Go Hands-Free or Face a Fine

Is your Blackberry permanently attached to your hand? Have you been texting your way through traffic? You might want to think twice the next time you dial and drive.

On Oct. 26, a new law was introduced, stating that driving while using a handheld device is now illegal in Ontario.

Hopefully you've put down that mobile and hooked on that new Bluetooth device folks. If not, be prepared to face the consequences.

If you're more daring than myself, and have continued to chat while cruising, there are penalties; drivers guilty of droning on while driving could face:

• $500 fines

• demerit points; and

• suspended licenses

The Ontario government said there is a three month leniency period, but once that's finished in January, the rules will be enforced to full effect.

When I moved to Ontario a few months ago, I was surprised to learn cell phone use while driving was still legal. Newfoundland and Labrador passed this law back in 2003, and it has been fairly successful.

There have been some who have broken the law however. Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams was caught driving while talking on his cell phone. Probably not the smartest move for someone in the public eye, supposed to be upholding the law.

Have you broken this new law since it came into effect and had a chat on your mobile while driving? Or have you seen others being pulled over by the police? Do you think there's a real need for this new law?

Go Hands Free or Face a Hefty Fine: No More Cell Phones while Driving!

Is your Blackberry permanently attached to your hand? Have you been texting your way through traffic? You might want to think twice the next time you dial and drive; on October 26 a new law was introduced, stating that driving while using a handheld device is now illegal in Ontario. Put down your mobile and hook on that new Bluetooth device folks, or prepare to face the consequences.

If you're a bit more daring than myself, and will continue to chat while cruising, you should be aware of the penalties: Drivers guilty of droning on while driving could face up to $500 fines, demerit points, and even suspended licenses. The Ontario government has said there will be a three month leniency period, but after that, the rules will be enforced to full effect.

Coming from a province where this law has been in effect for over six years, I was surprised to learn when I moved to Ontario two months ago that people were still allowed to talk on their cell phones while driving. Newfoundland and Labrador passed this law back in 2003, and it has been fairly successful. There have been some who have broken the law however, like Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams, who was caught driving while talking on his cell phone.

What are your thoughts? Have you broken this new law since it came into effect and had a chat on your mobile while driving, or seen others being pulled over by the police? Do you think there's a real need for this new law? I'd love to hear some of your thoughts, so feel free to leave a comment!

To Strike or not to Strike...that seems to be the question at the moment

Last night, while "working on my media kit" * (see procrastinating) for Writing Lab, I was checking out the updates on Twitter. I came across my friend Cara's latest tweet, which caught my eye and made me sit up a little straighter in my chair. "Strike Vote Possible for Faculty", the headline of the article said. To make a long story short, there's the possibility that Humber profs might be going on strike, and could strike as soon as Dec. 21. After having a brief read of it, I started to wonder: What, and how much of, an effect a strike (if it happens) will this have on our program after Christmas?

It's not really rocket science; If the profs go on strike on Dec. 21, and haven't reached an agreement by January...we most likely won't be having class. I know it says that it's full time profs, and we do have a few part timers, but I believe the full-time out number the part-time.

It's not just Humber that will be affected; Seneca, for example, is just another one of many colleges and schools that would be affected by this possible strike. I have a cousin at Seneca at the moment, and he too is concerned about a possible strike. Though I don't think he's stressing about it like I am.

A lot of people in my class have read the article and are concerned, as we obviously would be. However, one of our teachers today said she thought it was unlikely it would happen, though it's not just up to Humber profs to make the decision, it's all the full-time profs in the union. Fingers crossed she's right though.

So, what are your thoughts? If there is a strike and it goes on into next term, what do you think will happen? Will we still get our Reading Week in February? How much will it effect our internships which are supposed to start in May?

Social Media Midterm - Question 5

What kind of conversational patterns can you expect to encounter using social media as a PR professional? What will consumers of your content expect? How can you level these expectations?

As as PR professional, I think I'll be expected to be somewhat knowledgeable of different social media applications, and in terms of conversational patterns, I think two way conversations are becoming much more common and much more popular. This will promote networking, which is a key communication tool in public relations. As well, I think conversation patterns will be driven by consumers, because it is they who will determine and ultimately inform what their needs and wants are. As PR practitioners, it's our duty to figure out ways to meet these wants and needs.

Social Media Midterm - Question 4

Who is Jamie Zawinski? How is the role he played in helping spread design principals important to you? How are the design principals he helped spread important to you?


He was influential in developing Netscape Navigator, one of the first web browsers created. By creating Netscape, Zawinski made the internet more accessible for the world. In the 1990’s, 90% of internet users used Netscape. While no one uses it now, it did start the revolution we call the Internet. Some might say Zawinski’s design principles, like Netscape, are important because to us because he created the first web browser. Others, like myself, however, think that if he didn’t develop a web browser, someone else would have come along and developed one, or something similar. Zawinski is important, not really for who he is, but for what he did.

Social Media Midterm - Question 3

McLuhan used a model with four elements surrounding the term MEDIUM. Touching on the four elements, describe how this model can help us in interpreting social media.

McLuhan's model asks four questions:

1. What does the medium enhance? In this case, medium means social media. Social media enhances conversation and the speed at which connections and communications can happen. Information can be passed instantaneously, whereas before, there could be hours, days, weeks, even months before information was received.

2. What does the medium make obsolete? Social media makes face to face interaction and conversation obsolete because the convenience of being able to send someone an Instant Message or an email is much more appealing then waiting to call someone or meet them in person to discuss something. Some people find this lazy, while others enjoy the convenience.

3. What does the medium retrieve that had been obsoleted before? It can help reconnect people with others from their past.

4. What does the medium flip into when pushed to the extremes? Privacy is pushed to the extremes because it makes people extra protective as to what they put out on the internet.

This model helps show how social media impacts not just the way people interact and communicate these days, but as well, the effect it has on other forms of media, such as television. Previously, people depended on media outlets such as television and radio to get their news, whereas now, they are able to not just receive information faster by using the internet and social media, but as well, they can contribute themselves.

Social Media Midterm - Question 2

In Wikipedia: The Truth in Numbers the message seems to be: no longer do the victors write the history books, we do: you, me, and everyone else. How is social media (twitter, blogs) forwarding this idea? What gives someone authority to "write history" and why should we listen to them? Is there a hierarchy of authorities? ie. is what someone like Seth Godin says more important? What should be taken as canon?

Social media provides the ability to broadcast yourself to the world instantaneously. Thoughts, opinions, and news can be published on blogs or in tweets in seconds, where anyone can read them. Things said by someone like Seth Godin can be considered more important, because he’s more knowledgeable, and more experience in his field. That makes people trust him more. The question of what’s to be taken as canon depends, because some might feel that if enough people believe in something, that makes it real or true. This can be dangerous however, depending on the topic.

Social Media Midterm - Question 1

In Deirdre Breakenridge's article PR 2.0, Brian Cross discusses how changes in technology will change the function of PR practitioners. In what ways do you think public relations will change and what role will PR professional's play in these changes?

Cross says public relations provides the ability to identify the correct target audience and give guidelines on how to bring in these audiences, thus making PR vital to the success of a business. Social Media and other technology and the changes in these have a large impact on public relations practitioners because they are forced to adapt to using these new social media applications. However, though some might see learning to use a new application as annoying, PR professionals are the leaders in opening a new door to communicating to even more of the world. If they want to reach more diverse audiences, they must adapt to work on the same level as these audiences.