(Image courtesy of flickr.com)
Walmart. Always a target. Always.
Walmart is no stranger to controversy whether it is from their employment practices, their paid wages, where their stuff is made, or any other reason you can think of. Recently their online site has come under criticism for something posted that may, or may not, have been intentional. Either way, everyone can agree that the newest flub is quite a big fat screw-up.
Yes, I admit, I am a fan of conspiracy theories. In a nutshell, I prefer to watch over Big Brother, than letting Big Brother watch over me. Recently I viewed a Vice episode about Brazil’s Retaliation of FIFA, World Cup 2014, and the upcoming Olympics. A very surprising example of Digital Eyes of Mordor is the multitude cameras installed by the government in a few of most notoriously troublesome slums surrounding the World Cup stadium. The show argues that the cameras have been installed to spy on the population, as opposed to using these constantly live streams to respond quickly to gang activities and other extremely dangerous situations occurring in the slums daily.
But do we really need to go as far as Brazil to find some concrete reasons for concern relating to our freedom of opportunity? Not really! Although in its core, the Internet is supposed to allow us all to connect freely. Certainly, the “freely” aspect has been rapidly challenged in recent years. Concerns relating to Net Neutrality, for example, are on the forefront of many social media scholars.
There’s really no need going that far, though. Even if you are not a conspiracy theorist, I am sure you have also noticed how your personal information, Google searches, and location coordinates are being constantly pinging away all manners of personal data from your digital devices. Where does it all go? Some black cloud or the Death Star? I sure don’t know.
One of the creepiest things I have been noticing in the past year or so, is how Facebook “nonchalantly” reorganizes my feed, grouping certain updates together. Most of the time they are harmless, border-lining ridiculous. Nonetheless, the scrutiny over MY private info is disturbing. And I have often wondered about who makes the decisions regarding what I see on my wall, and what is it that I don’t get on my feed?
But it gets even worst! Apparently, in January 2012 “Facebook identified 689,003 English speaking users to run a psychological experiment on, for the duration of a week. They began to manipulate the newsfeed of a group of these users to remove posts with a negative emotion attached to them, and removed all posts with a positive emotion for the other group. The objective of the study – can we be emotionally influenced by what we see in our Facebook newsfeed? And if so, how much?” (Singh, 2014)
This tale gets even creepier. What Facebook has done is performing A/B testing-type experiment. Even though the ethics of such approach are certainly questionable, all the legal concerns are ironed perfectly in the company’s Terms of Service document all Facebook users must sign prior to starting socializing.
Sadly, Facebook isn’t the only social networking platform to use us as guenea pigs. On the Contrary!
“In fact – this is true for most (if not all) social networks. LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, Pinterest – all of these websites are designed and engineered to influence us to click more, engage more and interact more with them. The nature of their algorithms is never revealed, but one thing is always made clear – they’re doing all they can to give us as much relevant content as possible.” (Singh, 2014)
Photo courtesy Social Media Today website
Yet the most disturbing aspect of such hidden, but ongoing experiments are focused on emotional engineering — which has been Facebook’s business model from the very start. (Singh, 20134)
In a way, Facebook proved that “by taking a group of close to 700,000 – proved that if push comes to shove, sway the opinion of the 1.3+ billion people that use the service.” So what happens if a “political candidate that’s backed by a network like Facebook essentially be able to get more votes?” (Singh, 2014)
Scary, isn’t it?
But are you really surprised?
References
Net Neutrality: What You Need to Know Now. (n.d.). Free Press. Retrieved July 1, 2014, from http://www.savetheinternet.com/net-neutrality-what-you-need-know-now
Singh, A. R. (2014, July 1). Facebook’s Been Running Psychological Experiments On You. RSS. Retrieved July 1, 2014, from http://socialmediatoday.com/avtar-ram-singh/2564701/facebooks-been-running-psychological-experiments-you
What happens to the way we share when the Internet has a problem forgetting? What happens to our sense of identity when we have to be so careful and crafty about every little thing we post? On the one hand, people adapt and take on a kind of social media identity, like speaking a new language. On the other hand, the culture causes some to opt out and lay low like hiding in a basement until the storm passes.
