As an experiment, I decided to try out Second Life. I know that it might seem a little late but as I am studying Digital Marketing and becoming more involved with social media all the time now, I feel the need of experiencing the online world as much as I can, even if it’s just to know how people are using it.
So, I began by signing up for an account and choosing my avatar name and figure. I have to say that this first part was funny. Picking a new name and figure made me feel like I could be anyone in the world, “playing” and experiencing what is it like to be a different person.
After that, I had to continue and to select a place to start. I thought it would be good to see what kind of Brazilian places they had out there, so I selected a Brazilian Portal, where I would get a “tutorial” about how to use Second Life.
Then, I had to download a 'Second Life viewer' to my computer and that didn’t make me happy, but for the sake of the experience, I decided to download it and keep going. They tried to sell me a premium membership of Second Life, offering a beautiful pre-built home and L$1,000 in bonus, but I was definitely not ready for that yet!
Finally, I was “transported” to this island and I was able to see the “new me” on my “new world”. Unfortunately, from now on my experience was very frustrating since I didn’t even know how to walk…Yes, it was like being a little baby again, giving my first steps.
Some people started “talking” to me – do you need help? we are here to help you? - And my only concern was not to hit someone while trying to move around (at this point, I didn’t have the full ability to turn right or left...haha!). I know this sound silly but I’m not a gamer and really never had a lot of talent with it.
After a couple of minutes playing and figuring out how to live my new life…... I got tired of it and thought it was just too much for me!!
Showing posts with label Social Media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social Media. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Some thoughts about Twitter
Despite the belief that brands use Twitter only as a channel to support customer service and PR activities, some brands are actually making money using Twitter.
After Dell reveling last year that they have generated a total of $6.5 million in revenue from their Twitter presence, now Sony announced that they made over £1m in sales through Twitter.
It’s good to observe this examples and what’s the strategy that companies are adopting for Twitter. Unfortunately, many companies don’t actually have a strategy. They have a Twitter or Facebook account because someone thought it was nice to have a presence on social media sites or they just felt the pressure to get involved and hoped something would come from it.
But this lack of strategy can be very dangerous as the channel is open and the impact can be extremely negative if the company doesn’t have a structure to respond to customers that contact them through Twitter, for example. We have seen recently cases of customer complaints that became public because of social media, damaging companies’ reputations and costing them a lot of money.
I believe that if the company is not willing to have a team dedicated to social media and take it seriously, it’s better to be out of it.
After Dell reveling last year that they have generated a total of $6.5 million in revenue from their Twitter presence, now Sony announced that they made over £1m in sales through Twitter.
It’s good to observe this examples and what’s the strategy that companies are adopting for Twitter. Unfortunately, many companies don’t actually have a strategy. They have a Twitter or Facebook account because someone thought it was nice to have a presence on social media sites or they just felt the pressure to get involved and hoped something would come from it.
But this lack of strategy can be very dangerous as the channel is open and the impact can be extremely negative if the company doesn’t have a structure to respond to customers that contact them through Twitter, for example. We have seen recently cases of customer complaints that became public because of social media, damaging companies’ reputations and costing them a lot of money.
I believe that if the company is not willing to have a team dedicated to social media and take it seriously, it’s better to be out of it.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Movies go social
I was reading an article about How Lionsgate Plans to Take on 'Twitter Effect' for 'Kick-Ass' and I think it’s interesting to observe how a film success is increasingly dependent on social media efforts nowadays.
After Avatar’s massive box office success being attributed to all the word of mouth generated through their use of social media, I believe that we will definitely see more and more use of social media to help build online buzz around independent movies, television shows and DVD releases of blockbuster.
To promote the launch of the movie “Kick-Ass”, for example, Lionsgate is putting together their brand pages on YouTube, Facebook and MySpace under one unique platform. They said that the platform will allow them to integrate user comments, video streams and tweets (via a branded hashtag) on one place, with real-time metrics to show isolated and combined traffic statistics.
