View Full Version : Social media?
pinkytoe
12-13-12, 10:28am
It seems that every business or organization is now moving to social media to promote their products or ideas. I am still scratching my head about its real value as I don't quite get it. Probably cause I'm from another generation still untethered to a device by choice. It all seems complex and I prefer simple. Now I read that Apple TV will most likely have social media as its redeeming feature, ex you get to push a Like button for commercials, football plays, American Idol etc..and I suppose this will somehow benefit advertisers. What are your thoughts about this brave new world we are morphing into? I guess we all still have the option to tune it out but when something like media changes at such a basic level, its effect on our society bears thinking about.
Just another WMD (weapon of mass distraction).
cattledog
12-13-12, 11:01am
The benefits allude me. What is the real benefit of having 200K people liking a touchdown? When businesses get involved with social media, it all seems like a big marketing scheme to me.
There was an article in our paper the other day about how people are now watching TV together via Twitter. I guess it's no different than all those forums out there where everyone logs in to discuss a show after it airs.
I'm untethered by choice as well. My ancient flip phone finally gave out and I've been without a phone for a while. I rarely use it anyway, but I'll need to go get a new phone so people can get in touch with me.
I'm not opposed to social media per se, I just like my privacy. I'm not naive enough to believe there is internet privacy, but I just don't want my name out there. I guess I'm a relic. :) Sadly, my DD will grow up, so I may have to jump on the train to keep up with her.
Social media is, to me, kind of a center piece in a new lifestyle where technology is more than just always there. Cliché as it sounds, technology is woven into the actual fabric of how the upcoming generations live. I caught the end of a show the other night that was titled, "101 Gadgets That Changed the World". It was from the editors of Popular Mechanics and was actually fascinating. I caught the end of the show so saw the top six or so. My beloved Duct Tape came in at #101. I would have put it somewhere around #2. Personal computers made the top 5, as did hypodermic needles so no great surprises there.
What floored me is that smart phones came in at #1. I go back and forth trying to decide if I even want to have one (I do), but the connectivity it gives the next generation is amazing. Taking a smart phone away from a young person who has grown up with them would be like cutting off their hand, or worse. You can get a bigger picture view if you look at somewhere like Africa. The continent isn't hard wired. The first time most people use the internet there its on a phone. Ten years ago there were something like 2 million mobile phone subscribers in Africa. One stat I saw listed the 2012 number at almost 650 million and, just like everywhere else on planet Earth, almost every one of them is using social media for both business and personal communication. Social media is here to stay, the only real question is whether us old fogies will be brave enough to be part of the new world.
Social media is here to stay, the only real question is whether us old fogies will be brave enough to be part of the new world.
This old fogey is!
Facebook & Twitter & Skype, Oh My!
iPhone & iPad & Apps, Woohoo!
cattledog
12-13-12, 11:25am
The story I find interesting is how the Netflix CEO recently released company info via Facebook instead of a press release. Now the SEC is investigating. I'm curious about the implications. As a potential investor of any company, does that mean that I will have to be a FB friend for every potential company that I may invest in? Or follow them on Twitter? That would be annoying. Now, when I research a company, I can just type in a stock symbol and look at the press releases, charts, etc. If companies can just post stuff on social media that changes things. Instead of me just selecting what I want to see, I would now have to wade through all the nonsense to cherry pick the info I want. I'm not sure how that would work. Maybe it's not as complicated as I'm making it.
I agree about young people and their phones though. I probably would have been the same way. I fully expect my kid to be tethered. I know I probably won't be able to ignore it forever either. I think a lot of teachers use it to post messages. It's probably a good way for parents of kids on sports teams to communicate. Sigh.
ApatheticNoMore
12-13-12, 12:07pm
I doubt financial statements are ever going to be primarily posted on FB, it kind of violates the law not to release them beyond just that, what's on FB is mostly PR. As for much of that stuff it's just advertising. And if it leaves you dead and cold and completely indifferent, yea well advertising leaves me such in general, so yea.
