For many years, I used to prepare my local radio show using information I found in newspapers, television shows I watched and stories I learned from my friends. This was many years before the home computer and the world wide web. For many years, the traditional media employed similar methods to locate and source content for their respective operations.
In case you have not noticed, we are not in Kansas anymore!
You do not have to wait for content to be delivered to you via radio, television or newspaper. We have rapidly become reliant on the high speed access to content at our fingertips.
You want pizza delivery, order online from their website.
You want to find a review from last nights concert that was not in the newspaper, check to see what your friends are saying on Facebook.
You want to find if your friend arrived home safely, send them a text message.
Social Media is the 'mothership' for local content. Social media has empowered each and every user with the ability to communicate and broadcast a message without time or editorial restrictions like traditional media. I agree there is a lot of content being published on social media that I constitute as rubbish, but one persons trash is another persons gold. And just like traditional media, we have the ability to flip the page or change the channel if we find something we are not interested in.
Am I suggesting that the new on-line Social media will replace all current forms of media and make radio, television and newspaper extinct? No.
The new on-line media is creating interesting new challenges for traditional media but they, too, are faced with a unique opportunity for rebirth and continued life.
Imagine; your 'daily newspaper' delivered fresh to your desktop or smart phone but instead of just one paper, you are able to view many real time updates from news organizations you have preselected. This is a reality.
Imagine; your favorite radio station not only plays what you want but creates on-line engagement by responding and reacting to topics being published by their fans (like you) on Facebook or Twitter. This is a reality.
Imagine; you can contribute a story to the television news by recording a video on your smart phone from a local community event and emailing it to the television station. This is a reality.
Traditional media outlets are looking for new ways to find engagement with their audience. Might I suggest taking a serious look at the impact of social media. There appears to be a lot of engaged people around the world...all broadcasting and rebroadcasting local content each and every day.
Social Media = two words
Social - to create two-way communication
Media - the ability to broadcast to the masses
-Darren
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Showing posts with label internet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label internet. Show all posts
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Social Media - The Effect on your Employer
It is a simple rule to remember; what you broadcast on your social media sites is a reflection of your employer.
What? How can that be? Surely you are free to broadcast whatever you want on your personal social media sites without permission from your boss. Right? Yes and No.
With the global reach of the Internet, the content you broadcast, the pictures you upload and the tone of what you broadcast becomes a reflection of your boss and the company you are employed.
Still not convinced? Here are two fictitious scenarios:
1) John is an employee of a National Automobile company and is well known for his Sales records over the last 6 months. However, one night John got into an on-line discussion and released private information about the company that he is working for and mentioned in his conversation "do not buy a vehicle from us".
2) Jennifer is employed at a community coffee shop where she knows all of the local patrons by their first name. Jennifer likes to go out with her friends, have a few too many drinks and post pictures of herself and her friends in various states of intoxication.
If you were John or Jennifer's boss, what would you do when one of your best customers brought this to your attention and showed you the on-line postings?
In John's case, he would most likely be looking for a new line of work or would be removed from his current role as top sales person to janitor.
Jennifer, on the other hand, would most likely be in a better position to keep her job.
Just as this blog is a representation of my Company, what I broadcast 'after hours' is a reflection of who I am and my company.
Are your employees aware of this? Perhaps they should be reminded.
At the present, there is no legal precedent for social media and employee privacy in Canada. However many companies are adopting a social media code of conduct and require all employees to adhere to these guidelines.
Have a great day.
-Darren
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Thursday, December 17, 2009
Facebook, Twitter; How Linked-In are you, Part 2 of 3
Yesterday, I shared with you statistical data showing the increased popularity of social media and social networking.
To read part 1 of this series, click here.
Today, I would like to share a success story.
The most successful businesses are using social networking to;
-provide engaging content (information, offers, and opportunities) to their fans,
-showcase opportunities for new products and services,
-create two-way communication with their fans,
-exclusive ‘back stage’ offerings,
-broadcast a media release,
-conduct surveys and questionnaires,
-generate revenue by driving traffic back to the main website.
A great story I read from the Phoenix Suns who, just 18 months ago did not know what Twitter was. However their organization was very media savvy having won the NBA Web site of the year award in 1997 and had great success with YouTube and MySpace for additional reach to their fans.
To get the ball rolling, the Suns signed up 20 to 30 employees and players including Shaquille O'Neal to a Twitter account. Shaq now has over 2.5 million followers on Twitter.
Jeramie McPeek, the Suns vice president of digital offered this comment:
“We all fell in love with it for connecting with our fan base,” McPeek says. “We quickly embraced it. It was a shift of mindset. … Our fans were not necessarily coming to Suns.com, but they were pulling up Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube. We need to be in those places; we need to be where the fans are.”
With over 60,000 Facebook fans, The Suns use their Facebook account as well to keep their fans informed by not bombarded with too much information.
Tomorrow, in part 3, tips and suggestions how you can get started in social media.
-Darren
Click here to sign up to receive my free email newsletter.
To read part 1 of this series, click here.
Today, I would like to share a success story.
The most successful businesses are using social networking to;
-provide engaging content (information, offers, and opportunities) to their fans,
-showcase opportunities for new products and services,
-create two-way communication with their fans,
-exclusive ‘back stage’ offerings,
-broadcast a media release,
-conduct surveys and questionnaires,
-generate revenue by driving traffic back to the main website.
A great story I read from the Phoenix Suns who, just 18 months ago did not know what Twitter was. However their organization was very media savvy having won the NBA Web site of the year award in 1997 and had great success with YouTube and MySpace for additional reach to their fans.
