The Masses

Have you ever heard the saying “Two heads are better than one?” Multiply that the total number of internet users and you get crowdsourcing. Late last year the Pew Internet & American Life Project released a study revealing that 57 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds online – 12 million individuals – are creating content of some sort and posting it to the Web. Crowdsourcing is based on the framework of collective intelligence (Levy 1997), the idea that knowledge is more accurate when it consists of inputs from a population. Together we are smarter than individually. The Internet allows people to engage with other people and on a much larger scale than previously imagined by communication scholars.

The term “crowdsourcing” was coined by Jeff Howe in 2006. Crowdsourcing has been with us for quite a while; it just got its new catchy name recently. Howe identifies four types of crowdsourcing that all depend on some contribution from a crowd:
1.       Crowd wisdom
2.       Crowd creation
3.       Crowd voting
4.       Crowd funding

Crowdsourcing is becoming more popular among organizations looking for solutions with design, product development and problem solving. Compared to the cost of hiring a trained professional, entrepreneurs have saved time and money on research and development.  Resources are provided on the global scale when using this approach. The power of the crowd is driving the future of business.

Companies like Amazon’s Mechanical Turk provide a web-based marketplace that gives businesses access to a diverse workforce and gives workers a selection of thousands of tasks to complete whenever it's convenient.  The tasks include such things as identifying items in a photograph, skimming real estate documents to find identifying information, writing short product descriptions or transcribing podcasts. Traditionally, tasks like this have been accomplished by hiring a large temporary workforce which is time consuming and expensive. Amazon calls the tasks HITs (human intelligence tasks); they’re designed to require little time, and they offer very little compensation. Every little bit counts and the cents add up and soon enough the cents will add up to dollars. It’s like an online piggy bank for doing various chores.

iStockphoto is a great place for businesses to go when they are searching for images for their advertising or promotional materials. iStock offers  photographs, illustrations, videos, sound effects and more at affordable prices and are exceptional quality. Artists, designers and photographers from around the world come here to create, work and sell original content of their own. 

Innocentive offers a network of scientists. Companies like Boeing, DuPont, and Procter & Gamble now post their most difficult scientific problems on InnoCentive’s Web site; anyone on InnoCentive’s network can take a shot at cracking them. The rewards can vary anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000 per solution. That’s pocket change compared to paying the salaries of a group of scientists that it would take to solve your problem. Not to mention the money the company will make off of the product. It’s a win-win situation.

Brands often seek engagement with their consumers through crowdsourcing with requests for feedback, contests, polls or surveys. Starbucks “My Starbucks Idea” campaign encourages feedback on the brand and product level. Starbucks is getting a steady stream of feedback and ideas while deepening the bond with their customers. Starbucks has created their own social network webpage where consumers can all gather and submit ideas. The site allows participants to view, share, vote, and comment on ideas submitted. They also keep consumers in the loop on what ideas they are implementing. Below is a list of some of the great ideas that came from consumers:

·         Gratuity when using gift cards

·         Rewards card

·         Free drink when you purchase a mug or tumbler

·         Make Starbucks an after dinner destination

·         Design a cup contest

What a great concept. Starbucks is improving their business with external feedback from customers. Sometimes it’s difficult to think like a customer and what better way to know what the customer want than giving them an opportunity to show you.

Crowdsourcing is not the solution for every business, but it is another tool that businesses can use to improve their brand. If used appropriately it can be a great success. As with anything, there can be cons to using this method with the masses. It takes a lot of time to sort through the many ideas that come your way. Finding the right idea could be like finding a needle in a hay stack. Also, make sure to cover yourself legally. The person submitting the idea may want to sell the idea as intellectual property.

Once an organization decides to give crowdsourcing a try, it is important to motivate people to participate. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivators have been proven to be successful. Intrinsic motivation is internal and provides a benefit to the participant, such as enjoyment.  Extrinsic motivators provide an incentive such as money or a prize.

In Clay Sharky’s YouTube video he explains the internet brings us a different kind of society. “Group action just got easier.” We are living thru the largest increase in him human expressive capability and crowdsourcing offers a way for businesses to take advantage of this. 

What are your thoughts on crowdsourcing? How can you see organizations successfully implementing crowdsourcing into their research and development process? 

Blogosphere

Welcome back to week five of Communication Station. I have learned a tremendous amount about blogging this year thanks to my professor, Dr Padgett. Instead of taking tests and writing scholarly papers, our class maintains a professional blog. I really enjoy this unique approach to learning. This week are going to discuss blogging, digital democracy and citizen journalism. The term blog is a shortened form of web log. The activity of updating a blog is “blogging” and the person who creates the blog and updates it with information is a “blogger.”

Why do we blog? Several studies have examined why bloggers blog. The studies found five motivational factors for blogging: documenting one’s life; providing commentary and opinions; expressing deeply felt emotions; articulating ideas through writing; and forming and maintaining community forums. (Nardi et al. 2004b)

Blogs provide a venue for people to express their ideas or organize their thoughts as well as influence others opinions and provide viewpoints that are alternative to mainstream media. Some scholars say that blogs promote citizen journalism and digital democracy.

The act of citizens playing an active role in collecting and reporting news and information is citizen journalism, also known as “participatory journalism” or “internet journalism”.  The internet can be used as a tool for citizen’s to report news. Bloggers provide a personal feel to the story. Blogs have changed the way we read media and news and the way journalist report the news across the web. Blogging isn't journalism but journalist do blog. Many news organizations require journalist to maintain a blog. Running a blog creates a way for bloggers to connect with their audience on a whole new level.

The availability of new technology has made it easier for citizens to report incidents quicker than journalists are even made aware of the event. New media technology, such as cellphones and media sharing websites have given the citizens the power to report, unscripted, unedited, real-time information 24 hours per day. In some situations the citizen journalist would be approached by news organizations or investigators for more detailed information about an event.

Blogs are important tools used to promote digital democracy. They enhance the participation in political decision making by citizens. They represent the public interest in the digital era.

How many blogs are out there? Professional blogger Eric Pangburn posted the following stats on his blog on April 7, 2013:

• Tumblr.com shows it has over 101.7 million blogs with 44.6 billion blog posts
• WordPress.com has over 63 million blogs
• Livejournal reports to have 62.6 million blogs
• Weebly states it has over 12 million blogs
• Blogster has over 582,754 blogs

This information was posted over a year ago. The numbers are astounding and they continue to grow. There are blogs about any topic that you can think of. With so many blogs floating around in the blogosphere, how do we know which blogs are reputable? You cannot believe everything you read on the internet. Bloggers need to let readers know that the information they are reading is quality. There are several things bloggers can do to let their readers know that the information that is posted is quality information.

The blogger can list their credentials in their bio. When I stumbled upon Eric Pangburn’s Snitch IM blog, I read his bio and realized that blogging was how he supports his family. If your blog has ever won an award or was mention in a popular news article, it’s a good idea to flaunt that information on your blog. Pangburn’s bio says that his blogs have been featured in several top websites including NY Post “Best of the Week”.

When bloggers post numbers and statistics, it is important to reference where they found the information and provide links to studies or websites.

The blogger could feature trusted logos and awards to their site to establish credibility. Recently I discovered that my dear brother-in-law, Mike Fish, is a blogger. Mike is an attorney specializing in workers compensation. The name of his blog is Alabama Worker’s Comp Blawg. On the cover of his blog he has the law firm’s logo. There is also an image displayed showcasing that the blog was named one of the top 25 Workers’ Compensation blogs by LexisNexis in 2009. I have never heard of LexisNexis, but the fact that the blog won an award makes me think it’s a credible source in the workers’ comp world. If you click on the LexisNexis image you can read the reviews that the blog received.

Best Blogs to Watch:

One of the best newcomers this past year has been Alabama Workers' Comp Blawg, which covers both state and national news. What we like about this blog is that it tells you in plain English what the real impact of a court's decision or other change in law will be, and provides practice pointers and opinions of the writers.

Mike Fish

 High five bro-in-law, so proud of you!

People are starting to take note of the power of influence some bloggers have. Kelly Cutrone, a judge on “America’s Next Top Model” and owner of fashion p.r. firm People’s Revolution tells the N.Y. post “Bloggers are being paid to sit in the front row, and editors are not. They’re talent along with reality-TV people and actors.” There are famous bloggers that are treated like celebrities because of their devoted fan base. Some bloggers are getting six-figure deals.

