Extended Essay

Social Media Reputation

Social media has become an important channel for customer service and feedback. Companies use it to their advantage in order to excel.

There is a risk that companies take when they ignore the true benefits of social media. They risk their reputation and sales. According to the Zeno Group, Inc. communications firm’s research, about 71% of executives at larger companies say their CEOs consider their company’s social media reputation when they conduct business. It’s essential during decision-making to large corporations. As mentioned in my previous post, Preparation for Social Media Disaster, company’s react fast to a damaging article or social media post. There’s a rule of thumb to never let any negative comments go unanswered.

You must not ignore your social media reputation as it might hurt you in the future. You must make sure you have a positive presence on social media and monitor and respond accordingly. Your reputation depends on it; you might even gain some important business insight.

Social Media Attracts Good Employees

Social media reputation goes a long way. It attracts good employees. The attitude of a company’s twitter or Facebook can definitely influence people’s perception.  It’s important that the corporate mission statement is clear through the company’s social media practices and beliefs. Personally, the company’s online reputation matters as much as the job offers. Social media plays a vital role in the candidate’s view of the company.

The posts, tweets, photos, and company events reflect what’s happening internally. If employees are satisfied with the online reputation then they should be happy within their work environment.

For instance, Goggle is advertised through many social media platforms as a “A Place to Work and Play”.

A place of play indeed, the above slide is connected to the 1st and 2nd floor

Other companies compliment on Google’s culture and workplace norms.

The above tweet expresses how others view Google

Company culture is also important. Social media portrays the culture of the company through its post. That can be the deciding factor in choosing one company over another. Respondents must be effective at communicating its corporate mission, goals, and beliefs, as we seen with Google. Overall, a strong social media program and a good company culture are ways to easily attract employees.

Universities Joined the Bandwagon

Colleges are now creating applications that inform students that they have been “Accepted”. You no longer have your typical e-mail or letter in the mail. You don’t even have to log into your computer and visit the admissions website; instead you can access it immediately from your phone.

The University of Georgia has an app that has been downloaded more than 700,000 times. This is a prime example how technology adapts to the time. Students who are applying for colleges now spend so much time on their phone. They made it easier for the applicants to stay updated with any/all campus notifications.

University of Georgia Application 

This app is to be relatable and relevant in today’s communication environment.  According to a study by the Center of Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 90% of admissions officers say their investment in social media efforts has produced positive results.

Universities use social media to reach out to potential and current students. You may already see universities utilizing platforms such as: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest, and Spotify. It’s as simple as launching a Facebook page and watch the quantity of applications come in.

Each college has different approaches to online recruiting. I find it interesting that Morehouse College has “Morehouse Monday’s”, where perspective students can use Facebook’s group chat feature to talk with everyone from financial aid officials to the schools presidents in real time.

All is in an attempt to broaden the schools brand and image. Students who are looking for an authentic perspective on a school they can easily access a Facebook or Twitter account. Social media platforms are well established tools for student engagement.

Social Media Changing Disaster Response

When cell phone service is unavailable, Facebook is the next thing. Pages were created in the aftermath of several natural disasters in hope to raise awareness and funds for families and people in need. Two weeks after a storm, a Facebook page would have about 6,500 “likes” and would still grow every day. Facebook pages are the quickest way to get information, as survivors and their relatives relied on social media as they have once leaned on Red Cross. The biggest part of using social media is not only about receiving help from the government but from the public as well. Prior to these platforms you were left trying to figure out what you needed and now the need is quickly met. Social media is the primary source of communication following many natural disasters.

Social media platforms can be used to inform a specific area of a storm warning or any other weather alert, for instance,

This tweet is informing people of breaking weather news

Social media is made for social interaction and is highly accessible. Companies, universities, politicians and many more use social media as a mean to communicate to consumers, employees, potential employers and voters. They use it to create, share, and exchange information and ideas virtually. 

what do you think social media will be used for in the near future? 

Facebook & Twitter More Addictive than Alcohol?

Social media is indeed very addictive. This generation (Y) feels the need to constantly be plugged in. It’s hard for people to resist the urge to check social networking sites for updates, it seems more difficult than turning down a drink nowadays. You would think the top two things the young generation long for during the day is sleep and sex, But, social networks are the hardest to resist. 

According to a new research on people’s daily struggles withself-control and desire, Facebook and Twitter are harder to resist than alcohol and cigarettes.  The findings explore the thin line between self-discipline and addiction. The researchers gave BlackBerrys to 205 adults and signaled them seven times a day at randomly selected daytime hours for one week. When they were contacted the participants reported whether they were experiencing any desires or urges for something and what it was they yearned for.

The majority of the reports proved that some felt strong desires for sex and sleep but cravings for cigarettes and alcohol were unexpectedly low. But in terms of behavior the participants had the hardest time refraining from checking social media when they preferred not to, and from working.

When you think of an addiction, one may think of it as being located in a substance or perhaps an activity and displaces everything else. In this special case, an addictive drug is viewed as changing the brain to make it unable to resist social media. However, addiction is a matter of imbalance between your personal desire to engage in the addictive behavior and your conflicting desire to avoid the negative consequence of the said behavior.

The participants in the BlackBerry research were mostly college students and employed people between the ages from 18-55. Aha! So, it’s evident that the younger generation fall victim to the unhealthy addiction of social media.  

