Category: Facebook

From its humble beginning in a college room, facebook has managed to be one of the leading social media sites in the world. It is thought to have surpassed Myspace.com in terms of unique customer visits and registered users. Its growth though not rapid, has been steadily rising. A number of strategies could have assisted it to attain this status. By the year 2012 facebook is reported to have had 500 million unique users on its database.

One strategy which seems to have worked for facebook is developing translated versions of the site. Originally it was only offered in English. This locked out potential users who do not speak English. After this translation customer numbers are reported to have surged upwards.

This propelled its current position as the leading social media site in terms of customer numbers. Indeed the bulk of its customers are outside the United States of America. This clearly shows that offering the site in a couple of other languages has worked for facebook.

Huge user numbers in turn can be monetized. Facebook has managed to transform this numbers with some considerable success into revenue. Facebook generates the bulk of its money from advertisement (Ajith 2010). This is through sale of advertising space and advertising displays.

The advertisers are attracted to popular sites with large traffic. By making themselves the most popular site, facebook has managed to attract advertisers in their big numbers. It also attracts other content developers like application developers. Application developers rely on big numbers to sell their products. Facebook has managed to their position as the leading social media site to attract the application developers who in turn would share part of their revenue with facebook.

Facebook has managed to endear itself to new user through their friends. It has a feature for inviting friends and sending fiend requests. This feature helps it to get new users. It is been found that people generally trust sites that people they know are already using. Facebook has managed to capitalize on this fact to increase the number of users. This is a feature that helps facebook market itself softly. To the user it looks like any other feature meant to enhance their level of satisfaction.

To continue being on top, facebook has in the recent past began acquiring other companies. It has particularly focused on acquiring small start up companies with features they did not have on their site. This will enable them to offer a wide range of content to the target users. This puts facebook at a competitive advantage over its competitors in the social media industry. One of the most sought after traits in the social media industry is user engagement.

The longer a user stays in the website the more attractive it becomes for an advertiser. Advertisers prefer sites with good engagement because this informs them of the unique traits of the user (Auer 2011). This information is in turn used to create targeted advertisements.

Therefore, acquisition of small startups with unique features helps them first to increase t engagement and secondly to lock the user up in the site. It has been argued that the advertisers value user engagement more than the actual number of users. However, both appear to be working well for facebook.

The design of the website could be helping facebook gain competitive advantage over its competitors. It is relatively easy to use. Perhaps its simplicity is strength. Many features of the site are easily visible safe for a few that the company may not want the visitors to access easily like account deactivation. An attractive website is more likely to get new unique visitors as compared to a poorly designed one.

Facebook began with a smaller market. It first targeted Harvard university students, and then students from a few other universities were included, and eventually it opened to any one older than 13 years. It has no strict geographic market. This has turned out to be its strength. First it managed to incorporate new users without dropping the old users. Secondly expansion of the target population has allowed it to have more users.

Its target market is broad as compared to some competitors like Myspace which targets mainly rock bands and their fans. A broad market offers unique business opportunities (Boyd and Ellison 2007). For instance, the composition of such a market is diverse. This is in contrast to narrow target markets whose members are more likely to share similar consumer characteristics. A broad category of users means that marketers have a wide range of people with different traits to sell to.

Activity focus is a marketing strategy that has turned out to be strength for Facebook. Facebook focuses on connecting people. It connects people on the basis of relationships, shared interests, and shared past. This has put it at a unique position in the social media industry.

Each user has friends who have something in common with them. This eases the work of marketers as one person is likely to recommend a product to their friends. Friends of users are more likely to purchase the same product. This translates to more revenue to the marketer and Facebook.

The number of advertisers using Facebook has been on the increase over the years. However, their continued use of Facebook as their platform of choice is not guaranteed. This therefore prompted facebook to seek new ways of retaining old advertisers while attracting new ones. Perhaps this could be the reason way Facebook shares some information with them for free. It shares some information classified as public information about their users with the advertisers. This ensures that they keep advertising with them.