To get the ball rolling, the Suns signed up 20 to 30 employees and players including Shaquille O'Neal to a Twitter account. Shaq now has over 2.5 million followers on Twitter.
Jeramie McPeek, the Suns vice president of digital offered this comment:
“We all fell in love with it for connecting with our fan base,” McPeek says. “We quickly embraced it. It was a shift of mindset. … Our fans were not necessarily coming to Suns.com, but they were pulling up Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube. We need to be in those places; we need to be where the fans are.”
With over 60,000 Facebook fans, The Suns use their Facebook account as well to keep their fans informed by not bombarded with too much information.
Tomorrow, in part 3, tips and suggestions how you can get started in social media.
-Darren
Click here to sign up to receive my free email newsletter.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Facebook, Twitter; How Linked-In are you, Part 1 of 3
The internet world is all a twitter about the increase in popularity of social media.
Facebook tripled in size from 125 million users to 350 million.
Twitter grew from a mere 4 million users to 40 million users in 2009.
Linked In has blossomed to a group of 53 million experienced professionals around the globe.
Are you using these social networks to grow your profile and extend the on-line profile of your business?
If you have not yet added one of these social networks as an additional marketing tool for your business, you’re not too late.
In a study released October 27, 2009 by Ipsos Reid, close to 90% of all Canadians have internet access at home.
The study found that access at home is almost universal for those under 55 years of age as 89% of those aged 18 to 34 and 87% of those aged 35 to 54 have Internet access at home. In comparison, only 69% of those aged 55+ have access at home.
It goes without saying that more and more Canadians are using the internet at home to engage in social networking.
“Even in difficult economic times, Canadians understand that having Internet access is essential in today’s society,” notes study author Mark Laver, Associate Vice President with Ipsos Reid. “Internet access is critical to finding employment, it can be used to save money, for paying bills, finding deals, and as a form of entertainment. It has become so important to the lives of Canadians, that in some areas of the country, Internet access is almost identical to home telephone access.”
Tomorrow, in part 2, I will pass along a story of a sports team who are using Facebook and Twitter very successfully as an extension of their digital brand.
-Darren
Click here to sign up to receive my free email newsletter.
Facebook tripled in size from 125 million users to 350 million.
Twitter grew from a mere 4 million users to 40 million users in 2009.
Linked In has blossomed to a group of 53 million experienced professionals around the globe.
Are you using these social networks to grow your profile and extend the on-line profile of your business?
If you have not yet added one of these social networks as an additional marketing tool for your business, you’re not too late.
In a study released October 27, 2009 by Ipsos Reid, close to 90% of all Canadians have internet access at home.
The study found that access at home is almost universal for those under 55 years of age as 89% of those aged 18 to 34 and 87% of those aged 35 to 54 have Internet access at home. In comparison, only 69% of those aged 55+ have access at home.
It goes without saying that more and more Canadians are using the internet at home to engage in social networking.
“Even in difficult economic times, Canadians understand that having Internet access is essential in today’s society,” notes study author Mark Laver, Associate Vice President with Ipsos Reid. “Internet access is critical to finding employment, it can be used to save money, for paying bills, finding deals, and as a form of entertainment. It has become so important to the lives of Canadians, that in some areas of the country, Internet access is almost identical to home telephone access.”
Tomorrow, in part 2, I will pass along a story of a sports team who are using Facebook and Twitter very successfully as an extension of their digital brand.
-Darren
Click here to sign up to receive my free email newsletter.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Is anybody out there
The answer is yes.
Ipsos Reid confirms in a Canadian study released October 27, 2009, 82% of all Canadians now have internet access at home.
From their media release:
“Even in difficult economic times, Canadians understand that having Internet access is essential in today’s society,” notes study author Mark Laver, Associate Vice President with Ipsos Reid. “Internet access is critical to finding employment, it can be used to save money, for paying bills, finding deals, and as a form of entertainment. It has become so important to the lives of Canadians, that in some areas of the country, Internet access is almost identical to home telephone access.”
The study found that access at home is almost universal for those under 55 years of age as 89% of those aged 18 to 34 and 87% of those aged 35 to 54 have Internet access at home. In comparison, only 69% of those aged 55+ have access at home.
Laver continues, “The older generation is the fastest growing segment of online users, quickly catching up to the younger generations in their adoption of the Internet. By comparison, in Q1, 2006 only one-half (57%) of those aged 55+ had Internet access.”
Everyday, more and more people are looking for you and your products. What does your on-line presence say about your product, your company, your business, your brand?
-Darren
Ipsos Reid confirms in a Canadian study released October 27, 2009, 82% of all Canadians now have internet access at home.
From their media release:
“Even in difficult economic times, Canadians understand that having Internet access is essential in today’s society,” notes study author Mark Laver, Associate Vice President with Ipsos Reid. “Internet access is critical to finding employment, it can be used to save money, for paying bills, finding deals, and as a form of entertainment. It has become so important to the lives of Canadians, that in some areas of the country, Internet access is almost identical to home telephone access.”
The study found that access at home is almost universal for those under 55 years of age as 89% of those aged 18 to 34 and 87% of those aged 35 to 54 have Internet access at home. In comparison, only 69% of those aged 55+ have access at home.
Laver continues, “The older generation is the fastest growing segment of online users, quickly catching up to the younger generations in their adoption of the Internet. By comparison, in Q1, 2006 only one-half (57%) of those aged 55+ had Internet access.”
Everyday, more and more people are looking for you and your products. What does your on-line presence say about your product, your company, your business, your brand?
-Darren
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