WBRZ - Baton Rouge

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• La. drivers can't tweet or post to Facebook

  May 21, 2013 5:12 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Motorists in Louisiana will have to add tweets and Facebook updates to the list of activity banned while driving, in addition to texting. A bill prohibiting posting to social media sites while driving gained final approval with a 34-1 Senate vote on Tuesday. It now heads to... more »

• Poll: Teens migrating to Twitter

  May 21, 2013 11:49 AM

  WASHINGTON - A new poll finds that teens are sharing more about themselves on social media. They're also moving increasingly to Twitter to avoid their parents and the "oversharing" that they see on Facebook. In the Pew Research Center poll, 94 percent of teens who are social media users have... more »

• House backs ban on drivers using social media

  May 16, 2013 1:09 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A ban on posting to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter while driving appears likely to hit Louisiana's law books. Both the House and Senate have easily approved the idea. The proposal has one more stop before reaching final passage after getting unanimous House backing Thursday.... more »

• Lawmakers back ban on drivers using social media

  May 6, 2013 12:43 PM

  BATON ROUGE, La. - An attempt to ban posting to Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites while driving is nearing final passage in the Louisiana Legislature. The proposal, approved Monday by the House transportation committee, is designed to close what lawmakers call a loophole in the state law that... more »

• Committee backs social media privacy bill Play Video

  April 22, 2013 11:29 AM

  BATON ROUGE - A bill that would ban employers and school officials from requesting personal online login and passwords of employees or students is working its way through Louisiana legislature. State House Representative Ted James introduced the bill that passed the House Commerce Committee Monday. It will next be considered... more »

• Social media source for Boston Bomber manhunt Play Video

  April 19, 2013 6:08 PM

  BATON ROUGE- As viewers kept their eyes glued to the TV while the Boston Bomber manhunt ensued, they also used social media to keep updated on events. Whitney Breaux, a social media expert, knows the release of the suspects' images was a watershed moment for the case, thanks to... more »

• Bill would ban social media posts while driving

  April 10, 2013 2:19 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Hold that Twitter thought. If you are driving, a proposed state law would make it illegal for you to post status updates or anything else to social media websites. The Senate transportation committee has approved a measure that would add accessing, reading and posting to social media sites,... more »

• Lawmaker wants to ban social media while driving

  March 29, 2013 6:01 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Posting to Facebook or Twitter while driving could soon be illegal. Senator Dale Erdey pre filed Senate Bill 147 which would make it illegal to "access, read or post to a social networking site" while driving. The bill keeps the current texting while driving laws... more »

• Social media expert on Pheed Play Video

  March 1, 2013 4:51 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Social media expert Christi Domingue-Rangel introduced us to the latest social media craze, called Pheed. She said it's a cross between MySpace and Instagram. Christi is teaching a class on Social Media Essentials class at Baton Rouge Community College. The course cost $285 and it's... more »

• EBR Schools monitoring social media Play Video

  February 20, 2013 5:48 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Social media has changed the way many people interact on a daily basis. Sites like Facebook and Twitter is a great tool for communication, but it can also act as a gateway for cyberbullying and threats. This week, police arrested 18-year-old Kyle Blackburn after they said... more »

• Online dating in the age of social media Play Video

  February 14, 2013 5:14 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Social media expert Christi Domingue talked with News 2 on Valentine's Day about the recent explosion of online dating. About 45 million people use online dating sites to meet other people. Domingue says a lot of dating services have apps as well, which puts online... more »

• Pew: Majority of Facebook users have taken break

  February 5, 2013 11:04 AM

  NEW YORK- A new report says about 61 percent of Facebook users have taken a break from the site for at least a few weeks for reasons that range from being busy to getting bombarded with "too much drama." A Pew survey released Tuesday says that of American adults who... more »

• Concerns about new Facebook search function Play Video

  January 25, 2013 5:22 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Facebook has changed the way many people socialize and communicate, and the changes aren't through yet. The company announced recently plans to update their search engine to "Graph Search", a new feature which will let people find other people, places and businesses based entirely on what... more »

