Management Platforms and Tools

As someone who didn’t even know what a social media platform was up until a few weeks ago, I find myself unfamiliar with management tools terms such as aggregators, shorteners, analytics, etc., as well as what their purpose is.  I am hoping with this assignment to show how a social media manager can manage their website using some of these tools. 

I decided to look into analytics, because it seems that this is an extremely important tool.  According to Sparring Minds website, “If it’s not worth measuring, it’s not worth doing”.   This is what analytics does; it tracks statistics and interprets data from your website.  It is important to track sales, stock, orders, expenses, and much more.  The most important thing to track with your business is performance. 

Bryan Eisenberg, author and marketing consultant explained it like this:  “Investing in people and the tools that those people need to be successful is key.  But it’s the people who can understand the data that really matter.  You obviously won’t use all of these tools all of the time, but it’s beneficial to know about some of the top options and how they fit into your overall web strategy. And using multiple tools only gives you further levels of insight into your customers and your success rate.”

This means that the tools and people you hire to use them are critical for your business.  Using a single tool or just one source to answer your questions will be the end of your business.  It is important to have several tools in use.  For larger businesses, more robust analytics tools can be very effective.  For smaller or mid-sized companies, there are many free or cheaper options to choose from.

 

So the question comes up:  “What are Analytics Tools?”  They are defined as:

1-      The analysis of qualitative and quantitative data from your website and the competition. 

2-      To drive a continual improvement of the online experience of your customers and prospects

3-      Which translates into your desired outcomes (online and offline)

Analytics measures the traffic, page views, measurable data, customers’ needs and services, etc.  Analytics show how your business is performing.

One of the most popular tools that is currently used by over 50% of the top 10,000 websites in the world is Google Analytics.  It is free, simple and one of the most robust analytics offered.  You can find out where your visitors are coming from, what their activity is on your site, how often they return, among other things.  According to Christopher Penn, of Blue Sky Factory, Google Analytics is really only one tool that small businesses need due to its capability for use.  However, there are several different recommended web analytic tools out there, depending on the needs and wants you have for your business.

http://www.sparringmind.com/best-web-analytics/

http://www.inc.com/guides/12/2010/11-best-web-analytics-tools.html

Organizational Uses -- Religious

Have you ever noticed if your religion uses social media?  And if so, how effective is it?  If you are a member of the Catholic faith who needs to confess your sins, there’s now an app for that.  If you are a member of the Russian Orthodox Church and need to give up something for Lent, how about going without social media?  As social media use changes and evolves, religious organizations are starting to incorporate it to share messages and build community.

Many religious groups are using social media to “brand” their organizations.  It affects all main religions from Catholics to Buddhists, and especially evangelical churches that are often using new social technologies.  Some churches tweet Easter messages or send emailed postcards for upcoming services.

Facebook and Twitter are two of the most popular tools being used, although many media platforms are used to communicate messages to followers. 

Apps are now being used to encourage confession and ease the nervousness of not having to show up in person.  Some apps even allow users to earn religious points, although this may not be endorsed by the church and is not typically reflective of religious teachings. 

Author Pauline Cheong, researched a large Chinese Buddhist organization based in Taiwan.  She found that they use social media in multiple languages, have satellite television in all continents of the world, their own digital radio stations and conduct podcasts.  Their coverage ranges from Asia to the Americas and Africa. 

Religious organizations find that using media tools requires a lot of time and work.  But this can also lead to more members and build a sense of community. 

https://asunow.asu.edu/content/religious-organizations-savvy-use-social-digital-media

I enjoy the social media that is produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It is professionally done and distributes all sorts of information, video, articles, conference messages, music, etc.  When I set up my Twitter account for this class, I was surprised to see that all the General Authorities have Twitter accounts that I can follow if I choose to.  These are old men!  They are in their 70’s, 80’s and 90’s and are actively using Twitter and Facebook, etc.  That seems pretty impressive to me, as I am half their age and struggle with using some platforms.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is very tech-savvy and in touch with modern media technology.  They too, have satellite television in many continents of the world, One of the things I really like about the messages shared are that they are positive, promote good things, and testify of the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. 

https://www.facebook.com/LDS/?fref=ts

Case Reflection 2 ---Bobby White Basketball Cop

It started with a dashcam video from a police car, and my initial reaction, when I saw the first video of officer Bobbie White approaching kids playing basketball in the street, was the thought that they were in trouble, as someone had called in a complaint about their noise and probably the fact that they were playing right in the middle of the road.  It didn’t take long to see from watching the video that his approach wasn’t one of condemning, but of making sure things were ok and letting the kids know that they weren’t in trouble.  Why he chose to handle the situation this way gives a few things to ponder on.  So many times the news is full of people committing crimes and doing things wrong.  That is what the nation is used to seeing.  The dash cam recording showed something quite the opposite.  Officer White could have easily come down on the kids, but instead chose to allow them to be kids.  He even played a bit with them in the street and promised them he would come back with reinforcements for a rematch.  Why did  he choose to handle the situation in this manner?

