Social Media Site Passwords

“Privacy is not a partisan issue,” says Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal (D) about the new bill he is drafting in response to a recent common interview question.  “What are the passwords to your social media accounts?” an employer may ask. But this question has the potential of putting both the interviewers and interviewees in a rough spot. That's why Senator Blumenthal plans to enlist the help of colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass the bill. 

Most people will not and do not feel comfortable giving out access to their social media sites to potential employers-not because they are afraid of what an employer might find, but for privacy reasons. But until the time that a bill gets passed to stop this practice, an individual seeking a job should be prepared in the event that this question comes up. Tony Morrison, Vice President of Business Development at Cachinko, gives a few suggestions of things to say for those who might feel uncomfortable divulging such information:

1-“I am very careful with my personal, private online persona and do not feel comfortable giving out any passwords. But you can feel free to look at my profile as it appears to you as a company right now, if you would like.”

2-“I would never participate in social media on the organization’s time and ask that the organization will respect my personal social media rights outside of work.”

3-“My LinkedIn network is a great place for you to review my professional  experience  and see the professional connections that I have that may be of benefit to your organization.”

4-“Is that something that is required to move forward with this job interview?”

Statements such as these will hopefully improve the situation and help the employer to realize the importance of privacy to you.

But asking this question can also be damaging to the potential employer. If they find that the interviewee is part of a protected group and the position is not offered, an employer could potentially put themselves in a sticky legal situation on the grounds of discrimination.

It is beneficial for both the interviewee and employer if this question is not discussed during an interview. If it does come up though, remember that it is not required for hiring. By withholding your social media site passwords you may be protecting both yourself and your future employer.

References:

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/senator-employers-shouldnt-seek-social-media-passwords

http://mashable.com/2012/04/08/employer-facebook-password/

Apps

There are literally hundreds of thousands of apps available on Apple’s App Store and Android’s Marketplace. With this many apps accessible online, the content ranges from games to dictionaries, handy little flashlights to a restaurant tip calculator. Not only this though; companies are building apps to make their website and features more easy and navigable on a mobile device.  Forrester Research predicts that over the next four years companies will spend approximately $17 billion on app development.

Kayak, a travel search company, can attest to the growing demand for and reliance on apps. They currently dedicate 20% of their engineers to app development. But this is only recent--the app was only created in 2009 when “it became obvious…that people think of their mobile phone as their computer, where they demand full functionality of websites on the move to plan itineraries for themselves.” With so many people constantly on the go using mobile devices, this shouldn’t be surprising.

As is appropriate, this now changes the way Kayak does business and thinks, “We take guidance from what’s going on with the app and adapt the website, not the other way around.” The takeaway? Businesses should devote at least some time and resources to app development and support. With app building software easily accessible and affordable, this shouldn’t be hard. 

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/20/business/travel-apps/index.html

SEO-Search Engine Optimization

Simply put, SEO is the process of making a website more visible to individual users and search engines. There are several ways to make this possible. Some are more complicated than others, but let’s just stick to the basics.

The first and most important way to increase your SEO is by having relevant and applicable content to your topic with a big focus on your audience. Search engines have spiders which crawl throughout the internet, find sites and pages, and then index them. When your focus is geared to the correct audience and the content is relevant to the subject, the spider will “find” this information easier.

Time should also be invested in searching out keywords applicable to the subject. Google AdWords has a great keyword search tool to help you discover what keywords or phrases would be most advantageous to include in your content. It gives a list of key words useful to your site and then ranks them as having high, medium, or low levels of competition. Having low competition keywords in your content will increase your search engine rankings.

Lastly, thought should be given to the layout and design of the website. Content should be simple and easy to find. As content is more accessible, spiders, as well as human users, can search the site easily and then in turn increase the traffic and SEO rankings.

