Needing Credible Sources in the New Data World

Thursday, 09. 17. 2009  –  Category: Dial611

As I mentioned in my previous two articles on smartphones, more and more data is becoming easier to access wirelessly.  And while access to this information is great, it does come with some inherent dangers to our lifestyle.  But beyond just personal dangers, there already is and will continue to be a concern for credibility in this new data world.

Wave one of the digital credibility issue has come with the Internet and e-mail.  There was a tremendous amount of content suddenly available at our fingertips, with news and research that once took days or months to obtain now only a search away.  However, the credibility of the sources behind the content were suspicious at best, as anonymous opinions and flat out false content was mixed…

The Danger of Being Too Connected

Monday, 09. 14. 2009  –  Category: Dial611

As a society, we are more connected than we have ever been. With social networking platforms like Twitter and Facebook reaching millions of Americans, we have instant access to data. Soon, as I discussed in my previous article, that access will be mobile—making us experts anywhere, anytime. But is all of this connectivity worthwhile?  Do we really need to know each piece of breaking news as it happens?

More importantly, what are we trading away for this instant access?

Deteriorating Interpersonal Communication: Let’s face it–when faced with talking with someone or sending them a message (whether via text, tweets, postings or e-mail), we increasingly choose the latter. And while we like to rationalize that it is out of politeness so as to not intrude, the result is…

What Happens When All Data is Mobile

Wednesday, 09. 2. 2009  –  Category: Dial611

Just a few years ago, smartphones barely existed in the wireless industry.  Research in Motion’s Blackberry was a leader in the space, but its product was focused on business clients who wanted to stay in touch while out of the office.  Flash forward to the present day, and even the casual mobile user has expanded their use beyond simply making phone calls.  Texts, e-mail, downloads and web surfing services have all grown tremendously.

With the introduction of user friendly devices like the iPhone and the Palm Pre, and the expansion of Research in Motion into more personal devices, children and parents alike are now seeing smartphones as more of a need than a want.  This means more connectivity, more applications and more data at everyone’s fingertips.

But…

To Text or Not To Text?

Monday, 08. 31. 2009  –  Category: Dial611

Texting is the new way to communicate.  By new, of course, I mean preferred among many.  It’s rare to be in a group without seeing at least one person grab their phone from their hip and begin to type away with those speedy little thumbs.  They finish and put it away, but only to grab it again within minutes to view their new message and respond again.

Texting is convenient for many reasons.  It’s fast, impersonal, and it can be screened just like any other form of communication.  Articles have shown that teens preferred texting over email, IM, and talking on the phone.  That’s obvious by the large amounts of teens that you see continuously texting throughout the day’s activities.  But it’s not only teens that…