Destined

The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

[desstayy]

Implementation

For a company to be considered a social organization, it must understand the key principles that help determine it. These principles provide the opportunity for effective content to be developed and shared with the community. It’s what allows a company to remain relevant, consistent, and maximize their reach. My client, that I’ve been working with for the past 2 months, has learned this and so much more. With their presence mainly on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, they can focus on other platforms that can increase overall engagement. With the right content, at the right time, in the right place, Shoe Sensation can implement some of the recommendations I gave successfully---even when a challenge presents itself.

The challenges start merely from the recommendations itself. Because they can only provide potential, there’s a risk that it may not work or provide adequate results. The best strategy is to test the waters and figure out what the community wants and needs from the company. The company must be willing to accept feedback and facilitate conversation around the products or services being offered. I think some limitations for Shoe Sensation could involve the fact that they have a small-town presence which is translating to social media. While this aligns with the mission and values of the company, it doesn’t align with being a social organization. So, if Shoe Sensation wants to do both, they must find the perfect balance. They can utilize all platforms, make content relevant and relatable, and still provide that small-town feel in-stores. If they want that feeling to be online, then that falls within the content they choose. For an example, they can post pictures of things from the Midwest involving their shoes. This captures the feel, provides the opportunity for engagement, and creates results. But this only scratches the surface. With each recommendation, there’s a potential ... potential for a challenge or potential for a result.  

[desstayy]

Social Content Marketing

Effective content on social media is developed and shared in an informative, entertaining, and timely manner. It’s the key element to a successful social media strategy. With it, a company can share on each platform in a way that helps emphasize the company’s goals while maximizing the reach and engagement. This content can be created or curated. If curated, it’s from trusted sources that are relevant, which should account for 60% of the accessible content. If created, it’s produced by the company and should account for about 40%. So, if a platform is set up this way, the information the company shares will create meaningful value to the user. With the help of each platform’s unique features and different behaviors, this social content can serve as a marketing strategy as well as a tool for building an online community. If the engagement and reach increase, so will the number of users. If this is important to a company, especially if they want to be considered a social organization, they must be willing to optimize their platforms in an effective manner that facilitates collaboration, valuable feedback, and highlights consistency. 

A social organization stands on the principles of effective content development and sharing. If you recall in my last blog, I mentioned that these principles are what maximizes the company’s reach and engagement to the relevant community. Key principles include being direct about the community’s purpose and vision, building and feeding relationships, aligning common goals, motivating, and giving opportunities for growth, along with reinforcing the value of collaboration. So, if all these principles are met, it’s likely that the company is considered a social organization. The purpose is to get the right message to the right customer at the right time, and with the help of tools like content calendars, the task of doing so is easier. You can recycle post by tracking which post has the best engagement or even post new and engaging content that attracts the company’s relevant audience.

[desstayy]

Online Community

When building and supporting an online community with social media, there are key principles to keep in mind. These principles are what maximizes the company’s reach and engagement to the relevant community. Key principles include being direct about the community’s purpose and vision, building and feeding relationships, aligning common goals, motivating, and giving opportunities for growth, along with reinforcing the value of collaboration. So, because social media is a cost-efficient method in comparison to traditional methods, it makes building an inclusive, encouraging community that much more important. Once these key principles are ingrained into how the company’s social media is utilize, this inclusive and encouraging community will collaborate to provide feedback on current operations and focus, give recommendations on shifting, and ask questions that others are prompt to engage in. The result of utilizing and analyzing the relevant community provides information that can be used to predict trends, provide feedback, and attract new potential customers. So, as you see, social media does not only provide the chance to promote but also to give and receive new ideas, stay relevant, and add to the overall conversation.

For an example, the company Shoe Sensation utilizes their online community. With the completion of Module 4 on Hootsuite, I fully understood how or at least how to fix implications that arise when building a social media community. Although not fully, Shoe Sensation provides answers to questions and gives quick alternative solutions to problems. I noticed that this engagement was mainly on Facebook, which make sense considering that it’s their most utilized platform. But where they lack, is where they can get the most value from. I found that they rely heavy on promotions, and while that’s fine-- it doesn’t prompt for an engaging response. So, maybe if Shoe Sensation were to align that very goal with interacting and motivating their loyal customers to talk, write, and share the products or give current employees the opportunity to add their opinion on the products in an appropriate manner, then collaboration has successfully happened to the extent that it’s useful.

