Why Social Networking?

             Through social networking, people can use networks of online friends and group memberships to keep in touch with current friends, reconnect with old friends or create real–life friendships through similar interests or groups. Besides establishing important social relationships, social networking members can share their interests with other like–minded members by joining groups and forums. Some networking can also help members find a job or establish business contacts.

             Most social networking websites also offer additional features. In addition to blogs and forums, members can express themselves by designing their profile page to reflect their personality. The most popular extra features include music and video sections. Members can read bios of their favorite music artists from the artist's profile page as well as listen to their favorite songs and watch music videos. The video section can include everything from member–generated videos from hundreds of subjects to TV clips and movie trailers

Jareerat Jaibun

The Elevator Speech, yes prepare one!

We are all familiar with the classic cover letter. It’s an introduction to who you are with a quick summary of accomplishments and how those accomplishments can benefit the company you are seeking employment from.  The elevator speech is similar to that with the difference that you must be able to “perform” your speech in a blink of an eye.

So where does this elevator speech take place? You guess it. In an elevator! If you are wondering who you will be performing this speech to, the truth is, it could be anyone you may want to work with who happens to be on the same elevator.

Here are some easy steps in preparing your elevator speech.

1.      Your Present – share what you are currently doing. If you are student, mention what you are currently studying and what school you are attending. If you are employed, share what your responsibilities entail and show enthusiasm when discussing.

2.      Your Past - mention what other places you have worked or other activities you have been involved with.

3.      Your Future – give a quick future outlook and what road you would like to continue on.

I used my own “elevator speech” when visiting a friend at her job. On the same elevator was the VP of Human Resources of whom I was friendly with in a past job. She recognized me and greeted me very nicely. She proceeded to ask me what I was doing these days. I jumped into action with my elevator speech and I was pleasantly surprised when she invited me to her office for an impromptu interview.

When opportunity knocks, just remember it could be in an elevator.

-Adriana Muniz

Help Japan via Social Media

According to Tsunami attack in Japan, most people around the word have been trying to get a chance to give some help for Japanese who are suffering in pain form this brutal situation. For me, I’ve been looking the site where I can get information about helping people in Sendai via social media. I have found one way on the website which was helpful and it was easy way to spread information about person who was affected by Tsunami in Sendai. So, here it this

Google Person Finder

To help the friends and family of victims of the quake find out information about whether or not they are okay, Google launched a Person Finder App.  Through the app, you can search for a person or provide information about a person.  If you have received information about someone in Japan who was affected by the earthquake or tsunami, be it by phone, email, Twitter, Facebook or otherwise, take the time to add this information to Google’s Person Finder.  You never know who else may be trying to find out if that same person is okay.  Posting the information in as many places as possible is the best way to help others find out information about the victims.

Guntapon Suranikom

  

The Social Media Reputation, How This Revolution Could Damage Your Brand

I am amazed how people continue to post things on Facebook, twitter, my space and other social media that could be damaging to their reputation. If you think recruiters are not looking, think again. It is reported that 80% of companies use social media for recruitment. So how do you control what is being said via social media? Well, you can both never be part of the social media revolution and miss out on all the positive things or you can take control of your social media persona.

Some recommendations would be to limit the friends you connect with on social media outlets. For the friends you are connected with be open with them and ask them not to tag any photos of you unless you approve it. Maintain privacy levels high so that not everyone can view your profile or comment on your page. Since there are so many social media outlets, try and keep your personal friends on one social network and your business contacts on another. Personally, I keep friends on Facebook and business contacts on LinkedIn.

There are some positive things social media does provide while you are searching for a job. LinkedIn for example, provides space for former business associates to recommend you. This provides recruiters with a quick snapshot of your reliability and work ethics. Also, since LinkedIn allows users to see who your contacts are, many times a common acquaintance would also give you the creditability without you seeking an actual recommendation.

Always think of yourself as a brand. When you don’t think highly of a product, you spread the word. Social media has become the new way of spreading that word. A staggering 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations for brands while only 14% of consumers trust advertisements. Also, as the blogger world continues to grow, approximately 34% of these bloggers are commenting about products and brands. Just think how if you were brand, how one negative thing can ruin your reputation. It takes years to build a successful reputation (brand), but it takes seconds to ruin it with one viral negative posting.

