Social Media Predictions for 2014

By Caitlin Cunningham

(1) Google+ Will Finally Be a Thing

Let’s face it – Google+ is a bit confusing. And like it or not, that’s been a significant deterrent in their rate of conversion from Facebook. One of the biggest hurdles that Google+ has had to surmount is convincing the public that as a social platform, they can provide better connections and unique experiences. Once users pass the learning curve, Google+ is awesome. The functionality, the communities, the hangouts… these features are like nothing else on the web. We predict in 2014 enough people will finally get it, and form an emotional bond with the network like they currently do with platforms like Pinterest and Instagram.

 

(2) Images are Key to Generating Reach

This seems like a no-brainer, yet not all businesses that attempt to network through social media get it. The fact of the matter is image-based content significantly outperforms posts without. Don’t believe us? Just look at the stats. Facebook photos receive 53% more likes than text alone. Picture Tweets get 18% more clicks, 89% more favorites and 150% more reTweets.  Why? Because generally speaking, humans are lazy. Visuals stimulate us more and capture our attention. We don’t have time to read! It’s the Internet, for cryin’ out loud.  We expect instant gratification, and pictures shared via social media satisfy this need. Period.

 

(3) Prepare for the Rise of the Micro-Video

We’ve already seen the launch of this development through platforms like Vine, Instagram, and SnapChat, but we guarantee you it’ll explode in popularity over the next year. Marketers are wise to figure out a way to utilize this real-time video sharing phenomenon because it is going to be ubiquitous. These bite-sized pieces of content will surely change the face of social media, and we’re looking forward to seeing its potential flourish.

 

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Are You Jelly?

By Caitlin Cunningham

Brought to you earlier this January by one of the cofounders of Twitter, Jelly is hyped as the next big thing in social media. It’s built on a simple question-and-answer format and currently available for free download as both iOS and Android apps.  The purpose of Jelly is to help users find answers to their questions in real time across their social networks.  Those with the Jelly app simply upload a photo, pose their inquiry to their connections and friends of friends, and wait for their responses.

Jelly’s core foundation lies in that sometimes using a search engine isn’t necessarily the fastest way to an answer.  For example, I think most of us are aware that Bing’s translator tool is universally useless. But if you have a native speaker of that language in your extended network, you’re much more likely to get a better idea hearing from him/her of what a sign is trying to tell you. Users also have the ability to star/follow other users’ questions that they also want to know the answers to or forward an interesting answer to their friends, even if they’re outside of Jelly.

While still in its infancy, the app has already gained a considerable following. It’ll be interesting to see where Jelly takes us in this information age.

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Social Media: Building a COMmunity

When you think of the term “community,” what is the first thing that comes to mind?  Your neighborhood?  Religious affiliation?  Group of friends?  The truth is that community is a broad term that means a lot of different things to a lot of different people.  “Community” covers a lot of ground. Webster defines community as, “a unified body of individuals.”  So yes, community can be sports team, a workforce or a city’s population.  But the term community has taken on a whole new meaning in the past few years.  Why?  A little thing called ‘social media.’

Social media has completely transformed the way we think about communities.  We can connect, reconnect and develop relationships with people all over the world because of our similar interests.  By simply clicking “LIKE” on a Facebook page or following someone on Twitter, you are becoming part of a community and can interact with others with interests similar to your own.  And the amazing part – you may never even meet other community members in person.  But does a bond still exist?  Definitely.

This is why we stress social media with our clients so much.  When an organization is NOT involved in social media like Facebook and Twitter, there is a real lack of connection beyond their walls. By involving yourself or your organization in social media, your community can grow exponentially and limitlessly, which we have experienced with several of our clients!  Social media allows you to connect with others who you would never find otherwise.    If you have not yet embraced the wonders of a “COMmunity, you’re missing the boat.  Social media is here to stay and it can be a very powerful and effective tool.

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Destination: Social Media

Social media is a great way to connect with guests beyond the confines of your property before, during and after their visit. As long as you give social media the attention it deserves and vow to be human (show some personality!) you’ll be able to connect with potential and repeat customers, pushing those heads into your beds.

Don’t create a social media account and expect customers to find it and run it for you … these accounts require nurturing, frequent contact and ultimately, a reason for people to want to follow your account.

Work to plan ahead with your posts … think about events, seasons, and other happenings within your community. A hotel’s Twitter account can easily become a destination not only to learn about the property, but also what’s happening in the city and surrounding community.

For properties with some history or a story to tell, give consideration to quizzing your followers and offering prizes for the person with the first correct answer.

Ask questions of your followers and get the conversation flowing. The more interaction you can create – not just from your account, but also between followers – the better.

For Twitter, work to find influencers within your community and begin following them. Further, create VIP events focused on develop the relationship between your property and tweeple (people on Twitter).

