Bishops in the Medieval Christian Church

Bishops in the Medieval Christian Church In the Christian  Church of the Middle Ages, a bishop was the chief pastor of a diocese; that is, an area containing more than one congregation. The bishop was an ordained priest who served as pastor of one congregation and oversaw the administration of any others in his district.   Any church that served as the primary office of a bishop was considered his seat, or cathedra, and was therefore known as a cathedral. The office or rank of a bishop is known as a bishopric. Origins of the term Bishop The word Bishop derives from the Greek epà ­skopos (á ¼ Ãâ‚¬ÃŽ ¯ÃÆ'ÃŽ ºÃŽ ¿Ãâ‚¬ÃŽ ¿Ãâ€š), which meant an overseer, curator or guardian.   The Duties Like any priest, a bishop baptized, performed weddings, gave last rites, settled disputes, and heard confession and absolved. In addition, bishops controlled church finances, ordained priests, assigned clergy to their posts, and dealt with any number of matters pertaining to Church business.   Types of Bishops in Medieval Times An archbishop was a bishop who oversaw several dioceses besides his own. The term metropolitan has sometimes been used for the archbishop of a city.The Pope is the bishop of Rome. The holder of this see was considered the successor to St. Peter, and the office grew in prestige and influence over the first few centuries of the Middle Ages. Before the end of the fifth century, the office was established as the foremost authority in the western Christian Church, and the  bishop of Rome  became known as the father, or papa, or pope.Patriarchs were bishops of particularly important sees in the eastern churches (which, after the Great Schism of 1054, would eventually become known as the Eastern Orthodox Church). This included the apostolic sees those believed to have been founded by Apostles: Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, and JerusalemCardinal-bishops (now known simply as cardinals) were a privileged class as far back as the 8th century, and only those bishops who had received the red hat (a mark of a cardinal) could elect the pope or become pope. Secular Influence as Well as Spiritual Power Some Christian churches, including the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox, maintain that bishops are the successors of the Apostles; this is known as apostolic succession. As the Middle Ages unfolded, bishops often held secular influence as well as spiritual power thanks in part to this perception of inherited authority.   A Three-Fold Ministry by the Second Century Just exactly when bishops attained a separate identity from presbyters (elders) is unclear, but by the second century C.E, the early Christian Church had evidently established a three-fold ministry of deacons, priests, and bishops. Once the emperor Constantine professed Christianity and began to help followers of the religion, bishops grew in prestige, particularly if the city that constituted their diocese was populous and had a notable number of Christians.   Filling the Void After Collapse of the Roman Empire In the years following the collapse of the western Roman Empire (officially, in 476 C.E.), bishops often stepped in to fill the void secular leaders left behind in unstable areas and depleted cities. While theoretically church officials were supposed to limit their influence to spiritual matters, by answering the needs of society these fifth-century bishops set a precedent, and the lines between church and state would be fairly blurry throughout the rest of the medieval era. The Investiture Controversy Another development that arose out of the uncertainties of early medieval society was the proper selection and investment of clerics, especially bishops and archbishops. Because various dioceses were flung far across Christendom, and the pope was not always easily accessible, it became a fairly common practice for local secular leaders to appoint clerics to replace those who had died (or, rarely, left their offices). But by the late 11th century, the papacy found the influence this gave secular leaders in church matters opprobrious and attempted to ban it. Thus began the Investiture Controversy, a struggle lasting 45 years that, when resolved in favor of the Church, strengthened the papacy at the expense of local monarchies and gave bishops freedom from secular political authorities. The Protestant Reformation When the Protestant churches split from Rome in the Reformation  of the 16th century,  the office of the bishop was rejected by some reformers. This was due in part to the lack of any basis for the office in the New Testament, and in part to the corruption that high clerical offices had been associated with over the preceding few hundred years. Most Protestant churches today have no bishops, although some Lutheran churches in Germany, Scandinavia and the U.S. do, and the Anglican church (which after the break initiated by Henry VIII retained many aspects of Catholicism) also has bishops. Sources and Suggested Reading Eusebius. The History of the Church: From Christ to Constantine. Edited and with an introduction by Andrew Louth; translated by G. A. Williamson, Penguin Classics. John D. Zizioulas. Eucharist, Bishop, Church: The Unity of the Church in the Divine Eucharist and the Bishop During the First Three Centuries.

