Mark Zuckerberg: Investing in the Future

Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder and chief executive of Facebook, vowed last Tuesday that he and his family would donate 99 percent of their Facebook shares to charitable purposes. According to the New York Times, the donation is worth $45 billion and will be worth even more if Facebook continues to grow.  Continue reading

The Sound of Music – Empowering Freedom of Expression through Social Media

Pandora and Spotify, two Internet Radio programs, have incorporated social media sharing capabilities to allow for their users to connect and engage on a global scale over the common interest of music.

Pandora and Spotify, two Internet Radio programs, have incorporated social media sharing capabilities to allow for their users to connect and engage on a global scale over the common interest of music.

Digital communication and social media platforms have transformed the way that individuals around the globe converse, share information, and learn more about themselves and one another. Whether it be through Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Periscope, Tumblr, or Snapchat, communication mediums such as these have allowed for people of all ages, shapes and sizes to express themselves while engaging and sharing with others. Unlike these forums, which allow for a plethora of diverse opinions, expressions, dialogues, and interests to float freely, music platforms, such as Pandora Internet Radio and Spotify, focus solely on one passion that unites millions – music.

As unique as it is for the social media platforms mentioned above to act as unrestricted forums for really anything to be displayed, discussed, or analyzed, music programs such as Pandora bring people together over one common platform that spawns a plethora of variety. It brings people together over a shared passion for music, specifically personal musical taste, while also allowing for that passion to be shared with other like-minded users, both known and unknown. This social media and sharing component of music programs, particularly featured with Spotify and Pandora, is what has given them the competitive advantage needed in order to collaborate with rather than be outshone by their social media competitors.

To give a bit of background, Pandora, started in 2000, is the world’s most powerful music discovery platform with over 80 million active users. Spotify, launched in 2008, also allows its 60 million active users to play music directly from the cloud, and features more than 30 million tracks. One of the key differences between the two is their source of revenue-  while Spotify has about 20% of their 60 million users pay for the service, Pandora only has 3.5 million paying customers. This suggests that the benefits of Spotify’s Premium memberships outweigh the cost compared to Pandora’s offerings. The two programs have both joined forces with Facebook, allowing for users to share their playlists and music activity with their Facebook friends. Spotify also features a “Music Chat” component, which provides users with a free space to chat about anything music related. Much like how Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram allow for individuals to express themselves through design, images and graphics, Spotify and Pandora allow for the same creative expression but through the art of music. In the case of Spotify, it allows for users to use their own creative discretion in creating playlists comprised of whatever musical tracks, artists and genre that they want. When adding in the social media aspect, this provides an outlet for users’ creations to be shared to the world, giving them a way to represent themselves through a collaboration of sounds that they themselves have designed. In the case of Pandora, their use of the Music Genome Project, which is the most comprehensive analysis of music ever undertaken, allows for users to be provided with the most personalized listening experience possible. By utilizing the wealth of musicological information stored in the Music Genome Project, Pandora recognizes and responds to each individual’s tastes. “The result is a much more personalized radio experience – stations that play music you’ll love – and nothing else.” This too allows for users to represent themselves via personalized music playlists.

In a world where reputation is something that takes a lifetime to create and yet can be lost in a matter of seconds, it is important for individuals to have creative outlets to represent themselves in a more personal and less serious manner. There is no right or wrong when it comes to personal taste in music, and with programs such as Spotify and Pandora, creative expression through music is celebrated rather than critiqued. It allows for personal representation that can be shared and result in strong connections made with like-minded users on a global scale. Most importantly, it allows for people to choose how they want to portray themselves through their personal taste in music, empowering individuals to practice freedom of expression in a safe and unrestricted forum.

Pinterest: As a Marketing Tool

A table on the social media users among all adults ages 18 and aboveLooking for the next big thing in social media marketing? It has been right in front of you this entire time!

Don’t be fooled by the bride-to-be stereotype… Pinterest has become a platform all companies should be monitoring and using daily if they want to be successful!

Pinterest is a visual bookmarking tool that helps individuals discover and save creative ideas. The social media platform was created in 2011 and now has over 100 million monthly active users (Griffith). Continue reading

Are you Instafamous? 

