The Effect of Social Media On Children

Social Media can be used in almost every situation in life today, even when our children are concerned. There are negatives that can be associated with Social Media, such as sexting and cyberbullying, that are a concern for parents, teachers, and society. But there are many positives that can be gleaned from Social Media for our children. With the technology today, children can learn communication, social and technical skills by using media such as: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Second Life. These sites give children the ability to build relationships and keep in contact with classmates like never before. According to statistics 75%of teenagers now own cell phones, and 25% use them for social media, 54% use them for texting, and 24% use them for instant messaging. Thus, a large part of this generation’s social and emotional development is occurring while on the Internet and on cellphones.
The risks associated with Social Media cannot be denied nor overlooked by parents and teachers. As a parent, one must monitor at all times what is being said and done by children using Social Media. Privacy of a minor should never be an issue when it comes to what they are saying, texting or viewing. Remember who is the parent, and EXERCISE that right.


Site:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/peds.2011-0054v1

Social Media's Role in Politics

The 2012 Presidential Election campaign is now getting under way, and President Obama is pulling out the stops with Social Media in order to get re-elected. He announced his candidacy through Social Media's main platforms: Facebook, Tweeter and Youtube. He reached over seven million users through his Tweeter account and encouraged voter to "Just Say Your In.".Obama released a 2-minute video on Youtube with supporters giving reasons why he should be given another term. On Facebook, Obama asked for donations while giving an array of items from T-shirts to bumper stickers for there support. President Obama won the 2008 election from the use of Social Media, and as anyone who has success before, why would they change a winning combination?
Social Media has become such a large part of our lives that candidates must embrace it or plan on losing any hope of winning an election. Marketing and branding  has become such a large part of the political landscape today, that in many ways issues sometimes take a backseat, in order to promote and protect the brand of the candidate. In 2012, we will elect our next president, whether it's Barak Obama or some other candidate, democrat or republican, politics in America will never be the same. I encourage every American to vote for the candidate of their choosing, but I ask that we make it a vote on issues and not a popularity contest. 

Final Four Madness and Social Media

The pinnacle of March Madness 2011 has be invaded by the madness of Social Media. There is tweeting, streaming and blogging taking place about the Final Four than ever before. According to a survey done by Research Now on the use of social media among those over 18 years of age, 69% use social media to follow the tournament, 82% used social media to pick brackets, and 47%  followed more than one media. Social Media such as: Tweeter, Facebook, Youtube, and Bracket Town by Foursquare all contributed to the madness. The largest contributor was Facebook then Youtube. Of those that filled out the ESPN Bracket Challenge, 51% filled their brackets out through social media.
Coke even got into the act by launching their Coke Zero Social Arena during March Madness. According to SatelliteNews. com, "visiting the Coke Zero NCAA March Madness Social Arena online or via the new iPad app, fans can monitor and contribute to the social chatter around each match up from their own Facebook posts and Twitter feeds. Fan comments and social media posts related to March Madness will appear in “Tourney Buzz” on the site. Joining in on the conversation will be CBS Sports and Turner Sports online and on-air basketball analysts who will be regularly commenting on live game action, sharing tournament observations and connecting with fans". When you see companies as large as ESPN, CBS and Coke become involve seriously in
Social Media, competitors best take notice, take the plunge or find themselves swimming with the gold fish.

Sources: http;//marketwire.com/press-release/Research-Now-Poll-Reveals-Social-Media-a-Fan-Favorite-2011- NCAA-Tournament-14189.htm
http://www.satellitetv-news.com/turner-sports-and-cbs-sports-partner-to-launch-coke-zero-ncaa-march-madness-social-arena/

Pepsi gambles on Social Media

I was looking at companies that decided to take a serious look at social media and found that one of the biggest risk takers was Pepsi Cola. ABC News stated that in Super Bowl ads from 1999 to 2009, Pepsi spent over $142 million to encourage consumers to drink the Pepsi brand. Pepsi's decision to pull its advertising from the Super Bowl telecast and concentrate on its Social Media strategy to try and create a movement will be the largest and most visible showdown between broadcast media and the Internet to date.This is a huge amount of resources that are spent every year on 30 second ads. Pepsi decided to give away $20 million dollars through Social Media to make communities better through suggestions from consumers. This campaign is called the The Pepsi Refresh Project. With the loss of visibility due to viewers watching less and less television, Pepsi decided to gamble on a project that would show them in a more positive light as a proactive corporate citizen. This was a huge risk on Pepsi's part because Coke had already committed to the Super Bowl ad campaign. While the ROI remains to be seen, Pepsi will never look at marketing in the same light ever again.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/pepsi-big-gamble-ditches-super-bowl-social-media/Story?

Foursquare, Numbers can be decieving.

Foursquare is one of the new and most popular social media platforms today. The concept is to gain more traffic for business that advertise through Foursquare. By advertising discounts and free deals for patronizing businesses like McDonalds, customers "check-in" through applications on  I-Phones, Droids, or other phones. Check-ins are the latest craze among the younger generation, who are constantly surfing for free deals thru the internet. Do these check-ins result in increased sales for someone as large as McDonalds. According to Oliver Blanchard@brandbuilder.com, a small scale campaign on Foursquare, McDonalds claimed to receive a 33% increase in check-in traffic, not actual foot traffic for one day. The actual bump in foot traffic was only 0.011% from the day before, and returned to normal levels within three days.. Therefore, the conclusion must be that check-ins do not always translate into increased sales. Many people just want to find free giveaways on the internet, and have no intention of making purchases. So companies like McDonalds that have such a large customer base already, must consider if the Return on Investment is really worth the investment.

Social Media Comes Home

     Although I have said publicly that I am not a big fan of social media, a do have a personal interest in its success. My daughter is the art director for a small company in the Cleveland, Ohio area called BooJee Beads. BooJee Beads is a small company that was started in the garage of Lisa Harrington, a pediatric nurse from Ohio. As BooJee began to grow, there was a need to expand their business vision. My daughter was hired to not only be the creative director of the company, but also to expand their business through social media. This business that started out of garage, now has sales in excess of five million dollars a year. Those sales have increased due  social media. In a period of a down economy, 2010 was BooJee Beads second best sales year since their founding in 2003. That success was in part, due to a social media designed to get customer feedback on product lines and sales orders. The importance of social media comes home with this example of a small business success because of its use. Take a look, you might find something you like: www.boojeebeads.com.

Social Media Affects on Global Markets?

Just as the internet has allowed for world wide communication, Social Media is now in markets all over the world. Although social media is very young in developing countries, global competitors such as China and India are at the forefront in implementing social media into their businesses. Still in its infancy, many large companies have yet to buy into the social media craze. Only a third of companies with revenues of more than $100 million each are using Facebook to connect with customers in local markets around the world, and 43% of all companies, according to a new research from Harris Interactive commissioned by social media marketing firm Buddy Media. Scott Monty, head of social media marketing for Ford Motor Company, stated that, " in the global marketplace, they must target their consumer base where they are live, Social Media." Monty believes that its more important to understand what your potential customers are saying about you, more that what you say about your brand or product. Ford Motors ability to monitor their consumers thoughts in real time, gives them the ability to address problems in a quicker fashion. Thus, giving consumers better satisfaction in resolving issues.



Sources:

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=133184

http://www.dnews.com/social-media-goes-global/article/118726/2/