To Whome do we belong Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

To Whome do we belong - Essay Example nts and tragedies forces an individual to change his true self and wipes away everything he believes in forcing him to acquire a new identity in an unimaginable way. The work of Victor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning, will be used as a reference for the purpose of this paper. Obi was an ordinary Nigerian man, of the Igbo tribe, who was brought up in the best of moral character within the conservative Nigerian cultural setting. His problems began when he undertook a scholarship to further his education in Britain. The Western culture in Britain did not hesitate to influence him to a multi-cultured person, obviously bringing in conflict. In Britain, it was alright to take bribes, to marry a person from any tribe or race and to have sexual relations with them even before marriage. Actually, it was alright to do a lot of things. End of four years of study in Britain and Obi is ready to return to home sweet home. The only problem is the people back home are still the same as he left them four years ago: the same culture, same mind set, same believes, same everything. They do not allow marriage to certain casts (Obi’s girlfriend was from a cast that was considered an outcast, Osu) leaving him with no choice but to perform an abortion for the girl who was carrying his child. Bribery was an abomination and unheard of especially from a son of the village whom the community had made a collection for him to take higher studies so as to come back and help the village people maneuver around the new white-dominated Nigeria. Within a few years, he had changed a lot, but he was the one who changed not the world and now he was back to reality: he has roots as a traditional Nigerian man and uprooting them was hard if not impossible. He had no choice but to adapt to his old ways of life. Within no time, Ibo finds himself a prisoner of his multiple identity in a conflict that would later tear down his whole life; career wise, socially and morally, eventually turning him

Marketing Study on Apple Company Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Marketing Study on Apple Company - Assignment Example The computer industry incorporates a broad range of products, from mp3 players / iPods and printers to â€Å"personal computers and powerful servers† (Linzmayer, 2004, P. 103). Businesses have difficulty working in the computer industry, specifically because of the active environment of technology. In accordance to Moore’s law, the â€Å"numbers of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits will double every 18 months† (Linzmayer, 2004, P. 103), and costs will be decreased. This indicates that even the leading companies are required to stay very active and updated, as the industry is persistently changing and redefining its parameters. Apple Inc. has lately made headlines by penetrating into the cell phone market with its launch of the Apple iPhone. Apple as well has an extensive range of computer products together with personal computers, â€Å"computer accessories, servers, networking solutions, and software packages† (Linzmayer, 2004, P. 103). Presently having a market share of 58 percent among the cell phone market, and staying on a profitable 5 percent of the personal computer market, Apple has constantly maintains its name within the industry by keeping an eye for aesthetics as well as inventiveness, together with ‘easy to use’, pioneering products. Apple has most successfully developed the competitive strategies that let businesses in this industry to stay lucrative. Apple is renowned for its distinguished as well as innovative products, and dependable customer base. This joined with the halo effect from iPhone sales is likely to boost general market share and enhanced position Apple to remove market share from its rivals. In addition, Apple presents the maximum percentage of its sales to Research and Development, which better positions itself to have the benefit of primary mover benefit with the introduction of latest products. Apple has the maximum gross profit margin among its rivals because of its higher costs, and is only in charge for letting Apple to stay afloat within the personal computer market by a meager 4 percent market share. On the other hand, â€Å"Apple’s spare no expense philosophy in producing high quality differentiated goods drastically reduces its ability to translate a larger portion of gross prof it into net profit† (Cruikshank, 2005, p. 72). Apple has the utmost operating expense ratio in addition to the lowest net profit margin with its rivals. If Apple is capable of cutting down on operating cost and make use of a few of the standard policies used by Dell, they will be capable of converting additional profits into earnings per share Apple has many internal strong pints that make it a triumphant as well as competitive business. Apple has a dominant foothold within the personal computer marketplace by being different with its pioneering approach and user-friendliness. Its operating system is created domestically, keeping it free from

Tort law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Tort law - Essay Example This case had to be referred to the Law Commission due to the uncertainties and lack of sufficient material to make judgment about the case. Another similar case was that of Addie v Dunbreck 1929 AC 358. In this case the judge ruled on that the owner of the land must avoid negligently avoid harming the trespassers. This judgment raised the question about duty of care. Because of this case a commission was formed in the UK to investigate this case which later decided that the legislature should come up with the duty of care to be owed to uninvited visitors or trespassers (Mullis, 2011). This proposal was also endorsed by the Pearson commission. The case of White v The council of the City and District of St Albans 1990 was the first case that endorsed this law. In the ruling of this case, the judge ordered that all working and especially construction places be well fenced to a reasonable