Legal, Policies, & Ethics

The idea of making your business "huge" using social media is great. But what are some things you should think about before going socially crazy? On this website (link) it gives you rules to follow with employee's before making that first post.

1. Company philosophy/voice - what is it you want your company to be known for? What is your purpose behind going social? Come up with your motto and use it.

2. Representation - teach your employee's that they represent the company even outside of work. If they want to hate, be careful.

3. Conduct - give your employee's guidelines on how to use social media. Let them speak freely while also letting them know that there may be consequences to what they post.

4. Privacy and Confidentiality - make sure those your employee's know that its no OK to post numbers or personal information. Some things are just meant to be kept... well, private.

5. Terms of Service - basically the same as employee's but for anybody else who wants to use your social media.

I really enjoyed the three rules this website (link)  said you need when starting up social media for your business.

1. Require disclosure and truthfulness in social media outreach
2. Monitor the conversation and correct misstatements
3. Create social media policies and training programs 

Super smart advice for a super smart idea. So before opening up Facebook and Twitter accounts for the whole world to see, think about who you are and what you want to accomplish by doing that.

#socmeddiscuss #policy #employee #socialmedia

Apps - Whatever you want, baby I got it

Didn't you hear? There's an app for that.

There is literally an app for almost everything these days. You want to tweet, there's an app. You want to lose weight and track your workouts, there's an app for that. The world is getting smarter by the minute as they use their phones for basically everything. If you're business isn't using mobile apps, well, you're kind of out of the loop.

According to smallbusinesscomputing.com (link), 40 percent of businesses polled said their business would not survive without mobile apps. Over 66 million people have smartphones and are using them every day, if not every hour and/or minute. With that many people staying connected so consistantly, why wouldn't you make an app for your business. There are countless stories of small businesses becoming large businesses because of an app they created.

Great quote from plaveb.com  (link)

"Mobile apps are simple to use and economical to develop. They offer high ROI and they can be developed to satisfy just about every business need. More importantly, developing mobile apps is also a marketing opportunity. If your app is on your customer’s smartphone, you can be assured that you are making an impression on his mind."

Who doesn't want more business? If your customers are using your app, they are going to tell a friend, who will most likely tell another friend and then BAM, you've got yourself the business you have always been wanting.

Mobil apps, are they smart? You better believe it, even smart enough for your smartphone.

Think about your daily life and how often you use apps for your favorite businesses. I know that I use those apps all the time and would be lost with many of them. If your juggling between the idea of creating and not creating an app, create one. You won't regret it and either will your bank account.

#socmeddiscuss #mobileapp #app

Search Engine Optimization

Life as we know it is #changing. The #internet as we know it is #changing. Search engine optimization as we know it is #changing. Only a few years ago did #surfing the web become a fast, easy way to obtain #information. But what is making it even faster and easier today? #Hashtags and Geotagging. 


#Whatisahashtag you ask? According to techforluddites.com (link) a hash tag is a simple way for people to search for things that have a #commontopic. For example, in one of my classes at #USU, we have a hash tag we used after everything we post. It allows us, the teacher, and the teachers aide to search what we have been #blogging, #tweeting, or social media-ing about. If you are offiliated with any specific group, you can hash tag each other anywhere in the world and have a discussion. If you want to see who is hash tagging your same likes and/or dislikes, you can type your hashtag into the #Google search and it will pull up what others have been saying about that topic. #Hashtags are #useful. They allow you to get more #traffic to your #company. They allow you to #connect with a #world that is #techsavvy. #Ilikeitalot.


Bruce Clay, Inc.- Global Internet Marketing Solutions company says, "It is not the job of search engine optimization to make a pig fly. It is the job of the SEO to genetically re-engineer the Web site so that it becomes an eagle."


What great advice to keep in mind when trying to increase traffic to your website. On the same site (link) they provide a model for using SEO's. 

Again, the world is changing. Are you going to sit back and let it change without you or are you going to #hashtagyourlifeaway and increase the flow of traffic heading your way? 


#SEOs #Socmeddiscuss #hashtag

Collaborative Communication Tools

For 18 months of my life I lived in another state with people whom I previously had not known. I was allowed to talk to my family two times a year - Mother's day and Christmas. It was hard but one social media tool made those two conversations that much better - they call it Skype. For one hour on each of those holidays, I was able to Skype with my family. They would put the laptop on our living room chair and it was almost like I was home. In recent years, communication has majorly changed. Instead of land-lines, we have cell phones. Instead of conference calls, we have Skype calls. Instead of a quick hello and good-bye, we have FaceTime. The world is changing. 

