Blog #14 11 Ways to Use Social Media to Advance Your Career

   The LAST article I am blogging about is titled, 11 Ways to Use Social Media to Advance Your Career written by Aliza Licht. Social media can help catapult seemingly regular people into personal brands. This article gives 11 ways that social media can be used to benefit your career. The first way is to find the platform that feels right for you, you do not need to be on every social media platform but you need to be on at least one. Plan your strategy on the kind of content you have to work with. The second way is the profile picture and bio in social media are like your résumé,you SHOULD not leave them blank. Let the employer know your a person and who you are. The third way is posting and engaging with your followers regularly will grow your following. You have to start the conversation with your followers, create interaction. It is important! The fourth way is to listen before you speak. You need to post as well as listen, read the conversations people are having before giving your two cents. The fifth way is to scratch people's backs.When you can not think of anything to post, help others get their thoughts published. Voice other peoples posts and build your follower base. The sixth way is  embrace yourself, the truer you are to yourself, the happier you will be. Providing honesty to your followers is a great tactic to get them to like you. The seventh way is don't beg. Do you beg for friends normally? You need to build great relationships not just increase numbers. How you build a follower base is the result of three things: (1) putting out great content, (2) engaging with people who speak to you, and (3) proactively reaching out to others. The eighth way is to strike up a conversation online. Ask someone a question, create conversations. Get your name out there! The ninth way is to inspire. People love motivation and people love to be inspired, by posting these not only will your followers like the content, hopefully they will share it and get more awareness for your personal brand! Quotes are pretty much a given to be retweeted, which will grow your audience exponentially. The tenth way is to curate your timeline.  Make sure it is consistent and make sure you speak your own voice, not others. You want to speak and watch yet still post original content. The last and final way is to filter what you say. Post only what you feel comfortable!

   This article relates to our social media class because not only do businesses use social media to get more of a following, regular people use it to get their name out. if you can tap into the potential that social media offers, you will be a valuable asset for any company.

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/career/advice/a39550/ways-to-use-social-media-to-advance-your-career/

Blog #13 Businesses NEED to be Active on Social Media

   The article I am blogging about is titled, Businesses Need to be Active on Social Media written by Jodie Perry. This article starts out by saying the age of social media is upon us, is your company effectively using social media? Are you with the times? The article states that each year, hundreds of millions of people are logging on to social media, that is such a huge amount that companies need to desperately tap into. Half of all online adults 65 and over use Facebook which represents 31% of all seniors. Half of the internet using young adults (18-29) use Instagram and half of all Instagram users use the site daily. Pinterest is dominated by females, 42% female to 13% male. The facts only intensify the need that companies need to be on social media. It is critical not only because it allows you to reach your target audience more effectively but it allows you to communicate with your consumers which can hugely increase your chances for exposure and sales. 
   
   The article then goes into five things you can do to help your company get started with social media. The first step is to start somewhere. It may be extremely overwhelming to see all of the platforms that are available for social media. You need to buckle down and choose the platform that is best for your company and start by creating an account. Facebook has the most users, so if you do not know where to start, Facebook is the best bet. The second step is to Be Visual.   Photos, Videos and visuals will not only capture the attention of your followers  but will help create a visual element to your companies stories. Consumers do not and will not read a post with all words, they need something to catch their eye. The third step is to block out time on your calender.You need to be consistent when posting on social media, if you are going to post each day then make sure each and every day there is a post waiting. If you schedule your postings in advance it will be easy to manage your time and most platforms can even allow you to schedule postings on their page so that you do not even have to be on the site. The fourth step is to be interactive. The whole point of social media is to create that channel to interact with your consumers. Engage with them, comment when they post something funny. Show that you are a real person and have a personality. The last and final step is to follow best practices. Follow companies that have good social  media activity to learn not only what they do, but what works and what doesn't. It gives you good recon and helps you learn what posts work best with your company. 