ground to prevent damage and injury to the trespassers. It is however important to notice that the 1984 ACT has no valid statements which indicate that the duty can be excluded from the occupier. On the other hand there has been suggestions that this is possible especially because since there are no provisions which forbids the exclusion. The 1977 Unfair Contract Terms Act seems to weaken this law since it does not apply to the 1984 Act. The 1957 Act is however supported by the case of Beddeley v Earl Granville 1887 19 QBD 423 which shows that a statutory duty is not under any form of exclusion however no case is law is directly relating to the Act. Strict liability means that a party is imposed with a liability without evidence of committing any offense such as negligence or tort (Alix Adams, 2012). For quite a long time strict liability have been applied to animal cases since animals do not have the right conscious to make decisions (Elliott & Quinn, 2007). The defendant find him/herself imposed with a liability without fault for

Modeling and of Diatom Mud in Residential Space

Modeling and of Diatom Mud in Residential Space Modeling and of Diatom Mud in Residential Space and the Application Scenario Research Keywords: diatom mud, living environment, living space, modeling, application.       Abstract. Our original ecological diatom mud qualities as a starting point for research, analyzes peoples consumption concept, aesthetics, environmental protection awareness. This article describes the basics and the origin of diatom mud, diatom mud analyzes the features, functions and defects, the diatom mud paint and wallpaper were compared to explain the process and the market situation diatom mud, silicon Prospects algae mud were discussed. Through analysis of this environmentally friendly decorative paint diatom mud, summed diatom mud there are some problems in the conventional construction; through research and exploration of the diatom mud module series is proposed in the form of modules forming diatom mud can serialization assembly decorative product design concept. Introduction In recent years, the impact of interior decoration materials on air quality is being noticed. In addition to aesthetic and practical decorative effect, environmental health functions become an important selection of decorative materials reference index and energy saving, healthy and comfortable interior decoration materials products gradually become the main tendency of the building materials industry. Diatom mud decorative wall material of the unique features of multiple environmental health to become the new darling of decorative building materials market, a unique decorative effect has gained more and more users of all ages. Paints and coatings include diatoms diatom mud. Diatoms paint is added to a conventional latex or oil paint in a certain percentage of diatomaceous earth to impart regulate humidity, absorption of harmful gases to improve adhesion and abrasion resistance more features and so on. Diatom mud is diatomaceous earth as the main raw material, adding a variety of additives made of powder coatings. Diatom mud is China in recent years, emerging as a functional interior decoration environmentally friendly materials, with humidity control, air purification, fire retardant, acoustic noise reduction, thermal insulation and protection of eyesight, self-cleaning walls and other features. Diatom mud is not only versatile, but also can make a variety of color texture, rich styling, style, complete, so the diatom mud introduced into China just a few years it has developed rapidly, the majority of customers and recognition. Diatom mud is a new natural green paint, latex paint and wallpaper to substitute for villas, hotels, homes, apartments, hospitals and other interior decoration. Since the water resistance is poor, not much current is applied to the external walls. Diatomaceous earth from fossil marine diatom algae plants formed after millions of years, the main component of opal and its variants, followed by clay minerals. Diatomite prominent molecular lattice structure determines its unique features, it has a strong physical adsorption and ion exchange properties, after finishing widely used functional coatings, pharmaceutical aid, food additives, nuclear radiation adsorbents and other fields. Diatomaceous earth is a siliceous sedimentary rock, mainly in China, the US, Denmark, France, the former Soviet Union, Romania and other countries. Figure.1 Diatomite SEM photograph The Proposed Methodology Diatom mud decorative wall material.Diatom mud is mainly composed of inorganic cementitious materials, diatom functional fillers, pigments and other auxiliary materials. Currently diatom mud wall decoration materials market mainly dry powder coating material was stirred when such products into similar construction of water sludge, referred to as diatom mud. and more to scratch, wiping construction methods, mainly by its functional features added fillers decision. Diatomite features.The main function of the material as diatomaceous earth is a biogenic siliceous sedimentary rock, the ocean or lake grown diatoms creatures underwater debris deposited by a non-metallic mineral natural environment and evolving role. The main component of diatomaceous earth is amorphous SiO2, followed by minerals, but also contains some organic matter. SiO2 content is one of the diatoms content measurement flag diatomite ore. Diatomaceous earth because of its unique structural features and a delicate, loose, light, porous, absorbent and strong penetration properties and diatomaceous earth and the physical characteristics of both the chemical composition, but also with algae are composed of mineralization environmental conditions and directly affect the diatomite applications. These properties include the color, physical properties, specific gravity, bulk density, melting point, particle size, pore size, and some applications also need to consider the specific surface area and porosity. Since diatomite unique porous structure and excellent absorption properties, making diatom mud decorative wall material combines the unique features of environmental health. It features diatom mud decorative wall material.Diatom mud decorative wall material is the use of diatomaceous earth having a delicate, loose, light, porous, absorbent and permeability and other characteristics, with the traditional interior decoration materials combined to produce both decorative effect and environmental health function decorative building materials. Diatom mud has the following characteristics. The humidity performance. After the film-forming diatom mud coating the interior has a porous structure, when the indoor air relative humidity is too high, the air vapor pressure above the saturation vapor pressure of diatoms wall material surface hole concave surface water on this when water vapor is adsorbed, the desorption and vice. By water vapor absorption, release, effectively regulate the indoor air relative humidity values, so that control in the appropriate range of human health, improve indoor air quality, good living environment. Purifying air. Purification function is also porous channel structure is based on the adsorption of free capture odor molecules in the air, formaldehyde, benzene, volatile organic compounds and a variety of substances. Add the appropriate preparation process purification materials, odor molecules adsorbed molecules rapid decomposition of harmful substances, and thus achieve the purpose of purifying the elimination of hazardous substances, keep indoor air fresh and clean. Diatom mud has a unique molecular sieves structure, not only can absorb moisture in the air can be effectively adsorbed in the air free of formaldehyde, benzene and other harmful chemical substances and odors from smoking, garbage, pet excretion produced thereby to purify indoor air purposes. This is similar to the physical adsorption of activated carbon, but also has the effect of chemical decomposition. Physical adsorption diatom mud is a quick process, but a slow chemical decomposition. Specific reaction process i s as follows: 2HCHO + O2 = 2HCOOH 2HCOOH + O2 = 2C O2 ↑ + 2H2O C O2 + H2O + Ca2 + = CaCO 3 ↓ + 2H + 2HCOOH + Ca2 + = Ca (HCOO) 2 + 2H + Ca (HCOO) 2 + O2 = CaCO3 ↓ + H2O + CO2 ↑ Anti-condensation. Indoor relative humidity stays high, the construction of the wall is easy to produce condensation, having a high level of humidity performance diatom mud decorative wall material can be efficiently adsorbed water vapor molecules and water molecules inside a high capacity reservoir to remove the accumulated surface excessive water vapor molecules to prevent surface condensation. Antibacterial and anti-fungal. Diatom mud decorative wall material can effectively absorb water vapor adhering to the surface, eliminating mold, bacteria growth environment from the source, in addition to effectively suppress and destroy the growth of mold. Some diatom mud products tend to add a certain amount of antimicrobial agent, in order to achieve efficient antibacterial effect sterilization. Protect eyesight. Diatom mud porous surface, which will help generate diffuse, effectively reduce the refractive index of the light, so soft colors. Diatom mud coating the room, the walls reflects light naturally soft, not easy to cause visual fatigue, can effectively protect the eyesight, especially for the protection of eyesight effect is remarkable. The paint surface is flat as a mirror, tend to have higher gloss, refractive index of light is strong, so sharp colors, easily lead to visual fatigue, damage eyesight. Acoustic noise reduction. Diatom mud itself porous, with strong noise reduction function, can effectively absorb harmful high frequency sound segments, and low frequency noise attenuation. Its effectiveness is equivalent to the same thickness of the stone or cement mortar 2 to 3 times. At the same time can be reduced nearly 50% of the reverberation time, significantly reduce the noise on the human body, it is also more suitable for diatom mud railway station and residents near the plant and the use of mechanical units, diatom mud will create a restful nights sleep or working environment. Self-cleaning walls. Diatom mud is mainly composed of an inorganic material SiO2, does not produce static electricity, dust easily attached to the surface. Even among texture or pattern fall into the dust, it is very easy to remove with a feather duster, for hand writing footprints and can be erased with a rubber lightly, as the new permanent wall. Design animated image.In the early development of Chinas animation industry, folk art is widely applied to the design of the animated image, and achieved good results. Folk art in China has a very long history, from the Dunhuang murals to the Han Dynasty brick, paper cutting from northern Shaanxi to Tianjin clay figurines, paintings from Weifang to Shengzhou Shaoxing opera, are forms of folk art. In addition, the design of the characters also has a very rich experience, these design experience and skills for animated image designs, has a very good reference guide, which is the most typical drama. Theatre is one of the widely popular folk art form of folk art in terms compared to other, more emphasis on characters design, which is the most typical mask and clothing. Building materials and technical requirements.Diatom mud technical characteristics of the product, this standard provides technical requirements diatom mud decorative wall material includes a total of three parts, namely, the general technical requirements, functional requirements and technical requirements of harmful substances. General technical requirements which include nine state indicators, workability, appearance of the coating, the initial drying crack resistance, dry time, alkali resistance, adhesive strength, resistance to temperature and humidity performance and diatoms and other ingredients; functional technical requirements include The humidity performance, formaldehyde adsorption properties, formaldehyde purifying effect lasting performance, anti-fungal and anti-5 performance indicators mold durability, etc; harmful substances required to detect volatile organic compounds, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene sum of free formaldehyde and soluble heavy metals. Application Status diatom mud. Diatom mud as a new type of environmentally friendly materials, in the form of mud is replacing wallpaper, paint and other traditional interior decoration materials, its production and use have great prospects for development. Japan long ago diatom mud has been used in the construction industry. In the 1960s, Japan supplies scholars began to conduct functional studies diatom mud, diatom mud soon as a new functional building material are widely used. In 1980, the study of environmentally friendly building materials concern environmental protection experts, diatom mud function once again scientists deepen the study, after selection and processing of mineral products diatoms used as a filter aid and adsorbent materials, used in food many areas of medicine, daily chemical, nuclear waste and sewage treatment, such as the production of beer filtration, water purification, medical injections and blood plasma filtration, beauty care products manufacturing and so on. Test methods and index.According to various architectural coatings, interior paint test method specified in the standard functions of the technical indicators at home and abroad, combined with interior decoration diatom mud wall material characteristics Technical indicators refer to the existing domestic and international testing methods and standards, finalized the present standard of the technical requirements and test methods. Diatoms ingredients.Diatom mud decorative wall material reason why the name diatom mud, diatom is because it must function as the main material, and thus comprise one diatom diatom mud decorative wall material must have the basic characteristics. Different manufacturers diatom mud formulations on the market vary, many of the components added to the quantitative analysis of the product a great deal of difficulty. The most commonly used quantitative analysis of diatom test methods are X-ray diffraction (XRD) phase analysis and chemical methods, when used diatom mud product analysis, testing error caused due to complex composition bigger. Several of the above quantitative analysis of the working group have carried out a large number of tests, not to draw reliable conclusions. Temperature and humidity resistance properties. Multi-cellular structures exist diatom mud coating, in the course of ongoing moisture absorption, desorption cycles, while the ambient temperature changes will also affect the pore structure, and thus have an impact on the life of the coating. Objective setting temperature and humidity-resistant performance is to investigate the diatom mud products subject to temperature and relative humidity after many changes, which affect performance and service life. Functional technical requirements.Diatom mud decorative wall material diatoms as the main functional materials, and therefore has specific properties, such as good moisture absorption and put wet, formaldehyde adsorption properties. Because diatom mud decorative wall material having a strong adsorption, water vapor is a good carrier, bacterial and mold growth is moisture conditions. In order to avoid long-term use of the product in question is easy to mildew, diatom mud wall material goods should be reduced by the addition of anti-bacterial mold mildew case material, so this performance standard in mold and mildew can be performed as a function durability index provisions. Diatom mud wall material has a good adsorption, not only on the ability of the adsorption of water vapor in the air, the smell in the air molecules has the same absorption features. This standard is currently selected in the home are more concerned about formaldehyde gas as a representative diatom mud adsorption capacity to detect harmful gas molecules. If only pure diatom mud after adsorption of formaldehyde molecules over time to reach saturation adsorption, adsorption of formaldehyde molecules could be desorbed overflow again cause harm to human health. Therefore, diatom mud wall material as an environmental health product requires a certain degree of purification, purification by adding functional materials, etc. to achieve in this standard indicators added formaldehyde purifying effect durability requirements. Diatom mud decorative wall material used in wet environments due to the coating process a large number of pores of the adsorption of water vapor, so easy to produce mold. As an environmentally healthy building materials and mold is necessary to achieve targets. Conclusion Diatom mud decorative wall material can effectively improve indoor air quality, beneficial to human health, with the introduction of industry standards, consumer awareness of products continues to increase, in order to regulate the market, it would also promote the healthy and orderly Rapid development. Compared to the traditional method of indoor air purification, air purification and diatom mud decorative material combination, with no energy, no secondary pollution, permanent purification, etc. and it is extremely suitable for hotels, guesthouses and the elderly, children and pets family. References 1. Cheng, Yue, and Lin He. Synthesis and Characterization of Nd-Doped ZSM-5 Zeolite from Diatom Mud. Key Engineering Materials. Vol. 727. Trans Tech Publications, 2017. 2. Anderson, John B., et al. Ross Sea paleo-ice sheet drainage and deglacial history during and since the LGM. Quaternary Science Reviews 100 (2014): 31-54. 3. Shi, Ce, et al. Effects of diatom concentration in prepared feeds on growth and energy budget of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka). Aquaculture Research 46.3 (2015): 609-617. 4. Cochero, Joaquà ­n, Magdalena Licursi, and Nora Gà ³mez. Changes in the epipelic diatom assemblage in nutrient rich streams due to the variations of simultaneous stressors. Limnologica-Ecology and Management of Inland Waters 51 (2015): 15-23. 5. Virtasalo, Joonas J., et al. Base of brackish-water mud as key regional stratigraphic marker of mid-Holocene marine flooding of the Baltic Sea Basin. Geo-Marine Letters 36.6 (2016): 445-456.

Comparing and Analysing The Gift and Frankenstein :: The Gift Frankenstein Movies Film Essays

Comparing and Analysing The Gift and Frankenstein We watched a video called â€Å"The Gift†. This was a story of a girl called Annie, aged 16. She was a keen sportswoman and played football regularly. However, she began to develop balance difficulties. These difficulties began to escalate, Annie and her mother, Barbara, decide to go to the Doctors. They find out that Annie has a sever condition named Friedricks Attaxia in which your muscles waste away. Annie is told that her condition will deteriorate and she will eventually die. On hearing this news, Annie’s brother, Ryan, who is fourteen, wants to be tested for the disease. Ryan finds that he is a carrier of the disease. The film now goes forward in time to the year 2012. Annie, Ryan’s sister, s now dead. Ryan is married and wants to have a child but is concerned as to whether his wife is a carrier of Friedericks Attaxia, she is tested and found as a carrier. This means that there is a chance of their child being born with this disease. Ryan wants to make sure that their child does not have the disease. Ryan persuades his wife to let him select a child, using advanced technology, which does not carry the Friedericks Attaxia gene, on condition that that is the only thing that he selects. However, as a geneticist, Ryan can read and understand the gene odes which are presented to him, Ryan decides to pick a child without the Friedericks Attaxia gene, but also selects a boy who is good at sport (in memory of Annie). The story again goes forward in time. Now in the year 2029, Ryan is now divorced and their son, Mark, is now 16. He is a tennis champion. However, he discovers he cannot qualify for an award because he was a ‘Designer baby’. Mark now confronts his father, Ryan, who reveals the truth. The film ends with a talk show, debating whether designer babies should be allowed, in which Ryan, his ex – wife, Mark, and a scientist are interviewed. Ryan and the scientist are clearly for the proposal; Ryan’s ex wife is against. They debate the pros and cons of Genetic Engineering. These included increased quality of life for the pros, but it was argues that designer babies took away the foetus’ right to live. We talked about the issues, characters and their viewpoints. Ryan (when he was young) was very jealous of Annie, and all of the attention she was receiving. However, he was devastated by Annie’s condition. Ryan turns out to be a very clever, determined man, who, although he took it too far, tried to use genetic engineering for

Social Media: Bane or Boon?

SOCIAL MEDIA: BOON OR BANE? Roberto M. Macatuggal, Ph. D. Web 2. 0 has enabled web-based services, such as social networking sites, wikis, communication tools, etc. , that emphasize collaboration and sharing among users. This platform (Davis, 2012), described simply as the read/write web, allows users to be both consumers and producers of online content. It is an interactive two-way web; a place where everyday folks with Internet access can create and edit stuff. Davis compares Web 1. 0 and Web 2. 0: Web 1. 0 was a place to go and get, while Web 2. 0 is a place to be and do.Gregory (2011) clarifies further that Web 2. 0 allows for participating and sharing in the production of resources. It is about communities, participation, and peering. A social network (Wikipedia) is a theoretical construct that is used to study the relationships between and among individuals, social units, or even whole societies. Georg Simmel pioneered in early structural theories in Sociology and Jacob Moreno is credited for having developed the first sociograms in the 1930s to study interpersonal relationships. Web 2. 0 social networking working capabilities have spawned the development of social media tools.What is social media? According to Parker (2011) social media are the uses of Web technology to spread messages through social interaction that happens online. Rean John Uehara (Webdesigner. com) defines social media as a combination of human interaction through web applications where people produce their own content, mold their own experience, and define their online presence. A loose definition of social media is that it’s like a country, people gather and interact with massive amounts of people from their area and abroad. It’s really a broad place, both wonderful and terrible depending on its use.Two of the most popular social media are Facebook (visited at http:// blog. facebook. com/blog. php? post =287542130) which claims to have more than 400 million users and T witter (http://blog. twitter. com/2010/02/measuring-tweets. html) receiving around 50 million updates a day from users, which is an average of 600 tweets per second. Parker (2011) differentiates the following social media tools: 1. Blogging – an informal conversational medium for writing and publishing content online on regular basis. (e. g. , Blogger, Typepad, WordPress). 2. Microblogging – a short form of blogging where posts are usually limited in length and format. e. g. , Twitter, Friendfeed) 3. Social Networking – a way to engage and interact with a specific online community by way of a fan or profile page. 4. Social Bookmarking – a central location for posting links to useful resources which can be seen and shared by other users. (e. g. , Digg, Stumbleupon, Delicious). 5. Multimedia – Sharing rich media such as video, images, and presentation online. (e. g. , YouTube, SlideShare, Flickr). 6. Reviews and Opinions – a way for customers to share opinions and reviews of products and services online. (e. g. , Yahoo! Answers, Epinions, eHow). 7.Wikis – a central repository designed to be edited by a group rather than one person. (e. g. , Wikipedia, Wikia, Wikitravel, Dealipedia, Wikimapia). What are the benefits of social media? Nakul Arora wrote in his blog that in today’s fast growing world, social media is the latest thing which has made its presence felt virtually across all the sectors. Facebook and Twitter are two big players having majority control within social media. Thus, it becomes very important for any organization today to be present in some form or the other on these networks so as to connect with the wide following these networks have.These networks have also taken individualism to another level altogether with each person having a considerable say over his friend group. Thus if any educational institution at all succeeds in winning over a student to avail of its educational services, the chance of influencing his friends also increases. According to Arora, there are 5 things that educational institutions can do to tap into the students on Facebook and Twitter: 1. Forming a dedicated team. This aspect involves creation of a dedicated team for the sole purpose of managing the social media setup for the institution.This is very important in the present environment there being more than one department in an institution. It is also important to ensure the smooth functioning of the online groups with the social media team managing and ensuring a proper sync between all the different aspects of the institution. An example here to show the need of such a team would be to simply take a case wherein an ex-student of the university sends out a job opportunity to a group of present students online. Now, the social team would keep track of this and forward it to the respective department which an then ensure that the opportunity is properly utilized by the students. This dedica ted team would also ensure that the institution’s updates are well planned and organized instead of doing them at random. This would thus, cater well to the different groups of ex, current and prospective students. 2. Giving before receiving. A common rule of the internet is that you have to first give before you receive. Any person would only follow a particular group or institution if they are sharing things that are unique and beneficial in some way for the person.This is not a tough thing to achieve, for every institution is unique in its own aspect and thus, creation and sharing of unique things wouldn’t offer such a big problem. Also, the university can utilize its previously existing case-studies, problems, etc. for the purpose of engaging the prospecting and other interested students. It can also share newsletter articles about happenings in the institution with the people who are interested in keeping updated with the affairs of the school. 3. Forming and coor dinating student online groups.Students are any institution’s biggest asset and can be the best people to spread the message of the happenings and current life of the institution. Thus, any institution should maintain an online students group where it should form a dedicated team of student volunteers to share the latest things from the campus. This would give the prospective students a real glimpse of the actual life in the campus and also help them connect with the current students. The ex-students can also use this group to remain connected with their Alma Mater.Such groups can also be formed for specific purposes: a group can be formed solely for the purpose of sharing internship opportunities by the alumni with the current students. Another such group can be exclusively for the alumni and staff members to reconnect and be in touch. Also, smaller groups can be formed to influence students who have negative attitudes and perceptions about the school. 4. Presence of influen tial personalities on the networks. Every college has its heroes: professors or teachers who are famous for their service in a particular field of study.These are people who have a huge fan following and thus, any update that they make will be followed by a large number of people. The university has to ensure that professors of such repute have their presence in the social world as well and they also communicate on a regular basis with their followers. Many institutions have already initiated this with their chancellors and heads having an active Facebook or Twitter account. They can actually hold open forums, discussions or simply answer some queries occasionally on the social media. 5. Trying to create a better world.The institutions can also use the social media for their aims towards providing a good education to all. This can be done with the creation of free online courses which can be taken by anyone and everyone. The world has been propelled in that direction with the introd uction of Apple’s iUniversity which gives the universities an opportunity to provide a host of courses, either free or paid. This will go a long way in developing the reputation of the university while benefiting in the process due to development of good content and new courses.This will help towards creating a better world where quality education will be free and available to all. As the prevalence of social media continues to rise, organizations of all types and sizes are recognizing the ways in which social media can help them better understand, respond to, and attract the attention of their target audience. As a result, businesses are now jumping on the social media bandwagon at a rapid pace, embracing blogs, social networks, wikis, and other vehicles to achieve their marketing and public relations goals.The types of benefits that corporations achieve with an effective social media strategy (http://shiftcomm. com/social_media_benefits. html) are the following: 1. Get the message out faster – and to more people. Social media enables more rapid sharing of information. It may take hours, or even days, for a new announcement to reach the end consumer through traditional channels. Why? Because when a press release is issued, a journalist or writer must first wade through all the sales and marketing lingo to find the key points.Then, the content must be re-purposed in article format, and sent to an editor or proofreader before it is published. Social media vehicles, on the other hand, allow for instantaneous dissemination of not just news, but images, audio, video, and other multimedia content as well. And because releases geared toward social media outlets contain only key highlights, pertinent facts, and hyperlinks to related statistics and quotes, the information they contain can be immediately picked up and posted by bloggers and other online journalists.Social media also provides more widespread coverage, enabling breaking news to reach a much larger and broader reader base than standard media outlets alone. While magazine readership and the number of available print publications continue to decline, the number of consumers using the Internet to access and share information continues to rise sharply. For example, one recent study showed that almost one out of every four Internet users – over 41 million people total in 2006 – visits MySpace on a regular basis. 2. Improve branding.Social media, and blogs in particular, can be a highly useful tool for enhancing both awareness and image. Blogging can help â€Å"spread the word† about a company, its products, and its services to more people, dramatically increasing brand recognition and awareness. Additionally, social media can enable executives to gather input and feedback directly from their target audience, and use that intelligence for more effective reputation management. Insight into why people like – or hate – a brand is needed to hel p change and control audience perceptions and preferences. 3. Boost the impact of direct marketing.Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a key component of today’s direct marketing and lead generation strategies, and social media has proven its ability to significantly complement SEO initiatives. Many social media techniques – such as frequent use of common jargon and key phrases, title tags, ticker symbols, and links to blogs and other relevant Web content – can dramatically improve search engine rankings. Additionally, while SEO relies on just a handful of popular search engines such as Google and Yahoo to drive target prospects to a site, social media expands the potential audience by creating alternate channels.For example, when content is published to a site, and that content is then linked to delicious or reddit, it can generate a tremendous boost in Web traffic. Many companies also find it much easier to generate compelling content that is likely to be pick ed up by bloggers, than it is to keep up with the â€Å"rules† required to rank high in today’s popular search engines Parker (2011) suggests five (5) steps in the effective use of social media in business: 1. Think of the bigger picture. Be consistent with the message you wish to convey across various tools. 2. Use less rather than more media tools.It is important to consider your objectives as a basis for selecting the appropriate media tool. 3. Appoint a social media champion. The person would be responsible in engaging the clients / customers regularly; develops strategies to promote the business through social media. He/she would also be responsible in coordinating employees’ personal and social media activities. 4. Tracking the effect. Track the impact of social media efforts on the business such as increased traffic to the website of your business. 5. Take action. Retain the social media tool that gives you more business.Schools have likewise taken advant age of social media to reach out to as many students as possible. For universities competing to attract top students, it's no longer enough to have a glossy brochure and a sleek website. Schools like Johns Hopkins are reaching out to engage with applicants on Facebook and Twitter. They're also finding that a robust social media campaign, along with such creative features as student-run blogs, can lure prospective students while a stale online presence can turn them off. College admissions officers are indeed learning to interact with students where they hang out: online.According to a recent study by the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, 100% of universities surveyed use social media to communicate with students, up from 61% in 2007-08. The study found that 98% of the responding colleges have a Facebook page and 84% have a Twitter account. What are some of the misuses of social media? Social media, according to Prateek Shah, is as prone to m isuse as your computer is to virus. One of the misuses of social media is defaming people/groups/religions/communities. This is possible because of the anonymity of the person posting the derogatory statements.Celebrity fake accounts are being made and untrue stories about them are being spread. ‘Hacking at home’ has led to stealing of passwords and accessing the private lives of others, leading to relationship woes and even divorces. A survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) revealed that four out of five lawyers reported a growing number of divorce cases that cited evidence derived from networking sites. What is at stake when social media is misused and abused? Because of social media misuse and abuse, Uehara (posted at Webdesigner. om) says that you as a social media user may lose: 1. Your soul. If you have a huge audience and you make one little blunder, people will strike you with their pitchforks. 2. Your integrity. Huge claims, especially in public, can easily be cross-examined. 4. Your privacy. Often, people would share snippets of their personal lives on social media sites which is tantamount to loss of privacy. 3. Your job. People have lost their jobs because of a single tweet! 4. Your future. People remember. What you share now with people can haunt you several years from now.The future of social media Gregory argues that social networking through the web with sites such as Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, Second Life, YouTube, and Flicker is becoming a widespread if not dominant form of communication among Internet users, and most popular phenomena prognosticators forecast that this type of collaborating will continue and grow exponentially. Prateek Shah warns that regular attempts at curbing the freedom of social media will be made, but the truth is that it is leading us towards a new world where the lies will be trashed and the guilty will be charged.He says that It will not happen overnight but change has begun and i t is for the common good. In the Philippines, our legislators have crafted House Bill 3732, otherwise known as the Freedom of Information Bill. Social Media and the Internet will be among the enablers of the Freedom of Information Bill, which will boost transparency and minimize graft and corruption in the government. Maintaining ethics in the hyper-networked world of social media Tyler Pennock, Director of Social Media, Rude Finn Creative Edge formulated the following ethical guidelines in the use of social media: 1. Honesty: State nly what you know to be true – and be clear about opinion or conjecture vs. fact. 2. Transparency: Be straightforward about who you are – and who you’re representing online. 3. Respect: Respect for yourself, your peers, and even your adversaries. 4. Privacy: Treat the intimate details of others as you would your own personal information. 5. Relevance: Ensure that the content you’re posting is relevant to the audience and the v enue where it’s being posted. 6. Responsibility: Take ownership of your online activities, the content you’ve created, and any missteps you’ve made along the way.Conclusion Social media is man’s creation to respond to a need for expanding the network of social relationships, towards the realization of a real global village. However, the effectiveness of such social media depends on the selection of the tools that suit one’s purposes and objectives, including their proper use through the observance of ethical practices that respect the rights and uphold the dignity of the human person. References Arora, Nakul. 5 Ways Educational Institutions Can Use Facebook and Twitter For Studies And Coordination.Davis, Cheryl Ann Peltier. (2012). The Cybrarian’s Web. London: Facet Publishing. Gregory, Vicki L. (2011). Collection Development and Management for 21st Century Library Collections: An Introduction. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc. Parker, Catherine . (2011). 301 Ways to Use Social Media to Boost Your Marketing. New York: McGraw-Hill. Prateek, Shah. Use, Misuse and Abuse of Social Media. Posted at http://greensmyles. com/2012/06/the-use-and-misuse-of-social-media/ Uehara, Rean John. Social Media Misuse That Could Cost You Big Time. Webdesigner. com.