It is interesting to see the response that came from this experience.  Why would NBA star Shaquille O’Neal choose to visit this neighborhood?   Why would he take time to go and get involved?  In the video you can listen to him tell the kids that he grew up in a neighborhood just like theirs.  The kids had an experience they will never forget.  Not only being able to play ball with him, but listening to his advice and getting $100 for making a basket was really amazing for them!   The opportunity to attend an Orlando Magic game in person may have been the chance of a lifetime for some of these kids. 

The power of social media is evident, as this video went viral, it reached big names in the basketball world, who then chose to respond, making an even bigger story and events in the aftermath that have done a lot of good to benefit kids in Gainesville. 

For instance, the donation program that Officer White started has been helping many families and communities.  A new basketball court was built by a local Gainesville, Florida business in a neighborhood backyard of one of the kids that played in the street to help with neighborhood noise and to give the kids a place to play.  Harlem Globetrotter’s star Buckets Blake attended the opening of the new court and played ball with the kids.  His advice to everyone was to “pay it forward” and to “remember the little things in life no matter how successful you become”. 

Since this incident, a Basketball Cop Foundation has been created, which accepts donations to benefit local neighborhood kids and apartment complexes that can use new basketball equipment.  A family that lost everything to a fire on Christmas Eve received a portable basketball hoop and balls for their kids, who had to move to a new area and start over.  The mother of this family of 4 boys said that she hoped this would help her children make new friends as others would come to play with them.    A religious institution, Upper Room Ministries, is in need of a basketball court at their facility.  Officer White is asking for help to make this happen by appealing to the nation’s generosity.  A gofundme account has been set up at https://www.gofundme.com/basketballcop  Almost $6,000 has been raised of the $25,000 goal. 

As I have researched the hash tag, #hoopsnotcrime that was created, it shows just how much publicity has come from this story.  The community has rallied around the police department, and the kids are being invited to participate in many events.  They were invited to attend a University of Florida Gators basketball game, where they were brought out and recognized at center court. 

Think about the person that made the call to complain.  Think of what that call started.  Had the man not complained, maybe none of this would have happened.  I wonder how he feels now with all the publicity that has come from his one call.  His neighborhood got a lot noisier if anything.  Do you think he feels happy about it, or does he continue to grumble just like he may have done when he made the initial complaint call to the Gainesville Police Department?  

A Facebook post by Kim Groves read:  “These were my kids and their friends simply playing basketball at a friends house and a neighbor across the street had a problem with it.  I advised that neighbor I would rather them be playing basketball versus them being involved in a criminal activity and he begged to differ so he called the cops.”

This was a true “feel-good” story, and a nice change from all the negative coverage we routinely see on the news.  Social media was a big contributor to the success of Officer White’s campaign, and continues to be so as more stories emerge from Gainesville.  What might this lead to in other communities around the nation?  Hopefully, more good news! 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/humankind/2016/03/03/basketball-cop-known-kindness-just-upped-ante/81204216/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/humankind/2016/03/03/basketball-cop-known-kindness-just-upped-ante/81204216/?

csp=dailybriefing&AID=10709313&PID=4003003&SID=ilh7mz6suj012bmf00dth

https://www.facebook.com/BasketballCop/videos/195003957527649/

https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/hoopsnotcrime?source=feed_text&story_id=1681963925412654

http://www.news4jax.com/positively-jax/basetball-cop-surprises-kids-with-new-court

Class Cloud

The class cloud experience was exactly that for me; a definite “experience”.    Because this class is the first time I have tried Twitter, I am not well-versed in using it.  I learn by doing and using social media platforms, and this one is not one I have fallen in love with.   I know that it is very popular and used by many people, but I don’t have a need to share a lot of information to the public, and those I want to share with I can text without a character limit, and without having to come up with a hash tag or link to a blog post.   I started by creating my first twitter post asking a generic question about social media:  https://twitter.com/SherriDever/status/704525401125625856

I couldn’t decide who to send a second tweet to, and I wasn’t exactly sure the correct way to do it, but it ended up being pretty simple.  I chose to send a question to @mittromney but I never received any type of feedback.  https://twitter.com/SherriDever/status/704530054621990912

I’m not sure if I really expected a response from Mr. Romney, and quite honestly, I’m not even sure if that is his real twitter address.  Nonetheless, it gave me the experience of sending a message to someone.   About a week after I opened my Twitter account, I noticed that I had received a message from a friend of mine that I hadn’t talked to in a couple of years.  I felt bad, because I didn’t even realize that they had sent me a message, and also because I wasn’t really sure of how to use Twitter properly.  But through trial and error, I have been able to figure things out. 