[desstayy]

Legal Implications of Big Data

As discussed in another one of my blogs, Big Data has been developed for the purpose of checking, analyzing, and controlling. For businesses, this information is for the purpose of predicting trends, developing designs, improving operations, and manufacturing. For the government, this information serves a bigger purpose which hackers tend to go for. This data can include medical records, know-hows, military tactics, and security clearances. Since this is the case, the government should make it an afford to be preventive and protect that data at all cost but instead they react only when data issues are presented. But if all the government systems had the full and correct security validations, then maybe it would be harder for hackers to get this information. Due to this, over 21.5 million federal employees’ information has been compromised. I believe it’s clear to see that if the government can be hacked then a business definitely can too. 

For businesses, I would advise caution. There’s always someone lurking around waiting for their next meal ticket, and if they can get into your collected data, you’re serving them a platter. This can lead to legal implications not just for getting the information back but for those whose information was compromised. Not to mention, legally there’s no definition of big data. Therefore, there’s a lack of regulations associated with it. So, if a business is going to choose to use big data, they must secure it at all cost by keeping preventive measures and focus. For an example, The Home Depot was hacked in 2015 for over 56 million credit cards. If they had measures in place to catch that before the number rose, then maybe less people would have been affected. For consumers, I would advise caution and doing your research. A lot of businesses store our personal information for their benefit, so when they encounter issues such as hacking, it’s now our issues as well. To avoid this, limit the usage of personal data being accessed by others. Maybe use one card for all shopping purposes or don’t search for everything unless necessary. It’s hard and nearly impossible, but it can be limited. 

Overall, I believe the best way to balance the pros and cons of big data are by applying more legal restrictions/laws to who and how it can be used and the consequences for doing so without permission. This can also be balanced if businesses were more focused on preventive measures rather than fixing the problem only when it arises. If these things were to happen, then there would be no harm, no foul. 

[desstayy]

Fake News Spreads Fast

After reading the article, “Three reasons junk news spreads so quickly across social media”, I found the answer to how news becomes viral so fast. According to this article, there are three reasons and when use in combination, it’s a recipe for success. Unfortunately, not for always spreading accurate news, but for fake news as well. With the use of algorithms taking massive amounts of information and sorting, filtering, and delivering what’s appropriate, the word travels fast and may not always be based on accuracy. Here’s why, advertising! Because our information is stored from every site visited, every card swiped, and every post liked, the predictions of our interest and views are used to advertise things similar. This is where Clickbait comes into play. It’s designed to attract attention and when clicked it can lead to viruses, scams, and even more advertising. Not only this, but exposure contributes to the spreading of fake news. While algorithms and advertisements filter and deliver information, exposure is controlled by the user. Because we tend to like things we are interested in or agree with, it gives the impression that we only consider that view. So, when data comes into play, the filter will only allow those views to be seen while other views are shoved to the bottom or never seen by that user. Therefore, this controls the exposure to new ideas and potential truths which means it can be very well possible that news that went viral is fake, but because the algorithm figures the popularity into it, advertising makes it irresistible, and exposure says your interested, anything that can spread will. Personally, I’ve encounter fake news. I was very interested in a show and specifically with a character. I used to follow him on social media and occasionally search for more about the actor he had came to be. Within a month or so, I see on Facebook an article with the picture of that character stating that he died and there would be no more seasons to come. Well turns out it was fake. Goal figured. The only reason why I seen the article was because I was interested enough to create attention for them to advertise related news and other products to me. So, because it’s so easy for news to spread, businesses and individuals must be careful of not getting caught in the crossfire nor believing everything they see. They have to research further to confirm or deny those immediate stories and advertisements that can be seen as controversial or questionable. Overall, I just believe it’s in the best interest that businesses respond with open caution.

[desstayy]

Qualities of a Social Media Consultant

A social media consultant plays a vital role in the direction of a business’s social media presence, especially once they are asked for the help. For a consultant to be successful, they must be able to under the industry, raise brand awareness, and align their vision with the clients to create a clever way of boosting their client’s reputation. Not only this, but they must be willing. Because social media is trendy, meaning things come and go, researching and staying ahead of these trends are a must. Being willing to learn new things and adapt quickly will only serve as a benefit. If things fail, they must possess the will to get back up and use their expertise to innovate and try again. I feel that if a social media consultant can have the will, the passion, the drive, the expertise, the ability, and the understanding of their client’s needs and of social media trends, they have more changes of being successful when it comes to turning around or boosting a client’s reputation. 