I don’t blame them. “Up to 70% of employers who have used LinkedIn say they’ve chosen not to hire a person based on what they’ve found out about them online” (Forbes, see Reference). My friend has a name that coincides with a porn star’s—nothing against porn stars—and she’s a dance teacher running her own dance production. The recommendation (also by Forbes) is to leave no room for mistakes—i.e., “look for ways to differentiate yourself”—which some people have to consider these days.
(The Latest Trend For Bridesmaids Is To Pull Up Their Dresses And Show Off Their Butts: http://lockerdome.com/6170040227613505/6739434813140244)
Now say an employer Googles the name of an applicant and finds that five years ago she was involved in a scandal case the ruling of which dubbed her completely innocent. Still, this case becomes an impeding factor working against her favor until it is completely stricken from Internet search results, which likely is never because of ingenious caching mechanisms comprised as components of advanced Internet search algorithms. This is a hypothetical that we commonly see in actual instances. It is mentioned in blogs, essays, and commentaries; how are we called to relook at ‘forgiveness’ in this digital age?
On the other side of the spectrum we take a look at user behavior online. This gripping short was introduced to us in a grad communications course. We follow a coming of age teenager as his relationship slides into a digital ditch. Oh, and the entire 17-minute movie takes place on a computer screen. The short does an outstanding job presenting a story and how relationships carry on over the Internet, and in this case, how one can unravel amid social media. It also offers another glimpse at the Internet backscratcher analogy and how we best think before we click.
[“Noah” short (NSFW): http://www.fastcocreate.com/3017108/you-need-to-see-this-17-minute-film-set-entirely-on-a-teens-computer-screen%5D
A suggestion to employers: don’t overreact. Digging up bachelor weekend photos from a potential future employee doesn’t amount to much these days. If they currently make sexy videos on the side, that’s another thing.
The perennial reminder to all of us: if it’s private, it ain’t for posting. We’re warned that Snapchat, in spite of its ‘auto-erase’ functionality, can be hacked if the receiver uses a third-party application to save the incoming photos and videos. On different mediums I step out first to admit that I constantly have to learn about privacy the hard way. A simple analogy: the Internet places a million metal back-scratchers at our ready. Upon the slightest ‘itch’ we are encouraged to ‘scratch it’–i.e., take a picture, share it, allow so-and-so app to access it forever and ever. Knowing when to scratch and when to let a needless urge go away could turn up a useful skill in this generation. We’re in it together in this journey to digital fluency. We will—and we must—adapt and become smarter, more cognizant participants of social media lest the Internet fall in on itself, or fall prey to red-eyed digital bandits.
References
Ambrose, M. L. (2012). Seeking digital redemption: the future of forgiveness in the internet age. ExpressO. Retrieved from http://works.bepress.com/meg_ambrose/1.
Berkowitz, J. (2013). You need to see this 17-minute film set entirely on a teen’s computer screen. Fast Company. Retrieved from http://www.fastcocreate.com/3017108/you-need-to-see-this-17-minute-film-set-entirely-on-a-teens-computer-screen.
Hamlin, R. (2011, January 14). Forgiveness might still be possible in the digital age, but how do we forget? HuffPost: Religion. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rick-hamlin/forgiveness-might-still-b_b_808198.html.
Hamilton, D. (2011, September 29). The virtue of forgiveness, not forgetting, in the digital age. Divinia Hamilton Blog. Retrieved from http://daviniahamilton.com/2011/09/29/the-virtue-of-forgiveness-not-forgetting-in-the-digital-age/.
