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Authors’ Social Media Publicity: Learning from the Self-Published Author Community How to Use Social Media to build a Readership.
No full textBig Data in Digital Media Buying: Programmatic Advertising Sales—Transforming the Publishers’ Eco-System.
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Volunteer Management Practices During Challenging Economic Times
Get PDFNonprofit organizations rely upon volunteers to facilitate their missions of meeting critical community needs. Since 2006, on average, 61.9 million Americans or 26.4 percent of the adult population volunteered every year through organizations delivering 8.1 billion hours of service worth approximately $162 billion to America’s communities (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2012; Corporation for National and Community Service 2010). Most recent data released by The Bureau of Labor in 2013 further suggest between September 2011 and September 2012 approximately 64.5 million people volunteered via an organization at least once. In light of high unemployment, donor fatigue, and slow economic growth, it is also anticipated that nonprofit reliance on volunteers will continue to increase (Salamon and Spence 2009). As cautioned by Doherty and Mayer (2003) when revenue sources are compromised as a result of an ailing economy, continued devolution, and severe budget cuts at all levels of government, nonprofits will increasingly be compelled to cope in new ways to achieve their missions. Therefore, as nonprofit organizations continue to face compromised revenue sources due to severe federal funding cuts and reduced donor support, managers will be compelled more than ever before to utilize their volunteers with fewer resources. However, the words of Lipsky and Smith (1989/90) and again by Brudney and Duncombe (1992) still ring true today: volunteers are not free, nor are nonprofit managers always equipped to make the most of their volunteers (Urban Institute 2004; Yanay and Yanay 2008). Furthering the findings of prior research (Levine and D’Agostino 2012), the purpose of this study is to identify the specific practices that emerge among volunteer managers in human service organizations during challenging economic times. Given that volunteer management encompasses a range of complex activities, such as recruiting, coordinating, leading, supporting, administering and organizing volunteers as well as strategic oversight and management of volunteer programs this study introduces complexity theory as a lens for understanding volunteer management capacity during challenging economic times. Although business (Curley 2012) and legal studies (Hornstein 2005) have utilized complexity as a guiding theory, the framework used in this study is a unique and important contribution to the nonprofit volunteer management literature. This study incorporates complexity theory as a means to frame a model of volunteer management that offers nonprofit chief executives, managers and funders a new perspective on how to successfully cope with volunteers and strengthen capacity during these challenging times. First, literature reviewing nonprofit and volunteer management capacity building is examined. The paper then introduces complexity theory as a basis for understanding volunteer management capacity. We then proceed with the methods section and discussion of key findings. We conclude with study limitations and areas for future research
#Snitches Get Stitches: Witness Intimidation in the Age of Facebook and Twitter
Get PDFIn order to better understand witness intimidation in the age of social media, one must examine both the forms it has taken as well as the response by law enforcement and the criminal justice system. As this article points out, the digital age has brought with it a host of new ways in which witnesses may be subjected to online harassment and intimidation across multiple platforms, and those means have been used to target not only victims and fact witnesses but even prosecutors and expert witnesses as well. The article will also examine potential responses to the problem of witness intimidation via social media, including proposed legislation. And while the focus of this article is on this problem as it currently stands in the United States, it should be remembered that just as social networking is a worldwide phenomenon, the use of such platforms for witness intimidation is an international problem. For example, Arab women living in the United States who have filed domestic abuse charges against their husbands have reported members of their families overseas being intimidated and harassed through social media postings as a form of pressure on the complaining victim. And in Mexico, drug cartels use social media to harass and target those who report their actions
When Are the People Ready? The Interplay Between Facial Sufficiency and Readiness Under CPL Section 30.30
Get PDFIn this article, we will explore the intersecting concepts of conversion, facial sufficiency, and readiness. As we shall see, readiness for trial does not necessarily follow from the conversion of a complaint and dismissal on CPL section 30.30 grounds does not necessarily follow from a finding of facial insufficiency
Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law”: A Parable