And, it doesn’t all have to be about special discounts … think about showing what it’s like to be on the “inside”. I’m sure there are some really interesting behind-the-scenes facts you can share. Maybe the mechanical room is particularly impressive or what about when the chef is making a signature dish? By showing personality, it’s much easier for consumers to connect with a brand.

Think of your social media properties as extensions of the concierge or front desk to the online world.

And, at the end of the day, it’s about quality followers, not necessarily quantity. You want people interacting with the accounts you’re managing … giving you feedback, sharing your stories, and ultimately becoming ambassadors for your brand. So grow your audience slowly and organically for best results.

Facebook advertising is a great way to expose new people to your brand, but set your budgets low so that the growth of your Facebook community is slow and controlled. It feels more authentic that way.

And don’t forget about Foursquare and Gowalla. Geolocation can be a fun and interesting way to engage your community. Consider offering discounts in your hotel’s cafe for anyone who checks into Foursquare, or special treatment for the “mayor” of your property.

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From a Circle to a Sphere: Evolution of delivering digital content

by Anna M. Gonzalaz, @WebAnna on Twitter

For the last couple of years, I’ve been working to strengthen news content through viewer interaction and user generated material.

As I said in a recent interview, I’m always pointing to two spaces in the air, drawing a circle between the two and saying, “This is what I mean by the TV/ web relationship – it’s like the circle of life (as cheesy as that sounds). One platform feeds the other.”

But my personal revolution came when I started to challenge myself by thinking about the online/on-air – IRL relationship. How can you take the online experience to the next level by interacting with the audience in real life (IRL), creating a whole other dimension of delivering content?

Part of this is already achievable with augmented reality. As William Hurley recently explained in an interview, AR is basically a layer of information on top of one of the senses.

Google Maps, for example, gives you a sense of location through the street view. You can also see videos taken in the area by choosing “Videos” under the “More” category at the top right of the map.

Essentially, news organizations using YouTube can create a multimedia look at a neighborhood or region.

But this idea can be taken further. Multimedia journalist Rachel Youens recently painted a picture of how news can use augmented reality using QR (quick response) codes.

A QR code is like a bar code with information attached to it. When you scan the code through an application on your mobile phone, it can bring up the information associated with it. For example, the code can send a text message directly to your phone or bring up a web page.

Let’s take the Texas Governor’s Mansion fire as an example. Two years after the fire, a suspect has yet to be identified. Imagine standing in front of the mansion, scanning a plaque with the QR code on it and bringing up this video, which tells the history of the fire and the restoration efforts.

During SXSW, Rachel placed plaques with QR codes around Austin. Each time the code was scanned, a fashion story about the location popped up on the smart phone’s browser.

Similarly, the Wall Street Journal is taking it’s digital content to the streets of New York with the mobile game FourSquare.  Through the WSJ’s tips on FourSquare, people can find more out about a restaurant through the latest review.

This is a whole new way to bring information to people and reach them directly.

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Creating New ASL Signs For Social Media Concepts

by Anna M. Gonzalaz, @WebAnna on Twitter

How do you create a sign for new concepts emerging in the English language?

The vocabulary surrounding social media is new, and there aren’t official American Sign Language signs for certain words. Take the word “WordPress,” for example. “Sam the Bright” thinks he figured out a new sign for the blog tool. What do you think?

For this year’s WordCamp Dallas, Automattic sponsored sign language interpreters, making the information accessible to a wider audience.*

After the event, @everzalez & I asked the two interpreters to explain how they came up with the signs for these new concepts. They were very tired after a full day of signing, but which is why they are signing as they talk. However, the video is captioned.

You’ll notice in the video, I was stuck on helping them figure out the concept of social media so they could develop a sign for it. If you were to ask me anytime before the interview, I would describe ’social media’ as a way to connect with others over the Internet and share information via multiple media formats. However, Karen threw me off when she asked, “Is social media only online?”

That’s a good question. Couldn’t you socially interact with media offline?

To answer this question, I turned to my favorite source, Mashable: Just What Is Social Media, Exactly? What I gathered from the blog is we all have an elusive concept of what it actually means.

I went to Wiki next, and say what you will about the source, it has a well developed definition: Social media is online content created by people using highly accessible and scalable publishing technologies. At its most basic sense, social media is a shift in how people discover, read and share news, information and content. It’s a fusion of sociology and technology, transforming monologues (one to many) into dialogues (many to many) and is the democratization of information, transforming people from content readers into publishers. Social media has become extremely popular because it allows people to connect in the online world to form relationships for personal, political and business use. Businesses also refer to social media as user-generated content (UGC) or consumer-generated media (CGM).

If you know how to sign, I would love to see how you developed the vocabulary. Leave a link to a video as a comment and I’ll add it to this blog.