Jacobs, D. L. (2013, May 17). How an online reputation can hurt your job hunt. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/deborahljacobs/2013/05/17/how-an-online-reputation-can-hurt-your-job-hunt/.
O’Brien, J. (2014, May 11). Snapchat not sexting-safe, cops warn. Toronto Sun: London Free Press. Retrieved from http://www.torontosun.com/2014/05/11/snapchat-not-sexting-safe-cops-warn.
Hey digital mavens! Over time past couple of years we’ve watched with amazement as Instagram has grown to a global community with millions and millions of people who take photos and share these rare moments through Instagram.
I don’t know if you have noticed how certain brands we love have Instagram pages that are so flawlessly done. These advertisements you see feel as natural to Instagram as the photos and videos from many of your friends. I in particular follow Starbucks http://instagram.com/starbucks# :
Just a glimse at their Instagram and your intrigue by their clever way of marketing the brand of Starbucks. I am always saying “Wow” how did they think of that photo or video. Starbucks is one of the brands that are marketing masters through Instagram, with 2.5 million followers Starbucks is a brand that knows how to market well on Instagram. The key of creating a creating such a postive look to a brand through social media is to connect emotionally with your audience.
On Instagram their are other companies who have took avadgtave of marketing on Instargram in the last couple of years. Since “Instagram – which was bought by Facebook for $1billion in 2012 – introduced ads to its US audience in November. In a blog post, Instagram said advertisers had positive results which “in some cases [were] well above the ad industry’s average for performance”. The app said it had over 200 million users worldwide.” BBC News This proves that marketing on a social app is something most brands should do. Getting closer to the consumer and creating an emotional connect through their brand is the best way gain exposure.
What I really love about Starbucks being on Instagram is that the vast majority of the images on Starbucks’ are fan submitted images of from locations around the globe. The company encourages its followers to post their own Starbucks photos, along with a campaign-focused hashtag to connect the visual content back to its brand. People can add comments and likes and build a whole conversation around the looks the fans have created. I have yet to have my personal photos of Starbucks posted on their page, but one day I know I’ll make it. 
But even if I don’t, I enjoy how such a brand can flawlessly connect with its consumer and build its momentum through such a digital driven world. Oh man how I love the branding of Starbucks. Comment below digital mavens and share your insights below!
Sources:
Gittleson, Kim. Instagram expands ads to the UK, Canada, and Australia. June 2014
Imagine you’re witnessing something newsworthy like a fight or a burning building. What would be your first instinct? To help, to call the authorities, or to pull out your camera phone to record the event? For many, the answer is to record it on their phone, but why? According to some social psychologists this is a new incarnation of what psychologists call the bystander effect.
The phenomenon was originally studied after the murder of a New York City woman, Kitty Genovese. Thirty people witnessed the violent murder but no one reported it or attempted to help the woman. Psychologists attribute this to the idea that people will not help out if others are present, the bystander effect. In other words, everyone assumes that someone else will, or already has, helped out. In today’s culture, this effect has given rise to the behavior of filming or otherwise documenting an event instead of stepping in. This action is connected to the bystander effect, but on a different level: people believe that documenting an event, like the Stanley Cup riots, and sending it to the authorities is helping out. This may be a step toward being less passive, but still doesn’t prevent the event from happening.
Similarly, the bystander effect may be well at work on sites like Facebook. For example, I’ve seen many friends share their friends’ Kickstarters to urge people to donate money too their projects. However these people don’t usually donate, and instead, they simply share the Kickstarter. According to one article, this is because people believe strongly in their own social capital, that sharing a link is the equivalent of a monetary donation. The article uses the example of Veteran’s Day, and how people on Facebook were suggesting helping veterans. While most everyone would agree to help them, several factors contribute to the bystander effect and prevent anyone from doing so effectively. First, it’s often ambiguous how one can even help, like, people may simply not know how or where to help. Second, social media groups are not tight knit, so if an old acquaintance from high school asks their network to help out with something, people aren’t likely to help if they don’t feel a strong bond with the person. Third, the classic idea of diffused responsibility plays in. If an acquaintance walks up to someone and asks for money for an emergency, one would be likely to help, but online in a network of hundreds, everyone assumes someone else will.
