Archive for facebook

A Digital Day Off – Battling Techno-Addiction and Experiencing the JOMO

Posted by Tracy Tuten Ph.D. on August 27th, 2012 in contact comfort, facebook, mobile apps, social media, technology

How many times a day, maybe even each hour, do you feel compelled to check into the digital lives of others? How does it feel when you are truly disconnected, off the grid? Could you be addicted to digital contact?

Jenna Wortham explains her sense of anxiety at being separated from her phone and, consequently, digital connectivity in an insightful article in the New York Times.  Fortunately for Jenna, it turns out the cloud of disconnectedness had a silver lining – the JOMO. JOMO stands for the Joy Of Missing Out. Jenna learned that by sacrificing digital connectivity, she found herself relishing her sense of self in the moment. The point – we can be so wrapped up in the lives of other people and our emotions about what is for them but isn’t for us that we miss the joy of living. A blogger, Anil Dash, wrote about JOMO in July – you can read that post here. Dash compares the joy of missing out to the fear of missing out. They are emotions tied together by opposite sides of the same coin. In fear, we seek out information on the experiences others are having (and that conveniently we are always privy to thanks to mobile, social apps and smartphones), lest we miss an opportunity. And when we learn of that missed opportunity, we find ourselves filled with negative emotions – jealousy, self-doubt, and regret. Dash wisely advises that we consider how we really wish to spend our time – Does connectivity equate to happiness in our lives? Might we choose to devote ourselves to an event knowing we will miss out on something but also knowing we can relish the experience of the choice we made? This is the joy of missing out.

But what if you can’t make that choice? What if the joy of missing out is beyond reach because of an addiction to constant digital contact? Kelly McGonigal, a professor at the Stanford Business School, researches addictions, especially techno-addictions. In a recent interview, McGonigal explains what a techno-addiction feels like.

“There is a common feeling, whether it is a drug or food or shopping or technology. If you pay attention to what is happening in your mind and body, you notice a free-floating anxiety, and then a sense of urgency, especially when separated from the object of addiction: “I have to have it now,” or “I have to keep clicking or checking.” It’s more like panic than a positive desire.”

McGonigal points out that our brains have adapted to the modern world by recognizing that we need information just as we need food. The tendency to feel the sensations of addiction comes from a survival instinct to ensure we eat. In today’s world, information is crucial to survival and our brains know it. Still, McGonigal believes we are subject to overcommunication and learning to control the urge for digital contact is beneficial.

How can we be free of techno-addiction? Like approaching any addiction, just being aware of the sensations you experience when you have a craving is helpful. McGonigal says,

“Surf the urge. Pay attention to what it feels like in your body and to your breathing. Think of the urge like a wave you are going to surf, and breathe through it. Like a wave, it will crash and dissolve. Cravings sustain themselves when your brain and body believe you are going to give in. As soon as you make a commitment not to, it begins to change how the brain is processing the craving. This approach has been shown to help people conquer all kinds of cravings, from food to cigarettes.”

The second bit of advice is to set up a system for doing without constant connectivity. Be without.  And that bit of advice brings us to the opportunity I wanted to share with you today.

The Reconnect Project wants to see what a person can do creatively in a day without digital connectivity. You can read more about the project here. The Reconnect Project believes that good can come from a 24-hour online blackout. That’s right – a whole day off the grid. Other than being digitally disconnected, the only other requirement is that you do something, anything, creative.

The Online Blackout will take place September 2nd. September 3rd you are invited to submit your stories, images, songs, etc. about your day of digital freedom to the Reconnect Project Facebook page at  https://www.facebook.com/reconnectproject.

Get ready. Take a (digital) day off. Live in the moment. And remember to surf the urge and breathe through the impending panic. Once the wave crashes, experience the JOMO!

Will Regulatory Boards Change the Definition of Advertising?

Posted by Tracy Tuten Ph.D. on August 22nd, 2012 in advertising, Advertising 2.0, brands, facebook, Social Media Marketing

Earlier this month, the Advertising Standards Board (ASB) in Australia ruled that fan posts to brand pages in social media are advertising and, consequently, the brand in question is liable for the content. In short, user-generated content shared on branded profiles must meet any self-regulatory advertising guidelines and consumer protection laws.