Yea advertise to me, #$@# you choose the *wrong* person to advertise to! Why don't you just flush your advertising dollars down the tiolet, huh? I don't shop except a few things, pretty much never influenced by that type of advertising. And I can't see "liking" a corporate entity, those organizations surely don't have that type of loyalty to us (by their very setup they don't, their only loyalty is maximizing investor return, so why exactly should I "like" such an abstraction? Well maybe if I'm employed there, otherwise I might shop at you, but I'm not "liking" you corporate entity - small businesses maybe ocassionally).
gimmethesimplelife
12-13-12, 12:21pm
Meh. Social Media. Whatever. More technology to have to deal with. Sigh. I do have a Skype account which has come in handy for interviews before. I also have a Facebook account which is not all bad - I have been able to keep in touch with people from my seasonal life quickly and easily and for free - but I don't like how Facebook has become something on my daily list I need to check in with. Meh. I also experienced firsthand what the young call Facebook bullying - found some nasty posts of what some people I worked with in 2010 really thought of me. Good thing I have a thick skin but nasty to think that was going around out there in cyberspace. As to the cellphone - I broke down and bought a smartphone last month and then returned it within 24 hours - it just had too complex of a learning curve and I need my phone to be simple and free of issues. I settled on a slider phone by which I can talk and text all I want and take and send photos which I think is cool and that is it - it does have web access but at very slow speeds I don't care to deal with. It was amazing as some can not live without a smartphone - i understand that this can now be a cause of urban embarrassment - not having the right smartphone. And the idea of ever getting one again just makes me tired. Rob
I just follow my Mom's advice - try it, take a bite and then tell me you don't like it. And just pushing it around on your plate and staring at it doesn't count. And then I use what works for me and toss what doesn't.
Facebook is fun. Twitter can be useful. Skype was kind of pointless - until my oldest moved to France. Now it's always up on my desktop. Pinterest I've looked at but nothing clicked.
Corporate has been increasingly intruding on my wall in Facebook, as in I got this story about this product from this friend, I just flag each (product) never to be there again. Which should work until everyone does and they change the rules again :-(
SteveinMN
12-13-12, 12:50pm
IMHO "social media for business" is simply a technological adaptation of what already exists. Many/most people are no longer spending quality time with a newspaper or listening to terrestrial radio or TV. They're looking at Facebook, twitter, reddit, craigslist. The advertising that used to fill newspapers and magazines has moved on-line. No huge surprise that advertisers are moving to where the viewers are. In 20-25 years, as the remaining broadcast-TV watchers/terrestrial radio listeners/newspaper readers literaly die off, you'll see those media change -- or die themselves.
The social media part is essentially a democratization of good ol' word-of-mouth marketing. It is my belief that the opinions of social leaders and one's family and friends is a powerful tool in shaping what we-all (not SLF folks; the rest of the developed world) buy and do. This kind of marketing influence is the same influence that almost killed off the American auto industry as too many people had unhappy tales to tell -- and then had happy tales to tell their family and friends of their Japanese cars (and now Korean cars) withstanding neglect and beatings and still ticking on. It's the same influence that keeps restaurants like Pizza Hut and Olive Garden in business in preference to local restaurants serving similar -- but much better quality -- food. Buying an item or service that many of your friends recommend 1) releases you from having to make an independent decision; and 2) validates your choice in case the experience is not good. As you know, that kind of opinion momentum can last far longer than facts justify. And in a business environment that thinks not much longer than a financial quarter ahead, that's long enough.
I view "Like us on Facebook" the same way I view "Sign up for our loyalty card". If I don't like the idea, I just say 'no'. And if the business does not show enough love to their non-Facebook-liking non-twitter-following customers, then it's time to reconsider my loyalty to them.
Miss Cellane
12-13-12, 1:41pm
I suspect there were people who felt this way about the invention of the telephone. I probably would have been one of them. I resisted getting a cell phone for over a decade--until I needed a phone and couldn't find a public phone anywhere.
Skype, to me, isn't social media. It's a phone with a video screen. Not social as in "social media" because you can control who you are talking to.
I think advertising runs a lot of the push for social media. Get more "likes" on Facebook, more mentions on Twitter, and you get more advertising dollars. Your company doesn't have to go out and do market research to prove how many people like/use/recommend it--the users are doing that all by themselves. The companies just have to mine the data from social media.
It's a tool. You can choose to use it or not. There are a lot of company Facebook pages where you can sign up for coupons and other special offers. You can choose to use them or choose to pay full price.
I don't have a smart phone. I have an iPod Touch, mostly for music, but if there is a wi-fi hot spot, I can get on the internet. I'm not chasing around after Twitter all day. I have little use for Facebook, because hardly anyone I know is on it.