Something I love about my recently purchased Iphone 4S is the FaceTime feature. According to the Apple website (link) FaceTime allows you to be in two places at once. I love that even if you are in China, you can catch your kids baseball game or see your daughter dance at her recital. Companies can use it to show each other products while at shows. You can use it between any apply product making it versatile for many people.

My one-year-old nephew lives over 1000 miles away in Washington, D.C. and the only way I get to see him is via Skype. Some advantages according to this website (link) of Skype is downloadable and free software, it have very low costs, and it does video calls and file transfers. The only setback with Skype that I've experienced is the delay that happens periodically.

Overall I am really enjoying the way the world is going with collaborative communication tools. They help me see what I otherwise wouldn't be able to. 

#socmeddiscuss #skype #FaceTime #apple

Viral Video's

What is something we've all seen, laughed at, and shared with our friends? If you answered viral video's, 10 points goes to you. Thousands of video's are posted to Youtube and other popular video sites day after day. Some make it big and go "viral" while others dwindle with the 2 or 3 views they receive.

My question is, what makes a video viral? I don't consider videos put out by the "popular" crowd equal as viral video's. The fact of the matter is, if they posted a really dumb, short clip of them saying hello, it would go viral. That doesn't count.

To me what counts as a viral video are the lost stars of the world. For example take Sopia Grace and Rosie, 2 little girls who basically have it made now because they went viral.

I found this really cool website that shows you what video's are trending right now. They are the next hottest Youtube hits. To go there click link.

After watching and re-watching viral videos, it has given me a desire to go viral myself... we'll see whats up my sleeves!

#socmeddiscuss #youtube #viralvideochart

Location Based Programs

Foursquare, foursquare, foursquare. I kept hearing that word and I kept thinking, "the game?" I just found out that the answer to that is no. Foursquare is a child's game, but it's also something much more than that. I researched this up-and-coming phone app to see what all the buzz was about.

At first, I was weary of ANOTHER site that accesses your current location but this seemed pretty legit to me. Foursquare allows you to view restaurants, clubs, stores, etc., and see what ones have specials or deals going on at that time strictly for their customers. You check-in to receive the deal time and time again. After you have been to a place so many times, you can receive points and badges and if you visit a certain place more than anybody else, congratulations, you are  now the mayor of it!

I gave in and downloaded the app onto my iPhone4S to begin the fun. Since I live in such a small place, there wasn't many deals around but searching larger cities, the deals became more and more frequent. I'm excited to continue to use and explore this new app. And now when I hear the word "foursquare," I will no longer think of little kids playing a game.

#foursquare #socmeddiscuss #GPS #iphone

http://aboutfoursquare.com/foursquare-101/
foursquare.com

Traditional Media Uses

Is our old ways of connecting with those around us beginning to see the end? Some may say so, but I disagree. Although social media is taking over the majority of companies marketing and advertisement, I still believe that newspapers, radio, and magazines still have a chance. On SocialMediaToday.com, I found a great article about why we should not give up on traditional media.

• 74% of American adults read a newspaper at least once a week, either printed or online. In certain markets, it's 90% (Scarborough Research) (link)

• 59% trust magazine advertising  (North America — Nielsen Online Global Consumer Survey — July 2009) (link)

• 2-5 year old Americans watch 25 hours of TV weekly, 4.5 hours of DVD or video games + 90 minutes on DVR and 45 minutes with a VCR. (Nielsen) 50% of 2-11 year olds TV and Internet separately while the other 50% use both simultaneously. 60% of teens use both simultaneously. (link)

After reading this article (thanks SocialMediaToday.com) it changed my view on traditional uses of media. I don't think we give enough credit to the old timers. I know we are young and hip and like to do things on our own, but it's like listening to our parents, they are usually always right because they are older. Let's give these guys a chance, shall we?

#traditionalmedia #socialmedia #newspaper #magazine #television #socmeddiscuss

http://socialmediatoday.com/index.php?q=SMC/186359

Blogging

According to dictionary.com the definition of a blog is “a website containing the writer's or group of writers' own experiences, observations, opinions, etc., and often having images and links to other Web sites. “ What is it about reading others opinions about X, Y, and Z? Can you have a successful business without blogging? Yes. Can you succeed much more with a grand, creative blog? Yes. Does your blog have to be elaborate to attract attention and traffic? I don’t think so, but I do believe you have to cover certain criteria for a successful business blog. This is what I found to be the essentials -

1. In the article, “Getting Into The League Of Successful Bloggers,” they talk about having a unique selling proposition. I loved this! If you want people to find your blog, stay on your blog, and keep coming back to your blog, you better have something distinctive about it. Make people want to come back!