Tell Brad Pitt to move over, there is a new superstar in town- and it’s not Justin Bieber… it’s you!

Instafamous.  Also known as Instagram famous, is a term that acquires thousands- if not millions- of people following your Instagram Picture of Instagram Logo that says, "Insta Famous".account. You know who you are. You average 50k likes per photo… on a weekend… at midnight. You have such a large following that brands contact you to wear their clothes (and keep them) or promote their products on your captions (and get paid using them).  You have made it when Victoria Secret contacts you to come to their annual fashion show for free… on the Angel’s private jet.

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Does the Rapid Evolution Of Social Media Have Apple To Thank? 

Does the rapid increase and popularity of new social media platforms depend on Apple (AAPL) to continue their growth and usage?

Whether you’re a Microsoft groupie, a Samsung Galaxy guru, or an Android addict, there is no question that Apple is the most valuable company in the world. According to Forbes, this year Apple not only had the last largest market cap, but also the largest sales, profits, and assets among the world’s largest technology company.

January 2007 was the announcement that changed the tech industry forever. The arrival of the iPhone revolutionized the smartphone and paved the way for apps, digital media, and social media to become the future.

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Twitter Campaigning: Social Media in the 2016 Presidential Election

Presidential campaigns spend millions of dollars each year on radio and television ads, but for the 2016 election this money is a waste. Presidential Candidates must look to social media for rankings, free advertisement, analyticVoter pin with the words"every tweet counts".s, fundraising, public feedback and opinion, engage with young voters, and immediate response to controversy.

More voters are receiving their news from social media and the 2016 presidential candidates are taking advantage of this medium. Social media is a tool for campaigns to reach out to Millennials and gain momentum in the polls and recognition in the news. Twitter has become imperative for candidates to use to gain the public eye and attention of potential voters.

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Migrant Crisis: Social Media Used as a Network for Survival

Migrant women showing her daughter her smart phone use of social media.The migration of refugees fleeing from Syria and the Middle East has been recorded as the largest flow of migrants in Europe since WWII. You may be asking yourself how such a large flux of refugees are finding their way through foreign land’s boarder patrols like Greece and Hungary with increased tension in Europe and tightening rules and regulations. The answer is simple. It is the same way we find out if there are flight delays after a storm or road block near campus, SOCIAL MEDIA.

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5 Websites You Need To Bookmark

Here, I’ve compiled 5 websites you probably haven’t hear of, but will simplify or improve your life with just a few clicks!

Unroll me:

https://unroll.me/

This is the email-clutter clearer you’ve been looking for. Simply type in your email address and instantly unsubscribe from all the junk mail you get on a daily basis. Finally, a clear inbox.

Camel Camel Camel:

http://camelcamelcamel.com/

Be sure to get the best deal on Amazon by tracking the price on Camel Camel Camel. This site shows you the price history of any item on Amazon and alerts you with a friendly email when the prices drop.

Lifehacker:

http://lifehacker.com/

Unless you’re closing chip bags with bottle caps, color coding your electric cords, and removing strawberry stems with a straw, you’re clearly not hacking life. Discover simple yet genius ways to do every day tasks more efficiently.

Account Killer:

http://www.accountkiller.com/en/

Remember when you started a Vine and posted 9 videos of your cat? What about that Flickr from high school? Ever wonder where those videos and pictures went?

Delete those never used, potentially embarrassing online accounts with account killer.

Do Nothing for 2 Minutes:

http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/

Studys show that taking 2 mintues to relax actually increase productivity. Challenge yourself with Do Nothing for 2 Minutes; step away from your email, phone and spreadsheets and unwind.

Social Media: Taking our jobs or adding value to them? 

Image of a man holding social object with limitless social media platforms.Over the past decade, social media has become the most popular platform for promoting brands, clients, and products. Constant change in social media has resulted in the urgency for new Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relation strategies and tactics. The baby Boomer generation was known to pick up a newspaper or magazine to receive information on the latest news and trends. Today, Millennials gain most of their information from their fingertips.

Social media is a wide range of online applications and media platforms that allow the creation and exchange of user generated content (Kaplan, 2010). The advancement of cell phones to smartphones, desktops to laptops, laptops to tablets, and websites to mobile apps, has depreciated the value of hard news and replaced it with the want for immediate gratification (Mangold, 2009). The public expects to access information in seconds rather than daily. The rising demand for information in seconds has created a multitude of social media platforms, including: Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Flickr, blogs and many more increasing in popularity and competition constantly.

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Meerkat at SXSW 2015

What comes to mind when you think of a meerkat? Perhaps you envision a furry rat-like animal native to the African savannah?

Well the Meerkat app, with its fitting name, allows subscribers to view live streaming of videos through a link posted on one’s Twitter accounts. Meerkat at SXSW 2015 has allowed everyone from tech fans to celebrities to fall in love with its simplicity and fun.Screen Shot 2015-03-22 at 10.43.33 AM Continue reading

Multidisciplinary Nature of Social Media

There are so many different ways that social media can be perceived, viewed and used and one means of examining how different disciplines impact the way that social media evolves is considering companies that have created extraordinary experiences and services with their unique and ingenious uses for social media. Changing technology and consumer habits alter the ways that companies use social media but this is also impacted by the type of industry or services offered by a particular entity.

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Social Media Strategy, Customize the Approach

Social media is a tool just as other advertising and marketing mechanisms have been used to facilitate branding and company growth. A social media strategy can be somewhat effective even if poorly implemented but firms that really exploit all of social media’s advantages need to do their homework to remain current and to implement knowledge about who uses what social media and why in determining how best to use various components of the social media community. Is the client’s Facebook page being created as a destination with interactive features and regular updating and other use or is it to be used primarily as a conduit funneling customers to the client’s comprehensive and interactive website? Do Twitter accounts make sense in certain industries with little information to Tweet? More is not always better consequently it is important for firms to determine the type of social media vehicles are valuable to them and then create a message that is consistent throughout the tools used.

 

Like traditional media, using social media to its greatest advantage requires research and planning. The target audience can help firms determine which messages are best suited for Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets. Successful social media strategies develop a comprehensive strategy that uses different types of social media and particularly when two-way communication is encouraged. Clients or PR firms should retain control of content posted on a company or client’s behalf and set targets in order to measure whether use of various social media is successful (Chaturvedi 2013).Increased followers is considered a sign that social media is working but companies must also determine whether this is window dressing or if the likes evident on a Facebook page translate into customers and clients or merely people who for some unknown reason liked the page and never returned to it again. Conversely, a high number of likes lends legitimacy to companies consequently some benefits may be achieved without necessarily being evident. Other measurements a company may use to evaluate the efficacy of social media is whether there are improvements in sales, customer service, and efficiency (Chaturvedi 2013).

There are so many different tools available for companies that want to better utilize social media in order to improve their businesses. ProCon.org was created in order to evaluate the pros and cons of numerous issues and includes a very informative page on social media that provides statistics for how people use social media and other important information that can be of assistance to firms that want to maximize their advantages from using social media. Social media is a double-edged sword because while memes and videos can go viral with good information that is valuable to a company it can also as quickly destroy a brand if the wrong type of information spreads as quickly on the Internet. Social media can be most positive when everyone involved in its use is geared toward ensuring that the cohesive message remains intact and is only positively impacted by its use.

References

Chaturvedi, M. (April 22, 2013). Effective social media strategies—four tips, four benefits. Profit Magazine, 1-2. http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/profit/big-ideas/042213-mchaturvedi-1937903.html.

Social networking pros and cons. (September 2014). ProCon.org, 1-2. http://socialnetworking.procon.org/.

Apps have potential to revolutionize wrist PR

Most people don’t think about PR and wrists together, but then again, the Apple Watch wasn’t out either.  Apple Watch coupled with apps designed specifically for it – opens a whole new world of PR possibilities  – not just at our fingertips but now right above our hands.

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Foursquare is Splitting Up: Introducing Swarm by Foursquare

Swarm by Foursquare Everyone’s favorite check-in app is undergoing a transformation. According to the company blog, the company is splitting up Foursquare into two separate apps. Foursquare will maintain it’s discovery features while Swarm by Foursquare will focus on more social aspects. No longer will users have to navigate both aspects of the original application. This new “unbundling” will allow for separate experiences.

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