What Do You Think About UnThink?

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/26/tech/social-media/unthink-social-network/index.html

New social media outlets are created at a fairly rapid rate. It seems almost impossible to keep up with them or be able to actively maintain and keep up with the platforms that you use. We all know it is important, for security reasons and other, to keep up though. Facebook especially seems to change their privacy and security settings fairly often, and like this article explains (and we all know) Facebook owns us – that is assuming you are a user. Unthink is positioning itself as the “anti-Facebook,” allowing users to own the content that they select to put on their profile.

Personally, I really like the concept of Unthink.  I find it creepy that Facebook and Google own my content. Although my emails and Facebook don’t include anything particularly inflammatory, I just find it a little creepy that after e-mailing back-and-forth with a friend about her new boyfriend, I am now getting advertisements on my gmail account about wedding registries and so on. And the same goes for Facebook, unfortunately. Unthink seems to be offering a great alternative in social networking. Since it is just being tested currently, it is difficult to be able to make an account, but I do think I will be giving it a try if and when it becomes available to the masses. Social media platforms come and go, but does Unthink have staying power? As many are becoming more and more disenchanted with large corporations and big business and more conscious of privacy rights, I think it is very possible that there will be an exodus from Facebook to Unthink. 

Week 10 Reading Reaction

Every time I get assigned work, I feel like the first instruction I get is that Wikipedia is not to be used as a source or reference for the assignment. I understand why it is not regarded as a valuable source or credible information yet, as Wikipedia still has improvements to make in order to prove themselves as a totally reliable source of information, but I am beginning to feel that Wikipedia is improving as a research tool.  In the past, I totally avoided using Wikipedia as a source of finding any information, academic or otherwise. However, more and more I do find myself accessing the site to find information about various different topics – from communication theories to rogue sharks in Australia. In my experience, I have found that the information is generally accepted as correct and accurate.

Although Wikipedia is a “wiki” and can be edited by anyone, there are rules and safeguarding practices that are in tact in order to ensure that information is accurate. With that being said, I think there is a greater amount of acceptance in the use of Wikipedia as a source of information currently. As a result there is more pressure on Wikipedia to ensure the information is accurate in order to protect their reputation. Do you think that Wikipedia is doing enough to ensure the information is accurate? If they were to do more, would it take away from the spirit of wikis? And lastly, Do you think that sooner than later students will be able to openly use Wikipedia as a source of information?

Will Palestine be the Next Social Media Fueled Revolution?

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DA-SORT&inPS=true&prodId=AONE&userGroupName=miami_richter&tabID=T003&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&currentPosition=1&contentSet=GALE%7CA256281394&&docId=GALE|A256281394&docType=GALE&role=

On March 15, 2011 roughly 15,000 Palestinians filled city squares in Gaza City.  Protestors carried the Palestinian flag rather than the flags or banners of any political factions, like Hamas and Fatah, that influence the area.  The youth-led liberation movements in Egypt and Tunisia directly inspired this protest and similar to both uprisings, the leaders - young, mostly university educated Palestinians - used social media to organize.

In addition to the protest in the Gaza City squares, Facebook groups have been formed to relay messages and organize other non-violent movements. The creator of one Facebook group, Salah Barghouti, has called for Palestinians to write anti-occupation and pro-liberation messages on shekel notes (which the article states are viewed by Palestinians as a symbol of oppression) that are used by both Israelis and Palestinians.

Can the “Facebook Generation” of Palestine successfully organize a revolution? As the article states, the Palestinian revolution is far more complicated than the protests in Egypt and Tunisia. The March 15, 2011 protest ended with members of Hamas and Fatah beating and arresting peaceful protesters. Palestinians seeking liberation are not just facing the powerful Israeli government and its allies; they are also facing Fatah and Hamas. Although it seems like a nearly impossible task, I think that the past year has demonstrated the power of non-violent revolutions. Social media continues to serve as a powerful platform for radical change and liberation. With proper organization and leadership, a non-violent revolution can be realized. 

Week 9 - Virtual Worlds Reaction

Virtual worlds such as Second Life and others are an interesting phenomenon that evolved in the past several years. Though I am not active in virtual worlds, I had the opportunity to learn about and research them as part of a consumer behavior class that I was enrolled in several years ago. Virtual worlds are extremely profitable with “real” money being traded for virtual goods and services. Virtual communities have laws, regulations and norms that are to be followed just like in the real world and function much the same. Through all the reading and researching about virtual worlds the question that I think about most is still why individuals join these communities.

I don’t think that virtual worlds had the same level of success in the United States as in other countries because our cultural norms may be a less stringent than other nations. Social media platforms such as blogging, Twitter and Facebook took off better in the United States because it gives us a platform to broadcast our individuality. In other cultures that are collectivist with less focus on the individual and more on conforming to the group, virtual worlds like Second Life provide a platform to create and live a separate individual life that perhaps doesn’t conform to the social norms of the collectivist culture.

From a public relations point of view, I am not sure how much value virtual worlds have in the United States. I think that some industries would be well served by establishing a presence in virtual worlds to develop a relationship with their publics, but I think that this is more of a niche rather than something that would be vital for all organizations. 

