What is Social Media?

Definitions of Social media on the Web:

* Social media is media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media

* media that is created to be shared freely
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/social_media

* Social media are primarily Internet- and mobile-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings.[1] The term most often refers to activities that integrate technology, telecommunications and social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. ...
www.creativemediafarm.com/information/glossary

* Social media are works of user-created video, audio, text or multimedia that are published and shared in a social environment, such as a blog, wiki or video hosting site.
www.capilanou.ca/help/login-page/active-cms/glossary.html

* Any website or web service that utilizes a 'social' or 'Web 2.0' philosophy. This includes blogs, social networks, social news, wikis, etc.
webtrends.about.com/od/web20/a/web20-glossary_2.htm

* Software tools that allow groups to generate content and engage in peer-to-peer conversations and exchange of content (examples are YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, MySpace etc)
www.bottlepr.co.uk/glossary.html

* The term social media describes media that is posed by the user and can take many different forms. Some types of social media are forums, message boards, blogs, wikis and podcasts. Social media applications include Google, Facebook and YouTube.
www.searchenginepartner.com/SEO-glossary.html

* Social media is any form of online publication or presence that allows end users to engage in multi-directional conversations in or around the content on the website.
www.onlinematters.com/glossary.htm

* A million different definitions from a million different people. But over at Duct Tape Marketing they say “[s]ocial media is the use of technology combined with social interaction to create or co-create value.”
www.no2pen.com/blog/2010/01/social-media-dictionary-for-small-businesses/

* A category of sites that is based on user participation and user-generated content. They include social networking sites like LinkedIn or Facebook, social bookmarking sites like Del.icio.us, social news sites like Digg or Reddit, and other sites that are centered on user interaction.
searchenginewatch.com/define


www.nakulanand.com

Believe In And Be Yourself

Another powerful bit of advice offered by the collective that we polled was to always believe in and be yourself. Given people’s tendency to aim for the throat when “critiquing,” these words of wisdom are especially potent. Allowing negative words and disparaging character assessments to lower your opinion of yourself and your abilities will deflate your momentum.

Always be true to your personal voice. Don’t compromise it while finding your way. You want to carve out a truly individual path, and that includes your voice, too. So, don’t try to imitate others who have found success. As noted below, never try to be someone else, because that never works the way you hope. Being inspired by others is fine, but don’t lose your identity and voice in the process.

* Believe in your qualities. Never try to be somebody else. Life is too short for that.
* Don’t quit! Hang on! Everything will work out fine.

www.nakulanand.com

src:sm

NEVER Stop Learning

This answer, which we received repeatedly, is by far one of the best pieces of advice for newbies in the development field: never stop learning. This truly is one to keep in mind as you tread through this new world, because working in a field as dynamic and fluid as development, you can quickly fall behind if you do not actively strive to stay ahead of the curve. Without somewhat of a dedicated effort on your part, your progress could stall, and your skills and work could stagnate.

Once again, the online community and so many others have your back in this respect. So many wonderful books, blogs and other accessible resources are teeming with knowledge, just waiting to be absorbed and passed on. So, read. Implement and practice what you have learned. As noted in the replies below, trial and error is a fantastic method of self-teaching. You might even go so far as to schedule some kind of weekly assignment for yourself, to always keep your skill set growing.

* Start with examples and muddle around with them. Change every line of code to see what it does. Then learn why those things work.
* Be a sponge. Don’t let pride get in the way of learning from others.
* Never stop learning.
* Read. Oh god, read so many books on the subject that force you to practice things over and over again.
* Learn how to learn for yourself.
* Never think you’ve learned it all.
* Don’t pretend you know all. Blogs and forums are your best teacher.
* Read the docs. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Test. Learn.
* Don’t copy and paste. Learn.
* Always have a project on the go. It makes sure you keep learning.
* Learn by putting as much as possible into practice.
* Always learn more. You should never be 100% content, and always strive to constantly improve your skills.
* Never stop developing their skills.

http://www.nakulanand.com
SRC: www.smashmagazine.com

Design Trends (Predictions) in 2010

As we are stepping in a new decade, I can see that web design in 2010 is going to be fun and filled with experimental works. With the new CSS3 and HTML5, designers and developers are trying to utilize the new features to create impressive designs. Sketchy and large background styles are fading out. Serif fonts and texturized background will be popular. Thanks to CSS3, we are going to see a lot of rounded corners, RGBA transparency, and drop shadows. With the rise of smart phones, mobile web design is going to pick up this year.