The World Wider Web

We have reached my final blog for my Strategic Communication & Emerging Media course. Professor Padgett has been an amazing instructor. He uses an unconventional format to teaching and I feel it is very beneficial to the class. Instead of multiple choice tests, we participated in class discussions and rather than writing scholarly papers, we each created a professional blog. I have learned so much through blogging. My future posts may not be as lengthy or frequent, but I plan on posting every so often. I would like to conclude with a few thoughts on the future of the web and I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to follow me throughout the term.

Ever think about how the internet has changed your life? The internet has only been in existence for 5,000 days. What’s next for the Web? What does the next 5,000 days hold? “The next 5,000 days is not only going to be the web and something better. It’s going to be smarter, more personalized, more ubiquitous in terms of filling your entire environment, and we will be in the middle of it.” (Kevin Kelly) It turns out that there is still huge unlocked potential for the web to serve you.

Tim Berners-Lee invented the internet a little over 20 years ago. He states that when he was trying to create the internet, it was really difficult to explain his vision to people. It’s like that again. “I want to think about a world where everybody has put data on the web and so virtually everything you can imagine is on the web and then calling it linked data.” (Tim Berners-Lee) He states that if we could provide more data on the web, we can make the world run better.

I look forward to see what the World Wider Web has in store for us. 

Techies

Welcome back! This week’s blog will cover how technology may be affecting children and learning. I paid close attention to this week’s topic due to the fact that I have three daughters, ages 5, 11 and 13. The internet has been a part of all three of their lives since they were born.  As a parent, I’m challenged with understanding the good, the bad and the ugly of my children’s technology use and facilitate a healthy, balanced relationship with technology.

As my children grow older, their technology use continues to evolve. It started with video game systems and moved on to cellphones, laptops and iPads. Now they are beginning to become interested in social media sites. It’s difficult to keep up with the various options they have today. One minute they are asking their friends to Kik them and the next it’s Whatsapp. I had no clue what Vine and SnapChat until my children told me. Parents need to pay attention to the online trends and the latest technologies, websites and applications children are using. I try my best to keep up with the times, but until I catch up the best thing I can do is warn them about the dangers of digital communication and monitor their usage.

There are very few studies available on the long term effects modern technology has on child development because we are still in the prime of its existence. The more advanced technology becomes, the more it seems to have control over our lives. When I was growing up, if you wanted to send a message to someone, you wrote them a letter; if you wanted to listen to music you turned on the radio; and if you wanted to research something, you went to the library.

Technology definitely has its advantages, but too much of a good thing can never be good. The amount of time children spend using media technology is alarming. The fear is not only that this technology is replacing physical and imaginative play, but that it also may be diminishing development of social skills, heart connection and empathy for others. In order for healthy development to occur children must overcome challenges and obstacles in the real world, learn from mistakes, and reflect on the adult they hope to become.

A recent study conducted by Larry D. Rosen, PhD, professor of psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills found:

·         Teens that use Facebook more often show more narcissistic tendencies while young adults who have a strong Facebook presence show more signs of other psychological disorders, including antisocial behaviors, mania and aggressive tendencies.

·         Daily overuse of media and technology has a negative effect on the health of all children, preteens and teenagers by making them more prone to anxiety, depression, and other psychological disorders, as well as by making them more susceptible to future health problems.

·         Facebook can be distracting and can negatively impact learning. Studies found that middle school, high school and college students who checked Facebook at least once during a 15-minute study period achieved lower grades.

Rosen said new research has also found positive influences linked to social networking, including:

·         Young adults who spend more time on Facebook are better at showing "virtual empathy" to their online friends.

·         Online social networking can help introverted adolescents learn how to socialize behind the safety of various screens, ranging from a two-inch smartphone to a 17-inch laptop.

·         Social networking can provide tools for teaching in compelling ways that engage young students.

Are our children learning anything from the use of technology? Children need to develop the skills to use technology appropriately in order to survive in our digital world. They will need to know how to use a mouse, type on the keyboard, and navigate the internet as they get older. Digital devices give kids access to educational content from anywhere in the world. The convergence of digital and physical learning is emerging in our schools today. Some parents worry digital tools will replace the teacher or hands-on, in-person learning. In Sugata Mitra’s TED video Kids Can Teach Themselves, he states that “a teacher can never be replaced by a machine.” He quoted Sir Arthur C. Clark, “A teacher that can be replaced by a machine, should be.”

My 5^th grader’s teacher has implemented the use of technology in her classroom. She maintains a classroom blog for the parents and kids to keep up with the assignments. There are links to several learning websites that she encourages the kids to use to help learn certain things that they are studying in the class. I feel like the blog is helpful for me because it gives me an alternative to the written agenda. My daughter doesn’t always write everything in that agenda and I don’t always understand what they are covering by what is written. My daughter seems to be better organized by having the assignments posted on this blog. No more “I left my folder at school” excuses. Everything we need is available on the blog. It makes my life easier and that’s always a plus.

