Social Media

I got engaged a few of weeks ago. My fiancé took me to the park with our dog and proposed to me by rocks overlooking the Loch Raven Reservoir. This is a very special place for us, and he even laid out roses (who knew he could be such a romantic?).  After the excitement of realizing that I had just gotten engaged, I was so anxious to tell the world but I knew I couldn't just yet!  Social media is popular these days but it is so important that any important news you may have be shared with your loved ones before the Internet.  It can be hurtful for friends and family members to find out about your engagement through Facebook, although it does happen quite often.

What if Facebook isn't the intrusive, all-seeing eye that we fear? What if it isn't just a place where workers waste time and young people post regrettable pictures of themselves? What if it is not just a stage for narcissists who think everything they say is funny and everything they do is important? What if isn't just a place where heartless teens wound each other? What if Facebook is an Internet bar where everybody knows your name, where you can go to feel better after a bad day?

A bill inspired by the suicide of a teenage Howard County girl who was a victim of a harassment campaign over social media passed the House unanimously Saturday. The legislation now goes to the Senate. The measure seeks to outlaw the use of Internet-based sites such as Facebook and Twitter in the practice known as "cyber-bullying. " The bill is named "Grace's Law" after 15-year-old Grace McComas, whose family testified in support of the bill at its hearing this month. The Glenelg High School student took her life last Easter Sunday after months of malicious postings about her on social media sites.

Baltimore-area police departments are among the law enforcement agencies worldwide expected to take in part Friday in the first Global Police Tweet-a-Thon on Twitter. Annapolis, Baltimore and Salisbury are among the departments in Maryland that are participating. Det. Amy Miguez of the Annapolis Police Department said she is going to be tweeting virtual ride-alongs for two patrol officers, filling in any down time by tweeting safety tips and other information. The digital event, with dozens of police agencies joining in, is aimed at giving citizens a peek into the realm of daily police work while promoting the use of social media by police.

I spoke with a friend/fellow bride-to-be recently who brought up something I hadn't really considered before. In terms of wedding planning, when is it appropriate versus inappropriate to copy off of another bride's ideas? Obviously in the world of social media, especially Pinterest, it sometimes can be hard not to copy, but typically that's taking an idea from a stranger who you don't even know. That, I think, is completely appropriate…and I'm very grateful to all of the strangers whom I have snatched ideas from during the planning process.

Triffon G. Alatzas, who has served The Baltimore Sun as head of digital media and also led the sports and business departments, was named top editor of the 176-year-old news organization Wednesday. As executive editor and a senior vice president of the Baltimore Sun Media Group, the Baltimore native will lead Maryland's largest newspaper, its websites and other digital platforms, as well as its community newspapers and magazines. "Growing up in Baltimore, it was always my dream to work for The Sun," said Alatzas, 46. "We have terrific journalists, and I get excited every day when I watch the passion, the excitement when people rally around a great story, the way folks work together.

The Harford County Cultural Arts Board is holding its annual Arts Gathering at the Liriodendron Mansion, 502 W. Gordon St. Bel Air, on Wednesday, March 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. The Arts Gathering is free and open to any Harford County arts organization's administration, staff, board members and volunteers. The evening's agenda will include beverages with lite fare, 5 to 5:30 p.m.; a presentation featuring artist Linnea Tober on Marketing for the Artist, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.; and networking, 6:30 to 7 p.m. Tober, a Havre de Grace resident, holds a bachelor of arts in art history from Keen University and a master of arts in teaching from Monmouth University.

The family of a Howard County girl who killed herself after months of harassment on social media sites asked Maryland lawmakers Thursday to pass a bill that would allow a jail term for a variety of acts known as "cyber-bullying. " Chris McComas, whose daughter Grace, 15, took her own life on Easter Sunday 2012, told the House Judiciary Committee that the Glenelg High School student had for months been the target of malicious postings on sites such as Twitter and Facebook. The mother said the family turned to police and the courts but was told nothing could be done.

Unleashing your sociological imagination is a must! In the days of social media, consumers are bombarded by media images and sound bites that become the "reality" of those who relish in having others think for them. The recent announcement by Johns Hopkins Medical System that a former employee was found dead the result of an apparent suicide made its way through the news feeds as top-of-the-hour headlines ("Doctor is found dead amid taping inquiry," Feb. 19). At face value, it appears that Dr. Nikita A. Levy, an obstetrician and gynecologist, took unauthorized photos and videos of his patients.

The movie was over, but Robert Ethan Saylor refused to leave the theater. Soon after the developmentally disabled Frederick man was handcuffed by three off-duty sheriff's deputies, he was dead. The unexplained death last month of Saylor, 26, who had Down syndrome, has thrust the Frederick County sheriff's office into the national spotlight, opening a debate over police treatment of people with mental disabilities. "With proper training, these officers would have realized there was a better way to work with Robert," said Kate Fialkowski, executive director of the Arc of Maryland, an advocacy group for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.