While search engine optimization can seem overwhelming at first, the basics are simple. Once applied these small steps will help to increase your visibility and make your site stand out.

http://websearch.about.com/od/keywordsandphrases/a/search_engine.htm

https://adwords.google.com/o/Targeting/Explorer?__c=1000000000&__u=1000000000&ideaRequestType=KEYWORD_IDEAS

Collaborative and Distance Communication Tools During Job Interviews

Words are approximately 7% of what is actually said according to Susan M. Heathfield. That means that during a conversation the last 93% of your communication occurs through body language, tone, and facial expressions among others. Therefore, it is difficult to effectively communicate with someone on the phone when most nonverbal signs and signals are unseen and lost through this communication medium.

When Skype and other distance communication tools were released, they changed the way many businesses, families, and friends were able to interact with each other. Rather than losing most of the message found through nonverbal cues, Skype enables people to interact nearly fully while still sitting thousands of miles away. Large national and global companies have started to use this tool not only for their business meetings, but also during the interview process when a qualified applicant is located too far away to make an interview in person reasonable.

While nothing will ever be able to fully replace the personal, one-on-one interview, it is important for students and those who are searching for a job to be prepared for the possibility of a Skype interview. Alina Dizik of CareerBuilder.com suggests eight ways to be prepared for such a situation. Here is the list:

1-      Look at the camera, not the screen.

2-      Be aware of interruptions

3-      Practice in front of a mirror

4-      Mind the background

5-      Avoid patterned clothing

6-      Conduct a mock interview

7-      Test audio and video

8-      Add extra enthusiasm

It is important to recognize these differences during a video interview. But by following these steps in addition to the advice given by career counselors, your next interview is sure to run smoothly.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/07/11/skype. interview.tips.cb/index.htm

Viral Videos

The most recent and rising generations have become increasing more wired and tuned in to the internet. As such video sharing through YouTube and other sites is extremely popular. Individuals are using this channel to upload personal videos to share with friends and others. Some people have even become famous singers and stars through their popular videos.

Individuals are not the only ones seeking recognition through this internet channel. YouTube is becoming a common resource for any company, business, or organization to take advantage of. Besides the production cost of a short clip or commercial, posting a video on the internet is basically free advertising. Companies upload and post these videos with the hope that others will see it, like it, and share it with their friends. This is the social media form of word of mouth advertising. As the video becomes more popular, it is viewed and shared more and it goes “viral.” While most have several thousand or even hundreds of thousands of views, a really effective clip is one that has millions of viewers and is shared that many times on Facebook.  

The following is a clip that has gone viral. Two students from Utah State University decided to answer the question “Why Men and Women Can't be Friends?” With over 6 million views, this video truly went viral. But with today’s technology and sharing capabilities, any video has the potential to do so.

Location Based Programs

Recently social media has intensified the ability others have to stay connected through the use of location based programs. On Facebook it is common to see a specific location after a status. For example, one update might read, "Chocolate Shakes and French Fries!!! --at Bill's Burgers." Doing this is an easy way for people to recommend their favorite places to their friends.

Foursquare has combined this concept with Yelp, a site dedicated to recommendations of restaurants, places to go, and things to do in your local area. The difference with Foursquare is that you connect with your friends to see what they are doing, where they are eating and where their favorite places are. Because most people are more likely to trust their friends than a random stranger, this  review is more personal and incredibly more relevant. This is word of mouth, online.

A business should want to take advantage of this program for one big reason. Bonds are created on a basis of common interests and generally people enjoy doing what their friends do. Therefore, customers using this program will automatically hit your target market, no market research involved. By encouraging customers to check in when they arrive and rewarding them when they have done so, this word of mouth can be utilized to a business' advantage.

http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/10703/The-Future-of-Foursquare-Understanding-Location-Based-Marketing.aspx

Traditional Media Uses: President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Fireside Chats

Listening to a fireside chat.

During the 1930s and 40s the American people were suffering through times of economic depression and war. Through the use of the radio, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was able to unite the people of America in those difficult times. In what became well known as "fireside chats," FDR addressed his audience as "his friends" and often used "you" and "we" pronouns to keep his address personal. He knew that it was important for everyone feel included in the efforts to turn around the depression and win the war.

