All About Lisa!

[lisawest]

Implementations That Might Occur

When implementing my recommendations, some challenges I see my client-facing, Great Lakes Kids Energy Zone, is to be able to use the new technologies effectively. For example, if my client decides to utilize Twitter because they do not have this social media, they will need to make a quality hashtag to use. Also, with Twitter, they can be more involved with clients and communicate with a broader audience. On Facebook, the only social media the gym has, they should utilize live streaming and private groups. The gym has never utilized any of the features and will need to learn how to use them effectively. Another challenge I see is how mass collaboration does not exist at the gym. There is only one person in charge of the social media page, and no one else to collaborate with, so the social media page does not have multiple ideas/opinions. Not utilizing mass collaboration, I feel like it is a big disservice to the gym's social media and lacks more of a variety of ideas. Overall, I know Great Lakes Kids Energy Zone wants to incorporate some of my ideas to improve their social media page. I believe if they do there, social media pages will increase followers and customers. The gym's overall goal is to gain more customers, and by improving their social media page, I believe they can achieve their goal!

[lisawest]

Why Content is Important

Content is a very vague term. It can go from gifts and images to blog articles. Content can be summarized as brand recognition, thought leadership, and audience engagement. It is the go-to destination for customers. The content can lead to more revenue in the business. One must ensure the content is relevant and can relate to your audience. The most effective content is content strategy because it provides a business with an adequate social media page.  When sharing content, first, one needs to determine what their goal is and audience. For example, if your target audience is millennials, one would post something on Snapchat or Instagram. Next, one needs to decide how they will share the content; Instagram live, for example, would be a great way to see if our audience is listening to the message or not. The content a business provides can make or break the business in an instance. One can make a content calendar to make sure there is no over or under posting and show daily what will be posted for the company.

Social organization is the processes of strategy, vision, and adapt the organization. To share the best content, one needs to have all three of the qualities to be successful. The last time we chatted, I said how one needs a purpose to develop a strategy. Using Great Lakes Kids Energy Zone, I will explain why becoming a social organization is so vital for content to be developed and shared. The gym's strategy is they need to market themselves to attract more customers. Their vision is to remain open even though they are going through tough times right now with the pandemic. To adapt the organization, the gym needs to be flexible that things are continually changing, especially now, and need to stay up on all the latest cleaning tactics and social distancing guidelines. The best way to share all the new information about the gym is on social media. All the gym has is a Facebook; their audience is Gen X (30-50), which is perfect for their target audience, and they can make a Facebook live to show their customers how the gym looks and what steps they are taking for the kid's safety. The gym's content is so crucial because they are trying to keep their current customers and gain new customers, so they need to make sure they are adequate and precise with their social media posts.

[lisawest]

Importance of Online Communities

Building an online community is important for businesses to utilize and interact with their customers. In the book “The Social Organization,” it states how online communities are beneficial when large group of independent people come together and share information that contribute the bigger picture. The goal is to gather diverse information about the topic and get an overall better understanding of what the topic is. Getting the publics knowledge on specific items really will determine your decision if you get it or not. Another effective principle is when the online community has a purpose. “Strategy always begins with purpose” is such a great quote because you need to understand why you are building an online community. For example, for Great Lakes Kids Energy zone, they would want to build up their online community because they want to get more customers into the gym. All the reviews on there social media are great, and when new customers see these great reviews in may influence them to come check out the gym. The gym has a purpose that they want more customers to enjoy the activities that are provided, so they are driven to come up with different strategies to make it happen. 

Growing an online community can make or break a company, in my perspective. Word of mouth is the most powerful advertising tool in the company's possession. The client I am working with only has a Facebook page. What I learned to be able to relate new information to my client is how Facebook has two main places to engage in: Facebook business page, Facebook groups. The Facebook business page is essential for my client to utilize because it allows the gym to answer any public posts on their page. Also, if someone posts a concern on the page, that is an opportunity to show the business's practical human side and reply respectfully. Great Lakes Kids Energy Zone has never utilized Facebook live. That is a disadvantage because when one goes live, the algorithms that Facebook utilizes prioritized the live video and display the live video before any other post; I had no idea this was an algorithm used. The Facebook group allows people with similar topics to come together to gather. I know my client has a public group, but in Hootsuite, they mentioned how a closed group would be more useful because it is easy to monitor, you can decide who follows the account, and once people see the group has a lot of active members, it might persuade one to also join in on the group. The goal of having a Facebook page is to entice people to join my client's Facebook page and to join our community.

