Social Media

Most of us have high school acquaintances-turned-Facebook friends who pop up on our feeds with updates that make us feel sorry for our 16-year-old selves. THOSE were the people we chose to befriend?! The updates range from the TMI "friend" who posts frequent updates about catching her boyfriend in the act of cheating to the folks who write cryptic, passive-aggressive posts in hopes that someone will ask, "What's wrong?" My problem lies a bit beyond the above examples - it's with certain "friends" who use social media as a platform to panhandle.

For a guy who's partied in Las Vegas with the one Olympian seemingly everyone wants to do Vegas with, Winnetka native and Olympic gold medalist Conor Dwyer is awfully coy about what went on during his weekend in Sin City with Ryan Lochte. After all, what happens in Vegas … right? "Oh that was a good time to say the least, a good time," he said with a smile. It's been a whirlwind three weeks for Dwyer since being a member of the gold medal-winning 800-meter relay that helped Michael Phelps set an Olympic record with his 19th medal.

After the second presidential debate, one of my Facebook acquaintances announced in a status update that she was in the process of pruning outspoken Republicans from her friends list. "I can't take all the idiot Romney lovers anymore. For my sanity, I'm defriending all of them. Good riddance. " Others "liked" the post and chimed in with their own stories of deleting conservatives and other undesirables from their Facebook lists. Really? There are a bevy of reasons to defriend people on social media - a messy breakup, someone's mother is insulted, or they're posting compromising pictures of you in a swimsuit on Reddit.

So you're at the game, and there's a brilliant/hilarious/crowd-pleasing thought you have to share with the Twitter world - right away. Should this behavior be encouraged or frowned upon?   GO FOR IT Want to supplement your live sports experience with Twitter? Go for it. Live-tweeting during sporting events spurs lively debate among game watchers following you, and the best commentary usually surpasses the rehashing you'll hear on TV. Unlike, say, tweeting a performance of "Macbeth" from your seat in a darkened theater, most games are lively enough that a little tweeting from your seat won't distract your stadium neighbors.

Musicians are a big part of what we do. However, some of them engage in downright annoying behaviors. Here's a list of ten things musicians do that bug us. Encores : There's no suspense. Want to take a break and get some water? Have at it while you're on stage! No one cares. Just play more or don't. Interludes on records: These are almost never funny or useful. Intros and outros: See above. Generating applause by saying the name of the city they're in: "CHICAGOOOOOOOOO!"

In the aftermath of dramatic events like Monday's bombing attack at the Boston Marathon, it's a truth of our times that millions of people will get early bits of news via social media. To be sure, sites like Twitter and Facebook were used extensively by police, relief groups and governments to share important information about the bombings. But there's also a more unfortunate side to how the Web responds to sudden bad news. Sometimes accidentally and sometimes maliciously, false information gets loose.

What the hell am I doing here? That's the question that kept tugging at my brain while sitting at the UFC event "in person" a couple weeks ago. I put that phrase in quotes because even while sitting in relatively coveted seats on the ground floor of the United Center, I realized I wasn't actually watching the live action in front of me. Instead, I kept finding myself peering upward to the crystal-clear JumboTron, transfixed by the up-close-and-personal shots...

As a fan of professional wrestling, I often imagine what the WWE would look like today if the male Superstars were promoted the same way as the female Divas. If you follow the current storylines in the top-rated "RAW" and "Smackdown" series, there is a significant difference in how the two sexes are portrayed. Consider this: Current WWE champion--and Chicago native--CM Punk is a tough-as-nails straight shooter who is one of the most popular wrestlers in the industry. He plays the part of an anti-establishment hero who thumbs his nose at authority.

I love the game of basketball. I love watching it. I love playing it. (I'm much better at watching it.) I grew up in Indiana; it's in my blood. The Bulls have given me a lot to love this season. They're playing the best basketball in the league - and the best basketball this city has seen since the hallowed Jordan years. But, apparently I shouldn't care. There's a line of thought out there that these Bulls wins that are piling up like Lindsay Lohan's trips to rehab aren't important.

In February of 2011, fans of legendary late-night bar Marie's Riptide were saddened when namesake Marie Wuczynski passed away. Now, the future of the Bucktown bar is uncertain. On Tuesday, two messages regarding the bar's closing were posted via Twitter from Marie's Riptide ( @Mariesriptide ). The first: “ Sad news today . We are trying to find way to stay open but as of now, Fri Jan 25th is our last day open. If you want to help please retweet.” The second tweet was simply “Fri.