If I were a social media consultant for myself, I would advise myself to be more present period. I think if I was to be more engaged with my followers then maybe I would have more of the will to want to be present. I find myself often looking at others share their accomplishments and I always congratulate them, but when I accomplish things, I rarely ever think to post them. I feel in order for my professional presence to be improved, I would have to create new profiles and filter those I want to see my progression through life as I grow professionally from those that are no longer on that path. It’s actually something I’ve been considering for the simple fact that all my social media profiles were created when I was a teenager. If I want to re-brand myself, I believe that this would be the best place to start. As of now, I haven’t really taken the steps to improve my presence. However, in the future, I see myself starting from scratch and creating a presence where I am inclusive to conversation and sharing of knowledge and accomplishments. 

[desstayy]

Privacy or Prying We Don’t See?

Big Data has been developed for the purpose of checking, analyzing, and controlling. It’s how companies know about us, what we are interested in, and what they can advertise to profit from. They even sell our information to other companies to do the same. With the ability to keep all our information stored into a system to refer back to later, how can we truly ever have privacy? From the single swipe of a card to the use of an app, our privacy is compromised. But, how? A lot of people don’t realize that there’s a section in the terms and conditions that tells you that your information may be used and/or sold. But, because most people scroll straight to the bottom to get on with it, they are ultimately giving companies permission to pry. In the video, big data is depicted as such a powerful tool because it holds our private information for ransom. It made me realize that I truly need to pay attention to what I search for or look at on social media. Especially, when more and more companies are trying to use this data to predict trends and locations that I don’t necessarily care to be a part of. This is done so by using our history and IP address, along with buying information that is seen as useful. It’s dangerous because it’s outside of our control, it’s even more dangerous when that control can trigger or lead to unhealthy habits such as excessive shopping.

Personally, I think the harm can be limited but never fully gone. With this collection of data happening at every single moment of the day, it’s hard not to leave some kind of trail for them to pick up on. Like I mentioned above, all it takes is a swipe for them to analyze someone, so when someone isn’t consciously thinking about what happens beyond that swipe, it becomes hard to limit actions because they are simply living their life. I’m sure most people aren’t thinking about all the risk associated with every single move they make, and it’s almost impossible to try to. So, it’s impossible for the harm to be completely removed unless big data was to be stopped altogether. But, why would it stop if they are profiting? 

Turning our attention to the internet itself, the article “The Internet’s Original Sin” and Maciej Ceglowski’s talk points to the purpose of advertising. To increase profit or target their market better, companies’ surveillance us and gathers data from prior searches, likes, or posts on social media platforms like Facebook. This usually leads to them selling other information to those who can benefit as well. This is how big data comes into play. But, it’s usually done through ads. Companies will literally pay to pop up first in a search or even personalized an ad to entice you. While some may think that these personalized ads are cool, others think it’s creepy and an invasion of privacy. If one can’t look at a pair of shoes without seeing “20,000″ ads about shoes the next time they check social media or any other site for that matter, then call it what you want, but i’m going to call it prying and unnecessary. 

[desstayy]

24 Hour Detox

So, after logging a full 24 hours of social media use, it became clear to me that I’m not a big user of social media in comparison to others. I spent about 8 hours throughout the period viewing a screen of some sort and of that, only 2 hours were actually spent on social media. Maybe that’s because I logged on a day where I was busy, but it was a typical day so I thought it would be the most accurate. Because I am a student, most of that time was spent completing homework on the laptop or with clients building portfolios. 

Since I don’t spend a lot of time on social media, I thought it was going to be easy to spend a full 24 hours away from my phone, especially since most of my time was spent in front of my laptop, in class, or at work. But boy was I wrong. I mentioned in my last blog that I went an entire week without my phone and didn’t miss it, which could make you think this would be a breeze, yet it wasn’t. I believe the difference was that I had no choice but to wait that time to get my phone, especially because it was over 3 hours away, versus voluntarily choosing to leave my phone in my night stand, just a finger way. There were so many times where I had an urge to check my phone to make sure no one important was trying to get a hold of me but I had to fight it. I knew there was a purpose for this and if anyone needed me, they knew to text or call my roommate. 