   This article relates to our social media marketing class because it shows how important social media is in today's growing digital market. You need to be on your A-Game and show that you are willing to go with the times. You also need to be on social media to interact with your consumers. Many customers will go to social media now if they have a positive or negative experience and it is important for you to be there for your consumers to keep them coming back. 

http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/story/money/2015/04/19/businesses-need-active-social-media/25715193/

Blog #12 5 Social Media Marketing Metrics You Should Be Tracking

   The article I am blogging about is titled, 5 Social Media Marketing Metrics You Should Be Tracking written by Aaron Agius. This article beings by saying that social media can be a great tool for companies who know how to use it, while also being the kiss of death for companies that focus on the wrong priorities. Many companies know how to keep track of their followers and likes but is there other numbers they should be tracking? Agius says that there are many reasons why social shares provide very little information on the effectiveness of your campaign, the first being; many shares come from bots, social shares may not come from your target customers and social shares can be from people that are speaking negatively about your brand. However, even though shares show that people are seeing your post you need to track the metrics that really matter for your social media efforts. The goal first and foremost is to boost customer engagement and brand awareness. 

   The first metric is brand search volume. A 2009 study from GroupM found that customers that are exposed to a brand on social media are 180% more likely to search for that brand on search engines. You need to understand how many times your company is searched on major search engines. There are many tools that can show this information but Google Insights and Google Trends are the easiest and most effective. It can show you how your search numbers stand up against your competitors and give you insight on engagement. The second metric is lead growth. You need to use an attribution program to tell you whether or not your social  media campaign results in positive leads or conversion growth. Programs that can easily find this information for you are Marketo or Converto which measure social interactions such as page visits and email opens before a potential target becomes a customer. Not only will this data tell you if your social campaigns are performing the way they were Not only will this data tell you if your social campaigns are performing as forecasted, it’ll show you how to better use your resources. The third metric is brand sentiment. Not all publicity is good publicity. You need to have a program that can tell the difference. Tools such as SocialMention and Meltwater can help you measure the context of the conversations surrounding your brand online. To prepare for this possibility, create internal documents and contingency plans as far as who is responsible for responding to negative brand mentions. The fourth metric is inbound links. Inbound links are both essential ranking factors for a good measure of your content’s overall popularity. It is important yo research the engine result page rankings. After you run a contest the number of inbound links may have increased showing that the marketing strategy was a success. The fifth metric is klout score. Klout has become a popular tool for measuring social media engagement. Monitoring your Klout score will give you a good indication of how effectively you’re engaging with your social media followers which is critical. Customers need to know that your brand has a personality and will get back to them if they have an issue. 

   This relates to our social media class because it shows the back end of social media marketing. It is not all about creating content, it is about studying who your target market and how to effectively market to them. You need to understand all of this before you start marketing on social media. This article also gives great tools that companies can use to track all of these metrics which not only saves times but makes marketing more efficient. 

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/244669

 

Blog #11 5 Essential Ellements of Any Social Media Campaign

   The article I am blogging about is titled, 5 Essential Elements of Any Social Media Campaign written by Doug Sandler. The article begins by describing what the point of a social media campaign is, which is to read, click, share, like or buy something. The article states that regardless of the size every company should focus on building a strong social media campaign to keep the consumers engaged. The article then gives  elements that are needed in a social media campaign to make it successful. The first element is The List. The list includes all of the people that you want to see your social media campaign. It is important to have this list because it gives you an outlet to promote your campaign and gives you an idea of who your target market is. It is also important to be connected to this list, you will get more positive feedback if you have a relationship with the people you are campaigning too. You NEVER want to buy followers, connections or likes, this comes off as desperate and has negative side effects on your original list. The second element is Brand. Do the consumers know what your brand is if they just saw your logo or company name? It is important to have that positive public image because it is what your consumers will think of you when they hear your company's name. On social media, the content you use, the color you choose, the image you choose and the one you use builds your brand. It is also important to respond to your consumers, not only does it benefit your brand and raise awareness but it gives you brand a personality. The third element is Content. If all you do is try to push your product down your consumers throat you will get no where. You need to blog, start conversations and get your consumers interested in what you have to say. This makes your company become an export on how and what to post. When you become an expert people will promote your products for you. Don't just stick to written content, create podcasts or videos to engage your consumers. You need to get involved. The fourth element is Call To Action. After you create your content you need to tell people what you want them to do. Don't just post a link, post it and tell them to click on the link. Tell people to act now and act often. It gives them a sense of rush which will make them act faster. The last element is Human Element. The human element is giving your company a personality and connecting with other people not jus machines. Too many companies have an automated response, give your content a human twist so that they know you are a real person. The article then says how important it is to have a good image not only on social media but off the web as well.
  
