Strategic Social Networking - Archive

Social Media Site Especially For Non-Profits

March 23rd, 2010 | Posted by Melody K. Smith in Facebook | networking | News - (0 Comments)

A new social network targeted at non-profits is geared to help searchers find causes close to their heart.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy.com recently reported in their article, “Facebook Co-Founder Starts Philanthropic Social-Networking Site” on Chris Hughes’ latest venture, Jumo. This new social network focuses on engaging people with issues and causes that mean something to them, and eventually will donate money towards. Jumo—which means “together in concert” in Yoruba, a West African language, is the latest brainchild of Facebook’s co-creator and is still in the planning stages. However, those that visit the Jumo site now can be part of its development by answering questions designed to determine what will appeal to the users.

The SSN Take: Business is business, profit or not – social media can be a very productive tool for any of them.

Melody K. Smith, March 23, 2010
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Twitter Influences Movement and Behaviors Instantly

March 23rd, 2010 | Posted by Melody K. Smith in networking | News | Privacy | Twitter - (0 Comments)

With 1.6 billion of us now connected to a computer that is connected to the Internet, social media has formed its own community.

Reminiscent of the Borg from Star Trek: The Next Generation, social media has assimilated users into reporting live events which often result in changing those events. Forbes.com recently reported on this phenomenon in their article, ‘The Rise Of The Social Nervous System”. Referencing the Mumbai attacks, Obama’s presidential campaign, and even tracking of the H1N1 virus, the author offers these as evidence of how a single virtual system has connected the physical world. He also points out that this growth has caused a shift in how we view privacy, taking it from a right to a responsibility.

The SSN Take: The potential for ongoing learning with social media applications continues to grow.

Melody K. Smith, March 23, 2010

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Help for Information Junkies Available

Find yourself checking Facebook or Twitter or LinkedIn on the hour—or more often—while at work? You could be headed for a social networking meltdown.

In “6 ways to Stop the Social Media Madness” on the WebWorkerDaily, Aliza Sherman says what’s needed is a bit of common sense. “In trying to tackle overload and meltdown, two modes that seem part and parcel of our digital social communications, I tried to return to some common sense, something I think we’ve almost left behind as things move so quickly around us,” she writes.

Sherman, founder of the first woman-owned Internet company, Cybergrrl Inc., provides a half dozen tips:

1. Pare down. Decide which social media sites are not essential to work and daily life, then drop them.

2. Turn off non-essential notifications. Only use the ones that mean “go there now” or “do this in 10 minutes.” Those are reminders, not invasions of limited brain space.

3. Designate time. “If it isn’t your job to monitor the social mediasphere for a client, you’re falling into the trap of ‘always more and never enough.’ Remember that we all survived quite well before tweets and updates.”

4. Filter better. Narrow searches terms to a few “mission-critical” terms, and be more specific.

5. Step away. “If you find yourself consumed with your social networks and endless updates, push the computer away and step away from your desk. Go for a walk. Have a conversation with someone face-to-face.”

6. Go cold turkey. “If you’re really struggling with managing your information intakes,” says Sherman, “just stop. Go a few days completely disconnected. Pay attention to life. Listen to people.”

The SSN take: Besides returning productive work hours to the company (or your own bottom line, if self-employed), these guidelines may also promote mental and even physical health.

John Sniffen, March 23, 2010

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Ford Capitalizing On Social Success

March 23rd, 2010 | Posted by Samuel Hartman in branding | networking | News - (0 Comments)

Check out The Ford Story, Ford’s own social networking site that aggregates customer and corporate interaction across the web.

Sure enough, they even use the tagline “Ford is different – Join the Conversation” to entice potential buyers or long-time drivers to share their own stories about Ford vehicles. “Secret of Ford’s Social Media Success” discusses Ford’s social media initiatives, including their campaigns for the new Fiesta sedan, the 2009 “Summer of Taurus” which encouraged customers to post videos and pictures from Taurus events to the company’s Facebook page. The article also features a video with Ford’s social media head, where he discusses the importance of listening to customers and providing a venue for discussion. The Ford Story illustrates that perfectly, and the company still maintains a presence on YouTube, Flickr, and even a bookmark list on Delicious! Clearly, they want to be everywhere for maximum customer interaction.

The SSN Take: As Ford brilliantly demonstrates, the more social media presence you have, the easier to be seen.

Samuel Hartman, March 23, 2010

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Media Wars in Britain Getting Rough

March 22nd, 2010 | Posted by John Sniffen in Facebook | networking | News - (0 Comments)

The tension between struggling print media and burgeoning social media has taken an ugly turn in Britain.

“On the one hand, you have what many regard as Britain’s most influential daily newspaper; on the other, a social network with more than 400 million members and global reach,” writes Rory Cellan-Jones in “Facebook v. Daily Mail” in his technology blog for the BBC. “The Daily Mail and Facebook are at war, with new media accused of failing to protect children — and old media in the dock for shoddy journalism.”

In early March The Daily Mail published a front-page report and an editorial attacking Facebook, claiming that a researcher posing as a 14-year-old girl had been quickly approached over the social network by men wanting to perform sex acts.

The researcher, however, told Facebook and Cellan-Jones that he did not use Facebook for his research and the newspaper had also put false information in the story. The Daily Mail has issued an apology and a correction.

The SSN take: In the age of instant and open communication, distorted facts are not a good weapon for print media.

