Can You Carry a Good Conversation? The Basic of Social Networking

Social networks can be referred to as a complex social structure in which people connect with one another. Social networks have been around for as long as there have been human beings. People established networks by interacting with one another. Now that there is internet, which allows people to break the physical boundaries and connect with others in almost everywhere and at any time, will people find it easier to build a social network?

Indeed, it is often just one click away from connecting with someone online, but think deeper, there is no shortcut for building a real social network. Let’s say if we want to establish a professional relationship with a potential business partner in a traditional setting. First, we will find ways to get introduced to the partner. Then, we want to speak to the partner on the phone, in person, or at least with e-mail/mail. Such conversation provides a good opportunity for both parties to assess each other’s work and ideas. If both parties are interested and able to carry a continuous conversation, a network can be established.

Likewise in the cyber world, online connections may not necessarily mean social networks. For example, there are online connections we know nothing about other than their name and job title. There are also connections we might know in person but do not talk to each other for years. Will you trust a connection like that and do business with him/her? If we cannot even trust a person’s profile, how can this connection turn into a beneficial relationship? Will you still consider this person part of your social networks?

If we want to turn our online connections into our valuable social networks, we must be able to network with our connections through on-going conversations. I believe the following networking tactics may help:

·         Update all user profiles in social networking sites. Make sure there are a professional picture and a brief work history that shows a person’s work ethic.

·         Make notes about the connections, which can be used as references for follow-up conversations. LinkedIn, for example, allows users to write notes on their first connections’ profiles. Such notes are only visible to the user himself/herself.

·         Interact with connections by clicking “Like” or posting a short comment on their updates. Ask questions if the topic/conversation interests you.

·         Send birthday wishes, season’s greetings, and “congratulations” to connections if they post good news.  

·         Share useful information on connections’ wall or through e-mail if they might have interest.

·         Tag or mention connections in an update or picture on your wall if the topic is the connections’ interest.

·         Ask intellectual questions and seek feedback from the networks.

Social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn provide an additional means for people to stay connected. However, just as what we do in a traditional setting, we must continuously engage with our connections on social networking sites to build a valuable social network.  

How important do you see an on-going conversation in a relationship? What other tactics will you suggest to help people better engage with their connections on social networking sites?

References:

The picture was downloaded from BoundaryInterFaces.WordPress.com 

Beyond a Profile Page: A Continuous Discussion of “Seeking Jobs on Social Media”

It is no longer a secret that companies use social media to recruit and select managerial candidates. As a result, if a job seeker wants to catch an employer’s attention, s/he must be visible online as an expert.

Last year, I published an article about social-media job-search tactics in HOSTEUR™, in which I shared some career advice with hospitality and tourism students. A year later, I was invited to write an article of the same topic for the HealthyYou Magazine, but this time my target audience is the students majoring in nutrition science and public health. I actually offered similar advice to both groups (even though with different wordings). The truth is it doesn't matter in which area(s) a person wants to advance his/her career. The basic tactics of using social media in job search remain the same. Here are some examples,

• A job seeker must understand the characteristics and qualifications that his/her ideal employer is looking for in order to design/develop an appropriate personal brand that fits into this employer’s expectations as well as his/her own career goal.
• Having a presence on major social networking sites, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter is good, but not enough. A job seeker also needs to actively participate in online forums and discussion. The more useful information this person shares, the better. The more this person helps other in a specific area, the more likely this person will be known as an expertise in a particular domain.
• It is nice to connect with the industry experts, professionals, co-workers, clients, and people who share the same interests, but these connections may not mean much if we never interact with them. A trustful relationship is built over time through continuous interactions.
• Being negative and critical is fine because it shows a person’s professional knowledge (at least it indicates that this person is capable of identifying an issue), but it can be better if this person is able to offer constructive feedback, suggestions, and alternative solutions to help solve the issue.
• In order to leverage the power of social media, professionals and students must be willing to share their knowledge and some personal information online. A person can have the most brilliant idea in the world, but such wonderful idea might never be discovered or searchable by a potential employer if this person keeps everything private.

What do you think? Will those tactics work in other disciplines besides hospitality and tourism, nutrition science, and public health? What other useful suggestions will you make to those job seekers who plan to use social media in job search?

Relevant discussions:
Tactics of Seeking Jobs on Social Media

Privacy vs. Efficacy: Which One Would You Choose? (Using Facebook in Job Search)

One Has No Choice But to Manage His/Her Online Image
Background Check on Social Media: Now Is a Serious Business
Using Facebook for Background Check
Social Media and Job Search I
Social Media and Job Search II

Social Media and Job Search III

Personal Brand and Social Media
Managing Your Online Reputation
Ways to Clean Up a Person’s Negative Online Reputation

References:

Kwok, Linchi (2012). Beyond a profile page: Using social media to build a personal brand and impress potential employers. HealthyYou Magazine, 12(1), 14 – 15. (Available in print but not online yet).  

Grooming Standards, Social Media, and Company Polices

I recently read two discussions about company policies on employees’ grooming standards and social media. I believe they both deserve our attention, especially if we are working in the service sector.

The first one is about a company’s guidelines on employee dress codes and grooming standards. Today, there are more people wearing tattoos and piercings than before. It is found that 32% of those between 25 and 29 wear at least one tattoo. Does this mean more companies will allow employees to uncover their tattoos and piercings at work?