[lisawest]

Big Data Corruption

Businesses should be aware of their data being exposed. Examples of companies getting hacked are Target cards in 2013, 740M data records revealed, Home Depot cards 56M credit cards hacked, and 21.5M current, former, and prospective fed employee data assets. Businesses need to start putting their money into security so consumers can trust their personal information will not get hacked. As said in the video, "The legal side of big data," Everyone reacts to the problem once the problem occurs; no one is proactive at stopping one from hacking their system. A business needs to be aware of how frequently a hack could happen. They need to realize that investing money into security now will be cheaper than paying a ransom or paying all the customers back for the information being taken. Businesses must get ahead of the problem by thinking about is the company's money is getting spent in the right places to protect one's data.

Consumers need to be aware of where and who they are giving the information to protect themselves and their assets. One never expects their credit card to get hacked while walking into a target, so for a consumer, since they know big organizations have been hacked in the past, they need to check their bank often to make sure no money is taking out. Just being aware that hacking happens often will be the best thing a consumer can do. The best way to balance big data threats is companies investing more in their security and cyber protection and consumers being well aware of their assets' potential threat. There are laws and rules out there for the consumer's safety, but once your information is leaked, there is no way of getting it back. If companies invest heavily in security now, they will owe less in the future.

Internet business models are all very similar run. Maciej Ceglowski mentions how businesses utilizing surveillance has become their sole internet model. As Ceglowski said, and even in the Social Dilemma, we are always watched by the internet. Someone is always getting inside information on us through our social media and technology. As explained above, one day you walk into Target, and the next day your credit card is hacked, and your personal information is leaked; now that is scary knowing someone you don't know can find out where you live, what you buy, etc. As mention in the article "The Internet's Original Sin," every business model that was a success was advertising. They were creating advertising with the best intentions for business to succeed but ended up making the most "hated tool," which is pop-up ads. The pop-up ads were so that people would see what's out there, but they have become such a dangerous weapon against people who click on them.  Also, Ceglowski explained how "we are addicted to big data not because it is effective but because we need it to tell a better story." Businesses now promise investors the advertising will be more invasive, and they will collect more data on users' behavior. It's sad to see companies focusing on the money and invading our privacy instead of leaving us alone and providing ads that won't allow the company to track our behavior.

[lisawest]

Reasons Junk News Spreads So Quickly

In the article by The Oxford Institute, discuss why junk news spreads so quickly across social media. The first item discussed is the algorithms on one’s social media. What was discussed was how Facebook news feeds or Twitter trending topics are selected and prioritized by algorithms that have been specifically coded and then delivered to scroll through. For example, I watch Netflix, and one of the shows I watch is Grey’s Anatomy, and whenever I go on Facebook, I will always have a popup updating me on the front or presenting me with past information. Also, my Twitter and Facebook are both heavily overloaded with political feeds because I was researching the news to see what was true or false. The worst part about algorithms, though, is that once an item goes viral, it does not matter if the content is correct or not; a mass number of people will be reading the object presented in front of them.

Next discussed is advertising, which is built on collecting data and selling it to companies to understand the new generations and items. Ever wonder why social media is free? This is because when one signs up for the social media account, you pay with your personal information. Junk news can be presented in two ways, clickbait and endorsements. With endorsements, they select famous people to model or use the product, hoping that you will buy the product if you like the person on your TV screen. For example, Fabletics has a deal for 2 for 24 on leggings with Kate Hudson, and once you click on the website, you have to sign up to be a member or pay full price for the product. Advertising can be deceitful, and some companies hope that if you pay more attention to the advertisement than the product, you will buy the product before having hesitation.

Last is the exposure to how the junk news spreads so fast. People will pay more attention to political content the fits an ideological package that they subscribe to. If you already know the candidate you support, the only information selected for you to see is positive and no negatives, and I can testify to this saying. The fake news on social media about politicians is outrageous. A downfall to exposure is we do not want to face the cognitive dissonance to new and challenging information. If I see a news feed about a different candidate, then I support I will brush it off and not even look into the article because I do not support it; it's impaired tunnel vision.

All in all, junk news spreads quickly because people do not consider real information because it does not come across their feed. If someone has to dive into the story, they will likely not do that. It is effortless for junk news to spread fast.  

[lisawest]

Social Media Consultant

The best qualities I believe for being a social media consultant is one's overall knowledge of media marketing, understanding the industry the consulting is in, get results, and be consistent with the business goals. If one does not understand the fundamentals of media marketing, which is being up to date on the most used social media and understanding how to use them, then they should not be a consultant. Knowing the industry is critical because if one is consulting for a kid's company, social media needs to be colorful with lots of kids' pictures. Still, if you are consulting for a car company, you would keep the color consistent on the webpage and show the types of cars available. The consultant needs to make the companies social media page have a positive outlook and attract new customers.