Being sure to make them relatable and understandable to the average citizen, he carefully prepared these discussions days in advance and drafted them from the 1000 most common English words. "Analysis of FDR's style indicates that he knew exactly what he was doing...in his radio addresses. Americans were uneasy. Roosevelt's objective was to build confidence...FDR needed Americans to be determined and confident. In what he said and how he said it directly to the people via radio communicated a message of confidence," comments Jenny Yu.

This simple channel of communication to the American public proved to be effective and necessary when Pearl Harbor was bombed. President Roosevelt promptly drafted a less formal declaration of war to congress with the intent of reading it to the listeners of a fireside chat. By doing this he was able to assuage the feelings of the public and communicate a clear plan of action for the nation. While such a channel of communication would no longer reach such a vast and eager audience, President Roosevelt found the radio to be a compelling and powerful influence during his presidency.


http://www.jstor.org/stable/30036746?seq=1

Blogs

      With over 150 million blogs available to view, it's easy to find one that not only interests you, but also keeps you reading every time a new post is published. Topic matter of blogs range from cooking to politics and everyday life to new science discoveries. Businesses have found this venue helpful, but so have stay at home moms. In essence, anyone from any background can use and maintain a blog because they are free, easy to use, and effective. 
     Among the most common of blog hosts are Blogger.com and Wordpress.com. Both are free and have a simple and easy layout. Without knowing any HTML anyone can create a blog, arrange a layout, change the background, and frequently update it with new posts. All in hopes that someone will care enough to read what you have been writing and be interested in the topic you are discussing. 
     Blogs often start out personal. They are small and have a handful of readers that often know the blogger personally. Sometimes however, a blog can begin to attract many followers and eventually become a popular website. This is the case for one of my favorite blogs to read, www.howsweeteats.com. 
     This daily updated cooking blog started on September 14, 2009. Since then it has grown to have thousands of readers. Alexa, a web information company, reports that HowSweetEats has a traffic ranking of 30,968. Which despite the seemingly large number, is very good considering the hundreds of thousands of sites on the web. 
      This woman started a simple blog detailing something she was passionate about. By expressing her joy and love about cooking in her own voice and style she became convincing and intriguing to others. She was effective and as a result has a very popular and well read blog. HowSweetEats.com is one story of many who have become popular through the daily chronicles of life, hobbies, and passions. 

Religion Online

           It's no secret that social media is changing the way businesses interact with their customers and people keep up relationships with friends and family, but social media has also made a big splash in the religious sector. Various religious organizations across the world such as the Catholic and LDS faiths have started to use YouTube, Twitter and Facebook campaigns to raise awareness of their beliefs and who they are. Another example is OurJewishCommunity.org. While they do not represent the entire Jewish religion, this congregation uses social media effectively to hold worship services on a weekly basis.

"As our lives get busier and more transient, making the trek to the same brick-and-mortar synagogue for services can present a barrier to involvement in the Jewish community," says Rabbi Laura Baum. This is why she has helped to build and lead the world's largest online synagogue. (Baum) With thousands of followers in dozens of countries, this world-wide congregation is changing the way many choose to worship and connect with fellow Jews.

Every Friday evening, the time of the Jewish Sabbath, a sermon is presented by Rabbis Laura Baum and Robert Barr, but not in a synagogue or other place of worship. Their sermon is only streamed over the internet where many members of the congregation check-in and chat via Facebook and Twitter both during and after the sermon. Baum comments, "The reality is that relationships built and maintained online, using tools like Facebook, Twitter and Skype, are increasingly common and can even be stronger than physical connections...If someone mentions one week on the chat that they have a relative who is ill, often people will inquire about them the next week." (Baum) In this way, the members are able to connect and be part of each other's lives without being physically present or geographically close. 

The influence of social media and technology are only becoming stronger in today's ever evolving world. It is bringing people closer, as is evidenced by the worship practices of this Jewish congregation. While this type of worship may not be conducive to many, I foresee other religions taking a similar route to connect with more people of their faith throughout various parts of the world. 

