When our class was first introduced to Color it was something that many of us were interested in. Even though the company has already invested 41 million dollars and exuded confidence that they had created the new Social Media giant I was wondering if they were getting the results they had anticipated. Through my research I found that many of the users of Color were unsatisfied. I came across the blog that explained that even though the creators weren't receiving the feedback they had desired they were not allowing it to bring them down.
Even though, that within the first 24 hours that Color was released they were seated 26 at the iTunes most downloaded app chart the reviews they were receiving weren't all that great. Despite the excitement of users many complained about the short distance that Color covers as well as the poor experience with the app when other users are not around. This was something I felt our class was disappointed with as well. I know for me personally, I downloaded the app but have been unable to use it because of the lack of other users. I think one of their main focuses should be on gaining awarness amongst the public. Many people do not even know Color exisits and creators should work on getting their name out there better, esepcially if they want to become the next giant.
The blog further explained that the company has taken the critques and have been working on making the app better. Already a week after the initial release they had an update which furthered the distance allowed for communication for users. I think that this app is defiantly something that many people will want to pretake in and it will be only a matter of time before the creators have fixed all of their errors, and the app will really be able to take off.
I'm sure most of us can remember the two very different presidential campaigns back in 2008. We saw that McCain took the traditional approach, whereas, Obama pioneered a different campaign integrating Social Media. Many people argue that what enabled Obama to be so successful was his utilization of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. I came across the article that recently Mitt Rommney announced his candidacy for the 2012 Presidential election through his social media pages. Through his tweet he posted a link with a short video explaining some of his platforms and stated some of his opinions on the Obama administration.
Understanding that Obama really set off this trend it'll be interesting to see how other candidates follow suit. Since Social Media networks have been so successful and hold the attention of so many people it would be almost silly not to tap into these networks to spread awareness. These networks offer the ability to reach a mass audience quickly and frequently. I think these networks will allow the candidates to stay relevant in voters’ minds better than other outlets, such as TV commercials. Another great thing about candidates utilizing social media sites is that it gets younger generations involved. I remember reading shortly after the 2008 election that it had one, if not the best turnout for voting for our generation so far.
I also have seen that along with Rommney, Obama has started to post various statuses and tweets pertaining to the election as well. I think this gives us an adequate inclination that "traditional" elections are somewhat sort of the past, and I think it'll be interesting to see how social media influences these changes.
We have already discussed some of the benefits that location based networks, such as Foursquare, offers to businesses-and the list just got longer.
There is over a thousand of different brands that are on Foursquare, but often times are hard to discover by the users. So, in order to diffuse this issue they have launched a "page gallery". This gallery complies a collection of all the businesses on the site and gives the users the option to "follow" the page. By following the page users are able to receive tips, and updates from their favorite brands. The gallery also shows users what pages are popular amongst their friends.
With so many people and businesses jumping on the Foursquare bandwagon I think the Pages concept is a great idea. In order to stay relevant these networks need to keep evolving to fit what the consumer is wanting.
Amber Alerts were created in 1996 after a young girl, Amber Hagerman, was abducted and murdered. For years Amber Alerts could be found on marquees on interstates, scrolling down the bottom of television screens, and through text messages.
Now, according to this article Amber Alerts have been implemented through Facebook. Amber Alerts has also started a Twitter page. However, they feel that at this point in time Facebook has been more beneficial because Facebook gets viewed more than any other site across the planet.
I think this is a great idea because now in addition to the other outlets that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has implemented these alerts are now just a click or an update away. Ernie Allen, the President and CEO of the NCMEC, explains that Facebook users who "like" the Amber Alert page have the option for which states they receive updates from.
I think this is an awesome way to help save children lives. Social Media has proven its ability to spread things like wildfire so I hope now that the NCMEC has joined, we can see Social Networks be used in additonal postive manner!
Friend them today!!
Using social networks allows people to stay in contact and sometimes literally know a person’s every move. Although, this is a nice way to stay connected it also can be dangerous if not careful. I read this article that provided some tips to keeping yourself and your friends safe.
The major point emphasized was to be discreet. Once you post something online it can never be fully deleted. Therefore, before posting anything make sure it is something that you are okay with being out there online forever.
Be careful when letting people know your location. Location social networks are gaining popularity rapidly and while these sites are fun, don't make it easy for someone to stalk you. The site also mentioned never make it known when you are going to be out of town or leaving your home for an extended period of time. Also, utilize the security settings provided and do not just rely on the defaults provided.
Watch who you are "friending", I am sure everyone has gotten friend requests from people that leave them thinking who in the heck is this person!!?? It isn't always wise to just click accept, because you may never know why they are wanting access to your profile.
Don't publish any personal information and be careful who you are allowing to view information such as your e-mail. I've noticed that many people have their cell phone numbers listed so if you are one of those people be careful of who you allow to view this information. One of my friends had theirs listed and began getting creepy calls from people who got it off of Facebook--you can never be too careful.
Social Networks are a fun, and easy way to stay in touch with your friends so just play it safe to ensure a positive experience.
Can you remember the last time you purchased a magazine or newspaper to find out about current events.?
Most of you probably just reach for your smart phone or hop on the computer to see what is going on in the world. Therefore, it makes me wonder if social media, is helping kill off print media. Not only is having newspapers online responsible but I feel that more and more people are getting their information through social media. Our generation is too accustomed to getting information free and instantaneous that having to go out and purchase it no longer seems like an option. For example, I found out about the tragedy in Japan through people's status' on Facebook. My grandparents and I have often have the disagreement with the fact that I do not sit and watch the news every night. My response is always if something is going I need to know about I'll find out about it. Which is true, I would say well over half the information I receive I found out through what people are saying on Social Media sites.