If I were acting as a social media consultant for myself, the first way to improve my page would be to post more often about my career or what I have done to improve my skills. For example, on my LinkedIn page, I would add a new profile picture and update my bio and add in the finance competitions I have participated in this semester. I also would want to add more detail to my job description so employers can get a better understanding of what I have done. I have created all the social media pages I need for my professional presents; now, I need to keep them updated with current information.

[lisawest]

Problems of Big Data and Algorithms

To begin my blog today, I first want to describe precisely big data and algorithms because that is the topic of the day. Big data is a way to analyze or extract information from data sets that are too large to delve into traditional data-processing software. An example of big data is trying to collect information from streamlined media streaming. Algorithms are rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving questions. An example is following the instructions to make brownies; a set problem one follows step by step for the brownies to turn out correctly. 

Now let’s dive into the Social Dilemma, the documentary on Netflix that I have previously mentioned. The documentary expresses the dangers of technology in the essence of how your phone/computer captures so much information about you; it knows you better than you know yourself. Social media, for example, Facebook knows what ads one likes to look at and will continuously put the ads on your Facebook, hoping you keep clicking on them and then analyze the data you clicked on to see where you go next. Because of the algorithms programmed, a huge problem we see today is in politics, and how one is influenced by what they viewed, and they do not see the other side to the problem or what they are reading is completely fabricated. Our social media knows what political side one stands on and will only feed useful information about your side, and then when you see a post about the other side, it is hard to believe if it is true. Social media is a massive factor in the divide between politics but even just life in general. The dangers are the lies fed to individuals, social media collecting so much data on the one without them realizing, suicide rates, and obesity continuing to grow because of online bullying and the ability to do everything from your bedroom. We need to be able to deny companies so much access to our personal technology devices.    

My views on these problems personally are to be more aware of the social media and website I am clicking on. To not rely so heavily on my phone to make it throughout the day. Also, read something other than the “Facebook News,” and Twitter feeds and figure out the truth behind what is happening in today’s world. Also, make it a point to not have my phone out while eating dinner, or even having a conversation with someone, be fully present. On a professional level, it is almost impossible for any job not to use technology. It would be to make sure I am not just clicking on ads that pop up on google or not to log into personal accounts on the work laptop. Also, almost all the information can be confidential so being aware of the data presented in front of you and making ethical decisions. On a societal level, our professor mentioned how social media is used for critically thinking and making ethical decisions, and providing real value. I believe it is essential for society to be aware of what they are putting out on social media and technology companies to be more cognitive of the problems they are creating and not doing anything about it.  

[lisawest]

A day without utilizing social media

Earlier this week, I tracked how often I utilize social media and how often I post to my social media. I was on Snapchat for a total of 3 hours and sent over 50 snaps. I also watched TikTok for a few hours while I was watching Netflix as well. That entire day, if I spent my time outside it, might have been for an hour.

Yesterday, November 7th, I left my phone in my room and only utilized it every 6 hours for an hour. The first 6 hours without my phone was hard because I tried to figure out something to distract myself besides using social media or even technology. I decided to clean my apartment, do some laundry, and go grocery shopping. After I distracted myself for 6 hours, I went on my phone for an hour and only checked social media once. I mostly used it to make phone calls. I put my phone away for another 6 hours and went outside to run and walk. Living in Michigan, we never get a 70-degree day in November, so I wanted to be outside as much as possible. I was outside for 5 hours straight, and I never felt any better. Just enjoying the outdoors and working out with my friends, it was a great time. 

I went back on my phone after the 6 hours to check my messages and social media for a short time and then set my phone down for another 6 hours. This time it was effortless not to use my phone. I wasn't even thinking about technology. My friends and I all played card games for the rest of the time. If one struggles with utilizing social media too much, put the phone down for 24 hours. After 8 hours, I never even thought about using my phone, and I got to experience the great outdoors all day long. Put the phone down and go outside and be with friends is the best advice I have!  I want to start doing this more often and I realized there is so much more than being on the phone and inside all day!

