We’re all to blame

Violence against women and children .the most vulnerable members of our society, has reached alarming propositions and we are all to blame. Our approach to dealing to dealing with rape has been one sided.

With freedom comes rights, as enriched in the Constitution, but the issue of responsibility is never addressed. When a minor is raped, prosecutors must also investigate the possibility of negligence on the part of parent or guardian.

Resources are spent on fences ,burglar bars  and other security systems to guard our earthly possession and yet we fail to be principled and say” when I lock my doors to go to bed ,every child who lives under my roof must be under my roof until I open my doors”.

Hardly any law enforcement officers visit clubs or taverns to check for juveniles who are under age .it’s of great concern how ignorant parents are .we owe it to ourselves to protect kids at all cost.

 

Youth must learn to respect elders

 

As the young person and a citizen of this country, I’m worried about the loss of respect and culture in our lives.

Teenagers of our generation don’t know their culture, they practise Western ways and they lack the norms and values of our ancestors. This has resulted in a high rate of teenage pregnancy, sexually –transmitted diseases and the spread of AIDS.

In addition, the youth have lost respect towards elders because they don’t know how to behave around older people. They live their lives as if they are on television where everything is a fairy-tale and everyone is at the same level. In today’s generation there is no spirit of Ubuntu.

Our people don’t help each other anymore –they kill each other instead. Why can’t we be like the past generation who respected their culture and beliefs? People from the past generation have lived longer life because of respect and the value they have for their culture. We should learn from our elders

 

TweetDeck VS hootsuite

HooteSuite vs Tweetdeck- Source: Google

Both of the above social tools offer very sleek, but rather similar user interfaces.  The differences become much more apparent when you look at the platforms.  The TweetDeck interface seems to be a bit cleaner and appealing to the eye, while the HootSuite interface is a bit bulky and cumbersome for the first time user and takes a bit of figuring out.  However, once you have figured out the HootSuite layout you may find that it is extremely easy to use. Simply put, they offer many, many more powerful features that you don't get on the basic client. You can also use them to manage other popular social networks, such as Facebook and LinkedIn.

HootSuite feature advantages:

• ability to schedule tweets
• updates faster
• provides robust statistics
• allows for the incorporation of additional social networks
• allows more multiple accounts to be controlled by multiple users

TweetDeck feature advantages:

• photo tweeting
• Twitter interface
• user feature

Neutral features:

• user interface
• URL shorteners.

 

If you are looking for a platform to automate social media posts, you’ll probably encounter both Hootsuite and Tweetdeck on your search. The question is…which one do you need? Each of these tools offer several great features, so I will cover some of their similar functions and how they differ. Hootsuite offers both a free and paid version, but I’ll be referring only to the paid (pro) version.

Both Hootsuite and Tweetdeck offer:

·         The ability to schedule social media posts in advance.

·         Custom streams to track keywords and searches.

·         Option to create lists to track new followers or other activity.

·         The ability to monitor trending topics and hashtags.

·         Custom link shorteners (bit.ly or ow.ly).

·         A free mobile app for your smartphone.

A few things only Hootsuite offers:

·         Access to third-party apps such as Tumblr, Instagram, and Youtube.

·         The ability to include social networks other than Facebook and Twitter, such as Google+, Foursquare, LinkedIn, and Myspace.

·         Functionality to create teams to work on projects.

·         Basic analytics to create custom reports.

·         The option to auto-post from your WordPress blog to your social networks.

·         Google Analytics integration.

A few things only Tweetdeck offers:

·         The service is always free, no matter how many social networks are connected.

·         A custom stream to see activity from those you follow or who follow you.

·         All social profiles are represented on one page within the program.

·         This tool can be used through Google Chrome Apps.

In the end, it really just depends on what you or your company needs. If you are only interested in scheduling tweets and Facebook updates, then Tweetdeck may be a great choice for you. However, if you need to include some other social networks, you may have to shell out a little each month for Hootsuite Pro.

There are a lot of other tools that do these same things, but Hootsuite and Tweetdeck are by far the most popular.

 

 

SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKS- THE PROS AND CONS

From a moral perspective, I think the advent of social networks has changed the world completely.

They tend to break up communication between people. You spend most of your time away from your family be at school or at work ,but when you get  home after a long time ,instead of catching up with them ,you are completely engrossed and transfixed of Facebook, twitter and whatsApp.

Social media- Source: Google

Social networks stoke insecurity and jealousy in relationships and this manifests itself in break ups. Young kids are parented and taught through TV and social networks. We look at them and smile, thinking they are smart and cool, forgetting that too much TV and social networks contributes a lot to how they think and this affect their grammar and spelling because of the language usage and writing in these social networks. When you knock at government offices ‘doors, the first thing you come across is a Facebook page on the employee’s computer screens. And that contributes to poor service delivery.

