Caleb Kolenko

Financial Analyst

[calebkolenkocmu]

Week 8 Closing Thoughts

Throughout the implementation process of my client process, I was tasked with helping my client: Mimi’s Chicago Humble Pie with understanding the value and power of social media. The implementation lecture indicated that organizations can fail due to having a narrowed view on technologies, rather than achieving the purpose through collective behaviors that the technology can make possible. Throughout my client project, I made it a point to incorporate the importance of generating value through social media, and not just posting on them. This included tips to generate value such as holding polls or answering any questions the followers may have had to allow for the generation of value between organization and the audience. Furthermore, sticking to a routine and being consistent were other recommendations made to help generate value. This is the main challenge that Mimi’s will potentially face. Since the client operates a small operation, the staff are not hired full time and work when they can. Therefore, most of the responsibility will fall on the owner Noel.

Operating your own business is extremely time consuming and adding in more work may be difficult for Noel to handle. However, in the social media content plan developed, the short goal implemented was to post 2-3 times a week, with the casual increase of post as Mimi’s adapts a routine for posting. Overall, I feel this is the biggest challenge Mimi’s will face. However, when Mimi’s does post content, they have lots of delicious looking food to post.

[calebkolenkocmu]

Week 7 Post#1

 After educating myself on Hootsuite’s chapter 3 and 4, I learned how important a content strategy is. Among learning the content strategy, it is important to utilize best practice across social media platforms. Furthermore, it is crucial to be effective in best practice regarding sharing content online across all social media platforms. For example, use a strong headline is a crucial when it comes to attracting a reader’s attention. To support a strong headline, it is suggested that providing visual content will boost engagement. By posting visual content, and having a strong header, this will maximize potential regarding a content strategy. Also, varying types of content across social media platforms is also considered to be best practice. For example, conducting polls or Q&A sessions will help diversify content and generate a conversation. By generating conversation, this helps provide engagement on the social media page.

Social media is the new word of mouth for many of us. Becoming a social organization has lots to do with the principles of effective content development and sharing. Specifically, knowing how to develop, create, and sustain value from content development and sharing. The knowledge of how to develop value stems from the understanding that engaging and creating content are the focal points of generating value on social media.  

[calebkolenkocmu]

Week 6 Post #1

Chapters 4 and 5 of our text focused on constructing an online community within social media. The chapters educated the reader on forming a vision for community collaboration on social media. Furthermore, the chapters focus on the importance of community and having a social presence online. With that, preparing a vision statement will help establish leadership as well as provide value to community collaborations. There are four recommendations that help develop a strong vision statement:

Understanding when collaborations are appropriate

Gaging when community collaborations will provide value

Analyzing your organization’s goals and culture

Crafting your organization’s vision for community collaboration

Building a vision statement will help establish your online community. When building a vision statement, it is important to educate individuals on the importance of community collaboration. As mentioned, there are certain situations when having community collaboration is beneficial and other times when having collaboration does not provide value.

Regarding Hootsuite, I was educated on the importance building an online community. This included creating a content strategy plan that will allow the user to capture value from social media. By creating a content strategy, this will allow the user to build long term relationships with their audience. The Hootsuite training also explained the ad options on different social media platforms. The process of placing ads on social media is different between platforms. For example, some platforms charge for advertisements with a straight fee, while Twitter only charges the user placing the advertisements based off engagement.  

[calebkolenkocmu]

Week 5 Post#1

After reviewing the required material for this week, the main takeaway was that online advertising is all about competition on who can attract the user the longest. The article posted explained that digital ads are not worth as much as printed ads. While this is true for the short time, the world of surveillance is increasingly growing. This entails companies tracking user phones, which will allow them to develop a stronger profile. By strengthening the data, they have on their users, companies can then target users with more advertisements that fit their scheme. Thus, allowing for online advertisements and their complex algorithms to be more valuable. The business model of the internet is directed toward advertising, and this was due to advertising being the most reliable way to fund the services and content online. For content and services to remain free, online advertisements will need to continue. Giving online platforms your interests will only strengthen their targeted ads towards the user. The current advertising model on the internet is intrusive and broken. While these advertisements can be annoying, I recommend using Ad-Block. It is a free extension on Chrome that removes all advertisements and popups on your device. I have found it to be very pleasant not having to watch any content with advertisements.  

