Social Networks Boost Customer Service

Many businesses are using social media to boost their customer service these days.

Often times consumers give feedback about a company or its product on Facebook, Twitter or any other social network.

For example, if I bought the new iPad I would most likely tell all my friends on Facebook about it and hashtag it on Twitter. Whether the experience was a good one or bad one. Apple Inc. could then directly respond to me about my comment.

If Apple Inc. decided to engage in a conversation with me I would become more loyal to the brand and most likely speak highly of the company.

The same can also go with celebrities and their fans, but that's a different story.

Also, if the social network pages for Apple Inc. would change statuses and tweets to get consumer feedback the customer would feel that he/she had a say in the next product being designed.

For example, the first iPad didn't have a front or rear facing camera. This was a big complaint about the product. When the iPad 2 came out the designer made sure to include both cameras.

Many people think social networks are harmful to businesses because there isn't face to face interaction. In reality it can help a business drastically with customer service because the company can reach many more individuals and receive a greater amount of feedback.

Photo Credit: George Nantwi via Creative Commons

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Speak and Tweet in Egypt

President Hosni Mubarak has had his hands full in Egypt since last Tuesday. Citizens have been outraged and want to kick Mubarak out of power. Many Egyptian protesters are upset about not receiving many things from the government, including their freedom and internet.

Last week, the Egyptian government put a blackout on all internet usage. Government officials felt like this would be a beneficial way to block the outside world from seeing what's going on and from protesters organizing groups via Internet. With the websites blocked, journalists were in a world of hurt, as they were unable to communicate, surf, or report through Google, Facebook, Twitter, or BlackBerry Services.

However, Google and SayNow have provided hope for many reporters to share news once again. They developed a way for people currently in the Egypt area to tweet via phone on Speak-To-Tweet. Users have been given the option of three numbers to leave a voice mail to, which will be turned into a tweet under the hashtag of #Egypt or #speak2tweet.

Imagine being an Egyptian writer unable to report some of the biggest protests in your country. Journalists want to recreate stories so viewers can connect to current events. Many reporters in Egypt currently feel relieved to be provided with a way to do their job.

As journalists, this is a good time for Egyptian reporters to practice reporting news by observation instead of relying on the internet for news. Egyptian queen Cleopatra once said, "I will not be triumphed over." Many reporters should take this advice and realize there is always a way to get the job done and report globally what is going on.

Photo Credit: Nima Maleki

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Unsuspected Eyes

Undetected people may be watching you right now. They may be absolutely anywhere, spying on your every move.

The unusual irony about this is you allow it to happen. You put yourself out there to be detected nearly every single day.

What am I talking about, you ask? I am talking about social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare.

Social networking sites have become ever increasingly popular not only to the public but also to journalists.

Journalists typically use the websites in a professional manner like posting information about journalism or news that may be happening around them.

The public, on the other hand, tend to use the networking websites in a personal manner. They update their statuses multiple times a day, sometimes even including what their location is.

Burglars have been eying in on those statuses, using them to plan their next attack.

Now, you may be thinking, "This can't happen to me." The truth is, "Yes, it can." I'm sure this man never thought it could happen to him.

Burglars are also banding together to create a "burglary ring".

What can you do to protect yourself? Simple, don't post personal information on the Internet or add people you don't know.

If you must post personal information don't include your current location or whether you may be home or not.

To try and counter-act these attacks there is a website called pleaserobme.com. The site is used to inform the public on the dangers of social networking sites.

Now that you have been informed on the dangers of social networking sites, hopefully you will take caution and protect yourself.

Happy networking.

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Logging Off

There is a new website offering to end your online lives. The site, called Web 2.0 Suicide Machine, claims to give people back their real life by wiping out their social networking accounts. It claims to do this significantly faster than manually removing accounts.

Network Analyst Jason Hill of Clive felt like he was checking his online accounts too much and felt managing Facebook was becoming a full time job. He notified his friends and logged off for the last time in March.

Professor Michael Bugeja suggests everyone rethink online life. "Think about everything you do from iPhones to Second Life to social networking or Twitter, its doing two things at once: surveilling you and selling to you," said Bugeja, the Director of the Greenlee School of Journalism at Iowa State.

Breaking the addiction to social networking sites is difficult, but reconnecting with family and friends in person is well worth it.

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How To: Land a Job in the News Business

Are you tired of filling out applications for jobs and internships again and again without results?

According to Mashable's Jennifer Van Grove, clever applicants have now been applying and landing jobs via social networking sites.

Van Grove's first tip on how to interest potential employers through social media is to take a risk.

"Put yourself out there," she said. Employers will never know you are interested if you don't let them know.

Van Grove's second tip is a little trickier. She suggests tailoring your online application style to meet the needs of the business, according to their networking profile.

If a company is looking to hire an employee responsible for its Twitter updates, Van Grove suggests being creative and sending in an application 'Twitter style.'

Her third tip involves a little luck. Van Grove suggests keeping your eyes open for additional opportunities to come up even directly after others have failed. Sometimes you may not land the job you were hoping for. However, networks met through failed attempts can lead to an even better job.

Van Grove's last tip is on how to be the best candidate for a position. The trick is to really show a company what you can offer. This may mean intensely following potential employers on social network sites to determine their values and needs in an employee.

Then, with your new knowledge about the company, you can tailor your application to appeal to the employer's wants, needs, and even general interests learned from their social profiles.