-Adriana Muniz

The Social Media Tsunami

In the past week or so, social media has been saving people's lives nationwide. As many of you know, there was a horrific 8.9 earthquake and tsunami that occurred in the heart of Japan. Many people have died and are still missing. Relatives and friends from all over the world have been trying to seek their loved ones but still are not able to reach them since many of the landlines are down. However, thanks to Facebook,Twitter, and Youtube people were able to reach out to others for help.When the earthquake first occurred many people logged onto their Twitter accounts and tweeted about what was going on. By mid-day there were tons of pages praying for Japan and leaving comments to those who were looking for their family. Two primary hashtags was #tsunami and #prayforjapan. These pages were getting at least a thousand tweets per second discussing about the topic.I guess Charlie Sheen has some competition on his hands.

Besides Twitter, people were constantly updating their statuses on Facebook and created multiple fan pages to show their support for the residents in Japan. Those who lived in Japan were also able to post a few comments about their experience and sometimes posted a clip of the earthquake. When 5 o'clock finally approached on Friday, the earthquake/tsunami became totally viral on the internet.

Other than for social network sites, Google joined in and made a Google Person Finder for people to either post comments or find their missing family and friends. The site is setup almost as a blog but it enables for us to try to communicate with those overseas. I happened to get in contact with someone from Japan because I had emailed them from this particular site.

We all bad-mouth social media constantly and say sometimes that it is a waste of time but when events like this occur, social media goes above and beyond. Without social media who knows if we would know half the stories that we know right now. Even media conglomerates are using this sites as their primary source of information since its recent and its right from the source's mouth.

If you want to try to find your loved one or friend from Japan, check out Google's site:

http://japan.person-finder.appspot.com/?lang=en

*Be advised some people are not from Japan and are trying to seek soul mates instead of trying to reconnect with Japan residents*

- Elisa Cervone

social network & your job

LinkedIn

It’s a site that allows you to connect to people you know. It also allows you to see profiles of anyone else on LinkedIn, and gives you ways to connect to them. There are a few ways you can use LinkedIn in a job search:

•Company Search - One of the best ways to use LinkedIn is if you have a very specific company you are interested in. You search on that company, and hopefully find people who are connected to other people you know. Then, you can ask your personal contact to connect you. Or, if you pay $30/month, you have the opportunity to email people who you don't have a contact in common with.

•Job Postings - LinkedIn allows employers to post jobs on the site. The jobs are usually high quality, professional jobs.

•Email - When I was first laid off, I sent a large email to everyone in my LinkedIn network, letting them know of my situation, and asking for any help or people they could put me in touch with them.

•Blog Link - LinkedIn now gives you the ability to link your blog post to your profile. So every time I post a new blog post, it updates on my profile, so anyone looking at my profile will see what I'm writing about. It also includes the updated post in the weekly update emails that go out to your connections.

•Twitter Link - Similar to Blog Link, LinkedIn also pulls your conversations from Twitter. So, anyone who is not on Twitter, can see what you are tweeting about.

LinkedIn Advice

•Recommendations - Warren suggested getting many more recommendations on my profile.

•Status Updates - Similar to Facebook, LinkedIn also has status updates. Warren suggests that it's a good idea to update your status, to better inform your connections what you've been up to.

•Headline - LinkedIn gives you a place to add a professional headline. I didn't realize that was really seen by anyone, so I had mine as "Consultant". Warren's advice is to make the more exciting and enticing. Mine now reads "Innovative marketer with a drive for results."

Twitter

The best part of Twitter is that it allows you to connect with people you don't know, based on common interests. What a great way to do some networking!

•Basic Networking - I am now much more connected to people who are involved in areas I'm interested in. Today I heard about jobs available at two companies. I tweeted two people I met on Twitter, and in minutes I had some information about the jobs.

•Job Postings - I am connected to a few people who know about jobs that I would not have otherwise known, i.e. @socialmediajob or other recruiters.

•Connecting - When someone follows me or I follow them, I read their bio thoroughly. If it looks like they work somewhere I might be interested in, or if I think they might be someone who could connect me to others, I get in touch with them. A few have said no or not responded at all, but for the most part, everyone is very open to meeting or talking.

•Companies - My new favorite Twitter tool is Twellow which actually searches people's bios and URLs on their bios. It's amazing! For example, I did a quick search on Shift Communications, a company I would love to work for and I could see that 13 people from Shift are on Twitter.

Twitter Advice

•What's Going On - Warren suggests I be more proactive in talking about what's going on in regards to my job search. So, mentioning things more often about interviews I have had, or people I have met with. This keeps it fresh in people's heads that I am looking for a job.

