Social Media

Email Jade at: jdegood@kwch.com Like Jade on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jadeddegood Follow Jade on Twitter:  @ JadeDeGood Jade joined the KWCH 12 Eyewitness News family in 2013, as your weekend morning anchor/weekday reporter. She's excited to be back in her home state reporting on news that matters to her friends and family. Jade grew up on a farm in northwest Kansas where she learned the value of hard work and helping your neighbor.

The Kansas Attorney General's office has released the name of the woman killed in Colby over the weekend. She was 27-year old Teri Morris. Her body was found inside a burning home Saturday morning.   The AG's office says an individual has been taken into custody for Morris' death.  The AG's office says the investigation is ongoing and no other information is available at this time. Information about the case has been very limited.  Eyewitness News has contacted the Colby Police Chief, Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Attorney General's office to try and learn more.

We all know that the internet can be very helpful; like when you're looking up your favorite song lyrics, stock prices, or a dinner recipe. It is also a social tool.  You may be picturing lots of people sitting around a coffee house chatting online.  But social media can be very different. This Wednesday night, right around sunset, two dozen people started an evening run in west Wichita.  "It makes it a lot more fun," said runner Jennifer Schmidt. But the group isn't a part of an organized running group.

Social media has become such a part of our lives, many of us are taking it to the bathroom when we go. New research shows a third of those 18 to 24 connect with sites such as Facebook and Twitter in the bathroom. The time we spend online is also up nearly 40% over last year and more of us are using mobile apps rather than PC-based internet options. Read more here and let me know how you most frequently connect.

If you're unhappy with a product or a service you get head to social media. More and more people are doing that, and they are getting a quick response. Companies now monitor Twitter and Facebook to see what customers are saying about them and often offering up instant apologies. Is this something you'd do? Read the article here and let me know if you ever complain on line and the reaction you got. 

Saturday's tornado moved through Reading, Kansas around 9:15pm, not long after the EF3 tornado destroyed most of the city, a Facebook page emerged. And in forty-eight hours more than one-thousand people joined the "Reading tornado" group, with posts offering condolences, searching for friends and sharing stories. But personal stories aren't the only things being shared. Wichita's Red Cross says and the Salvation Army tell us social media is a vital source used to get information to the public.

It's the newest campaign to get students to go to Wichita State University.  School officials say what better way to reach out to potential students than to use social media.  That's why the new campaign focuses on sharing student experiences through social media.   Both current and recent graduates are encouraged to participate in sharing their current internship, career, and/or job-related experiences. They can share via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest using the #WSUexperience.

The deadline for filing taxes is just around the corner. The IRS is making things easier for last minute filers with the help of social media. Click Here For More Tax Tips The agency has made tax information available on social media tools such as YouTube and Facebook. So far this tax season more than one million people have viewed the IRS YouTube video tax tips. The agency also has a phone app and a Twitter page that thousands are following.

If you "like" the job Wichita Police are doing, let them know about it by following the department's Facebook page. For about two months, police have been pounding the computer keyboard with Facebook posts and Twitter messages to tell citizens about everything from specific crimes in their neighborhoods, to timely traffic alerts. "If detectives or officers have some information on a case say like a suspect's photo or surveillance video or something like that, we can put that out and ask for information," said Officer Jerod Metcalf, the face behind WPD's social media effort.

For the first time, Wichita residents can tweet or Facebook budget questions to the City of Wichita.  The city is hoping to enhance and encourage more public engagement and social media sites are one way to reach constituents. The Twitter town hall meetings are scheduled for Thursday June 28 and Wednesday July 18. To tweet budget questions, make sure to use the hashtag #wichitabudget, and budget staffers will provide responses. Residents can also submit questions to the City of Wichita Facebook page.

Email Jade at: jdegood@kwch.com Like Jade on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jadeddegood Follow Jade on Twitter:  @ JadeDeGood Jade joined the KWCH 12 Eyewitness News family in 2013, as your weekend morning anchor/weekday reporter. She's excited to be back in her home state reporting on news that matters to her friends and family. Jade grew up on a farm in northwest Kansas where she learned the value of hard work and helping your neighbor.

The Garden City Police department is working with the school district after a report of threats found on social media. School resource officers at Horace J. Good Middle School notified authorities after noticing the post Wednesday. Police said the post contained vague threats towards the school. Certain students were also allegedly bully the poster. Classes remain in session while police and officials from U.S.D. 457 investigate. No arrests have been made.

Many Americans have followed the latest developments from Boston online.  Even journalists are using social media.  But are they doing it well?  One social media expert says Facebook and Twitter are changing the way we all see the news. The Boston Marathon bombings and the manhunt for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev have dominated social media.  The top five hashtags on Twitter Friday all related to the search for Tsarnaev.  But not everything that's out there can be trusted.  And that can cause problems for journalists trying to keep up with the internet.

Seven year old Gavin Lee Brummett was a student at Bennington Grade School in Saline County, where some people are wearing blue today, in his honor. "He was a fun loving little boy, sweet, he got a long with everybody and his smile, was the best," Ashley Murphey who knew Gavin said. " Parents who had children in Gavin's class said seeing all of the blue around town meant a lot to them. "It's wonderful to be a part of such a great community," Jamie Gans, another parent said.

A Swedish clothing store has sparked a social media storm after displaying full-figured, curvy mannequins. A blogger took a photo of the plus-sized H&M mannequins dressed in skimpy lingerie. The department store models displayed bigger busts, softer stomachs, and larger thighs than traditional mannequins. The photo was posted on Facebook and caused a controversy. It had more than 50,000 likes and 15,000 shares Thursday night. Modern-day mannequins have long been scrutinized for their tiny size 4 proportions, since the average woman wears a size 14. H&M said the clothing retailer installed the realistically shaped mannequins to show their customers what clothes really look like off the hanger.

A 28-year-old Wichita man was arrested for impersonating an officer on his Facebook page. Police say he claimed to be a Wichita officer under the occupation section of his page. He was reported after police say he made derogatory comments on-line.  When police investigated they quickly learned the man was not an officer. Police Lt. Doug Nolte says it's illegal to impersonate an officer, even on social media.

Wow...it's been quite a few days for everybody in Kansas, including Eyewitness News. The unprecidented snowstorms have stretched us to the limit. Hours of continuous coverage, extra newscasts, dealing with cold, wind and snow. We pride ourselves here on responding to such a challenge, but afterwards we all want to take a deep breath. Thanks to the reporters and photographers who spent so much time outside in the elements. We also must thank the thousands of viewers who interacted with us on social media and sent in storm shots.

The Kansas Attorney General's office has released the name of the woman killed in Colby over the weekend. She was 27-year old Teri Morris. Her body was found inside a burning home Saturday morning.   The AG's office says an individual has been taken into custody for Morris' death.  The AG's office says the investigation is ongoing and no other information is available at this time. Information about the case has been very limited.  Eyewitness News has contacted the Colby Police Chief, Kansas Bureau of Investigation and Attorney General's office to try and learn more.

Are you a mean person online? Do you know people who are? Nasty, rude and offensive comments are common on social media. Things are said that people would never say face to face. FactFinder 12 wanted to know why, so we took our questions to a panel of social media users, teachers, and even a psychologist.  “It's just ingrained in everything we do,” said Amy DeVault, who uses social media in her classes at Wichita State. Social media allows us to stay in touch with friends and family and lets us talk to our viewers like never before.

A bill in the Kansas legislature is meant to protect your privacy on social media.  Representative Gail Finney introduced legislation to prevent employers and prospective employers from demanding access to your personal Facebook and other social media accounts. Finney also wants to give the same rights to students at colleges and universities. She introduced three bills dealing with the issue, House Bills 2092 , 2093 and 2094 . Not everybody supports the idea. "I think for a lot of employers, they want to make sure they maintain a certain image of responsibility, so I don't think there should be a law prohibiting it necessarily," Wichita State student Adam Cole says.