With the election this year, it seemed as if politics had its own Facebook account with the amount of posts dedicated to it!  Facebook even went so far as to dedicate an application to it, which you can see here.  Usually, I’m one to ignore the numerous musings of the political masses.  However, one politician really stands out to me in social media.  No, it’s not him.  Or even him.  It’s Cory Booker, mayor of Newark.

Just by looking at his profile, you wonder: how did the mayor of a city in New Jersey amass over 1.3 million followers?  Well for starters, he kept his followers abreast of the situation during Hurricane Sandy and even responded directly to those with issues (and hilariously downplayed a few unrelated ones).

However, a recent Twitter conversation with a follower inspired a social campaign he is calling the #SNAPChallenge.  Basically, he will attempt to live off of the $30 that SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) provides in food stamps to each NJ citizen every month.  Furthermore, he has encouraged others to partake in the challenge and raise awareness for both frugal living and assistance that is needed with welfare programs.  You can see more about it in the video below:

As well as the items that Mayor Booker has purchased for the challenge:

Are you going to try the #SNAPChallenge?  You can follow Mayor Booker at www.twitter.com/CoryBooker

So I’m sure many of you saw the following post at least once on your Facebook news feed this week (or posted it yourself):

Basically, Facebook users posted this statement in an attempt to retain ownership of the content they post on Facebook (vacation pictures, statuses about cats, etc.) and forbid Facebook from using them for commercial purposes.  While a valiant effort, this does not work for three reasons:

1. As with most of these situations, posting something as a Facebook status update does NOT protect you from whatever you are accusing nor does it constitute law.  Similarly, I cannot simply post “I hereby state that Facebook owes me $1 billion” and assume that Facebook is suddenly bound by law to pay me.
2. When you sign up for an account, you agree to Facebook’s Terms & Conditions, so there’s not a lot you can do to change them (although Facebook does allow you to update your privacy settings).  That being said, Facebook is required to inform you when their Terms & Conditions have changed, so it’s important to pay attention to the changes.
3. Specific to the post above, Facebook’s Statement of Rights & Responsibilities (see #2) already state that you own the content you post.  And while you do grant Facebook a royalty-free license to use it, deleting a post/image that no one has shared immediately ends Facebook’s right to use it!

My favorite part about the post is the use of the Berne Convention to further validate the claim.  However, the Berne Convention is simply an agreement between countries to recognize copyright infringement.  For example, under the agreement, France recognizes that content posted within its country can still be copyright infringement, even if the content originated in the US.

Overall, it’s very important that people protect themselves and their identity when using social media.  And it is admirable that some people take well-intentioned steps to do so.  However, understanding the above points and what constitutes legal protection is paramount to ensuring that you remain safe on the internet.

For a more humorous approach to the above (and insulting, if you posted it), check out this video:

http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6851490/facebook-law-for-idiots

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N-BSQvASs0

The internet has been creating celebrities for years but in 2012 the opportunity for fame especially increased.  Although we’ve mainly been entertained by these 15 people, we also saw a viral philanthropy movement.  Below are a few stories of the 15 people who famously caught the Internet’s attention in 2012.

Karen Klein (Bullied Bus Monitor)

New York resident and bus monitor Karen Klein received more than $700,000 from the Internet after being bullied in June by middle schoolers.  The story shared from Reddit to other online communities, eventually reaching mainstream media. After the story went viral, Klein was flooded with sympathies and donations from online strangers. She used a portion of the money to launch an anti-bullying foundation.

Felix Baumgartner 

Skydiver Felix Baumgartner broke records when he jumped from the middle of the earth’s stratosphere, 24 miles above the planet! Not only did Baumgartner break physical records, the livestream shattered the YouTube record and became the most-watched streaming event in history.

Psy

He is a Korean pop singer Park Jae Sung who released a song called “Gangnam Style,” in July. The catchy tune gained the attention of more than 8 million YouTube views within two weeks. Today, the original video boasts over 700 million views and broke the Guieness World Record for most likes on YouTube.

Please see below for the remaining 12 famous by the internet:

Carly Rae Jepsen

Zeddie Little (Ridiculously Photogenic Guy)

Michael Brutsch (Violentacrez)

McKayla Maroney

Michelle Jenneke

Jamie Lynne Grumet

Lydia Callis

Gotye

Krispy Kreme

Bobak Ferdowsi (NASA Mohawk Guy)

Laina Walker (Overly Attached Girlfriend)

Joseph Kony