Your Facebook Profile speaks alot

As of June 30 2011, there were 82,720 Malawians on Facebook and 716,400 people were using the internet in Malawi representing 4.5% of the population. This shows how much people are using the social networking site. Gone are the days when you could sign up on Facebook using a fake name or a fake account because it is proving to be a vital networking tool to the thousands of Malawians using it. You will only be left out if you decide to use a false account. Your profile is the first thing that impresses a friend you are trying to connect with. I got a friend request from someone calling himself, Wasuta Chamba Banda and another one Kunyenga Kunyenga, i immediately ignored those requests because i don't want such people on my timeline and they are not real.

Many people are using the information we post on our profiles to assess and analyze various aspects of our lives. In fact i usually check the profiles of people who comment on my posts or in the other groups i have joined. I have a special group of people whom i value the comments they make because they contain substance. Reputable companies are getting information of their employees on Facebook, people are finding marriages and other important relationships on the site. Business deals, promotion of events, advertising are all being done faster and free of charge on Facebook. One might argue that LinkedIn is better placed to do this but Facebook is commonly used in Malawi than LinkedIn.

I know of some people who still refuse to open accounts on Facebook calling it a satanic tool and yet many more lives are transformed, encouraged and inspired on this very site. It is a debate which i don't like to to take part simply because i have a conflict of interest being a christian in the technology field.

It is very important to be honest with whatever you are posting on Facebook and other internet sites because it reflects on who you are. I have made friends from many corners of the world through what i have been posting on the internet. Several people have traveled from their places to pay me a visit in Malawi when we only met on Facebook or Twitter. I have been asked to give an opinion on many projects to be done in Malawi because my readers know that i am on the ground because of what i have on my profile. Even my pictures are real giving confidence to those who follow me. There is no way Vincent Kumwenda can have a picture of Cristiano Ronaldo as a profile picture!

We are living in a world that values knowledge so it is important to share everything you know. These social networking sites gives us that platform to share knowledge. It also gives us a chance to interact with friends we have missed for a long time, who are far away. We cannot always afford to call them, all we can do is to drop them an email in their inbox or post on their wall. We can also update them on what is happening by posting pictures and videos. I have communicated with friends in many districts by simply posting pictures on my wall.

Facebook, though, does not replace face to face relationships. I am one of the people who is more talkative online but am not a good friend when it comes to real chatting, but i try to adjust to live a real life. At some point people were complaining that i spend much time with my smart phone than with the friends, but am now adjusting. I still have my phone everywhere i go and will always jump on the chance to reply and email, update my status or comment on someone's status. Friends at some point even feared that i will post everything they said on Facebook.

Too much of posting is also dangerous and can read to people using your information to your disadvantage. In advanced societies, thieves use location based sites, like Foursquare and Facebook Places to track down their targets. They can use your status updates to plan a robbery at your place, steal your car or other things. Hackers ca also have access to your sensitive information. They can easily access what you have posted willingly or get access to your computers and steal important information.

Oppressive governments tend to gather information on the internet to track down its opponents. Am yet to read or hear of someone who has been arrested in Malawi for posting on Facebook about the current regime. However we are not to rule out this possibility in the coming days. Even us bloggers are getting ready for huge censorship in the coming days. As of now Malawians are free to voice out their concerns through their status updates, comments and posting in groups that have been created on Facebook.

For now, you will enjoy real time chat on Facebook if you choose to be yourself.

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Malawians are doing serious business on Facebook

Gone are the days when you could log in on Facebook simply because you don't have anything serious to do or just to update your status. Malawians have found a way of using this social networking site to do serious business. From the popular Malawi Fuel Watch to the Lets do business group, Malawians have enough reasons to spend more time on the Mark Zuckerberg's website.

People are selling and buying various things on this page free of charge. Ranging from Cars, Cellphones, Clothes, Computers and even advertising various services, Malawians are really making big money. The group now has 2461 members as of today, 24 October 2011.

To join the group you send a request to the group's email address: lets.do.business@groups.facebook.com and you will be added by any member of the group.

At least you can now take a break from commenting the various political groups that have been created on Facebook and do something that will bring food on your table!

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Malawians planning a big demonstration on Independence day

If you are a Malawian on Facebook you probably already know about this event making rounds on the social networking site. It is about a big demonstration slated to coincide with the commemoration of 47 years of independence on 6th July. it has been dubbed 'Demo Yakathithi pa 6 July'.

The event created by one Geuka Kumpoto has so far attracted over 2,323 attendees and it is reported to take place in Blantyre, Zomba, Lilongwe and Mzuzu. Details of the demo are sketchy as to who is organising in the cities, starting or finishing place and who will address the people. But it seems many Malawians are eager to take part in this event based on the comments posted on the events wall.