Some researchers argue the technology is taking over the imaginations of small children. Shilo Shiv Suleman is an illustrator, storyteller and iPad book creator. In her Ted video Using Tech to Enable Dreaming, she explains that she originally considered herself sort of a technophobe. She felt that cellphones and fancy cameras had stopped us from being inspired. She states “I was terrified by this idea that I would lose the ability to enjoy and appreciate the sunset without having my camera on me, without tweeting it to my friends. It felt like technology should enable magic, not kill it.”  Sulemon wanted to find a way for technology to help create magic in her stories. She is now using technology to bring her stories to life by merging sounds, images, and interactive capabilities to enable people to embed themselves in her stories. “In the last 10 years, children have been locked inside their rooms, glued to their PCs. … But now with mobile technology, we can actually take our children outside into the natural world with their technology.” (Suleman)

 

What are some ways that technology has helped your children learn? 

Brand New

The internet has brought so many new challenges to companies when it comes to branding and online reputations. Branding online has become an interactive experience that blurs the line between advertisement and entertainment. Consumers are encouraged to participate in dialogue. The internet has made it easier for organizations to target the audience that they want to communicate with.

Online presence equals to brand awareness. Developing a strong online presence and paying attention to your overall online branding increases both positive customer experience and search engine results. Your reputation is online identity and you can gain leads from enhancing your online presence.

Online branding has become a must and has increasing become popular over traditional resources. With traditional media, the messages are sent out to the world no matter what level of trust and interest the company has previously generated. The Internet allows communication based on where each prospect is in the four stages of the relationship-building process. 

Prospects pass through several stages before embracing a relationship with a company:

• Awareness – The consumer can recognize the name of the company.
• Familiarity – The prospect acquires an appreciation of the products or services offered, and various  related features.
• Trust – The customer becomes motivated to purchase a product or service because of the perceived benefits derived from particular features.
• Commitment - A transaction occurs. The prospect and the company are no longer strangers. Both comprehend something about each other, hopefully encouraging many repeated exchanges.

Coca Cola provides a great example of an online experience that builds their relationship with the teenage market. Coca Cola has developed a digital online campaign targeted towards teens called the “AHH Effect”.  The Ahh effect is supposed to generate a feeling of happiness, satisfaction and delicious refreshment one experiences after drinking Coca Cola. The digital experiences include games and films. The campaign consists of 61 URL’s, 25 are designated for user generated content. Coca-Cola is awarding those URLs to teens who submit their own creative interpretations of what AHH means to them.

“Digital, social & mobile are re-writing the rules of marketing. We can no longer have one-way brand to fan communications -- instead the brand must facilitate true fan experiences to drive engagement,” said Pio Schunker, senior vice president of integrated marketing communications, Coca-Cola North America Group. “This campaign is the next step in our evolution of Coca-Cola’s marketing innovation. The notion erupted in 2012 when the iconic Coke Polar Bears watched the Big Game with millions of fans from their arctic living room, then millions more logged on to help 'Gamify' the Big Game with the Showgirls, Badlanders and Cowboys earlier this year. Now, we hope the AHH Effect will reach a new generation of Coca-Cola fans using the right content in just the right digital context.”

Coca-Cola is partnered with some of teens’ favorite online destinations to drive engagement in the campaign. Alloy Digital, Break Media, Vevo and Smosh each will be featured in “The AHH Effect” sites. The Company also has designed specific experiences in association with customer partners, including “Slurpee^® Sucker” and “Can Cans” with 7-Eleven, Inc., “Fry Choir” with McDonalds and “Mobile AHH Giver” with Target.

Companies of every size can benefit from online reputation management. Tim Leberecht explains in his Ted video 3 ways to (usefully) lose control of your brand, that your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room. Hyper connectivity and transparency allow companies to listen and join the conversation. Openness is paramount. Opening up to criticism and feedback has been beneficial to companies that openly communicate with their consumers. Transparency means giving employees and customers more control to talk about product and services publicly, establishing a one on one communication channel, asking for feedback, and responding to criticism effectively. Transparency is risky but if done well, this elicits more trust, satisfaction, and loyalty from each customer.

The internet provides several tools to increase brand awareness. A corporate blog could enhance visibility to your brand. A blog is interactive and engaging and can help build relationships with customers. A blog can easily be linked to several social media sites, multiplying visibility to your brand. Regular interactions on social networks are important to business success.

Branding isn’t just for companies anymore. A new trend called personal branding has evolved and is essential to personal achievement. Personal branding involves managing perceptions effectively and controlling and influencing how other perceive you. Having a strong personal brand is important in today's online and digital age. Taking control of how others perceive you online has become increasingly essential and is the key to personal success. A personal brand must be authentic. The world's most successful people like Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson and Bill Gates thrive off of their personal brands.

Marie Forleo is an example of someone who has built an incredible personal brand online with over 100,000 followers and fans all over the world. Her award winning web show Marie TV help people dream big and back it up with daily actions to create measurable results. Marie was recently interviewed by Oprah as a thought leader for the next generation. Her brand and vision is to help you realize your greatest potential and use your unique talents to change the world. She reaches over 250,000 readers in 191 countries and leads training programs that teach individuals to succeed in business and life. 

If you were  corporate brand, how would you market yourself? 

Thanks for visiting. I look forward to reading your comments.