   This relates to our social media class because it shows how to run a successful social media campaign which is imperative to know in today's growing technology market. You need to stay one step ahead of technology and always make sure to adapt to these new changes. If you are consistent and post good meaningful content the followers will come.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/doug-a-sandler/5-essential-elements-of-a_b_7021572.html

Blog #10 Our Chief Executive Refusal To Use Social Media

   The article I am blogging about is titled Our Chief Executive's Refusal to Use Social Media is Holding The Charity Back  written by The Guardian. The article begins with a statistic, "Eight out of 10 people are more likely to trust and buy from an organization whose chief executive and leadership team use social media" (Page 1). It then goes into saying that Charity leaders on social media are considered digital pioneers and are praised for their social media efforts. In today's primarily digital world a charity CEO needs to be accessible to the charity's supporters. They need to be in constant contact to not only hear the voice of their followers but to see if any of their charity efforts have a negative impact. However, even with all of the good social media presence can do for organizations, some CEO's of charitable organizations won't touch social media, which can severely hold back a company's growth. The author of this article, who wishes to remain anonymous described that he has worked in charity marketing and communications for more than 15 years and understands how important it is to make yourself different and raise your presence in such a crowded environment. Stakeholders expect that leaders of such strong organizations to act as an ambassador and be easily contacted on social media platforms such as Twitter. It can be an effective tool to communicate with your stakeholders and it is virtually free. Unless you are promoting advertisements, having a company account is completely free for the organization. 
   
   The author's CEO is still adamant about not joining social media, he states that he will never, ever use social media. Senior leaders need to face the growing demands of technology regardless of their personal beliefs. To stay ahead in this crazy economical world one needs to not only understand advances in technology, but embrace it with open arms. If customers see that you are willing to "go with the flow" and create something that everyone else has, they will relate more to your product and you will have better buyer potential. 

   This relates to our social media marketing class because it is important to understand that you need to follow the path that your consumers and followers take. You need to adapt to their demands and wants if you want to stay successful. In this case the CEO needs to join social media not only because it is extremely beneficial to consumers by giving them an outlet to talk to senior management but because the employees are requesting it as well. Without a happy and stable work environment, the company will crumble as a hole regardless of their good intentions. 

http://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2015/apr/05/our-chief-executives-refusal-to-use-social-media-holding-charity-back

Blog #9 10 Ways to Grow Your Business Using Social Media

   The article I am blogging about is titled, 10 Ways To Grow Your Business Using Social Media by Andre Kay, CEO of Sociallybuzz. The article begins by pointing out how big of an impact social media has on our lives and that social media marketing is critical for companies to have a strategic advantage over their competition. The first way to grow your business is to stop living in denial. This step explains that social media is here to stay and that it is imperative to learn and accept it. You need to know that everyone is using it and by not using it you are severely hurting your chances at being better then your competitors. It is also important to understand that social media is constantly changing, you need to stay up to date with all the new technologies. The second way is join the conversation. You need to communicate with your customers over social media, if the post a complaint or praise on your wall it is important to interact with them in real-time. Not only does this give your company a voice but it shows that your company has a personality as well. The third way is stay true to your business. It is very important in social media to post content that is related to your company and brand image. It does not have to necessarily selling a product but it can be just a message that relates to your industry, business or target audience. Give the consumers a way to relate to your brand. The fourth way is to be in the know. As stated before, technology and social media are always changing and revamping. To help your company stay ahead of your competitors you need to be able to adapt and learn to the new changes. The fifth way is choose the right channels. When creating your social media accounts it is important to be on the social media outlet that is most consistent with your brand image. It is also smart to not waste time investing in all social media outlets and focus on a key few that will be consistent. The sixth way is create a plan. When posting on social media it is important to be consistent with your posts, if you create a weekly schedule on when you will be posting it will be easier to stay focused and ahead of your postings. The more often you post you will see the right timing and frequency that is right for your company. The seventh way is develop a crisis plan.  It is important to be prepared when it comes to social media. When a customer complains or bashes your company you need to know how to respond and control the situation. By making these plans in advance you do not need to scramble and you can have an effective response. The eighth way is develop multi touch points. To grow your  business more substantially and effective you should have multiple touch points of your social media and digital strategy to achieve specific goals. This helps grow your page with potential customers and keeps them engaged. The ninth way is make a great impression. You need to not only post great content, but great visuals as well to keep your customer interested and proud to be sharing and following your company. It not only expresses professionalism but cohesiveness. The tenth and final way is don't be afraid to delegate. If your business is expanding to rapidly it is important to know that you can hire an out of house social media team to control your social media accounts. Not only does this use less of your companies resources but it will be done by professionals that know how to handle professional social media accounts.

