If Facebook Was A Government, Diaspora* Is An Anarchist

Do you remember the first time you used the Internet? I used to fight with my sisters to “get online” after school so I could check my AOL mail, Neopets, and the occasion teen chat room.  I went by FelicityRC.  Many thought it was referring to the WB show, but it was actually the name of my American Girl doll.

Fast forward to 2011 where you are Googled by your boss, mom and ex-boyfriend.  What used to be a friendly way of meeting future college peers is now a platform where brands can find you (I am one of people who gets those brands on Facebook, sorry).  Facebook debuted Timeline last week, proving to me that yes, they can figure out the birth order of my sisters (though we don’t post the year for our birthday), how many friends I have made each year since I joined (less each year it seems) and that I will never escape certain pictures.

So appears Diaspora*, a community whose mission is “to build a new and better social web, one 100% owned and controlled by you.” 

Awesome Social Stuff – Week of 7.18 – 7.22.11

Image courtesy of LandofEnchantment

New Startup

Pictarine

What it is

Create Albums from Instagram, Twitter & Facebook Photos with Pictarine. Pictarine is a website that lets you enjoy and share all your photos in one place.  Mix and match photos from different services to create shareable albums.

Why it matters

After first-time users authenticate each of their photo site accounts, Pictarine collects their photos, and auto-sorts them into albums by service, while also maintaining third-party site album structure. The service

Awesome Social Stuff – Week of 6.13 – 6.17.11

Keilantra's Kreations

New Startups
Meet the Yelp for Packaged Goods (Consmr)

What it is

CPG-Focused site pushes reviews for everyday products with check-ins.  Essentially, a social network for packaged goods with a mobile product in the works.

Why it matters

Packaged goods is now a $12 billion business in e-commerce but checking in to packaged goods is nothing new. Brands have had consumers scan barcodes in order to show they are holding the product in their hand. Many CPG brands are launching their own commerce platforms, such as Procter & Gamble Co.’s new Facebook commerce platform.

Social Media Jargon – Creating Confusion in the Workplace Daily

Sometimes I yearn for the days of St. Mark’s High School, where my mind was slightly more agile and getting an A on a psychology/philosophy/history/science test meant creating a list of important terms for each lesson and looking up their definition in the textbook’s glossary.  My oldest sister Theresa currently has the highest level of education of my immediate family (Occupational Therapy Doctorate from Washington University of St. Louis) and would swear her life by flashcards.  No offense to them, but such subjects have been in existence for at least a few hundred years and certain theories, definitions, and jargon are the norm of their field – you are sure to lose an argument if you disagree a term actually means something else.  However, myself and everyone else in the field of digital marketing and social media would agree that with such a new field of “study” (speaking of Twitter that launched in 2007 and Facebook in 2004) less than 10 years old, figuring out exactly what the proper jargon is leads to more confusion in the workplace on a daily basis.

Jumping on the Bandwagon: Yay for Facebook, Nay for Twitter

When reading Sandra L. Beckwith’s Publicity for Nonprofits: Generating Media Exposure That Leads to Awareness, Growth, and Contribution , I was struck with how I agreed with the opening introduction of  Chapter 5: “How Will You Say It In Media Materials?”.  The chapter focuses on the process of selecting the best media tools for campaigns.  It doesn’t take years of professional experience for one to understand that certain tools are more applicable and practical depending on the campaign and the messages one is trying to implement.  I find this is concept can be neglected when a certain trend in media causes practitioners to jump on the latest over-hyped tool: specifically, Twitter and other social media fads.

We have seen in the past year how brands have been quick to jump onto the current trend of the moment and the results of an online presence that danced with the fine line of being present and being obnoxious.  The most misunderstood tool of social media today is Twitter.  Twitter is a tool best implemented when one-on-one communication would suffice between company and consumer.  Twitter has proved to be excellent at networking and customer service.  However, I feel that there is better success when an online community is created, especially with nonprofit organizations.  Two necessary components for a successful online community are the abilities to built relationships and share information.  Twitter does not suffice in these two areas; a platform such as Ning or Facebook is much better to encourage dialogue about your company, service, or product.  Such platforms encourage relationship-building and lead to permanent success.

Some companies get left behind because of an imbalance when it comes to having a substantial online presence.  My New Media professor, Tom Klinkowstein of Media A, was discussing online presence with me last week and said regarding social media, on average two years of active social networking is needed in order to be digitally distinct.  While this may be surprising to people who enjoy the instant gratification of popular platforms such as Twitter, it must be remembered that we are moving into The Networking Age.  Meaningful relationships take time to develop and last.