Facebook minimalism, or 3 easy ways to better utilize social media

Free On Campus is so much more than a place to find freebies. There are also fun topics, like this post! Read it, become fabulously successful, and then one day give away your own freebies (which will obviously be posted here).

Everyone loves lists, right? Here are three things you can/should do to increase the benefits of social media for your professional potential:

1. Become a Facebook Minimalist

Remember that camping trip album you created last month? You put 65 pictures in it! Do you think that you could have expressed the awesomeness of the trip with, say, one picture? Since privacy settings now allow you to limit what any friend or stranger can see on your site, you can technically get away with picture dumps on your page. But why not practice “Facebook Minimalism”? Less is much, much better, and minimizing what you put on your Facebook page is good practice for the sort of personal discretion that sells your “brand” to the professional world.

Think of your page as your character portfolio. When future professional contacts become your friends, you’ll want to filter yourself before you filter your friends. Put that one quintessential camping picture on your page and let everyone see it; this will showcase the dynamic elements of your personality.

2. Embrace the Tweet

Many people still see Twitter as either a silly narcissistic exercise or a harbinger of social doom. You might think that constantly broadcasting 140-character nuggets of insight sounds exhausting (it probably is, unless you are Justin Bieber or Chad Ochocinco). But Twitter is not about what you say, but what you see. Every group, organization, company, and brand is either already on Twitter or joining it soon. You can subscribe to just about anything; Twitter functions as a platform where you can see everything you want to. Stay connected with any essential source – most of the Tweets that come from these sites provide links to full articles that you can read to stay aware of new trends, find important news, and improve your general savvy.

3. Love your newsreader

This point follows from the importance of getting a Twitter account. RSS (which stands for Really Simple Syndication) is that little symbol you see on nearly every website (see that little link at the top of this page?). This button allows you to subscribe to that site via your newsreader (if you have a google account, you’ve already got a newsreader – check the top menu bar when you sign in to Gmail, you’ll see “Reader”). RSS allows you to tailor-make your browsing experience. Smaller sites subscriptions will probably feed you everything they post, and larger sites will allow you to select only the part of the site you want to see (for example, you can receive only stories on money or sports from a site like cbc.ca).

Newsreaders are enormously useful. You can get news feeds for everything, from job posting sites to the latest campus freebies. By having all the information you need come to your newsreader, you’ll avoid the endless site searching. This fundamentally changes your browsing experience, giving you a stronger focus with what you want (when you get that new tech job, you can seek out pertinent news feeds to subscribe to, rather than checking twenty sites a day).

So there it is. Seriously, do these things. The Internet is a rewarding experience when you know how to use it effectively. And contrary to the open-ended ocean of information you used to face, following these tips will give you more free time to use for the important things, like networking and gaining wider exposure. And camping.

Back with more freebies soon . . . have a safe Halloween!

Unleash your inner diplomat!

Today: the UVic Model U.N. Club is hosting a bakesale in the Clearihue lobby.

Make like Zoidberg and eat your favourite flag!

“Illegal”: not just a sexy adjective

Last night you went to see your DJ boyfriend’s opening set for some band you’d heard or read about somewhere. And they blew your socks off. But their CDs were twenty bucks at the show and when you opened your wallet, it contained only a dusty cough and a couple of stray moths. Crestfallen yet resolved, you went home,  found the torrent of the album, and just got it for free.

Is this stealing? You heard from your friend (who has an external hard drive’ s worth of pirated music) that in Canada, it’s not stealing; it’s technically making a “backup” copy for your own use. He tells you that this is the reason why blank CDs cost more than blank DVDs (it’s a levy that offsets lost revenue to the music industry!). So no worry, right? Plus, you already paid to see that band’s live set last night, so even if it is stealing, you’ve given them something.

But Canadian copyright law isn’t quite so simple. Let’s look at the example of the CD levies. According to the Canadian Private Copying Collective (CPCC) website, the extra few cents (twenty-nine cents, to be exact) on such products as blank CD-Rs, CD-RWs, and Minidiscs (Mini-whats?) are mandated by the Private Copying Tariff 2010, which came into effect January of this year (the Tariff is updated as new technology becomes available). This tariff has been around since 1997, and was lobbied for by the music industry in Canada as a way to provide monetary compensation to artists and record companies whose music was being “taped” (or burned onto CDs) instead of purchased. And when mp3 players burst onto the music scene a few years ago, the CPCC moved to quickly issue a levy on iPods, cellphones, and anything else that was capable of storing and playing digital music files (technically speaking though, it is only the memory inside the iPod that warrants a levy).

So yes, burning a copy of your friend’s CD was allowed under the Copyright Act, though burning copies of your own CDs to give to others was technically a violation (you can make personal backup copies of music in your possession but cannot make copies for others). But here’s the kicker: this provision does NOT extend to digital music files. Even though you paid a levy on your iPod Touch, you are not legally entitled to download music for free. The Canadian Courts are slow to extend this exempt status to digitally-obtained music.

The final answer to the question of whether you are stealing when you get a torrent without paying for it? Yup. Under Canadian copyright law, you are breaking the law.

Free On Campus is a site dedicated to finding freebies and great deals around the campus and community. The caveat is that these freebies are offered as such. When it comes to issues of copyright violation, legal grey areas, and unquestioned sources of free products, Free On Campus will leave the decision up to its readers. The ethics of torrented music are beyond the scope of this blog, but, technically speaking, the “illegal” part of “illegal downloading” isn’t just a sexy adjective.

Free food . . . AND yoga!

Just saw someone putting up this sign on the University Centre wall . . .

That someone was Jenny, who runs the UVic Yoga club. If you go for the yoga, stay for the food!

If you are interested in the UVic Yoga club, but you can’t make it to the SUB tomorrow, you can email Jenny for more information: yoga@uvic.ca

UPDATE (Wednesday): If you can’t make it today, the yoga club is having a bake sale in the ECS main lobby tomorrow. Not free, but cheap baked goods! The proceeds are going to Kidsport, a local charity that provides extracurricular actitives to underprivileged children. Go support!

Fight the fall chill with a “free” blanket..

Saw this in the SUB building today:

That’s a nice blanket! It looks so warm and I especially love the way it deftly covers that pesky Mastercard logo underneath. That’s my heads-up for you; if you love it enough, feel free to sign up for the “free” blanket, complete with inflated interest and a big headache when another bill starts showing up. The table is right beside the Michelle Pujol room (which is hosting a career fair right now).

It really is a nice blanket, though.

 

Nearly free = nearly there

Strangely, the walls around campus haven’t been plastered top to bottom with giveaway events. Not to worry, avenues are being explored as we speak. In the meantime, I have been alarmed at the general lack of awareness that GROUPON has finally come to Victoria.

What is Groupon, you ask?

(As I lower my eyes and shake my head in exhasperation.)

Groupon is a relatively old as far as trendy internet phenomenons go (it was started in Chicago in 2008), but has recently become much more popular in North America. It mostly exists in large cities, and the premise is pretty cool: sign up using your email account, and every weekday, a new Groupon arrives in your mailbox. A Groupon is essentially a ridiculously huge discount at some business around the city, and is offered for 24 hours (or until the maximum number of people have bought that Groupon; the number varies). If you like what you see, you can click and buy the Groupon (you’ll need a credit card for this). The Groupon is then usually good for anywhere from a few days to a year.

Many of my big-city American friends have been using Groupon for a while now, and swear by the deals. It JUST came to Victoria about two weeks ago, and so far, the deals have been for everything from Pink Sugar cupcakes to the Bug Zoo to the halloween symphony (pictured above, that was today’s deal). For a student on a budget, Groupon is a pretty excellent resource for finding cheap things to do/eat/buy. Also, if you refer your friends, and they buy a Groupon, you get Groupon bucks. It’s not free, but it’s amazing and a lot of fun. There is also a Groupon app, which sends you daily prompts, which may be a good alternative to an alarm clock!

Here’s the link to sign up:

http://www.groupon.com/victoria/

(Don’t forget to tell ’em that freeoncampus@gmail.com sent you!)

What is the cost of “free”?

As the ball begins to roll with this blog, and connections are developed to make this site a more effective place to find all the best deals, the next few posts will be about how the realm of social media is changing, and how you, the student, can make the most of new developments. This first post will address the cost of “free,” and will be followed by a post with a couple of early leads into free and cheap things to find both on the UVic campus and around town.

Okay, let’s talk about what it costs you to get a freebie. It seems too obvious to get into the discussion about the perils of signing up for a credit card just to get a free Salmon Kings t-shirt (don’t do it!), but it is important to understand the nature of a giveaway. Some freebies come obligation-free, or require only your presence (such as the freebie smorgasbord at the recent UVic lip-dub event). Some generous givers ask for an optional sign-up to get a freebie (I’ve attended a few free pizza giveaways by student societies who are simply looking for potentially interested new members). There was also a free hot dog giveaway this summer by a group who were looking for signers to support a higher education program for first nations individuals.

Most of the free things you’ll find, on this site and on your own, will require little or no commitment on your point. But here are some things you may be asked to offer up:

• Your name
• Phone number or email address
• Your time (this is probably the most likely price)
• Your social insurance number, a vial of blood, and your firstborn child

The last one is a stretch, though it is not unheard of to be asked for a SIN number. Here is a short passage from an about.com article on protecting your privacy with regards to freebies:

http://freebies.about.com/od/notbargains/qt/privacy-and-freebies.htm

Of course it’s up to you to decide what you are willing to give up in exchange for something free. But be aware that the more precious the information, the less worthwhile the freebie is. The best free things are those that attract attention or publicity to a group or event, not those that treat a freebie as a trade for information and/or your highly valuable time.

Who wants free pizza?

Every fall, students are surrounded by giant posters that offer things like “free pancake breakfast in the SUB building!” or “Free ice cream . . . everywhere!”. Usually, these signs are put up within a day or two of the actual giveaway. I imagine that regardless of the brevity of these advertisements that at least a few students show up.

If the name of the game is to attract people to whatever event/gathering you are holding through free food giveaways, then you want a lot of people to see your signs, right? Often, given the time constraints, there are just a few big banners thrown up in high-visibility areas; a big sign offering free pancakes is probably the best strategy for generating some quick interest.

A problem arises, though. Let’s say that poster goes up on Monday morning, for a Wednesday morning pancake breakfast hosted by the engineering students’ society. Students have two days to see the sign, and decide whether to wake up early for some pancake goodness. But what about the students who miss the sign? They might not only be interested in pancakes, but in engineering, too.

This blog is intended to become a place where students can check regularly to find out all the free giveaways, be it food, t shirts, concerts, or whatever. This will require me putting my feelers out into the campus groups, organizations, and clubs, and reporting back with the things I’ve found. This blog will also be a place where these groups, organizations, and clubs (and students!) can post if they hear about something I haven’t. I’ll be spending a few months building up this blog, working out kinks, and documenting my progress. The eventual goal is to fine-tune it into something that can be launched as a dedicated domain website sometime in the next few months.

Along the way, I’ll make postings about the evolution of this blog. Eventually, I’d like to add an RSS feed, so that students can receive notifications of giveaways on their phones. My ultimate goal is to make this idea catch on on other campuses, and build an online community of college and university students. When this happens, who knows what this site will look like?

So this is the official launch of my “Free On Campus” blog. Stay tuned, while I go out this week and start finding the freebies!

Oh and while I’m looking, here are a few local sites that might have some good giveaways (you should already know them):

• Craigslist Victoria freebies: http://victoria.en.craigslist.ca/zip/
• Used Victoria (if not free, then cheap!): http://www.usedvictoria.com/
• Times Colonist freebies (the ol’ fashioned way!): http://victoriatimescolonist.oodle.com/