•Reaching Out - Warren also suggests just reaching out to people I want to network with and saying something like "Hi - I'm looking to break into social media. Is there anyone you can think of to refer me to?"

•Twitter Name - Warren's opinion is that your Twitter name should be your name, as it will help in your search engine results.

Facebook

•Notes - While I do know everyone I'm friends with on Facebook, I don't necessarily know or remember where each person works. And, I definitely don't know where each of their friends works. So, when I first was laid off, I posted a "note" on Facebook, explaining the situation, and what I was looking for. A note tends to stay on people's screens longer than a status update, and you can write much more.

•Status Update - I do frequently post status updates relating to my job search, to keep it top of mind that I'm still looking for a job. I'll say things like "I had a great interview this morning... keep your fingers crossed!" or "I have a networking meeting later today with a company I'm really interested in!". I also write a status update with a link when I write a new blog post.

Facebook Advice

•Notes for Blog Posts - Create a "note" for each blog post. As I mentioned above, notes stay on people's screen's longer. I think that some people may be more likely to read it if the text is right there on the screen rather than having to click through to the blog. Also, if they comment on it on Facebook, it becomes even more viral.

•Tag Your Friends - If you write a blog post that includes a reference to a friend on Facebook, tag them. That way, their friends will be alerted to your post, and your message will spread more quickly

@Shuwen Zhao

Social Media = Helpful Unemployment Tools?

I've been researching ways in which social media can help unemployed people to find jobs in order to compile a list of websites that may be helpful tools to you all in your search for a job.

First, of course, are the websites that have job listings that you can search through such as:

Craigslist.org
Monster.com

However, I have found a few tools that can help you with the application process and make you stand out from the crowd. There are sites that offer online resume and portfolio building where you can give a website link out to job openings rather then a physical resume. Sites such as Opresume.com give you a choice of themes and layouts where you can have an online resume that will impress employers. I think this is a great idea because it is easier and faster for people to update and can include more then a physical copy of a resume.

The website Carbonmade.com is especially interesting as it gives a social media website feel to it's online portfolio building. It is mainly used by graphic designers, photographers, artists, etc. because it gives the option of posting your artwork for everyone to view along with resume information.

Linkedin is probably the most well-known social media site that allows a more professional feel to your personal information. Possible companies looking to hire can see your connections, past work experience, and colleges you attended just by looking up your profile. It is another way for people to be more connected with possible hiring companies.

- Lauren Cochrane

Social Media Concerns and Criticism

As social media has grown in popularity and become mainstream, it has been faced with growing controversy and criticism.

The main criticisms seem to fall along a few lines: Social media can be used by stalkers; Social media can be used by child predators; and, Social media sites open up privacy and security concerns.

While there is only so much social media sites can do about the first two, there is a growing trend among many sites to bolster the privacy policies and make users feel more secure.

Social Media Used by Stalkers

Facebook and other social media sites have come under attack for making it easier for stalkers to track their victims or even to find new ones. This kind of accusation is not entirely unfounded.

Many social media users don’t take advantage of privacy settings and leave their entire profiles public. While this is often a good idea for professional profiles where you want to make connections with people you don’t necessarily know, personal profiles can benefit from hiding some information from public display.

Social networks make these privacy settings available to users to help prevent stalkers and predators from being able to see their updates.

But they can’t force users to use them, so in the end much of the responsibility falls to the individual users, not the networks themselves.

Social Media Used by Child Predators

MySpace is the most publically attacked social networks accused of being a haven for child molesters and pornographers, but the site, and other social networks, have made great strides in protecting the identities and information of minors using their sites.

Again, this is one of those situations where much of the problem came from users not making their profiles private.

MySpace took a major step to prevent predators from friending underage teens by requiring friend requesters to know the email address or another personal identifier in order to send a friend request to a minor.

They also require the profiles of teens under the age of 16 to be private, not allowing non-friend users to view them. Other sites have taken similar steps.

Privacy Concerns

Facebook recently came under attack for changes to its privacy policy that were worded ambiguously enough to effectively grant rights to Facebook to use any of your content, private or public, for their own purposes (such as advertising) even after you’d delected your profile.

While the company maintains that was never their intent and it was simply unfortunate wording, the backlash was severe enough that Facebook changed their privacy policy back to its previous version and then solicited user input for revisions. It was a harsh lesson in how concerned many users are about the information they provide online.

When you consider that many people post information about all aspects of their lives online, mostly on social media sites, it’s no wonder many are concerned about what companies can do with that information.

