FireBell life saver for companies?

Hello Everyone :)
    YAY! This is my 10th blog woo hoo!!! I'm gonna try and keep blogging even after this semester ends hehe 


I found a really interesting new social media software called 'FireBell' it's a social media crisis simulator created by Global Public relations firms Weber Shanwick. 

The concept of 'FireBell' is that it provides companies with real-time information of public relations crisis situations, including viral media attacks, across multiple social media platforms. Meaning on one single screen companies will be able to view messages received from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Ren Ren and also Sina Weibo. 

This will allow companies to react accordingly and manage the PR crisis and minimise damaged caused. Jon Wade the digital head of Asia Pacific has described it as "FireBell is to social media what a flight simulator is to an airline pilot learning to handle emergencies in mid-air".

With recent failures of Gasp that Craig talked about in his blog :) do you think FireBell would have been able to prevent their failure from going viral?

I'd really like to hear from everyone! 

Been a great semester blogging hehe :) 

Facebook stalking us?

Hello Everyone! 
    Hope you are all having a nice mid-semester break! I don't really know why Monash calls it a Mid-sem break...when really it's in week 9 and we come back for 3 weeks before SWOT Vac and EXAMS arghhh don't want to think about them!


I just came across an interesting article published in 'The Australian' - "Facebook 'ignored privacy flaw' on websites" by Chris Griffith. Apparently Facebook Cookies (files used to collect and record personal website browsing history) is kept active even after a user logs off their Facebook account. This means even when you have logged out of Facebook personal data and browser will be recorded by Facebook. This information could then be sold to Facebook 'customer's who use it to marketing and advertising purposes. 


This is a clear breach of privacy and security! The reason why these cookies are turned off is to ensure spammers and phishers don't obtain confidential information from the user. 

It also takes advantage of the trust users like myself have of Facebook. I am personally offended that Facebook has been recording and collecting data from me without notifying me...i think Facebook should at least notify  users and give us a choice of whether they want to turn it on.


What do you think? Are you offended too? 


See everyone Tuesday! 

Has Facebook failed this time?

Hello everyone,
    Just a quick blog post about the recent changes to Facebook's newsfeed and the layout.


For those who haven't noticed or don't really know the difference...Facebook has basically changed the layout and how they show 'newsfeeds' which include people's status updates, photo uploads and check-ins.

Facebook has tried to make the changes easier by explaining it in the help section and at the top of users 'newsfeed'...personally i think it's still quite confusing and pointless really...


I feel as if Facebook is trying to take elements from Google+ and Twitter and incorporate it into Facebook... but has failed miserably throughout the past two days i have been seeing the following status updates:

What does everyone else think? Do you think Facebook has failed this time in changing their layout and newsfeed?


Would love to hear from everyone :) 

Homephone? Landline? What's that?

Hello Everyone :) 

      I had trouble deciding what I wanted to write about this week ~ I had a few ideas but I thought this topic to be the most interesting hehe 

When was the last time anyone used their home phone or landline?

Hahaha I ask this question because I used our home phone for the first time in months today...and the only reason why I used it was because my mobile was dead (forgot to charge it :P) and needed to call my sister and say happy birthday. 

That's when I decided to do some research about home phone use, according to a survey conducted by Talk Talk (Telecommunication Company in the UK), "even though Facebook has not taken over the phone as people's primary mode of communication but still one fifth of those surveyed admitted to using Facebook to contact people".

Another fact was that mobile phones usage have overtaken landlines, approximately 40% of respondents preferred to make phone calls from their mobile phones while only 22% preferred to use the landlines. 

Personally, since signing onto an unlimited mobile phone plan where i can make any national calls to landline and mobiles (regardless of network), send unlimited text messages and 5gb of internet data. I basically never have to use the home phone...and rather use my mobile...because I'm able to check my records and save the number into my phone as a contact :) 

I think it makes sense because home phones are less entertaining and practical in comparison to mobile phones with the apps and other gaming functions.

This is why Telstra introduced the T-Hub which is the new generation home phone with a touch screen attached to allow customers to use social networking websites on the device. 

I'm curious...what is your preferred device to connect with people? Do you think you will use the home phone more if you were able to access social networking websites? 

Thanks for reading!

Should Facebook be banned at work?

Hello everyone!
    For a change today, I don't want to look at Life's Little Treasures, instead I found another topic quite interesting - should Facebook be banned at work?


I started thinking about this topic because I was going to open a LinkedIn account and was doing some research and that's when i came across this YouTube video

According to a recent article published in the UK "Sharp rise in Facebook and Twitter blocking at work" 32 percent of British companies ban social networking websites at work. However, it is ironic that 45% of companies are now using social networking websites to screen job applicants. 

It gets even more controversial when employees especially marketers are required to use social media as a business tool. Then why is Facebook/Twitter and that like be banned at work?

Do you agree that Facebook should be banned at work?

When to kill a facebook page?

Hello everyone :) 

    Last week I talked about Life's Little Treasures use of Facebook and forums. This week I would like to focus on the 'Walk for Prems' fund-raising event held on the 6th of November 2011. 

I immediately identified as issue with the Facebook page for the 'Walk for Prems' event. When i searched for 'Walk for Prems' in the search bar, last years page was brought up before this years event. And to make things worse...participants are beginning to write on last years page thinking that it's the current one.


2010 - Facebook page

2011 - Facebook page 

It is quite hard for participants to distinguish especially when they are using the same logo as last year.