John Sniffen, March 22, 2010

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Online Reputation Must Be Proactively Managed

Back in January, to commemorate Data Privacy Day, Microsoft released a study of professionals worldwide with some interesting conclusions regarding online reputation.

“Online Reputation Can Cost Someone A Job” gives the biggest factoid: 70% of HR professionals turned down a potential employee based on data discovered about them online. And while many consumers are concerned about their online rep, less than half consider it when posting online. Fewer than 15% believe it would negatively impact their job hunt. Microsoft’s Privacy Strategist cautions that an online reputation is not something to be scared of, but “proactively managed.” Many of the HR professionals surveyed indicated that good information about a candidate online can help their chances. Clearly, companies are doing a little Googling when a new name comes under their nose, so it’s up to you to make sure those results are clean.

The SSN Take: Check out Microsoft’s Data Privacy Day website - as they say, “your reputation is ON the LINE.”

Samuel Hartman, March 22, 2010

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The Benefit of Chic and Copious Twitter Followers

March 22nd, 2010 | Posted by Melody K. Smith in Features | networking | Twitter - (0 Comments)

Ever since Twitter came into the social media scene, there have been Twitter royalty who propagated its existence that resulted in massive followers and popularity.

It is like high school all over again with the cheerleader and quarterback football player being the “in” ones to know – at least that is how Justin Kownacki puts it in his recent blog post titled “How “The Influencers” Use Twitter to Make a Difference”. In his quest to find out how to be an influencer instead of at the other end of that equation, he requested interviews with 40 Twitter users with followers over 10,000. Fifteen responded and thirteen actually had time to answer the six-question survey.

His initial question was about how hard they had to work to gain the quantity of followers they currently have, or was it accumulated organically? Though the answers varied, the consensus seemed to be that a user needed to provide information found interesting or valuable to others and be sincere in their desire to meet and network with other users.

Another interesting question was if the number of followers affected the quality of their feedback? The answer was a resounding yes with a few “buts”. It seems you also get more flack mixed in with the feedback, and the users don’t find that meaningful.

To me, the most significant question involved what you could accomplish today with these Twitter followers that you couldn’t before they grew into such a large number? Isn’t that the important question? Yes it is fun to meet people virtually and engage in some interesting conversation and data sharing, but ultimately it comes down to the age-old WIIFM (“what’s in it for me)? The primary answers were informal research – with an audience of over 10,000 you can ask a question and get some interesting answers, though statistically challenging; and the other was access to other great content – finally, we have found the illusive pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. Broadening the breadth and width of your information net can only reap a better selection and hence, quality of content.

Melody K. Smith, March 22, 2010

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Revisiting the Case Against Social Media at Work

March 22nd, 2010 | Posted by David Hardt in News - (0 Comments)

Anthony Balderrama from CareerBuilder.com gives a fresh examination of the all-important social media question: Do the pros of social networking on company time outweigh the cons?

That question has often been posed within the context of social networking as a fad. Today, you are more likely to hear hyperbolic statements like ‘will social media replace traditional marketing.’ Conversational marketing is here to stay and businesses need to decide what form it will take, if any, according to Balderrama in “Social media at work– bane or boon?” Employees argue that they are “grown-ups” and should be trusted more, and social networking can improve business. Employers’ concerns still revolve around loss of productivity and posting of unauthorized information. Yet, for many SMBs, ignoring social media these days can also mean being left behind by competitors.

The SSN Take: The clamoring for social media in the workplace is louder and more persuasive than ever. Ironically, an all-out ban on social media may not only damage the morale of existing employees, but also discourage prospective ones from joining.

David Hardt, March 22, 2010

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CatchFriday Argues For Social Media Outsourcing

As a busy CEO, do you find the time to tweet, blog, and update your Facebook status?

CatchFriday, a self-proclaimed “virtual personal assistant” service, argues that even if you do, it’s sporadic at best, and not the best use of your time. Their recent press release, “Why CEOs Are Better Off Outsourcing Social Media Tasks,” describes a CEO who, in neglect of social media persona, must focus on his other “important tasks in the workplace.” They continue to describe the ROI of outsourcing tweets and blogs, having a virtual assistant or copywriter create good content for your online presence.

Where, may I ask, is the marketing department? And if the persona of the individual CEO is valued, then genuine updates are important (see Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsiesh), not those from a hired copywriter. CatchFriday may have a use, but look within your company for a solution first.

The SSN Take: Social media relies on honest, open dialogue, so be wary of having others write as you or your brand.

Samuel Hartman, March 22, 2010

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Internet Explorer Picks a Fight with Chrome

March 21st, 2010 | Posted by Jessica Bratcher in branding | News - (0 Comments)

Is Internet Explorer a sinking ship or does it still have the artillery to battle Google Chrome?

Either way, a recent Tech Radar story, “Microsoft: How much do you want Google mothership to know?“ put on a clinic of how not to defend your brand. Microsoft UK’s suspiciously positive boss, Ashley Highfield, admitted that Internet Explorer is slower than Google’s Chrome browser, but claimed their browser was, “the safest and most private way to get more people onto the internet.” The surprisingly defensive interview cited concern over Chrome constantly feeding all searchable information back to the “mothership” and stating cynics might think, “it enables them to exploit you more.”

While the sheer amount of data Google collects is concerning for many users, slyly attacking the competition while your business suffers isn’t the best way to build goodwill. Highfield’s defensive statements sound like the Titanic’s captain telling passengers its massive hole makes for a smoother ride.

Patrick Roland, March 21, 2010

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