• Fake social media profiles appear in Baton Rouge Play Video

  January 17, 2013 4:50 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o's fake girlfriend fiasco isn't the first time a ficticious social media profile has caused trouble, nor will it be the last. Just ask Ashley Hebert, a legislative analyst at the State Capitol and a beauty pageant queen. "I had a... more »

• Deputies warn they are watching for mass meet-up

  January 11, 2013 10:24 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Sheriff's deputies have a warning for anyone considering a mass meet-up on Saturday: they'll be ready. After a near riot at the Mall of Louisiana last weekend, people on social media started suggesting a second meet-up at another location for this coming Saturday. Deputies said they... more »

• NORAD Santa record

  December 28, 2012 7:30 PM

  Tracking Santa on Christmas Eve led to a record number of phone calls and social media followers for NORAD. The North American Aerospace Defense Command says volunteers answered more than 114,000 calls, up 12,000 from last year. The Santa Facebook page had more than 1.2 million followers, up about a... more »

• Federal prosecutor withdraws from landfill case

  December 12, 2012 10:16 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - A federal prosecutor has withdrawn from the case against a landfill executive charged with plotting to defraud a construction management company. A lawyer for River Birch executive Dominick Fazzio had asked a judge to recuse Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Kennedy from the case, claiming Kennedy failed to... more »

• 100 Canadians can smell like fresh pizza

  December 6, 2012 12:36 PM

  DALLAS - Oh, to be one of 110 select Canadians! They'll find in their mailboxes a bottle of pizza-scented perfume before Christmas, courtesy of Pizza Hut Canada. The Canadian subsidiary of the Dallas-based pizza chain selected the 110 from more than 1,000 responses to a social media-based promotional campaign. The... more »

• US Attorney resigns during probe of online posts

  December 6, 2012 10:49 AM

  NEW ORLEANS - U.S. Attorney Jim Letten is resigning while the Justice Department investigates alleged misconduct by two of the top deputies in his New Orleans office. The nation's longest-serving U.S. attorney announced his resignation Thursday at a news conference. Two prosecutors who served as supervisors under Letten are targets... more »

• School releases email on injured player, situation

  November 29, 2012 11:40 PM

  BATON ROUGE- University High sent an email to members of its school community Thursday, discussing the situation surrounding a U High football player injured in a mysterious incident last weekend. D'Vante Dotson was found in a pool of blood in a park on Perkins Road. He had a head... more »

• Family wants answers after teen was found injured in park Play Video

  November 27, 2012 10:27 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Family, police, and friends of a University High School football player are tied-up in a whirlwind of rumor, injury, and investigation. Friday night, D'Vante Dotson was found lying, unconscious, in a BREC park. The U High player was celebrating with friends after a playoff victory. Dotson's... more »

• NJ storm victims finding lost mementos online

  November 23, 2012 6:47 PM

  NEWARK, N.J. - New Jersey residents devastated by Superstorm Sandy are being reunited with lost photographs and objects through social media. There are at least four Facebook pages targeted to New Jersey residents that help connect them with their possessions. People who find lost mementos can post photos of them... more »

• Sec. State to examine social media and ballots after election

  November 6, 2012 3:01 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Every day people share all kinds of things through social networking, from who they're with right down to what they're about to eat. People in Louisiana, though, should think twice before snapping a pic of who they voted for today. According to Louisiana law, it... more »

• Social media abuzz with hurricane chatter

  October 29, 2012 4:34 PM

  NEW YORK - Whether you call it Frankenstorm, Stormpocalypse or simply Hurricane Sandy, the giant weather system barreling into the East Coast is a favorite topic of conversation on social media from Facebook to Twitter. As people post updates to friends and family, relay emergency information and lighten the... more »

• Lehrer's philosophy on moderator's role tested

  October 4, 2012 3:15 PM

  NEW YORK - Former PBS anchor Jim Lehrer says a debate moderator should be like a baseball umpire - get out of the way and let the candidates play. That philosophy may have compounded his troubles during the first presidential debate between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney as... more »

• Politics on Facebook, Twitter off limits to state workers

  September 20, 2012 10:17 PM

  BATON ROUGE- There's a social media crackdown in some state government offices. Facebook "Likes" and Twitter "Follows" connected to political candidates are off limits to Civil Service Employees. Leaders say it's an online "bumper sticker" or "yard sign." Many of those are not allowed for workers. "When we... more »

