Selfies in the Business World

Snapchat, a leading social media force in our society, has transformed from a social platform to a news source. Selfies in the business world are a new way for companies to get their brand and message out there in an entertaining way. Snapchat is convenient and allows businesses to send their selfies in the business world to show why consumers want their brand or product.

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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.

Snapchat Updates Its Features in a Drastic Way

The Snapchat Update: More than Just Selfies

Yesterday, Snapchat, a photo-sharing app, unveiled its biggest update to date. Many new and substantial features have been added to the app.  These updates seem have morphed Snapchat from a simple and easy single-feature app into a much more dense and complicated app.

One of the major changes included in Snapchat’s update is the interface.  The entire user interface of the social media app has ben redesigned including the icons, menus, and buttons.  Even the font has been change to a smaller and sleeker option.  The redesigned interface, however, is just the beginning.

The ability to text message is another prominent feature of Snapchat’s update.  Previously users could send a 45-character blurb along with their photo or video.  Users can now have full conversations with their Snapchat friends by merely swiping right on a username when on the inbox page.  Users are also able to share pictures through this messaging section of the app.  Users can take a new photo of themselves in traditional Snapchat fashion or use a photo saved on the phone’s camera roll.  This new photo feature is only available when messaging. Snapchat New Features Users will still be unable to access photos from their camera roll when using the photo-sharing portion of the app.  Of course, these text and photo messages will delete but only after both users leave the screen.

Video chatting is another new feature Snapchat has added to the app.  This feature can only be activated when both users have the app open and are viewing that particular conversation. Like other video chatting mechanism, the snapchat update allows users to toggle between both the front and back cameras.

This Snapchat update seems to incorporate aspects of WhatsApp, a mobile messaging app recently acquired by Facebook, and aspects of Apple’s FaceTime, an iOS video chatting service.

Many believed Snapcaht to be a fad that would eventually fade. However, it has been able to  stay relevant for some time.  These Snapchat updates seem to encompass (let’s be honest, cram in) many different and new elements.  Do you think this was an attempt for Snapchat to stay relevant in the eyes of the consumer? Or is this update the way of the future?

 

 

There is A New App Called Cloak

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

Social Media: Harmful or Harmless?

Most students these days believe that social media is harmless, but in reality, social media does more harm then good. When a student posts pictures or status on their Facebook or Twitter, they only think that their friends can view it. However, once they are uploaded they are available to the public. Also, the delete button gives them a sense of security, but anything that is uploaded on the internet can be traced even if it is deleted.

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The Snapchat Phenomena: When Face-to-Face Communication Turned Wireless

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Has the text messaging era come to an end?

When texting at the dinner table was deemed to be rude, who would have thought posing for a “selfie” while biting into a burger would become the next biggest fad?  Well, today the world of communicating has escalated to a whole other level.

While many people are still getting the hang of texting on the Iphone, people around the world are “snapping” pictures of themselves to friends in lieu of a text.  Thus, creating a much more intimate way of communicating with one another. Rather than adding an emojicon to a text in order to convey emotions, Snapchat is able to express the physicality of communication through photos. Being able to share a specific moment face-to-face with someone across the country adds character and familiarity to communication, when text messages do not. Continue reading

Emily White Making Her Rounds In Social Media

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Many technology companies have been criticized for not having females on their executive boards. Apple and Twitter has been criticized for having only white males on their executive board. Last October, Apple CEO Tim Cook hired Burberry Angela Ahrendts to run both online and retail stores, as well being Apple’s first female to join its executive leadership team.  Today, Twitter announced after being criticized for its all-male lineup hired Dame Majorie Scardino to join its executive board. But the most popular and more recent companies Instagram and Snapchat are battling for one woman, Emily White.

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Snapchat: Is Your Privacy Safe?

 

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Snapchat: Privacy Details Revealed 

Snapchat Director of Operations Micah Schaffer revealed to the Snapchat community earlier this week that Snapchat willingly works with law enforcement officials and provides them with unopened Snaps when necessary. According to Schaffer, the company sticks to their original claim that Snaps are deleted from the company’s server once they are opened by the recipient. But, there is a slight glitch in the system when it comes to unopened Snaps. In order for a Snapchat to be deleted from their server, it must be opened. Therefore, if a Snap isn’t opened by a recipient, it will stay on the company’s server until it is deleted. Continue reading

Snapchat: The New Marketing Tool

Snapchat—known as the outlet for selfies, embarrassing photos and immediate pixel updates of your day—can now add a new title to its skill set, marketing, Companies from the fashion, beauty, and food world have been the first to increase their presence across social media platforms by using Snapchat as a marketing tool. Say goodbye to commercials and print advertisements, you will now be getting your news in ten seconds or less.

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Snapchat Stories: It’s About Time

Snapchat has made its first move into the realm of social media after introducing “Snapchat Stories” on their blog Thursday. Stories will allow users to add multiple snaps from the past 24 hours together into “My Story,” which can then be shared with friends as a narrative of what they have done or seen that day. The new component adds dimension to the app known for sending pictures to friends for 10 seconds or less before disappearing.

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Public Relations Major Tricks People To Think He’s Snapchat’s Publicist

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Towards the end of our college careers our professors start to give us more assignments that will help us in the real world. We finally have the opportunity to write our final papers and projects on things that interest us. This is a really great opportunity to do our best work because who knows who might see it. It may land you a potential job. One public relations college student did a final project on Snapchat that was so GOOD, that people believed he was Snapchat’s publicist.

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