The issue arose due to a complaint against the official Smirnoff Australia Facebook page, which held that the brand page promoted forms of discrimination, irresponsible drinking and excessive consumption, and underage consumption. You can read the complaint, Smirnoff’s response to the complaint, and the ASB’s case report here. The complaint was dismissed but in the ruling, the ASB acknowledged that fan content on a branded page meets its definition for advertising. It went on to say that brands have a reasonable degree of control over postings.

The ruling applies only to Australian brands, but still, there are far reaching implications for branding using social media. Traditionally, advertising has been defined as paid media. It is under the brand’s control because the brand funds the distribution of the message. Social media has typically been categorized as earned media. Though brands may encourage brand mentions through their actions, earned media suggests that conversations about a brand are earned, not bought. Earned media can be negative, neutral, or positive. Brands can also use owned media for promotion. Owned media are media that are under the direct control of the brand – the media exposure is not purchased. The ASB suggests that user-generated content on social media profiles is paid media, but at best, it should be categorized as owned media.

In any case, this ruling matters as brands become more adept at using social media to reach customers. I’ve heard some retailers say that they use Facebook for promotions but keep comments on their wall turned off. The justification is to avoid the need to moderate comments and to prevent negative commentary from appearing on the brand’s page. In my view, barring comments goes against the value of social media. Social media are meant to be participatory. Brands engage in social media to engage customers. If customers can’t contribute content, social media might as well be one-way, mass communication. Yet, I fear that this is precisely the tactic some brands will take in an attempt to preempt legal action related to user content in social spaces.

Did the ASB miscategorize social media content as advertising content? Will brands shut down fan contributions or make a stand? I welcome your thoughts on the ruling and its implications.

Increased Use of Facebook in Ad Agency Campaigns

Posted by Tracy Tuten Ph.D. on December 9th, 2011 in advertising, facebook

It doesn’t take a connoisseur of social media marketing to recognize that tools like Facebook are becoming more prevalent in advertising campaigns. What is interesting, however, is the increased pace at which organizations are adopting the use of these tools. On October 20th of this year, a Strata survey revealed that 89% of advertisers who responded to their survey were using Facebook in their campaigns. Remarkably, this statistic supported a nearly 10% increase from Strata’s third quarter survey, which was released to the public only months earlier in July of this year.

By sharing this data, posted by David Cohen to AllFacebook.com, a forum was created for advertisers in the industry to assess it and leave feedback. Mario Zeleha of Majestic Media was pleased to read that the use of Facebook was growing, but was skeptical about some of the statistics tabulated by Strata:

“We’ve been pushing Facebook to our ad agency partners for years now. So glad to see that it’s finally starting to take mass appeal. Unfortunately,” said Zeleha, “I think the % might be a bit skewed, because what agencies say “yes, I integrated Facebook to my campaign”, could very well mean sticking a Facebook logo or URL on a commercial or product so it says: “Find us on Facebook”.

Zeleha makes a valid point. Many businesses without greater knowledge of how to implement social media marketing into their advertising strategies may actually do themselves a disservice by creating accounts in places like Facebook and Twitter but neglecting to provide fresh, engaging content. The good news is that statistics like the one mentioned above do support an increased awareness of the benefits of utilizing tools like Facebook for marketing. With the support and direction of knowledgeable advertising agencies, businesses can comfortably continue to allocate funds to increasing their online presence through social media.

Consider the following statistics, also shared by Cohen on AllFacebook.com:

  • Digital is catching up to local TV as the medium of choice, rising 43 percent compared with the second quarter to 34 percent of ad buys, trailing local TV by just 1 percent.
  • 85 percent of respondents said they are more focused on digital this year than they were in 2010.
  • 20 percent of respondents said they will spend more on digital than on traditional media within one to three years, while 36 percent said that will never happen at their agencies.
  • 56 percent of agencies responded that their clients see the value in digital, while 44 percent said the opposite.
  • As far as Facebook’s competitors in the social networking sector, YouTube overtook Twitter for second place, with 39 percent of ad agencies investing in the Google-owned video site and 37 percent fin the 140-character service. LinkedIn was mentioned by 22 percent of respondents as a network they would use in their campaigns, while Google Plus lagged behind, at just 14 percent.

Join the discussion. Are these statistics accurate? What do they mean for advertising agencies and the businesses they support?

 

ECU’s Wednesday Lock Down: Social Media As A Reliable News Source?

Posted by Tracy Tuten Ph.D. on November 17th, 2011 in facebook, social media, twitter

As policemen roamed campus during Wednesday’s lock down, many students were concerned.

I’ve had many friends who weren’t at ECU on Wednesday ask me what happened. Why was ECU on lock down? Basically, the story is that two separate calls reported a man with a rifle on 5th Street near the ECU campus. The police identified on video the man in question and it was unclear whether the item protruding from his book bag was a rifle or something else. Acting on the safe side, the lock down was called and a search proceeded. No new information was released outside of the alert that a potentially dangerous incident occurred on 5th Street and that everyone should stay indoors and away from windows.

We are information seekers by nature and with computers, pads, and smart phones readily available, many of us turned to Twitter and Facebook for news regarding this situation. If you’ve ever done the classic communication activity in class, you know that as information passes from one person to another, nuances and accuracy can be lost and misinformation can arise. That’s just what happened on Twitter and Facebook, except it occurred at the speed of light and with greater reach than we would have had in a classic WOM situation.

At various points, reports on Twitter and Facebook claimed that someone had been shot on campus, there were hostages in the Rivers building, that there were evacuations at the Rivers building, and that the gunman was on a city bus holding hostages. Obviously, the reports added to the fear we experienced and with little information being released from official sources, some information – even if that information lacked credibility – seemed better than none.

Many people I know – especially young people – say they don’t watch the news or read the newspaper (even online) anymore. They turn to Twitter and Facebook to get their news. But we have to remember that Twitter and Facebook relies on *crowd-sourced* news – news from citizen journalists, who are not trained to investigate and report the facts responsibly and who are not required to have credible sources for the news they are reporting. The news we get from Twitter and Facebook is no more reliable than the people who are doing the posting.

Social media communication can be useful in difficult times. We’ve seen situations with positive outcomes due to social media WOM. In the case of the ECU lock down, it added to the fear and anxiety those involved felt, and distracted police officials from their ability to do their jobs well as they sought to respond to false reports coming from social media channels.

What’s the answer then? There are so many advantages to the social society we’ve become, and yet clearly Wednesday’s scenario provides a backdrop for the disadvantages to be considered as well. What are your thoughts?

G-Male: Perfect Boyfriend Or Creepy Stalker…?

Posted by Tracy Tuten Ph.D. on October 15th, 2011 in facebook, Google, social media

Social media services have proven to be effective ways for people to connect. Whether for personal use or marketing purposes, social media services have allowed individuals connect across the globe and share content (ideas, articles, photos, etc.) with the click of a button.

The History of Sharing

When social media services like Facebook first began, any information that was shared on one account was generally shared with anyone else connected to that account. Facebook and services like Facebook have since recognized that sharing all content with everyone isn’t always in a user’s best interest. People usually want to connect with more than one group, and often times it is important that these groups remain separate due to their tone and the material shared.

Recent Developments

Google+ instituted “Circles” which allows you to group contacts into friends, family, co-workers, and other specified categories. As a result, Google+ users can keep a relaxed tone with their friends, share memories with their family, and remain professional with their co-workers.

But Google+ isn’t the only personalized service that Google and other online services provide to help us stay organized. The keywords we enter into search engines help identify products or services we might be interested in and Facebook does an uncanny job of recommending “People You May Know”; likewise, Twitter helps us define “Who To Follow”.

Should We Continue In This Direction?

Obviously, millions of people remain undeterred by these functions because usage of social media services continues to grow, but at what point is one’s privacy being infringed upon? Would you appreciate a boyfriend or girlfriend who knew as much about you as your browser does? Watch the following YouTube video, G-Male, by Comediva, and share your thoughts below.

How to Improve Your Facebook Strategy

Posted by Tracy Tuten Ph.D. on October 4th, 2011 in facebook, social media
Image from facebooksmileys.org

What should you stop doing to improve your company’s Facebook Page?

Given that Facebook has over 800 million active users, half of which log on in any given day, and that the average user has 130 friends (Facebook Statistics, 2011), marketers who have not developed their clients’ Facebook presence simply are not doing their jobs. Just like an advertising firm 30 years ago would not neglect print as a critical part of their campaign, so too must the marketer of today include Facebook.

Facebook users are eager to communicate with brands via their Pages and share deals they find online via their Walls. A marketer who develops a Facebook strategy will not reap a heavy ROI overnight, but with honest engagement, focused direction, and energetic flexibility, a Facebook presence will increase a brand’s revenue.

All that being said, can you still mess it up? Unfortunately, yes. Just because Facebook is *free*, that does not mean the wisdom of a well-developed strategy is. Recently, Pamela Vaughan, blogger for HubSpot, wrote an article entitled, “17 Things Marketers Should Delete From Their Facebook Strategy NOW.” Below Vaughan’s first seven tips are summarized, but please scroll to the bottom to read her article at length.

1. Make sure your business has a “Page” and not a “Profile.”

2. Update your Page’s lengthy URL with a Vanity URL.

3. Delete your awful Photo/Image and replace it with one that looks good and works well as a Thumbnail.

4. Stop fearing comments!

5. Don’t use desperate strategies to generate fans.

6. If you just make your content about YOU, (i.e. only promotional,) fans will stop “liking” you. Change this.

7. Avoid only auto-posting. Keep it social.

Are any of these tips particularly challenging for you as a marketer? For example, many “old school” marketers find it challenging to enable the comments feature and allow fans to view both positive and negative feedback. Remember that it is the way you respond to the comment, and not just the comment itself, that speaks volumes about the way you handle your business. What are your thoughts?

Source: 17 Things Marketers Should Delete From Their Facebook Strategy NOW, by Pamela Vaughan

Facebook Changes Causing a Stir – What’s to follow?

Posted by Tracy Tuten Ph.D. on September 22nd, 2011 in blogs, facebook

Changes to Facebook’s News Feed may only be the beginning.

Facebook’s News Feed, which tells users what their friends are up to, endured changes earlier this week that had many users wishing there was a ‘dislike’ button to voice their disapproval. Fortunately, Facebook respects the voice of its users and many were able to share their thoughts on the Facebook Blog.

Brandi Genest Weeks’s comment on the Facebook Blog embodies how many who dislike the changes feel: “Quite frankly I don’t want Facebook deciding who is most important in my life,” she said.  “I want my news feed to just go chronologically and if I want to hide posts from someone, I will.”

However, while you may not personally know anyone who likes the changes, they are out there. According to George Mathis, who blogs for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, more than 1,300 Facebook users ‘liked’ the changes before he published his post at 9:36 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

If your heart is still aching for the old News Feed though, don’t worry, Facebook hasn’t completely forgotten about you. Along with the recent changes came the addition of the Ticker – a feed in the top right-hand corner that gives users updates in chronological order – similar to the old News Stream.

But is this only the beginning? In an effort to compete with Google+, which has already drawn more than 10 million users, rumors are flying about additional changes to Facebook. A “massive site makeover,” according to USA Today, would bring music services, mobile advances, and next-generation video sharing.

Excuses for Slack&#^## Bloggers

Posted by Tracy Tuten Ph.D. on January 15th, 2009 in blogger, blogs, facebook, microblogs, twitter

Blogger, I have two new crushes. Twitter and Facebook. I’ve been on FB a few years but resisted getting really engaged. I’m new to tweeting, but the crowdsourcing of info-searching has me hooked.

Here’s the problem – I’m microblogging, which has resulted in feeling like I have less to say on the blog. It shouldnt’ really. There’s room for both – I can microblog a thought or insight or link, but could assess, interpret, analyze, and comment on brand-related developments here. I just lack the motivation to blog it up when I’m busy tweeting. And really, one can even comment in-depth on facebook with notes, or on friendfeed.

What’s a blogger to do?