Strategic Social Networking - Archive

Data Security vs. Social Media: It’s all about balance

February 28th, 2010 | Posted by Jessica Bratcher in News | security - (0 Comments)

With an increase in social media use within organizations potentially doubling in one year, the need for security measures has caught the attention of IT security officers. The non-variable in most of their situations seems to be the need for balance. In the recent article, “CISOs take measured steps to reduce social media risks,” the moral of the story seems to be to not cut off your nose to spite your face. In other words, building a fortress of protection for your information systems may limit your relationship-building opportunities with the customer. Now that most security officers are waking up from their sleep of denial regarding social media, they are asking how to get the largest impact of social media use without compromising the security of their data.

A happy medium between the two is recommended in the Forrester Research Inc. report “Twelve Recommendations For Your 2010 Information Security Strategy“ with a strong push towards building the security in-house and not outsourcing the tasks.

Melody K. Smith, Feb. 28, 2010

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Can a 9th Grader Teach a Business Owner About Social Networking?

February 28th, 2010 | Posted by Jessica Bratcher in News - (0 Comments)

Lockergnome.com guest blogger Alexander Melton is an honor student, plays the viola and his love for technology runs so deep that he says, “I cannot go a day without using my iPhone.” Although Melton obviously enjoys the rush of sites like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, he makes a reasoned observation that one can strike a balance between technology and face-to-face interactions. Thankfully, Melton acknowledges in his post “Are Social Networks Good For Our Social Habits?“ that there is no substitute for physically going out. Still, one might wonder how much “networking” is done among high school students – the more appropriate term is probably gossip or banter. The thornier issue may be whether Social Networks Sites (SNS) cultivate new perspectives or eat up valuable time. Gathering in an open, relatively unregulated space can be positive, but it can also have a negative effect on time management. Not just for teenage boys, but for employees or business owners without a sensible SNS strategy.

David Thimme, Feb. 28, 2010

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Facebook vs. Buzz: Round One

February 28th, 2010 | Posted by Jessica Bratcher in Buzz | Facebook | News - (0 Comments)

Decisions! Decisions! Decisions! That is what we are left with now that Google Buzz has arrived on the scene. It has added features, increased the level of media capabilities, and raised the bar for updates including increased ease of linking within sites (Twitter, Facebook, etc). Fast Company breaks the competition down into three areas within the article “Test driving Google Buzz: How does Face book compare”. Those are media, integration and fun, with Facebook taking two out of the three top spots.

The decision comes when you must decide between newbie Buzz and Facebook, where your network is established with friends, family and colleague contacts yet lacks the media upgrades. For the consumer/user, this battle of the social networking clients should only enhance our experience and magnify our ability to connect with one another.

Belinda Sissom, Feb. 28, 2010

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Ignoring Social Media Is Not a Good Business Plan

February 28th, 2010 | Posted by Jessica Bratcher in Facebook | marketing | News - (0 Comments)

Top online retailers are missing the boat when they disregard social media. A new study by ForeSee Results profiled in “Study: Half Of Top Web Retailers Have No Meaningful Facebook Presence,” says that only 25 percent of the top online retailers by sales volume have a formal presence on Facebook, which has 400 million active users worldwide. ForeSee vice president of retail strategy Kevin Ertell says such lack of presence is a mistake since almost half of those who connect with retailers via social media are looking for special offers or product information. He recommends starting a Facebook Page and “make sure you have someone to monitor it and post good, timely information.” And don’t ignore the other social networking sites. If in doubt, ask your customers. “Asking customers what they want from you is a great way to begin,” says Ertell. Whichever site you choose, at least get out there where you will be seen by this booming market.

John Sniffen, Feb. 28, 2010

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Social Media Flexes Some Muscle

February 27th, 2010 | Posted by Jessica Bratcher in case study | News | Twitter - (1 Comments)

Twitter was responsible for forcing customer service actions out of an organization, whether they were prepared or not. As reported in “Southwest Airlines in ‘epic’ social media fail with Kevin Smith,” Southwest Airlines was dragged out of the form letter closet with the recent public relations scandal involving filmmaker Kevin Smith. Before the airline giant could regroup after their customer relations faux pas, Twitter users took on the role of advocates and took them to the carpet demanding a response. This unexpected response forced Southwest Airlines to apologize publically to both Mr. Smith and the Twitter users as a whole. This has set a precedent for social media and public relations as a whole. Are the days of too late form letter apologies and complimentary products over? I believe organizations need to take note of this shift in power and public opinion, and train their personnel accordingly.

