Yahoo!7 Answers Blog Australia

Social networking has literally changed the face of society as we know it.

Privacy has gone, sharing is everything – what you wore today, what you had for lunch, who you like or who you don’t – nothing is sacred any longer.

Seven’s leading morning program, Sunrise, hosted a segment this morning around the issue of students and teachers being friends on Facebook.

So we have two unique view points:

• The school principal who’s students friend teachers (it should be noted that it is not the teachers seeking out the students, but the students requesting the teachers as friends); see it as a way for both students and teachers to continue building upon the relationship setup in the classroom and for assistance with schoolwork.
• The child safety expert feels that it is overstepping a professional boundary, that students have other avenues for working with teachers. She used the analogy that teachers would never have called a student privately on the phone, so why should they hang out with them on Facebook.

We are seeing the same thing happening in workplaces with an increasing trend in employees and bosses being friends on Facebook. This can have negative consequences with people having been fired for comments made about colleagues or having been caught out “chucking sickies”.

There are many pros and cons to this situation, but the basic ones seeming to be privacy and common sense. With regards to teachers, the obvious one would be child safety. If you do friend a colleague or equivalent person on Facebook, think about whether you want them knowing every intimate detail of your life. If you don’t, utilise the various privacy settings that most social networks have to control the levels of who sees what.

This is literally a subject we could spend all day on, so we’d like to know your thoughts!

Should teachers have students as Facebook friends or as friends on any social networks? Why or why not?
- Yahoo!7 Australia Answers Team

Answer via the question above or leave a comment below!

Kate
Community Manager

Photo by Jacob Freeze.

In recent weeks, Pakistan has been hit by devastating floods that have affected 20 million people, killed up to 1,600 and left two million homeless.

The United Nations warned Monday that up to 3.5 million children were at risk from water-borne diseases in flood-hit Pakistan and said it was bracing to deal with thousands of potential cholera cases.

At times like these, we’d like to point you towards the efforts of organisations like:

• The Australian Red Cross
• CARITAS Australia
• World Vision Australia
• Oxfam Australia
• Médecins Sans Frontières
• UNICEF Australia
• Plan Australia
• CBM Australia
• ADRA Australia
• Save the Children Australia
• Care Australia
• Oxfam New Zealand
• Save the Children New Zealand
• Red Cross New Zealand
• UNICEF New Zealand
• The Salvation Army
• UNHCR

Please give generously if you can.

Kate
Community Manager

Photo by Nico Nelson.

Much of New South Wales woke up to severe storm damage this morning, after gale force winds of up to 140km per hour swept across the state last night.

Fallen powerlines have sparked several house fires including a garage at Ingleburn in Sydney’s west, while a man at Cremorne in Sydney’s north was injured by broken glass.

The SES says it received hundreds of calls this morning, as people woke to find damage to roofs and fallen trees.

The busiest areas have been on Sydney’s south and the south coast of New South Wales.

Electricity to most areas has been restored, but about 2,000 homes are still without power on the central coast.

Source: Yahoo!7 News.

The house that I live in is well over 100 years in age, complete with the old tin roof. I love the sound of rain on the tin and falling asleep to it, but it’s another thing entirely to the pelting rain and gale force winds of last night. Needless to say, none of us got much sleep last night!

I awoke to find all our fruit trees had lost their fruit during the night; the paths were littered with leaves and other debris. We lost one native tree and a few others lost branches. Power and electrical wires were down across my suburb too. My drive to work involved detours and I saw lots of trees and branches down, thankfully none on cars. My family got off lightly, but many other NSW residents weren’t quite so lucky…

Which brings me to this question: What is the worst storm you have experienced and how did it affect you?

Leave a comment below or answer the question on Yahoo!7 Answers!

Kate
Community Manager

David Beckham needs no introduction. He is one of the most iconic athletes and decorated football players of all-time. He is the second most capped England player in history, scoring in three FIFA World Cups.  However, David’s name now stretches beyond just football –in recent years, his name has also become synonymous with style, fashion, and recently, through his work as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, he has become known as a key advocate of charity work.

Here at Yahoo! we are honoured to have David as our Global Ambassador working with Yahoo! Sport to interact with as many fans as possible and sharing his thoughts on subjects ranging from his favourite World Cup player to his preparation for the big day – with much more in between!  If you haven’t checked this out already, take a look at David’s coverage on Yahoo!.

Here’s a taste of one his interviews:

The World Interviews David Beckham

Following the World Cup, we’ll be conducting one more interview with David and like everything else in his career; it’s going to be BIG!

We will be hosting The World Interviews David Beckham LIVE and exclusive on Yahoo! And YOU – the Answers community, are the ones with the golden opportunity to have your question put to David.

We’ve asked you the question:

• If you could ask David Beckham one question, what will you ask him and why?

Maybe you want to ask about how his career took off? His future ambitions beyond football?  Or even find out what it is really like to walk out onto the pitch with 100,000 fans cheering your name?

Whatever your question, come up with the most original, interesting, topical or relevant question and yours could be the one we ask when the World Interviews David Beckham on July 14^th GMT!