Get PDFDespite Francis Bacon’s cautionary note, I have always been a fan of parables, and perhaps the most poignant one to speak for perils of the legal profession is Franz Kafka’s “Vor dem Gesetz” (“Before the Law”), one of the relatively few works to be published in his lifetime. It was seen first in the almanac Vom Jüngsten Tag: Ein Almanach Neuer Dichtung in December 1915 before it was included in his novel Der Prozess (The Trial), which was unpublished in his lifetime. He wrote it at one sitting on December 13, 1914, and in fewer than 650 words, Kafka illustrates the menace of the law to those for whom it is a mystery and the indifferent cruelty possible from those who have access to it. He does this while subtly referencing, through metaphor, the social, political, and educational barriers that have always separated those who have access to the law and those whose ignorance of it can cost them everything. And he does it with a sheen of absurdist humor that reflects the existentialist artistic response against the alienation of the modern world that was unfolding around him
Defining an Enhanced Feature Subset to Assess the True Biometric Performance of Speaker Verification Systems
No full textThe speaker verification system industry requires increased standardization in testing processes and evaluation methodology, specifically those that select the best combination of feature vectors (or enhanced feature subset) to use as input for analysis in these systems. There are numerous methods currently used to “benchmark” these offerings, which translates to a marketplace of solutions that cannot be compared against each other on equal terms. Organizations like NIST have also failed to standardize these evaluation methodologies, which is necessary to create an environment that fosters reliable performance metrics. These inconsistencies indicate that the current research is flawed and unreliable. This dissertation will demonstrate a reusable methodology to identify the best subset of feature information to isolate in the measurement of the actual biometric performance of a speaker verification system with the expressed intent of standardizing the manner that testing is conducted
Media and Self Representative Perceptions: Deception in Online Dating
Get PDFEven with the increasing popularity of online dating, stigmas surrounding this form of internet connection persist. Since society is inundated with images of deception in online dating, those who have never experienced online dating may believe that mass media accurately represents this type of communication. This study’s main research question asks if perceptions about online dating differ between users and non-users; furthermore, these differences will be taken into account when regarding the prominence of mass media in shaping these impressions.
Currently, digital communication is a societal norm; more and more of our lives are documented and facilitated by the internet. Through understanding the differences between online daters and non-online daters, the reach of modern mass media can be better measured and combatted. Through survey questioning and follow-up interviews, Pace University undergraduate students were asked to reflect on their online dating experiences, or lack thereof, and its position in relation to popular mass media, social networking, and individual personality factors. Research designs such as this provide communication studies with the proper balance of quantitative data and qualitative responses to paint a more accurate depiction of society\u27s sentiments.
While this research provides a glimpse of American youth\u27s opinions about online dating, enough data has been gathered to indicate that mass media plays a strong role in shaping perceptions for non-online daters. While those that do online date are less influenced, the role of popular media along with social media necessitates more analysis to contest stigmas surrounding internet communication, especially online dating. Future research can use this study as a tipping point to discover if anxiety from mass media influences not just online dating, but perceptions of other online communication. Since computer mediated communication plays an increasing role in the lives of society today, the relevancy of such studies can prove invaluable to mass media content creators and consumers alike
The Master Limited Liability Partnerships Parity Act: Friend or Foe?
Get PDFIn April of 2013, Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware introduced legislation that seeks to level the playing field between renewable and non-renewable energy companies. Titled the “Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act” (MLPPA), the legislation would amend the federal tax code to allow renewable energy companies to form master limited partnerships and thereby gain valuable financing and tax advantages. This legislation would clear the way for the formation of master limited partnerships investing in renewable energy, which would have significant impact on clean energy production in the United States. This article discusses the Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act and explores the advantages and disadvantages of master limited partnerships as a business organization for renewable energy companies and ultimately argues for the passing of this valuable legislation.
The article is divided into six sections. Part I defines master limited partnerships and examines their corporate structure and how they operate as compared to other types of business organizations. Part II delineates the history and evolution of master limited partnerships over the last thirty years. Part III describes the Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act, including its history, purpose and aims. Part IV then details the arguments in support of the Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act, while Part V gives the arguments in opposition to the Act. The article then concludes in Part VI with the author\u27s recommendations and conclusions that the Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act is a step in the right direction for the development of the clean energy sector and environmental protection in the United States