Melody K. Smith, Feb. 27, 2010

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MySpace’s CEO Steps Down While Facebook Continues to Soar

February 27th, 2010 | Posted by Jessica Bratcher in News - (0 Comments)

MySpace, the once reigning king of social media, suffered another demoralizing setback, according to The Christian Science Monitor in “MySpace CEO Van Natta resigns, leaving the social network in turmoil.” Van Natta recently stepped down after less than 10 months on the job. Van Natta was a key player in the ascendancy of social media giant Facebook before taking over MySpace. When the previous MySpace CEO, Chris DeWolfe, was on his way out, News Corp. ardently sought Van Natta. He quickly earned the status as the only candidate in the running. Now, as the company hunts for another leader, they are also struggling to give the situation a positive spin. In particular, MySpace has publicized the stabilization of their falling membership. Unfortunately, that small bright spot does little to mask falling ad and search revenues. As you consider your business’s positioning within the social media landscape, be wary of investing any time and resources into the distressed MySpace.

David Thimme, Feb. 27, 2010

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Friendly Recommendation or Serious Promotion?

February 27th, 2010 | Posted by Jessica Bratcher in networking | News - (0 Comments)

Marketing products in print and video are old hat when it comes to getting a product or service out to potential customers, but who do you go to for opinions before you buy: friends, family, and co-workers? Thanks to places like Facebook and Twitter, our opinions are on showcase for everyone to read and re-tweet. At the beginning of the Social Networking age (circa: 2006) according to the article “Peer trust plummets: Is Marketing to blame?” , we spoke openly and honestly to one another, but now is a different story. Marketing firms have started to purchase “influential” voices on the web to promote their products and services. This extra cash on the side may obscure the opinion, and we as an Internet society are starting to question the real motives. Is it sharing wisdom with friends or promoting a product or service via sponsorship?

Belinda Sissom, Feb. 27, 2010

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Social Media for the Control Conscious

February 27th, 2010 | Posted by Jessica Bratcher in LinkedIn | News - (0 Comments)

Not everyone is jumping whole hog into the social media feeding frenzy. Attorney/blogger Ken Chapman, writing in the Calgary Beacon article “Overcoming the Social Media Fear Factor,” notes that government and big business, especially energy producers “have been hesitant to embrace the opportunities these new trends and technologies offer.” Used to controlling their message and only being on the sending end, government and big business find it daunting to leap into “to the chaos of social networking.” But there is an answer, says Chapman: LinkedIn. He says the business-oriented site offers more comfort for business and government users “to engage in a professionally based, interactive, participatory and business-oriented social-networking space.” Launched in May 2003, it now has more than 55 million registered users worldwide.

John Sniffen, Feb. 27, 2010

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‘Facebook ‘em, Danno.’

February 26th, 2010 | Posted by Jessica Bratcher in case study | News | security - (0 Comments)

One doesn’t have to be smart to use social media or commit a crime. Police now surf social media sites seeking information criminals may have posted, thinking that it was private. “There is no privacy issue,” says Nashville criminal defense attorney David Raybin in “Nashville cops throw the (Face)book at ‘em“, an article in the Nashville Tennessean. “It’s no different that if you stand in your living room with the windows open and shoot someone, and the police see it.” People mistakenly believe there is a degree of anonymity, says Raybin. “In fact it is very easy for the police to access that information.” One client was jailed after posting on Facebook that he attended a party in another state while on probation. But occasionally it works for the defense. Raybin checks the same sites for the names of witnesses testifying against his clients. In one case a witness told a different story online than from her trial testimony, and the court reduced the charge against Raybin’s client.

John Sniffen, Feb. 26, 2010

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Consider Putting Social Media on your Resume

February 26th, 2010 | Posted by Jessica Bratcher in jobs | News - (0 Comments)

Social media is fast becoming an unavoidable element in successful businesses, said a recent etravelblackboard article ”Social Media, the “must have” for any brand in 2010.” The overwhelming buzz at this year’s Social Media Marketing Conference in Hong Kong revolved around companies who not only increased their brand awareness, but also saw an 18-percent spike in revenue, thanks to social media. “The world has changed and [social media] is the underpin,” the article said, “brand trust in society is weaker than it’s ever been, we need to earn that back and social media channels do that.” Trends seem to suggest social media management is becoming an ever more important part of companies large and small. This is great news for clever job seekers, since companies will most likely need experts to utilize this new marketing realm. This is a great opportunity for employment hunters with a strong social media resume to get the upper hand.

Patrick Roland, Feb. 26, 2010

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