The marketing is now facing the dilemma of how to transfer participants from the previous page to the new page without losing any traffic? Should they close the page ASAP? or should they allow people to transfer? 


Any ideas everyone on how Life's Little Treasures can do this?


Thanks!!

To control or lose control?

Hello everyone! 
    
     I have decided to take Wags advice and continue my blog about NFP's use of social media as I find it quite interesting hehe 


During the past week, I have realised the charity that I'm working for Life's Little Treasures Foundation is very reluctant about using Facebook to help answer any medical questions parents of premature may have. Members of the charity have voiced out that they would like to be able to post a question on Facebook and have it answered...but Life's Little Treasures are concerned that it will be hard to control the quality of answers provided. Right now they only use it to communicate events to followers.

To get an answer to their question members and followers are either encouraged to email/call the NFP or redirected to L'il Aussie Prems an online support forum. Life's Little Treasures believe this to be more 'accurate' as these forums are administered and controlled by 'administrators' who are members of the online forum. 

Do you agree information on online forums are more accurate than posts on Facebook?


I would really like to know what everyone else thinks! Please leave me a comment to help me improve Life's Little Treasure's use of social media :) 


Thanks everyone! 






Thanks everyone! 

Social Marketing VS Social Media Marketing

Hello everyone!
I finally have time to sit down and write my blog! I've had a long week...especially with block mode classes for the 'Marketing and Society' class :) 9am to 5pm Friday and Saturday...with minimal breaks and NO lunch break...we had to have lunch in class two days in a row! Anyhow I should stop complaining about my classes and get one with this blog :)


Because I have immersed myself into the world of 'Social Marketing' I thought it would be good to focus my blog on this topic today!


For those who are a bit confused about the title of my blog and don't know the difference...


Social Marketing - Refers to marketing strategies and activities Not For Profit organizations use.


While Social Media Marketing - Is what we're doing in this unit...learning about marketing using social media tool :) I'm not going to go into detail of this definition as our class has already done a great job in defining it in our collaborative writing :)

Anyhow, I came across this article written by Probono Australia "The Australian NFP Facebook Factor" I thought it was very interesting that over 70% of Not-For-Profits yet only 21% of these organisations have a Social Media Strategy. Which relates back to Ross' blog about Coca Cola's strategy :)  

It seems like both profit-seeking and not-for-profit organisations are jumping on the ban wagon of using social media to communicate with cutomers/donors yet without having a clear vision? I volunteer for a local charity and I know that they have simply started a Facebook page because they 'needed' to...not because they 'wanted to'.

Do you guys think there's a difference between Not-For-Profit's social media strategy and Money-hungry companies?



Inappropriate use of Facebook

Hello everyone! 


I've been so busy that I haven't had the time to update my blog :( sorry! I've been quite sick as well sighh...


But here it is my next blog post: Appropriate Use of Facebook 


I found an issue of Business Review Weekly at home the other day and an interesting article. 

The article describes the companies which have emerged and developed during the Global Financial Crisis which they call "Fast Starters". It then states that 'A common theme among this year's Fast Starters is their increasing use of social media to expand and forge better relationships with their customers. Almost eight out of ten use social networking sites such as Youtube, Facebook and Twitter to promote their businesses and engage with customers'.


I'm know other students have talked about this topic in their blogs as well... such as Amity's blog about Facebook advertising but after reading this article it got me thinking...social media is definitely a very important tool used by many businesses these days, but do companies actually know how to use Facebook appropriately? 


I liked Mrs. Fields Australia Facebook page and hence, I get updates every time the account is updated. But I don't understand why they would post some of the things have...for instance a few months ago all around Australia there was a new trend of 'Planking' where people lie flat on their stomach in unusual and often dangerous places. One man has already died while planking on his balcony.

However, instead of discouraging this behaviour Mrs. Fields Australia posted and supported a Facebook community which supports that 'planking' originated from Snoopy! 

I want to know how is Snoopy planking relevant to Mrs. Fields cookies?!? And how is this a good use of social media to forge a relationship and engage with customers?


Can you guys think of any other examples where you've come across inappropriate use of Facebook by businesses? 




Thanks everyone! Looking forward to reading your comments! 

My first post - The FaceBook Effect :)

Hello Everyone,

         This isn't the first time I've written a blog but this is definitely the first time I've started a blog for a Uni subject :) I really hope my blog interesting enough so that everyone in the class will come and comment hehe!

For my first blog I wanted to talk about the 'Facebook Effect'. 

I was inspired to write this blog because my boyfriend recently (when I say recent I mean 4 months ago lol he has the tendency of buying books and never reading them) called 'The Facebook Effect' by David Kirkpatrick.

For anyone who's interested in reading it too please let me know and I'm more than happy to lend it to you! 

The book primarily discusses how 'Facebook' has become a very powerful tool which is has the ability to impact people and governments around the world. Kirkpatrick describes a situation where Oscar Morales, a civil engineer created a Facebook group in Columbia which eventually led to a real-life protest against a terrorist group there. 

It just got me thinking...I use 'Facebook' a lot...hahaha I mean some of my friends have resulted to messaging me on 'Facebook' rather than calling or texting me because they know this is the best way to contact me...but it has never crossed my mind...that 'Facebook' could be more than a social networking website... and that it could be of any practical use to anyone... 

To me I think 'Facebook' is a great tool for me to communicate and keep up to date with family and friends...but i don't think I would never use it to organise any political groups or protests.

What does everyone else think? Do you think there is any practical value of using 'Facebook?'