Category Archives: Observation

Employers use social media to answer the questions they can’t ask.

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Don’t want to answer that? Looks like your Facebook page just answered it for you. Some job interviewers use social media to answer questions they shouldn’t ask.

Job interviewers use social media to answer questions they shouldn't be asking.

Job interviewers use social media to answer questions they shouldn’t be asking.

During the interview process there are certain question that aren’t allowed to be asked, but job interviewers have discovered a digital loophole to avoid breaking the law. Digging up dirt on their job candidates, employers use social media to find answers to personal questions they aren’t supposed to inquire about.

Students fresh out of college are experiencing this phenomenon—after going on a job interview their interviewers will request to be their “friend” or become on of their followers. Putting students and job candidates in between a rock and a hard place, they fear not accepting the request or the follow might put them at a disadvantage for getting the job.

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Robots Do It Better: Technology Replacing Humans

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Bill Gates claims that software animation could lead to technology replacing humans and robots stealing your job.

According to Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, robots do it better. The infamous computer programmer claims that advancing software automation could lead to technology replacing humans in the work force meaning that robots could steal your job.

Business Insider reports that Gates spoke at the American Enterprise Institute think tank in Washington, DC last week speaking about how governments and businesses need to prepare for a future where lots of jobs will be done by software and robots, resulting in mass unemployment.

“Yes, robots really are about to take your jobs,” Gates said. “Software substitution, whether it’s for drivers or waiters or nurses… it’s progressing. Technology over time will reduce demand for jobs, particularly at the lower end of skill set… 20 years from now, labor demand for lots of skill sets will be substantially lower. I don’t think people have that in their mental model.”
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Obama on Between Two Ferns

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Obama on Between Two Ferns for Zach Galifianakis’s Funny or Die show to promote enrollment of Affordable Care Act.

Funny or Die Images

Funny or Die Images

A surprisingly witty and snarky Obama kept Galifianakis on his toes throughout the interview. An example of their dry humor was when Galifianakis said, it must “stink” that Obama couldn’t run for a third term. He quickly rebutted with,

“If I ran a third time, it would be like doing a third Hangover movie…didn’t really work out very well did it.”

These sharp and comedic zingers weren’t the only points to come out of the show. Obama strategically and effectively communicated the Affordable Care Act to an audience he has been desperate to reach. Approaching the Millennials through an age appropriate, popular online platform like famous Funny or Die, is genius.

Like Obama on Between Two Ferns, to achieve your target audience you must:

  • Research and then do more research
  • Knowing your audience inside and out
  • Target them through the correct and applicable platforms
  • Don’t be afraid to standout from the norm

These steps are crucial. The success of these steps was proven when following Obama’s appearance, there was a healthy bump in the number of those who enrolled in the Affordable Care Act.

 

Billboard Twitter Real-Time Charts Used To Track US Music Conversation

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Billboard and social media network Twitter announced a multi-year partnership to create Billboard Twitter Real-Time Charts. 

Expected to launch in the upcoming weeks, Billboard announced on March 27, 2014 Billboard Twitter Real-Time charts that will track US music conversation occurring over millions of tweets sent each day. By combining the authority of the Billboard charts and the opinion of Twitter users, these charts will be based off of real-time data in order to rank music.

 

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Retouching Beauty

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Since the rise of blogs in this digital age, women have emerged as some of the top bloggers in retouching controversies.

In 2006, the Dove Beauty campaign raised questions about the perceptions of beauty in the media and bloggers took to the web expressing their own opinions. One of the most well known female blog sites is “Jezebel” described as one of the top blog websites aimed at women’s interests.  The blog emerged in 2007 in the midst of all the airbrushing controversies and has helped expose the biggest retouching scandals in the past years.

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Do Your Audiences Use Digital Communications?

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It is important to truly know if your audiences use digital communications.

Digital communication has exploded in popularity and effectiveness over the past decade so that many companies and audiences use digital communications regularly.  Companies and individuals have jumped on the bandwagon that allows them to advertise and communicate well in the digital space.  While this has been effective in reshaping the way the public communicates, organizations must slow down and examine their audiences to figure out if their audiences use digital communications enough to make it a viable marketing tool. Continue reading →

Social Media and Customer Loyalty

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supplied from Getty Image

Social media and customer loyalty go hand-in-hand. I know many claim that our generation is one that lacks customer loyalty. That out loyalty resembles more of a gold fish that quickly forgets one company and moves onto another. This is not true.

Many companies assume that it is the consumers fault that the loyalty is not there, I would argue that to a certain extent it is the company’s fault. If a company isn’t with the times and utilizing social media to its fullest potential then, the young adult consumer is not willing to grow with the company. People want to stay connected with the products/companies they use.

The top three motivations of public social engagement are:

  1. Remuneration: seeking rewards and economic incentives, such as coupons giveaways, and job-related opportunities
  2. Entertainment: the relaxation, enjoyment and emotional attachment
  3. Information: the newest up-dates on the company or product

Even celebrities understand this, a great example is Alicia Keys who allowed her followers to hear her new album on her social media outlets. You can even vote for your the best celeb on social media for the Shorty Awards here. Forbes dived a little deeper into this in an awesome article.

