Monthly Archives: July 2011
Why Facebook Won’t Win in China
In America, everyone knows the social media trifecta (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin). When someone wants to “friend” you, most people are aware of what the phrase means. If someone tries to “poke” you, most people still have no idea what that means, but they get the general gist. But if you head on over to China, pretty much no one will have any idea what you’re talking about. Facebook lacks a presence in China but is ready to change that by partnering with China’s largest search giant, Baidu to bring over their social services.
The appeal of China is obvious. They boast the largest Internet market, and have a variety of social networks, including RenRen, Qzone and 51.com. Basically, they are primed for Facebook. But could it be too late for Facebook to make the impact there, as it has here? Did they wait too long to take on the China-challenge? Read More
…Especially when that flying object comes flying out of the screen!
With every recent Hollywood blockbuster available in 3D I ask myself if this is a new technology that makes entertainment better, or if it’s simply a throwback to the cinema experience of the 1920s.
Developments in technology and the film industry might determine if 3D trend here to stay or a technology gimmick that will a be a stamp on the second decade of the 21st century. How will 3D affect our work and devices? Will I have to wear those goofy glasses in order to do my job?
Why is 3D so popular?
For one, it sells. What a great way for the movie industry to offset the audience created by the growing segment of home movie viewers. We all know it is now more economic to wait for that movie to come out on Tivo or Netflix (which are gearing by the way into broadcasting 3D soon) than spending $80 for the family at a theatre (popcorn included). So your nearest movie theatre will charge $3 to $7 more for a 3D movie compared to a regular viewing.
But we’re only talking about movies. What about TV content? Should we get as excited about American Idol in 3D? Maybe not, but TV producers can be as resourceful as movie producers to generate a new audience, and we might see in a near future more TV shows geared for a better showtime for a 3D audience at home.
I still have a puzzling question in the back of my mind: do I need to buy a new 3D TV, when I just bought a new flat screen TV 2 years ago to watch the brand new release of The Bridges of Madison County on Blu-Ray?? Since I shed a tear for that movie every time, my 3D glasses might fog up!
As a consumer, I am confused by the different technologies out there.
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Communities
Social Media History Becomes a New Job Hurdle
It’s pretty well known that employers do some extensive background checks before hiring their employees. Criminal background checks, credit reports and online searches have dominated these checks in the past, but now social media is stepping up and taking part in these searches as well.
A new company, Social Intelligence, is making it easier for employers to track the online social lives of potential employees. Been uploading nude photos to Twitter? Making racist remarks on Facebook? Employers can now find out relatively easily. In fact, according to Joe Bontke, outreach manager for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, “70 percent of recruiters in the United States report that they have rejected candidates because of information online”. If there wasn’t incentive enough before, this should be enough to make most people act appropriately on social networks. But while everyone is busy focusing on the negative impacts that social media can have on ones professional future, there are just as many arguments to the contrary. Social media might actually be able to help you get a job eventually. LinkedIn is obviously the first example that comes to mind, but Facebook and Twitter could potentially also help you land that dream job.
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Let me begin with a confession. Last year, when I first discovered that I would be working on a Business-to-Business account, I wasn’t thrilled. I think many of us in the fast-paced digital agency world would react the same way.
You can understand my predicament, though. I was harboring the number one misconception about B2B marketing: IT’S BORING.
After a year in the field, I am here to tell you that it’s just not true. To prove it, here are just a few of the top reasons why I’m more than happy to work in B2B.
The Relationships are Varied and Exciting
Corporate-agency relations are every bit as relationship-driven as with consumer-facing clients. When you’re dealing with multinationals, you can be interacting on a daily basis with people from all over the world, developing strategies that map global brand values to local business conditions. If you’re a social person who thrives on collaboration, diversity and complexity, B2B can be addictive.
Social media is no longer confined solely to social media websites. Now you can see social plug-ins, such as Facebook’s “Like” button, on many websites you visit. A recent study by CityGridMedia and Harris Interactive has found that Facebook “Likes” are now the most common way consumers provide feedback on local businesses. Two in ten people said they have clicked on the “Like” button to show support for a local business, more than the 13% that wrote a review. After all, it’s easier to click a button than take the time to write a review. However, before you start using Facebook “Likes” on every product page as a customer review system, consider some recent research conducted by Curious. We’ve found that consumers find Facebook “Likes” pretty useless when researching products.
What’s the problem with “Likes” as a product-rating method? Most consumers said they don’t trust them because there is often an ulterior motive for liking a product – some form of reward, such as a coupon or discount. One of our ShopTalk members said he wasn’t sure if he could trust the number of “Likes” for a pair of jeans on the Levi’s website because people could have “Liked” those jeans to get a discount.
Communities
Employers use social media but block it from employees
When social networks first became popular, it was not uncommon to hear of companies that blocked the sites from their employees’ work computers. What boss would want their employees sitting on Facebook stalking their ex-boyfriends all day? But times have changed now, and the war to get Facebook at work still rages on for many company employees. Social media has evolved, and is being used professionally and more intelligently than way back in the olden days (read: 5 years ago). Many companies, who use social media for their clients and internal brands, block it from their employees. Now that hardly seems fair. This argument has been raging on for quite some time now.
“The labor and employment group of global law firm Proskauer surveyed more than 120 multinational employers and found that 43 percent of businesses have dealt with employee misuse of social networks at work and about one-third have taken disciplinary action against employees for misusing social networks. Yet nearly half of those businesses do not have social networking policies in place.”
So who is right? Should employees be allowed to have free reign to all of their social networks at work? Or should employers limit the amount of access, due to past issues that have come up?
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