If that isn’t enough… we’ll also be rewarding the Best Answer for Yahoo!7 Answers with a football signed by David Beckham!!

Remember that your answer MUST follow all the Community Guidelines and Terms of Service. If you do not follow these guidelines your question will NOT be considered.

By answering the question you will be accepting our Competition Terms and Conditions.  The competition is only open to residents of AUSTRALIA.

The Winner

We’ll be announcing the Best Answer and competition winner on Tuesday July 13th and will contact the winner through the email address associated with the Yahoo! Answers account.

The winning question will be announced on this blog and on our Facebook and Twitter pages.   Follow us on Twitter or ‘Like’ us on Facebook and you’ll get the updates immediately.

To enter, head to Yahoo!7 Answers and leave your question for David – please don’t leave your question in the comments below.

Happy answering and Good Luck!

– Yahoo!7 Answers Team

The NRL has taken the task of disciplining one of the most successful Rugby League clubs seriously, stripping the Melbourne Storm of two Premiership and three minor Premiership titles. In addition, all competitions points accrued to date have been removed and the club will not be awarded any further points for the remainder of the 2010. They have also been fined $500,000 and will be forced to return $1.1m in prize-money with the prize-money being distributed evenly among the other fifteen clubs.

It is reported they have been found to have been breaching the salary cap on multiple occasions over a number of years in excess of $1.7 million.

The NRL has uncovered breaches estimated to be in excess of $1.7million over five years, around $400,000 in 2009 and with a projected breach of $700,000 in 2010.

While the amount itself is cause for concern, the most damning indictment is the systematic attempt by persons within the club to conceal payments from the Salary Cap auditor and, it would now seem certain from the club’s Board and from its owners, on an ongoing basis,” Mr Gallop said.

“It was through this system that they were able to attract and retain some of the biggest names in Rugby League.”

Source: Yahoo!7 Sports News

We’d like to know your thoughts on this controversial move by the NRL:

• What would be the most appropriate punishment for NRL clubs that bring the game into disrepute?

Leave a comment below or on the question above!

Kate
Community Manager

Yesterday wasn’t just Yahoo!’s birthday but also that of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known to us as the famous children’s author and illustrator – Dr. Seuss!

Most of us would have grown up with books such as “Green Eggs and Ham“, “Are you my Mother?”, “The Cat and the Hat“, “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish“, “Horton Hears a Who“, “Yertle the Turtle“, “The Lorax” and “Fox in Sox” to name but a few.

Born on the 2nd of March, 1904, Ted, as he was known to his friends and family, had written over 60 books by the time of his death in 1991 at the ripe old age of 87! He also wrote and published books under the pen names “Theo. LeSieg” and “Rosetta Stone”.

In honour of his birthday, we’d like to know the following:

• Which film written by Dr. Seuss won an academy award?

Did you have a favourite Dr. Seuss book growing up? Leave a comment below!

Kate
Community Manager

What a week, it’s great to see so many Australians and New Zealanders coming together to help those in need!

We’ve added a few more charities to our original post, including details of charities based in New Zealand and of a fund that’s been set up to support the Sanson-Rejouis family.

The most recent updates include details for the Salvation Army and UNHCR, as well as how to make a donation via Médecins Sans Frontières Australia. If there is a charity or organisation that we missed or you feel should be on the list, please leave a comment below or on the original post.

For the latest news, please be sure to Yahoo!7 News for full coverage of the events in Haiti.

Kate
Community Manager

Photo by Globovisión

Yesterday afternoon, the island nation of Haiti was struck by an earthquake that measured 7.0 on the Richter scale, centred 10 miles west of the capital Port-au-Prince. The quake caused wide scale damage and devastation, levelling schools and hospitals. Thousands are either dead, missing or trapped under debris; the death toll is currently estimated at over 100,000.

• How do earthquakes happen?

Amid the pain and suffering however, there are stories of amazing escapes and miracles emerging. It has been confirmed that a QLD couple, living in Haiti, have been reported as safe. But the risk of disease spreading is increasing with Haiti’s Prime Minister appealing to the world for urgent assistance. The Australian and New Zealand governments are currently working on aid plans, with aid agencies mobilising.

At times like this, it is important that the community join forces to offer support.

On Answers, we form a community of collective knowledge- but in the real world, together, we create a collective bound together by one thing: humanity, and the ability to endure. And in times like these, it’s important to remember that, and to help others persevere.

According to the Associated Press, “it was clear from a tour of the capital that tens of thousands of people had lost their homes and that many had perished. Many buildings in Haiti are flimsy and dangerous even under normal conditions.”

To learn more about how you can send your support to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti please follow the links below:

• CARITAS Australia (donate now)
• World Vision (donate now)
• Oxfam Australia (donate now)
• Médecins Sans Frontières (donate now)
• UNICEF Australia (donate now)
• Australian Red Cross (donate now)
• Plan Australia (donate now)
  
• Compassion Australia (donate now)
• CBM Australia (donate now)
• ADRA (donate now)
• Save the Children Australia (donate now)
• Rotary International
• Care Australia (donate now)
• Oxfam New Zealand (donate now)
• Save the Children New Zealand (donate now)
• Red Cross New Zealand (donate now)
• UNICEF New Zealand (donate now)
• The Salvation Army (donate now)
• UNHCR (donate now)

In addition, anyone in New Zealand who wishes to support the Sanson-Rejouis family in their efforts and recovery may contribute to the BNZ Bank Account: Haiti Earthquake Sanson Rejouis Family Fund. No. 02 0704 0074227 00.