I doubt it. Based on my own research on hospitality recruiters’ expectations of job candidates and my work experience in the industry, I believe the service industry is still very conservative in dress codes and very strict on employees’ grooming standards. The question is: What policy is deemed appropriate in the work place?

According to a recent report in the HR Magazine, strict work place dress codes may raise legal issues, especially when a tattoo or piercing “reflects a genuine religious belief.” In that case, “the employer must accommodate that belief unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the business.”

The second discussion is a case about Facebook and legal issues. According to the Ogletree Deakins News, a salesman got fired by a car dealership because (a) he posted comments criticizing the way that the dealership had handled a marketing event with photos on Facebook and (b) he made critical comments about an accident that occurred during the marketing event by another dealership, which is run by the same company of his and located right next door. He then filed unfair labor practice charge against the dealership, “alleging both that he had been discharged because he engaged in protected concerted activities in violation of Section 8(a)(1) of the Act and that the company maintained several unlawful rules in its employee handbook.” So, what are the results?

The administrative law judge (ALJ) concluded that the salesman was discharged because of what he posted about the accident caused by the dealership next door, “and because that posting was not protected activity, the termination was not unlawful.” The ALJ, however, “considered the allegations that the employee handbook contained several policies that violated the ACT.” Three out of the four challenged “courtesy” policies on the dealership’s employee handbook are found unlawful and need modifications. One example of the unlawful policy reads:

Courtesy: Courtesy is the responsibility of every employee. Everyone is expected to be courteous, polite and friendly to our customers, vendors and suppliers, as well as to their fellow employees. No one should be disrespectful or use profanity or any other languages which injures the image or reputation of the Dealership.

On review, the National Labor Review Board (NLRB) agreed that the “courtesy rule” violated Section 8(a)(1) Act because “employees would reasonably construe its broad prohibition against ‘disrespectful’ conduct and ‘language which injures the image or reputation of the Dealership’ as encompassing Section 7 activity, such as employees’ protected statement.” NLRB further explained that an employee’s “polite expression of disagreement could be deemed ‘disrespectful’ to the company’s reputation” under the courtesy policy. In the end, the company was ordered to “rescind the three rules and furnish all employees with the language of lawful rules or a revised employee handbook containing the new rules.”

I do not have any JD education, but it seems to me that many companies striving to provide professional and exceptional customer service (in a more “conservative” way at least) would set strict guidelines on employees’ grooming standards, their usage of social networking sites, as well as courtesy. It becomes obvious that we need to be very careful in writing an employee handbook. It is probably a very good idea to seek legal advice regarding the appropriate content and languages used in the handbook. HR professionals must be fair to everyone and apply the same policy to every employee.  

What practical implications do you see from these two cases? Are they worthy of our attention?

Relevant discussions:

What Is Your Company’s Dress Code for the Summer? 

Dress to Impress: “Old-Fashioned” Business Attire Still Works 

Professional Dress in the Workplace 

Average/Below-Average Looking People Can Earn as Much as the Attractive Ones 

Is It OK for Hotel Staff to Wear Piercings and Tattoos?

Do Tattoos Go Alone with Professionalism?

Social Media Policy 

References:

Deschenaux, Joanne. (2012, November). Workplace Dress, Grooming Codes May Raised Legal Issues. HR Magazine, p. 18.

Ogletree Deakins News – The Employment Law Authority. (2012, September/October). NLRB upholds Dismissal in Facebook Case, but Finds Employer’s Policy Violated Federal Labor Law. p. 1 and p. 6 (in a newsletter). 

“SoLoMo” and Legislation

The “SoLoMo” (Social, Local, and Mobile) movement has great impact on consumer behavior and business operations. Now than ever before, more consumers are using mobile payments. According to a recent report @USAToday, the number of mobile payment users is expected to surge from 160.5 million in 2011 to 212.2 million in 2012, a 32% increase; likewise, the amount of mobile payment transactions will grow from $105.9 billion in 2011 to $171.5 billion in 2012, up 62%.

Earlier this month, Starbucks announced that consumers would be able to purchase coffee with Square’s Wallet App starting in November 2012. Eventually, consumers will be able to place an order and settle the payment even before they enter a Starbucks’ store.

When promoting mobile payment options or doing mobile marketing, however, businesses have to jump through one hoop --- they must convince their customers that such mobile app is safe and reliable and that their business is trustworthy. Recently, I received a few spam text messages, telling me that I have won a BestBuy gift card or have an issue with my credit card that needs my immediate response. Like many other consumers, I become more cautious for mobile marketing messages because of spams. Thus, spams create negative impact to those authentic mobile marketing messages as well as “SoLoMo.”

The good news is FCC (Federal Communications Commission) in the U.S.  has published guidelines and oversees the policies for communications, which regulate businesses’ using email and text messaging as a marketing or a business-to-consumer communication tool. For example, consumers must choose to opt-in/double-opt-in to receive e-mail or mobile marketing messages, and companies must allow consumers to opt-out such service at any time. More recently, FCC is proposed to ban internet to phone text messages, according to this FoxNews video.

Are such legislations sufficient in protecting consumers and thus help promote the “SoLoMo” movement? What else could be done to further protect consumers?