[calebkolenkocmu]

Week 4 Post#2

After reading the article, algorithms, advertising, and exposure seem to be the three reasons why junk news is spread so fast. With social media companies using complex algorithms to maximize their user’s use of the app being the number one priority, there are consequences. One of the consequences is filtering biased information and feeding it to the user’s agenda or beliefs despite the information being skewed or flat out false. From my experience, I have noticed the algorithm in use on apps such as Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter when I like a specific post and following that post my entire page is flooded with that topic. The algorithm from my experience is kicked into overdrive when it is election season. Election season in my experience has been the worst time for junk news to spread. All of these political speeches or events in history that are heavily skewed to a certain agenda or even completely false. I have heard that Facebook is one of the worst when it comes to junk mail, especially during election season. In my opinion, I believe the leaders of Facebook would rather see the world burn than their user’s usage on the platform decline. There is a huge political divide in this country currently and it is very sad to see, and I believe social media and algorithms are to blame. Furthermore, advertising was another reason that junk mail spreads quickly. Clickbait is one of the top reasons, is content that is portrayed to attract attention. Recently I had clickbait attempting to attract people via crypto. There have been many ads on my Instagram that encourage users to buy crypto that second as it is the next Bitcoin. Which in many cases junk investments. While I think Clickbait is an issue, applications such as Ad Block help reduce the amount of Clickbait absorbed. Exposure is the last reason why junk information is spread so quickly. Exposure indicates that people will share news and alter toward a social filtering of content, which limits the diversity of information. From my experience, I have noticed that certain political parties affiliate to one news organization, while the other party gravitates towards a different one. In my opinion, many people only receive their news from one organization, which may come across as a problem for sending junk news. Each political news organization just trashes on the other with some out-of-pocket claims. Without having diverse sources of information, the information you may be taking in can be biased or skewed. Having a diverse source of information will allow the user to make their own judgement and decision on the topic. 

Businesses and individuals should be aware that the stuff they see online may only be a small piece of the truth and should diversify their intake of knowledge. I encourage people to do their own research rather than a blue check mark tell you what is factual and what is not. By having done their own research, individuals can form their own opinion on the subject and not just have it spewed to you over social media. People should respond by taking everything they see on social media with a grain of salt. As for the social media companies, I believe that political ads or anything that enrages people should stray clear of the algorithms. I believe these algorithms were put in place without the thought of repercussion; however, there is clearly a bigger political divide due to social media algorithms today. 

[calebkolenkocmu]

Week 4 Post#1

After reviewing the lecture on social media consulting, consultants in this field need to be able to adapt. Being a consultant means you are educated on the subject; however, the answers are rarely straight forward. Furthermore, I think a social media consultant needs to be creative as well. Having a social media that is creative will help it stand out in the saturated market. I also think social media consultants should have a good understanding of culture. Every company has a culture and is somewhat different. Social media consultants that understand culture can help promote a company’s culture and shape it in a way that will attract people to work for that company. 

While I do not own a business to promote my professional social media presence, I do own LinkedIn. With that I can promote positive posts that appear on my feed that would allow a user to see my interests. This would allow the user to visualize some of the things I am passionate for and care about in the work environment. Thus, having the potential to understand how I may be a positive addition to a company. Furthermore, my LinkedIn has my professional resume that showcases my experiences and my responsibilities in that role. My experiences and their responsibilities are written in a professional business manner with no errors. Having errors on your submitted work to the public indicates a loss of credibility. However, there are some actions that I can complete to improve my social media presence. I can be more active on posts that I find interesting and beneficial to improving work conditions. Furthermore, I may desire to post more to stay active consistently on the platform. Based on what I have done and plan to do, I have the potential to expand my networking, while indicating topics I find interesting and passionate about. 

[calebkolenkocmu]

Week 3 Blog 1

After watching the lecture and The Social Dilemma, we were able to see the true colors of the internet. This was my second time seeing the documentary and I was still as concerned as I was the first time, I watched it.  Companies have big data profiles and algorithms that allow them to create profiles on their consumers based on what they collect through their internet intake. This is incredibly dangerous since big companies may be able to distort an individual’s reality on social media. By having these data profiles, one may experience life on social media through a false sense of reality. Furthermore, companies that have these descriptive profiles of you are at risk of being sold, hacked, or stolen. Companies can sell your data without your consent. Therefore, hackers or foreign governments may be able to steal mass amounts of data from these companies. While the original intent of the internet was to be a free space, the harsh reality is that the internet is far from free.  