Social networks and other sites have to rapidly respond to user concerns over privacy and security. With the information in an average social media profile, it would not be inconceivable for a hacker to illegally gain enough information about a person to steal their identity or otherwise cause problems.

Security concerns have also cropped up as average people have found their profiles hacked and embarrassing information posted about them.

While this type of thing was once relatively confined to celebrities and well-known people (or people who had a personal vendetta against them), it has become more widespread and it’s not unheard of for regular people to be targeted (such as this woman on Facebook recently).

-Kanjana Thirahiranphiphat-

Rally for Jobs – Is That Enough?

I understand the premise of a rally for jobs. In the blog post, Where are all the jobs???, a student talked about a pep rally held by college seniors and students ready to enter the job market in Japan. While an idea is here, I have yet to be convinced about what this will achieve for students in our class, at NYIT, and in New York City, which is the scope of our rally idea.

What is our goal?

College seniors, graduate students, and alumni need jobs. Of course, the job market is lacking in the number of positions these students would be qualified for. Without substantial experience, companies are typically going to choose those who are probably over-qualified for the entry-level positions.

 

Now, students need to be over-prepared. They need to put a lot of effort when entering the job market – and this includes getting their feet wet, sometimes in the not-so-glamorous industry of the dreaded unpaid internships. These are the foot in the door, and the few lines on the resume that will end up making a difference in the job interview. But students need to be guided sometimes, and need to know about what they can do to stand out.

 

I don’t think a rally is the best option for this. A rally is political in nature and is not going to result in new jobs. I don’t think it should be promoted in this way. We could, however, organize a pep rally similar to the event in Japan. This would make more sense to boost confidence in students. Confidence is something that is commonly lacking among students who are competing with veterans for entry-level jobs.

 

I support the idea, but I think the effort should be made to build confidence in students and help them take the reins of their future by being proactive about their careers. I also suggest that the event should be held on campus to meet student culture at its heart.

 

- Briana Samuels

Where are all the jobs???

They say that more jobs are coming.  Where?  I don't see them.  I see opening for Senior Executives or Producers and Directors.  But I am a college student preparing to graduate in May.  I can't go for those jobs.  I have no experiences.  I need an entry level position where I can learn the tricks of the trade and to move up the ladder.  It is even harder for someone who is considering a career change.  I have some industry experience but will that get me an interview from the new career I'm looking at?

There are not enough entry level positions.  And the entry level positions that are out there require you to already have experience because you will be doing the work of someone who was laid off and would have been your mentor.

Every company needs a post-graduate training program.  The big networks like NBC and Fox have them, but if you are not looking at a career in those places, where do you start?

They say that you get experience from an internship.  But when you are working a full time job to pay for school, when can you do the internship.  They say do freelance jobs.  I am getting marry soon  and my future husband has a temp job with no insurance.  How can I leave my stable job with benefits for a freelance job to get the experience to get another job?

All I can do is relay on friends to hook me up with something, but that limits me to the places I can go.

They say you need to think positive to have positive things happen.  I read an article where Japan hold Job Hunting Pep Rallies to help boost the spirits of college students looking for jobs.  At the same time they are bring awareness to just how many people will be looking for jobs.

So the bottom line is:
      We need more entry level positions or post graduate job programs.
      We need to keep our spirits up and just keep pushing.

Something has to happen one day...right?

~  Michelle Martinez

Don’t be shy...Start spreading the news you need a job!

Often times I hear of people not wanting to tell anyone they were laid off. They are embarrassed, humiliated and their confidence just took a major hit. But with close to 10% of the US population being unemployed, it is no surprise those who have been laid off feel just awful of the situation. The fact is you are not alone during this time. It is just the sign of the times and let’s face it; the economy will take some time to recover.

Although finding a job may not be as quick as we would like it to be, the tools available today are really making the process much more manageable. Social Media allows users to shout out to the virtual world...I need a job and need it now!

 LinkedIn is a perfect way to use your network of contacts to land yourself the next job. I suggest personalizing emails to each of your contacts and letting them know you are back on the market. Make sure all your social networks outlets have a complete profile of you with a short bio on accomplishments, interests and activities. Your accounts (Facebook, LinkedIn, Tweeter, etc...) should look and feel professional so silly cartoon characters or compromising pictures of you during happy hour should be removed.

