Social Networking

One of the most important and innovative steps that the "new media" has given the public is the ability to communicate with friends and family easier than ever before. E-mail was the first step to more efficient communication and now the next step that the new media has taken is social networking sites. These sites make it easy to chat with friends and, stay updated on their currents status through their profiles, as well as make new friends through networking and groups. Social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, eBay, Craig's List and more, have become favorites for millions of people around the world.
Ebay is a social networking site that is unique because it blends business with pleasure. While you are able to bid, buy and sell on eBay, you are also able to communicate with bidders, buyers and sellers. Through groups chats, eBay messaging and feedback responses, there is an increased communication level between the buyer and seller making it more personal and secure than other online shopping sites. The eBay groups have also made it possible for buyers and sellers to discuss certain items that they enjoy and can go back and forth between selling and buying.
Facebook is a social networking site that has steadily increased its membership over the past few years. The site originally started as a way for college students and graduate students to communicate with each other and network. With its increased popularity, Facebook began to allow everyone to join the site. On Facebook you can create a profile with a main picture, interests, jobs, and hobbies. You can also add and create photo albums and tag friends in photos. There is also a Facebook email option as well as status updates about friends. A great feature about Facebook is that on your own personal home page it shows upcoming birthdays of your friends. Since privacy is an on-going problem with the new media, only people who are in your network and friends that you have added are able to see your profile and comment on your page.
These social networking sites have brought new meaning to rapid communication and people who would normally not ever meet or communicate with each other are able to do so through these social networking sites.

Blogging

Blogging has taken a major place in politics, entertainment and social networks as a whole. This aspect of new media has made information more readily available to loyal readers as well as media outlets attempting to get public opinions about certain topics. 

Walmart Buyers and employees now have a voice about the products that the mega store is pushing. The Walmart blog site is called Checkout (checkoutblog.com) and is an open space for real opinions about products. For example, a Walmart employee in charge of buying computers discourages consumers from buying Windows Vista by stating that the hype about the product is exaggerated. New information on Walmart's products are also being written on the website including that Walmart will now only be stocking HD televisions only with Blue Ray DVD technology. This provides exclusive insider information from the employees which is helpful to the public. 

The article, "Celebrity Blogs: The Impact of New Media" emphasizes how celebrity and entertainment blogging has proven to be successful. Many entertainment bloggers like Perez Hilton and Trent Vanegas have taken mainstream entertainment news and putting it in blogs making it new and innovative. Television shows like Access Hollywood are noticing that some of their viewers, mostly the younger viewers are going to blogs for their entertainment information. Though many media outlets still have an advantage because they have stronger connections with the celebrities themselves. However, audiences want current and updated information throughout the day which is easily achieved by Internet bloggers. 

"The Power and Politics of Blogs" article argues that blogger subscription and readership is relatively low in comparison to media outlets it is the rapid increasing of blogger participation. Bloggers are now active participants in public debates making it an open forum of political opinion and debates. As a result there is an overlap in media outsets and blogs inc order to encompass public opinions in regards to politics. 

"Brooklyn Blog Helps Lead to Drug Raid" is an example of the major impact blogs have including incorporation of law enforcement using blogs as clues to detect crimes. The blog Bay Ridge Talk had blog posts stating residents suspicions of a drug ring in their neighborhood stating they heard loud noises, deaths related to drug overdose and fighting. The neighborhood response led to a break in of what was suspected to be a drug house and was successful in that that was in fact the case.