Another strength that facebook has is enhanced user transaction. User transaction represents the number of activities a user can carry out within the site. Some innovative features offered by facebook serve to increase user transactions (Booth 2010). Features like ‘comments’, ‘people you may’, and ‘like’ are good examples.

Perhaps the most important feature to the company is the ‘like’ feature. This information can be shared with third parties for a fee. Some others like ‘search’ have also emerged. This particular feature ensures that the unique visitors to the site do not have to leave the site and use another site to search for some information of interest.

Generally Facebook has been trying to reposition itself in the market as a formidable player. It has been restructuring itself in order to boost its competitive advantage. As is evident in some changes made in the executive team, it is trying to shed the image of a start up company and acquire that of a legitimate international corporation. A good cooperate image boosts the confidence of the users and that of the business partners. A good image may in the long run translate to increased revenue.

Another potential strength of facebook is localization. Facebook has in the recent past incorporated region specific content. For example, in some markets local content and local language are used. Localization in foreign markets is important to avoid acquiring the image of an alien. In new markets competitors may use lack of local content to drive their advertisement. If a company is branded as foreign in some markets, its chances of success are significantly reduced.

Ease of sign up and provision of enhanced security filters is strength. Though competitors provide equally good features, this can be seen as strategy. Keeping up with the pace of the competitors has ensured that its features and products do not become obsolete. Allowing competitors to lead the innovation battle is a potential danger for the company.

This is because the social media industry driven by new innovations. This makes it a highly volatile market that can create casualties in a short time. It is therefore in the interest of facebook to be with the pack if it cannot be ahead of them.

However, Facebook’s business model has been criticized. It has been criticized particularly for failing to monetize its position as a market leader in terms of number of users. Facebook also has a vast amount of information on its users but it has failed to successfully monetize it. For continued profitability it has to find innovative ways to monetize this information without harming its users (Agarwal and Mital 2009). Currently it relies mainly on advertisements, content developers and sharing of user information to make money.

During the sign up process facebook collects a lot of information about its users. This information has been designated personally identifiable information (PII) (Back, et al 2010). This information highly personal its safety is of concern. Facebook is said to be home the largest collection of photographs in the internet.

It has been accused in past of sharing this information with third parties for monetary gain. This represents a big threat to its future success. This can result in massive account deactivations leading to big losses. It has been argued that facebook’s greatest enemy is itself. It has also been accused in the past for not providing the users with an option of permanently deleting their accounts.

No single strategy has proven more useful than the others for facebook. But one that had immediate impact is the choice of target market. Change of target market to include anybody above 13 years enabled the company to get more customers. More customers is seen in the advertising industry as good grounds for business. Another strategy that yielded results almost immediately is the inclusion of translated versions of the site.

This enabled it to tap into new markets where English is not spoken. This also allowed the company to include localized content in their website. Localized content has proved popular in some regions. The biggest challenge to the company strategy is the business model adopted by the company. This has led to causations of bridge of privacy agreements. Since the social media industry is changing very fast it remains to be seen what strategies the company will adopt to fit into the new environment.

References

Agarwal, S. and Mital, M., (2009), “Focus on Business Practices: An Exploratory Study of Indian University Students’ Use of Social Networking Web Sites: Implications for the Workplace,” Business Communication Quarterly.

Ajith, S., (2010), “Evaluation of Social networking sites for business application,” Mastersthesis.

Auer, M., (2011), “The Policy Sciences of Social Media,” Policy Studies Journal.

Back, et al., (2010), “Facebook profiles reflect actual personality, not self-idealization,” Psychological Science.

Booth, P., (2010), Digital Fandom: New Media Studies, New York: Peter Lang.

Boyd, D. and Ellison, N., (2007), “Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship,” JCMC.

Introduction

Facebook Corporation was established by the current chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg in 2004. In its inception days, the Facebook Corporation membership was limited to Harvard students though it was later expanded to other institutions in the city of Boston (Veer, 2011, p.271). The company operates as a social networking site connecting users with friends who work, live and study around them.

People use Facebook to keep up with others, upload photos, share videos and links as well as understand the situation about people they meet. Of all social networking sites Facebook has the widest regional coverage with over 700 million active users (Facebook Inc, 2011, p.36).