Overall, I don’t believe that social media completely encourages the bystander effect. Take for example the Arab Spring, in which revolution (and action) was fueled and maintained by social media. However, I do agree that it’s dangerous to film a crime instead of helping or assuming that sharing a link is as valuable as donating or attending.
References
Social media, mobile phones changing ‘bystander effect’. (2014, March 14). Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/social-media-mobile-phones-changing-bystander-effect-1.2572372
Social media and the bystander effect. (2013, September 16). Retrieved from http://www.briansolis.com/2013/11/social-media-and-the-bystander-effect/
To everyone reading this, you’re just a science project. You’re an experiment.
Every day we log onto social media to chat with our friends, to express inner opinions, to look at the new movie coming out, or even to “like” a new program. What you probably don’t know is that you’re part of a science experiment which is using everything you do, on your free to use social media platform, to create a profile for who you are and how you think. Ever write a status update on Facebook just to see your ads to change immediately to whatever you just typed about? That’s exactly what I’m talking about here.
In a PBS post by Angela Washeck, she quoted Douglas Rushkoff as saying that impressionable teens today have replaced their habit of plastering their personal stuff on their bedroom walls with now moved on to inhabiting social media and sharing their personality through there, but don’t realize how this is benefiting trends and brands (Washeck, 2014). Rushkoff’s newest Frontline documentary “Generation Like” explores how young adults are providing social marketing and advertising with treasure troves of information through their online interactions. Some, like Tyler Oakley, are getting “free” stuff in order to promote certain brands to their friends and/or followers (Washeck, 2014).
What we have perceived as “organic” viral trends are actually meticulously planned marketing strategies (Washeck, 2014). Do we really like these things or are we just monkeys running through the course in order to try and score “free” stuff and fame? While some are being given things for free, they really aren’t free. As these items or brands become popular, their publicity does the work for them. A couple of freebies handed out to some carefully placed popular online identities can turn into millions or billions of revenue for companies, so in a sense, they pay for themselves.
One of the questions being raised is whether or not this is exploitation. Not only have advertising pros learned exactly how young people share, but they’ve also learned just what drives them to share (Washeck, 2014). We, as consumers, are providing free data for marketers and advertisers without even realizing we’re doing it. Some may actually realize it though, and they’re profiting off of your shares and retweets. There is definitely more public relations work being done through this, but there is a lot of behind the scenes advertising as well. We, the consumers, are doing all the leg work without much benefit, unless you feel that the products you’re knowledgeable about now is your payment. According to Washeck, Rushkoff said, ““Over time, there will be a reaction against it…I’m kind of hopeful we’ll have another burst of awareness” (Washeck, 2014).
Knowing how we’re all essentially being manipulated through observation, how do you feel about this? Does this make you think twice about “liking” or re-tweeting something?
References
Washek, A. (2014, February 19). [Web log message]. Retrieved from
With the Super Bowl being the biggest football game of the year, it’s commercials are highly anticipated by many viewers. Different advertisers compete with each other to have the best ad during the Super Bowl. A lot of money is spent for the ads to be run in the TV during the game. As the time arrives for the game to happen, different commercials begin to be released in order for then to gain exposure and sometimes increase their sales. As the years have gone by, the competition has increased and the ads have become more and more of a spectacle that is highly anticipated by those watching the Super Bowl. Advertisers have to find a way of sending out a message and being creative at the same time.