Recently the president directed that those who plan to hold demonstrations are supposed to pay a deposit of MK2 Million Kwacha in case peoples property will be damaged, it remains to be seen if the organisers of this event have paid the deposit.

Here is the exact words written as information about the event:

Many of our freedoms have been compromised. Forex, Fuel, Water and Electricity can only be found at the State House. Zero-deficit budget is a robbery. Injuction bill is oppressive.

Enough is Enough! Time for Malawi to rise again.

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World Cup on Twitter

One of the things that makes the 2010 FIFA Football World Cup unique is the impact it is making in the social media. You can follow whatever is happening in South Africa on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare or You Tube.

It is the first World Cup to be played since Twitter was founded late 2006. With only one game played, news about the cup has made it to the top of the trending topics.

On the eve of the World Cup, i followed most of the Kickoff concert's proceedings through various Twitter handles including Shakira and Knaan's who updated their statuses prior to their performance. Shakira even posted backstage pictures on Twitpic.

Apart from the normal football we will watch on the pitch, we will learn alot of things happening in camps faster than the traditional way of reporting. Several players including Kaka and Christian Ronaldo have accounts on Twitter. Ronaldo recently sent a picture of him and Mandela when the Portuguese team went to visit him (Mandela). The USA team has 10 players, out of the 23, with accounts on Twitter.

Twitter has since created a special world cup portal to give people a chance to follow the trending topics using their countries hashtags. Google has also teamed up with FIFA to give fans fast access on results and news of the world cup on the largest search engine. They are also using Google Maps to help fans find their way around South Africa. You can find detailed directions to restraunts, accomodation or any important places.

As a passionate follower and user of the social media, am very excited with all this. The only drawback is Twitter's capacity to handle the traffic. Wonder what will happen to Twitter when England plays USA. History is seriously being made and there is no better place to make it than in Africa.

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SURFING THE WEB ON NOKIA 6070

In the past i used to like my portable shortwave and FM radio or used to be on TV simply because i wanted to follow current events. I shifted my attention to the PC until i recently fell in love with Nokia 6070.

When am not reading a Clive Cussler or Tom Clancy novel, then am on a PC browsing some stuff or reading an e-book if not, my Nokia 6070 fills the gap. It has everything i need to satisfy me 24 hours. (My friends are already complaining that am no longer a good company!!)

I set my home page to the iGoogle with my gmail inbox on the top of BBC News, Top Stories (from New York Times, Chicago Tribune,etc), Quotes and Jokes of the day. I don't have to go along way to check my mail which i do every hour. I also have bookmarked over 20 sites which am supposed to check every now and then including, Anannova, Goal, Timve Mag, Malawi World Cup blog, News24, Blue Pulse, Nyasa Times and CNN

My applications folder is full of downloaded stuff that also require my undivided attention. There is a pocket bible which am supposed to read daily, Wattpad (i use it to read books online or offline), Snaptu, words of wisdom, Queep, and Operamini. I don't have space to keep latest music or videos i download them to the PC.

In opera Mini where i spend most of the time, i bookmarked Zain Malawi Web2SMS (for 10 free texts everyday since i have two Sim cards), Facebook Mobile, Flickr (for uploading photos taken by my 6070) Twitpic ( for sharing latest pictures on Twitter), Blogger dashboard (for editing my blog posts, Twitter (for real time updates), Malawi Daily Times and Google Reader.

For the latest current affairs all over the world i subscribed to many RSS Feeds which i read in Google Reader. I get to know events in real time because of these RSS Feeds which include, Reuters, CNN, Stories on Malawi, Clement Nyirenda's blog world , Mashable and Killer Start Ups (for the latest technology news). I also follow most of the media companies on Twitter where they update latest news in real time(pity there is no Malawian media to follow).

The only time i spend on PC is when am updating my blog, checking out some big stuff or pictures of friends on Facebook ( i update my status using Selective Twitter or on Snaptu or even through the Faceebook bookmark on Opera Mini), When i want to download some files or subscribe to RSS Feeds of some websites. I also have time to check news about Malawi from Mablog Blogging Malawi but mainly rely on the many blogs that i subscribed to. I also created a Google alert for Malawi news which sends me an email everytime news about Malawi is written.

Talk of Blackberry, iphone, smartphone or what, my Nokia 6070 is giving me a 24 hour access to global issues. And to access all these i use a reasonable amount of airtime from both Zain Malawi and TNM. Long live Nokia 6070 !!!!

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