   This relates to our social media class because these are 10 basic rules that all companies should follow when they want to use their social media profiles effectively. Social media should not only create awareness of your company but it should also be an outlet for communication between the business and the consumer, a channel that is desperately needed to keep customer satisfaction high.

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andre-kay/10-ways-to-grow-your-busi_b_6979470.html

Blog #8 Bosses Can't Get Even

   The article I am blogging about is titled Bosses Can't Get Even When Staffers Gripe On Social Media written by The Associated Press. This article starts out by describing a scenario where Bert Martinez's employee posted her dislike for her boss and job on Facebook, after Martinez consulted with his lawyer on firing the individual, he finds out that the employee can not be fired. Martinez, Owner of Bert Martinez Communications in Phoenix says that he learned that employees are allowed to vent, you can not fire them for saying that their job environment is unpleasant. However, the employee quit a week after Martinez found out about the post. The article then states that the government protects workers' rights to say what they want about their work environment regardless if it is insulting on Facebook or Twitter. It states that it is illegal for employees to be fired for posting about pay, hours, work assignment, supervisors, dress code or any issue regarding their employment. All companies of all sizes deal with this issues, but it is especially harder for smaller companies to deal with this properly because they do not have the resources to hire a legal team. According to the National Labor Regulation Board, employees can not be fired for venting on social media because they are involved in concerted activity, or joining with fellow employees to improve working conditions. Henry Perlowski an employment law attorney with Arnall Golden Gregory in Atlanta states, "The NLRB is effectively taking the position that commentary about working conditions on social media is completely protected".  In 2014 the NLRB said that a restaurant fired two employees illegally when firing employees for discussing how income tax was withheld from their paychecks on social media. The NLRB quickly reversed those firings. The NLRB will uphold firings if a post damages a company through revealing trade secrets, saying disparage about product or services, posting about showing up and not working, or posting information regarding clients. 

   The article states that companies should have a written social media policy saying what employees can and can not due to prevent this incident from every happening. It also says that the company should review all of these policies with a lawyer or HR specialist to make sure it does not violate laws. Also, if an employee does post negative content on social media consult an attorney before taking disciplinary action. This deals with our social media class because employers on social media is a hot topic in today's job market. Employers will see what you post on social media and it can impact hiring decisions. It is important to be smart with what you post! 

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2015/03/25/workers-rights-on-social-media/

Blog #7 What to Consider When Trying to Market on Social Media

   The article I am blogging about is titled What to Consider When Trying to Market on Social Media by Brett Relander. This article first starts out by saying that social media is here to stay. Millions of people are on Social Media on a day to day basis and a lot of companies are exploiting that. The article then goes into steps on how to run a successful social media marketing campaign. The first step is to know which social media platform works best for your brand. People assume that they need to put their business on every social media outlet possible. However, it extends your resources and expenses. It also causes the company to work on many different platforms instead of focusing on one. The article suggests using the outlet that is  most relevant and valuable to your brand. For example if you are a cooking company, you make focus on YouTube to demo videos instead of tweeting recipes. The article describes that it is very important to find the outlet that will relate most to your company. The second step is that consistency matters. It states that social media marketing works best when it is consistent. The best way to stay constant is with a set posting schedule. This not only allows you to make the posts ahead of time, but you do not need to be necessarily on when the post get posted. Too much posting can also drive away your customers, becoming to loud on the web causes confusion and distaste. The third step is viral content. The goal of any social media marketer is to have their content go viral, which is not easy at all. When a brand posts daily the attention of the users becomes divided. Social Media Today states that content goes viral when it meets three characteristics; it is unique/exceptional, it appeals to influencers and can easily be shared. If you post too much it will be hard for anything to be unique.