Another good thing to do is to tweet about an article you read that pertains to the industry you are in or tweet about a company you are interested in working for. Before tweeting about companies in which you are interested, make a list of your top 5 companies you would like to work for and find positive articles about them. Share them with your contacts as someone can then lead you to someone who works there or refer you to a human resource person.

When Jen Levy was laid off from her 12 year employment at Discovery Communications she quickly turned to her social media outlets. Not finding employment quickly she was able to connect with a nonprofit organization where she volunteered her time. She used her time there to keep herself motivated and her skills fresh. After a few months of volunteering, she landed a great job at the Food Network.  Even though Jen was not officially employed for a few months, her resume had no gaps since her volunteer work filled the void during her unemployment time. Being exposed to the nonprofit business sector also allowed Jen to make new contacts and network herself in a new industry.

As Jen Levy says, “Overall I felt that connecting with people through LinkedIn and sometimes Facebook allowed me to create connections that I would never have known about without social media.”  

Now is the time to let the world know you are ready to work, so don’t be shy about announcing your job search. Social media provides the outlet that is not only quick but effective.  Jen Levy’s job search experience is proof of how the use of social media landed her a wonderful job opportunity keeping her on her successful career path in media.

-Adriana Muniz

I'm on a drug and it's called Social Media!!

So the media world shows off once again!

As you know, the infamous Charlie Sheen has recently joined the social network Twitter. Last week when his intimate interview aired on Tuesday night, Sheen decided to make an account on Twitter. In a matter of 25 hours and 17 minutes he had about a million followers. Producers were trying to keep track of how many people were following him by hitting the refresh button every minute. They said every time they would take a glance at the computer, another 1,000 fans would be added on. After a few hours, most of them lost track of how many people were following the star.

As of right now Charlie Sheen has more than two million Twitter followers. This is only about eight days after establishing an account last week. It is truly mesmerizing how much control and fan base one single man has. It is also astonishing how much more popular Twitter became after an hour long interview that appeared on the major channels nationwide. Before this Charlie Sheen craze ever started, no one ever realized how influential he is. The media loves filming him and we love watching him.

Besides our fascination with Twitter, Facebook users were very eager during that night to post phrases that the actor was saying during the segment. Every time I would check my updated news feed on my phone, I would see more and more of my friends writing some random saying that came out of Sheen's mouth. The postings lasted for another day or two, but it was historical to see how many people were totally engrossed with this man.

 If it wasn't for social media, media conglomerates (ie: ABC, NBC, CBS) wouldn't know their fans thoughts or comments. Although ratings were off the charts on Tuesday night, telling producers that they made a very wise decision.

For those of who didn't get a chance to watch the interview here's a clip from ABC,


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emEM5H9NgTI


Enjoy!


- Elisa

A History of Social Media

I came across this cool graphic about the history of social media. It is interesting because I've actually never sat and looked at the exact dates and progression of things within the social media uprise until now. I know I grew up with social media from its beginnings so its fun to look back and see how far it's come. Thought I would share this with everyone.

- Lauren Cochrane

More Social Media Trends in 2011?

Yes, as if we didn't have enough social media tools out right now there will be a whole new tools for social media trends in this year if 2010 belonged to Foursquare and its playful, competitive and sometimes addicting ecosystem of badges, mayorships and specials, it's likely that Facebook will rain on Foursquare's parade in 2011. With tons of data and the architecture behind Facebook's response to Foursquare, Facebook is well positioned to actually make location based services useful to business. So can Facebook 'wipe' out Foursquare?
 It probably won't but the usage of checking in on Facebook has been successful these past 2 months or so. Although some people haven't really caught onto it or are skeptical about it I feel like foursquare will still be around.

QR codes are making a huge impact onto the social media scene. A lot of places,brands, invites, products, etc... have been labeled with this QR codes that notify the consumer more about whatever the thing is they're scanning. Since interning at the fashion pr firm these past two months the invites for fashion week which was three weeks ago that we did had a QR code on the back of the invite. This was to prevent fraud check ins to the show and also to track who was there and give a count of the total guests in attendance. Magazines, beauty products, resturants,stores and much more have this scanner code to promote whatever it is they want the consumer to know. If you have a smart phone there is an application that allows you to scan this and direct you online to the products website.

I have run out of time but i will post more later . Sorry ; )

-John

web trends that will make us stay ahead of the curve

This is a good article to forecast some web trends which will affect our business in 2011. Here are a few bigger trends shaping the way we’ll do business in 2011.

