#mda20009 digitalcommunities

[summerchlo-blog]

Social Gaming

In week 10, we entered the very intriguing world of social gaming and discovered the many forms of sociality and player conflict that can come with it. We considered the long history of playing games and the way that people connect and communicate via gaming. At present, gaming communities are formed in many different ways and vary between networked platforms.

A real concern of gaming is the lack of physical activities that are being undertaken by children and teenagers due to the amount of time spent in their gaming world. In 2017, the world was introduced to the game Fortnight; a game where up to 100 players battle against each other on an island, and the aim is to be the last man standing.

According to The World Health Organisation, gaming is becoming quite a medical condition, explaining that the addiction of the game is leading children and teenagers to sleep deprivation, anger issues and hindering their awareness at school.

Brad Marshall from the Internet Addiction Clinic at Kidspace in Sydney explains that

“We're seeing about 60-70 per cent of the kids coming through the door reporting that Fortnite is their primary game of use… We've also seen quite a lot of anger outbursts at home.”

He further explains that the level accessibility is contributing to the addiction as the game is easily able to be downloaded by the user. When I wanted to find some more research for this blog, I typed into Google ‘Fortnite addiction’. The first page to appear lead me to a website called Game Quitters. ENOUGH SAID. This website explained that over 40 million users played it last month alone. Moreover, it was reported that a 9-year-old girl in the UK was sent to rehab for refusing to use a toilet due to being unable to pull herself away from the game. When she finally was pulled away by her parents, she attacked her parents (Gaming et al, 2018). Again, ENOUGH SAID. It’s one scary world we live in. And I can only assume it could get quite scary being within the gaming world.

When I think of gaming, it’s not really the term I’d use to describe how I used to play when I was growing up. However, the more I think about it… I did go through a bit of a gaming phase (The Sims anybody?!?!). And WOW it used to take up a lot of time. It’s only as of recently when I had to look after a young boy who was on work experience that I really got to know the world of gaming and just HOW important it can be for some. This school boy could hardly take his eyes away from his laptop (which he had bought in to play on during the ahhh… quiet times). He was fully immersed in his own little world and would only really communicate with the other player in his world. Is this normal or is social gaming becoming somewhat anything but social???

 References

Gaming, R., Ones, R., Detox, 9., Rehab, T., Fundamentals, T., HobIdeas, 6., Gamers, V., Articles, B., Ones, L., Ones, R., Ones, V., Group, P., Ones, B., Rehab, T. and Presentations, L. (2018). Parents Guide to Fortnite Addiction | Game Quitters, viewed 27 January 2019 <https://gamequitters.com/parents-guide-to-fortnite-addiction/>.

[summerchlo-blog]

Visual Communities & Social Imaging

Throughout the semester, we have learned of the exponential growth of social media platforms. Within this, we have learned of the importance of visuals to social media. All the photographs and videos. At just a click of record button, we can put a photo or video on the internet, where it will be there forever. What we have also learned, particularly in week 9, the high level of anxiety and the difficult ethical and legal issues regarding control that can come over our photos and videos.

YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram. I use all of them on a daily basis. Something that has always been drilled into me is about how I’m using them. Luckily for me (or unluckily? I’m not sure), I rarely post on my social media accounts. Not because I choose not to it’s just I’ve never had real interest in doing so. I do however feel inspired by the people who can use social media to express, share and communicate.

The advancement of technology in recent times has seriously contributed to the way in which we are taking these photos and videos. A lot of the times, these photos are barely planned (like they used to be) and within the press of one button or one swipe, we can take a photo. It’s amazing.

“Changes in media technologies have engendered changes in how we capture, remember and communicate personal images of everyday and family life” (Vivienne & Burgess 2013 p. 3).

The camera function on our smartphones allow us to share our expressions and communications all within one snap of ourselves (do we have Kim Kardashian to thank???). One word; selfie.

Defined as “a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website” (Oxford English Dictionary 2019). What comes with this advancement in technology comes the filters that we can add to our selfie, making our smiles grow, puppy ears appear and love hearts float above our heads. It’s great. And so entertaining (for some).

What comes with visual communities is obviously the risk of what we can share and WHO we are sharing it with. The use of these images and videos has increased the level of legal and ethical issues which surround privacy. It can leave us vulnerable. It also encourages problems surrounding body image issues as people are using particular Apps, like Photoshop and Facetune, to edit their photos, sending a really powerful message to their followers as people can be posting images that aren’t realistic.

References

Oxford English Dictionary 2013, ‘Word of the Year 2013′,  Oxford University Press, viewed 22 January 2019, <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/word-of-the-year/word-of-the-year-2013>

[summerchlo-blog]

Crowdsourcing in times in crisis

It feels like our technological devices are always at hand and it can always feel like our social media accounts are always there to be checked and updated. But what happens when communication systems fail us and they go down in times of, well, crisis?

In week 8, we discovered how social media platforms have been developed to obtain information or input into a task or project by enlisting the services of a large number of people, either paid or unpaid, via the internet” (Bainbridge, Goc, & Tynan 2015 p. 511). During this week, we specifically focused on natural disasters and how crowdsourcing has helped to solve problems in disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis and bushfires.

'Crowdsourcing is the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people and especially from the online community rather than from traditional employees or suppliers'. (Merriam-webster.com, 2014)

It is a very clever tool that is most commonly used during times of crisis. A perfect example of when crowdsourcing was implemented was the Paris terrorist attacks in 2015 (the very first example of crowdsourcing). It was through social media that people were able to ‘mark’ themselves as safe on Facebook, essentially sending an alert to all of their Facebook friends that they were unarmed in the attacks whilst in Paris. This is game-changing. And it’s a type of communication that is actually doing some good. This moment in time also allowed for these individuals to share their locations and to share live content of Paris during this horrible time.

A lot of the time we think of privacy when we use our social media accounts. I know for myself I get incredibly nervous about the thought of people able to knowing my location. But crowdsourcing as a feature in our digital community as I mentioned earlier, is really amazing. It makes me consider how difficult things would’ve been before crowdsourcing, or on the whole, before social media. How did people find out where people were in times of crisis? How did people know that their friends or family were safe? Crowdsourcing is such a pivotal movement in our digital community and connects us to one another in such an efficient and dynamic way.

 References

Bainbridge, J, Goc, N & Tynan, L 2015, Media and journalism: new approaches to theory and practice, 3rd edn, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne.

Merriam-webster.com. (2014). Definition of CROWDSOURCING, viewed 24 January 2019 <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crowdsourcing>.

[ttian8899-blog]

Global social media practice -- case study on China

In the past few years, an interesting case about the Internet has taken place in China. Google has now become a must-have and dependant every day because it is a great tool for finding information. I often make such jokes with my friends. "Google is my best friend." To this end, we use Google every day to find the information we want or when we encounter something we don't know. However, in China, China's firewall blocks many search engines such as Google and other international Web 2.0 services (TED 2012). This is also what Xiao Qiang calls "Chinternet" (TEDx Talks 2014). The Chinese are still subject to many restrictions, even in the case of globalization and economic development, with freedom in the political rights of freedom of speech, association, belief and assembly.

Many different people from different occupations and environments, such as Qiang (TEDx Talks 2014), Michael Anti (TED 2012) and Victoria Mui (Dan Lok 2017), believe that this phenomenon exists because it prevents people from entering the global Internet. The Chinese government is trying to better monitor and control the people while protecting themselves, so they have introduced a series of alternatives to effectively solve the problem.

The picture above is show about the China social media and internet eco-system.

Although they are filled with similar but different locations, they are as vibrant as the rest of the world, and the ecosystem is far from ridiculous. As China became such a huge market, foreign celebrities also opened their own accounts on Weibo in order to seek and establish digital presence among Chinese netizens (Kary 2015). They understand the need for social networking and develop it, although the government wants to review people (TED 2012). In the process of monopolizing the Internet, the government did not directly confront them, and thus gained relatively greater power and occupied the people. This is the case. The Chinese government will begin its review around the beginning of June each year. In the course of the review, it will be tightened in order to prevent discussion of the Tiananmen Square massacre and to try to effectively eliminate the brutal suppression of democratic protests in Chinese history books (Ser 2016). In the process it achieved great success because 15 of the 100 college students recognized the photos of the tankers (Ser 2016). When I first heard it, it made me feel amazed and surprised.

However, despite the fact that China's public sector has been formed and developed over the years, the government has made these efforts (TED 2012) - people are using the Internet to express different opinions and gradually realize that they are forming online communities, even though these meetings are still Action by the police led to a meeting in physical space (TEDx Talk 2014).

References:

YouTube. (2018). From 'fart people' to citizens on China's internet | Xiao Qiang | TEDxLiberdade. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx28EUiKEUc [Accessed 21 Nov. 2018].

YouTube. (2018). Michael Anti: Behind the Great Firewall of China. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrcaHGqTqHk [Accessed 21 Nov. 2018].

Public Radio International. (2018). How China has censored words relating to the Tiananmen Square anniversary. [online] Available at: https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-06-03/how-china-has-censored-words-relating-tiananmen-square-anniversary [Accessed 21 Nov. 2018].

Daoinsights.com. (2018). Foreign Celebrities on Weibo | Dao. [online] Available at: https://daoinsights.com/foreign-celebrities-on-weibo/ [Accessed 21 Nov. 2018].

YouTube. (2018). Why Are Google Facebook And Youtube Blocked In China - Decode China. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7sogJ7W3TI [Accessed 21 Nov. 2018].

[ttian8899-blog]

Social Gaming

Social games are usually games involving multiple players because it is an active in-game interaction. As an ordinary player, I will try to play any game, and I find that social games also have a lot of questions worth discussing, although I am not an expert in online social games. I vaguely remember how scientists used the data in the game to help solve real-world problems. So I did some research on social games and how it affects the real world.

Of course, people will definitely ask what a good social game is.

source:  TeachThought Staff 2016

Value and Fun

Facebook has launched some social games such as Words with Friends, FarmVille and Angry Birds to raise awareness and funding for women and women around the world. According to PopCap's Contestabile, the best monetization strategy is to keep players and implement sustainable social games. For example, offer players a fun-filled payment option without forcing them to pay for the entire game (Swallow 2013).

source:  Erno Kiiski 2018

Fair Mechanics and Monetization

The last thing gamers don't want to see is spending money and feeling cheated. This will allow gamers to quit the game or never want to play the game published by the company because they are treated unfairly. In order to attract players and motivate them to spend money in the game, the social game needs to combine the free game economy (Swallow 2013). This will allow them to have fun, and will not make them feel forced to pay to play.

well, social games have the benefits

Reading and learning for people with dyslexia is helpful in playing social online games (Jennifer 2018). The constant changes in certain game environments have brought great attention to gamers. For example, when you play Worldcaft, you must understand some of the game's equipment and character characteristics, in order to beat the opponent in the game. People noticed that the patient's attention to reading improved after playing heavy-duty action games.

Players have the opportunity to understand the turning points in history and process because some social networking games are inspired by world history (Jennifer 2018). These games can help children understand history and are therefore called information.

Social networking games are full of sports games that encourage children to play a variety of sports (Jennifer 2018). There are practice modes in sports competitions that help gamers engage in sports such as tennis, basketball, football and other sports.

source:  giphy.com

When you are stressed, you can play social online games to relieve your stress. For example, when you are fighting a war or fighting social network game to defeat your opponent, it helps you release stress. In addition, virtual reality can help children with autism interact without touching them, which is a subtle person with problems in social interaction (Jennifer 2018).

Top social Network gaming sites:

source: worldofwarcraft.com

Although the theme of all the games here is one of hundred of players join this particular Social Network Games website to have an experience of a lifetime. You can connect with other players, guide them, chat with them and share your progress in the game.

source: Playfire.com 

This Social Network Games website is a safe place to play with your friends online. You connect to Playfire.con through your Facebook account and find friends there. You can be notified about discussions, videos, stories and can follow a friend. 

source:  RevHolics.com

This is one of the best Social Network Games site. If you are a fan of a casino and cannot go to Las Vegas then RevHolics.com is the place for you. There are numerous casino and gambling games to choose from. Also, they have blogs and reviews about different Social Network Games. Moreover, you can collect free coins, chips, and spins etc. Don’t go to any other website for casino games just visit.

References

Sallow, E 2013, ‘What Makes a Good Social Game?’, Forbes, viewed 15 November 2018, <https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericaswallow/2013/03/07/social-gaming/#798115002ed0>.

Jennifer, A 2018, ‘Top Social games websites to visit’, yourstory.com, viewed 15 November 2018, <https://yourstory.com/mystory/f21734c349-top-5-social-games-web>.

[ttian8899-blog]

Tumblr is currently the preferred social space for fans, how do these fans formulate the boundaries of their community?

GIFs have for quite some time been prominent with fan networks on Tumblr. Fans use Tumblr to create them because they can share them and remix them. A few fans utilize GIFs to "remember the best snapshots of that week's scene or to nearly break down a grouping," while others utilize them as comic responses or to make fanworks (Warner & Kristen). Fans can use individual GIFs to be combined to suggest narrative causality and even make their own favorite GIF cartoons.

While fan researchers, for example, Paul Stall, Nistasha Perez, and Louisa Stein have examined gifsets essentially as fan marvels, we should likewise think about their provenance: fans are not any more the main gatherings making gifsets (PJ Booth 2018). Millions of generations of social media promotion teams such as Freeform, CW and MTV have been widely supported in recent years, and they are all starting to create GIFs in TV footage and release them in conjunction with the episodes of the broadcast. MTV's wireless creative team created a term called live-giffing in 2012. Gifsets is a fierce episode created by GIF, which was created by fans and the web and posted via their official Tumblr shared account. This official GIF now reflects public and business value and also helps make a major shift in the Tumblr gift economy.

When MTV's "Youth Wolf" became the first live broadcast program, other program groups began to speed up their follow-up. Actually, the majority of the shows on the CW, MTV, and Freestyle post GIFs every so often on different internet based life stages; some even post them in time with their scenes, however they as a rule reblog GIFs and gifsets initially made by fans (read Ash 2016). Of the twenty-eight at present airing appears on these systems, thirteen occupied with live-giffing works on amid the 2015-2016 season (Business Insider 2013). Freestyle, more so than some other system, has grasped this developing practice: their special groups presently live-gif eight of their nine scripted shows. One of their most up to date appears, Shadowhunters, is symbolic of both the modern rationales and fannish results of these mechanically skilled gifsets.

Media is overflowing onto a wide range of various screens and stages and it feels sort of free frame in the manner in which that individuals discover it. Our gathering of people doesn't consider themselves to be shoppers, however as creators so we needed a name that felt participatory — they would be a piece of the procedure (Tom & Elizabeth 2015).

Freestyle, similar to the next millennial-centered systems, is developing a participatory, cooperative connection among makers and purchasers. By live-giffing their scenes on Tumblr, Freestyle can use their multiplatform special endeavors to energize and coordinate, if not control, fan commitment.

For instance, here a Tumblr fan has posted two GIFs (from High schooler Wolf and Shadowhunters, individually) to celebrate and bolster their most loved television (relation)ships crosswise over fandoms. Under each GIF, attribution is given to the source from which they were reblogged. Outstandingly, neither notices the official High schooler Wolf or Shadowhunters Tumblr. With each reuse and reblog, the provenance of the GIF is additionally darkened – in contrast to the system's marking, which can be found in the lower left-hand corner of the Shadowhunters GIF (Williams 2018). As this post illustrates, Tumblr's rhizomatic reblogging permits these modernly skilled GIFs to course ever facilitate from their mechanical cause while keeping up their limited time potential. As fans keep on communicating their fondness through blessings and GIFs, systems keep on profiting monetarily.

Giving mechanically skilled gifsets is neither widespread nor mandatory for TV stations. Be that as it may, the training is picking up footing among millennial-centered systems, both communicate and link. As these viral promoting techniques keep on crumbling creation work processes, printed limits, and modern specialist, we should think about how they likewise crumple fan-maker limits and mix business and mutual esteem. Only a year after they started live-giffing on Tumblr, Teenager Wolf started specifically re-appropriating their gifsets to fans like Quinn and Neptunepirate – a model of professionalization that has just spread meanwhile. Being a fan has, ordinarily and by need, worked by means of a blessing economy. As TV being a fan is progressively adapted and its fans are in this way professionalized, we should think about how industry's invasion into fannish spaces irregular characteristics the blessing economy and confuses the fan environment.

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Crowdsourcing and crowdfunding

Crowdsourcing: the follow of mixing the information and experiences from an outsized cluster of individuals (Swinburne Online, 2015). There is most likely that it's a valuable practice, especially in a catastrophe circumstance (Posetti and Lo, 2012). The destruction is the coordinations of confirming the data for production through authority channels (Posetti and Lo, 2012; Swinburne On the web, 2015

source: thethingsnetwork.pr.co 2015 (https://thethingsnetwork.pr.co/112438-the-things-network-goes-global-fast)

Some of the main trends in crowdsourcing take place at the intersection of crowdsourced data and the Internet of Things, where companies use crowdsourcing to collect customer information to detect which areas have the widest network coverage. The best example is the use of crowdsourced data by T-Mobile in the US; IBM and Continental AG’s collaboration on the “connected eHorizon” road safety and connected car project.

A few types of publicly supporting, for example, in "thought rivalries" or "development challenges" give approaches to associations to learn past the "base of brains" given by their representatives (e.g. LEGO Thoughts) (Schlagwein, Daniel & Niels 2014). Dreary "microtasks" performed in parallel by expansive, paid groups (e.g. Amazon Mechanical Turk) are another type of publicly supporting. It has likewise been utilized by not-revenue driven associations and to make basic products (Taeihagh 2017). The impact of client correspondence and the stage introduction ought to be considered while assessing the execution of thoughts in publicly supporting settings (Kristen & Daren 2017).

I often look at business on blogs, and how non-profit organizations can use crowdsourcing and crowdfunding platforms to change the way they do business. Therefore, I would like to share with you the social goods crowdsourcing platform that I have been paying attention to.

OpenIDEO

OpenIDEO is an open innovation platform that works with people from around the world to bring their concepts and assessments into the design process by launching challenges and collaborate to solve some of the toughest global problems (IDEO 2016). One of the challenge that launched is NexGen Cup Challenge. The Cup Challenge is a collaboration with Starbucks, McDonald's and the closed loop through OpenIDEO (IDEO 2016). The joint project is to find a replacement for fiber cups in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce wastage of resources.

Ioby

Ioby is a non-profit organization which is help people for fundraising and engaged with local environmental projects. One of the recent project is The Cleveland Refugee Bike project. The project is to help refugees provide them with an economic lifeline such as giving them training and tools and allowing them to build a new life in Cleveland.

source: Twitter

This is about the Ioby corporate with the Refugee Bike Project to help the refugees.

www.change.org

Change.org is an online radical platform that operates on the petition website (change.org 2018). In an era of rapid social change, in order to enable people around the world to create the changes they want to see, the site links people to opportunities for strong action and builds an international population network that enables them to be local, national and fight for the right around the world (Farr & Christina 2013).

source: change.org

This the example of change.org. which is helping people for crowdfunding through the internet. 

Does crowsourcing will develop in economy in the next five years?

We are living in exceptionally energizing occasions. Everything is going on so quick since innovation is bridling the brains of the groups – to advance and create new thoughts for organizations, government, and social undertakings.

Publicly supporting will produce important and profitable encounters for clients and the network.

Vitally, I see more open plans of action will spring forward, and huge enterprises would need to investigate the capability of publicly supporting to their officeholder plans of action.

References:

Aisel.aisnet.org. (2018). [online] Available at: http://aisel.aisnet.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1693&context=jais [Accessed 1 Nov. 2018].

Change.org. (2018). The world’s platform for change. [online] Available at: https://www.change.org/ [Accessed 1 Nov. 2018].

Ideo.com. (2018). OpenIDEO: A Platform to Harness Collaboration for Social Good. [online] Available at: https://www.ideo.com/post/a-platform-to-harness-collaboration-for-social-good [Accessed 1 Nov. 2018].

Ioby.org. (2018). The Cleveland Refugee Bike Project | ioby. [online] Available at: https://www.ioby.org/project/cleveland-refugee-bike-project [Accessed 1 Nov. 2018].

Journals.sagepub.com. (2018). SAGE Journals: Your gateway to world-class journal research. [online] Available at: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0169796X17710072 [Accessed 1 Nov. 2018].

Kelly, M. (2018). Change.org CEO shows how online petitions change the face of health care (Q&A). [online] VentureBeat. Available at: https://venturebeat.com/2013/05/17/change-org-health-petitions/ [Accessed 1 Nov. 2018].

Tandfonline.com. (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03637751.2017.1359748 [Accessed 1 Nov. 2018].

The Things Network newsroom. (2018). The Things Network goes global, fast. [online] Available at: https://thethingsnetwork.pr.co/112438-the-things-network-goes-global-fast [Accessed 1 Nov. 2018].

[ttian8899-blog]

Digital Citizenship 3: conflict and social media

Social media is modern tool for communication, which spreads info and connects folks terribly speedily. Meanwhile, its role in the conflict and post-conflict situations isn't properly appreciated. Existing studies and researches mostly underline negative role of media throughout conflicts, few ones focus on the role of social media within the reconciliation and post-conflict reconstruction activities, trust building processes. Social media is a powerful tool and new opportunity for conflict resolution. During last decade civil societies, activists, representatives of the governments and political parties actively use it as a communication means with their audiences.

 In the post-conflict situations social media becomes early warning system. People will right away post news regarding affairs in the conflict zones. Georgian and international organizations train and equip people in such areas to report regarding their everyday lives or suddenly emerged threats. Online portals, networks, blogs, Facebook groups serve as a superb data sources regarding conflict regions. They connect people from completely different sides; replicate daily happenings of the refugees or peace initiatives. In other words, social media is a rapid and effective communication mechanism for the conflict regions.

well, the conflict on social media can be considered as the factors below: 

Political system of the country, legal or informal environment, which determines functioning of social media tools and freedom of expression. They can promote or limit on-line communication.

Accessibility of the technologies. Reporting from the hot spots is not possible while not web and individual technical base (smartphones, laptops, cameras, etc.).

Literacy level of the country. Social media activities are high in the countries, population of which has individual technologies, as well as knowledge and skills for social media usage.

Credibility – social media is not shielded from the unfold of info and info. The article “Confession of Russian Troll” published on the web site of Radio Freedom (April 2015) reflects the theme a way to manipulate individuals by social media. Sometimes it is laborious to see that news is true or false.

case 1: California girls

It all started when a teenage girl named Casey Syler decided to visit a fashion store in South Carolina to shop for a new wallet. According to Casey, as soon as she walked through the doorway a saleswoman looked up and allegedly said “Shoplifter” to one of her colleagues. For context, Casey is black.Casey’s mother Rene (a successful blogger) shared the experience on her Facebook page. The post went viral, which prompted an appropriately contrite response from Carolina Girls on their Facebook page. Left there, the fire would have been extinguished and everyone could have moved on. But the store later posted a further Facebook message claiming an investigation had unearthed no evidence of any such comment being made, pinning the blame on ‘young shoppers’ in the store at the time.The post inevitably poked a hornets’ nest that had begun to settle down. The store’s page was bombarded with critical comments, many of which were deleted by the page admin. To compound their mishandling of the situation, Carolina Girls ended up deleting their entire Facebook profile.The owner of the chain brought further attention to the unfortunate saga by speaking to a news channel. Stephanie Davis insisted she had attempted to set up a meeting with Rene Syler and her daughter, but the horse had already bolted and the interview simply succeeded in attracting more online scorn.

Carolina Girls initially did the right thing by publicly apologising and reaching out to the aggrieved party privately. But inexplicably they then inflamed the situation by insisting they were not at fault and censoring negative comments rather than engaging with an angered online populous. Deleting their page was akin to an ostrich sticking its head in the sand with a pride of lions closing in.

Be open and contrite from the outset, try to take the issue out of the public domain, and make sure your response is sufficient to throw a blanket over the fire. If not, you risk a full-scale wildfire – which will be much harder to extinguish and could irreparably damage your brand.

case 2:

JoJo Maman Bebe is a UK-based baby clothes retailer targeted at mothers with large disposable incomes. Its premium prices have led to a number of second-hand selling groups being established on social media. One such group, JoJo Maman Bebe Pre-Loved Buy and Sell, has more than 20,000 members. Its popularity was clearly seen as an irritant by the company itself, and culminated in its founder posting a late-night message on the page questioning why users would want to pay near full price for her company’s products.

“Why anyone would pay near to full price or full price sometimes plus postage for something second hand is crazy,” wrote Laura Tenison. “We don’t charge postage so you could get a new one for less!” The response from the group’s members was predictable, with the message being described variously as ‘incredibly rude’, ‘snotty’ and an ‘epic PR fail’.

Tenison’s response was rapid, contrite and relatable. “Late-night posting is never a good idea,” she said. “I had just come back from watching Trainspotting 2. I’m human and I made a mistake.”

She apologised to the group’s members in a subsequent post, “You are wrong if you think I am condescending towards this group. I LOVE IT. Of course it is up to you to pay what you like but I often see prices which are higher than our sale prices, plus you pay postage! I do think this is a bit daft – but it’s up to you and I accept none of my business.”

First of all, this example emphasises the importance of a robust social media approval process. No matter how important they think they are, company owners or CEOs should not be permitted to post personal messages in the name of the brand. Else why bother hiring a marketing team or agency?

However, if a big cheese does open a can of worms, it has to be their responsibility to close it. Bringing in the brand account to clean up the mess will only make it look like the boss is hiding – which will inevitably invite more criticism. Tenison handled it well, admitting to making a mistake in a way we can all relate to. She quelled the backlash and earned the group 4,000 new members in the process.

references

Blaise, 2011, ’16 causes of conflict in an online community’, Social Media Today, viewed 24 October 2018, <https://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/16-causes-conflict-online-community>.

Wilkes, D 2017, ‘Babywear boss in the late-night facebook rant at her yummy mummy customers: JoJo Maman Bebe chief attacks members of group who sell clothes on once infants have outgrown them ’, dailymail.co.uk, viewed 24 October 2018, <https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4194402/JoJo-Maman-Bebe-chief-attacks-customers-Facebook.html>.

Vaughan, S 2018, ‘uk-BASED maternity wear and baby clothing retailer opens in Westport’, Westport News, viewed 23 October 2018, <https://www.westport-news.com/news/article/UK-based-maternity-wear-and-baby-clothing-12884916.php>.

Jones, L 2018, ‘6 examples of social media crises: what can we learn?’, oursocialtimes.com, viewed 22 October 2018, <https://oursocialtimes.com/6-examples-of-social-media-crises-what-can-we-learn/>.

Eqbal, V 2014, ‘Social media & global conflicts: #Binary Battles’, The Express Tribune, viewed 22 October 2018, <https://tribune.com.pk/story/772284/social-media-global-conflicts-binarybattles/>.