PESTEL analysis

Since the establishment of Facebook Inc, the company has been facing legal proceeding in regard to the use of the social networking idea. The company has been accused of interfering with the privacy of the users.

This resulted in declining traffic in key markets until the company introduced powerful controls for sharing personal information. Although they claim to reinforce the law on users, case of hacking confidential information still affect the company’s business (Facebook, 2009, pp.1-11).

Another political factor could be the copyright policies. Considering the scattered nature of Facebook users, most of them are not aware of these policies and end up violating them. The social network site is also affected by bans in certain countries. For instance, the company had been banned operating in China since 2009 (Facebook, 2011, p.36).

Children welfare associations affect the company as a result of exposing detrimental materials to children. Indeed, the office of the New York Attorney General stepped up warnings against the company saying that Facebook might face a consumer fraud indict for misrepresenting how the site is safe for children.

The growing of Asian and Latin America economies is an economic factor that has the highest leverage on the business. In fact, the company fiscal 2011 plan is to expand to the Asian countries such as China.

The company plans to launch in China and abide by the laws of the corporation by partnering with the Chinese search engine Baidu. These growing economies increase the income of the people and are able to access computers more. The rising literacy level especially in the developing nations is a factor influencing the business.

The number of people who can use computers effectively is growing dramatically. For example, statistics indicate that 60% of the Indians are computer literate and 90% of them have daily access to the computer. This is the very reason why India has the highest number of people socializing through Facebook and other social sites. The other economic factor is employment which is associated with internet accessibility.

People working tend to have ample access to computers and are able to socialize more through the social sites. Facebook is ranked at the top when considering the preference of the working community to social networking sites.

Like other internet sites, age demographic is the major influencing factor of Facebook business (Taylor et al., 2003, p.237). Youths tend to be the major users of the site when connecting with their peers.

The minors are increasingly using Facebook to socialize posing risks to the business. In reality, the company has not devised effective measure to filter underage uses out of the site. Religion is also a factor that is affecting the company’s business especially in the Arab countries.

Facebook has been unable to penetrate many of the Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan due to religion restrictions. In addition to these, gender and marital status could leverage the networking business.

Males have been the dominant users of the social networking sites though females have picked the same pace. Unmarried individuals tend to use Facebook more than married individuals perhaps due to time limitations or benefits sort.

Technological factors affecting Facebook business include mobile growth. Nearly 35% of the total Facebookers access the social site from a mobile device. This trend has even moved the mobile market for products like Apple’s iPad and iPhone.

New software technologies have enabled the company to add new features on their site which are attracting more consumers (Kwon, 2010, p.257). In terms of these features, the chat option is the biggest attraction to the site followed by the sharing option.

Advancement in space technology is also expanding the market for the business. Many remote areas have accessibility to information technology through the use of space equipment. Furthermore, connectivity speed has improved very much and people can socialize fast and effectively.

Some new technologies such as third-party medial plug-ins have expanded the use of Facebook credits thus enhancing e-commerce. Besides, technology allows for business transactions to be conducted through Facebook site and therefore attract a new segment of consumers. Undeniably, technological advancement is the key enabler of Facebook business.

TOWS analysis

SWOT Matrix

TOWS Alternative Matrix

Weaknesses and threats (WT)

A company with great weaknesses has to route to a survival strategy (Stokes & Wilson, 2010, p.225). Facebook should consider the option of joint operation with Baidu and other search engines in difficult markets. Another alternative would be to withdraw from the challenging markets altogether.

But, the challenges of the company must not have to route to a survival strategy due to the company’s strengths. Consequently, better strategy would be to attempt to develop weaknesses into strengths.

Weaknesses and opportunities (WO)

The rising internet usage has resulted in using more the social network sites. Yet Facebook essentially follows a one-model policy which presents a problem if other designs of site features become obsolete. The company has to introduce new features to reach a wider spectrum of users. This will allow using the same site for a range of needs ranging from business to dating.

