After US resident Kimberley Hester was recently fired by her employer for refusing to hand over her password and Facebook profile details, the lack of global employee protection became apparent to many an excellent international law firm. Provoked by the international incident, South Africa has now introduced a new social media law to protect the SA workforce from this type of treatment.
Johan Botes, director of the Chris Dekker employment practice firm, spoke out about the social media law in terms of employment, saying that South African employers were not allowed to “unfairly discriminate against employees or applicants” based on a number of grounds listed in section 6 of the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998.
In light of the recent twitter scandal where SA model Jessical Leandra Dos Santos lost corporate sponsorship after a racist tweet, the new digital media law will not be all-encompassing. Botes explained that while the media law will protect employees and job applicants from being unfairly dismissed based on their refusal to share their social media profiles and passwords, South Africa’s Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) has confirmed that employees may be fired should they post derogatory remarks about their employer, colleagues or clients on Facebook or Twitter.
A fair equilibrium, South Africa’s new social media law will prevent employer’s discriminating against employees and potential staff candidates based on personal information found on their social media profiles. While workers are promised protection, Botes has recommended that they maintain a clean online reputation if they want to create a good corporate impression.
If you are looking for an answer to a medical question there are a number of online healthcare websites and forums that you can have a look at. With the rise in popularity of social media, online healthcare services are being utilised in an innovative way. While clinical trials are time consuming and require getting and capturing a lot of information, using a social media site to do this drastically reduces time and hassle.
A clinical research associate notes that the social networking health site PatientsLikeMe set up an online healthcare program in the form of a network platform where patients involved in a trial could share information on the use of lithium affect their condition (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). The network designed a special tool that standardised how the data was collected, and an algorithm which paired those taking lithium with those who were not. According to the study, they were able to determine results in just nine months. The online healthcare education or study showed that lithium had no effect on the progression of the disease.
A regulatory affairs manager noted the usefulness of an online healthcare system; they were quick to point out that this kind of study does not replace the double blind clinical trials. The PatientsLikeMe network has some 100 000 patients as members, and there are 500 health conditions that get discussed on the platform. The platform is not limited to patients but can be used by all, although some basic training of the online healthcare system may be required.
Related studies have shown that social media can have an effect on research as it can put considerable pressure on politicians and the like to sway research. Patients use these online healthcare systems to communicate, which means that healthcare professionals should also familiarise themselves with these tools and keep in touch with their patients.
Despite the fact that only 9.6% of the country has access to the Internet, when we take a look at social network statistics in Uganda, we can see that the country’s young population are more interested in using the internet to learn rather than socialize on one of the many social networks. How do we know this? Let’s take a look some of the social networking statistics Uganda has to offer…
The first alarming social networking statistic to come from research that has been carried out in Uganda shows that the average age of internet users in Uganda is just 15 years old. This is a massive difference to the UK, for example, where the average age is a much higher 39 years old, more than twice the age of Ugandan users.
Now, considering that the average age of internet users in Uganda is just 15, one would assume that these were youngsters creating social networking profiles on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and many other networks. But the truth is that just 10.8% of internet users in Uganda go online for social media, whereas a much larger 22% use the internet for knowledge and research. 22% is a huge percentage when compared to the UK and The States where only 5% of internet users use the internet for research.
In addition to the fact that so many people use the internet for research, the second largest portion of internet users in Uganda are those that use it to check the News, Sport and Weather. 12% of internet users in Uganda use it for News and Weather, compared to just 3% in the UK, once again re-iterating the importance of genuinely enriching online material in Uganda.
With such promising social networking statistics coming out of Uganda, can we assume that this is a country determined to rid itself of its 3rd world status and educate its teenagers enough in order to convert a poor country into a serious competitor in the world? Or do these statistics just indicate that schools are the only place whereby people can access the internet in Uganda? We’d love to hear your comments below.
Revellers hoping to attend the Battersea Park water fight have been warned to “stay away”, otherwise they risk being arrested, prosecuted and fined £200.
Most people using social media platforms are familiar with the concept of the flash mob – a sudden gathering of a large crowd of people in public to do something fun and unusual, then disperse. The events are usually viewed as harmless fun, but residents in the Battersea Park area have found themselves caught up in a debate over a flash mob due to occur in Battersea Park on 24 July this year.
The first successful flash mob was organised as a social experiment by Manhattan-based magazine editor Bill Wasik. A group of over 100 people gathered around a rug in a Macy’s department store, explaining to inquisitive passers-by that they all lived together and had to make group buying decisions. Since then, flash mob activities have included pillow fights, spontaneous applause and dance routines (see below). Another popular activity is the “splash mob”, a spontaneous water fight. A Facebook event recently announced a splash mob taking place in Battersea Park next month, but Wandsworth Council have issued a warning saying to “stay away” or risk arrest.