1. Social media.

It’s true that both B2B and B2C marketers are tentatively embracing social tools as a way to connect with customers and grow their businesses. Most businesses have some kind of social presence or say they plan to launch something: Most have attempted a blog or Facebook page, or have peeked at Twitter. For instance, when Guy Kawasaki asked a room full of B2B marketers recently, “How many people think Twitter is stupid?” only two brave souls raised their hands high.

Still, most marketers have yet to truly embrace the full social toolset for their business, especially in the B2B space. Sometimes, it’s because they are unsure of the real value, and sometimes it’s because they aren’t sure how to approach social channels. (How do you foster engagement on Facebook? What’s the value of social-streaming platforms like Twitter, where your content quickly vaporizes? Why doesn’t our blog have any comments?)

One marketer I met at a recent event in Silicon Valley summed up the state of marketing and social media nicely: “We have a blog, but it sucks,” she said. “We’re here to learn how to change that.”

In other words: marketers + social = lots of room for improvement. But just as relationships mature beyond high school, there’s every reason to anticipate a more satisfying partnership down the road.

2. Content is king, but it isn’t enough.

Most marketers have embraced the notion that they are also “publishers.” In other words, they understand that in addition to being in the business selling whatever they sell—be it shovels or security systems—they also need to be producing content as a cornerstone of their marketing, both to engage and educate their would-be customers, and to get noticed by search engines. That’s especially true for small businesses and web-based businesses, which can amplify their footprint online exponentially through the content they publish.

But at the same time, producing any old content isn’t enough. Businesses like yours have to produce the right kind of content: web content that is honestly empathetic and seeded with utility for your customers; content that reflects your businesses core values and is inspired by your unique perspective and authentic “voice.” As blogger and tech evangelist Robert Scoble said last month, “When you are trying to sell something, a human voice does it better."

How do you produce the right kind of content? That bit about being “honestly empathetic” above is the key: Put yourself in the shoes of your customer and consider what you can do to best suit their needs. Be that expert who can help them with their problems and offer solutions. Be a voice of trusted reason in your industry, about whatever problem it is that your service or product solves.

And do it in an interesting way: “Tweet is the new haiku,” as Guy Kawasaki says. By learning how to write a compelling tweet or an interesting blog post, or by creating video or curate information that speaks to the heart of an issue, you will elevate your status from just someone who sells stuff to someone who has an expert point of view and is a go-to resource.

3. Cozy up your website and social media outposts.

Businesses are challenged to improve the integration of their websites and social media presences. Why? Because your home base (your website) needs to have its look and feel more deliberately integrated across any social outpost your business is part of (Facebook, Twitter, and so on), in order to give users more seamless experience with your brand, to more fully support the conversations happening on social networks.

It might radical to think about, but your future web strategy won’t be based around your site, but around people and your online connections.

It sounds obvious that you need to integrate both your site and social outposts, right? But it’s incredibly tricky to pull off, says analyst Jeremiah Owyang, because the teams who maintain each are often different. Then there’s the technology, issue, too: Social platforms are inherently lighter and more nimble, while websites often are inherently “heavier,” with lots of custom programming.

The goal is to move beyond simply slapping Facebook and Twitter icons on your home page (and driving people to those outposts without any sense of a larger strategy) to more seamless integrating the visitor experience and aggregating conversations, so that someone doesn’t see an obvious difference between being on a home base or an outpost.

4. Social objects can spread your message for you.

Those companies succeeding the most with social media innately understand that customer engagement doesn’t necessarily take place on their own web pages, as we talked about above.

How can marketers capitalize on that trend right now? One way is to create “social objects” that allow your prospects or customers to spread your message for you across the social web. What’s a “social object”? It might be a cool digital tool or other kind of content (an interesting infographic, a compelling Slideshare presentation, or a video) that your customers take and can share on their own blogs, Facebook pages, and other social platforms.

But a social object might also be as something as simple as a real-life stuffed animal: Software company OK Labs’ stuffed mascot, Iggy Wanna, has partied at bars in Birmingham and surfaced in Shanghai, as documented by people who have gotten their hands on one and uploaded their photos with Iggy to the iguana’s Flickr page.

 What’s the value of getting people to take pictures of themselves with your stuffed icon? It raises awareness and interest in your company and builds a sense of community around your business in a humorous, offbeat, and decidedly human way.

5. Serving is the new selling, and support is the new marketing. .

As I’ve written in the past, smart companies will increasingly be "brand butlers,"  focusing on how they can help their customers or prospects to make the most of their daily lives (versus the old model of selling them a lifestyle). Brand butlering is not about simply offering great customer service or awesome sales support. Instead, it's about creating relevance and utility for people.