   Not all content you post will go viral but if you aim yours posts to include those three characteristics the likely hood of content going viral increases. Social media gives companies the chance to get noticed and launch any startup business. When you take the time to set up each post so that it not only relates to your brand but sparks the interest of your consumer you will have a better chance of brand recognition and sharing. This relates to our social media marketing class because it gives tips on how to make the content you post viral. It also relates to our group project where we had to make viral videos representing the school of business.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/243215

Blog #6 Salvation Army puts #thedress in a new light with powerful domestic violence ad

   The article I am blogging about is titled, Salvation Army puts #thedress in a new light with powerful domestic violence ad written by Abby Phillip of the Washington Post. This article started by mentioning the famous dress that exploded over the internet and had millions wondering...was the dress white and gold, or black and blue. Days after this post went viral the Southern African brand of the Salvation army tweeted an image of a very bruised women wearing the gold and white dress with a caption saying, "Why is it so hard to see black and blue". The ad also includes this powerful message, "The only illusion is if you think it was her choice". 

    The Salvation Army Southern Africa division tweeted this on Twitter while also saying that one in 6 women are victims of abuse and even started a hash tag #stopabuseagaisntwomen. When the original image was posted it was retweeted 16,321 times and favorited 7,817 times. The original image was created by an agency in Johannesburg and was posted in the Cape Times Newspaper on Friday morning. In the Cape Times they linked it to the work that The Salvation Army does with abused women, children, and human trafficked women. They wanted to bring awareness to a growing problem. This problem is also seem with many famous sports team this year such as Ray Rice punching his girlfriend in an elevator and a hockey player from The Los Angeles Kings charged with domestic violence. It is an epidemic in today's culture. Hours after the Southern Africa Salvation Army tweeted the picture, the Salvation Army in Canada tweeted the same image. This image sparked positive feedback to not only the Salvation Army for "getting the message right" but for incorporating such an iconic image with it. Celebrities began tweeting their respect towards the Salvation Army. Chelsea Radler posted, "@SalvationArmySA brilliant campaign to #StopAbuseAgainstWomen that social justice marketing profs can learn from. #thedress #iwd.

  Last week I blogged about the original picture and how it caused a conniption because people did not know the color of it but this week it is important to blog about the dress because it raises awareness to such a problem in our culture. I think The Salvation army and Cape Times Newspaper got it right with this ad, it has feeling and provokes emotion while relating to common topics. This relates to our Social Media class because it shows the power of the internet and how even the most ridiculous things that become viral can be used to spread powerful messages.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/03/06/the-salvation-armys-powerful-new-ad-on-domestic-violence-puts-thedress-debate-in-a-new-light/

The White and Gold (No, Blue and Black!) Dress That Melted The Internet Blog #5

Social Media News Update 
   The article I am blogging about is titled, The White and Gold (No, Blue and Black!) Dress That Melted the Internet by Jonathan Mahler. This article starts out by giving a background story about the infamous dress that has gone viral over the weekend. A mother of a bride posted a dress on social media that has many disagreeing. Some see the dress as black and blue, while others (like myself) see the dress as gold and white. The dress was posted to numerous social media sites such as Buzfeed and Facebook and were shared by hundreds intently. Even scientists had disputes about this dress. That same afternoon. 30 minutes later Buzfeed posted a poll about the dress generating more than 28 million views. At the post's peak 670,000 people were steaming the post simultaneously breaking their old record for traffic.