Works Cited

Baum, Laura. "Belief Blog: My Faith: Why I lead an online synagogue." 4 October 2010. CNN. 23 January 2012.

Social Media and the Social Customer

On January 6, 2012, Minhee Cho entered the Papa John’s pizza restaurant near her home in Manhattan. She ordered her pizza, but upon receiving her receipt (pictured below) was shocked to discover that the employee had recorded her name as “lady chinky eyes” instead of asking for her real name. The next morning she took a picture of the receipt and tweeted it with the comment, “Just FYI my name isn’t ‘lady chinky eyes.’” Within 24 hours her tweet had been reported by a local newspaper and viewed by over 200,000 people. (Duke)

In July of 2009 Dave Carroll, a musician, uploaded a video to YouTube (below) entitled “United Breaks Guitars.” This short music video details his experience on United Airlines as a passenger who took a simple flight, discovered that his guitar had been broken, and had poor customer service when it came to resolving (or in his case not resolving) the issue. The video went viral instantly and today boasts over 11 million views. (Bernoff and Schadler)

Early in 2010 members of the organization Greenpeace started posting comments on Nestle’s Facebook page. They were upset that Nestle was using Palm oil in their products and wanted their opinion to be heard. By using Facebook, this organization was able to bring awareness of their opinions and experience with the company to Nestle’s nearly 300,000 fans. (Bernoff and Schadler)

Stories such as these are not uncommon in today’s world. Customers dissatisfied with the service rendered by a company are likely to tweet about it on Twitter, post something on Facebook, or create a video about it on YouTube among a myriad of other internet avenues. With customers constantly on social media and customer review websites such as consumerreports.org or Yelp.com, it is not enough to have a web presence. At this time it is absolutely essential for every business, big or small, to have a social media presence as well.

Customer service has taken on different meaning with the addition of Facebook and Twitter. Employees and customers can now be connected instantly and have meaningful conversations about the service they have received. Best Buy has implemented this practice through the use of Twelpforce, employees who are over and respond to the social media. Having done this, Best Buy is now known for their customer service online. (Bernoff and Schadler) This kind of personalization has brought business closer to the consumer-especially when they respond quickly. Paul Simon, author of The New Small, says the following about the social media customer, “The social customer expects you to listen and engage with her, not only when it coincides with an e-mail blast or new feature release, but rather when she needs you. And you better respond fast, in real-time, or she will either move on to a competitor, or tell her friends about her bad experiences.” (Simon)

Around 4:30 on January 6^th, the day Minhee Cho tweeted the picture of her receipt, Papa John’s posted this comment on Facebook, “We were extremely concerned to learn of the receipt issue in New York. This act goes against our company values, and we’ve confirmed with the franchisee that this matter was addressed immediately and that the employee is being terminated. We are truly sorry for this customer’s experience.” (Pizza) Instantly Papa John’s was able to connect with their 2,000,000 fans to alleviate the situation. While their actions were great to respond so quickly, they unfortunately did not follow up on the issue. Of the 991 comments to that post, none were from Papa John’s pizza company. If they had taken the time to respond to at least some of these comments they would have been able to address some of the other customer service issues that fans wrote about and thus better promote and save their brand image.

In order to stay ahead of your competition and understand more about your customers, it is essential to be part of the social media trend. If you take part, you can ensure that you are doing what is necessary to promote your brand image and stay connected to your customers.

Sources

Bernoff, Josh and Ted Schadler. "Empowered." Harvard Business Review (2010): 94-101. Issue 7/8.

Duke, Alan. Papa John's apologizes for receipt's racial slur. 8 January 2012. CNN US. 13 January 2012.

Pizza, Papa John's. Facebook. 6 January 2012. 13 January 2012.

Simon, Phil. "Review: The Rise of the Social Customer and Social Technologies." Baylor Business Review (2011): 24-25.