After watching the Super Bowl Budweiser’s advertiser, got the best publicity and “buzz” value from its advertising in the Super Bowl. Last’s year Budweiser’s commercial had a theme of “brotherhood” by using a small horse named Clydesdale. Similarly, this year they tried to maintain the same theme by creating a sort of sequel to last’s year ad. This advertiser created a lot of “buzz” because the ad was able to appeal to most of the audience watching the game; kids and adults. They commercial was able to cause “talk” in social media and have many talk about them. During the commercial, they use “Let Her Go” by Passenger which is a song that is very popular today and therefore grabs the attention of the viewers right away. The advertisers ability to create an ad about beer that appeals to all different age groups by using gentle humor has made them be ranked as having one of the greatest commercials for the 2014 Super Bowl.
Despite many advertisers having great commercials during the Super Bowl, Budweiser will likely reap the greatest financial reward in sales as a result of their Super Bowl efforts. During the Super Bowl, many people attend parties and have a lot of food and alcohol. Most of the alcohol that is given in those Super Bowl parties consist of beer. By releasing their commercial days before the Super Bowl aired, those who were hosting parties most likely remembered the Budweiser commercial and had it present when they were buying the beer for their invites. Therefore, Budweiser probably gained a huge amount of sales by being present and making a commercial that people can relate themselves too.
References
Every morning I spend some time before class scrolling through huffingtonpost.com and most of the time I end up reading a few articles and then signing off. This morning a crazy headline caught my eye, it read “Cadaver Selfie: Alabama High School Student Posts Photo With Dead Body To Instagram.” This was posted yesterday morning. My first reaction was disgust. How could someone actually think that it was okay to do something so disrespectful?
It really got me thinking, does the millennial generation really not know what is and is not appropriate behavior on the internet, or at all? Are we not being taught how to the proper media etiquette? Granted, I don’t think most parents think about telling their children not to post pictures of cadavers while using instagram, but maybe they thought their kids had enough common sense.
News articles like these worry me because it shows just how insensitive people are becoming when it comes to the use of social media. We have no barriers. And while we have all probably written a post or put up a picture that would have been better off left private, stories like these really do show us that some people have no common sense or ethics when it comes to using social media. I think that lots of young adults and teens need to learn that even though social media allows us to sit behind a screen; we still need to be ethical in our decision making.
Perhaps internet etiquette needs to become a part of the high school curriculum. Or maybe parents need to more closely monitor what their children are posting on social media, where the whole world can see them and judge their actions. These are all questions that the generations before us never had to face, but it is our responsibility to come up with some answers. Even though this story was shocking and upsetting, I am hoping that it is just outrageous enough to really make people think about how they can be more respectful and ethical when using social media.
Cadaver selfie: Alabama high school student posts photo with dead body to instagram. (2014, February 06). Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/06/cadaver-selfie-alabama-dead-body-instagram_n_4737833.html
By Matt Gillis
In today’s marketplace, any company looking to create a successful brand presence must turn their advertising efforts to the realm of social media. Consumers are voicing their opinions via online blogs, engaging with companies on Twitter and “liking” the organization’s Facebook page to get the brand’s latest updates. But in order to bridge the gap between such online interactions and traditional print or broadcast advertisements as a fulfillment of a company’s integrated marketing communications, these brands must provide incentive for consumers to make that jump.
While many companies chose the traditional and expensive route of broadcast television advertisements during Super Bowl XLVIII this past Sunday, Esurance, an auto insurance company, combined the use of a television commercial with the integrated communication tactic of online engagement in promotion of a sweepstakes.
The company strategically purchased a television spot for directly after the big game. In the advertisement, The Office star John Krasinski explains that the company is randomly giving away $1.5 million, which is the amount of money the company saved by waiting to advertise until after the Super Bowl, to a United States Twitter user who tweets using the hashtag #EsuranceSave30. The sweepstakes was scheduled to last from 4 p.m. Eastern Sunday until 4 a.m. Eastern Tuesday.