 

*In the interest of full disclosure, Automattic happened to hire my closest friend, Monique Champagne. I didn’t know she was going to be at the conference until I walked in Saturday morning. I don’t know anyone from Automattic and had no part in her being hired to work the event.

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3 Ways To Find Communities On Twitter

by Anna M. Gonzalaz, @WebAnna on Twitter

We know Twitter is a great way to connect with others online, but how do you broaden your connections and find others with similar interests?

The first and simplest suggestion is to go on Google and search terms like:

You’ll notice on the Google results page,  you can click on  the word “similar” under the search result. This will lead you to more relevant sites and help you find what you are looking for (see picture below).

A second way to find people with similar interests is to use the advanced Twitter search function. You can search by words, hashtags, people, places, dates, attitudes and if the tweet contains a link.

Finally, hashtags are also a great way to find groups.

When you put an “@” (at) symbol in front of a person’s Twitter name, it turns their name into a hyperlink (URL) back to their profile page. The “#” (hashtag) symbol has a similar function. It creates a hyperlink to the search results of the term following the # symbol on Twitter.

For example, “#IranElection” will take you to the Twitter search results for “#IranElection.”

These are different search results than if you were to search Twitter for “Iran Election.”  When dealing with phrases, you cannot separate the words with spaces. It has to be all one word – just like if you were entering a web site name on your browser.

When I come across a new hashtag on Twitter, I first look at the stream of tweets with the hashtag on http://search.twitter.com. That’s usually where I can find clues to the meaning of the hashtag. If you don’t know what something stands for – just ask.

If the hashtag is big enough, someone will have blogged about it. So the second place I usually search is on http://blogsearch.google.com/ – Google’s search function for blogs.

To find new hashtags, just watch and read what people are tweeting about. You’ll also notice the most talked about subjects are listed as “Trending Topics” under the search function on your Twitter home page (not to be confused with your Twitter profile page).

Sometimes people create fake hashtags as jokes or as another way to deliver their message, like #INeedSleep.

Another great way to search trending topics is on TwitScoop.com. The site shows what Tweeters are talking about at the moment and gives a broader perspective than top ten trending topics show on your Twitter homepage.

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Editor’s Note: This blog post was inspired by a conversation I had on the “Stars of PR” weekly radio show on VoiceAmerica.com. The show is live every Thursday at 7 AM Pacific Time. The show’s host, Cindy Rakowitz, is the co-founder of BR Public Relations and “is best known for running the public relations, promotions and modeling department for Playboy Enterprises for over 15 years” (from the show’s site).
The “Salute to Twittermania” show aired July 2 and included the following guests:

Newman Grace Marketing President @BHemsworth

Traditional journalist turned blogger @WebAnna

Anessa, Ann Marie, creators of the online community for single moms @WorkingMoms

Click on the video to listen to our conversation on finding communities on Twitter. You can also add to the conversation by leaving a comment!

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Working Breaking News Via BlackBerry

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by Anna M. Gonzalaz, @WebAnna on Twitter

When initial reports came into the newsroom about the shootings at Fort Hood, the information was spotty – as it usually is in the beginning. We had all just come out of the afternoon meeting and the assignment editor yelled out the information: multiple soldiers shot; possibly three gunmen on the loose; one gun man may have been caught.

Web producer Kevyn Oakes searched Twitter and other sources for any news of the shootings. Nothing came up. Within minutes the assignment editor on duty had a few facts confirmed: multiple soldiers had been shot on base.

Kevyn and I carefully crafted what we knew in less than 140 characters. The tweet went out and began reverberating throughout the online community.

Meanwhile, reporters were being thrown keys to news vehicles and gathering gear. The assignments weren’t certain yet, but they had to start on their way. The assistant news director looked at me and asked if I was ready. It was a legitimate question. I had only been at the station for four days.

Once on scene, I stuck to my television counterparts to get a sense of what was happening. Most were waiting for press officials, getting ready for live shots in front of the entrance gate, and generally trying to get any information possible.

I got my laptop out and realize there was no power. Without internet access, it made if impossible to send back text, images or video. The good news was, as soon as video was shot, it was sent back to the station and published online. I could put my focus elsewhere.

I got out my BlackBerry and started taking pictures. I called back to the station, where web producer Jessica Sondgough had taken the shift over. Her job consisted of filtering all the information coming in and posting it online. I asked her to now start watching for my emails of pictures and text updates. She started an online gallery and a story based on my updates.  By the end of the night, we had an entire section dedicated to the latest news coming in from Fort Hood.

The breaking news event also marked the beginning of the station’s commitment to online coverage. We now send web producers to every major news event. This frees up reporters to focus on their television coverage. The web producer can focus on taking a multimedia approach to telling the story and getting updates to the site as fast as possible.

Web producers will also share video and sound for the television product, and our reporters are fantastic about getting the story to the Web site with additional resources and media. It’s all part of an effort to move away from being a television station and into a multimedia newsroom.