On their own social networks are essential tools that connect people, save airtime and provide platforms for sharing and exchanging ideas. But I still think the cons outweigh the pro.

LET’S REMEMBER OUR HEROES

Nineteen years into our democracy, many South Africans are still reluctant to talk about the past because they are scared of opening old wounds. Yet we battle with tribalism, which is the root of xenophobia. How do we love other people when we don’t love even love our own?

Freedom day - Source: Google

 

Being in a democratic country gives everyone the right to choose his or her political affiliation without any fear of intimidation. Yes, there will be differences in our debates, but that doesn’t accommodate violence. We have mouths to talk, so why must we fight as if we are animals?

In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, a lot of blood was shed and relatives were lost. It was war. Do we need this again? It is a disgrace to the entire nation.

Is this how we celebrate our democracy? Is this how we honour and commemorate our fallen heroes? What message is being sent to us as the youth, who should we look up to for inspiration? Can’t we practise what we preach? Doesn’t charity begin at home?

 I don’t care who sis fighting who, whether they are Whites, Coloureds, Zulus, Indians or Blacks. Fighting others because of political affiliation makes no sense at all.

Let’s stop this rot and put an end to it .we should put the people who perpetuate violence behinds bars. Let’s work towards building a safe, friendly South Africa and make it a better place to live in. let’s all live together in peace, Love and harmony.

 

 

 

 

Are companies’ wasting their time with social media profiles?

No. Social media provides virtually instant access to information throughout the world, thus giving businesses the ability to share news about their products and services with people that were once out of reach. Social media is easily one of the fastest growing (free) benefits of technology today. Not very long ago, businesses were limited to connections with contacts within their neighborhood or at best, their country. The door is now open to share your business with the world.

This seems to beg the question, “How does that apply to my company? I don’t do business with anyone outside of my state!” Indeed, this may be the current case, but remember, social media opens your business door to the world. To explore how that can work for you, consider your current network of connections, both personal and professional.

As the result of companies usitilising social media, other relationship opportunities become available within the various social media platforms of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, , et al. Social media offers the ability to meet people online that you may never have the opportunity to meet in person. Who knows whom, and with whom, can you begin a mutually beneficial alliance? Through social media interaction companies can establish valuable business relationships.

Social media offers relationship-building opportunities that are virtually limitless and, for the most part, they’re free. Through the use of social media, company’s establishment, or service company has access to information, prospects and alliances worldwide.

Social media is an amazing way for companies to grow an online brand in leaps and bounds it simply takes creativity, passion and consistency to keep things moving in the right direction.

 Social media has played a big role with how companies interact with each other and with its stakeholders and it is something that is not slowing down anytime soon.

 

 

 

WHAT'S STILL WRONG WITH THE SECRECY BILL:

The Secrecy Bill only has narrow protection for whistleblowers and public advocates (not a full Public Interest Defence) that excludes a range of matters in the public interest like shady tendering practices or improper appointments within key state agencies. This half-measure fails to acknowledge the urgent need to address South Africa’s whistleblower crisis — as well as the global abuse of national security laws to protect state interests against the scrutiny of citizens.

A whistleblower, journalist or activist who discloses a classified record with the purpose of revealing corruption or other criminal activity may be prosecuted under the “espionage” and other offences not covered by the proposed Public Interest Defence.

People can be charged with “espionage”, “receiving state information unlawfully” (to benefit a foreign state), and “hostile activity” without proof that the accused intended to benefit a foreign state or hostile group or prejudice the national security; only that the accused knew this would be a “direct or indirect” result.

While the Bill limits the number of agencies and people that can classify, it still gives powers of the Minister of State Security to give classification powers to other state bodies (and junior officials) without adequate public consultation.

The Secrecy Bill still lacks of a Public Domain Defence, effectively criminalizing the population at large when classified information becomes public, rather than holding those responsible for keeping secrets accountable.

The Bill still contains draconian sentences of up to 25 years in jail.

The procedure permitting applications for the declassification of classified information is in conflict with the PAIA – despite commitments from the NCOP to the contrary. The body established to review this process – a Classification Review Panel – is not sufficiently independent and the simple possession of classified information appears to be illegal even pending a request for declassification and access.

Information that has been made secret in terms of old and potentially unconstitutional laws and policies will remain classified under the Bill pending a review for which no time limit is set. This includes information classified under the apartheid era Protection of Information Act of 1982 and the government policy adopted in 1996, the Minimum Information Security Standards.

If passed the Bill would add to the generalised trend towards secrecy, fear and intimidation that is appearing in South Africa today.