A co-author, Wilhelm Hofmann of Chicago University said:

“Desires for media may be comparatively harder to resist because of their high availability and also because it feels like it does not ‘cost much’ to engage in these activities, even though one wants to resist. With cigarettes and alcohol there are more costs — long-term as well as monetary — and the opportunity may not always be the right one. So, even though giving in to media desires is certainly less consequential, the frequent use may still ‘steal’ a lot of people’s time.”

All in all, social media is harder to resist because it’s easily accessible and doesn’t cost much like other addictions such as alcoholic beverages. When the opportunity presents itself which is often, people are checking their phones to be constantly updated.


Below are interesting results signifying how addictive Facebook and Twitter are:

How often do you check or update your Facebook or Twitter? Do you check it after you go to bed...?

Post Later, Remind Me Later

I find it funny that I too find myself caught up in a trend. I used to tease my friends about ignoring my calls and texting me right after. Ugh! But, now, I too prefer to text than call. It’s crazy! I blame the influence of this generation. They prefer to communicate with each other via text message in place of causal conversation:

• What time are you out of class?
• Do you want to eat lunch together?
• What are you doing?

But as I get heavily involved in my professional career I find myself exchanging direct communication:

• Running late, on my way
• Review the attached document and edit it to your liking
• Confirm that you will be in attendance at our next meeting

If it wasn't for caller ID, you’d never know who called you because you barely answer the phone or at least I don’t. I also get impatient and find myself just deleting the voicemails before listening to it and just texting back, “What did you call for?" 

I found an interesting article that I’d thought was relevant to share, Disruptions: Digital Era Redefining Etiquette. This article uncovers the un-normal norms. What was once normal is now foreign to people.

Voicemail lost its purpose because people expect a text message rather than a voicemail.  I mean think about how long it takes to access your voicemail and actually listen to those lengthy messages. It may seem time consuming compared to shooting a quick text message to someone. Phone companies made it even easier for us to comply with this lazy way of communicating. For iPhone users, have you noticed the reply with message option and for droid users, have you noticed the reject call with message option? They are encouraging us to ignore calls! Why?!

It’s amazing how many socials norms just don’t make sense anymore. People are SO wrapped up in  digital communication that they lose touch with the polite and civilized ways people used to interact. Rather than just asking someone for directions, they prefer to Google something on their smartphone. Technology is taking away from our interpersonal skills. The author mentioned when he asked a friend for something that could be easily discovered on the internet, his friend responded with, lmgtfy.com, which means Let Me Google That For You. Aha! Now, that’s rude!

Fun Fact: "Google" became a transitive verb on June 15th, 2006 in the Oxford English Dictionary

But it's true! People lost their touch. Take the smartphone for instance, there’s an app for everything! You have a widget for weather, contacts, maps, store hours, and so much more. People no longer have a reason to have a conversation with someone nor ask any questions. It seems as unnecessary communication to this generation!  Why ask someone something that I can simply access by the ends of my fingertips? It’s even a verb! When my fellow classmates ask a question and are not sure about the answer, they would suggest, “You should Google that!”

The article hits home for me and I’m sure it will for you too. Will our politeness die out? Is it no longer a trending topic? Let’s hope our forms of communication become important again. 

Did You Know?

Did you know an estimated of 300 hiring professionals monitor social media to search for job candidates?  I find that intriguing! We spend so much time on it that we sometimes forget to filter what images or language we post online. Are you careful with what you post online? Hiring managers search through social networks thoroughly and examine the types of posts and behaviors you are associated with. Employers usually screen candidates after receiving a completed application. Even though Facebook is said to be a dying network, employers use Facebook the most to screen the candidates. You may not think that employers are taking the time to look you up but they actually are! So, don’t give them a reason to reject your application. The main thing you want to refrain from is lying about your qualifications and having them cross-check your LinkedIn profile to find out it’s a lie! Today, nothing is private! Corporations may be interested in observing your social skills and personality and see if you will fit in with their corporate culture. Your name is your brand! You don’t want to deteriorate your personal brand by associating with negative comments or exaggerating about your skills.

Below you will find another inforgraphic, How Are Employers Screening Job Applicants?” 

As students, especially as graduate students it's imperative that we are cautious as to what we are Tweeting, Face-booking  and so on. We are no longer undergrads in which we were naive and young. Now, we are at a different level and are viewed as professionals.  But we have to remember that personal brand isn't perishable. So whatever we may have posted in the past will not go anywhere. Even if you go a year without activity, social media sites will still remember who you are! Scary? Just a little! But that’s the risk you’re taking when you create all these different accounts. So what we have to ask our self everyday is, “Is this building a personal brand?” if so, then awesome, if not, then refocus your priorities.

 

Is Social Media Taking Over Our Lives?

Is social media taking over our lives? Recently, social media has become one of the most powerful sources for news updates through media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus. For instance, companies and organizations are using Facebook Pages to update their employees and prospective employees. Nowadays, social media has a HUGE influence on networking and job searching as well. Companies are utilizing LinkedIn to screen employees for potential job opportunities.

Below you will see an Infogrpahic by Morrison & Forester’s popular Socially Aware Blog that captures American’s true obsession with social media.

Again, is media taking over our lives? Let’s see how much time we really spend on social media…

I thought to share this with you all because I found the statistics to be so fascinating! The numbers actually amaze me in the sense that I thought we spent more hours a month on social media networks. All the time spent interacting digitally hinders the face to face interactions and even creativity! It makes me think about those who are introverted and can network on line from inside their comfort zone but when in person they cannot articulate or communicate as effectively. As social media is relatively new I still feel there will be a impact sooner than we think. 

Just some food for thought!