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Can Social Media Be Used Against Employees?

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By guest blogger Pat Richter of
Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller, L.L.P.
prichter@shannongracey.com

 

 

Can employers use social media like Facebook and Twitter against employees?

 

The short answer is – yes.

The longer answer is that in Texas employers generally are free to monitor employee social media postings and other online activity.  However, an employer’s use of the information obtained from monitoring is not 100% risk-free.

The most common legal issues associated with employers monitoring (and taking action based upon) their employees’ use of social media are:

•    Invasion of privacy: In most states a person has a right to be free from invasion of privacy and an employer’s viewing of online activity could cross that line. However, to maintain a claim an employee or candidate would have to show that she had a reasonable expectation of privacy – something that might be hard to show given the public nature of online activity. Nonetheless, privacy is an issue that employers should consider before using an employee/candidate’s online activity in the decision-making process.

•    Discrimination: An employer should be careful not to create a claim of discrimination on the basis of age, ethnicity, gender, etc. by its use of an employee/candidate’s online activity. In fact, an employer might learn information simply by browsing a candidate’s Facebook page that it would be prohibited from asking about in an interview.  Combine that knowledge with an adverse action (e.g., not hiring a candidate) close in time, and you have a recipe for a potential claim.

•    Protected concerted activity: The National Labor Relations Act protects all employees – even those not in unions – from retaliation by employers for engaging in protected concerted activities. “Protected concerted activity” is group activity seeking to modify working conditions.1 And the National Labor Relations Board says that includes 2 or more employees discussing pay or other work-related issues with each other.2 An employer taking action needs to be careful not to run afoul of the NLRA.

•    Legal off-duty activity: Some states (Texas is not one of them) have specific statutes limiting employers’ rights to take action based on an employee’s lawful, off-duty activities.  Check to see if your state has such a statute before taking action based on online activity.

The best advice for employers is to tread cautiously.  You might satisfy your curiosity, only to get information about an employee/candidate that you’d rather not have. While the odds of creating liability may be slim, the useful information you get may not be worth the potential hassle.

And, for employees/candidates, the best advice is to not put anything online that you wouldn’t your employer/prospective employer to see.  There might be some legal recourse available, but it would be better to keep/get the job than have a fight.

 

1 See nlrb.gov/workplace_rights/employee_rights.aspx (last visited 5/17/2010).
2  See nlrb.gov/workplace_rights/i_am_new_to_this_website/what_are_protected_concerted_activities.aspx (last visited 5/17/2010).

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Ins and Outs of Foursquare

With any aspect of social media most of us are making up the rules as we go along and Foursquare is no different. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Foursquare is a location based social network game. In my opinion it takes a pinch of Facebook, a dash of Twitter and a scoop of GPS. And, let’s be honest here… maybe a little bit of  [insert video game you obsess about here].

Foursquare is based on “checking in” at different locations around town and is available in a long list of cities. When you check in at a location your friends within your network can see where you are. The idea is that you can meet up with each other, discover new places, etc.

The game part of Foursquare comes into play with your check ins. You unlock badges as you check in and this creates even more fun and competition. You get a point for checking in, five points for a first time check in, more points if you’re adding a new venue, and so on. These points add up and eventually earn badges.

Another interesting aspect of Foursquare is how local businesses are using the technology. When you check in at A, you are alerted that B is offering a special or discount. Also, more savvy businesses are offering specials to the “mayor’ of that location.

So what’s the mayor of Foursquare? The mayor is the person that has the most check ins at that particular location. For a new location it takes just two check ins to become the mayor if no one else from Foursquare has discovered it yet.

If you’re ready to jump into Foursquare, go to the Foursquare site and sign up for an account. Download an app to your phone and get going.

Some advice:

  • It’s okay to link your Foursquare account to Twitter and Facebook, but I do recommend limiting those auto updates. No one but your mother cares to see your every move throughout the city pumped into Twitter and Facebook. I turned both of those options off on my account so only Foursquare is effected by my every move.
  • Don’t add just anybody as a friend. I add people that I know in real life or talk to often via social networks. In other words, these are people I feel safe with and don’t mind them knowing where I”m going.
  • If you’re going somewhere and you want the points but don’t necessarily want everyone to know where you are, check in as being “off the grid”.  (Select “off” for the “Tell my friends” option)
  • Include shout outs if there’s some detail about the place you want to share with your friends.
  • Use Foursquare as a networking tool … recently I saw that a certain someone was the mayor of MY Starbucks. I sent him a DM on Twitter and asked him to meet me at MY Starbucks. It was a great way to break the ice and meet someone that I may not have bumped into IRL any other way.

I’m sure other Foursquare users have great tips to add, too, so please do in the comments section below!

♥, @JennaSnacks

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