While a large-scale water fight is not the usual nature of Battersea Park events, and the sight would certainly raise some eyebrows among estate agents Battersea and their clients investigating property for sale Battersea, those wishing to attend feel the council is overreacting to their plans for Battersea Park and see it as a day of good clean fun. The Council’s response follows a recent splash mob in Hyde Park, which involved 1500 participants and lasted 8 hours. Police had to close Oxford Street to deal with the event and 3 arrests were made.
The Battersea Park water fight now faces the threat of being shut down and the Council warns that fighting, brawling, offensive language and the use of water pistols in Battersea Park will be prohibited. However this doesn’t seem to have deterred many of the revellers, so we’ll have to wait and see if they make a splash on July 24!
If you’re in search of a clinical jobor hoping to network with professionals in the Pharmaceutical and Clinical fields, the PIPA Conference being held in Cotswald this July is sure to provide some excellent opportunities. The focus of this year’s conference is social networking, a hot topic in the industry and the cause of much debate.
While social networking sites have proved greatly effective for marketing in the Entertainment and Technology industries, many in the Pharmaceutical industry are reluctant to use social networking as a platform to communicate with patients. Many find themselves up against too many regulatory restrictions, which are necessary to prevent companies from using social networking platforms to make false claims about medicinal products, and many become pessimistic about social networking. However, a growing number of Pharma companies have started to see the value of social networking technology – a prominent example is the ePharma Pioneer Club, which advocates increased eMarketing in the industry on popular social networking site Facebook.
This year sees the first live debate hosted by the PIPA (Pharmaceutical Information & Pharmacovigilance Association) Conference. The topic of the debate is:
This House Believes That Patient Care will be enhanced by Pharma being involved in Social Media.
Two speakers will speak for the motion, and two will speak against it. This social networking debate promises to be thought-provoking, and as a list of reputable professionals will be exhibiting at the conference, attendees will find many opportunities for face-to-face social networking, the chance to make new connections or secure clinical andhealth economics jobs. The PIPA Conference will be held at the Four Pillars Hotel in Cotswald on the 5th and 6th of July.
If you’re in search of a clinical job or hoping to network with professionals in the Pharmaceutical and Clinical fields, the PIPA conference being held in Cotswald this July is sure to provide some excellent opportunities. The focus of this year’s conference is social networking, a hot topic in the industry and the cause of much debate.
While social networking sites have proved greatly effective for marketing in the Entertainment and Technology industries, many in the Pharmaceutical industry are reluctant to use social networking as a platform to communicate with patients. Many find themselves up against too many regulatory restrictions, which are necessary to prevent companies from using social networking platforms to make false claims about medicinal products, and therefore become pessimistic about social networking. However, a growing number of Pharma companies have started to see the value of social networking technology – a prominent example is the ePharma Pioneer Club, which advocates increased eMarketing in the industry on popular social networking site Facebook.
This year sees the first live debate hosted by the PIPA (Pharmaceutical Information & Pharmacovigilance Association) Conference. The topic of the debate is:
“This House Believes That Patient Care will be enhanced by Pharma being involved in Social Media.”
Two speakers will speak for the motion, and two will speak against it. This social networking debate promises to be thought-provoking, and as a list of reputable professionals will be exhibiting at the conference, attendees will find many opportunities for face-to-face social networking, the chance to make new connections or secure clinical and health economics jobs. The conference will be held at the Four Pillars Hotel in Cotswald on the 5th and 6th of July.
After US resident Kimberley Hester was recently fired by her employer for refusing to hand over her password and Facebook profile details, the lack of global employee protection became apparent to many an excellent international law firm. Provoked by the international incident, South Africa has now introduced a new social media law to protect the SA workforce from this type of treatment.
If you are looking for an answer to a medical question there are a number of online healthcare websites and forums that you can have a look at. With the rise in popularity of social media, online healthcare services are being utilised in an innovative way. While clinical trials are time consuming and require getting and capturing a lot of information, using a social media site to do this drastically reduces time and hassle.
Despite the fact that only 9.6% of the country has access to the Internet, when we take a look at social network statistics in Uganda, we can see that the country’s young population are more interested in using the internet to learn rather than socialize on one of the many social networks. How do we know this? Let’s take a look some of the 
Revellers hoping to attend the Battersea Park water fight have been warned to “stay away”, otherwise they risk being arrested, prosecuted and fined £200.
If you’re in search of a 