LAWRENCE, Kansas — In the wake of several suicides involving gay teens ranging in age from 13 to 19, “cyberbullying” has quickly become the buzzword du jour.

These events are a stark reminder of what those of us in the gay community already know: being gay isn’t easy. But while the issue of anti-gay bullying is very real, cyberbullying is not simply limited to straight people targeting gays.

Since the early days of chat rooms, message boards and instant messaging, there has been an opportunity for people to attack others with little or no consequence.

Filed under:
College, Opinion/Editorial, Social Media, Technology by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kansas – In a demonstration of trigger-happy media and bloggers, a slew of folks jumped all over the story that Duke senior Jon Scheyer had tweeted his cell phone number following his team’s National Championship victory Monday night. He didn’t.

Filed under:
College, Social Media, Technology by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – What is it with male athletes in the Big 12 these days? Specifically, I’m talking about the Big 12 North. Okay, so to be fair, it’s hardly a trend. But being in the heart of Jayhawk country, it is definitely a theme that stood out immediately.

While the blogosphere is having mixed reactions to Deadspin’s rumor-based exposé on sex scandals involving ESPN management and talent, I was drawn to a different sex-related story on their home page, one about Chase Mejia.

To be honest, what caught my attention even more than “X-Rated” in the story’s headline was the mention of “Kansas State” in its description. That piqued my interest. Sure, I’m typically neutral with regard to sports teams, but I’m still a Jayhawk. I can’t help it.

After reading through Barry Petchesky’s post, I was led to a story on Herm’s Perm, posted yesterday. Already entertained by the header image and slogan, I read more about Mejia, who apparently attended the Herm’s Perm crew’s high school alma mater, Shawnee Mission Northwest.

Filed under:
College, Opinion/Editorial by Scott A. Winer

LAWRENCE, Kan. – I don’t typically take requests for what I whine about. But there are always room for exceptions.

Apparently, my mate Ben Smith (he’s English), who–according to a recent Twitpic–is in charge of Major Accounts and the Social Media Manager for The World Company, wanted my opinion on Twitter development.

I’m still not sure why he would ask me. After all, his “Twitter Grade” is 99.7 out of 100. That’s higher than the ever-popular @shitmydadsays or the absurdly underused @Oprah and only .18 less than @drdrew and @jimmyfallon. My score is a mediocre 94.

But he asked, and he shall receive.

I read Ben’s tweet on Sunday afternoon.

Filed under:
Opinion/Editorial, Social Media, Technology by Scott A. Winer