Social Media:  A useful resource for all

Honestly, the title “social media” can be a little misleading with the massive scope and resource it is.  The main function of social media is obviously to be social, but its abilities far surpass just talking with friends and posting pictures.  Aside from its social realm, it has become a professional database and resource for people to build networks, for companies to market to new audiences and to monitor public opinion. 

The use of hashtags on twitter makes it easy to see what’s trending throughout the “twitter sphere.”  This is a great tool for companies to see what consumers are saying on a consistent and real time basis.  There are other ways of course to monitor public perception of a company, but social media offers an immediate access to the information a company is seeking.  It’s not a social tool for them but a resource and a valuable one at that.  It also gives companies the ability to directly contact consumers if they have complaints or for other purposes. 

Aside from monitoring perception and interacting with consumers, companies can utilize social media platforms as a form of marketing and promotion.  When someone asks why businesses should use social media the answer is simple.  Quite simply, it’s where people are.  If you want to get in touch with potentially millions of people from one laptop computer, then social media is the easiest and most efficient way to do this.  I don’t know how you would do that otherwise.  Maybe some giant email blast or something.  Regardless, it’s something people would ignore.  But as active as people are on social media platforms, they rarely would ignore something sent directly you their account or something that catches their eye. 

And the ability to market and connect on social media is not limited to businesses.  Politicians and campaign managers have found social media to be a great means of connecting to voters and new publics.  The 2008 presidential election was not just groundbreaking for the fact Barack Obama became The United States’ first black president, but of more minor significance, the way he campaigned through Twitter and Facebook gave him an extraordinary advantage over his opponent, John McCain. 

It’s interesting to think that over a decade ago MySpace was founded.  I doubt anyone saw social media turning into the phenomenon it has today. 

Security Breach

Recently, a man named Omar Gonzalez, 42, caused a security breach at the White House.  Considered by many as one of the most secure and protected buildings in the world, Gonzalez simply climbed over a fence, ran through the front doors, and was then loose on the first floor until he was finally caught.  Secret Service eventually found him and subdued him, but the problem really wasn’t if they could catch him.  The problem is why and how was he able to get inside the White House so easily.

The Secret Service is obviously well trained, one would assume, as their job is as important to the United States national security as almost any other.  But this is not the first time an incident like this has occurred.  Every so often, news stations report on some kind of slip up where an intruder (not necessarily looking to do harm) enters the White House, usually at some kind of party or event.

Everyone is human though, and mistakes are bound to happen.  Even after September 11, 2001, there are still some reports of security problems at airports, even after the establishment of extensive security measures.  Still though, these jobs are so important hearing of incidents like this is unnerving.  Omar Gonzalez was reported to have a knife in his pocket when he broke in.  Now, it is very hard to believe that one man with a knife could overpower and overcome the entire Secret Service and get to the president or someone of great importance.  Beyond being a tragedy, people would wonder how something like that could happen in the most guarded building in the world.  Movies have been made about the White House being taken over (see White House down, Olympus has Fallen), but the probability of something like that happening are astronomical.  One can think up a variety of possibilities in which a tragedy could have occurred, but the odds are low.

Still, incidents like this do cause an image problem.  Basically, they failed (somewhat) at their job, and their job is of vital importance.  This brings up questions about the competency of the leadership and organization of the Secret Service.  Let’s hope this doesn’t turn into a bigger issue, as I’m sure they are looking over their own policies this very moment. 

Why go to the Library?

Last year, I was in the ONU library all the time.  I didn’t use it a lot for studying actually, but to print my papers and find sources.  I had quite a few larger research projects that required some scholarly sources so I utilized the Library’s resources and search engines for that.  However, I rarely studied there.  I know some people that spend hours upon hours in the library studying.  I’ve never done that.  I always preferred to do my studying in my room, but that’s just me.

This year though, I’ve found myself in the library only twice.  Once was required by a class and the other was to pick up a book.  There are reasons for this though.  This year especially, an overwhelmingly majority of my assignments have been online through Moodle, Turnitin and by just posting blogs like this.

What it really reveals (I think) is how school policies are shifting to more convenient methods.  Take Moodle for example.  Yes, it can be extremely frustrating at some times, but once you master how to use it, it really is a great resource.  It conveniently (if your professor posts the proper information, that is) has a syllabus with all due dates and class policies and assignments, has the places you post these when the time comes and can give you immediate access to your current class grade.  This eliminates the laboring process of calculating all of the grades you’ve received and multiplying them by a certain percentage.  Nobody likes doing that.  So, at least in my opinion, Moodle is a good resource for both students and professors. 

Turnitin is more a Professor’s tool.  Regrettably, people do cheat on some assignments.   Specifically, they plagiarize and steal from someone else’s work.  Hopefully at a school like Ohio Northern University these problems are very few and very far between, but they’ve happened nonetheless.  Turnitin measures the originality of a paper someone turns in.  I actually use it sometimes to measure how well I’ve paraphrased in my paper by trying to achieve the lowest percentage of similarity possible.  Basically, high percentage equals you cheated and low percentage equals you didn’t.  

I’m not really perturbed by this change in what has been my regular school routine over the past two years, which was write the paper, print it out and the hand it in.  Now though, I can receive more feedback via Moodle and the professor doesn’t have to carry around a giant stack of papers either, so it is sort of a win-win for both parties.  It’s just another change I’ve noticed in my life as a junior at ONU. 

Bloggers vs. Journalists:  There is a difference

Within the past several years with the drastic expansion of the web, there has been a complete revolution in the field of journalism, and the way people get their news.  In the “good old” days, people would pick up the newspaper, either local or national, and use that as their main source of news.  Although newspapers still exist and many people still use them, a significant amount of people have begun to utilize online resources as their main source of news rather than newspapers. 

If we want to know recent news about something, take the recent ISIS crisis for example, we can easily go to CNN, NBC, or FOX’s news websites and see real time updates on what is happening rather than having to wait for the newspaper the following day.  This is a luxury we enjoy now, and it is just one example of how the field of journalism has changed so much with the expansion of different forms of technology.  With cell phones, people can document an occurrence and report news on their own.  Everyone has the capability to be a reporter by sending that footage to a news station or using his or her very own social media accounts.

With the rise of the web, we have seen the rise of bloggers.  Bloggers are people who post information and opinions online in the form of a report.  One (and probably the most significant) difference between bloggers and journalists is that journalists are held to a higher standard in their work by their employers.  Journalists, usually, must tell the truth and take pride in getting facts correct, and usually concentrate on the details of a story, not an opinion on it, unless it’s an opinion piece.  Bloggers, on the contrary, are not held to this standard.  Anyone can start a blog and basically write anything they want.  If they want to publish complete lies in the Internet for anyone to read, they can do that.  This is why blogs usually can’t be viewed as credible as professional news sites.

Now, there are people who blog and are very professional about it.  Sometimes, companies can even use bloggers to promote the business and the products it produces.  Some bloggers don’t take pitches from companies in the way journalists might, but some do.  These influential bloggers who have many people read their publications can be a great way for companies to reach new people.  A great way to contact bloggers and journalists is through social media.  If a blogger or journalist is active on social media, direct messaging is a way to directly get in touch with them without harassing. 

To conclude, sometimes bloggers and journalists can play a similar role, especially in the eyes of a company, but their fields really are different.

The NFL’s Continuing Problem

I know it seems like I’ve posted a lot about the NFL’s domestic violence problem, but that’s because it’s still in the news, and it still is very much a problem.  This really is a definitive PR crisis unfolding in front us, and it seems as if the story changes or adds new details daily, making the situation consistently worse for the NFL.

Previously, it was “the Ray Rice problem.”  The footage of him punching and subsequently dragging his girlfriend’s unconscious body out of an Atlantic City elevator, and then his lack of punishment, caused a tremendous amount of criticism on the NFL’s front office, especially Commissioner Roger Goodell.  But, when it seemed like the problem couldn’t get worse, it certainly did.  There have been rumors that the footage from inside the elevator taken of Rice punching his girlfriend was sent to the NFL by Atlantic City security back in March.  This would mean the NFL deliberately tried to cover up what Rice did, up until the video broke online.

Now there are people asking for the resignation of Goodell as the league’s commissioner because of how poorly this situation has been handled.  Perhaps the NFL could have followed the NBA’s example on how to handle a crisis within the organization.  When the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers was taped making very racist claims, NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned him from the league and fined him the maximum amount.  This was met with respect from the media and the public. 

Perhaps the NBA will learn from the mistakes the NFL have made with this scandal, and try to avoid such problems in the future.  One thing we do know for sure is that the NFL could use a new PR department.  Maybe they’ll start hiring soon…

The Value of Informational Interviews

            In my opinion, one of the best ways to figure out if you want to pursue something in your life is to ask the people who are currently doing it.  At the end of my second semester sophomore year (just last spring), I actually conducted three informational interviews to gain a grasp of what it’s like to be a professional in my specific field of study.  Since my major is public relations, these people were all involved with communications and forms of marketing, while utilizing different forms of media along the way.  By the time I was finished conducting these interviews, I looked back through my notes and noticed three significant themes that kept coming up:  utilize opportunities that you can take advantage of (ESPECIALLY internships), be proficient in all forms of media writing and be personable, polite and presentable in your interviews and in the workplace.  Basically, nobody wants to work with someone who’s rude and incompetent, so work hard at your profession and your skills and you can become a very marketable person and a successful employee.  For more specifics about informational interviews and their specific values, I actually did a short podcast where I go more in-depth about the opportunities they present and some that I have done to give you a few examples.  The link is below.  I hope you check it out, because I’m speaking from experience and I can say I have already benefited from them.  I mention building your network, their value in the classroom and much more.

http://imeyer.podbean.com/mf/web/u9hzck/IanMeyerPodcast.m4a

Social Media really isn’t a Waste of Time

I’m sure, no, actually positive, that from the perspective of some members of older generations, social media looks like a complete waste of time.  Spending perhaps hours staring at a computer screen, not appearing to accomplish anything, can give off that vibe.  I understand, believe me.  But the reality of it is social media and its abilities have developed so much in the past few years that it really has become an effective tool for business and career building.  Now, looking at it from a parent’s perspective, if your son or daughter spends hours playing “Farmville” or tweeting about Justin Bieber’s new haircut, then it is indeed a waste of time.

However, what many people and companies have begun to realize is the advantage social media presents when it comes to networking, both to customers, people looking for jobs and to potential employers.  LinkedIn is a great tool for college students to connect with businesses and job opportunities even before graduating or applying.  If they are able to work and build their network to their advantage, then finding a job in their particular field may be that much easier. 

Facebook and Twitter, by far the largest social networks, are great ways for companies to connect with customers.  Facebook gives companies the ability to have “pages” for comments and new posts involving promotions and new business deals.  Essentially, it builds a vast and ever-growing Internet community to engage. 

Twitter, in contrast, allows a much more direct line of communication with a company.  It is full of more up to date information that users can access.  It also allows the companies to send messages to consumers in case of a crisis situation where direct contact may be needed.  Also, if a company is trying to send out a message designed to reach a larger audience, Twitter has an advantage over Facebook because Twitter users are much more likely to share or retweet what they see, as opposed to Facebook users.

The whole world can be at someone’s fingertips if they can build the right network, and this can all be done through social media.