Strengths and threats (ST)

One of the biggest threats to Facebook is the customer privacy issues. There has been continued criticism that the company does not offer the standard confidentiality demanded in a social networking environment.

The company should reduce such issues using the many applications available that can ensure maximum confidentiality. Another strategy for avoiding competitive pressure is to differentiate the site through easy user interface.

Strengths and opportunities (SO)

Generally, Facebook can build on their strengths by taking the advantage of the opportunities. The company’s strength in global coverage and popularity becomes evident. This strength can enable the company to develop a consumer relationship that attracts regulatory restricted environments.

Eventually, the strength will enable the company to open operation in China and Arab countries. Thus Facebook can benefit from considerable concessions offered by the governments to attract the company.

Conclusions

Facebook Company is certainly operating in a tricky environment due to the changing nature of communication and networking environment. The environment is tricky because there in increasing preference for social networks yet the technology responsible cannot meet the intrinsic demand of the consumers. Policies regulating social medial works have requirements beyond the ability of technology.

This attracts other groups of interests while regulations in some countries cannot be fully satisfied. However, the growing economy and advancement in technology promise a brighter future for the company.

If Facebook can exploit the opportunity of rising usage of the internet through its global coverage, there is a chance of attracting policy makers in other countries and maybe adjust regulations. There is a chance to develop the weaknesses into new strengths once the company is better positioned in the market.

Since the market of social media environment is quite demanding, Facebook must focus on its core resources and competencies. In this case, integration of features and ease of use are distinctive resources that can enable effective differentiation in the competition.

When combined with the threshold resource of regional coverage, the competencies can leverage the brand name in the face of consumers as well as policy makers. It is therefore recommended that the company should:

• Use the status updates to provide targeted adverts
• Focus on monetization to improve valuations
• Provide local advertising based on customer location
• Enable controlled application
• Improve in storage and archival
• Engage in mergers with search engines
• Solve the problem of privacy

References

Facebook Inc. 2009. Facebook law enforcement guidelines. Web.

Facebook Inc. 2011. Private Company financial report. Web.

Kwon, O. & Wen, Y. 2010. An empirical study of the factors affecting social network service use. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(2), pp.254-263.

Stokes, D. & Wilson, N. 2010. Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship. Florence, KY: Cengage Learning EMEA.

Taylor, W. J., Zhu, G. X., Dekkers, J. & Marshall, S. 2003. Socio-economic factors affecting home internet usage patterns in Central Queensland. Information Science Journal, 6, pp.233-244.

Introduction

Facebook as an outlet of social media can be a good avenue for marketing the products of a company, but it also comes with several risks. The risks may involve damaging the company’s reputation, brand, or image. The company’s internal information that is sensitive may also end up in the wrong hands. There is also the risk of violating the legal regulations put in place by policymakers. This calls for a need by a company to have in place a competent online marketing manager who will ensure that there is proper management of the risks involved. The four major components of a legally astute social media marketing manager should be monitoring, engaging, managing, and integration (Meyerson, 2010).

The components of a legally astute social media marketing manager

Monitoring deals with finding out online conversations about the organization. The manager should do his or her best to find out the identities of those commenting or discussing the organization positively and negatively on Facebook. This process will help an organization to come up with an online strategy for marketing. Understanding the underlying subject and the tone of the discussions will help the company adjust to the needs of customers and come up with their best voices in social media.

The other important component is engaging. This calls for the social media marketing manager to ensure that his team is always active in conversations with customers, potential customers, and those who influence the business sector. This will make those participating in the conversation to develop better opinions about the company after considering the facts and back up statistics from company experts that they engage within Facebook. The company will maintain its image and even attract more customers while at the same time, driving away any negative perceptions that may have existed as well as improving the organization’s trust (Meyerson, 2014).

Managing is the next component. The social media marketing manager should ensure that the company creates conversations and discussion topics that focus directly on the organization’s products and objectives. The manager should be in charge of the site, but the actual engagement in the discussions left to the experts in each area of discussion so that the customer gets the right feedback and satisfactory answers. This will ensure the upholding of the company’s brand and avoiding any false information that would circulate in social media.

