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iePlexus Social Media News Brief: Jan. 29, 2010

From Twitter users split on Apple’s new iPad, to which social media and search engine’s Kathy Griffin likes, this is a look at iePlexus’s Social Media News Brief.

We start with Apples unveiling of the new tablet known as the iPad.  After much anticipation, speculation and rumors, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced Wednesday morning that Apple will now begin the make a tablet known as the iPad, which not to be confused with the iPod, which is essentially the same thing, just on a larger scale.  The iPad is what Jobs considers a device in between a smart phone and a laptop.  He also said it’s the best browsing experiences you’ve ever had and that it’s so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smart phone. The devices has a ten inch screen with a built in calendar, address book, capabilities to check your mail, access google maps, listen to your music, with a battery that lasts about 10 hours..  It also has a virtual keyboard, which Jobs said is “a dream to type on.”  While prices start at about $499, the Twitter community was split on how they felt about the new tablet.  Crimson Hexagonanalyzed the content for more than half a million tweets following the Apple’s announcement Wednesday.  Forty-eight percent of tweeters reacted positively, saying they thought it was great or wanted one, while the remaining fifty-two were left unimpressed.  Some say think this is kind of a waste right now, especially for people who have iPhones and iPod Touches, because it does the same things.”  If you’re looking to get an iPad, you can expect to see them in stores sometime later this spring.

Twitter users in Toronto Canada stirred up some controversy this week after they took pictures of transit works sleeping on the job and posted them to the social networking site.  First Jason Weiler took this picture of a worker sleeping and posted it onto the social networking site saying “Yup, love how my TTC dollars R being spent…”  Almost instantly the photo went viral and the local news picked up the story.  Then just one day after the controversy began, Scott Dagostino posted another picture of another worker sleeping.  The Toronto Transit Commissioin has not released the names of the workers, and are accusing the Twitterer’s of not actually checking to see if they were asleep, because many of their transit workers allegedly have medical conditions, which involve passing out.  However, both Weiler & Dagostino said it’s obvious they were napping.  No word on any punishment for the workers involved.  

 And finally, two time Emmy award winning, double Grammy nominated, author and comedian extraordinaire Kathy Griffin was in Seattle last night. I had the chance to have a one on one excluseive interview with her. Some of the things we talked about included the social media and search engine world, here’s a little clip of that part of the interview.

Kyle: Alright, so, a couple this or that questions really fast. Mac or PC?

Kathy Griffin: Mac.

Kyle: Why?

Kathy: Well, of course I dated Steve Wozniac.  But also it’s the first one I ever had, so I never learned PC.  So I never had a blackberry, I went from basically a corded phone to an iPhone.  I never had a PC, so I just started with an iMac.

Kyle: Google or Bing?

Kathy: Google.  Bing is too new, and high and might for me.  I don’t understand it.  And Google is what I know.

Kyle: I like going to Bing just to look at the front picture.

Kathy: I’ll switch to Bing.  Is it like Yahoo? Just A Search Engine?

Kyle: Sort of.

Kathy: Does it have news on the front page?

Kyle: No, there’s nothing, it’s just a big picture. It’s nice to just look at the picture.  Just go tomorrow to look at the Bing picture.

Kathy: Alright. Can I Bing myself? Because I Google myself everyday.

Kyle: Yea.

Kathy: Well if I could bing myself, its just another something to do…

Kyle: Bing yourself.  Everyone Bing Kathy.

Kathy: Please Bing me! Now do you twat me?

Kyle: I do…

Kathy: Good, because I write my own twats on twitter.

Kyle: That’s what I was going to ask next.  Facebook or Twitter?

Kathy: Well my mother does my FacePlace as she calls it.  She calls it FacePlace.  And Tiffiany does my Myspace and I twat my own twit.  I mean I twit my own twats. 

Kyle: Do you like it?

Kathy: Yea. I like it because it’s limited to 140 characters.  And I think it’s important that celebrities are limited. 

Kyle: Right. What’s the best part about Twitter for you? Being limited?

Kathy: That if I think of a joke, or I want to tell someone about a book signing or a live show, I can just put it out there in two seconds.  And then a quarter of a million people get it like that.

Kyle: That’s awesome.

Kathy: I mean I’m not Miley.  I don’t have the 2 million followers so that I have to put on a wicky wack sideways cap and do a rap about quitting…