I still don’t use Twitter, other than for class assignments, and when we all started tweeting Wednesday in the class cloud, I was extremely out of my element.  Everyone around me was tweeting like crazy, laughing and having fun with it.  I sat there for a minute not even sure where to start.  I was reading the tweets that were posting, and trying to come up with something to say or someone to respond to.  I did manage to send a few tweets out, and respond to some as well as shown in the following links: 

https://twitter.com/SherriDever/status/705200802952933376

https://twitter.com/SherriDever/status/705209789110833152

Twitter, it seems to me, is a way to spout out what is on your mind or currently going on.  Most tweets I read are just short opinions or funny quips.  It doesn’t seem like much useful information is shared, although my exposure to it has been very limited.  I would imagine if I paid more attention to news media or sports tweets I would be much more informed rather than entertained or appalled.  I know that I could actually use Twitter to report scores and information to the club I work for concerning my team’s performance in games and in tournaments.  Reflecting back to the class cloud experience, I didn’t really enjoy it, but thought it was interesting when other organizations or people jumped in and started to respond from outside the class.  I still don’t think I will ever be a big Twitter user unless I find a need for it, other than class.  I’m from an older generation—an old dog trying to learn new tricks and apps.  

Online Reputation: Jesse Wilson

A song by Slim Shady has been playing in my mind as I have been writing this:  "Will the real Jesse Wilson please stand up—please stand up—please stand up?"  Wait, which Jesse Wilson?  The pastor, the actor, the singer, the football player, the highly ranked service man, the junior hockey super sports nominee, the python collector, the body-building pro, the famous sand-boarding star, or the student majoring in Communication Studies at USU?   My online reputation search for Jesse Wilson showed at least 82 on public records websites.  18 of those were in the state of Utah.  The Jesse Wilson I searched for is in his twenties.  That narrowed things down quite a bit, but still wasn’t specific enough information.   I tried associating him with Utah State University, and there I found success with his account on Facebook.  https://www.facebook.com/jesserosswilson?fref=ts

Let me share some things I learned about Jesse Wilson:   He is from St. George, Utah.  His birthday is April 12 and he has one sister, Brooke Wilson.    He completed an associate’s degree from Dixie State University in Business Administration and now at USU, he is earning his bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies.   He served an LDS mission to Germany, which means he not only speaks English, but he speaks German too! 

From many pictures on Facebook, I observed that Jesse has a pattern of being an avid outdoors enthusiast, enjoying the beautiful mountains of southern Utah.  He is not afraid of heights and enjoys hiking, camping and being in nature.  He also participates in snow sports and snowmobiles during the winter months.  

Jesse has a strong attachment to skateboards, (and if you haven’t noticed, one accompanies him to class each day.) 

Another pattern or trend I found was that Jesse is very social.  He likes to be around friends, and seems to have MANY in different places around the world, including different parts of Utah, Chicago and Germany..........

I discovered information on Jesse’s LinkedIn account as well.  He seems to have a third trend or pattern in his occupation, as he is experienced in “Sales”. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-wilson-8a6025b7

He has been a sales associate at Fisher Home Furnishings, a salesman of pest prevention and control services, and is currently a sales rep for Fox Pest Control.   During this search, I found that I know a couple of people that work at the same pest control company that Jesse does.   Kory Crompton and Zach Hendrickson are two young men I used to coach in high school and club soccer.  The other young man is Sam Rolfe, who was a student worker in my department at USU.  So, we may actually know some of the same people?

Jesse was hard to find information on outside of these two accounts.  He keeps a fairly low profile and stays out of trouble with the law and the courts system.  He doesn’t have anyone searching for him or a bounty on his head that I could find.  By accessing his twitter account, I noticed that he doesn’t use it much, as he started it in 2012 with a tweet that reads, “I’m not so sure how I feel about twitter yet….Day one”.   There were a total of 4 more tweets after that over the span of 16 months, ending in Dec. 2013.  https://twitter.com/search?q=jesseblend&src=typd   The most recent tweets have started in January of this year, 2016, and they pertain to this class.  I’m guessing I can tell how Jesse feels about Twitter…….

This was a fun and interesting assignment.   Although I wished I could have learned even more about the Jesse Wilson I searched for from class, I found there are many other Jesse Wilsons out there I could cyber stalk as well if I need something to occupy my time.  

Legal, Policies and Ethics -- Say What?