   Celebreities got in on the action, posting their opinions to popular social media sites. Taylor Swift, Mindy Kaling and Kanye West all said that they see the dress as blue and black while other celebtries such as Kim Kardashian and Senator Chris Murphy see the dress as white and gold. However, the dress is actually blue and black and goes for 50 pounds at a British Retailer. Scientists say that one theory on why people can see the dress as different because of the lighting in the room. If it is darker, the dress is blue and black, if the room is light you will see the dress as white and gold. Duje Tadin the associate professor for brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester says that the color change may be due to the different number of photoreceptors or cones, located in the retina which perceive the color blue. Josep Tsocano, an assistant professor in the Villanova University Department of Psychology says that the image can be interpreted two different ways, much like an optical illusion. However, scientists do agree that this image is very unusual because once you see it one way, it is very hard to see it the other way.

   This relates to our social media class because it shows the power of social media. One regular person posted a picture of a dress on Facebook and it went viral generating millions of views and shares. If companies can harness the power of social media, it will be virtually impossible to not see ads because everyone is basically on social media 24/7 anyway. All I know is, to me, the dress is definitely white and gold.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/28/business/a-simple-question-about-a-dress-and-the-world-weighs-in.html

Blog #4 Social Media Rules for Teens

   The article I am blogging about is titled Social Media Rules for Teens written by Steven Petrow for the USA Today. The article starts out by displaying a post a mom in California wrote, about how her two sons desperately want to be on Facebook. She described that she forbid her children from going on Facebook until they are 13 and reached out to other parents to see what they think about children and teens on social media. Did you know that Facebook prohibits service to anyone under the age of 13 years old? I personally did not know that Facebook set those terms because I created my Facebook when I was 16.  It is also true for other social media platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram and Kik. However it is no secret that kids and pre-teens are using all of these social media platforms and more. According to Children's Online Protection Act, it is a federal law that sits can not collect information from people under the age of 13. However, it is not difficult to put the wrong birthday to make yourself seem older even though you are not.


   Petrow then states that it is important to set rules for your children when dealing with the internet and social media. A mother of two pre-teens says that they do not allow Facebook for their children but do allow Instagram as long as the parents follow their account and know all of their friends' names. This is smart, it allows the teens to have their freedom and join such a huge social network while still having restrictions. to many times do you hear about teens being bullied through social media or being stalked by people they believe to be their age. Ana Homayoun, a preeminent expert says, "Unfortunately, many parents choose to overlook the rule, but they often don't realize the message they are sending. Inadvertently, parents who let their kids join online social media networks are sending the message that it is okay to pick and choose which rules to follow. That message can quickly become a slippery slope because these young people are at a formative age where they are developing their own moral compass and sense of values" (Social media Rules for Teens). Teens follow what their friends do for guidance. They follow what they think is cool regardless if it is good or bad for them. I do think social media can be a positive because of the social networking aspects but because it is so easy to be someone you're not, it also offers a scary unknown aspect.


Petrow and Homayoun recommend to allow these teens to use social media when they are of age but keep all of their information to log on and check up on them when necessary. This relates to our social media marketing class because it deals with a major percentage of people who use social media, the teens and pre-teens. Facebook, Instagram and Kik are full of thousands of teens who want to be part of the "big picture". They will be the social media users of the future and it is important to incorporate such a big part of the world but to make sure it is restricted and age appropriate.  http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/personal/2015/02/21/social-media-rules/23740935/

Blog #3 Social Media Is Making You Stupid

   The article that I am blogging about it titled "Social Media Is Making You Stupid" written by Inc, a partner of Time Magazine. The article begins by saying how social media makes us unproductive and can even complicate relationships, but it then goes into a thought, can social media make you dumb? Scientists created 5 virtual social networks made up of volunteers. They broke up these volunteers by grouping some in a tight cluster, others were in contact with everyone, and some were not in contact with anyone. After they grouped the volunteers they asked a set of brainteasers to see if those who are more socially connected could decide the right answer.  


   The research showed that volunteers that were in the tightly connected network gave the correct answer more times but also had more opportunities to steal the answer from their social media "friends". Phys,org states, "“This result showed that when the students had lots of connections to peers they could recognize where they had given a wrong answer and swap it for the right one" (Social Media Is Making You Stupid). However, when given a new question that their connections did not have the so called copycats did not preform any better than before they joined the social site. 