[lisawest]

Social Media Impact

Social media takes up a lot of my life. If I am sitting around, I will be on my phone scrolling through Facebook or Instagram or Snap Chat to see what others are doing. Social Media has a significant influence on my life. It is a way to communicate with the outside world without having to leave my bedroom. I would say that it is a more negative influence on my life than a positive influence. Instead of being active and going outside, I would stay inside on my phone, making myself distracted on social media.  Like Max Stossel said, to keep a snap streak, one snaps a picture of the wall and sends it, which I can relate to is taking a meaningless photo to keep the streak alive. Also, Emma Rathbone mentioned how one would read a book before social media or start sketching and allow their imagination to take over, and I couldn't tell you the last time I read a book for fun. I wish social media was not such a big part of life because I feel I am missing out on so much being trapped in my bedroom on my phone. Stossel mentioned how apps make them feel good about themselves and apps that make them unhappy about themselves. Thinking about this, no app makes me feel really good about myself; I can live without going on any app. I always tell myself that I will go a day without my phone, and I can never complete the entire day, but the hours without my phone, I feel good about myself. I wish social media didn't take up so much of one's life.  

On a side note, I watched the social dilemma on Netflix, which opened up my eyes to social media. Apps do so much to get one to look and them and scroll through for hours. If one ever noticed you get a notification on Instagram when someone posted a picture that hasn't in a long time or get a notification if somebody tagged you in a photo, your phone does not show you the picture. This notification makes it, so you have to go on your phone to see the image. When you are on a specific social media, it caterers to your likes/needs/wants, and your news feed will be different than your best friends. Your phone knows more about you than you know about you, and it is scary!

[lewis2as]

Hello!

I’m Abby Lewis. I’m a senior at Central Michigan University, majoring in General Business Administration with an Applied Communication Concentration, minoring in Business Information Systems and Management. I’m from Rochester Hills, Michigan which is located in Metro Detroit. I’m currently living here and taking online classes. After graduation, I hope to receive a Business Analyst position. I love to problem solve and am passionate about how an organization functions. In the future, I would like to move into a Project Management position and earn my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

With this blog, I hope to exchange knowledge and information on the professional use of social media. Throughout our daily lives, social media is so often used for personal reasons that I’ve ignored the advantage of using it professionally. I hope to expand not only my knowledge of this topic but also my social media presence. With this, I would like to connect with other professionals who have the same interests as me.

There are many great examples of companies who effectively use social media. One that stood out to me was Wendy’s, more specifically, their Twitter platform. Most fast-foot restaurants use their social media platforms for customer service, answering question, and promoting their products. Wendy’s has thought outside the box and has shown a different way in connecting with its community. With snappy comebacks, entertaining bios, and hilarious “Twitter roasts”, Wendy’s has found an authentic and original voice. They’ve surprised and connected with users through their out-of-character tweets and pop-culture reference from Spongebob Squarepants, The Office, and New Girl.

Wendy’s use of its twitter platform has been effective because of its use of mass collaboration which includes community, social media, and a purpose. Wendy’s purpose is, of course, to promote its products and brand awareness. In order to do this through social media, they incorporated humor and entertainment to attract people to communicate within Wendy’s community.  Wendy’s Twitter platform has used social media effectively by enabling mass collaboration defined by six principles: participation, collective, transparency, independence, persistence, and emergence.  When Wendy’s has a snappy comeback to a user or roasts one of its competitors, it brings together a collaborative community that participates around its purpose. Wendy’s twitter platform is a collection of user contributions where anyone, from anywhere, can participate with each other. With posting on their Twitter almost every day, Wendy’s provides persistent contributions to its community. Through Wendy’s thought-provoking tweets and the interactions of Wendy’s community, new behaviors and ideas can emerge.

[lisawest]

Hello Abby,

I have seen Wendy’s Twitter roasts that you mentioned, and they are funny. I think they do a great job of trying to stand out from the other fast-food restaurants. The fast-food industry is very competitive, and if Wendy’s can get a leg up from the other companies, then they need to take advantage of the opportunity. Great Post!

[lewis2as]

Hello!

I’m Abby Lewis. I’m a senior at Central Michigan University, majoring in General Business Administration with an Applied Communication Concentration, minoring in Business Information Systems and Management. I’m from Rochester Hills, Michigan which is located in Metro Detroit. I’m currently living here and taking online classes. After graduation, I hope to receive a Business Analyst position. I love to problem solve and am passionate about how an organization functions. In the future, I would like to move into a Project Management position and earn my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

With this blog, I hope to exchange knowledge and information on the professional use of social media. Throughout our daily lives, social media is so often used for personal reasons that I’ve ignored the advantage of using it professionally. I hope to expand not only my knowledge of this topic but also my social media presence. With this, I would like to connect with other professionals who have the same interests as me.