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Facebook at Work: Benefit or Risk?

Social networking sites have been in the news a lot recently and all for positive reasons. Social media can be very beneficial to a company and its employees. However, recent evidence has shown that these sites may be more harmful than helpful.

According to a survey of almost 500 organizations, over half of the surveyed companies believe social networks put their business at risk. Sophos, the security software vendor responsible for the survey, reported that 57 percent of users admit to being spammed through a social networking site.

This is a problem not only because someone's personal information is easily accessible through social networks, but also the number of employees using social media for business is increasing at an alarming rate. The problem occurs when an employee's computer is sent malware, making it possible for someone outside the workplace to infiltrate the system and gain access to important files.

According to Sophos, 60 percent of the companies surveyed pinpoint Facebook as the riskiest social network. Keeping the statistics in mind, are social networking sites really the best way for companies to branch out? While proving to be effective among younger audiences, social media are now also proving that they aren't equipped with privacy settings necessary for the workplace. Until privacy is increased for users, reliance on social networks might have to be put on hold.

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Smaller Organizations Use Social Media To Be Heard

It is common to be following or a fan of major companies on Twitter and Facebook. For instance, CNN Breaking News has 2,870,755 followers on Twitter and Starbucks currently has 5,620,853 fans on Facebook. Though the masters of the media are popular on social networking sites, smaller companies are also using these sites. Of course the large companies are overly dominating, but small companies such as City Year are doing what they can to get noticed.

City Year is located in Boston and is dedicated to helping solve the problem of failing schools. It was founded by two Harvard students who believed that people could change the world and were inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. City Year has been around for about 20 years. Every year, City Year hires young leaders called corps members to serve full time as tutors, mentors, and role models to make a difference in the lives of children and transform schools and neighborhoods. These corps members are from 17 to 24 years-old. There are more than 1,550 corps members in full time service across America helping students’ attendance, behavior, and coursework. Though City Year is based in Boston, they have been working on improving schools in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Miami, Washington D.C., Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, San Antonio, Columbia, Cleveland, and Sacramento. City Year has also gone global by working in London and South Africa. To achieve growth and goals, City Year must significantly increase applications.

One way City Year has increased recruiting is by using social media, such as Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. City Year has their own account on Twitter, channel on YouTube, and page on Facebook. Though they only have 3,188 followers on Twitter and 5,967 fans on Facebook, the number is growing and it has spread awareness and information about City Year greatly.

It just goes to show that small organizations, such as City Year, can become successful and well known through social networking. Social networking is changing media, and it is important to keep the smaller organizations running.

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The Web of Tomorrow

The way people use the Web is changing. According to Mashable's Co-Editor, Ben Parr, there are four trends emerging in Internet usage:

• The Web will be accessible anywhere


• Web access will not focus on the computer


• The Web will be media-centric


• Social Media will be the largest component of the Web

Thanks to the introduction of wireless connection and smartphones with 3G and 4G networks, people can easily connect to the Internet anywhere. With the advent of smartphones, people can access the Internet from their phones. People are shifting from using that clunky box that sits on their desks to portable hand-held devices with a three-inch screen. In a column on CNN, analysts found that most people are using laptops, but there is an emerging trend in using smartphones. Parr predicts by the end of this decade, computers will only be a small portion of how people access the Internet. The way people interact with the Web will change as well. Parr says our dependence on sites such as YouTube and Hulu will increase rapidly. Voice-to-text technology will replace the keyboard and touchscreens will replace the mouse. Social media plays a major role in the way we access the Internet. In a study conducted by Nielsen, social media usage has increased by 82 percent in the last year. One of the main reasons people get online is for the social interactions provided by social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Parr says the number one reason we will use the Internet is to connect with friends.

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‘Old’ Companies Embrace New Media

In John Welsh's "These Digital Times," Welsh presents five reasons why companies should be embracing new social medias. In addition to Facebook, which many companies are already using, Welsh suggests that business employees set up personal Twitter accounts. There are two reasons as to why Twitter is potentially helpful in the workplace. Employees can post 'tweets,' spreading the word about the various services their business offers. Since anyone on Twitter can access someone's 'tweets,' this is a great way for a company to become a household name. Another way using Twitter can benefit a business is when searching for employees. A company can view a potential employee's 'tweets' and use them to help determine how they could benefit the business. This process assists a company in finding the best possible employee.

Another reason Welsh promotes using social medias in large companies has to do with communication within the workplace. A social network like Facebook can help to increase the exchange of information between employees of a company. Better communication makes for a better business, because the employees will have a chance to cooperate more often and more effectively with one another.

A fourth reason Welsh believes business should adopt social medias into their workplace has to do with a company's ambitions. Social networking sites can help businesses achieve their short term or long term goals. With new social medias, company's can decide what avenue of networking will help them obtain the best results. A company's short term objective may be to create a stronger bond between the business and the clients. A networking site such as LinkedIn can promote that bond by allowing clients to give feedback on a company's services. In return, the business can communicate their ideas with clients before they are put into action.

The last reason Welsh suggests that companies should instigate a use of social networking sites in the workplace has to do with getting ahead of other businesses. There are many ways to communicate with people outside of the company that are available through social medias now, that were not available a few years ago. These new medias help businesses emerge from the traditional ways of advertising, that other businesses are still using, and embrace new ways of contacting potential clients.

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