What is social information processing in news aggregation?

The advent of social media platforms such as Digg, Wikis, Flickr, and blogs among others, underscores the change of the web to a participatory channel in which users are cooperatively making, accessing and spreading information.

What is social information processing?

The technology presented by social networking has to lead to another worldview for communicating with information, it is known as ‘social information processing’. It is an activity through which additive human activities manage knowledge. We can say that it is the creation the processing of information performed by a group of people. Social Information Processing examines the information processing intensity of organized social systems.

What is a news aggregator?

The news aggregator, a software device or online platform that gathers news stories and various information in the manner that organizes and publishes the information in a right manner. This is completed in different ways. Some aggregators are curated by individuals to whom certain sorts of information are of specific import and others utilize HTML programming on the sites of news-collecting organizations to make RSS (really simple syndication) feeds and other open notifications of random updates to news content in regards to a particular subject.

Anatomy of Digg

Digg is known as a social news aggregator that depends on the users to submit and moderate the stories. When a user submits a story, then it goes to the stories queue (upcoming). 15 stories to a page are being displayed at a time with the most recent on at the top. Every minute 1-2 story is submitted and the order of their submission is reverse chronological order. The title of the story works as a link while clicking.

Initially, we show by tracking submitted stories over time, that social channels play a vital role in recommending documents. Secondly, there are two mathematical models. The first one is related to elaborate how collaborative promotion and rating of stories rise up out of the free choices made by numerous users. The second model depicts how the user’s social network, the number of promoted stories and user’s influence, change in time.

A user participates or votes by voting on a story by doing “digging”. Digging always saves it to the history of users. Digg also permits the users to “bury” stories that are recognized to have inappropriate, spam or duplicate materials.

As compared to Reddit (a social news aggregator) burying a story in Digg does not decrease its rating. Rather it is removed permanently if more people do “bury” a story.

5 Reasons to know why to use Social Media for Business

In the present digital era, no one can deny the importance of social media for getting a vast amount of people’s engagement. The various available social platforms working today are performing very good if we talk about promoting services and products of any business. There are so many reasons to use social channels for business it is difficult to choose which one is the best and the most important. But we made little effort to provide the best 5 reasons to know why to use social media platforms for businesses:

1. It is very less expensive

It is easy to set the social media accounts for business goals yourself, but if you are not a professional person then the best cost-effective is to hire professionals in order to engage more people and to get more profit. Except for paid ads, there is no charge to promote your business on these platforms. It is also very easy to build a relationship with your customers via these channels.

2. Time has changed now

Yes. earlier, social circles and business circles were kept separate. Now, these lines don’t have any meaning and have become blurred. Now clients want to engage with your business in a way that was not heard earlier. Now customers want to relate to a company that is social and can personalize their services, just like their customers.

3. Drive more people to your website

If your business has a presence on social platforms than it becomes very easy to get the attention of people towards your business website. You can give a better exposure regarding your services and products to your customers. It assists customers to know better about your business and what you can deliver them online. One of the other positive points of having a social presence is that it gives you high rank on social engines to beat the competition.

4. Elicit customer feedback

Social media platforms allow business not only to give information to the outside world but also to get feedback as well. There is no need to go longer through the pain of lengthy reviews or focus groups – instead of this use Twitter and Facebook to get a better understanding regarding the mindset of your clients and what they want from your business.

5. Build your reputation

It is easy to make a reputation of your business via social media channels. You can promote your business and make it trustworthy yourself as someone with knowledge, insight, and skills. Now it is very simple to respond to client queries and make them advise online.

Stree - A fun roller coaster ride that scares you and makes you laugh at the same time

“Stree – O StreeKalAana !” To be honest, when I first read the discussion about the movie, ‘Stree’ on various Indian social networking sites, I wasn’t really excited to watch it. It’s not because I don’t like movies, but because Bollywood horror flicks have always disappointed me with their clichéd dialogues, funny portrayal of ghosts, dull screenplays and hilarious plots. Now, since Stree stars my favorite actors, Rajkumar Rao, and Pankaj Tripathi, I decided to give it a try, and I am really glad I did. Here’s why:

Fantastic dialogues, superb performances, brilliant punches, and a great storyline. Wow! That’s some movie to watch. A bow to the scriptwriters and the director for making an amazing movie out of such a stupid concept. But mind you, this movie can drill horror into your nerves even with comic overtone. Here’s the summary of the movie:

Stree Movie Review

‘Stree’ – the movie is based on folklore about a woman who died due to atrocities inflicted on her by men. After her death, she returns as a female evil spirit (Stree) to take revenge from all males in the village. In many rural towns of India, including Chanderi, where the plot is set, it is a common practice to write ‘O StreeKalAana’ on the wall outside the house to ward off the evil spirit. But, our hero, Rajkumar Rao (Vicky), a tailor, who calls himself a “maadernladka” (a modern guy), refuses to indulge in such superstitions.

In the story, the spirit of the female (Stree) takes away men at night during the 4 days on Devi pooja, every year. Shraddha, the mysterious, kohl-eyed woman also happens to visit the village during the same time every year. When she meets Rajkumar Rao, he falls head over heels for her at the first sight.

As the story proceeds, Vicky’s close friend Dana (Abhishek Banerjee) goes missing, then his another close friend, Bittu (AparshaktiKhurrana) tells him that his girlfriend is a ghost and she is none other than the – “Stree”.

Vicky and Bittu then meet Rudra (Pankaj Tripathi), the Ghostbuster who knows a lot about ‘Stree’. They seek his help to get their friend Dana back. In the chilling & madcap comedy cum suspense tale, they get to know several things and the mystery of “Stree”.

DIRECTION

Debutant Director Amar Kaushik, who was an assistant director of films like Go Goa Gone and Fukrey has changed the representation of horror genre in Bollywood with this quirky movie. Amar’s comedy tinged horror story will not just make you scared, and laugh but it will also give you an indirect message telling you to respect women.

THE SCRIPT

After the director, it’s the brilliant script that deserves all the appreciation. Writer Sumit Arora has written a brilliant script that too on such a ridiculous and cliché sounding concept and for that he deserves huge applause. At the outset, ‘Stree’ looks like any other normal comedy horror movie, which is based on the concept of an evil witch and how she terrorizes village males. But, the sarcasm of the movie begins when in the movie women warn their husbands and sons not to stroll late at night, cover their bodies fully etc.

Now isn’t that the situation every girl/ woman has to face every day? AND aren’t her attackers no less than the evil witches? The writer has cleverly raised this issue in the movie without making it boring. Kudos!

This light-hearted, suspense movie comes with a very deep message attached to it till the end. And now the subtitle also makes clear sense to me – IssBaarmard Ko Dard Hoga!

A PERFORMANCE ORIENTED FILM

Talking of the performances now. As I said, the only reason that pulled me to the theatre to watch this movie was – Rajkummar Rao and Pankaj Tripathi and I must say they did not disappoint me.

Rajkummar Rao once again outperforms everyone with his comic timing and his gullible persona. The portrayal of small town “maadern boy”, Vicky required someone only like Rajkummar Rao. He underplays his innocence very well and adds his special charm to the character. It is this quality of his that makes this performance a brilliant one.

Kohl-eyed Shraddha Kapoor plays a mysterious woman in the movie. Although she doesn’t have many dialogues in the first half of the movie, her expressions will make you believe that she is the “Stree”. She looks cute, acts great and dazzles up the screen with her presence. Overall, a good performance!

I badly missed Pankaj Tripathi in the first half of the film, but he totally owned the second half as a desi Ghostbuster. He will make you laugh whenever he makes an appearance on screen. The scenes between Rajkumar Rao and Pankaj Tripathi make for the most whistle-worthy moments.

AparshaktiKhurrana and Abhishek Banerjee are also brilliant, playing supporting roles.

WHAT’S THE VERDICT?

Talented, gifted, genius, virtuoso, accomplished, masterly, inventive, ingenious are some synonyms of Brilliant. All these words are also synonymous with the greatest asset that we have in Bollywood today – Rajkummar Rao!

So, go watch the movie if you are a fan of Rajkumar Rao. Watch the movie, even if you aren’t because movies like this are rarely made in Bollywood.

Stree-the movie effortlessly travels in the vehicle of humor as a passenger and takes u through dark gullies of horror – the unknown. The humor gets down and boards at regular intervals but everytime it gets on board it will make your heart happy.

Tucked away beneath the scares and the laughs, the movie also carries a feminist subtext. The movie carries the depth of the word, ‘feminism’ in almost all its important scenes which subtly share the frustration that the women had been hiding for a long time.

Overall, ‘Stree’ is a complete entertainment package that will make you Fear, laugh, stare in wonder – all at the same time! This movie is a perfect example of what a film with a good script can achieve. So, get hooked & spooked in this suspense-horror movie blended with comedy and let your heart race up with horror, joy, and excitement like a fun roller coaster ride!

10 Ways to Counter Office Negativity

Everyone has to deal with a certain amount of negativity at work. It not just affects your physical and mental well-being but also affects your performance and ability to think creatively. Nothing makes us dread going to work in the morning like the thought of working in a negative environment. Negative boss, toxic co-workers, unfair compensation, working after hours and office politics can suck the life out of you, especially if you have no trustworthy person to share a frustration with. We know how it feels.

Feeling overwhelmed is our natural response to stress, but if you practice these 10 amazing tips, you might find yourself in a better position to deal with office negativity, successfully.

Find a trustworthy listening ear

Your office is the place where you spend your maximum time during your most productive years. Yes, that’s unfortunate but true. Deal with it. So, the last thing you want there is morale-crushing experiences. Unfortunately, there are many factors in a typical workplace that are beyond your control and you often end up feeling miserable over time. When you are feeling trapped in negativity, the last thing you want to do is argue or defend yourself. You just want someone to listen to you without being judgmental. Fortunately, there are some Indian social networking sites where you can anonymously vent out your frustration, without the fear of being judged or criticized. Other options include talking to a counselor (which costs both time and money; and, believe us — is no joy) or hanging out and unbottling your emotions with a friend who really understands your situation. It really does help to find a listening ear when you’ve been holding frustrations in for an entire day or week.

Take a breather

Whether it stems from your boss’s rude behavior or a client’s tendency to never make payments on time, most of us are familiar with the blood-boiling situations that often arise at work. But when this happens, it’s important to recognize it, acknowledge, and pause before reacting in an angry manner. When the time comes to share frustrations, it is important to wait for the right resources and people. So, it is important to cool down a little and gain a bit of perspective.

Join Online Groups

Share your work complaints, stupidity, stories of injustice etc. on groups that are specifically meant for sharing workplace complaints. Most likely, you are not the only one in a situation like yours. You will find plenty of company. And when you do, you will often find conversations fun. You can find many free Indian social networking sites where you don’t even have to use your real name! How does that sound?

Even if you don’t share your workplace stories, reading the woes of other workers could make you feel better about your own situation. Also, you can find many people there who can lend a listening ear. Some may even offer you valuable advice from their own past experiences. All said we mean that there is a lot you can learn, and these platforms are just the right place to clear your mind.

Play vent out games

If you don’t like to share frustrations related to a workplace with others, try distracting yourself with online games. Online games can help you vent at work. If your frustration level is low, try chucking a paper ball into the office wastebasket. Or, if your level of frustration is on the higher side, shoot rubber bands at virtual colleagues with games like – Rubber Band. If that’s not enough to cool you down, order The Boss Toss plastic shooter. It can help you let out negativity, without subsequent negative consequences.

Maintain a Journal

Venting to a coworker is never a good idea as it can have negative consequences. You should rather consider venting out anonymously on Indian social networking sites that offer a safe place for releasing negative emotions. But, if you don’t like sharing your feelings with others, writing about your feelings in a journal can be quite beneficial. When you record your feelings in a journal, you are able to process your emotions and make sense of what you are feeling. It can also lead you to solutions you may not have thought of otherwise.

Feel gratitude for what you have; write about it

It’s good to share frustrations but counting your blessings can bring lots of positivity in your life. Create a mental habit of noticing the positive in life and be thankful. Make a habit of writing 10 good things you have in your life, every day you wake up in the morning. It helps you rewire your brain in a better way. Also, when you are having a bad day, it will help your focus on your blessings.

Turn your venting session into a brainstorming session

If you vent out your workplace frustrations at the right platforms, you can turn your venting session into a brainstorming session. There are many Indian social networking sites available today where you cannot just post about your problems but also discuss with others to find out possible solutions. It is the best approach to use your frustration for motivation and make positive changes in your life.

Practice Mindfulness

Stressing about past events and worrying about future events hampers your ability to think positively and destroys your peace. So, practice mindfulness and learn to live in the present moment. There are many groups available these days on various Indian social networking sites where you can learn mindfulness exercises. A simple way to start is to focus on your breathing and take your attention away from things that bother you. This will help you feel less upset at work and you’ll feel more energetic and happier.

Learn to say ‘No’

According to the Harvard Business Review, people who take on more work than they can handle because of financial uncertainty are the ones who are the most frustrated. You can relate to it, right? How many times has it happened that you took extra responsibility on your shoulders to please your boss! Don’t take additional work if it gets to a point where your existing projects or work starts suffering. Learn to say ‘No; often and do only what you can handle.

Take breaks and relax

Feeling negative at work can hamper your productivity. According to psychologists, stress shuts down your ability to think creatively and builds frustration. Working without breaks constricts our ability to think. You process things more slowly and make more mistakes. So, take time out to relax and have fun.

Workplace annoyances are inevitable and a part of your professional life. So, when addressing them, it is very important to adopt a constructive approach. Focusing on positives and finding better ways to vent your frustrations will tune down your anger levels and contribute to a healthier workplace environment that will help you and others grow.

How to Connect With People through social media?

In the recent times, social media has proven itself to be one of the most powerful tools in the digital world. Through social media, it is possible for anyone to connect, advertise, share, and acquire the prospects. Social media helps you to connect with people and tell them who you are in the fanciest way!

To socially connect online, there are a number of ways which are often called social channels. Every particular channel serves differently and helps you in networking in different ways. Some of the popular channels used these days are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, etc. Blogging can also be considered as another efficient channel to reach out to the masses wherein bloggers share their views on any subject.

While there are so many social media channels out there, it is inevitable to be active on at least one of them. To prove your involvement, you need to interact with the tweets and posts, leave comments if needed, share the content if it is worth. Also, make it a point to post optimized content from your side to mark your presence. While you might receive a lot of views or shares on your content, it is extremely necessary to not get carried away; thus, maintaining professional relationships. As the world is connected through social media, it is extremely important to leave a good impression. Always!

Within a particular industry, certain organizations and people stand out as the brightest. Identify these leaders and connect with them to obtain greater opportunities within your niche. The followers will automatically connect with your content as well. There is a lot of the learning process involved. You might actually understand the exact nature of content to be posted. Thus, networking with the biggies is also important.

There are countless options available in the virtual world of communication. It completely depends on your requirements what tools you chose to connect with the world. Social media has completely erased the geographical boundaries making it extremely easy to access information being circulated across the globe. Just to ensure your content is being viewed by the internet users, you definitely need to optimize content making it more relevant to the users. Unnecessary content being shared frequently might make you look unprofessional thus, losing your connected contacts.

Other benefits of using social media are it is extremely cost-effective and less time-consuming. A person does not need to go door-to-door to make contacts. The list of contacts that need to be contacted are at your fingertips; thus saving your time. The campaigning cost is significantly reduced when you opt out from the traditional door-to-door campaign.

Currently, the social media is the most efficient medium to connect with people across the globe. Its vast usage has apparently brought the world closer. We can easily browse and share data within seconds of making things easier for us. Organizations have strictly shifted their networking campaigns to the digital world making their presence felt on a larger platform. To conclude, definitely, social media has proven to be a boon in today’s world.

How to use Social Networking for Connecting with People?

Today, the world is free to communicate no matter where we are located through social media. Communicators are connecting with their audiences using these social media channels. Trends are extending in social media from country to country, connecting people, brands, ideas, and messages. But there are a few questions that need to be addressed to make the social media campaign impact. Is the right message being shared? Are we reaching the desired audiences? What measures should be taken to make the global audiences resonate with us?

Before getting into the ways to use social networking, here are a few benefits of the same:

1. The essences of social media are sharing information worldwide, thus dissolving the boundaries. It is also disintegrating the hierarchical, cultural, and regional boundaries. We can literally obtain any kind of information at our fingertips.
2. You will be perceived as a global entity when you communicate with other foreign countries through social media.
3. When your social activities go beyond one region, you automatically receive appreciation in the form of new ideas and opportunities thus, enhancing your pool of resources.

When you plan to connect through social networking, you need to keep in mind the audiences you wish to connect with. One plan doesn’t fit all! To be précise, you need to make sure that your social messages are understood by people from different regions as well. It goes beyond just translating, so to say. You must be thorough with the cultural style of your target audiences. You should also be aware of the social media tools they use. Once you are equipped with the basics, you are sure to reap the benefits of social networking.

Applying one-plan to every channel will definitely not help in getting the desired results. For example, Facebook is the most popular networking site used across the globe. But there are countries where Facebook is literally banned! In that case, you need to filter your choice of social channel to cover such targets as well. Get clarity on ‘who is using what’, devise a plan to reach out to them, and make your networking efficient.

While using social networking websites such as Facebook or Twitter and posting updates on these platforms, you open up yourself to replies and queries from your followers. As a result, you are presented with an opportunity to have a conversation with them in addition to getting new insights. Communication is a two-way process, so make sure to respond to the most engaging comments if not to every single one. This will eventually help you build a healthy rapport through social networking.

Business organizations use social networking to share updates about recent happenings in their business or information related to their products/ services. Well, this is definitely a crucial part of building social media relationship; it is not necessarily required to share only the business-related information. You can always share an informational video or an informative article or inspirational blog post.

In conclusion, social networking has gained immense popularity within a very short time because of its power to connect limitlessly. To reap maximum benefits out of it, connect socially to expand your presence.

How to Use the Internet as a Punchbag, Safely and Responsibly?

At times when you are baffled by the raging emotional storm inside you and you are too nervous to share your feelings with someone personally, free social networking sites could provide an easy platform to let out negative emotions and help restore emotional well-being. People often suppress their negative emotions due to the fear of being judged or sometimes in the hope that the situation will get better with time. But, it does them more harm than good. According to scientific studies, suppressing negative emotions can impact your health negatively in the following ways:

Bad for your heart’s health. Those who get angry outbursts more often are twice at the risk of developing coronary heart diseases compared to calmer people. If you suffer from anger or stress issues, finding a way to express yourself freely and using assertive communication can reduce your risk associated with heart diseases.

Increased stroke risk. According to some recent studies, people with anger issues have three times higher risk of having a stroke after an angry outburst.

Lowered immunity. The stress hormones released during anger outbursts can lower your immunity making you more susceptible to mental and physical diseases.

Depression and anxiety. Suppressing negative emotions and not addressing them can cause you to fixate on specific triggers. This could lead to depression and generalized anxiety, which is very bad for your mental as well as physical health.

But, relax! We are not here to scare but to help you find a way to let out your suppressed emotions so that you feel better. The world wide web offers an excellent platform to vent out your negative emotions, provided you do it safely and responsibly. Social media posts made in an impulsive outburst are sometimes not backed by reason and thought. That’s why we are stressing on the importance of posting ‘safely and responsibly’. So, we have brought together a few suggestions to help you vent out safely and responsibly while navigating the treacherous waters of the internet

Never post confidential information online: Sometimes, in a fit of anger, we post things we shouldn’t be posting online, especially our sensitive personal information. We should avoid doing that as some free social networking sites are rife with online predators and identity thieves who can steal identity and hack personal data.

Never threaten someone. Threatening a person or group of people online or even offline is a strict ‘No, No’. Even giving an empty threat to someone online will raise red flags and the authorities can start investigations against you. Remember, it is a punishable offense.

Refrain from bullying: Bullying is one of the most serious cyber crimes. The risks are unmeasurable. So, refrain from bullying someone online, no matter how angry you are.

What’s the alternative then?

Privacy is a common issue with popular social networking sites. It might feel cathartic at first to post online, but the consequences can be really bad. What’s the alternative, then? We know bottled up emotions can be bad, so follow our suggestions and stay safe:

Vent out anonymously: Living in a fast-paced world where life is really stressful and people have no time to talk, can make it hard to find a listening ear. Good news is that VentAllOut provides a great platform to vent out your day-to-day frustrations anonymously. This simply means you can speak your heart out anonymously, without the fear of being ridiculed or judged. You will meet many other active users there who will probably respond with equal gusto. And the best part: there are no privacy issues associated with this site, which makes it safe and secure too!

Try online adult coloring books. Many psychologists and therapists “prescribe” these to patients with anger, anxiety and stress issues. They help you shift your focus from intrusive and troubling thoughts to the beautiful world of colors and end up making you feel better. The good thing is that there are plenty of free options available online. So, relax and immerse yourself in the world of creativity and beauty.

Write a blog: Writing down your feelings and day to day experiences is a safe and effective way to get your stress and frustration out. It is quite similar to keeping a diary and journaling. Don’t worry about the word choice or grammar. Just write and feel better.

Stress happens. Frustration shows up even on the best days. The truth is: You are not alone. Sometimes, it is due to a customer complaint. Other times, a personal issue can be the reason. No matter what it is. Just give a good expression to your negativity and see your world changing for good.