The last aspect should be integration. The manager should ensure the incorporation of the aspects of social media marketing into other previously used methods by the organization. The use of social media as a driver of customers to the other aspects of marketing that may have been in use by the organization for long is vital as this would make it easier to measure the return on investment than in social media marketing (Luis & Katz, 2014).

An online manager, who is able to utilize the four aspects with expertise, would ensure the success of the company and contain any risks that may come up.

Solving customer conflicts in social media

An organization or individual using social media to reach the customers should always be on the lookout for customer complaints or comments. They should activate alerts to avoid overlooking comments or discussions about their company and products. When a customer posts a request, comment, or complaint, he or she should get feedback on the same as quickly as possible. In a case where the customer makes a comment, request, or complains public, the feedback also needs to be public and not private. Any attempt to hide or delete posts or comments with complaints or criticisms should never arise. Addressing the question in public will help the marketer gain more credibility and trust from already existing or prospective customers (Meyerson, 2010).

It is very common to get reactions from customers that may sound emotional. When the company or organization is responding to such comments or reactions, they should never appear personal. The feedback should avoid negative challenges or engage with the customer. The one who posted the comment and the public who can access the site will, in this case, review the public feedback. In case the post or comment seems like a direct attack or an attempt to finding a fault, the company may decide to ignore it depending on the amount of harm it may cause to the company (Luis & Kurtz, 2014).

No matter the situation, the customers are always right and deserve fair treatment. Apologies should be made and an explanation given on how a mistake would be used for better decision making in the future. Enquiring from the customer if there could be any extra service that they would need the company to provide in order to improve their experience is necessary. This will help in improving the corporate image and the general view of customer experience.

The role of the government

There are controls that the federal government can put in place to ensure the free flow of online trading. The government should know the best time to act and the roles that the other industry players would have. This will ensure the government does not hinder trade over social media. The governments should ensure that healthy competition in the online trade, transparency, protection against fraud, provision of avenues for resolving disputes, and provision of protection for intellectual property exists. The government can impose tax policies on online trade to reduce any hindrances to the trade. It needs to put in place policies that control electronic payments to avoid any online frauds. The government can also enter into agreements with other nations or international parties involved in online trade to provide online security and ensure that there is no violation of privacy and property rights (Evans, 2010).

The three branches of government are the executive, legislature, and judiciary. The executive being on top has control over several institutions. The executive can give directions to government officers and security agencies to ensure that online marketing takes place in a fair and safe environment. It would be the arm of government tasked with ensuring the implementation of social media marketing policies and regulations.

The legislature has the role of drafting regulations, laws, and policies regarding social media marketing. The judiciary, on the other hand, should come in situations of conflict. It should provide solutions in case one party feels offended in the marketing system or in a situation whereby an organization does not meet the requirements needed. It will ensure adherence to implemented laws by taking action against any party or individual who flouts them (Luis & Katz, 2014).

Agency in social media marketing

Agencies use social sites to come up with ways of appealing to clients or customers to embrace a particular company’s products. In most cases, agencies have support roles in social media marketing as opposed to a direct link between a company and its clients. Most customers or clients prefer engaging companies directly rather than through agencies in social media marketing. Companies also prefer engaging their clients directly and tend to avoid anyone talking on their behalf.

References

Evans, D. (2012). Social media marketing: The next generation of business engagement. New Jersey, USA: John Willey & Sons. Web.

Luis, B. & Kurtz, D. (2014). Contemporary marketing. Boston, Massachusetts, USA: Cengage Learning. Web.

Meyerson, M. (2010). Success secrets of social media marketing superstars. California, USA: Entrepreneur Press. Web.

The quality of products and services discussed

The quality of Kalimah Brand products is very high. The designs are eye-catching with Arabic calligraphy and well-blended colors that appeals to all generations. Since the brand was launched back in the year 2008, its designs have never failed to turn heads. The designs are characterized by Arabian coffee dallahs that have been infused with pink shades to make exotic and stylish combinations. The Arabic sayings embedded on most of the polo shirts and the colorful Najdi flats beat many other brands in both quality and artistry. Kalimah Brands are unique because they also use traditional shimagh in the design of their pieces. This adds a Saudi and Khaleeji flare to the outfits. Even the garments and other materials used in the making of the products are chosen very selectively. The garments are modified with embroidery and print to add the value and quality of all the company’s merchandise.