From my perspective, I am very against companies building extensive data profiles on their customers. Companies can distort their customer’s view on what they see. The company controls what they want their customers to see. On a personal level, I would recommend using a VPN when shopping or surfing the web. On a professional level, there needs to be more ethical guidelines put in place by companies to protect the consumer. On a societal level, people need to be more educated on the reality of the internet. By having more people educated on the topic, there may be a call for change. Overall, I think companies are being unethical with their consumers data in most cases.  

[calebkolenkocmu]

Week 2 Blog #2

This week, I conducted an experiment regarding my social media in take for the week. I stopped using social media for four eight-hour periods throughout the week. What I took away from the experiment was that I was using social media way too much. Throughout the week I felt that I had more time on my hands and I had more social interactions .  

The first day was probably the hardest. I only had work from 9-11 and after that my day had no plans. I ended up working on schoolwork as well as sending out emails for work. Without social media I felt more focused on my work rather than taking multiple breaks throughout to check what was happening.  I opened a couple of my social media apps when I was waiting in line and had inadvertently done so. I quickly closed out of the apps after I opened them. The second day I had class and worked all day, so I was not active on my phone much, so that helped. It was a bit difficult not to check my social media during commercials breaks especially after the long Hulu ads. However, after a few days I did not have the urge to go on social media. I felt more focused on the activities I was completing throughout the day. By not using social media it allowed me to spend more time outside as well as be more productive when it came to work. I had more conversations with my girlfriend as well as my friends. 

Overall, I felt the first couple days of no social media to be difficult especially when I had downtime or taking a break from work. My overall screen time for the week was down 33% without the use of social media. I felt that this experience was a good mental reset for my brain's intake on social media or even my phone in general.  

[calebkolenkocmu]

Week 2 Blog Post #1

I constantly intake social media in numerous ways. Some include leisure, work, networking, and learning. With being connected to the internet, I am always exposed to social media. However, that was not always the case. Emma Rathbone's article depicted a time when there was no social media and that was something I got to experience. Before social media, there was a different thought process on how to relax and decompress. That being through television, hanging out with friends, or even reading. Now, the internet means always you are constantly connected to it. By having the internet, I am able to explore new things I would not have been able to experience without the power of social media. I typically spend multiple hours on social media a day and it does affect me. Anytime I am bored in a social setting, I will go on social media just to see what is new. It has become an autonomous habit, sometimes I do not even think about going on social media as it is almost muscle memory to do so.

Within the last couple years, I have gone on two cruises. Both of which have no access to the internet. The first experience was the cruise I went on back in 2020. It was spring break with all my friends from college and none of us had access to social media. It felt weird not having to carry your phone with you due to it being useless at sea. Regardless that made everyone turn to physical social interactions which made the group more active. Not having social media made me realize how much of a distraction it can be when it came to physical interactions. Anyways, this cruise was during spring break and essentially, we had no idea that the world was being turned upside down with Covid. We ended up getting back to port on March 13th and coming back to a social media storm of this new Corona Virus that had spread throughout the world. What I took away was how much I relied on social media to get my new and current events as well as how much social media can affect social interactions.

I would like to start using social media in a more beneficial way rather than using it as a distraction with no purpose. I feel this would help me reduce my overall screen time and be less attached to social media.

[calebkolenkocmu]

Introduction for BIS 315!

I am currently in my final semester at Central Michigan University. I am majoring in finance with a minor in information systems. Upon graduation, I will be working as a Financial Analyst with Echo Logistics in Chicago. As I approach my new job, I have taken the time to reflect on some career goals. One important goal of mine is to never be complacent in a job position. If I were to become complacent, I probably do not enjoy my job anymore, nor am I putting forth my best effort to my colleagues and employer. I want to choose a career that will allow me to continuously develop my personal and professional skills. One company that I believe has a good understanding on social media use is Crocs. Their Instagram account: @crocs (https://www.instagram.com/crocs/?hl=en), exemplifies mass collaboration. Specifically, Crocs understands the three key components of mass collaboration: community, purpose, and social media. Crocs has numerous collaborations with a wide range of celebrities, influencers, and companies all over the world. I highly encourage readers to glance at their collaborations to see the work they are doing (https://www.crocs.com/collaborations.html). Their social media promotes diversity and community and is portrayed in a modern way! Crocs takes pride in their famous shoe by promoting many diverse cultures on their social media. By having collaborations with famous names around the world, Crocs and these figures help bring many cultures together and that can be seen throughout their Instagram page. The collaborations that Crocs has with these celebrities all over the world sell out in minutes. They are immensely popular; therefore, Crocs may be doing something right. Crocs’ social media incorporates the three key components of mass collaboration: community, social media, and purpose.