View the Yahoo!7 News photos from the quake. WARNING: photos contain images that may not be suitable for children.

Kate
Community Manager

My goodness, what a morning.

We’re all shocked to hear about the passing of Michael Jackson, the ultimate King of Pop. For many of us born in the 70’s and 80’s, a Michael Jackson album was the first music we ever bought and most of us have special memories of his multitude of songs.

His 1982 hit Thriller became a world wide smash. It yielded seven top-10 singles and sold at least 27 million records worldwide. The year later, the moonwalk was released while performing Billy Jean in New York and we all spent hours trying to perfect this unique style.

We posted a great question on the Yahoo!7 homepage asking you What are your best memories of him and his music? There are so many great responses (keep them coming!) but I wanted to share a few with you.

HIS MOONWALK. I still remember all my friends trying to do it.. we’d fall down laughing when our teacher tried to do it, looked like he was constipated.. No one came quite as close to the King of Pop.
- Sydney =)

Billie Jean, 1983. His red suit, white socks and black loafers. I still think this song is his finest musical moment.
- R2R

My positive memory….he landed in Papua New Guinea in 1997 in search of fuel on while on his way to NZ from some place in Asia….I saw him from 20 mtrs away.. in less than 50 minutes more than 1000 fans gathered at the Jacksons Int Airport…
- Pontai

Running home around the corner from a friends place after dark at 8years old after just having watched his big sisters recording of the Thriller filmclip and freaking out,wondering if there were any grisly ghouls after me!
- Birds

So, So, many of them, where to begin. Which one? Everytime I stepped on stage (now retired professional dancer 27yrs) in OZ or OS! Having the privilege to perform to this icons works, but alas, seeing MJ @ Parramatta Stadium in 1987. Source(s): Yahoo of course! Thanks for your coverage on MJ.
- donna

For me, almost every one of his songs remind me of something in my childhood.  Blame it on the Boogie will always take me back to teenage discos and those hilarious dance moves, Bad reminds me of dancing around the living room with my brothers and I’ll always remember the feeling of hope and inspiration the first time I heard Heal the World.

What will you always remember about Michael Jackson?

RIP Michael Jackson and thanks for the wonderful memories.

Caitlin
Community Manager

Wow what a week. Water cooler conversations and news bulletins alike have been bouncing from discussions about paid maternity leave to the treatment of women by Rugby League players, from predictions about the upcoming job losses to the very high profile demotion of Matthew Johns.

Everyone seems to have an opinion about whether Matthew Johns should have been stood down by Channel 9 and Melbourne Storm. A question we featured on the Yahoo!7 Frontpage yesterday got an astounding 700 answers (and counting)! We hope the writer Mumkaren didn’t have get a notification for everyone of those answers… that would be one full inbox! She asked Do you think Matthew Johns should have been sacked for something that happened 7 years ago?

There are some pretty heated opinions on there, here are just a few:

NO!!! It was consensual, not illegal and had nothing to do with Channel 9 or Melbourne Storm. I’d like to see statistics showing how many people have had group sex – I bet you it would be a large percentage. – Altezza

If Johns has a daughter, and this happened to her, what do you think he would do to the guys who did it? – Anonymous

Apparently this was investigated by NZ police and he was not charged. Why does someone get to come back 7 years later and upheave his life. I think it was a publicity stunt on her part and she will probably be well paid for her story. – HJ

This was a 19 year old girl. One who could very easily be taken advantage of. And the police investigation? Hmmm 6 witnesses vs 1. What do you think the police can do? Turns into a “he sad she said” situation. – Karl

The thing is, this type of behaviour brings up wider implications that we’re not unfamiliar with. Remember the Brett Stewart incident? He is still waiting to face court in a few weeks for allegations of sexually assaulting a minor. Yet he was only banned for 4 weeks from the NRL, even though the reason he was inebriated on the night in question was because of a Manly Sea Eagles booze up.

As dogsoldier1962 asked the Answers community, have the NRL backed themselves into a corner? Should the NRL go back over all the incidents that have happened like the Bulldogs in Coffs Harbour, the 3 Broncos players from late last year and even Brett Stewart and start tearing up their contracts?

What is even more scary is what does this behaviour say about the football culture? Why have there been so many scandals like this? Lou asks, why are NRL players prone to pack sex? Is it a rite of passage? There’s certainly a lot of discussion in Answers about it and the NRL has a lot to think about. Furthermore, we have a lot to think about whether these are the type of people we want as role models, particularly in a media capacity like Matthew Johns.

So what happens to Matthew Johns now? Do you think he should ever have a TV career again or has he ruined his public reputation permanently?

Caitlin
Community Manager