While the sweepstakes was the largest sum of money given out via a Twitter contest, the promotional tactic also generated significant publicity for Esurance due to its successful reception by Twitter users. According to the company’s spokesman Danny Miller, 200,000 tweets featuring the promoted hashtag were submitted within a minute of the commercial’s airing and two million entries were recorded within less than 24 hours into the contest. Esurance increased their Twitter following by 101,100 followers within the sweepstake’s timeframe and was the top trending topic throughout the United States throughout that period.
“John,” a 29-year-old from California, was revealed as the winner of the sweepstakes Wednesday night on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
Last year during Super Bowl XLVII, Oreo released a timely advertisement via Twitter during the game, which made reference to the blackout that occurred during the second half. Both Oreo and Esurance’s advertisements garnered more attention than any televised commercial during each Super Bowl, proving that Twitter is a powerful marketing platform in the world of advertising.
Due to the nature of Twitter, which allows users to easily retweet content generated by others, companies have the opportunity to create viral marketing messages with just a little bit of creativity. Consumers are willing and eager to engage with companies in order to establish a more intimate relationship with the brand. With just a small incentive, like $1.5 million, companies have the ability to reach outside of the bounds of traditional advertising and into the world of social media.
Reference list:
– Luckerson, V. (2014, February 3). Esurances $1.5 Million Giveaway Is Making Twitter Go Crazy. Time: Business & Money. Retrieved February 5, 2014, from http://business.time.com/2014/02/03/esurance-save-30-twitter-contest/
– Rive Holmes, R. (2014, February 6). Winner of $1.5M Esurance Giveaway Announced on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”. KMBZ. Retrieved February 6, 2014, from http://www.kmbz.com/Winner-of-1-5M-Esurance-Giveaway-Announced-on-Jimm/18333353
On February 3rd, Facebook will launch their new Paper app. It will be the first app to be released by Facebook’s Creative Labs department, who are working on several more apps that will launch at later dates.
The app is described as “distraction-free” by Mat Smith on engadget.com. The article states that Facebook will be competing with Flipboard and Newsstand as a news and image heavy application. The app will allow users to see their friends’ stories as news articles, as well as actual news from various credible publications. The app will also have themes to help users find articles that they are most interested in. Swiping makes it easy for users to flip through articles quickly and see pictures and videos related to the stories.
Even though the content will be more or less the same, its presentation will be drastically different. From Paper’s new video we can see that articles are swiped from side to side, and not scrolled through. They are also very image heavy. White icons hover above images which allow you to share, comment, etc. Just like the old Facebook. According to readwrite.com, Dan Rowinski stated in his article that Facebook’s Creative Labs are attempting to wipe away the clutter that Facebook has become. Users will be able to customize the content that they wish to see, rather than be bombarded with random viral videos and stories that do not interest them. (Rowinski, 2014)
This app seems like it will make Facebook much more enjoyable and easier to navigate. However, I do wonder if this will end up replacing Facebook or if it will just be used to enhance the social network as an experience. The launch of this new app leads me to believe that Facebook is in need of a makeover to satisfy younger generations who have turned to other social media such as Instagram or Vine because of their simple structures and lack of clutter, advertisements, and stories.
See how the app works here!
Rowinski, D. (2014, January 30). Facebook wants to recreate your news feed with a beautiful news app. Retrieved from http://readwrite.com/2014/01/30/facebook-paper-app-attempts-to-reimagine-how-you-read-the-news
Smith, M. (2014, January 30). Facebook announces paper: A ‘distraction-free’ news reading app for ios. Retrieved from http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/30/facebook-paper-news-app/
As Twitter continues to grow and gain new users, Facebook feels as if it is being left behind. In order for them to keep up with the competition, Facebook will launch “Trending” on their site. Facebook has recently decided to add a new feature to their site called “Trending” which mostly aims at trying to get more users involved in real-time information and events that are trending on the web; just like Twitters trending topics. This new feature on Facebook main focus, is to allow public conversations to happen between many people on important or popular topics that may be surfacing the web. Facebook wants to expand the way users interact and allow them to have conversations with other people rather than just their friends. Facebook users will be able to see what other people think about a certain topic or their reaction to important events happening in the world.
This new feature of “Trending” will show Facebook users what the most important and popular topics are on social networking sites as soon as they log into their profile. Users will also be given the opportunity to personalize the list of information they get based on their topics of interest. Users newsfeed will have the topics that the users carefully selected to be of their interest and will appear of the right of the users page. Also, some of the topics will be highlighted which means that they are the most popular topics on the site for that particularly day. During Facebook’s announcement of this new addition to their site, they carefully explained how “Trending” works; “a response to the volume of public conversations about real-time events on the social network.”
Recently, Facebook signed a partnership with NBC sports to cover the Olympics. NBC’s Olympics’ Facebook page will have content regarding the event. It will share the most important information, videos, photos, and polls. Also, Facebook users will be given the opportunity to their own questions to Sarah Hughes, an Olympic god medalist. Although Facebook is creating this new “trend”to increase its new users and be more attracting for the younger audiences, current Facebook members are not using the site as much as they did before. With all the new apps created such as Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, users do not need to log into their Facebook pages to see what their friends are doing. This new idea hopefully revives Facebook and it will be interesting to see if Facebook users begin to use Facebook for “Trending” topics rather than Twitter.
Video: http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000236502
References
As Twitter continues to grow and gain new users, Facebook feels as if it is being left behind. In order for them to keep up with the competition, Facebook will launch “Trending” on their site. Facebook has recently decided to add a new feature to their site called “Trending” which mostly aims at trying to get more users involved in real-time information and events that are trending on the web; just like Twitters trending topics. This new feature on Facebook main focus, is to allow public conversations to happen between many people on important or popular topics that may be surfacing the web. Facebook wants to expand the way users interact and allow them to have conversations with other people rather than just their friends. Facebook users will be able to see what other people think about a certain topic or their reaction to important events happening in the world.
This new feature of “Trending” will show Facebook users what the most important and popular topics are on social networking sites as soon as they log into their profile. Users will also be given the opportunity to personalize the list of information they get based on their topics of interest. Users newsfeed will have the topics that the users carefully selected to be of their interest and will appear of the right of the users page. Also, some of the topics will be highlighted which means that they are the most popular topics on the site for that particularly day. During Facebook’s announcement of this new addition to their site, they carefully explained how “Trending” works; “a response to the volume of public conversations about real-time events on the social network.”
Recently, Facebook signed a partnership with NBC sports to cover the Olympics. NBC’s Olympics’ Facebook page will have content regarding the event. It will share the most important information, videos, photos, and polls. Also, Facebook users will be given the opportunity to their own questions to Sarah Hughes, an Olympic god medalist. Although Facebook is creating this new “trend”to increase its new users and be more attracting for the younger audiences, current Facebook members are not using the site as much as they did before. With all the new apps created such as Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, users do not need to log into their Facebook pages to see what their friends are doing. This new idea hopefully revives Facebook and it will be interesting to see if Facebook users begin to use Facebook for “Trending” topics rather than Twitter.
Video Hyperlink: http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000236502
References
You can have more social media influence than you believe. With every tweet, post, share, comment and like you are creating an online presence. Presence of your personal brand. Klout is just one other platform that brings an analysis of your impact.
Klout is a San Francisco based social media platform that launched in 2009 and incorporates your online presence on various platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and other several platforms. Klout serves more like a performance platform and scales a person’s social media presence on a scale between one and hundred. The higher your score the more social media presence you have within the digital networks.
A lot of people find it difficult to understand the structure of this social app. The site is administered on complex, secured algorithm basis, which makes it, complicated to understand but with well planned insight using other social media platforms you can this app to your utmost advantage. Here are some helpful Q & A on this app:
Who is an ideal Klout user?
Klout users are people who want to be online influencers. This is particularly important for authors, professional speakers, actors, marketing professionals and other leaders. A lot of business decisions today are made based on ones influence hence this app will be particularly important for entrepreneurs and enterprises. Klout has an incentive program where is gives perks to people who have significant amounts of influence. A Klout user is one who is looking for a national or international audience to engage with hence online presence is crucial.
You can make the most from this application by creating specific strategies and schedules to interact with customers and make the most from business.
What is an important tip for newcomers?
One of the most important rules for social engagement for newbie’s would be to follow ABC’s of social engagement.
Be engaging with people on a personal basis. Social media is replacing the traditional method of advertising to create and more personal and targeted connections with people. \
Be consistent. You cant expect to have any influence if you occasionally tweet once every couple of months. Being out of sight means being out of circle of influencers. Hence it is important to have a consistent and engaging environment with the community.
Be connected. In order to your community to connect with you, you must learn to hear them first. Understand what they are looking for and cater those needs sincerely.
Will Klout ever replace resume?
Klout will not replace resume but add to the application process. It will definitely be used as an effective hiring process for job applicants.
References
Fidelman, M. (2013, 7 9). Why microsoft’s partnership with klout to measure influence at work is a good thing. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/fdc/welcome_mjx.shtml
Palermo, E. (2013, 10 22). how to improve your klout score and why you should bother. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.foxbusiness.com/marketing-sales/2013/10/22/how-to-improve-your-klout-score-and-why-should-bother/
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By Matt Gillis
As consumers become saturated with the never-ending stream of advertisements via Internet platforms including Facebook and Twitter, advertising executives are looking for innovative ways to get the attention of customers. Instead of developing completely brand new, cutting-edge advertising technologies, some innovators are giving traditional promotional tools an upgrade.
DMI Music is a music and entertainment agency that partners with companies including AARP, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Kohl’s and Victoria’s Secret to implement initiatives that aim to include sound as a branding element. According to their website, DMI believes “the greatest way to create loyalty is through emotion and the greatest way to create emotion is through music.”
In order to establish this emotional connection to a company’s brand, DMI launched a program titled Engine 1 that allows marketers to include music from popular artists in their email campaigns. Using the music from such artists as Taylor Swift, Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars in their messages is aimed at increasing email open and click-through rates, extending brand engagement and generating reengagement.
The program works by retrieving and streaming the music from a cloud in order to protect deliverability rates and prevent the email messages from bouncing back or being categorized as spam in the way that previous multimedia embedded emails have performed. The song plays in the message when the recipient clicks the button, giving him or her no limit to the number of times the tune can be heard.
Companies including Mead Johnson, a nutritional supplement maker, have recorded about a 75 percent success rate in recipients listening to the music, with about 50 percent of those same people returning to listen to the song for a second or third time.
This restructuring of the traditional email advertising campaign allows marketers to reach a group of consumers that have come to be neglected since the height of social media: email users. Consumers are no longer expecting emails to be engaging advertising platforms, which will undoubtedly take them by surprise and give companies an inventive format to create a lasting brand impression.
Music is the universal language and has been neglected as a required branding element for far too long. I believe it is the perfect medium for creating an intimate connection with a brand’s consumers. Connecting a popular tune with a brand’s identity is sure to create a lasting impact on a consumer that will be restored every time the listener hears that same song.
Reference list:
– Engine 1 Music . (n.d.). Engine 1 Music. Retrieved October 14, 2013, from http://www.engine1music.com/
– Heine, C. (2013, October 10). Brands Are Finding Out if Pop Music Makes Email More Interesting | Adweek. Adweek – Breaking News in Advertising, Media and Technology. Retrieved October 14, 2013, from http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/can-bruno-mars-make-email-hip-again-brands-are-finding-out-153044
Loyola Digital Advertising [로욜라 디지털 광고] 
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