2. If you can walk the walk, you better be able to talk the talk. Don’t be afraid to share your personal opinion about the newest and greatest subjects. Let your viewers know that you are a real human being, that it’s not some robot controlling your blog. It’s you, 100 percent.

3. Post, post, and post! Do you think people will want to keep checking day after day if you only blog once a month? No! Even if it may seem little to you, there is someone searching for what you have to say. Don’t let the opportunity pass. Post frequently.

Your company matters. Let others see that by what you post of your blog. Become the next biggest business. Become that millionaire you always hoped you would be. Reach your goals. Do all of this by one simple thing: blogging. Try it out, what do you have to lose?

#blog #blogging #blogtips #socmeddiscuss #successful

References

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-57333218/7-rules-of-successful-bloggers/

http://www.youngprepro.com/successful-bloggers-league/

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://profitable-blogging-secrets.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2010-04-29-b9f6cd4b0a0111e92893e98691316994.gif&imgrefurl=http://profitable-blogging-secrets.com/blog/&h=300&w=350&sz=8&tbnid=5bQY40aaF_CtPM:&tbnh=88&tbnw=103&zoom=1&docid=ALBp0OOnrcUmAM&sa=X&ei=fGcnT53nOa7MiQK91enbAQ&ved=0CFgQ9QEwCw&dur=330

Organizational uses

As I have been searching around for summer internships, non-profit organizations have caught my eye. I like what they stand for, people trying to better the lives of others. It’s interesting to see the good and the bad of non-profit organizations. In my eyes, what it comes down to is how well they have structured their organization. Have they taken the time to set goals, create a mission statement, and followed all of the rules? I read some very interesting articles concerning these matters and would like to share my own opinions of what I saw and believe a non-profit organization needs to have in their structure.

1. 1. Goals: This is what your company wants to see happen in X amount of time and how it is going to happen. An organization with no goals is like a boat with no sails. You will start out excited and ready only to realize that you don’t really know where you are going or how to get there or anywhere for that matter. In orders for your organization to work, you must set very direct goals that will allow you to learn and grow while also being reasonable with what you have to work with.

2. 2. Mission statement: How do you expect people to support your organization if they don’t know what you stand for? Having a clear, concise statement will help your organization gain the backing you need. Say no when it comes to confusion by letting those that don’t know you, know you and your vision for the organization. When you feel overwhelmed and like giving up, this mission statement will remind you of the good you are doing in somebody else’s life.

3. 3. Rule following: Each state and country has their own rules that an organization must obey in order to be legal. At times these rules may seem minute to you but following them will assure you the right to continue to grow as an organization. Reading the rules and regulations before doing something you are unsure of will lessen the stress of running your own non-profit organization.

I have seen these guidelines used in most non-profit organizations and find it smart to follow them. We all have stress in our life, so why not reduce it to a manageable amount by doing the tried and tested.

#socmeddiscuss #non-profit #organization #structure

http://www.idealist.org/info/Nonprofits/Mgmt2

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/typical-non-profit-organizational-structure-4896.html

Google Plus - The new Facebook?

I have often wondered why there is such excitement about the new social networking site, Google Plus. It has been all over the internet, newspapers, and televisions. As I am just coming back into the social media world, I decided that I would look into Google Plus to see what they are all about and decide for myself if they will truly become the new Facebook.

Positives of Google Plus:

I have noticed that many people like to only have certain people look at certain things they post. With other social networking sites, you had to deal with the consequences if your mom saw what you did over the weekend. With Google Plus, you can create “circles,” each circle consisting of people that you yourself put into that particular “circle.” You can have a family circle, work circle, friends circle. Another feature that will keep me coming back to Google Plus is called the Hangout. What an incredible tool to have, allowing you to connect to up to ten people at once via video. I have often grumbled about the fee Skype tabs you with that allow you to talk to more than one person at a time. The grumbling will stop as I can now talk to whomever without paying a price.

Negatives of Google Plus:

When I first saw the homepage of Google Plus I was shocked to see the all-too-familiar look of facebook. If Google Plus wants to become the new Facebook, they need to start with a new look. There have been many times I have wanted to shut down my Facebook account but have not for the lack of something better. Google Plus needs to come up with original items if they want to keep me and the other social networking newbies coming back to them. I also found that this is an “invite only” networking site. If Google Plus wants to continue enlistment, it must be opened to the public.

Overall I found that Google Plus has many new and exciting aspects about it. While researching this topic, it gave me a greater desire to delve into Google Plus and embrace it.

http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-google-plus-2011-6

http://www.socialable.co.uk/what-everybody-ought-to-know-about-google/

#socmeddiscuss #googleplus #socialnetworking