In conclusion, I want to encourage you to give blogging a try. Don’t be afraid to explore the blogosphere. Sit down and do some deep thinking about a topic that you find interesting. Do some research if necessary and share your thoughts. You would be amazed of what goes on in your mind once you take the time to organize your thoughts and deliver.

What are some of your favorite blogs?

Thank you for your time. I look forward to reading your responses. 

Social Mediarites

Welcome back to this week’s edition of The Communication Station. Our topic this week is social media and the many nightmares communications face. Social media is defined as the interaction among people in which they exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. Generation Y (born between 1979 and 1997) outnumber the Baby Boomers (born between 1946-1964) and 97% of the are active on social media.Social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn have increasingly grown and will continue to do so. The world is becoming more global and social media is a part of everyday life for most people. It’s the way we stay we connected with family and friends, we gather our news, and it is where we advertise our products and services. 

Many communication leaders shy away from social media because they fear of making a huge mistake that could affect the business negatively. They could also get overwhelmed with comments from consumers. The birth of social media has brought us a new type of leader. Social media literate leaders are in high demand. These leaders need to know how to use social media tools and teach others how to use them effectively. Each platform provides a space for individuals to communicate and share information with people from all around the world, but each is unique in its own way. In order to get the most out of using social media for business purposes, it is important to be familiar with the various platforms available and how each could benefit you.

Social media has been functioning as a strategic communications tool among marketing, advertising and public relations practitioners for nearly a decade and the phenomenon has exploded in the last two years. The article Social Networks Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship outlines that most sites support the maintenance of pre-existing social networks, but others help strangers connect based on shared interests, political views, or activities. Sites also vary in the extent to which they incorporate new information and communication tools, such as mobile connectivity, blogging, and photo/video-sharing. Social media is a marketing tool that allows organizations to get to know their customers and prospects in ways that previously was not possible. Below I will give a brief description of some of the most popular social media sites that we use today and give examples of how businesses could possibly use each medium to effectively communicate or promote their products and services.

Facebook- The most popular social media site out there and the most user friendly of them all. If Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest with 800+ million users. Facebook allows registered users to create profiles, upload photos and video, send messages and keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues. Facebook can help boost your business and find new customers. Facebook uses the social graph and activities to target demographics and people for Facebook advertising. Businesses can create and share their page to give incentives that become a "fan" and share their page.

Twitter- Combines elements of blogging, text messaging and broadcasting in 140 characters or less in messages known as “tweets” and shared with anyone who has elected to receive them. Twitter has an average of 190 million tweets per day. Users often add the hashtag symbol (#) before words or phrases in their Tweets to categorize then for others or to organize conversations around a theme. Users can click on hashtags to see similarly-themed Tweets. It’s a global dialogue where people talk about their interests. Businesses could reward members for posting tweets or use the site as a customer service tool. 

YouTube- YouTube is a video sharing website. It is the second largest search engine in the world after Google. More than 1 billion users visit YouTube each month. Businesses can create mini commercials, video blogs, interviews, tours and demonstrations to promote their brand.

LinkedIn- LinkedIn operates the world's largest professional network on the Internet with more that 277 million members in over 200 countries and territories. Registered users maintain a list of contact details of people with whom they have some level of relationship, called Connections. Organizations can create a LinkedIn company page and engage followers with company updates, news, events and relevant content.

Whichever social media site you feel works for you it is important to deliver valuable content, monitor trends and join the conversation.

Todd Wasserman reports three marketing tricks used by top brands in his article Steal These 3 Social Marketing Tricks From Top Brands:

• Passion - connecting with one of your passions and/or interests
• Personality - entertaining you with their engaging personality
• Transparency - providing interesting and/or important information to you

Following one of these strategies can help clarify which is the best practice for your brand. "These approaches are interchangeable, and a brand can not only switch back and fourth between them, but also use two or three at the same time," says Caitlin Francke, SVP, and Director or Social Strategy at Publicis Kaplan Thaler. "The most important thing is for a brand to stay true to their DNA, identify what they are best at, what they can offer the customers the most of, and focus on that."

In conclusion, social media is good for business. Using social media as a marketing tool for boosting business goes a long way. Attract your audience, pull them into your business and get them involved. 

What is your social media strategy?

The Mobile Evolution

There are 6 billion people in the world, 3 billion are connected. Nokia researcher Jan Chipchase travels the world to study our behavioral patterns. He’s found that the top three things we carry with us where ever we go are our keys, money and our mobile phones. We feel these things are needed for survival. Keys symbolize shelter and warmth, money buys us food, and our mobile phones are great recovery tools. I cannot deny the deep emotional bond that I have with my smartphone. I love my phone, it is my everything. My phone keeps me connected with my close friends and family, it wakes me up, keeps me organized, it tracks the miles I run, I can shop, listen to music, watch videos, pay bills, play games, take pictures of my kids, share pictures of my kids, the list goes on. It’s just amazing that all of these features are bundled up into one mobile device that fits in my pocket. I can take it anywhere and access it anytime.  I know I am not the only one that finds great value in their smartphone and so do organizations trying to find the best way to market their brand.

This week our class readings and discussions were centered on mobile communications. The way we connect has advanced and we are living in a multimedia environment. Smartphones and tablets have certainly changed the way we consume information, interact with each other, and do business. The role of strategic communication professionals has increased the need for trained multimedia communicators in order to succeed in today’s mobile evolution. Mobile technologies have created a whole new process in which organizations market their brands.

Some organizations have adopted the “Mobile First” strategy. This is where they create content for the mobile medium first and everything else next. This strategy works for companies such as news establishments, but “Mobile First” does not tailor to every organizations marketing plan. Instead of “Mobile First” maybe “Mobile Too” is a better solution for most businesses. Integrating seamless customer experiences across all mediums of communication is important for today for most organizations. In this mixed delivery market, consumers will choose the best available device at the time or place they are connected. Marketers must be available on each platform in order to grab the attention of the consumer.

With new social networking platforms popping up from behind every corner, it can be hard to know exactly where to commit your time and resources. The world of social media is evolving at a rapid pace. Mobile social media marketing is on the rise and falls under the mobile marketing umbrella. The mobile device allows mobile marketers to know the geographical position of the consumer with technologies such as GPS and Bluetooth. Mobile media offers data on the consumer’s time and place. We have phones that not only know where they are, but know which direction they are pointing and how fast they are moving. No other channel offers these two pieces of information. Mobile social media allows marketing messages to be distributed at certain times and locations.

Geo location apps like Foursquare have been created to send you deals and tips based on your location. from anywhere in the world to interacts with friends so they know exactly where they are and what they are doing. For marketers Foursquare offers a opportunity to use geo-location based services to promote their brands in real-time.

Due to the mobile evolution, marketing strategies are not only mobile, but they are social too. In the article If you love something, let it go mobile, Andrea’s M Kaplan describes the 4 I’s of mobile social media to help firms in this new environment.         

Four I's of mobile social media:

1. Integrate their mobile social media activities into the lives of users to avoid being a nuisance. 
2. Individualizing activities to take account of each user's preferences and interests. 
3. Involve the user through engaging in conversation.
4. Initiate the creation of user-generated content and word-of-mouth, which allows for tighter integration into the users' lives.                 

There are endless opportunities for brands to engage with their customers. Good customer engagement strategies make it easier to promote new features and updates, collect feedback and build a loyal fan base. 

Cross-platform campaigns increase product awareness across a variety of mediums.Beats by Dr. Dre launched a very successful #showyourcolor campaign. They identified their target audience and found they cherished individuality. The campaign was driven by the self-expression of the fan base. First, television ads were run on major networks featuring popular sports, entertainment, and social figures posing with their Beats product of choice. Next, consumers were invited to like Beats by Dr. Dre on Facebook, where they could design a custom profile cover with the same design as the TV ads. The most creative were rewarded. Finally, Beats took over Times Square for a day, allowing pedestrians to take photos in a photo booth, posing with the Beats products. Their photos and caption of choice were then displayed on one of three digital billboards in Times Square. As a result, Beats by Dr Dre increased Facebook likes by 1.7 million, Instagram followers by 76 percent, and YouTube subscribers by 57 percent.

Pew Research estimates that by 2020 a mobile device will be the primary Internet connection tool for most people around the world. Generation Z or the Net Generation born between 1990- 2000 do not read newspapers or watch regular TV. Social media has been present for the majority of their lives. A study on GenZ by Wikia finds that teens users are connected nearly all waking hours of the day; engaging with open-platform communication and information sharing. In the next decade strategic communication professionals will have to develop new strategies to marketing to this generation.

What social media strategies do you foresee in the future?