   The results offer benefits for both fans and critics of social media sites. If you look at things on the group level, there is a positive correlation for social media. "“Being able to copy from other people in vast networks means analytical responses rapidly spread, fulfilling their promise of improved decision-making for well-connected people,” says Phys.org "" (Social Media Is Making You Stupid). However, on the individual level social media sites are not making you noticeably smarter. 

  This relates to our class because it deals with the behind the scenes aspects of social media. It shows how it might affect productivity which is crucial in a business environment, and it shows that positives and negatives of  being a tight nit social networking sight. 

http://time.com/9207/social-media-is-making-you-stupid/

Blog #2 Harvard Social Media

   The article I am blogging about is titled, "Harvard uses social media to attract record 37,000 applicants" written by Janet Lorin. This article starts out be stating that due to the heightened social media presence including a $150 million financial aid gift, Harvard's applications for Fall 2015 has increased 9 percent to 37,305 applicants. Six of the eight ivy league schools also announce that their applicant numbers have increased. However, when there is an increase in applicants, there also is an increase in rejection letters, a positive, yet sad correlation. "Colleges say they are increasing marketing efforts to reach top students, especially those from underrepresented groups" (Harvard uses social media to attract record 37,000 applicants). With their financial prize in hand, people who might not have been able to look at Harvard because of the cost can now apply and hope they not only get accepted, but get that financial grant. 
   However, with the increase in applicants, people are becoming outraged because Harvard is known for only accepting a small percentage of applicants. Sue Biermert, a college counselor at Adlai E. Stevenson High School described that companies are just using social media to show how competitive they are and that they are very selective. Harvard stated that they believe that more applicants applied to Harvard because of their new website and improved social media presence. Harvard invites students to follow them on various social media platforms, including, Facebook. Twitter, and Instagram. Harvard is happy with the increased numbers that they have received so far. Columbia University, Brown University, Princeton University and The University of Pennsylvania also had an increase in applicants. Yale has taken a different approach to target their applicants, they are cutting back on the marketing to target suitable applicants. 
   This relates to out social media class because it shows that social media can have a positive effect on not only am image of a company or a school but can also increase the activity associated with the establishment. To read this article the link is posted below:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/02/06/harvard-hits-social-media-attract-record-applicants/pB5D18gq6aAtHpbwsyHPEJ/story.html

Blog #1 Social Media Super Bowl

   It is no secret that many people watch the Super Bowl. It is also no secret that people watch the Super bowl just for the half-time performance and the commercials. The commercials for this year's program where not only funny, serious, and adorable but some were just down right sad. 
   Funny commercials included the Fiat ingesting a Viagra pill, Doritos pigs fly commercial and plane commercial, and Geico. I must say that the Fiat commercial was by far my favorite of the entire night, and the Doritos commercial that I chose (Spelling Bee) did not get chosen for the "Crash the Super Bowl" ad. The serious commercials included the "Like a Girl" and 100 years Dodge. The adorable ones, (always including at least one puppy) come from Budweiser, Nationwide, and Microsoft, just to tickle our heart strings. The sad yet completely awe-shocking ads included the Nationwide Child commercial. 
   For those who do not watch the Super Bowl for football, social media is a major outlet to let others know what they liked and did not like. There was more than 28 million tweets using #SuperBowl" and "#SB49. Facebook reported that 65 million of its users were talking about the game and that is was trending. Companies not only get the millions of eyes watching their commercials but they also get the behind the scenes social media action to boost their presence. I mean for millions of dollars for 30 seconds, I hope companies get a little more out of it than their 30 -60 seconds time slot. Over all I think it was a huge success for Companies because of all the watchers tweeting and posting their thoughts. In my mind not publicity on social media is bad publicity and word of mouth, or in this case word of computer is the most powerful form of publicity. Katy Perry was also trending because of her half time performance which boosts her popularity and makes her social media accounts sky rocket with follower requests. 
   To watch all the Super Bowl commercials you can find the link here, and a grading scale of the commercials: 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2350082-super-bowl-commercials-2015-grading-the-best-worst-ads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd3dvQE4Jl4