Or, do you think legislation should be kept in a minimal level so that companies can compete with one another with more freedom? Besides legislation, what other alternatives could be helpful in promoting “SoLoMo” while protecting consumers?

Relevant discussions:

Free Group Texting Service 

Using Cell Phones to Make Payments


References:

Platt, Spencer (October 5, 2012). Starbucks gets a Square deal. USA Today. pp. 1B and 2B.
PayAnywhere Card Reader PAR-1 (Google Affiliate Ad)

Drawing Facebook Users’ Attention by Posting “Popular” Social Media Messages

Facebook has become one of the most important means for B2C (business-to-consumer) communications. When a Facebook user likes, posts comments, or shares content with their Facebook credentials, an update will appear on this person’s wall, helping companies rapidly spread information. Companies must pay close to attention to Facebook users’ reactions to the messages they send on Facebook because Facebook users’ endorsement of a message can be very important in indicating the effectiveness of a company’s social media strategy.

In one of my recent studies (co-authored with Dr. Bei Yu), we adopted the text mining techniques to identify the type(s) of Facebook messages that are endorsed (and thus propagated) by Facebook users. We analyzed 982 Facebook messages initiated by 10 restaurant chains and two independent operators and found the following results:

• The “more popular” messages, which receive more “Likes” and comments, contain keywords about the restaurants (e.g., menu descriptions).
• The “less popular” messages seem to involve with sales and marketing.
• Dividing the messages into four media types (i.e., status, link, video, and photo), photo and status receive more “Likes” and comments.
• In terms of the content of the messages, we coded the messages into two message types, namely sales/marketing and conversational messages, which do not directly sell or promote the restaurants. As compared to sales and marketing messages, conversational messages receive more “Likes” and comments even though they only account for 1/3 of the messages in the study.
• There is also a cross-effect of media type and message type on the number of comments a message received.

Based on the research findings, we outlined several practical tactics in this paper to help companies improve their use of Facebook. They include:

• Use the eye-catching keywords when writing a social media message.  
• Focus more on sharing status and photo rather than links or videos.
• Provide a brief description when sharing links or videos so that Facebook users are informed about the content without clicking the links or watching the videos.
• Engage with Facebook users with conversational messages rather than just selling or promoting a product, service, or the company.
• Learn from the best examples (i.e. Starbucks and Chick-fil-A in this study) and see how they engage with their Facebook users.

To read more about this study and the findings’ managerial implications, please access the full-text article online at SAGE Publication.

If you are a social media manager or an expert in the field, do you think our research provide any useful insight? What suggestions will you make to help other practitioners better engage on social media sites? For future studies, what important (research) questions do you want me or other researchers to answer?

Relevant discussion:

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words 

References:

Kwok, Linchi, and Yu, Bei (In press). Spreading the social media messages on Facebook: An analysis of restaurant business-to-consumer communications. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, special issue on Information-Based Strategies in the Hospitality Industry. (DOI: 10.1177/1938965512458360)
The picture was downloaded from Ignitesocialmedia.com.

Relevant publications:
Yu, Bei, Chen, Miao, and Kwok, Linchi (2011). Toward predicting popularity of social marketing messages. In J. Salerno, S.J. Yang, D. Nau, & S.K. Chai (Ed.), Social Computing, Behavioral-Cultural Modeling and Prediction: Lecture Notes in Computer Science (pp. 317-324). Heidelberg, Germany: Springer.
Yu, Bei, and Kwok, Linchi (2011, July). Classifying business marketing messages on Facebook. Empirical full paper presented in the Internet Advertising (IA 2011) Workshop at the 34^th Annual International ACM SIGIR (Association for Computing Machinery; Special Interest Group on Information Retrieval) Conference, Beijing, China. 

We Are Being Analyzed on Twitter for Marketing Purposes

Most of us know that the Big Brother is watching us on social media. So, whether or not we want to be watched is out of the question. The debate turns to: To what extent should we be monitored? And more importantly, are we being watched for a good reason?

Twitter, for example, will soon allow advertisers to target users based on their “assumed” interests and hobbies, according to this Wall Street Journal video. Twitter is able to do that because it knows what users like by analyzing their tweets, favorite tweets, retweets, interactions with other users, keywords in Twitter search, the following list, and the follower list.  

In fact, other big players in the market like Google and Facebook have been running targeted ads for a while, but I still think this could be good news because marketers will have an additional medium to reach target customers --- users on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter are different in many ways in my opinions. Besides, this could an important move for Twitter before it announces the IPO (initial public offering).  

Today’s technology allows marketers to closely watch consumers about just everything, from body temperature, motions, and heartrates in a shopping trip, to their shopping routines. I am not sure if consumers are happy about that, but I believe many marketers are. Would you agree? 

The business implications of monitoring internet users’ online behaviors, however, can go beyond marketing. HR is another good example. Social media has become a very important tool in recruitment and employee selection. Hiring managers can now analyze a job candidate’s online presence before making an offer. If a job seeker does not know how to present himself/herself with 140 words or how to leverage the power of social media in job search, s/he would miss many good opportunities.

If you are a HR professional, how do you use technology in managing an organization’s human capital? If you are a job seeker, what tactics can you use in job search on social media?

Besides Marketing and HR, what other departments can use social media for their advantages? How?

References:
The Twitter logo was downloaded from https://twitter.com/logo

Is It a Good Business Strategy to Offer Phone-Free Discount?

A restaurant is offering 5% discount to customers who leave their cellphones at the door during the meal. The restaurant owner wants his customers to enjoy the dining experience and food without getting distracted by their cellphones, according to this Fox News video. Is this phone-free strategy well received and working?

It works very well for this restaurant. Over 50% patrons have chosen discount over cellphones. Moreover, it gave the restaurant about three minute free media exposure on Fox News, with additional conversations on social media.

Honestly, this is not the first time I heard of such incident. There are resort hotels encouraging guests to lock up their cellphones during their stay because they want their guests to truly enjoy the beauty of nature.

Will this “phone-free” advocate become a trend? More importantly, is it a good idea for business to promote a “phone-free” policy?

In my opinions, unless you are the first one who initiates a “phone-free” policy and gets some free media exposure, it is probably not a good idea to discourage cellphone usage. Furthermore, I argue that business should do the opposite by encouraging customers to use mobile devices, including cellphones. My reason is simple. We are now living in the “SoLoMo” world, where everything goes “Social, Local, and Mobile.” Business must embrace the “SoLoMo” movement. If mobile devices are prohibited, how can customers capture their wonderful experience and then immediately share it on the internet? It seems to me that many customers only use mobile devices for pictures and videos these days. Many customers also want to share updates as soon as they capture a memorable moment. We cannot expect this group of customers to write long reviews and edit/upload their pictures/videos after the experience is over, can we?

What are your thoughts? Should companies promote “SoLoMo” or “phone-free” policy?

Relevant discussions:

No Texting, Tweeting, or Facebooking?! 

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

References:
The picture was downloaded from NewMediaTravel.com

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

Even though the London 2012 Olympic Games have drawn to a conclusion, many dramatic moments remain vivid in our minds. We must owe thanks to the digital photography technology, which allows us to capture images that we cannot see otherwise with our naked eyes, as suggested in this Wall Street Journal video.

Indeed, visual effect has become very important for internet users --- “A picture is worth a thousand words.” No wonder those photo-based social media apps, such as Pinterest and Instagram, are widely adopted. 

As a matter of fact, I also found supporting evidence in that regard in a recent study of mine (Kwok & Yu, in press). Our analysis of 982 Facebook messages that were initiated by 10 restaurant chains and two independent operators reveals that Facebook messages can be divided into four media types, namely status (with text only), link (containing a URL), video (embedding a video), and photo (showing photos). Statistically, photo and status receive more “Likes” and comments than the other two types.

What do these research findings mean to business then? I suggest the
following:

·         Focus on short status updates and photo posting rather than hyperlinks and videos.  

·         If a hyperlink or a video is shared, make sure to provide a brief description of the content. A description will probably help “drive” the attention from the audience. It is also hoped that Facebook users will “Like” or post comments solely based on a good description.

Going beyond the research findings, I also feel that forward-thinking companies need to consider the following:  

·         When everyone knows the “tricks” about photos and updates, companies may have to post professional and high quality pictures in order to stand out from the crowd. Most of all, high quality content is also a good indicator for the level of service a company provides. It becomes necessary to hire professional photographers to do the job.

·         “Tell” a story with a series of pictures. It is nice to have a lot of good pictures, but a good story can hook the audience.

·         Provide free WiFi and encourage customers to share updates and photos on social media. I understand that many hotels and convention centers are still charging high price for internet service, but not every customer wants to pay extra fees just to post updates on social media.  

Do you see the importance of photos in business communication? What additional comments and suggestions will you make?

If you are interested in more findings and more business implications of my study, please stay tuned and I will provide the hyperlink of the publication as soon as it becomes available online.

References:

Kwok, Linchi and Yu, Bei (In press). Spreading the social media messages on Facebook: An analysis of the restaurant industry. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, special issue on Information-Based Strategies in the Hospitality Industry. 

The picture was downloaded from Robinadelson.blogspot.com

Social Media: Is It a Gift from Angel or Devil?

I keep hearing two distinguishing voices about social media. Some complain that social media has negative impact on individual users and the society as a whole because people can become very addicted to it and there is no sense of privacy in the cyber world. Others think highly about social media because people can use social media to promote business, find jobs, solve crimes, and remain connected with friends and family. Which school of thoughts makes sense to you?  
 

To me, they all make sound arguments. I see social media as a “neutral” tool. If people do not understand social media or fail to use it in an appropriate way, it could be very harmful. At the same time, social media can certainly become very useful, depending on how we use it.

The following news videos, for example, provide some great examples of how social media can make positive impact. As featured in the first, CBS news video, NextDoor is a new entrepreneurship venture that keeps people connected with their neighbors. On NextDoor.com, people can seek support from neighbors and remain informed of what is happening in the neighborhood without knocking on people’s doors. According to the second, MSNBC news video, police departments are relying more on social media, especially YouTube in solving crimes.

So, what is your opinion on social media? Is social media a good thing or a bad thing?

Relevant discussions:

Still Feeling Reluctant to Adopt a Social Media Strategy? Please Think Again

Yammer: Another Entrepreneurship Idea that Built on Social Media

Social Media for Entrepreneurs

The CBS News video about Nextdoor:

 The MSNBC News video about more police departments adopting social media in solving crimes:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

References: The picture was downloaded from TightMixBlog.com.

Newly Released Statistics: How Big Is Social Media Now?

It is no doubt that social media will be here to stay, but do you know how big social media has become? This MSNBC news video shares some updated statistics with us.

Twitter 

Sixty-seven percent (67%) NBA players are on Twitter. Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, for example, have 26+ million and 23+ million followers respectively as of June 24, 2012, more than the population of Australia (22 million).

I (@LinchiKwok) have to admit that I like Twitter even more after I use it as a teaching tool in my social media class. Twitter makes it easier for me to communicate with students and other industry professionals. As a matter of fact, Twitter is also very helpful for travelers. When my flight was delayed due to a storm in May, I tweeted to @AmericanAir and got prompt responses and assistance. What a great testimonial for the power of Twitter complaints!

YouTube 

There are over three billion hours of YouTube videos being watched every month, 500 years of YouTube videos being watched on Facebook every day, and 700 YouTube videos being shared on Twitter every minute.

Facebook

About 80% of its monthly active users live outside of the U.S.A. Americans spend more time on Facebook than another other websites. Every day, there are over 300 million photos uploaded on Facebook.

LinkedIn 

There are 161 million active users. Every second, there are two new members signing up on this site.

Flickr

Users upload 2,500 images to Flickr every minute. Every day, there are more than 3 million images posted on the site.

We should all embrace new technologies and learn how to use social media for our advantages. Would you agree?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

References:

The picture was downloaded from blog.mcf.org.

Mobile Etiquette on Vacation

This morning, I heard from my sister in China that a guy threw a bundle of ¥100 notes to the air in Canton Baiyun International Airport (¥100 RMB ≈ $15 USD). Surprisingly, nobody seemed to care about the money. People pulled out their phones and cameras and started taking pictures. I assume that quite a few of them would have immediately shared the “moment” on the internet.

That is interesting. I wonder if we have become too obsessed with social media. If so, now it is time to remind ourselves the mobile etiquette. Let’s see if you agree to the following “mobile etiquette on vacation” that is discussed in a Fox News video.

• Pay attention to the tour guy. What are some examples of “not paying attention” when the tour guy is talking? In my opinions, these behaviors should be avoided: talking with others or on the phone, having the plugs on the ears, searching information or checking in with the phone, and not following instructions. What else do you think?
• Post pictures of a real person rather than those of a well-known tourist spot. There are many high-quality and professional pictures about those famous spots on the internet already. There is no need to add more unless s/he is also professional photographer. From time to time, I think it is acceptable if one shares a limited number of pictures taken in small places that are not searchable on the internet.
• Ask for permissions before tagging others in a picture. I agree. Most pictures I posted on the internet are about myself (so that I don’t need permissions). Occasionally, I tagged my friends if they were in the pictures with me. Normally, I selected the pictures in which my friends looked good. More importantly, I usually asked for their permissions in advance and always allow others to untag themselves. Likewise, if somebody tags me in a picture that I do not like, I will untag myself. If necessary, I will politely ask my friend to remove the picture on the internet.
• Publish pictures after a vacation is completed because others may feel jealous about the updates, according to this video. Honestly, I have never felt jealous about my friends’ vacations before. Now that I know this etiquette, I will keep in mind that somebody else might feel jealous about my vacation. Personally, I think it would be fine if one uploads the pictures at the end of a day (during or after a vacation) --- if somebody would feel jealous about others’ vacation, s/he would do that anyway, no matter when the pictures are uploaded. Would you agree?
• Do not use tablets or phones in the dark unless one is there by himself/herself. The light from the screen could bother others.
• Use headphones thoughtfully. Headphones need to be taken off when we are talking or listening to others. If traveling in a bus or a plane, we should lower the volume of the headphones because others may feel annoyed by the small noise coming out from a headset.   

I believe that etiquette is about being nice and thoughtful to others. I would like to hear your thoughts on “mobile etiquette on vacation.” What do you think? Is mobile etiquette necessary? Is there anything else you would like to add to this list?

Relevant discussions:

Mobile Etiquette

Etiquette for the New Age 

Social Media Etiquette for Business

Smartphone Etiquette
 

Teaching Social Media in Business Schools: What Needs to Be Covered?

Earlier this month, I attended the International Entrepreneurship Faculty Development Program at University of Colorado Denver. Rahim Fazal (@rahimthedream), a three-time company co-founder, spoke to us on how Facebook is transforming entrepreneurship. In Rahim’s words, social media has made significant impact on 5Cs --- conversations, collaboration, connectedness, content, and customization.

I agree with Rahim that social media has changed and is still changing the way people are doing business. It becomes obvious that social media must be included in business education. There are forward-thinking business schools offering courses on social media. To my knowledge, however, many of these classes are taught as a marketing course. That may make sense because social media can be very effective in relationship marketing, but I argue that social media is more than just sales or marketing. Human resources, for example, is another area that uses social media to a large extent. Accordingly, as much as I believe that companies must include every functional and operational department into consideration when developing their corporate social media strategy, I suggest that business schools also need to cover social media content in every related subject. Or, they should offer a social media course through a multidisciplinary lens. I myself teach social media as a personal and business communication tool in my social media class, in which B2C and marketing communication is discussed along with the C2C, B2B, C2B, B2G, G2B, G2C, and C2G communication.    

What important social media competences do you expect from college graduates? In which class(es) should business schools cover the social media content? If you believe that social media should be a standalone course, what should be taught in that class?  

Relevant discussions:

The Challenges of Using Social Media in Teaching 

Hiring Creative Minds as the Chief Innovation Officer 

Do You See the Big Picture? 

References:

The picture was downloaded from Customerrock.Wordpress.com

The Challenges of Using Social Media in Teaching

Last week, I was invited to speak in a panel discussion session about using social media in teaching for the Summer Institute for Technology-Enhanced Teaching and Learning (SITETL) at SU. I was asked: what challenges do I face when using social media in teaching? I think that is a great question.

Since 2009, I have developed and taught four different courses at SU. One is on social media and the other three are hospitality management courses. Students use many more social media tools in my social media class than in others. Also, depending on the subject matter, my expectations on how students use social media tools in class are different, but in general, I think there are two big challenges.  

First and for most, professors can no longer stop acquiring new knowledge if they begin using social media in teaching (nobody should stop learning anyway, right?). I believe that in the age of information explosion, new technology and school of thoughts can emerge every day. Professors need to be on top of things --- they need to know how to use different social media tools effectively, and they must know what is going on in the real world by teaching beyond the textbook knowledge. For example, Google+ was new last year; Pinterest was up-and-coming in the spring. Before I discussed these tools in my social media class, I had to study these topics and learn how to use these tools myself. For my other hospitality management courses, I must read news articles and online forums every day so that I can discuss with my students about the upcoming trends both in class and online (i.e. in this blog). My point is if I expect my students to research the industry updates and speak intelligently about the trends under a particular domain, I must set a good example by doing that very well myself.  

Second, professors need to be cognizant of their new role in classroom. In my opinions, professors are no longer the only “voice of authority” in class because there are students who adopt new technology and learn new information faster than professors. Accordingly, professors must open their minds, welcome/encourage inputs from students, and learn new knowledge with students. In today’s settings, professors should become the thought leader of the classes they teach. A thought leader is there to lead the learning process, provoke new thoughts, and facilitate discussion.  

At the end of this session, I was asked what impact I would see in my teaching if one day all the popular social media tools like Twitter and Facebook went away. I believe that social media is here to stay even though what is popular today can be replaced by newer ones. And yes, the content I teach about how to use blogs, Twitter, and Facebook Page may become outdated soon, but I argue that the transferable skills that students have learned in my class will not fade. I hope that students can learn more than just the content I teach in class. My goals are: my students will understand how to research information, think independently, be capable of serving an online community as a thought leader, know how to effectively engage with audience online, be able to measure the effectiveness of their social media presence, and hopefully more.

Do you agree (or disagree)? Do you use any social media tools in teaching? What challenges do you face? What do you do to cope with those challenges?

References:

The picture was downloaded from SmartBlogs.com.

Mobile Etiquette

The 2012 Intel Mobile Etiquette Survey is out. It seems that people are doing worse over time, however. According to this Wall Street Journal video, 81% of adults think manners are bad, comparing to 75% of last year. Here are some bad examples on the top pet peeves list:

• 77% - texting or typing while driving
• 64% - talking too loud in public
• 55% - having the volume too loud in public
• 59% - sharing too much negative information
• 55% - sharing inappropriate or explicit photos
• 53% - sharing the information that is deemed to be private

Texting while driving is prohibited by law in most places. Recently, there are also communities that began issuing fines to those who are texting while walking. It is possible that more communities will ban texting for pedestrians soon.

This survey also reminds companies and people not to share too much personal or negative updates in social media. Too much “irrelevant” information will irritate the audience and friends. When somebody “unfriends” a person, there must be a reason, right?

Social media is not about the person (or the company) who owns the accounts; it is more about the audience. When sharing information, we need to ask ourselves: “What’s in it for the audience?”

Even when people share useful information with their friends, it is also very important to respect others’ privacy. For example, several of my friends are looking for a house now. When I found some useful information (e.g. a highly recommended mobile app for house hunt), I did not post that information in my friends’ timeline or mention their name on Twitter. Who knows if my friends are ready to let the whole world know that they are looking for a house now? Instead, I sent them an e-mail about the app.

What are the most annoying mobile manners you have seen? Please share with us and let everyone avoid those bad manners.

Some relevant discussions:

Etiquette for the New Age 

Social Media Etiquette for Business

Smartphone Etiquette
 

Cloud Computing

I am not sure if I would put cloud computing under the category of social media because it can do more than just sharing information or collaboration. According to this CNN News video, individual users and organizations can run programs and store files on cloud without building large IT infrastructure, without hiring IT personnel, or without renting physical storage space.

Recently, cloud storage has become a new battle field in IT. DropBox, for example, was established in 2007 and is big in online-file-sharing business, but it only offers 2GB free space. iCloud, initiated in October 2011, offers 5GB free space for storing media and document files, but it only works with Apple products. This month, Google Drive began offering 5GB free space, but it does not fully support Microsoft products. Microsoft, actually, also introduced the SkyDrive concept back in 2007, but it has never taken off. Now, it is giving out 7GB space for free.

Often, competition will result in low price. Cloud computing offers great opportunities for small businesses. Besides the low cost of running IT operations, companies can easily sell (or purchase) personalized apps on “cloud,” as if they were ordering food from an à-la-carte menu in a restaurant.

A critical drawback of cloud computing comes from the security issue of using the technology. My take is everything that is connected to the internet has risk. Even for things that are physically locked in a safe, they are not 100% secured, right?

Do you use cloud? What are your experiences? What benefits will cloud computing bring to business?

References:

Fowler, Geoffrey A. and Vascellaro, Jessica E. (April 3, 2012). Hype hangs over DropBox: A $4 billion valuation, celebrity investors, hit product; Now a moment of proof. The Wall Street Journal, pp. B1 & B7. Also available online. 

Mossberg, Walter S. (April 25, 2012). Google heads to the cloud for storage to sync and edit. The Wall Street Journal, pp. D1 & D2. Also available online. 

 

Using Social Media in Communication: An Interview with Keren Ritchie

Today, I conducted a Skype interview with Keren Ritchie in my social media class. Keren received a bachelor’s degree in journalism and is currently a M.I.A. (Master of International Affairs) degree candidate at Columbia University. Her experience in social media ranges from non-for-profit to for-profit organizations. So, what are her thoughts on using social media in communication?

Keren’s Work Experience in Social Media

• While there is not much difference among organizations as an effective social media strategy can work for different entities, businesses in general allow more freedom and creativity in using social media for communication; government agents are more careful regarding the content being communicated.
• Social media policy is very important for every organization, but surprisingly, few organizations she worked for had established clear guidelines of using social media. “Many companies’ social media policies are more reactive; a good social media policy will allow organizations to be more proactive in responding to what is happening in social media.” As a result, whoever can develop social media strategies and write social media policies is “golden” in job search.
• As to which department should write the social media policy for the organization, Keren pointed to the Communication Department. I believe that social media should be included in an organization’s integrated business strategy because social media can be used in PR, HR, Marketing, and more. Accordingly, if the Communication Department oversees an organization's social media activities in different departments, it will work. Otherwise, the executive committee that develops integrated strategy should draft the social media policy for the organization. What are your opinions on this issue?

Trends in Social Media

• Many companies are “afraid” of social media because they don’t know how to use it. Seeing the opportunities and advantages of using social media in business, more companies will realize the importance of social media. They must use social media in order to stay competitive --- Avon is a good example of failing for not being able to catch up with the social media trends in competition.
• Organizations should hire at least one dedicated person to manage their social media channels. If budget is an issue, a manager should oversee such activities. Small business with limited resources is advised to use those “widely-reach” platforms with built-in integrated applications (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube). Without a dedicated person who consistently updates relevant content on social media, it is difficult to engage the audience.

Using Social Media in Job Search

• Networking is still the key, especially for those vacancies that are not even publicized. LinkedIn and other social media tools can certainly help people build a network online, but the “personal connections” cannot be completely replaced by a virtual network.
• Students and job seekers are advised to acquire the following transferable skills: having (and being able to demonstrate) strong communication skills (verbal and written), knowing the relevant trends of the field, paying attention to details, multitasking/multi-talented (e.g. having the skill sets of writing, administration, and strategic planning), and the ability of know-how (e.g. using WordPress and making YouTube videos).
• Graduate school is a great place for networking. Alumni are often very helpful, for both undergraduate and graduate students.

Thank you, Keren for sharing her valuable advice of using social media in communication. What additional suggestions will you give to us?

Please visit http://sfy.co/qTg to read more about our Storify story for today’s interview.

Do You Have the Guts to Become an Entrepreneur?

Last Thursday, Isaac Budmen, co-founder of Little Tinker and a current SU graduate student, shared his entrepreneurial experience with us in my social media class. His presentation was short but inspiring.

Isaac recalled his experience of how he met with Dennis Crowley, co-founder of Foursquare and an SU alumnus. At first, Isaac was unable to set up an appointment with Dennis using his SU connections. Then, he went to Twitter. “Surprisingly,” he received a tweet from Dennis and finally met with him for a conversation. What a great example of using Twitter!

The founding of Little Tinker did not come from a brilliant idea or a 10-billion plan; it was simply triggered by an incident where Isaac and his friends added the hashtag of #Drinkup in their tweets during a happy hour. All of a sudden, #Drinkup became a global phenomenon. Isaac saw that as a great opportunity and “jumped in” to pursue his entrepreneurship ideas --- an entrepreneur may not know everything of starting up a new business and there will be mistakes on the road, but s/he must “jump in” and start working on the “small” ideas.

I believe that great business ideas must root in useful service, but not all ideas need to be “big.” As entrepreneurs “jump in,” they can further twist their ideas for a better business plan.

Do you have the guts to “jump in” and become an entrepreneur? What other lessons do you learn from Isaac’s experience?

Social Media for Entrepreneurs: Tips from Zappos, Match.com, and Method Founders

This Wall Street Journal video features an interview with Gary Kremen, founder of Match.com, Eric Ryan, co-founder of Method, and Nick Swinmum, founder of Zappos.com, where they shared some advice on using social media for small business (mainly on Facebook or Twitter). I agree on some of their suggestions but not the other.

Tips I Feel Useful

• In-house social media staff is very important. Whoever manages a company’s social media activities must know the company, including the organizational culture, services and products offered, and the operational procedures. Otherwise, a company can repeat Chrysler’s mistake on Twitter. 
• Be consistent in feeding new content.
• Carry on an on-going conversation on social media. Social media is more than just sales and marketing. Content creators also need to consider “WIIFM” (what’s in it for me?) and “IDNK” (I don’t know that) for the audience when posting updates and news.
• Companies must have clear objectives when implementing social media strategies. Otherwise, social media can be very counterproductive for business.

Tips I Disagree

• Will social media become less important if a company does not need to interact with consumers directly? I don’t think so. I believe that social media, if used appropriately, can be very effective in B2B, B2C, and C2C communications. Even if a company’ business model does not rely on B2C communications as much as the others do, they should still use social media, including Facebook Page and Twitter, to promote B2B and C2C communications. Additionally, recent research indicates that blogging can have a positive impact on a company’s performance in the stock market because companies often share positive information on their blogs.  
• Is social media optional for senior executive members? It may work for Nick Swinmurn at Zappos.com, but I don’t think it will work for others. My question is: How can an executive make viable decisions on a company’s social media strategy if s/he does not even use the tools? Let’s use e-mail marketing as an example, if one does not even use e-mails, s/he may not know how to send or receive e-mails anyway. How can this person make good decisions on e-mail marketing?

Do you see my points? What are your thoughts on the advice provided by these three entrepreneurs?  

 

Hiring Creative Minds as the Chief Innovation Officer

Companies are creating a new executive position called CIO, with a new meaning of “Chief Innovation Officer” rather than the traditionally-known “Chief Information Officer.” The truth is 43% of the companies have already had a Chief Innovation Officer in place, as revealed in a survey study reported by The Wall Street Journal (video). I am pleased to see that many companies recognize the importance of innovation but feel uneasy about the fact that very few understand what role a Chief Innovation Officer should play in the organization.

One difficulty of defining the role for Chief Innovation Officer is that innovation can take place in many ways. Some great examples of innovation can be found in this month’s Fortune Magazine article about the 12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time. They are:

1. Steve Jobs (Apple): He believed that focus groups and market research would limit his ability to innovate. --- “It isn’t the consumers’ job to know what they want. It’s hard for (consumers) to tell you what they want when they’ve never seen anything remotely like it.”
2. Bill Gates (Microsoft and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation): He focuses on hiring very smart people and putting them to work in small teams to solve big issues.
3. Fred Smith (FedEx): He asked the executives to rely on the “first-level” managers, “to set an example themselves, and to praise in public when someone has done a good job.”
4. Jeff Bezos (Amazon): He finds time to be pro-active rather than reactive by taking solo retreats, when he locks himself up and researches/comes up with creative ideas.
5. Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Google): They spent $11.8 billion on research and development in the past three years. It’s important “to let people be really creative and think outside the box.” I can see that when I toured Google in Mountain View during my Christmas break.
6. Howard Schultz (Starbucks): He challenges “the old way of doing things.”
7. Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook): He is the Silicon Valley’s “most paranoid entrepreneur these days, taking nothing for granted.”
8. John Mackey (Whole Foods): “Purpose inspired people.”
9. Herb Kelleher (Southwest Airlines): He kept costs extraordinarily low and customer service high by creating a culture that respects the people he carefully hired.
10. Narayana Murphy (Infosys): In his words, “it is all about sacrifice, hard work, lots of frustration, being away from your family, in the hope that someday you will get adequate returns from that.”
11. Sam Walton (Wal-Mart): He heavily invested in software that could track consumer behavior in real time. He flipped the supplier-retailer relationships upside down by truly understanding consumers and sharing real-time data with suppliers.
12. Muhammad Yunus (Grameen Bank): This Nobel Peace Prize recipient created the microcredit and microlending concept, which helped fund enormous small entrepreneurial projects for the poor.

These great entrepreneurs of our time are all very inspiring people with creative minds. They observe (and can see what others usually miss), recognize issues, rely on and invest in (smart) people, dare to ask questions, and have no fears of challenging traditions. Here, it is important to note that innovation does not always come from information technology or engineering. Being able to relate those seem-to-be-unrelated resources, break down issues into components, put them back together in a different way, or twist the old concepts with an unconventional method could also trigger innovation.

Last month, I discussed the HR challenges created by the Web2.0 technology, some of which includes: to whom a social media officer should be reported and what role a social media officer should play in an organization. If an organization has a Chief Innovation Officer, s/he can oversee the company’s social media activities. Then, (as what I suggested) the Chief Innovation Officer needs to consider every aspect of the company’s business operation when developing a comprehensive social media strategy. A Chief Innovation Officer should connect with every business unit within the organization while remaining independent from these units. A Chief Innovation Officer is not a Chief Information Officer or a Department Head of Research & Development. Rather, s/he must have the ability to observe, recognize the strengths and weaknesses of each business unit, create an organizational culture that promotes innovation, find ways to connect people and under-utilized resources, and very importantly, dare to challenge the traditions with possible solutions.

In your opinions, what should a Chief Innovation Officer be doing in an organization? What kind of candidates can be good for the position of Chief Innovation Officer? How should a Chief Innovation Officer be evaluated at work?

References:

John A. Byrne. (2012, April). The 12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time – and what you can learn from them. Fortune Magazine, pp. 68-86.