to determine how social media can positively impact their business. They struggle with questions about the return on investment for social media and how to connect with customers to generate sales. Wallace has made the connection linking technology to business. She is reaching customers on multiple social platforms using vivid imagery to show her work in gardening and horticulture. What makes the story more remarkable is that Wallace isn’t a natural born tech guru. She’s made tech work for business through hard work, dedication, and natural problem …

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SPEAK OUT: Facebook Adds Organ Donor Feature

Zuckerberg reveals the change Tuesday. Tell us your thoughts.

Updated 9:21 a.m., May 1 So now we know what that big Facebook announcement was -- the ability for users to share organ donor statuses on their timelines. The world's largest social network now allows U.S. and U.K. users to include a life story on their profile pages, and offers a link urging users to sign up for official organ donation services in their region. Founder Mark Zuckerberg announced the change Tuesday on national television. The site, which has more than 900 million registered users, already has announced features aimed at countering cyber-bullying and aiding people who have suicidal thoughts. -- How do you feel about Facebook's new feature? Tell us in the comments below. And there's no question that social media has gotten to…

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Giants Rally To Beat Patriots in Super Bowl

Again, New York wins the NFL title, and Madonna puts on a memorable halftime performance. Share your thoughts on it all.

Updated 6:54 a.m., Feb. 6, 2012 The New York Giants, 7-7 at one point this season, put on a great comeback Sunday in Super Bowl 46 to beat New England, 21-17. Quarterback Eli Manning led a nine-play, 88-yard drive for the winning score with less than a minute remaining. Then, the New York defense held off a desperate Patriots comeback attempt. It's New York's second NFL title in the past four seasons, both against the Patriots. Adding to the evening's memorable entertainment was Madonna. Now 53, she put on a spectacular halftime show that was marked by pyrotechnics and a huge cast of dancers. So we want to know, were you surprised by the Giants' victory? And what did you think of Madonna's performance? And by the way, do you think Madonna …

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