How it Affected our Team

Marketing an international clothing brand like Kalimah Brand had a lot of significance to our group. The company itself has set high standards in the way it produces and designs its products so we had to be extra careful not to undersell the company. The company has designed products that have been bought all over the world. For this reason, my group had to come up with a very strong marketing campaign. Brainstorming and effecting the marketing idea forced us to engage in a lot of dialogue, coming up with a lot of trial options and active participation of everyone.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Facebook Groups as Networking Avenues

Facebook use is so popular worldwide, which makes it a very brilliant avenue for getting your brand known out there. By using the site it is easy to know the number of people liking your product and also the number that is talking about it. Facebook also snowballs, in that when a user likes your group, it shows on their profile and Facebook news feeds so all their friends can also see it. Using Facebook also gave us the advantage of using images.

The disadvantage of using Facebook is that being a social networking site, users are more focused on chatting with their friends. Therefore many Ads go unnoticed.

Explanation of the Kalimah Brand for Creating Group

Being the most widely used social site, we decided that creating a Facebook group would allow for an integration between the company’s e-store, our Facebook page and the customers. The group we created for marketing the brand was the most optimal way of creating a forum for discussion that would involve the target market. It provided the customers with an avenue for airing their contentment, suggestions and complaints. Through Facebook customers can also know of other sales outlets such as the e-store.

Potential of Such a Networking Group

Advertising through Facebook groups has so many benefits that have the potential of putting the Kalimah Brand on the international map. Since it is a social network, its adverts seem more relevant than those done on other sites such as email because they come from friends. A message from a friend is more relevant than that from a stranger that comes in the form of spam, newsletter or junk mail. Using Facebook to market is like giving people the power to market to their friends without knowing. Since the message remains on someones wall, it can reach so many people over a long period.

My Reflective Report

The practical experience we gained while working on the Kalimah Brand complemented the marketing skills we had learnt in theory in a big way. It gave us the opportunity to reflect and learn. We are now able to make sense of our learning experience and also create better projects in the future. Each one of us is a better team player and we all have the ability to impart other teams with the required practical skills in our future endeavors. We are also more knowledgeable than before especially about the Saudi fashion trends and business habits. For instance, now we know that Most Arabians use Facebook as their means of networking with friends and business.

The process was so much engaging and inspiring. Since Kalimah Brand has already branded itself as a fashionable quality company, we had to use knowledge and skill so as to get more people to talk about it, try its products and trust it. This required us to be more dedicated as we progressed through the phases. We all had to sacrifice many personal interests and hobbies. Depending on the individual, we spent less time with friends, watched less movies, spent less time doing sports, among other sacrifices. The reaction of Facebook users after we had completed designing and creating the Facebook group was however overwhelming. We were all proud of our respective sacrifices as they made us realize that in order to make impact on any area, we had to dedicate our strength, time and resources.

Working with the group also created a few conflicts based on opinion. People have different opinions and sometimes I was forced to disregard mine to accommodate others’.

Introduction

The selected public corporation for this discussion is Facebook. The organization’s revenues and profits have been increasing significantly since 2010. The company operates in the social networking segment of the technology industry. Its platform makes it possible for people to share and communicate with their friends, family members, and workmates. Facebook’s leading products include Facebook.com, Messenger, Oculus, and Whatsapp. This giant corporation was founded in 2004 by Dustin Moskovitz, Mark Zuckerberg, Andrew McCollum, Eduardo Saverin, and Chris Hughes. The undeniable fact is that the company’s growth and success are attributable to the explosion of the Internet. This paper examines Facebook’s strategic competitive and managerial practices and how they influence organizational success and performance.