I’m curious to see if their tactic will pay-off, but it will surely be very hard for them to bit Avatar, which was ranked #2 highest grossing film of all times.
After Avatar’s massive box office success being attributed to all the word of mouth generated through their use of social media, I believe that we will definitely see more and more use of social media to help build online buzz around independent movies, television shows and DVD releases of blockbuster.
To promote the launch of the movie “Kick-Ass”, for example, Lionsgate is putting together their brand pages on YouTube, Facebook and MySpace under one unique platform. They said that the platform will allow them to integrate user comments, video streams and tweets (via a branded hashtag) on one place, with real-time metrics to show isolated and combined traffic statistics.
I’m curious to see if their tactic will pay-off, but it will surely be very hard for them to bit Avatar, which was ranked #2 highest grossing film of all times.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Social Media Example – Coca Cola
It’s nice to see how Coca Cola, one of the strongest brands in the world, has not stopped in time and is continually looking for the best way to interact with consumers.
With its millions of advocates worldwide, Coke had everything to do a great job on social media and apparently that’s what they have been doing.
Here is a presentation by Michael Donnelly, Group Director of Worldwide Interactive Marketing for Coca-Cola, which compiles some great examples of Coke’s approach on social media.
As another example of how the company is embracing social media and understanding the power of it, Coca introduced recently a Social Media Policy that empower and guides its employees on what they consider are the best practices for using their brand online.
Personally, I’m a fan of Coca Cola and I think it’s great to see a large corporation integrating social media into their existing principles of communication and how they are using it to enhance their brand.
With its millions of advocates worldwide, Coke had everything to do a great job on social media and apparently that’s what they have been doing.
Here is a presentation by Michael Donnelly, Group Director of Worldwide Interactive Marketing for Coca-Cola, which compiles some great examples of Coke’s approach on social media.
As another example of how the company is embracing social media and understanding the power of it, Coca introduced recently a Social Media Policy that empower and guides its employees on what they consider are the best practices for using their brand online.
Personally, I’m a fan of Coca Cola and I think it’s great to see a large corporation integrating social media into their existing principles of communication and how they are using it to enhance their brand.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
More about Facebook
I was reading Vinci’s blog post about the article Social Networking Sites and Social Theory and I have to agree with her when she said that she had to “surrender” to Facebook. Who is not on Facebook today? It’s almost impossible to be out of the network, even if you are only passively observing.
I had to create a Facebook account when I came to NY since all my classmates used the site to interact, to send invitations to events, etc. Additionally, it was a great way to keep in touch with my friends and family in Brazil, who have migrated from Orkut, the most popular social network site in Brazil, to Facebook.
I am certain that it is important to remember that everything you post is out there for everyone to see so one should take care and create limits to what is really private and what is ok to share. I have to agree, though, that some people overcome those limits and make their lives an “open book”, divulging extremely personal and sometimes embarrassing information.
It is clear that today, people search for you online to get references. I constantly do it, in order to prepare for interviews or to search more about a professor or coworker.
Therefore, I believe that as long as you have common sense, it won’t be prejudicial to have an account on Facebook or any other social networking site.
I had to create a Facebook account when I came to NY since all my classmates used the site to interact, to send invitations to events, etc. Additionally, it was a great way to keep in touch with my friends and family in Brazil, who have migrated from Orkut, the most popular social network site in Brazil, to Facebook.
I am certain that it is important to remember that everything you post is out there for everyone to see so one should take care and create limits to what is really private and what is ok to share. I have to agree, though, that some people overcome those limits and make their lives an “open book”, divulging extremely personal and sometimes embarrassing information.
It is clear that today, people search for you online to get references. I constantly do it, in order to prepare for interviews or to search more about a professor or coworker.
Therefore, I believe that as long as you have common sense, it won’t be prejudicial to have an account on Facebook or any other social networking site.
Monday, February 15, 2010
How brands can use Facebook effectively?
Today, over 450 million people worldwide are active on Facebook, more than 5 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photo albums, etc.) are shared each week, approximately 1.5 million local businesses have active pages and 20 million people become fans of pages each day (source: Facebook)
Yes, the numbers are huge and it becomes almost impossible for a company or brand not to have a presence on Facebook. Companies of all sizes are moving quickly to get on the site and to create Fan Pages to attract customers and prospects. However, some lack a social media strategy and a deep understanding of what Facebook and other social networks have to offer.
Additionally, companies should first understand what their target audience is doing online, and determine what kind of relationship they want to build with them, based on what they are ready for. Forrester have released on January a new version of their famous Social Technographics ladder, which looks at how people use social media. By understanding what consumers are going online, companies can create what makes sense to them.
To be effective, a Facebook page should be continuously updated with good, relevant content. The more actions you take, the more you appear in a fan’s News Feed and this will make them remember you and your brand. It is important to offer fans an incentive to remain active and to visit and interact frequently.
Some companies are doing a great job and getting the most out of Facebook. On AllFacebook, a blog that covers all issues pertaining to the site, it is possible to find the ranking of top Fan Pages. Here are the first ten today:
All of this makes me think how important it is for companies today to be constantly listening, observing, engaging and trying new and innovative ways to interact with consumers.
Yes, the numbers are huge and it becomes almost impossible for a company or brand not to have a presence on Facebook. Companies of all sizes are moving quickly to get on the site and to create Fan Pages to attract customers and prospects. However, some lack a social media strategy and a deep understanding of what Facebook and other social networks have to offer.
Additionally, companies should first understand what their target audience is doing online, and determine what kind of relationship they want to build with them, based on what they are ready for. Forrester have released on January a new version of their famous Social Technographics ladder, which looks at how people use social media. By understanding what consumers are going online, companies can create what makes sense to them.
To be effective, a Facebook page should be continuously updated with good, relevant content. The more actions you take, the more you appear in a fan’s News Feed and this will make them remember you and your brand. It is important to offer fans an incentive to remain active and to visit and interact frequently.
Some companies are doing a great job and getting the most out of Facebook. On AllFacebook, a blog that covers all issues pertaining to the site, it is possible to find the ranking of top Fan Pages. Here are the first ten today:
On my research about Facebook I found an interesting presentation that provides an excellent guidance on how to get the best out of site, as a business, by creating brand pages.
All of this makes me think how important it is for companies today to be constantly listening, observing, engaging and trying new and innovative ways to interact with consumers.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
New data on Social Media
This week I was reading a research conducted by PewInternet, about Social Media and Young Adults and I found some interesting stats that I would like to share.
According to the study, young people are losing interest in long-form blogging, as their communication habits have become increasingly brief, and mobile.
Since 2006 the use of blogs is decreasing among teens and young adults. On that year, the percentage of adolescents who maintained a blog was 28% and in 2009 it was only 14%. Additionally, blog commenting has also dropped among teens: 52% of teens’ network users said that they comment in their friends’ blogs, down from the 76% who did so in 2006.
On the other hand, adults aged 30 years or more have shown growing interest in blogs. In 2007, 7% said that they maintained a blog and that number rose to 11% in 2009.
Moreover, both teen and adult use of social networking sites has risen significantly.73% of American adolescents reported to use multiple social networks websites – increasing from 55% in 2006 and 65% in 2008. Among adults, 47% use social networking sites, up from 37% in November 2008.
The study shows, however, that there is a difference in site preference and usage among different age groups. Young people are more likely to maintain a profile on MySpace (66% of young profile owners do so, compared with just 36% of those 30 and older) but less likely to have a profile on the LinkedIn (7% vs. 19%). In contrast, adult profile owners under 30 and those 30 and older are equally likely to maintain a profile on Facebook (71% of young profile owners do so, compared with 75% of older profile owners).