So with Social Media how do newspapers and magazines survive? I recently saw a commercial with Cosmopolitan promoting their new app for the iPhone and iPad, as well as, their Facebook page. I applaud them on their efforts to alter their product to appease current consumer demand. Unfortunately, I feel that that in order to survive these types of businesses have got to find alternative ways to stay relevant.
Recently I have been asked my opinion from a local business on how to utlize Facebook wisely to market their business. Just as we have discussed that there are now certain guidelines for us to use Facebook there are guidelines for businesses as well. I was curious what advice the web offers to increase businesses recognition on Facebook and this is what I found.
The tips below are ones that I saw mutlitple times as well as some I found interesting.
*Include a link to your FB page on every e-mail you send and link to Twitter-They explained the importance of linking all the sites a business uses together to create a sense of unity.
*Make an interesting video welcoming viewers to your site
*Get fans to tag pictures of themselves with the product-I thoght this was beneficial because the business I was talking to sells jewerly and I think this could be a good way to create awarness of her product.
*Run a contest that requires people to become fans first
*Update reguarly-This is a mistake that many businesses make by not keeping their page current. I think that if a business is going to take the social media plunge they need to be dedicated to keep their sites up to date.
*Put the URL on your print media, business cards etc.
*Use the @ tag to your advantage...whether it be on your personal page or tag other people
*Don't have your wall as the first thing seen, create a unique page-This is something that I have been some business start to do and I think it is interesting and almost just looks like an improved, interactive website for the business.
*Create conversation-This can be as simple as having a status that invites others to share their opinions. Most everyone likes to speak their opinion and it can be something just to get people talking but it also helps with brand awareness.
When using social media one of the primary goals is to create awarness and keep in touch with consumers and I think these tips can help a business stand out in the Facebook world.
In the article below, I found it interesting all the lengths that China has gone to be able to control what it's citizens are saying on these sites. The article reported that sites such as Twitter have been blocked all together and sites such as Facebook are thoroughly filtered and censored.
With all the events taken place in Egypt these controls have gotten even tighter. Despite their efforts an event was planned called the "Jasmine Revolution" calling for protests in 13 different Chinese cities. In order to prevent these protests from actually taking place Chinese officials blocked many posts from being published and went as far as not allowing texts with certain phrases to go through. The article also reported that anything to do with the events that have taken place in Egypt have been blocked from search results in Google.
I think it is interesting how very different social media is being used in various countries. These sites seem like they would be a nightmare to countries like China who seem to be worrying about a possible revolt against the government. Even though so far their censoring has been effective, one must wonder how long it would have to take for an event like the "Jasmine Revolution" to take place. The article said that China houses the most Internet users in the world and I find it amazing that officials are able to censor everything that is being said on all the sites being utilized. With social media only growing bigger and bigger it will be very ineresting how it will effect countries such as this one.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703610604576158290935677316.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
By using Facebook, this site, http://mashable.com/2009/05/11/target-bullseye-gives/, explained that Target recently launched a successful media campaign. On their Facebook page they enticed their followers to vote for certain non-profits that they felt deserved donations. Target allotted three million dollars and according to the percentage of votes casted would then translate into the money awarded to the non-profit. I believe this campaign was a very smart move for Target. Not only were they were promoting a good image for themselves by helping charities, they were able to increase their brand awareness. They were able to be fresh in the current followers minds it also enticed others to become followers of the Target page so they could cast votes.
I think whenever an organization can get involved in the community is an awesome way to give back and increase brand awareness in a positive light. Also, I like how Target didn't just limit the campaign to one non-profit they were able to involve consumers into choosing how the money is alloted. Whenever consumers feel like they are apart of descions made by the organizations they are giving their money to is more likely to keep those customers coming back.
Social media has many positive traits to offer but like everything else where there is the good the bad is closely behind. This article I found online is a prime example of social media can go seriously wrong, http://mashable.com/2009/08/10/social-media-misuse/. This article reported that 8% of US companies have reported that they have fired employees due to something involving social media sites. Whether we believe it is far or not, employers are researching what we are saying on these sites. The girl in the article is a prime example of what we may say on social media sites can backfire terribly. Many of us have become comfortable with these sites and use them to voice any and all opinions we may have. I’m sure we can all think of Facebook statuses or tweets we have posted or seen others post that have caused drama or negative reactions. We can't be too careful in what we are posting or what image we are painting of ourselves on these sites.
But on the other side I was surprised to learn while reading the article, 10 ways to use social media in your job hunt that 80% of employers look at LinkedIn for new hires. It is comforting to know that if we put in the time, effort and if utilized properly these sites could help us launch a career. I believe that social media offers too many positives to let us be discouraged by the negatives. It can be as simple as monitoring what we post to avoid any negative situation. I thought it was interesting that one site suggested making a professional Facebook site, but I don’t see how this would discourage employers from looking at our personal sites. As a result, we have pretty much established that we don’t believe social media isn’t going anywhere, so we need to learn how to make the best of it and utilize it to help not hinder us.
I do not believe that social media marketing is a fad and is an outlet that is here to stay. Even though social media is new to the scene it's power and influence has been great. According to the video on youtube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VInXr2Sl2ao, that while it took radio 38 years to reach 50 million viewers, television 13 years, Internet 4 years it only took less than a year for Facebook to reach 200 million users in less than a year. More people spend time on social networks than other sites. It seems that in such a short time social networks are a way of life for much of the population. I am sure many people would find it hard to deal if sites such as Facebook and Youtube were shutdown. I think that marketers and businesses are foolish not to take part in social media. Not only does it cost little in comparison to other medias it has the power to generate conversation as well as vast recognition very quickly. I believe that social media will keep evolving to something bigger and bigger and is defiantly here to stay.