Globalization and Technology Changes

Globalization refers to the manner in which cultures, countries, organizations, and people from diverse backgrounds come together for various objectives (Bowen & Ozuem, 2015). The wave of globalization is driven by investments and international trade. That being the case, globalization has played a significant role in dictating the origin, development, and growth of Facebook as a social networking company (Smithson, 2017). The founders of the company must have been inspired by the need to support the goals of a connected global community. Since the world had already appreciated the power of globalization by 2000, it became possible for Zuckerberg and his colleagues to start an online-based site. Consequently, Facebook.com has enabled more people to interact and share ideas across the globe. Additionally, the introduction of new features such as messaging opportunities, news feeds, and advertising platforms on the site are developments that have been catalyzed by globalization.

Similarly, modern technological developments have impacted the growth, performance, and profitability of Facebook. For instance, the invention of the Internet and personal computers created a favorable environment for developing social media networks. Without the Internet, it would have been impossible to have a company like Facebook today (Menzies, Petrie, & Zarb, 2017). In the recent past, smartphones and handheld devices have become common in every part of the world. Facebook has been monitoring such changes in an attempt to customize its services in such a way that they can be accessed using different mobile devices. The evolution of mobile or online-based apps is something that has been supported by technological advancements. This corporation has been keen to acquire and develop superior apps that support or improve the way human beings communicate with each other. New inventions such as online-based advertising practices and instant messaging have also been considered by Facebook to achieve its objectives.

Earning Above-Average Returns

The industrial organization model states that external factors or forces will influence a company’s strategic goals or actions. The model assumes that external environmental impose constraints on companies and dictate specific strategic that can deliver desirable returns. The model also argues that organizational leaders should be committed and rational if they want to support their firms’ interests. This knowledge can be considered by Facebook’s managers to study the external environment, identify the best business practices, acquire the right resources, and develop superior strategies to achieve every business goal. The major objectives include identifying the business models used by different competitors, analyzing the demands of potential customers, and monitoring the nature of the changing global environment (Menzies et al., 2017). This knowledge will ensure the company revises its business strategy periodically. Consequently, the corporation will earn above-average returns in this competitive sector.

Resource-based model is founded on the notion that an organization’s resources, assets, and capabilities are critical whenever designing the most appropriate strategic actions. This model appears to support the goals and managerial practices associated with Facebook. The approach can ensure the company capitalizes on its current assets, human resources, and financial strength to implement powerful goals and objectives. Every employee should be empowered and equipped with the right resources to ensure the targeted goals are realized in a timely manner (Bowen & Ozuem, 2015). The model can also be considered to support Facebook’s strategic management process. The strategy will ensure internal resources are used to support various action plans, outline tangible goals, and identify emerging opportunities. By doing so, the company will produce superior apps, improve the quality and effectiveness of its services, and monitor the changing needs of every stakeholder. With a proper strategic focus, Facebook will be in a position to earn above-average returns and eventually become a leading competitor in the industry.

Vision and Mission Statements

Smithson (2017) believes strongly that Facebook’s success can be attributed to its mission and vision statements. Facebook’s mission statement is “to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected” (Smithson, 2017, para. 3). This statement indicates clearly that the corporation is always committed to ensure its social networking products and services are practical and available to more users. Facebook subscribers are empowered and supported to share ideas and information. The mission encourages more users to use the company’s products and services to share with each other. People who connect or communicate are known as “friends”. The use of this mission statement, therefore, makes it possible for more people to embrace Facebook’s services and apps (Bowen & Ozuem, 2015). Every person who uses the company’s services understands that his or her expectations will be met in a timely manner.

The company’s vision statement is that “people use Facebook to stay connected, to discover what is going on in the world, and express what matters to them” (Smithson, 2017, para. 3). Individuals who come across this vision statement for the first time will be willing to try the corporation’s services and apps in an attempt to connect, discover, and share with others. Since the firm’s goal is to maximize its revenues, the statement encourages more people to use various services. The company then applies its business model accordingly to increase its profits.

The mission and vision statements are attractive and capable of encouraging and attracting more people to become part of Facebook’s fraternity. With an increasing number of Facebook users, it becomes possible for more advertisers to sign contracts with the company and eventually improve performance. