With the advancement of any new media many get swept up by it but there are always those who want to dampen the spirits and rain on people's parades.

I recently read a an article on USA Today about how Twitter haters see no point in Tweeting. It is nice that they are able to have their views discussed online and shared on social media. ;)

Apparently most of what is discussed on Twitter is pointless babble but hang on a minute.... most of what is discussed offline is pointless babble too! Sensationalist tabloid journalism and reality TV shows could also be seen as pointless gossip but people still like it. One of the arguments that keeps coming up over and over is that Twitter and social media are making people lose human contact.

I find it strange that many of the people who hold these views have never even bothered to go on Twitter and experience it for themselves. In spite of this they will quite happily give judgements on what society should or should not be doing based on little or no information. Maybe it is a case of sour grapes at not being invited to the party.

Far from limiting human contact social media actually gives people different ways of communicating with others across the world. Twitter has been a great way for people to organise meetings in person or Tweetups. Such meetings with diverse sets of people would not have been possible in the past.

Online tools are great for start up businesses on a budget who quickly want to make a name for themselves. They have also been successfully used to inform people of political issues from the Obama campaign to US Healthcare/NHS debate. I am not saying social media world is all rosey and there are issues to deal with, however, change is never easy. Social media should be looked as tool to facilitate and enhance human communication and not a limiting factor.

Whenever something new comes along there are always 'haters'. In Hiphop they are always talking 'dealing with playa haters' and this is no different. When something gets popular there always people who want to take shots and have rant about how bad life is. Just because these people do not understand something does not mean they should hate on it. If they want to actually do some research and come back some sound arguments then great. In the meantime they should not try and spoil it for everyone else who is benefiting from social media. It they don't like it they don't have to join but...

Don't Drink The Hatorade!

As many know on the net a US healthcare reform debate yesterday sparked shockwaves when they criticised our very own NHS. It was at yesterday afternoon I notice a flurry of NHS related tweets. Within a matter of hours the hashtag #welovetheNHS became a top trending topic on Twitter. The debate still continues on US blogs and now even Gordon Brown has joined the Twitter furore over the NHS.

While there are many who are debating the topic this post focuses on how the debate seems to have erupted at an incredible rate on the internet.

An issue like this really demonstrates how quickly opinions can be formed online and how it is shaping a healthcare debate on both sides of the pond. The massive response online has lead to the debate being covered in the conventional media TV, Radio and National newspapers. If anyone has any doubts about how powerful social media can be they should put them to bed now.

While the battle still rages on multiple media channels, I feel it can only be a positive that so many people are taking part and actively contributing to an important political issue.

It also shows that the way people get news and engage in debate is changing. It seems like if you turn your head for one second you might miss something. Then again I suppose you always do a search and catch up pretty quickly! In Online PR and Social Media Strategies we always look for an 'engagement factor' when implementing a campaign and with this particular online debate you could safely say that engagement was off the chart. The potential for an online debate like this to inform people and create better politics is incredible.

It is with great pleasure that I welcome my second guest poster, another good friend of mine Nadia Auckburally. Carnival time is almost upon us again in Notting Hill, London but Nadia questions whether it is still relevent and authentic to its roots? NiteGlow..

As Notting Hill Carnival quickly approaches us, I wonder to myself if this will be another year of disappointment for me? I say this as I feel the carnival is no longer authentic to its roots.

Carnival began in January 1959 in St Pancras Town Hall as a response to the depressing state of race relations at the time; the UK's first widespread racial attacks (the Notting Hill race riots) had occurred the previous year. The carnival was a huge success, despite being held indoors. It first moved outside and was rescheduled to August in 1965. By 1976, the event had become definitely Caribbean in flavour. (Wikipedia)

The carnivals I have experienced in Trinidad & Tobago, Caribana in Toronto, Brooklyn and Miami have a mainly Soca presence to them. In fact Soca music has always been the cornerstone to all Caribbean carnivals. However, Notting Hill Carnival seems to have forgotten this. Since when do carnivals play homage to garage, hip hop, house, etc?

Other carnivals around the world have hundreds of organised floats blaring out music with masqueraders wearing costumes that have an impressive display of colours and creativity. You can watch the video below for a carnival in Trinidad.

All too often you only see the drips and drabs of parades and floats wondering along the streets of Notting Hill. I always feel like there is a lack of effort. Anyone who has experienced a real carnival will know what I am getting at here. This year London prepares once again to take on an estimated 1.5 million people during the bank holiday weekend August the 30th and 31st. I cannot help thinking what it would be like to have a full carnival parade like the ones in Trinidad or other parts of the world.

One of the other factors that disappoints me about the carnival is the substantial amount of crime and disorder which is always covered by the press. Some would feel is an unfair, negative and one sided view of carnival. Having said that there have been some serious violent incidents in the past and it is such a shame that a minority wants to start trouble. Carnival spirit is supposed about people coming together and having a good time.

This year the organisers have decided the procession will start earlier at 9.00am so that the judging of floats can be completed by 18.30pm and there will be more rigorous noise monitoring. All this is so that the police are able to control the crime throughout the day and riots at the end of the night! With so many measures in place I wonder if people will truly be able to relax and enjoy themselves.

I hope that somehow that Notting Hill Carnival can turn itself around for the sake of generations of people with Caribbean roots and all other cultures who come to enjoy the carnival.

As I write this Twitter has been shut down and Facebook is experiencing problems as Twitter users log on there instead. Social media world has been brought to a temporary stand-still and it is interesting to see what effect this is having online. This got me thinking on the world we are now moving into.

While people may criticise social media for 'dehumanising' our interaction I would argue it opens many doors for people across the world to communicate with each other in ways that we never could have dreamed of before. However, this assumes that people know and understand how to use these online tools properly and also understand the consequences of their actions.

Recently in the UK, we have heard about the new phenomenon of 'sexting' where people send each other naked photos of each other with no regard for the fact this may quite literally 'bite them on the ass' later on. Sour grapes and jealousy from ex-partners can be a potent force and can quite easily lead to compromising photos being shared online or posted on websites. The key thing is to remember that what happens in online world has repercussions in the offline world.

So powerful is this force that countries like Iran and China have are trying to impose strict limits on internet activity. Businesses are desperately trying to control and charge for access to certain parts of the web. However, the internet and the open source philosophy is not about 'walled-gardens' whether it is in business or between nations. It is about sharing information and ideas which crosses international boundaries, cultures, age, and social backgrounds and creating something new we can all benefit from.

For my part, I love the fact I can talk to people from all over the world and learn about them. The old order does not like change but then it never has looking back through history.

Much of the predjudice in the world stems from ignorance so having more information readily available is most likely a more positive than negative thing.

I guess what I am trying to say is simple: wE aRe hErE, wE aRe gLoBaL!