I have never been satisfied with my lack of technological literacy.  Sure, I am able to get by and accomplish things I want to on my computer, phone, and limited social media sites.  But if I had to step outside that comfort zone and really know what is going on behind the scenes, or set up my accounts in the most secure fashion, I am in big trouble!  We frequently hear about making sure our Facebook accounts, online banking accounts, passwords, security settings, etc. are as secure as possible.  This is one of the areas I really fall short in.  I need to get better educated before someone “educates” me the hard way—after they have stolen my identity, my money, or hacked my email account.  I liked the information concerning this on the following website:

http://facecrooks.com/Internet-Safety-Privacy/how-to-lockdown-your-facebook-account-for-maximum-privacy-and-security.html/

This website ironically is titled “Facecrooks” and gives step by step directions on how to make your Facebook account more secure to protect your privacy.  It also teaches many things I am unfamiliar with--for instance:  What type of email account to use, password protection tips, notifications, use of code generators, privacy settings, selections on who can send you friend requests, filtering levels, who can look me up, search engine preferences, etc. 

This website also gives advice on apps settings, followers, ads, privacy shortcuts, as well as how and what to post, logging out correctly, and using the Help Center.  I decided to apply some of this advice and make some much needed changes to my Facebook settings.  Ignorance may be bliss—but only until someone ruins it. 

What are we allowed to publish, post or say on Facebook or Blogs?  The First Amendment to the Constitution states:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

The website listed at the end of this blog, gives some in-depth explanations on freedom of speech.

It talks about free speech being one of the most cherished liberties, but that it can also conflict with other rights and liberties.  The types of speech are broken down into three different categories:

1-       Pure Speech:  The verbal expression of thoughts and opinions before a voluntary audience.  The courts have generally provided strong protection of pure speech from government regulation.

2-      Speech-Plus:  This involves actions, such as demonstrations or protesting, as well as words.  Speech-plus is not generally protected as strictly as is pure speech, because actions can be physically dangerous.  The courts have ruled that demonstrators may not obstruct traffic, endanger public safety, or trespass illegally.

3-      Symbolic Speech:  Technically this involves no speech at all, but it involves symbols that the courts have judged to be forms of free expression.  Symbolic actions such as wearing black armbands in school and draft-card burning fit this category.  Symbolic speech is highly controversial, and as a rule, the courts have sometimes considered it to be beyond the limits of free speech.

Now that I have a better understanding about free speech from the first amendment, I feel fairly safe with sharing the basic and non-confrontational blogs and posts I make from my (hopefully) more secure Facebook page and Blog.

http://www.ushistory.org/gov/10b.asp

Collaborative and Distance Communication Platforms

I’ve decided that I just don’t have enough time on my hands.  I don’t seem to have time for watching TV, reading a novel just for enjoyment, shopping excursions, travel, or online gaming.   I look at how experienced my 25 year old son is at online gaming with his friends, and I realize I am almost on a totally different planet in that regard.   Speaking of a different planet, how about a different world?   More specifically, an online virtual world called “Second Life”, which is what I would need in order to be able to squeeze this program into my current life. 

According to Wikipedia, Second Life was developed by Linden Lab in 2003, but by 2013 had around 1 million users.  Second Life is similar to online role playing games, but Linden Lab insists that their online virtual world is NOT a game.  There are no objectives and there is nothing to win.  It is designed and focused on interaction between multiple users.  Residents can create a virtual representative of themselves called avatars that can interact with other avatars, other places and other objects.  There are a number of different things you can do with this platform, such as:  meet others, socialize, go to activities, build things, create, shop, trade property, and services with each other.  It features 3D-based user-generated content, has its own virtual currency which is exchangeable with real world currency.  The software has a three-dimensional modeling tool that allows users to build objects.  Another interesting feature is that users can also photograph in Second Life using camera technology.  As amazing and intriguing as this platform sounds, it is just a huge reminder to me, that it would take a lot of time to enjoy and use this program.  Time I just don’t have. 

On another note—something that I can make time to use because it IS very time friendly and time efficient is the application called Skype.  Another program that was ironically released in 2003, this platform can connect you with people all over the world; by voice using a microphone, by video using a webcam, and with instant messaging.  Skype can be very convenient for conference calls, for visiting with someone across the United States, or across the world.  My office has done many Skype interviews with candidates not geographically close enough to come for a personal visit.  I have personally used Skype to communicate with my sons who served missions in foreign countries.  It is a tool that allows communication on a more personal level through face-to-face viewing.  Skype founders were from Sweden and Denmark.  (Maybe they got tired of trying to communicate with each concerning their inventions and invented Skype just so they could communicate?  OK—probably not).  With all of the new technology that continues to come out, it makes me wonder, “what’s next”?   What will be the next new invention that will change our lives significantly?

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype