Well it's time for yet another blog, and let me just say that this book proves to be quite interesting so far. Although it touches on many of the same topics we have discussed already, it does a great job of giving specific examples of social media in action. The first part of the book that struck me was the statement that "businesses have no choice on whether or not to do social media, it's just how well they do it." It really is true that if a business wants to keep up these days and not get left behind, they must participate in social media in some way. In order to succeed, they must get good at it.
I also enjoyed how the author points out what social media helps overcome. This includes slow travel of information, altering of the information, and not knowing where the original message began. With social media, the message travels faster than we ever thought possible before. The ability of sites such as Twitter to re-tweet information helps moves the message much faster. Also with most social media, there is a written or recorded record of the message, so the content of the message is difficult to alter over time. There is a permanent record of what is said. Finally, social media is able to keep track of who said what, so you know where the original message is coming from.
I also enjoyed the part of the book that talked about the product Bacon Salt. I thought it was interesting how they used Facebook to see who talked about Bacon in their profile. They then used these people to ask what they thought of a product like Bacon Salt, and got overwhelming positive feedback. This gave me an idea for another class where we are working with a start-up company who is trying to get its name and product out there. I think we could use Facebook as a way to find who would be interested in the product and market directly to those individuals.
As far as using social media for your personal life, I really liked how the author point out that the question "Are you on Facebook?" is the new "Can I get your phone number?" Even though this is funny to consider, it's true! I have seen it first hand. A guy is quicker to friend request you on Facebook then ask for your number and give you a call. What's even worse is sometimes they even ask you out on Facebook! Is chivalry dead?! Haha, I'm partly kidding, but it's amazing to see what social media has done to personal aspects of life, such as dating.
Finally, I agree with the idea that "if consumers want to take ownership of your brand and brag about it, let them!" Being part of the conversation is important, but you also have to allow those who support your brand and want to basically do free marketing for you have the freedom to do so. Also, google flu-trends? What a shocking and crazy way to predict the next big thing! I had no idea that Pepsi had contacted Brittany Spears for their campaign because of her growing popularity in Google's search engine. Imagine what the world would be like if everyone had access to this information! Something to think about :)
Until next time,
Rache
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