A Road Map for Censorship
March 31, 2012
David Bamman, Brendan O’Connor, Noah A. Smith present some interesting facts based on a study they wrote about in their article, Censorship and Deletion Practices in Chinese Social Media. Their study touches on a variety of different aspects regarding how China allegedly controls the intake and outflow of information.
The Chinese government methods are far different from the United States’ approach. My understanding of the situation is that China takes censorship to extremes and infringes on the freedom of their citizens using the GFW (Great Firewall of China) , which filters key phrases and words, preventing access to sites like America’s Facebook and Google. However, Sina Weibo is the Chinese equivalent of Facebook where bloggers post and pass information presumably in a way the officials perceive as more suitable for the Middle Kingdom.
Sina Weibo is monitored and as long as members stay within the boundaries or disguise their information, posts go unnoticed. If any of the outlawed phrases are entered, the user’s post is deleted and anyone searching for the information is met with the phrase ‘Target weibo does not exist’. If the user properly masks the phrase or words used, the information will get through, showing that there is the possibility of future change regarding the censorship practices in China.
The GFW will catch obvious outgoing information such as political figures, which was monitored during the study. The article asserted:
In late June/early July 2011, rumors began circulating in the Chinese media that Jiang Zemin, general secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002, had died. These rumors reached their height on 6 July, with reports in the Wall Street Journal, Guardian and other Western media sources that Jiang’s name had been blocked in searches on Sina Weibo (Chin, 2011; Branigan, 2011). If we look at all 532 messages published during this time period that contain the name Jiang Zemin, we note a striking pattern of deletion: on 6 July, the height of the rumor, 64 of the 83 messages containing that name were deleted (77.1 percent); on 7 July, 29 of 31 (93.5 percent) were deleted.
No firewall is perfect, but according to the studies done on searches, blogs and texts containing prohibited information, China has a pretty impressive figure. It may not seem reasonable by American standards, but by filtering anything they deem as politically sensitive, China protects the privacy of their country, preventing global rumors and interference.
On one level, censorship makes sense, in particular regarding the business world. The Chinese government makes its corporations responsible for their employees, meaning if an employee is blogging instead of working and puts in illegal information, the company itself is fined, or worst case scenario, shut down. Thus Chinese factories have a high rate of productivity because their workers are actually doing their job.
How is China’s alleged position relevant to the US? There may be little relevance, but to officials in other countries, the article’s information may be just what one needs to check into a Holiday Inn of censorship.
Jennifer Shockley, March 31, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
New Alert Feature for Clarabridge Social Media Analytics
March 28, 2012
Social functions are refining their role in the business intelligence niche. The BrainYard reports, “Clarabridge Adds Alerts to Social Media Analytics.”
So what do you do with all that information your business collects from social media? A backlog in the analysis of time-sensitive data could cost a company in lost opportunities. Clarabridge now addresses this problem with automatic alerts. Writer David F. Carr explains:
Clarabridge 5.0 provides tools for collaborating around an analysis. By configuring more proactive notifications, Clarabridge users might also configure the system to automatically send alerts to the correct regional manager–or product manager, or department head–making it more likely that the organization will take action immediately after detecting a specific problem or opportunity. . . . ‘If somebody just tweeted, “I went into Kohl’s and slipped and fell, so now I’m going to sue,” if you’re Kohl’s you want to know that,’ [Clarabridge VP Sidra] Berman said.
Collaboration is the focus of Clarabridge 5.0, formally released March 20, 2012. After all, much of this data points to challenges that require action from multiple departments. Though the alert function is a useful tool, it is important to remember that it will take skillful action to make the most of the new feature.
Clarabridge aims to delve deeper into the meaning behind each piece of content than the competition. Having spent years developing its sentiment and text analytics technology, the company boasts that it is uniquely positioned to support enterprise-scale customer feedback initiatives.
Cynthia Murrell, March 28, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Long Live the Blog
March 25, 2012
Thought blogs were dead? Think again. Neilsen Wire reveals, “Buzz in the Blogosphere: Millions More Bloggers and Blog Readers.” The world is now graced with over 181 million blogs, up from 36 million in 2006, according to research by NM Incite. The study also found that 6.7 million bloggers write on blogging websites, while 12 million more publish through social networks.
Researchers broke bloggers down by category; the article reveals:
“* Women make up the majority of bloggers, and half of bloggers are aged 18-34
* Bloggers are well-educated: 7 out of 10 bloggers have gone to college, a majority of whom are graduates
* About 1 in 3 bloggers are Moms, and 52 percent of bloggers are parents with kids under 18 years-old in their household
* Bloggers are active across social media: they’re twice as likely to post/comment on consumer-generated video sites like YouTube, and nearly three times more likely to post in Message Boards/Forums within the last month”
Three forums, Blogger, WordPress, and Tumblr, when combined boast 80 million unique visitors. The write up posits, though, that the future lies in Pinterest, a fast-growing, visually oriented social media site whose audience inhabits the coveted 25- to 34- year age range.
NM Incite offers competitive advantage through social media analysis. Though headquartered in New York, the company has operations in twenty-five markets around the world.
Stephen E. Arnold, March 25, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Google+ Designer Profiled
March 21, 2012
We see that Google is ramping its PR engine. Mercury News declares, “Apple Pioneer Brings Emotion to Google+.” The write up profiles Andy Hertzfeld, a longtime Apple veteran who now works at Google. Hertzfeld designed the prototype for Google+’s Circles feature, which many consider to be the social site’s strongpoint. He also gets a lot of the credit for Google’s visual changes over the past year.
Writer Mike Swift quotes Hertzfeld regarding his approach:
“We try to operate at the intersection of design and engineering. One of the reasons why things aren’t as good as they could be sometimes is that the engineers and the designers don’t work closely together enough.”
Hertzfeld was around for Apple’s break-through graphical user interface, which introduced the very concept of clicking on icons to launch software. He has written a book about that time, “Revolution in The Valley: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made”. Hertzfeld commented:
“ . . . The real breakthrough of the Macintosh was that we cared about UI. I learned in a formative experience that caring about UI matters, and if you do care about UI, you can make the world a better place.’’
As a user, I can say I do appreciate that attitude.
Stephen E. Arnold, March 21, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
The Cost Angle in the Social Media Monitoring Craze
March 20, 2012
Search Engine Journal offers good advice in the very detailed article “Think Before You Pay Too Much for Social Media Monitoring.” Writer Jen Carroll explains:
“Paid tools run the gamut, from blessedly affordable (for solopreneurs and small businesses) to outrageously expensive (only the big guys can even hope to afford them)
“Just like Web analytics tools, social media reporting systems can provide a wealth of data. But, is all that data necessary? How much of it is even useful? For most small and even medium-sized organizations, I would argue that only a small slice of what most reporting tools spit out is actionable.”
Carroll follows up with specific advice under several headings: Track Only the Social Media Metrics That Matter; Try Free Social Media Monitoring Options First; and Carefully Evaluate Paid Social Media Monitoring Tools Before Purchase.
Sample advice: figure out what you need first, so you don’t pay for what you won’t use. Also this tip: pay attention to ease of use; you’ll use the tools more often if you actually like using them.
See the article for more words of wisdom on getting the best value out of social media monitoring.
Stephen E. Arnold, March 20, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Business Intelligence in Tweets?
March 15, 2012
Six-year old Twitter has lot of credibility when it comes to knowing what people want. The social-networking site is serving up around 350 million tweets a day and that number is constantly growing. For businesses, that number means real-time analytics and activity from potential and current customers.
Mike Brown, current director of corporate development at Twitter, recently spoke at the CITE Conference and commented that the company is “the ultimate business intelligence tool.” This is because of Twitter’s ability to give a peak into what customers and competitors are saying, and the company plans to get more innovative on tracking activity and providing data analytics—with plans for advanced GPS sensors and targeted proactive advertisements for users.
A recent Computer World article, “Twitter Exec Calls Tweets the ‘Ultimate Business Intelligence Tool,” provides more insight from Brown on the importance of using Twitter in the business environment. The article states:
‘One of my favorite Twitter accounts, …because he just joined recently, is Rupert Murdoch,’ Brown said. ‘Whether you subscribe to his politics or not, the guy tells it like he thinks it and you really get that sense when you read his tweets. ‘I think whether you’re a brand or a marketer or a small business owner, [you need] to talk with an authentic voice that feels like your own, [one] your customers know,’ he said. ‘Your customer’s BS meter is pretty good. Don’t hand off your Twitter to your PR agency or even an intern who’s going to be with your business for a short while.’
Interesting advice. So, is the “ultimate business intelligence tool” statement by Brown self-serving? Nah, we think not. The assumption is a simple, fair, and par for the course. Note that raw tweet data can now be bought from companies like DataSift and Gnip. Everyone is starting to recognize the impact of tweets.
Andrea Hayden, March 15, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Paternal Google and Input to Child in Us
March 12, 2012
I read “Google+ Executive to Critic: ‘Make Sure You’re Using It Correctly’.” I find it amusing when those not at Google tell Google what to do. I find it even more amusing when Google shifts into “paternal mode”, providing adult input much in the way a kindergarten teacher reminds a child to keep his cubby tidy. That works really well, right?
Here’s the passage I noted:
Still he [the famous Guy Kawasaki] was not satisfied and asked why Google+ sometimes seems like a ghost town. Gundotra’s response — “Make sure you’re using it correctly” — drew some chuckles as it brought to mind how Apple CEO Steve Jobs responded to criticism of Apple’s antenna attenuation problem, telling users they were holding the phone wrong. Undaunted, Gundotra [Google wizard] told Kawasaki that sometimes users post to empty circles without realizing it. Gundotra said that what people do not understand is that with Google+, Google is actually building 2.0, in other words this is the next generation of Google as a broad-based service.
Yep, when customers don’t understand a product, a little parental input is appropriate. I wonder if Sumner Redstone provided some adult input after his first meeting with Messrs. Brin and Page. I assume Mr. Redstone provided adult input to his legal team when the Viacom matter took flight. Adult-child, child-adult. Google vacillates I surmise.
My fervent hope is that precision and recall for the core search system get some love. I don’t need a Google 2.0. I need a search system that makes it easy to eliminate the ads, the SEO baloney, and the boosted content. I admit I am not an adult. I am an addled goose and not qualified to process “adult” information. Heck, I am not sure I know how to log out of Gmail. Interesting how Google is making a goose’s life more challenging.
Stephen E Arnold, March 12, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Social Media Analytics: What Are Social Media Data?
March 8, 2012
We have been following Text Analytics News, along with Useful Social Media, in its recent series of interviews with experts in the field of Social Media Analytics. The third installment focuses on what exactly social media data is and where it comes from.
“Social Media Analytics Expert Interview Series: Part 3” is conducted by the Chief Editor of Text Analytics news, Ezra Steinberg. The interviews are published as a lead-up to the Social Media Analytics Summit. The interview panel for this installment includes: Tom H. C. Anderson CEO, OdinText – Anderson Analytics; Nathan Gilliatt Principal, Social Target; Chris Moody COO, Gnip; and Kami Watson Huyse CEO, Zoetica Media. The interview covers experts’ definitions and interpretations of social media data and attempts to resolve confusion about how to use these data. Some insights from the interview follow:
“USM: When you think of “Social Media Data,” what do you think of first? Second?
Kami (Zoetica Media): Social media data is at the heart of understanding your community. Far from being cold and impersonal, data can tell a story that intuition alone cannot deliver. As much as we like to believe that we fully understand our community, what people say and what people do are often very different. Data can help to guide intuition.
For that reason, the second thing I think of when I consider social media data is its importance as a tool to diagnose, prioritize and evaluate what you are doing as an organization and use it to make course corrections.
USM: Do you think there is currently a common understanding as to what constitutes social media data?
Chris (Gnip): Definitely not. For example, some think of social media data as Twitter data because Twitter has done a better job than some other companies of making their data available in a full coverage, reliable, scalable format. The reality is that social media data comes in lots of different forms from lots of different sources. We’re working hard to help companies understand how different types of social data can be useful for different types of analysis.”
The interview focuses on understanding social media data and getting the most out of the analytics that it provides. Focus is also given to social media monitoring vendors and analytical tools, with opinions from the experts on which ones are valuable and how they work. Businesses are learning that considering these opinions and implementing social media is valuable when attempting to learn and understand customers and potential customers. The full interview can be found here and can give insight on this marketing tool and how it works.
Andrea Hayden, March 8, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Identity Theft and Social Media Scares
March 7, 2012
Ah, The Culture of Fear is finally reaching social media. With search morphing from precision and recall to asking one’s closest online pals, fear and search may now become unlikely bed fellows.
I came across an interesting article today (while taking a break from browsing my social media accounts on my smartphone) titled, “Smartphone, Social Media Users at Risk for Identity Fraud.” According to the piece, smartphone owners and social media users have an increased risk of becoming a victim of identity theft because of a lack of adequate security settings. A recent report on identity fraud by Javelin Strategy and Research found that 7 percent of smartphone users were victims of identity fraud last year, compared to the 4.9 percent rate among the general population. The article tells us more:
Around 62 percent [of smartphone owners] said they don’t use a password or a pin code to lock their devices. About 32 percent admitted to saving log-in information on their devices. Social media and mobile behaviors made users more vulnerable to fraud, according to the report. Users of social networking services, such as LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook and Twitter, had the highest incidence of fraud. Consumers who actively engage with social media and use a smartphone were found to have a disproportionate rate of identity fraud than consumers who do not use in these services.
Because of GPS-enabled location data and personal information shared over these networks, users are putting themselves at risk. However, when it comes to sharing information on smartphones and social media, users’ fear may be misdirected and misinformed. It seems to me that a 2 percent increase in identity theft possibilities might not be the biggest of our problems.
Andrea Hayden, March 7, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Innovation in Social Media Data Mining
February 28, 2012
These days, it seems that most companies have jumped on the social media bandwagon and have implemented full fledged marketing strategies on social media sites such as Twitter [http://www.twitter.com/], Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/], and LinkedIn [http://www.linkedin.com/], in an attempt to increase visibility of their brand and market share. While some companies are finding value on the surface of social media marketing strategies, others are finding value behind the scenes in mining the data.
According to Kate Freeman in her recent report, “Gnip Authorized to Sell Access to Historical Tweets” at Mashable.com , the data mining company Gnip [http://gnip.com/] is exploiting the value of this data by becoming the first authorized reseller of Twitter feeds. As Freeman explains:
“Gnip can provide up to 30 days of tweets (currently, you can only search as far back as one week ago)….Reaching a month back in Twitter could help these companies better pin-point campaigns, target pitches and get a general sense of what the Twitterverse is buzzing about.”
Data mining Twitter feeds or other social media sites can be extremely time-consuming and, as evident by Twitter only making one week worth of feed available, time sensitive. A service like Gnip’s could save a significant amount of time and effort for the company that is interested in performing in-depth analysis on this data to best determine how to use social media to reach their customers. This type of innovative service is spot-on for the times and is likely to be viewed as extremely valuable by companies world-wide.
Gnipping at Google’s heels seems to be a Yandex type play? Russians are jovial souls.
Stacey Duwe, February 28, 2012
Sponsored by Pandia.com
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