• 83 million Facebook accounts are fake

  August 3, 2012 11:09 AM

  Facebook is trying to disable 83 million of its accounts that are fake. Some are malicious and others are pages created for pets. The social network says more than eight-percent of its 955 million monthly active users worldwide are duplicate or false accounts. Facebook has divvied them up into... more »

• Twitter users in UK, US experience issues

  July 26, 2012 11:02 AM

  LONDON- People in Britain, the United States and elsewhere appear to be having difficulty accessing Twitter, a day before the 2012 Olympic Games are due to officially launch and spike activity on the site. The social network's main website is unreachable from New York, London and Johannesburg. Twitter spokeswoman Rachel... more »

• Local video makers explain how they make money with YouTube Play Video

  July 9, 2012 11:04 AM

  BATON ROUGE- Making money on YouTube could be as simple as a few clicks, but it's not always that easy, just ask the creators of the 'Lil' Final Boyz' videos, Myles Laroux and Logan Baudean. The pair burst into the viral video scene after making a spoof video about... more »

• Sex offenders fight for right to use Facebook

  May 30, 2012 3:46 PM

  INDIANAPOLIS - Registered sex offenders who have been banned from social networking websites are fighting back in state courts. Sex offenders have successfully challenged many of the restrictions, arguing that the laws infringe on free speech and their right to participate in common online discussions. The legal battles in Indiana,... more »

• Law banning sex offenders from social media thrown out Play Video

  February 20, 2012 10:05 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The governor's administration plans to appeal a judge's decision to allow sex offenders back on social media websites like Facebook. Last week, U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson threw out the recently-passed law banning registered sex offenders from social media sites. Jackson said the law went too... more »

• ACLU sues over limits on sex offenders' Web access

  August 15, 2011 3:24 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana is suing to block enforcement of a new state law that limits sex offenders' access to social networking websites and other online forums. The federal suit filed Monday in Baton Rouge claims the law is overly broad and violates... more »

• Employers requiring social media background checks

  July 22, 2011 4:53 AM

  The New York Times says some companies are now requiring job candidates to pass a social media background check before being hired. Social intelligence searches the Internet for everything potential employees have said or done online over the past seven years. The Federal Trade Commission has determined this... more »

• Obama to host social media town hall at Facebook

  April 20, 2011 12:21 PM

  SAN FRANCISCO - Facebook users are deluging President Barack Obama with questions as he readies for a town hall meeting at the Silicon Valley headquarters of the social media giant. More than 36,000 users of the site have said they will virtually attend the Wednesday afternoon meeting that will... more »

• Feds, state using Twitter and Facebook for terror alerts

  April 8, 2011 5:50 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The federal government will no longer be using the color code system for terror updates. Some updates will be released using social media networks like Twitter and Facebook. The state has routinely used social media for critical information since Hurricane Gustav. About two million... more »

• Learn more about social media at Coastal Social

  September 27, 2010 7:15 AM

  Learn more about how to use social media in your business or group at Coastal Social. Coastal Social is a one-day summit for regional social media professionals, enthusiasts and business owners. Come meet the South's leaders in social media marketing and learn from the best in the business. Coastal... more »

• Face behind Facebook: Raising Cane's

  May 19, 2010 10:06 PM

  Raising Cane’s is one of the most popular restaurants in Baton Rouge. Now, they also have one of the most popular Facebook pages in the city. The page, which boasts more than 80,000 self-proclaimed "Caniacs," uses its Facebook clout to promote contests and community projects, as well as interact with... more »

• Face behind Facebook: LSU Sports

  May 13, 2010 10:09 AM

  Last night at 10:00p.m., News 2 reporter Rob Krieger took us behind the scenes to meet one of the many faces behind LSU Athletics and their 18 facebook accounts. Click on the video icon to view the story in its entirety. And be sure to follow us on... more »

• Face behind Facebook: LSU page

  May 6, 2010 10:24 AM

  In case you missed it last night at 10:00p.m. - we've posted this again for you. And we hope you'll follow us on facebook. Just type in "WBRZ" in the search bar! The social networking website Facebook is a growing obsession. Its fans range from “baby boomers”... more »