Scientific American on How to Avoid Creeperdom
June 19, 2013
We were a little surprised to see this guide come from Scientific American: “How to Keep from Being a ‘Creeper’ on Social Media.” Writer Leslie Meredith consulted the closest social media expert, her teen daughter, on how to investigate a potential flame without setting off the stalker bells. For example, she writes:
“Instagram has replaced Facebook as the top social network to post photos of your activities, friends and interests. And it’s easy to find people on Instagram because searching by real name brings up a person’s account even if they use a catchy screen name. But it’s easy to slip up.
‘Be careful when scrolling through an Instagram profile,’ 15-year-old Elizabeth said. ‘It’s easy to accidentally double tap [a shortcut to liking a photo], then everyone knows you scrolled all the way down to pictures posted 42 weeks ago.'”
The advice continues like this, detailing the mechanisms of certain social sites and the common reactions to certain actions. Practical advice that can keep many out of trouble, I suppose. See the write-up for more cringe-avoiding tips.
Cynthia Murrell, June 19, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Businesses Lukewarm on Google Plus
June 18, 2013
Companies have not flocked to Google+, and many businesses which have joined the service let their accounts lie fallow. Reuters reports on this unsurprising trend in, “Analysis—Google+ Struggles to Attract Brands, Some Neglect to Update.”
Yes, Facebook and Twitter are the hotbeds of enterprise social-media initiatives, while latecomer Google+ has struggled for relevance. The service has had a few business success stories. Fiat, for example, launched a new car through the site’s Hangout video-conferencing feature, while Cadbury hosts a thriving baking-community page. And there is no doubt that even companies who maintain the humblest of Google+ presences receive a boost in Google Search results. Still, overall corporate activity on the Googley social site is sparse.
Why the disparity? The biggest issue is, of course, that Google+ has attracted very few users compared to its main rivals. That is not all, though. The article tells us:
“Some also complain that Google+ is too restrictive a canvas. Its profile pages are more limited than on Facebook or Twitter because they don’t support iFrame, a Web standard that allows multiple Web pages to be embedded within a main page.
“‘I don’t think that Google+ has enough creative options for brands to be able to marshal a lot of resources and activity around it,’ said Vince Broady, the Chief Executive of Thismoment, which develops social marketing campaigns and Web pages for brands such as Coca Cola and Intel.
“Gretchen Howard, Google’s director of global social solutions, said the company was working its way down a ‘wish list’ of features that businesses have been asking for.”
So, it looks like the company is addressing the issue. Will it be too little too late?
Cynthia Murrell, June 18, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
LinkedIn is Not Linked In to the Changing Times
June 5, 2013
Benedict Evans talks social network for professional connections service, LinkedIn in a recent posting on LinkedIn. The service recently bought an iPad news aggregator. You can use it as a publishing platform and it also makes money by selling resumes to recruiters.
However, this post discusses what the author finds challenging and disappointing about using LinkedIn. There are no network preferences that would enable privacy features a la Google+ Circles and furthermore there is no list available of contacts that have changed jobs recently.
The article continues:
“Now, I entirely understand that the LinkedIn business model is to sell my CV to recruiters, not give me useful tools to manage my network. I also understand that all the mediocre me-too news-aggregation is a way to try to get me to spend more time on the site, rather than visiting every month or two. But really, it needs to get the basics right. It needs to give me useful tools. Right now it’s a not-very-good CV database with an interface that would be second-rate a decade ago, that I have no reason to stick with if something remotely, you know, useful came along.”
LinkedIn is most commonly used as a marketing and job hunting service. Functionality and user-friendly features might not be something to expect from such a service.
Megan Feil, June 05, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Facebook Losing Ground with Teens
June 3, 2013
Oh, oh. Is Facebook falling down? The wildly successful creation of the young Zuckerberg is beginning to show its age, and teenagers are now refusing to be seen with it. The Motley Fool informs us, “Facebook No Longer Home to Teens.” Writer Mark Holder argues that recent media attention on Facebook’s mobile Home app and its Graph search misses an important part of the picture—the site’s shrinking audience among young people. The article reveals:
“The bigger issue not generally addressed is that all the new revenue monetization issues won’t matter if Facebook follows the path of all other social networks. Eventually users tire of the service and move onto the next hot social network. The new set of teens aren’t as interested in following the footsteps of the teens from 5 years ago akin to a nightclub typically having a limited length of popularity.”