I started my experiment in the morning just like my log. I did my morning routine and headed out for classes; I went to two classes that day. I spent my downtime in between reading and taking notes for other classes rather than passing time scrolling. Then, straight from there I went to work. Usually when I work a 6-hour shift, I get a 15 minute break where I spend my time responding to people and checking social media, but this time I spent it taking a cat nap in the break room. *Side note: I rarely spend time on my phone at work because I’m constantly talking and working with other people.* Once I got off work, around 10 pm, I came home to finish two homework assignments then did my night routine which consisted of getting ready for the next day. Soon as I was ready to lay down, around 1 am, the urge for wanting my phone lingered again, especially knowing that it was right next to me! However, I resisted, and was able to watch TV shortly before falling asleep and waking up to being able to text and check social media again.

So, you see, it was easy because I had distractions but during parts of my day and night, I wanted to check it. Not because I necessarily needed to but because I wanted to. I will say that this experiment made me realize something. In the times in which I urge to be on my phone, it’s when I’m bored or have downtime... very interesting! 

[desstayy]

Implications of Social Media

As I watched Sherry Turkle's interview, I found myself agreeing with the implication's technology has caused on relationships and communication. I found that the way we communicate and interact with each other is much different than it was growing up and if you were anything like my family. You would understand that family was and is everything. There wasn't a day that went by without us speaking nor was it boring. We always had something to do or at least created something to do. Just like the article "Before the Internet", fun was made, not made waiting to happen.

In my daily life, I have learned to adapt to the heavy involvement of technology because I have to, and somewhat choose to. To be honest, I sometimes struggle with keeping up with trends and the hype of certain apps. Not because it's not cool, but because I feel like it takes away from personal experiences, genuineness, and personality altogether. I feel like it's easy to say or act a certain way through a screen but in person it's a whole other story! And that's the story I want to know. But don't get me wrong.. I do use social media, just solely for the purpose of keeping in contact with my relatives and friends that are a distance a way. Honestly, if you were to ask any of my friends here at CMU, they will tell you I'm horrible at texting or responding period.. and that's because social media makes me feel disconnected even though the sole purpose is to make me feel more connected.

Overall, technology has helped but it's also took a way some very important aspects that represents who a person really is. And, because I know and feel this. I tend not to mind forgetting my phone at home or having no WiFi or having no one to text because that's not necessarily something that I can't live without. I've literally went a whole week without my phone because I left it back in my hometown. I survived and still made things happen to the point that I didn't miss it. Because before fun was waiting to happen, it was fun that was waiting to be made! So, I tried to make it, which left me barely remembering how much I could miss it!

[desstayy]

Introduction

Hey guys! My name is Destiny Taylor. I am from Detroit, Michigan but live up here in Mt. Pleasant full-time. I am currently a senior here at CMU working on my second to last semester before I officially graduate. As time progressed, I realized that I didn't only want to study Human Resources, but also sociology and just this year, Information Systems. I am currently majoring in HRM and minoring in the other two. Far as my career, I don't have exact ideas of what I want to do once I graduate, but I do know that I have expertise in three areas that can put me at an advantage. However, I do know that I want to work for a company with a very diverse, inclusive, and engaging culture. I want a company that gives a family vibe regardless of size, has ample room for growth, and is located in a city. Ideally, I want to be a Human Resource Director for a non-profit. But, like I stated, I don't have exact ideas and are open to possibilities.    I hope to accomplish with my blog, the tone that social media is very beneficial to the business world. Although I'm not familiar with Tumblr, I will use this platform to engage with other peers in hopes to shine light on the fact that SOCIAL MEDIA is where marketing, customer engagement, and etc. are moving towards. Since I am familiar with other platforms, I would love to showcase some of those skills and even learn new ones that will benefit me and my future workplace. One company that exemplifies the use of social media is Uber. Uber has a commitment to building a deeper connection and reflection of the satisfaction they bring to the market for their customers. Uber uses social media for both informational and marketing reasons. Uber posts its deals, discounts, and new rides/riding arrangements for their followers to see and engage. Not only this, but Uber also addresses customer complaints giving clarification and guidance. An example is given below:

Website: https://www.uber.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Uber Twitter: https://twitter.com/Uber