Do you know how to navigate and use Social Media properly?
Do you know how to navigate and use Social Media properly?
Tuesday, 18 March 2014
Party busted, charges laid
It's happened again. Social Media has landed people in hot water.
A student group had planned a huge St. Patrick's Day party and had purchased 4400 cans of beer. Tickets to the event were being sold and the beer was going to be offered for sale at the party. The problem is, these students did not get a permit for selling alcohol. Now these students are facing charges related to the illegal sale of alcohol. While Social Media definitely helped spread the word about the party, it also enlightened the police about their beer. Needless to say, those students missed out on their celebrations.
For more info, read the article.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/03/16/st_patricks_day.html
A student group had planned a huge St. Patrick's Day party and had purchased 4400 cans of beer. Tickets to the event were being sold and the beer was going to be offered for sale at the party. The problem is, these students did not get a permit for selling alcohol. Now these students are facing charges related to the illegal sale of alcohol. While Social Media definitely helped spread the word about the party, it also enlightened the police about their beer. Needless to say, those students missed out on their celebrations.
For more info, read the article.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/03/16/st_patricks_day.html
Miley Cyrus - "Adore You" (Dan Talevski Acoustic Cover)
Here is an example of Dan Talevski using Social Media to his advantage. Notice the Facebook and Twitter links at the top of the screen. One click and you are taken to his other Social Media sites. As well, you are able to share his YouTube video a multitude of ways.
Dan has kept his Social Media sites tasteful and appropriate for all audiences. All of his Instagram photos, Twitter tweets and Facebook posts remain professional. He only posts what needs to be said. People could learn a lot about a positive Social Media presence from this talented singer.
The "Share" button
Nowadays, with just one click you can update different platforms of Social Media at once.
I'm sure most of you have seen or at least heard of the famous share button/link. This button allows you to take content from a webpage or Youtube video and share it to your Facebook page, share it on twitter, email someone a link, share something on a blog. It's now faster than ever to share your life and interests.
You can get your tweets from Twitter to update your status on Facebook. You can post a picture on Instagram, share it to Twitter and still have it sent automatically to Facebook. You can even update your BlackBerry BBM status from your Twitter post! Social Media is incredible!
Responsible Social Media users think about what they are going to say before they post it. As well, whenever you share a video or picture, remember who your audience is. A smart user will only post and share things that are appropriate to been seen by the world. A good rule of thumb to follow is if you have to question whether someone might get offended, don't post it.
Take advantage of all the ways to connect on Social Media safely and professionally and enjoy!
I'm sure most of you have seen or at least heard of the famous share button/link. This button allows you to take content from a webpage or Youtube video and share it to your Facebook page, share it on twitter, email someone a link, share something on a blog. It's now faster than ever to share your life and interests.
You can get your tweets from Twitter to update your status on Facebook. You can post a picture on Instagram, share it to Twitter and still have it sent automatically to Facebook. You can even update your BlackBerry BBM status from your Twitter post! Social Media is incredible!
Responsible Social Media users think about what they are going to say before they post it. As well, whenever you share a video or picture, remember who your audience is. A smart user will only post and share things that are appropriate to been seen by the world. A good rule of thumb to follow is if you have to question whether someone might get offended, don't post it.
Take advantage of all the ways to connect on Social Media safely and professionally and enjoy!
Social Media for Business Performance Certificate
Did you know that there is an online course offered by the University of Waterloo, Ontario entitled "Social Media for Business Performance Certificate"??
For $990 + hst, you can register for this 8 week program. It commences on May 20th, 2014!
This is a highly interactive program that introduces you to the professional side of Social Media. Through weekly online discussions, you will learn how to engage and involve customers and employees alike.
If this is something that appeals to you, why not look into it?
For more details and registration, please visit: http://professional.uwaterloo.ca/Social-Media-Marketing-Certificate-AW1/Overview-224FP-224882.html
For $990 + hst, you can register for this 8 week program. It commences on May 20th, 2014!
This is a highly interactive program that introduces you to the professional side of Social Media. Through weekly online discussions, you will learn how to engage and involve customers and employees alike.
If this is something that appeals to you, why not look into it?
For more details and registration, please visit: http://professional.uwaterloo.ca/Social-Media-Marketing-Certificate-AW1/Overview-224FP-224882.html
Anger and Social Media
NEVER, EVER, EVER post anything to Social Media in the heat of the moment!!
We've all been there. Something has happened that has left you livid.. All you want to do is rant and rave, incorrectly assuming that you will feel better after.
The problem with doing this via Social Media is that you are going to leave a permanent record of what you have posted. The words you choose may not necessarily be how you still feel in an hour. Even if you immediately delete it, the damage has been done. Its out there and it's never going to disappear.
Here's some advice, whether it be a friend, foe or company who has wronged you:
Breathe. Count to 10 and tell long deep breaths.
Cheers!
We've all been there. Something has happened that has left you livid.. All you want to do is rant and rave, incorrectly assuming that you will feel better after.
The problem with doing this via Social Media is that you are going to leave a permanent record of what you have posted. The words you choose may not necessarily be how you still feel in an hour. Even if you immediately delete it, the damage has been done. Its out there and it's never going to disappear.
Here's some advice, whether it be a friend, foe or company who has wronged you:
Breathe. Count to 10 and tell long deep breaths.
- Calm down. Relax yourself. Stabilise your emotions.
- Write down what you want to say on a piece of paper. Express your anger as much as you want!
- Reflection time. Time to ask yourself some questions: What benefit will I get from posting this? What are the negative implications of posting what I want to say? Can I pick up the phone instead or have a face to face meeting? How will this person react to my post? Am I going to regret it once it's sent?
- Wait a few hours. See how you feel after you have calmed down. Is there a better way to handle the situation?
Cheers!
Social Media on Personal vs Company Time
Work can be boring. Some days you are swamped and can barely catch your breath. Other days you might sit at your desk and daydream. And maybe you think "While I have a few minutes, I'll log onto Facebook, see what's going on". This could be a very costly mistake.
Before you try anything, I strongly suggest that you read your employee handbook to review your company policies on social media during business hours. Some companies block Twitter, Facebook etc so their employees are not able to access them. Other companies don't care, as long as your work is complete. I have worked for both kinds of companies. One company tracked our internet use. If you typed in a keyword that was forbidden in a search, you would get a warning screen and HR would be alerted of the page you were trying to access. That happened to me a few times, some accidentally, some just out of curiosity. The other company didn't seem to care what I did as long as I was productive.
Personal vs company time is a very controversial subject. Once you are in the privacy of your own home, on your personal computer, how can it be justifiable to penalize those actions? On the other hand if you go home and bad mouth your employer, co workers or say things that could harm their reputation, is that now justifiable?
What are your thoughts?
Before you try anything, I strongly suggest that you read your employee handbook to review your company policies on social media during business hours. Some companies block Twitter, Facebook etc so their employees are not able to access them. Other companies don't care, as long as your work is complete. I have worked for both kinds of companies. One company tracked our internet use. If you typed in a keyword that was forbidden in a search, you would get a warning screen and HR would be alerted of the page you were trying to access. That happened to me a few times, some accidentally, some just out of curiosity. The other company didn't seem to care what I did as long as I was productive.
Personal vs company time is a very controversial subject. Once you are in the privacy of your own home, on your personal computer, how can it be justifiable to penalize those actions? On the other hand if you go home and bad mouth your employer, co workers or say things that could harm their reputation, is that now justifiable?
What are your thoughts?
Capture your moments on Instagram
Who doesn't love taking pictures? Who doesn't want to show off their kids, friends, family or spectacular scenery shots?
Welcome to Instagram! With over 150 million users, Instagram is pretty popular. Created by Apple, it is the newest must have in Social Media. Search the Apple store and you can find hundreds of apps that help you edit, crop or frame your pictures and collages. Have a blemish? Remove it. Don't want that ex in your picture? Crop them. Lighting too dark? Brighten it. The possibilities are endless!
As with other Social Media platforms, the option is available to set your account to private so you can choose who views the pictures on your profile. However, be aware that nothing is ever 100% private. Be mindful of the pictures you post as well as the pictures you are tagged in. All it takes in 1 second for the camera to click and snap you in a compromising pic. I'm sure your boss would not want to see a picture of you passed out drunk. Or using a competitors product. Or partying it up when you are supposed to be sick. Everyone thinks "It won't happen to me". And then it does. And you lose your job. Or worse! What would happen if a friend of a friend posted a pic and your husband inadvertently sees a picture of you sitting on another mans lap? (not knowing that you had just tripped and the camera caught the image)
In my opinion Instagram is one of the most enjoyable Social Media platforms out there. I love looking at pictures. Everyone has such a different perspective! And yet some people still try to push the envelope with inappropriate pictures..
What would you do if your scrolling your feed and you come across pornographic or offensive pictures? Would you unfollow the user? Report them? Block them? Or do nothing?
Welcome to Instagram! With over 150 million users, Instagram is pretty popular. Created by Apple, it is the newest must have in Social Media. Search the Apple store and you can find hundreds of apps that help you edit, crop or frame your pictures and collages. Have a blemish? Remove it. Don't want that ex in your picture? Crop them. Lighting too dark? Brighten it. The possibilities are endless!
As with other Social Media platforms, the option is available to set your account to private so you can choose who views the pictures on your profile. However, be aware that nothing is ever 100% private. Be mindful of the pictures you post as well as the pictures you are tagged in. All it takes in 1 second for the camera to click and snap you in a compromising pic. I'm sure your boss would not want to see a picture of you passed out drunk. Or using a competitors product. Or partying it up when you are supposed to be sick. Everyone thinks "It won't happen to me". And then it does. And you lose your job. Or worse! What would happen if a friend of a friend posted a pic and your husband inadvertently sees a picture of you sitting on another mans lap? (not knowing that you had just tripped and the camera caught the image)
In my opinion Instagram is one of the most enjoyable Social Media platforms out there. I love looking at pictures. Everyone has such a different perspective! And yet some people still try to push the envelope with inappropriate pictures..
What would you do if your scrolling your feed and you come across pornographic or offensive pictures? Would you unfollow the user? Report them? Block them? Or do nothing?
Tweet to win #TweetTheBeach
Last month WestJet had a contest for it's Twitter followers. This is a prime example of how Social Media can work for your company.
The rules were as follows: Watch the #WestJetChannel (channel 206 on Rogers) and pay attention when they mention a beach. You then follow @WestJet on Twitter, tweet the beach location they named, include the hashtag #TweetTheBeach and your automatically entered to win airfare for two from your closest airport to anywhere WestJet flies. It's that simple. The cost to WestJet is minimal and yet the traffic that this contest created is astronomical. WestJet has now increased their followers a hundred fold. Any new tweets will now been seen by every new follower. If 10% of those tweets get retweeted you can see where this is going. Voilà, Social Media at its finest. It's just too bad the contest has ended! :(
The rules were as follows: Watch the #WestJetChannel (channel 206 on Rogers) and pay attention when they mention a beach. You then follow @WestJet on Twitter, tweet the beach location they named, include the hashtag #TweetTheBeach and your automatically entered to win airfare for two from your closest airport to anywhere WestJet flies. It's that simple. The cost to WestJet is minimal and yet the traffic that this contest created is astronomical. WestJet has now increased their followers a hundred fold. Any new tweets will now been seen by every new follower. If 10% of those tweets get retweeted you can see where this is going. Voilà, Social Media at its finest. It's just too bad the contest has ended! :(
Social Media advantages Justin Bieber style
We've all heard of Justin Beiber and his claim to fame. Small town Stratford Ontario boy one day, YouTube internet sensation the next. Justin, like many others, knows the key to his success is social media. The more socially connected his is, the more popular he gets.
Here's another small town boy that is using social media to launch his career as well.
http://www.youtube.com/user/DanJT87/featured
Dan has a YouTube account with over 95,000 subscribers and over 30 Million views. On Facebook, Dan has over 142,000 followers. Those numbers are astonishing. He also has accounts on Twitter, Myspace, Instagram and Google+.
Dan has learned the same rules that Justin learned. The more you put yourself out there, the more recognition you receive. If it wasn't for social media, Dan would not be where he is today.
Check Dan out and let me know what you think! He can always use another follower! :)
Here's another small town boy that is using social media to launch his career as well.
http://www.youtube.com/user/DanJT87/featured
Dan has a YouTube account with over 95,000 subscribers and over 30 Million views. On Facebook, Dan has over 142,000 followers. Those numbers are astonishing. He also has accounts on Twitter, Myspace, Instagram and Google+.
Dan has learned the same rules that Justin learned. The more you put yourself out there, the more recognition you receive. If it wasn't for social media, Dan would not be where he is today.
Check Dan out and let me know what you think! He can always use another follower! :)
Facebook blunders... Is termination justified?
We've all heard the stories... Status updates on Facebook are causing people to receive disciplinary action and/or termination.
I came across one such incident where Ashley, a waitress at Brixx Pizza in Charlotte, N.C was fired over her Facebook status. She had stayed an hour past the end of her shift for a table and was ticked off by a $5 tip after all of the effort she put in. So, upon arriving home, she went to her "private" Facebook page and vented.
Her boss decided to read her status and fired her saying she “violated a company policy banning workers from speaking disparagingly about customers and casting the restaurant in a bad light on a social network.”
Here is the article that I found. Take a read..
http://chris.pirillo.com/waitress-fired-over-facebook-status/
Do you agree?? Was the punishment fitting for what Ashley did?
Always keep this in mind.. No matter what you post on the Internet it is NEVER private. What you think is harmless could violate your employers policies. You really do need to be aware of how you conduct yourself on social media if you are employed. Otherwise, one day a careless tweet or status update could cost you your job.
And by the way, if Ashley didn't mention the company or identify the customers, I think her employer was way off base. Her termination has now caused a thorn in his side due to the public backlash on this.. So it works both ways.
I came across one such incident where Ashley, a waitress at Brixx Pizza in Charlotte, N.C was fired over her Facebook status. She had stayed an hour past the end of her shift for a table and was ticked off by a $5 tip after all of the effort she put in. So, upon arriving home, she went to her "private" Facebook page and vented.
Her boss decided to read her status and fired her saying she “violated a company policy banning workers from speaking disparagingly about customers and casting the restaurant in a bad light on a social network.”
Here is the article that I found. Take a read..
http://chris.pirillo.com/waitress-fired-over-facebook-status/
Do you agree?? Was the punishment fitting for what Ashley did?
Always keep this in mind.. No matter what you post on the Internet it is NEVER private. What you think is harmless could violate your employers policies. You really do need to be aware of how you conduct yourself on social media if you are employed. Otherwise, one day a careless tweet or status update could cost you your job.
And by the way, if Ashley didn't mention the company or identify the customers, I think her employer was way off base. Her termination has now caused a thorn in his side due to the public backlash on this.. So it works both ways.
#Hashtag Help!!!
#Hashtag, Tweet, Retweet...
Like many people, you may not have a clue what any of those words mean, let alone how twitter works. Twitter isn't just for the younger generation anymore. Long gone are the days of the "sitting at home eating toast" tweets. Twitter has gone mainstream. Business and celebrities are joining to spread image awareness to an unlimited amount of people, for a fraction of the normal cost of advertising.
Once you join twitter and assign yourself a name, you can find and follow people or businesses. And some of these people will hopefully follow you back. You can then write short status updates of under 140 characters. This update, or post, is "tweeted" and your followers can read it and then favourite it or share it if they desire. A share or "retweet" then shares your post with all of their followers.
A #hashtag is a word that you have chosen to accent. By doing so, users can find your post based on your hashtags. For example, I could hashtag #sorrynotsorry and anyone can look up that hashtag and see all of the tweets written with that hashtag.
Here is a link demonstrating how to tweet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkdXJOpqXOw
Businesses use twitter for updates, sales, contests... The sky is the limit. It is one of the most valuable tools available right now that has changed the face of social media. Twitter also allows your customers to send you a direct message. This could be a simple inquiry, a compliment or a concern. Smart businesses must monitor their account and respond back ASAP. This helps to retain goodwill if it's due to a problem. Remember, Twitter is not private, so any negative posts will be on your account for all to see.
Here is the link to SocialMagnetsDotNet. They have many tutorial videos explaining Twitter in more detail.
Until next time, Tweet away!
Like many people, you may not have a clue what any of those words mean, let alone how twitter works. Twitter isn't just for the younger generation anymore. Long gone are the days of the "sitting at home eating toast" tweets. Twitter has gone mainstream. Business and celebrities are joining to spread image awareness to an unlimited amount of people, for a fraction of the normal cost of advertising.
Once you join twitter and assign yourself a name, you can find and follow people or businesses. And some of these people will hopefully follow you back. You can then write short status updates of under 140 characters. This update, or post, is "tweeted" and your followers can read it and then favourite it or share it if they desire. A share or "retweet" then shares your post with all of their followers.
A #hashtag is a word that you have chosen to accent. By doing so, users can find your post based on your hashtags. For example, I could hashtag #sorrynotsorry and anyone can look up that hashtag and see all of the tweets written with that hashtag.
Here is a link demonstrating how to tweet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkdXJOpqXOw
Businesses use twitter for updates, sales, contests... The sky is the limit. It is one of the most valuable tools available right now that has changed the face of social media. Twitter also allows your customers to send you a direct message. This could be a simple inquiry, a compliment or a concern. Smart businesses must monitor their account and respond back ASAP. This helps to retain goodwill if it's due to a problem. Remember, Twitter is not private, so any negative posts will be on your account for all to see.
Here is the link to SocialMagnetsDotNet. They have many tutorial videos explaining Twitter in more detail.
Until next time, Tweet away!
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