Reaction to Middleburry Case Study

The case study about Middleburry College and their use of podcasts for language classes was particularly interesting. Learning a new language is a difficult and daunting task, especially when you have spent most of your life speaking just one language. By using podcasts and iPods, instructors at Middleburry were able to upload curriculum onto the devices and issue them to students enrolled in the class. Students were able to listen to content and complete assignments, such as working on vocabulary and recording themselves speaking. At the completion of the class, iPods were turned over to instructors to analyze results.

I think that this is a great use of podcast technology and could be especially useful for those learning languages. Although the results in this case study were more moderate than positive, I think that with continued improvement and as podcasts become more popular, that students and teachers would be more open to using podcasts as a method of instruction. Many colleges and universities now offer courses that are in part or entirely web-based. Although the Middleburry College experiment wasn’t 100% successful and well received for a number of reasons, many people did like it. I think it will be a matter of time when schools start using offering classes via podcast just as they offer online classes.

While I was listening to this case study and writing this blog post, I though back to when I was in my first marketing class while attending St. Joe’s. My professor recorded some lectures and posted them as podcasts available for us to listen to. I never accessed the podcasts because at the time, I was very unfamiliar with podcasting and didn’t realize how it would have been beneficial to me. Now thinking back on, I wish I had taken advantage of the podcasts. 

Week 8 Reaction

Chapter 10 in PR 2.0 provides plenty of examples of and guidelines for using video as part of communication and public relations strategies. Video is proven to be effective, especially when you (or your company etc.) need to evoke an emotional response. Video shows emotion that can ad to the potential impact of the message being conveyed.

While video is important and efficient, it requires care and skill to be properly put together. All it takes is one mistake, one bad post on a vlog, or a Youtube video made in poor taste to cause real problems with your image or company and damage credibility. The chapter gives the example of the Tiger Woods Youtube video that lacked authenticity and was quickly called out by viewers. Like anything other component of a public relations campaign, video content needs to be carefully planned out and produced so that it is succinct with the company image, effective in getting message across, and strengthens relationship between organization and targeted publics. 

Virgin America Realizes the Value of Social Media

http://adage.com/article/digital/virgin-america-values-twitter-facebook-tv/148795/

Virgin America has capitalized on social media trends. The company, which is relatively new, reaches out to flyers on social media by responding to in-flight Tweets and monitoring social media to try and accommodate displaced or delayed flyers as quickly and efficiently as possible. In turn, Virgin American flyers have turned to social media sites to share the positive experiences they have had or to praise the way Virgin America handled a situation that may have inconvenienced a passenger.

From a public relations point of view, I think that Virgin America is doing a great job of employing social media as a way of establishing and maintaining a positive relationship with their publics. They have created a sense of accessibility and trust, letting passengers know that what they are saying is being heard and that the airline does care about their travel experience. Flying is convenient yet can be very annoying and expensive. Good costumer service and public relations can go a long way to alleviate the annoyances and to create loyalty between costumers and the airline. 

Reaction to Week 7 Readings

Branding and positioning yourself on Twitter is becoming increasingly important in public relations and communications. As a new Twitter user, I found it (and still do to a degree) intimidating – I was unsure about how I wanted to use my account and what to write about once I decided how my account would be used. I think that this is probably a common sentiment among new Twitter users. In this weeks reading, @CoachDeb explains that she uses Twitter not as a way to sell people on her products, but rather as a way to connect with like minded people, talk about current issues and events, and create a sense of transparency. She explains further that the money making function of Twitter should not be the result of aggressively pushing a product or service, but rather creating a relationship. Usually, when a relationship is formed and there is a level of trust and respect, a person will become interested in the product or service and may decide to purchase or at least ask questions.

I see examples of both pushing products / services and, on the other hand, creating a presence on social media.  I tend to look past companies, people and organizations that are pushing and aggressively selling, while I may take the time to read tweets and messages posted by companies that don’t seem like they are trying to get me to buy something. One thing that I find myself drawn to, is when companies use Twitter as a platform to initiate discussion about charitable, environmental or social betterment causes that the company supports or is active in. To me, this is an effective way of creating a better sentiment toward a product or service. For example, if I know that a company is active within a cause that is meaningful to me, I will be more likely to seek out that product and support them. 

Shopping is About to Become Social

http://mashable.com/2011/09/29/facebook-social-shopping/

When I think of shopping, I usually categorize it as either a chore (getting groceries or other necessities) or as a fun way to spend time with a friend, perhaps. In the past, shopping always involved leaving your house and physically going to a store or market and making a purchase or browsing merchandise. Now, with online shopping, we never have to actually enter a store to get anything. We click and in a few business days, it’s on our door step. Shopping has evolved with technology, and now shopping is about to become “social.”

Facebook’s new makeover also included potential changes to the way we will be able to shop. Not only will we not have to leave our house to shop, but now we will not have to step away from our computers to shop with a friend! With the new Facebook features, we will be able to have discussions about products we are interested in purchasing as well as have the potential to connect with others who “own” a product that we “want” through searching wish lists and other new features.

In my opinion, it seems like this was a logical next step but I don’t know if it is necessarily a good thing. We are slowly eliminating the need to actually see people at all to communicate. We can spend the day shopping with a friend without ever having to see them, speak to them or leave the home. Maybe social shopping is nice  for people who live far away from friends and family and value their opinions when making purchases, but if social media continues to give us new opportunities to not communicate with people without the barrier of a screen, I think social media will make us a very antisocial society.