Cell-phone : Beauty turned Silent Killer!

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I am not so much of a gadget person. For example, a telephone is meant for me to talk to my friends to decide when and where to hang out, to call my siblings deciding when and where to hold family gathering, to inform my husband to pick up the kids form school if I’m coming home late, to call the childcare center to make sure my kids are okay, and for some banking, official calls or products inquiry. I am fond of NOKIA cell-phone and NOKIA 3210 was my 1st cell-phone in the year 1999.

Nokia 3210



This is my first cell-phone NOKIA 3210. 

Nokia 3310

 After NOKIA 3210, I changed to NOKIA 3310 for reason which I cannot recall.

 
Not long after that, I changed to NOKIA with polyphonic ring tone which I cannot recall the model name.

 

Nokia N70

In 2006, I changed to NOKIA N70, Music Edition, a birthday present from my husband. The most appealing feature at that time was the one touch Music button on the right side. Despite all the new models in the market, I am still using Nokia N70, because of the sentimental value. I intend to use my current cell-phone until it cannot longer be used or until I get a new one (hopefully Apple iPhone) for my birthday this year. 

As I mentioned earlier, I am not a gadget oriented person, but I would love to have Apple iPhone because it is well known all around the world. It also seems that to own one of Steve Jobs' famous invention will enhance one's self esteem. 

While admiring the beauty and fame of Apple iPhone, I came across an article on dangerous effect of cell-phone on human being. It never crossed my mind that cell-phone  have dangerous effect on human body especially cancer.  To me cell-phone is a very useful and harmless invention.  This is the invention that connects me with my family and friends. Besides communication media, I can also  take pictures instantly using my cell-phone. Once captured, I can upload the pictures into my laptop and print out. Lets us just see how this beautiful invention can endanger human body. Of course many cell-phone heavy users may not agree with the article but the choice is always in our hands.

According to the article, the cell-phone is listed as “carcinogenic hazard” category as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform. Study have shown evidence that there is an increase in glioma (malignant type of brain cancer) and acoustic neuroma cancer among mobile phone users but type of cancer is still unknown. This is because, the exposure will only take effect after a long period of time. Acccording to the study which was released in 2010, the rate of developing glioma and acoustic neuroma cancer has doubled among cell-phone users who has been using cell-phone for more than 10 years.

It is not to say that the cell-phone usage causes cancer, but the radiation emitted form cell-phone usage may cause the development of cancer in a long run.The radiation coming out from the cell-phone has the same function as radiation function in microwafe as to food. Besides leading to te development of cancer and tumor, it may also affect cognitive memory function.

So far, no study has been carried out on the effect on children, but considering the effect on adults users, I would assume that, the effect could be devastating. Although people are still skeptical about cell-phone usage causing side effect, some mobile providers (ex:Apple iphone 4, Blackberry Black Bold) has indicated caution of radiation exposure in their manuals. The rationale is that, the farther the device from human body, the lesser radiation is absorbed by the human body. Experts also suggest using speaker phone, not to use cell phone in the area where signal is weak because the device is forced to emit more radiation in order to connect to cellular tower signal. For more details, you can read CNN New and the following website.

Speaker phone

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Social networking business ??

Still on the issue of facebook. Although I am not a facebook fan, I agree that facebook has its advantages and disadvantages. I am sort of introvert type of person. I do not like it that much to share my personal information with people except with those close friends. Even so, I strictly control the type of personal information that can be shared and with whom to share it with.

Facebook is a social networking platform where it means that we are open to every possibility of getting to know people and for people to get to know us. Ironically, as a social networking platform, facebook allows users to make private setting to limit the  sphere of networking. Does it serve the purpose of a social networking? When we restrict our networking options to specific group of people, means that we are practicing limited social networking. If we limit our social networking, why do we use facebook for social networking at the first place? Or, as my friend had said earlier……...it is because I am not use to facebook so I wouldn't understand the 'spirit' of facebook.

As I mentioned earlier, I am not opposed to facebook but it my opinion availability of personal profile on the Internet for many people to see makes a person is vulnerable to unwanted possibilities. This is especially when people share the private information without giving a thought of exposing one-self too much or not anticipating the danger from predators lurking on the other side of the Internet world.

On the other hand, facebook also provides a vast coverage of social networking which serve as a platform for e-commerce business. There are also websites giving advise or teaching us how to advertise our business through facebook such as Dot. Com Mogul. According to Dot. Com. Mogul, there are about 65 million active users of facebook, with over 55,000 regional, work related, collegiate and high school networks available. Facebook is the sixth most-trafficked site in the US and has tremendous international growth whereby in UK there are more than 8 million active users and Canada about 7 million. Other active users countries are such as Turkey, Australia, France, Sweden, Norway, Columbia and South Africa. For those interested in creating business advertisement via facebook can visit the Dot. Com.Mogul websites.

There are number of benefits of using facebook as e-commerce platform. To name a few, the followings are the expected advantage of using facebook as business platform.

1. Product branding.
Facebook enables people to recognize our products. Also to instill our image or idea to potential clients.

2. Customer Engagement. Through facebook we can entice prospective customer through creative advertisement, promotions and its free!.

3.  Drive Web Traffic

By linking our business website, eventually we are encouraging our friends, prospective buyers or fans to visit our websites. With busy web traffic visiting our website, we can appear as most likely website to be visited.

4. Managing Business Reputation Directly.

Facebook becomes the platform for better business reputation management because prospective customers are allowed to comment / give their opinion for improving the business.

5. Attracting new customers.

People connected to facebook serve as potential business prospect. One may never know, there is potential customer from the other side of the globe.

6. Other business Opportunities

Not only potential customers, facebook also can serve as the door to other business opportunities and possibilities.

7. Customer Retention.

Facebook provide an interactive platform for conversation with customer. Any comment by customer on facebook must be regarded as important. By being assured customer view is important, the customer is likely to be faithful to the product brand.

The are also other benefits using facebook as E-Commerce platform. Some insights can be obtain from the this website.Click here.

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Reality Bites!!

When my eldest son asked me, what should he put his status as in his facebook profile, I just said “student”. “Mom there is no such status, it’s either single, couple or married” he replied. It’s like a lightening strike to me that, at the age of 10 he was thinking about his status as either single or couple or married instead of his status as being a “primary 4 student”. Or, am I being “old fashion” because of my ignorance of facebook? I do not oppose to facebook but I do not feel that facebook is important to me. A lot of my friends urged me to open up facebook account, and the best part is my best friend created a facebook account for me and added our other friends into my facebook account. She advised me to change the password she created for me at the first place. I do visit my facebook account once a while……yet I don’t feel any attachment to it. It makes me wonder why some people are so engrossed and can't live their life without facebook? Some says, facebook is important to catch up with old friends or get new friends or be updated with our friends or family members or even for business purposes. So what is it for me? Why do I need to do that? If I want to catch up with friends, I’d rather call, talk or meet them personally then commenting on facebook while other friends can see comments not intended for them. One of my friend told me that its because I’m not used to facebook…..that’s why. Is that so?

 Anyhow, at this moment I am not a “facebook” person and not so much “IT Oriented Person”. I consider myself not as much as an “IT Oriented Person” compared to my best friend who majored in IT, working as an IT consultant, whose idol is the late Steve Jobs, who is always up to date with latest Apple gadget, who likes Rakuten on-line shopping, who knows how this “invisible data” travels around the world, who’s daily life evolve around gadget for travelling, shopping etc. I think I am an “IT Oriented Person” because I surf the Internet for various informations related to my office work, on-line newspapers, on-line banking, shopping on-line (books only), warehouse sales locations,education material purposes and etc. I may not be “IT Oriented Person” because I’m not gadget oriented and I don’ have the latest smartphone, iphone, ipad or whatever. I don’t surf anywhere or everywhere, I surf when I “want” to surf.

If the distinction between “IT Oriented Person” and “Non-IT Oriented Person” is the ability to use the Internet for extracting information, I may say I am at par with this friend of mine. However if being “IT Oriented Person” means to posses the latest information communication gadget, know all the functions of applications on the gadgets, I would say I am below par. So, to me it’s the perceived distinctions that defines the IT orientedness of a person.

A few of my friends have their own blog? Does that make them a better IT oriented person? Sometimes I like to read other people's blog but I don’t have the inclination to have my own blog until this “moment of truth” where I have to create a blog for MIS 750 assignment. This is my first attempt to be part of the Internet world. Perhaps by having my own blog, I can be a better IT Oriented Person. . If there are people like me out there, don’t be discouraged or ashamed if you are not a “facebook” person or non-IT Oriented Person. There is always the first time to everything. The important thing is to face the moment of truth. We may not be expert in IT but we can be better.