There are many great examples of companies who effectively use social media. One that stood out to me was Wendy’s, more specifically, their Twitter platform. Most fast-foot restaurants use their social media platforms for customer service, answering question, and promoting their products. Wendy’s has thought outside the box and has shown a different way in connecting with its community. With snappy comebacks, entertaining bios, and hilarious “Twitter roasts”, Wendy’s has found an authentic and original voice. They’ve surprised and connected with users through their out-of-character tweets and pop-culture reference from Spongebob Squarepants, The Office, and New Girl.

Wendy’s use of its twitter platform has been effective because of its use of mass collaboration which includes community, social media, and a purpose. Wendy’s purpose is, of course, to promote its products and brand awareness. In order to do this through social media, they incorporated humor and entertainment to attract people to communicate within Wendy’s community.  Wendy’s Twitter platform has used social media effectively by enabling mass collaboration defined by six principles: participation, collective, transparency, independence, persistence, and emergence.  When Wendy’s has a snappy comeback to a user or roasts one of its competitors, it brings together a collaborative community that participates around its purpose. Wendy’s twitter platform is a collection of user contributions where anyone, from anywhere, can participate with each other. With posting on their Twitter almost every day, Wendy’s provides persistent contributions to its community. Through Wendy’s thought-provoking tweets and the interactions of Wendy’s community, new behaviors and ideas can emerge.

[lisawest]

Hello Abby,

I have seen Wendy’s Twitter roasts that you mentioned, and they are funny. I think they do a great job of trying to stand out from the other fast-food restaurants. The fast-food industry is very competitive, and if Wendy’s can get a leg up from the other companies, then they need to take advantage of the opportunity. Great Post!

[mckenzieherman]

Hey guys! It’s me.

My name is McKenzie Herman and I am a senior at Central Michigan University. I am studying General Management and Leadership. I am hoping to receive a management role at a company located in Grand Rapids. I am not picky on what job I get, I am just ready to get started! I have always had a passion to lead others in a way no one else has. I think we’ve all had our fair share of bad bosses but I want to be the type of boss who engages with their employees and helps them through issues. I want to be a leader not just a boss.

I hope to accomplish an insight into the social media aspect of business and learn the ins and outs of the source! Anything to help with my professional portfolio. Here is a company I believe to have used social media in a great way, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/  This company does a great job by being the second most followed account on Instagram. This means they are being tagged and followed constantly. They are able to tell a story within their social media platforms. They also use their platforms to raise awareness for many global issues and making sure people are educated on the topics. In regards to the reading I believe National Geographic does well with their participation for themselves and for the photographers who are able to write their own posts for their pictures. They bring in the community and allow the photographers to add their own spin on their work. This company is good at bringing in new material and gives photographers the chance to get their amazing work shown. National Geographic all around is a great company who try’s to help wildlife and natural disasters as well as the photographers who send in their amazing shots that take of nature. A great social organization is skilled at applying all these main principles to make sure that the community is practicing mass collaboration. 

[lisawest]

Hi McKenzie, I love your post! First, I agree with having a boss that can be more than just a boss. I have had the great opportunity of having bosses be a mentor to me, and it has helped me professionally and personally. It makes the job a lot more enjoyable. Second I am a sucker for wildlife; I love animals. I always see a post about the National Geographic on my Instagram with a new photo of a cute animal, and it makes me want to help out!

[lisawest]

About Me

I am Lisa West, and currently in my last year at Central Michigan University. I am going into finance and minoring in information systems. I grew up in Lapeer, Michigan, my entire life, and I am ready to leave the state. The past two summers, I got the opportunity to intern for companies out on the east coast and would want to obtain a full-time job, hopefully in New York City.  

I hope this blog will allow me to learn more about others and to be able to connect with them. I also believe that social media is a massive factor in everyday life, and entering into the job market, one can learn about a candidate through their social media. I hope this blog can show one who I am and how dedicated I am to my work.

I enjoy working out, so a company I believe utilizes social media well is Gymshark. Gymshark does an excellent job of using famous people to post about their products. They use mass collaboration very well by allowing people to obtain their products and come together to work out in Gymshark clothes. Every time I am on a social media account, I always come across one ad on Gymshark, and it makes me either want to go work out or buy the product one is wearing. Gymshark has built up its brand, provides people with well-made products, and has positive interest cultivation. My friends and I always love to work out together and we enjoy the comfort of there products!

https://www.gymshark.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjw0On8BRAgEiwAincsHJvUOuplpNcaY-F2PCPg-HVT4CFOXNcbKOAdFXOe0VvJ36eDzQsCGBoCUI8QAvD_BwE