But I'm job hunting now. And it is surprising the number of jobs that want their employees to be familiar with all types of social media, even jobs where you wouldn't think it would matter at all. And I'm over 50, so I'm not doing anything that's going to make me seem older and more hidebound to a potential employer. So I know enough to talk about it and show I am familiar with it. And if they ever come up with a good reason for me to use it, I probably will.
ApatheticNoMore
12-13-12, 2:06pm
I just follow my Mom's advice - try it, take a bite and then tell me you don't like it. And just pushing it around on your plate and staring at it doesn't count. And then I use what works for me and toss what doesn't.
If it's free to try, smart phones and stuff are pretty expensive to try, but even most social media is much easier to get into that out of (fb cough).
My trial of twitter: it has the reputation of being superficial, but I used it to follow various political commentary and it's not really superficial, I mean there are long and deep political and even philosophical conversations going on, by often brillant people, the collective IQ there is through the roof. But the *format* is really just horrible for that! In order to follow the conversation you need to follow all parties to the conversation (often just two) and still it's an entire conversation, often about very deep subjects, carried on in tiny word limited tweets, without even the real time interactivity of chat (which works better, I prefer internet chat to twitter for sure even as a way of conveying ideas, it just works much better for that).
Twitter is just deeply disorienting and mind scrambling in the end and incredibly time consuming. It leaves one at the end with a profound hunger and desire to: READ A BOOK! Engage in a low slow encounter with ideas and not disorienting, however brillant twitter quips. If you want to engage yourself I feel the pressure to perform to be huge, need to distill some brillant insight into a few words of quips, and do it again tommorow, and whatever. Meh, that's so not how I am, how life is or how I want it to be, so whatever, very out of love. What twitter geniunely is good at is as a newsfeed, if you are just posting links, yea maybe with a political slant and a few words of commentary, of the news of the day or links to commentary on the news of the day, it's great for that, but that may be about all.
ApatheticNoMore
12-13-12, 2:10pm
But I'm job hunting now. And it is surprising the number of jobs that want their employees to be familiar with all types of social media, even jobs where you wouldn't think it would matter at all.
In tech, unless you are coding for smart phones etc. (and then of course you are *more than* familiar with the platform you are working with at a deep level), I'm quite sure noone cares.
Miss Cellane
12-13-12, 2:24pm
In tech, unless you are coding for smart phones etc. (and then of course you are *more than* familiar with the platform you are working with at a deep level), I'm quite sure noone cares.
That would be nice.
I keep getting hit with, "So, how would you use social media/Facebook/Twitter/Instagram to promote our company/advertise our services/let the public know about our accomplishments?"
The funny thing is, I'm not sure that the people asking the question know an answer, any answer. I think they are following the trends and feel that they need to bring this up, maybe because an edit has come down from on high or something. None of the places at which I've interviewed had had anything other than a web site. And frequently a not-very-good web site, at that.
It's a change from a year or two ago, when it seemed as if every company wanted your Facebook name and password, in order to check that you weren't doing something they disapproved of.
Gardenarian
12-13-12, 2:24pm
Isn't social media just a marketing tool?
Isn't social media just a marketing tool?
Marketing is the method used to keep it free for the end user, but it is so much more.
I never "choose" the commercial when I'm streaming TV online right now anyway. Why would I want to work for an advertiser if they aren't paying me? I would never be into something like that. I like my privacy.
I am a teacher. We went all social media this year with the education Facebook, Edmodo. I was talking to my administrator the other day about Edmodo. I'm like "day late and a dollar short. These kids don't even care about Facebook anymore. It's all Twitter now. Why would they be interested in an education Facebook?"
I don't have a Facebook page and I'm digging my heels on Edmodo. Don't care. Can't get behind it. Can't sell it to the kids bc I think it's more important that I spend my energy teaching the kids. And of course, I don't care.
I can understand why businesses and individuals would use social media to communicate/advertize. It's certainly a great way to do both. However, for my self, I don't do social media at all - heck I can barely bring myself to talk on the phone! Not interested in spending my limited time doing social media. Plus I am a bit of a Luddite when it comes to technology - love that it exists but rarely need or want it in my life. Heck I still don't have even home internet access let alone much else. While I'd like to attribute it to old fogginess, I was like this when I was a teenager. All I wanted was to go play - not hang on the phone or staring at the TV screen all day. Would have dumped them both if my parents would have let me. So I guess I haven't changed much. Even this forums - which is the only one I visit or post on - I visit rarely. Only when the weather is bad and I can't go out and play ;-)!
AmeliaJane
12-13-12, 4:48pm
There is a lot to do with social media that is not about marketing etc. I have lived all over since graduating high school and Facebook is a nice way to keep up with old acquaintances, the kind where I may not feel the need for lengthy conversations but enjoy knowing about new babies/spouses/jobs and maybe getting together for a cup of coffee when I am in their hometown. LinkedIn is a good way to keep up with colleagues who I may not want to have on my personal Facebook page. Flickr saves the family emailing photos all over the country, plus they are there when you need them instead of buried in an inbox. Another advantage to networks like Facebook and LinkedIn is that you do not have to keep track of everyone's evolving contact information--the service does that.
Twitter and "where are you" services like Foursquare have never really worked for me, but I know some people love them.
Everyone talks about social media as a timesuck, but I look at them maybe once a day. My blog reader is my personal timesuck, although I am getting better at managing it.
Yes, businesses on Social Media is a big marketing scheme. They are like billboards on the information super highway. Some businesses provide information about sales and discounts via their social media efforts. If you know you regularly purchase shoes from a certain store, you might sign up for their mailing list or catch their twitter feeds to see when those kids soccer shoes will be on sale.
It's just another way to reach more customers.
I'm a dinosaur.
Sure, I helped invent the Internet, side-by-side with Al Gore. (Well, he never seemed to actually be in the room when we were designing protocols, but I digress...) And every character in this post you are reading is going through code I wrote, or devices I designed.
But, I don't use "social media". I don't live in the real-time infosphere. No Facebook, Twittering, Tumblring, or whatnot.
I use email (in classic, stately ASCII, none of this rich-text/HTML nonsense...), and "pull" technologies: A browser+Google to look stuff up, Skype to contact people since cell service doesn't work out here on Isla Nublar, discussion forums to browse at my leisure, Spotify for music, Netflix for video, Amazon for physical goods.
Heck, I barely *use* computers, I still compose papers using an ASCII text editor on a computer running a 1970s-vintage (sorta) operating system.
That said, I find it very handy to have a smart phone with me, even though the phone part rarely works here. Because to me, it is a combination of a Start Trek tricorder and access to the Planetary Overmind if I can get wifi or cell data to it. And even if it is cut off from the world, I can carry huge quantities of documents in my pocket, which is super-handy for some of my pursuits. It is more capable than an industrial file server I used to make that sold for ~$2 million....
If it's free to try, smart phones and stuff are pretty expensive to try, but even most social media is much easier to get into that out of (fb cough).
Didn't think about that. I haven't tried the smartphone thing just because I get a free blackberry from work - which is good for work, but is totally disabled from using social media. So I restrict social media to my home computer.
For the most part, I like technology. And we have to get used to it or be left in the dust DH and I were just talking about how much longer we can be without a smart phone. Those things are amazing! The thing holding us back is cost; we currently pay $25/month for phone with unlimited long distance. We do have an old-fashioned cell phone, which we keep in the car for emergencies. Its only a matter of time!
Facebook has been an enormous blessing to me in being able to keep up with friends and family that are scattered all across the country. Even my 73 yr. old mother uses it and posts pictures all the time. While I talk to her and my siblings on the phone on a regular basis anyway, it would be nearly impossible to keep up with all of my nieces and nephews without seeing their posts and pictures on FB. I have friends that post interesting links all the time, too. However, I've allowed it to suck me in way too much in the past so I've had to do a few things to save my time and sanity. I don't play any of the games anymore (talk about a time-waster) and I've gone through my friends list and hidden the posts from most of them. I had to do this during the election as all the political posts were emotionally draining for me. This has also made keeping up with my feed much more manageable. So, I mostly only see stuff that I want to see.
I got bored with Twitter, especially after you could tie it in with Facebook and I started seeing the same post from the same person in both places.
Twitter I find is very good for the *news* - I *never* tweet, but I follow a local TV station, all news radio station, NY Times, Weather Channel, local newspaper, NPR News. I find some interesting stories that way.
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