Content is one way that you can meet the needs of your customers—by delivering information that's timely, needed and on-brand, and that helps your customers as we talked about in #2, above. But there are other ways -- through iPhone apps that help customers accomplish certain tasks, real-world support, or simply rethinking whether your website navigation really helps your customers accomplish what they need to do. (Or whether it just offers them marketing Frankenspeak.)

A major theme of Gerry McGovern’s new book, The Stranger’s Long Neck (A&C Black, 2010) is that today’s Web represents, more than anything else, a shift in power away from organizations and to customers. Are you helping and supporting your customers in their goals, or just selling to them?

@shuwen zhao

Social Media Trends in 2011: Give the People What they Want

From privacy issues to monetization, to mobile applications, 2011 holds many changes for the world of social media and the businesses and consumers who utilize it.

As social media continues and to spread and more people begin using location-based services like Foursquare and Facebook check-ins, privacy is going to continue to be a major issue in the social media world.

Social networking juggernaut Facebook has come under fire many times over privacy concerns. Recently, Facebook has been in the news again and is even receiving criticism from Congress for putting their user’s privacy at stake by allowing third party applications to have access to sensitive user date such as home addresses and phone numbers. With this in mind, it will be very important for companies to instill trust in the people who are using their services.

It is becoming harder and harder to avoid or escape social media and conducting business on the Internet, but I think many people would be more like to do it if they knew that they could trust their privacy was being protected. A company like Facebook is walking a dangerous line by pulling so many fast moves on their users. When this happens, people lose trust in the company and become more likely to leave.

I predict that there is going to eventually be a mass migration away from Facebook. It seems that a lot of people are waiting for the next big thing, like maybe a new social networking service that is far more private and secure. Will Facebook go the way of Myspace?

Another major trend that’s happening in 2011 is the prevalence of smart phones and other mobile devices like iPads taking the place of laptops. People are doing more and more on-the-go these days, and this trend toward mobility is only going to continue to expand with increased mobile applications and services catering to the growing number of people who are purchasing these devices.

Web content is another trend. The web is a huge database of content. Lots of people are turning to the Internet for information, and with this trend there is going to be an increasing demand, not just for content, but for high-quality content from reliable sources.

One of the biggest issues surrounding social media and social networking is how to monetize it. One example is how some businesses have started using Foursquare to offer discounts/deals/incentives to people who come and check in to their business. Businesses that are smart will get on board with this trend.

I think perhaps the smartest move that any company can make in 2011 is to use social media to get feedback directly from consumers, listen to what the consumers want, and find a way give it to them. Hopefully we see a lot of this in the coming year.

- Erika Hansen (@erikathehansen)

Trendsetters & Go-Getters

  From Facebook to Foursquare, social media is becoming the hottest trend since boyfriend jeans and sweater dresses.  Everyone and their mother (literally) are using social media for everyday tasks, business ventures, and even for personal satisfaction.  I have recently just come to the realization how social media users are becoming more and more engaged in social media tools that showcase and identify precise locations and continue to have more tools that benefit the user.  CBS released there are a few other services in the same mix that are certainly worth watching. CBS recently released their entertainment check-in service, T.V.com Relay. It’s a browser-based mobile app for most smart phones that allows users to check-in to live television shows and follows the same TV guide-style format that Philo employs.  It seems as if the entire world is posting exactly where they are what they’re doing, watching, eating, smoking, listening to, etc.  Well, at least missing people will be easier to find I guess?

  Another hot and heavy trend of 2011 for brands and companies is sponsored blogging.  Throughout the past 5 years, society has become heavily influenced by bloggers like Perez Hilton, BrianBoy, and Rumi Neely of Fashiontoast.  Advertisers and marketers understand the importance and link between what societies want from the media, and bloggers are starting to become the fuel to this flame.  Advertisers are going to give their audience what they want, and that means a connection to celebrity and public figures that are naturally persuasive.  

Five Social Media Trends for 2011

I was curious to see what social media trends to look forward to in the new year and I came across an interesting article:

Five Social Media Trends for 2011 by Stephanie Schwab

I thought I would give my own thoughts on each of these five social media trends and perhaps hear other people's insights to these upcoming trends for 2011.

