Archive for 2010

Will Email Be Replaced By Social Media?

By Amanda Bala

In today’s fast-paced, technology driven world, there is no doubt that we rely on our email, texts and social media to keep in constant communication with our friends, family and business associates. However, there is a serious debate going on about whether email will eventually be replaced by the social media giants.

When we look at this debate, there are many reasons why people are looking more and more to social media rather than email. Generation Z is the first group that really seems to regard email as being too formal and time consuming. There is a general consensus that it is more effective getting on a social media site and seeing everyone’s current status than taking the time to log into an email account and send out individual emails inquiring what a friend is up to. Many individuals also feel that it is easier when sharing video, pictures, etc. to simply post them on their social media page where those that want to view the content can.

There are also reasons why larger companies are shifting towards social media in their daily operations. There is a definite advantage to real time communications when utilizing social media. A simple company status update can keep everyone apprised of meetings, corporate events, etc. Also, this can effectively stop the, “I never received the email” excuse that virtually everyone has used or been given at some point in their career. It is estimated that by 2014, over 20% of business users will be using social media over email due to increased number of people on social media sites, changes in business firewalls and changing demographics.

The flip side to the coin, however, are the numerous reasons why email will still be in use well into the future. First, email is universal, while social media sites are not. Virtually every person that uses the internet has an email address. However, not everyone partakes in the social media phenomenon. There are many individuals that for personal, security or reputation reasons refuse to utilize social media networking. For these persons, email will always be a preferred method of communication.

There is also the issue that many companies do not allow their staff to even access social media sites while on the clock. They view the usage of these sites as a violation of company time and resources for personal applications. Large companies often run into issues when trying to convert to social media sites. They often do not know which sites to be on or they fail to master the particular features of the sites they are using.

Lastly, even social media sites recognize the importance of email. Most of the sites require an email address to even sign up. Many of the sites offers and notifications take place via personal email. Furthermore, though the social media giants offer messaging thru their sites, it is deemed more professional to email thru ones personal email account.

As we move forward in the age of technology, there is no doubt that many things will change and that social media will put an end to some of the things we have used in the past. In this writer’s opinion, email will not be one of them.

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“The Social Network” – Fan or Flop?

By Amanda Bala

The Delicious Marketing staff recently took a fieldtrip to see The Social Network, a film by screenwriter, Aaron Sorkin. This utterly engrossing movie details the birth of the social media giant we all know today as Facebook. You have to be living under a rock to not know what Facebook is. We know that it has changed the world. From interpersonal relationships to marketing, buying and selling, Facebook has a toehold in it all. But how did this come to be?

The Social Network takes us through Harvard student, Mark Zuckerberg’s (played by Jesse Eisenberg) idea to take the social experience of Harvard and turn it into a website. The story is told via flashbacks of two separate law suits filed over the rights to Facebook. One lawsuit is filed by Zuckerberg’s best friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) who supplies the startup capital, only later to be manipulated in a way that he loses most of his stock in the company. The second suit is filed by Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss and Divya Narendra three seniors at Harvard. The Winklevii twins and Narendra seek out Zuckerberg’s programming expertise to assist them in building a website called the Harvard Connection. They accuse Zuckerberg of intentionally misleading them into believing he would help them build their site while all along stealing their ideas to build a competing website.

The movie takes the viewer through a range of emotions. You feel for all those involved and many times over change your mind about who is right and who is wrong. The one thing that you certainly take away is that although Zuckerberg became a billionaire from the creation of Facebook, he truly ends up alone because of his creation. The loss of personal relationships is heartbreaking as you watch the story unfold. The irony that Facebook is a site built on friendship and personal relationships, but that these seem to have no place in Zuckerberg’s own life, is certainly not lost.

The outstanding acting performances are what truly make this a great film. Jesse Eisenberg, who portrays Mark Zuckerberg, does a phenomenal job of taking a character that is dark and narcissistic and making you feel empathy for him. He turns what could be a very unlikeable character into someone that you can understand, although his awkwardness and complete lack of social skills will make you cringe at times. You can see what drives and motivates him even if you do not agree with the decisions he makes. Andrew Garfield plays Zuckerberg’s best friend, Eduardo Saverin. He is a business major who is the complete opposite of Zuckerberg. Outgoing and likeable, he is the one you find yourself rooting for. It is heartbreaking this somewhat naïve kid’s trusting nature is ultimately his downfall. Justin Timberlake does an admirable job of portraying Sean Parker, the inventor of Napster, who works his way into Facebook and ultimately changes both the company and Zuckerberg and Saverin’s friendship and lives. Finally, Armie Hammer does a fantastic job of playing both Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, delivering one of the best lines in the film. When arguing that they should go and beat up Zuckerberg for stealing their idea, Tyler states, “I am 6 foot 5, 220 pounds and there are two of me”! Hammer does an admirable job of making you like this privileged twosome who do somewhat get taken by Zuckerberg in the movie.

Overall, this was a great film with many complex lessons and underlying messages. It will keep you thinking long after it ends about the social media complexities that are such an integral part of our lives today. It is a must see for everyone of this generation.

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Don’t Be a Blogging Boo Boo

By Amanda Bala

Have you been thinking about starting a blog for your company? Or do you have a blog going, but it has not really taken off? Well, there are some very simple reasons that blogs do not succeed. Here are some things to avoid when starting a new blog for your company.

Too much of a hard sell. Your blog should not be a sales pitch. It’s okay to talk about your business and strategies in your blog. However, nothing will make a reader turn away faster than, “You must act now to take advantage of this one time offer”. Blog readers do not want to be sold. They want to be entertained and informed.

TMPI (Too Much Personal Information). While you want to put the “you” into your blog, you need to be careful not to put too much of the “you” into your blog. You want your blog to reflect your personality, but you do not want it to be a diary of your every day happenings. Take your quirks and the interesting things that are happening in your business and incorporate those into your blog. However, steer clear of any information that is too personal in nature.

Not enough posts. While you do not want your blog to be a diary of day to day happenings, you must also watch the pitfall of not posting often enough. One to two posts a week is a great guideline. Nothing looks worse than logging onto a blog and seeing that nothing has been posted for a month. That signals to readers that you do not have enough time or interest in keeping up your blog. That can create a poor reflection of you and your business. If you are at a loss for original work to post, repost another blog article that you have found insightful or interesting. Give credit to that blogger and let them know you used their work. They may even return the favor.

Surrendering too fast. Blogging is not always easy. People tend to get discouraged because they are not seeing the results they want quickly enough. It may take three to six months before you begin to see followers or comments on a regular basis. Even then, it may not be the amount of traffic that you were hoping for. However, the key is sticking with it. If you are doing everything right, people will find you.

Boring content. Blog readers are looking to be entertained. There are millions of blogs out there, so you have to captivate your audience and make them want to come back for more. You do not need to shock or be wild in your content. However, you want to be consistent and put stuff out there that can help people or generate some buzz.

Failing to promote your blog. So, you have a fantastic blog. The content is great, you are posting on a weekly basis, and all the pieces are in place. Still, you are not getting followers. What is going on? Maybe you have failed with the most important step… getting your blog out there! There are many ways to do this. You can submit your blog to RSS feed directories, submit your blog to a blog directory, join a blog carnival or submit random blog entries to sites like www.digg.com.

The ultimate goal when blogging is to get people reading and bring them and prospective clients to you. Be sure that your blog is an extension of you and all the wonderful things that you will bring to those clients!

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