A hot tech company, Salesforce,* just decided not to bid for Twitter. . . perhaps because of cyberbullying. According to yesterday's Wall Street Journal, Twitter Inc. was left at the altar on Friday after Salesforce.com Inc. walked away from pursuing a marriage. This all but extinguishes hopes for a near-term sale of Twitter as it struggles to accelerate revenue growth.A reversal by Salesforce Chief Executive Marc Benioff, who previously had signaled interest in a merger, calling Twitter an … [Read more...]
Friends, ex boy/girl-friends resort to cyberbullying.
Study: Friends, exes turn to cyberbullying According to the recent following article by Ben Schmitt, friends and exes turn to cyberbullying more often that strangers:'Teen cyberbullying usually involves friends and dating partners rather than strangers, according to a new study co-authored by a Penn State professor.Girls were twice as likely as boys to fall victim to online bullying, the study stated.“A common concern regarding cyberbullying is that strangers can attack someone, but here we see … [Read more...]
Cleft lip & palate + cyberbullying songs: American Idol tie-in
American Idol this year has connections to two issues dear to my heart: the craniofacial disorders known as cleft lip and palate kids and the cyberbullying they often experience. The connections include a young singer from greater New Orelans, Cameron Richard, and the father of the A.I. winner of last year's runaway hit show Nick Fradiani. Cleft lip and palate. 'A Raceland teen who won over the hearts of many across the country on "American Idol" is bringing attention to Cleft … [Read more...]
Easy trick teaches the impact of cyberbullying.
A schooteacher in Britain used an incredibly effective trick to teach kids the powerful effects of cyberbullying.She posted an image of two apples cut in half on her Facebook page. The image communicated a powerful lesson. In front of a classroom, she insulted and continuously dropped one apple on the ground to symbolize the effects of bullying.On the outside it looked just like the apple that was not "bullied," but when split in two, "the apple we'd said unkind words to was bruised and all … [Read more...]
Boy hassled by bullies in film has new life.
Bullies got more than they bargained for when Alex Libby, one of the students in the 2001 "Bully" documentary, flowered and began to thrive in a new school. Tho Alex still has the flattened nose and Asperger's that triggered much of his earlier bullying, he's a confident happy kid these days.Columnist Tony Leys of the Des Moines Register wrote this follow-up story on Alex recently. Here it is in its entirety: Bullies find unintended consequences of their acts. Alex Libby, who was featured in … [Read more...]
Heroines, bullies, and Batgirl’s final bow as a hero.
As I noted earlier in the week on various social media, Batgirl, whose face graces my "Heroes, Villains, and Fools" home page, has died. Ms Craig was a heroine to the kids of prior generations who were unused to superheroes at every turn. Superheroes could mainly be found in comic books. Among other villains, Craig fought bullies.Craig was trained as a dancer, which helped her perform her own stunts as Batgirl in the iconic 1960s TV series "Batman." Craig died at her home in Pacific Palisades, … [Read more...]
Cyberbullying——actresses Willis and Patridge talk.
Last March and early April, I blogged about cyberbullying and featured Monica Lewinsky's Ted Talk about it. Well, two more celebs have weighed in about being cyberbullied: Rumer Willis (daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore) and Audrina Patridge (reality star and TV personality).Cyberbullying – The Fastest Growing Faceless Crime.As I noted in prior blogs, Patti Agatston, PhD— from www.cyberbullyhelp.com—defines cyberbullying as "using the Internet or other digital devices to send or post … [Read more...]