The write-up goes on to present a chart of “estimated reach” statistics from Facebook itself, and notes:
“The chart shows that the 18-24 year old group lost the largest amount of users in the last 3 months at over 2 million. The second largest group was the 25-34 year olds at nearly 2 million users. Ironically the only group to gain was the 65+ year old group that likely diminishes the younger groups desire to stay on the site. It’s one thing to deal with a nosy parent, but showing your wild party pics to your grandparents is a whole different issue.”
I suppose. Whatever the reason, Holder takes investors to task for ignoring reality in favor of Facebook’s shiny-new innovations. Perhaps, though, the social leader can find a way to turn the trend around, or to minimize its impact. Stranger things have happened.
Cynthia Murrell, June 03, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
How to Use Social Media to Keep Your SEO High
June 2, 2013
There is an article on socialmedianz titled How Social Media Impacts SEO. SEO (search engine optimization) has to do with where your content falls in the listings on search engines like Google and Bing. Social media has a huge impact on where your content is, as the article explains,
“Social media can help search engines find and index your content faster. Likes, shares, retweets, etc. indicates to search engine that content is new and interesting, often leading to a temporary increase in rankings. Your content will increase in search results for people connected to you. Increases domain authority and the number of inbound links to your website.”
In other words, the smallest action you can take on social media, clicking Like on Facebook, can have major repercussions for a search engine, like the proverbial butterfly wing-flap causing a hurricane across the ocean. The article provides a helpful flow-chart infographic of these effects. Social activity alerts search engines to the fact that you are authentic, up-to-date, and that you have a network of interested viewers. If this sounds appealing or out of reach, you should visit ArnoldIT to learn about planning a social media strategy that will be both effective and rewarding.
Chelsea Kerwin, June 02, 2013
If you are interested in gourmet food and spirits, read Gourmet De Ville.
Healthcare and Social Media: Complying with HIPAA and Avoiding Fines
June 1, 2013
On HIPPOmsg, the article Be Careful with Social Media and HIPAA Information Security seeks to warn healthcare professionals about the pitfalls of social media. HIPAA or Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act requires stringent measures to protect the privacy of patients health information. Many doctors have professional pages, but even these are not the appropriate forum to give medial advice. The article explains why,
“With millions of people using social media day in and day out to communicate, there will no doubt be a time when a patient tries to ask for medical advice. Don’t give it!! Direct your patients to make an appointment. This allows you to see first-hand the situation and will take any speculation out of the equation. Also, social media is notorious for a lack of HIPAA security. Avoid sharing personal information to avoid HIPAA violations and fines or worse.”
The article also warns young doctors and med students to beware of sharing inappropriate “materials” that might damage their reputation and affect their career path later down the road. HIPPOmsg is offered as a secure way to text/email on a mobile device. But even with a professional page and a secure method of sharing information, doctors are not immune to wrongheaded behavior on their personal pages. At ArnoldIT you can learn about your digital footprint and how to minimize the risks associated with social media.
Chelsea Kerwin, June 01, 2013
If you are interested in gourmet food and spirits, read Gourmet De Ville.
Employee Rights Regarding Social Networks Passwords and Login Information
May 31, 2013
The article BYOD Policy: Employee Rights to Social Media Privacy is Paramount on PC Advisor, advises companies on the ideal way to approach social media privacy of its employees. BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies are now often legal documents with a privacy section outlining employee rights. Any attempt by an employer to access ISP’s or internet service providers can lead to a fine or imprisonment. The article explains,
“There is a legal precedent favoring employee rights: Pietrylov. Hillstone Restaurant Group in 2009, whereby a couple of employees created a MySpace page to complain to registered members about the company. Managers allegedly pressured one member, another employee, to give up her log-in ID and password to access the MySpace page. The two employees that created the MySpace page were outed and fired, yet the court upheld the jury’s verdict that Hillstone was liable for violations of the SCA.”
Janco Associates, a management-consulting firm, has a 14-page BYOD policy. But the underlying message is simple: the employer must not attempt to access the employees private social networks. Even requesting login information is dangerous because the burden falls on the employer to prove that they did not coerce the employee for the information. Being cautious and viewing employees private information as sacrosanct may be the easiest ways to avoid legal issues. To learn more about planning a safe and constructive social media strategy, visit ArnoldIT.
Chelsea Kerwin, May 31, 2013
If you are interested in gourmet food and spirits, read Gourmet De Ville.
Change Passwords and Administrative Statuses Before Firing Employees
May 31, 2013
The article Sacked HMV Employee, A Lesson In Social Media Security on Veronica Pullen is a cautionary tale for all business owners interested in social media. HMV, a music retailing company centered in London, learned the hard way that if you are going to fire a huge swath of staff, it might be best to take charge of the Twitter account beforehand. Fired employees began live-tweeting about the firings and badmouthing the company. The article discusses social media responsibility,
“Many business owners don’t know for sure exactly who has access to their Facebook and Twitter passwords, and if you don’t keep a tight rein on access info, you could be leaving yourself at risk too. One of the first things I do when I start working with a new client is to check who the administrators are for their Facebook Page, and who has access to Twitter.”
Even though HMV’s marketing staff eventually gained control back over the account later that day and erased the earlier posts, they didn’t count on a delighted audience taking screen shots of the inflammatory Tweets immediately after they were posted.
To avoid being put at the mercy of disgruntled employees, the article recommends paying close attention to social media account administrators and passwords. At ArnoldIT a staff of professional social media experts offer an abundance of information on implementing the right social media strategy for your business.
Chelsea Kerwin, May 31, 2013
If you are interested in gourmet food and spirits, read Gourmet De Ville.
LinkedIn Finds Friends You Did Not Even Know You Had
May 29, 2013
In the article titled LinkedIn: The Creepiest Social Network on Interactuality, the strange connections pushed on users is discussed. The author seems very surprised to see certain relations and old friends suggested on the People You May Know bar when first logging into LinkedIn. These included his girlfriend’s stepfather, a Twitter follower he had never met, and his high school girlfriend. The article explains,
“After perusing my LinkedIn settings, I found three different areas where Privacy Controls are listed. If you go to your Settings page and click on Profile, you will see privacy controls for a variety of profile related issues. If you click on the Account tab, you can adjust privacy controls for advertising. However, I hadn’t noticed (mainly because I didn’t think to look for privacy controls in more than one place) the privacy options under the Groups, Companies & Applications tab.”
However, the article also mentions that a partnership with Twitter and/or Facebook is not mentioned in any of the privacy setting options for any of the three sites. How LinkedIn knows to suggest certain acquaintances is still a mystery, since even after contacting customer service the article’s author only received an emailed reiteration of the sites blurb. So is LinkedIn creepy? No more so than any other person centric online services focused on marketing, data and revenue.
Chelsea Kerwin, May 29, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Social Media Marketing for Beginners, the Risks and Rewards
May 21, 2013
To learn how to attract the targeted clientele, read the article Engaging and Entertaining With Social Media Marketing on Marketing Promotion. The article cautions against hiring expensive (and often fraudulent) social media marketing firms. Many of these companies use tricks to appear to be creating lots of ads and yet they are not generating any interest, or even being seen. The article also urges those new to social media to copy (or be inspired by) other company’s use of Facebook, Twitter and the like. The article goes on,
“The information gathered from your social networking strategy will allow you develop more appealing, user-friendly approaches. Additionally to your website, you can make a Facebook store that will be accessible from any posts you make. Those who use Facebook often wander around the site and can look through your product selection and make purchases without leaving Facebook. This way, Facebook users you want to turn into customers will be able to stay on Facebook and still make purchases for you.”
Additionally, on Twitter there are tools like Tweepi and Twellow which enable you to discover the audience you want to target, and make sure that they see you too. The article also reminds that social media marketing is meant to generate revenue, not “reaction.” At ArnoldIT we promote the best methods of utilizing social media marketing and caution against unnecessary risks.
Chelsea Kerwin, May 21, 2013
If you are interested in gourmet food and spirits, read Gourmet De Ville.
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