1. Consumer Content Curation

With technology becoming smarter, consumers are becoming smarter as well. Consumers are realizing that following hundreds of brands on Twitter and Facebook is becoming more and more overwhelming. Therefore, what's happening is that things are being created such as Facebook lists to turn off brands posting to their walls so they can pay closer attention to their "real" friends. For brands this means it's not going to be enough to create content; they need to create content that can get put into people's streams. I honestly do try to block most of the content coming from brands to my social media pages. I am bombarded all day by brands trying to advertise to me so why do I need to continue the bombardment once I am home and using the Internet? If I want to view the brands that I follow for coupons or special deals, I want the ability to turn their constant postings on and off. Brands of course are going to be looking for new ways to bipass this new system and I look forward to seeing how they plan to do so whilst hoping that they don't succeed.

2. Niche Location

Even though it was found that only 4% of the Internet population are using location based services, there's no question that Foursquare and Gowalla were huge social media trends in 2010. Now there are sites sprouting such as Shopkick (a service that appeals to in-store shoppers who love bargains) and Foodspotting (a service that allows people to find and share foods that they love). I myself had always been against location based services until I began my social media class. I had no idea that you could receive special coupons or discounts simply from checking into a venue. I've learned that when using sites like foursquare you can limit who sees where you are. If I don't want anyone but me to see my check-in, I can do so. Thus, I don't annoy people with my constant updates on where I am which was the first reason for why I had stayed clear of Foursquare for so long. I learned about Shopkick and Foodspotting from this article and have installed both applications on my phone to try them out. Foodspotting is great in that I can see what dishes look like from particular restaurants that may make my restaurant choice more clear. Shopkick on the other hand works with partners such as Best Buy, American Eagle, Macy's and Target to reward frequent customers with savings. In a time when money is tight, Shopkick is definitely appealing.

3. Gamification and Social Gaming

Gamification means applying game mechanics to things such as marketing to increase engagement and participation. Popular examples of gamification are Farmville and even Foursquare. Farmville works because if you don't log in and harvest your crops, they die. I myself used to be a Farmville addict and even a game that seems silly in the beginning, it can be very addicting after a couple times of playing. Foursquare is so successful because it has a competitive aspect to it. You can unlock badges by traveling to different places, get mayorships with special privileges and leave tips to be liked by as many people as possible. Companies are even using product placement in their games to get even more exposure. Gaming has definitely been a way for brands to get to me.

4. QR Codes
I am not a big fan of QR Codes nor do I recall ever using them. Even so, I think that QR Codes are going to become more mainstream soon enough. For those of you who don't know, QR Codes are on advertisements for people to scan with their mobile devices in order to bring up websites or other information on a persons mobile device. Perhaps I have not found an advertisement worth making the effort to scan their QR Code, but it is an interesting trend. Years ago I would never imagine scanning codes in a magazine so that information would come up on my phone. It is a fascinating technology, however it needs to become a little bit more mainstream before I will begin to use them more.

5. Social Commerce

I actually did not know this existed until reading this article. There are sites created merely for people to share what they have purchased at stores. I had heard of websites such as Groupon but did not know that it fell under this category. There is also Facebook Commerce where people can share their purchases with others. I don't think I will be partaking in this social media trend anytime soon. I feel somewhat of a hypocrite that I can share where I am or what I'm doing but when it comes to what I'm buying I don't feel the need to have a whole other social media site to post on.

I am enjoying all of the new social media trends that have emerged in the past couple of years. Some I find unnecessary (but yet I still use them) and some I find extremely helpful. It all depends on your lifestyle and privacy preferences whether or not a trend is going to appeal to you. Whether or not you like a trend personally though, always research them and see what is in it for brands or businesses. You never know when you could come across the next big thing that could help out a company you are working for, putting you ahead of the curve.

- Lauren Cochrane

Living in NYC without Media is Difficult

 

Hi all,

I’m an international student from Thailand. I’ve been studying in NYC for five years. I fist think about NYC that is a beautiful country, and most people in NYC should know how to communicate by using media such as the Internet. Yes, NYC is a graceful big apple, but there is quite difficult for living if you don’t learn about media.

When my first day in NYC, everything was unfamiliar to me; people and a language were confused me at the first time because I didn’t know about anything, and I also didn’t know about how to communicate to people in English. Thus, I felt so bad about my English, but I've been told myself that I wouldn’t give up.

Recently, my English has improved. I tried to understand English by learning from many sources out of school such as the program on TV, magazines, newspapers, American friends, and the Internet. I think there are very helpful for me. Indeed, I think I have lots of great experience in NYC.

Guntapons@yahoo.com