Through liking the same page followers can engage with other followers to discuss the product. Essentially love creating more love for the product/company. Our generation does not have blind love and loyalty companies now have to earn it and I believe that is the big difference between the older generations.

Cyber Dust App Deletes Messages After Reading

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Snapchat meets WhatsApp in Cyber Dust app’s message-disappearing app

CyberdustParenting in the modern world encourages kids to be in person, face-to-face with someone when telling something secretive, possibly inappropriate, or desirably “off the record.” Anything digital can be traced back to the source. There are deep, dark corners of the Internet, but The Silk Road was still uncovered. There are privacy promises made, but Snapchat was still hacked. There are emails that are encrypted, but still, people gain access to confidential information. Imagine never leaving a digital footprint again. Cyber Dust, an app that automatically deletes every message, picture, emoji, and interaction as soon as it is read, is one of the first apps to completely delete any traceable messages (unless someone takes a screenshot, of course). Continue reading →

There is A New App Called Cloak

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This new app called Cloak is a continuation of an anti-social trend that can be seen in applications like Snapchat and WhatsApp.

Ever wanted to avoid someone?  It’s not that you don’t like this person, but your day just might be better if you did not randomly run into him or her.  If so, there is a new app called Cloak that is just for you.  It’s the newest in anti-social apps.  It helps you deliberately avoid people.  That’s right; Cloak has teamed up with Instagram and Foursquare, using their location devices to find your friends, so that you can avoid them.  It’s currently only for iOS, but the idea is that it will expand if people like it.  It’s currently free in the app store. Continue reading →

Adreian Payne Basketball’s Gentleman

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Adreian Payne is the gentleman sports was missing in a scandal ridden industry.

Very few of the “this restored my faith in humanity” videos ever truly achieves such a bold statement however, Michigan State Power Forward Adreian Payne did just that. Payne, a 6’9″ senior on the Spartans men’s basketball team is an unlikely companion for “Princess” Lacey Holsworth, an eight-year-old battling neuroblastoma. By an act of kismet, the two met when Payne was visiting the hospital she was undergoing treatment at. The friendship was instant and as you can see in the video below life changing:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBmEQlToMFA]

As you can plainly see in the video this relationship is not a publicity stunt but one of mutual respect and love. Princess Lacey accompanied Payne on to the court during his senior night, he attended her fundraising party, and Payne even gave her the honor of helping him cut down the net after Michigan State won the Big Ten.

 

“She’s a special firend,” Payne told the Big Ten Network, “and she’s like a sister to me.” 

The coverage on this extraordinary friendship has even caught the attention of heavy weights like ESPN sports analyst, Jay Bilas.

https://twitter.com/JayBilas/statuses/447053368348114944

https://twitter.com/JayBilas/statuses/447053368348114944

The sports industry is frequently riddled with scandals ranging from drugs, DUI’s, animal abuse, and even murder. It is a breath of fresh air to see a gentlemen, like Payne, hopefully coming down the pipes to an exceptional pro career. This is the type of man and role model that hopefully companies will endorse and stand behind in the future.

 

High-profile and High-tech: SXSW is the Place to be in the World of Tech

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The South by Southwest Festival, a weeklong event in Austin bringing together some of the most talented individuals in music, film, and interactive media, now has a lot more to offer than a good time. Today SXSW is one of the premiere annual events for media members, entrepreneurs and investors in the world of tech.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OTrIIe4cBg?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

The place to be for cutting-edge technologies and digital creativity is none other than SXSW Interactive Festival.  The rise of social media and startup launch success are two of the most prominent factors of analyzing the expansion of the SXSW Interactive over the past decade.
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Spotify Acquires Music Intelligence Company, The Echo Nest

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What’s new in music news? 

Spotify According to a press release published by the company yesterday, Spotify has announced that it plans to acquire The Echo Nest, a “leading music intelligence company.” The acquisition will now have us seeing Spotify using The Echo Nest platform to “drive music discovery” and aid brands in building “amazing music experiences for their audiences.” Additionally, the deal will likely prompt some changes to the status quo.

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Marriage: Commitment Comes With Passwords?

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Do couples share too much of a connection?

Do couples share too much of a connection?

It’s a fact, couples share. They share food, laughter, experiences and smiles. But does sharing a password to your email and social media accounts sound ethical?  Well, many already do and this trend is continuing to grow. Today, many couples use digital communication and technology in order to enhance their relationships. In other words, digital technology has become a dominant force in the communication between partners. Continue reading →

A Word From The Pope

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Pope Francis’ 2014 Lent Message to his church

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent for Christians around the world, and with it comes the 46-day countdown to Easter. The religious observance gets its name from the practice of having a cross of ashes placed on the worshipper’s forehead. The ash cross is a symbol for mourning to God and a reminder of human mortality.  Pope Francis had a special message to all those faithful followers to help be reminded of the true spirit and the essence of Ash Wednesday. Continue reading →