Another interesting finding is the low usage of Twitter among teens. Only 8% of social network users with ages between 12 and 17 utilize the microblog. Among adults, the age group that most uses Twitter is between 18 and 24 years (37%), followed by those who are between 25 and 29 years (25%).
According to the study, young people are losing interest in long-form blogging, as their communication habits have become increasingly brief, and mobile.
Since 2006 the use of blogs is decreasing among teens and young adults. On that year, the percentage of adolescents who maintained a blog was 28% and in 2009 it was only 14%. Additionally, blog commenting has also dropped among teens: 52% of teens’ network users said that they comment in their friends’ blogs, down from the 76% who did so in 2006.
On the other hand, adults aged 30 years or more have shown growing interest in blogs. In 2007, 7% said that they maintained a blog and that number rose to 11% in 2009.
Moreover, both teen and adult use of social networking sites has risen significantly.73% of American adolescents reported to use multiple social networks websites – increasing from 55% in 2006 and 65% in 2008. Among adults, 47% use social networking sites, up from 37% in November 2008.
The study shows, however, that there is a difference in site preference and usage among different age groups. Young people are more likely to maintain a profile on MySpace (66% of young profile owners do so, compared with just 36% of those 30 and older) but less likely to have a profile on the LinkedIn (7% vs. 19%). In contrast, adult profile owners under 30 and those 30 and older are equally likely to maintain a profile on Facebook (71% of young profile owners do so, compared with 75% of older profile owners).
Another interesting finding is the low usage of Twitter among teens. Only 8% of social network users with ages between 12 and 17 utilize the microblog. Among adults, the age group that most uses Twitter is between 18 and 24 years (37%), followed by those who are between 25 and 29 years (25%).
Monday, February 1, 2010
Listening in Social Media
Listening is with no doubt one of the most important strategies that companies can use to obtain advantage from Social Media. But, what does listening means?
Listening in social media means observing your customers in their “natural territory”, where they are interacting with each other, your company and competitors. Your customers and prospects are leaving hints about their opinion, positive or negative, and are discussing your brand and products on their communities, with or without you, and it’s all out there for you and for the entire world to see.
According to Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, on the book Groundswell, there are two basic listening strategies that companies should follow:
1. Set up your own private community: A private community is like a continuously running, huge, engaged focus group – a natural interaction in a setting where you can listen in.
2. Begin brand monitoring: Hire a company to listen to the internet – blogs, discussions, forums, YouTube, and everything else – on your behalf. Then have it deliver to your neat summary report about what’s happening to push the results out to departments, like customer service, that can address pressing customer issues.
While it can be true that hiring a vendor will help you to obtain more detailed and structured information, you can start now by searching what people are saying about your brand on blogs (e.g. Google Blog Search, IceRocket, Technorati), forums (e.g Boardreader) or on Twitter (Twitter Search). I am certain that you will find out that listening is an important way for you to understand what consumers care about, and get insights to what they think about you.
Listening in social media means observing your customers in their “natural territory”, where they are interacting with each other, your company and competitors. Your customers and prospects are leaving hints about their opinion, positive or negative, and are discussing your brand and products on their communities, with or without you, and it’s all out there for you and for the entire world to see.
According to Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, on the book Groundswell, there are two basic listening strategies that companies should follow:
1. Set up your own private community: A private community is like a continuously running, huge, engaged focus group – a natural interaction in a setting where you can listen in.
2. Begin brand monitoring: Hire a company to listen to the internet – blogs, discussions, forums, YouTube, and everything else – on your behalf. Then have it deliver to your neat summary report about what’s happening to push the results out to departments, like customer service, that can address pressing customer issues.
While it can be true that hiring a vendor will help you to obtain more detailed and structured information, you can start now by searching what people are saying about your brand on blogs (e.g. Google Blog Search, IceRocket, Technorati), forums (e.g Boardreader) or on Twitter (Twitter Search). I am certain that you will find out that listening is an important way for you to understand what consumers care about, and get insights to what they think about you.
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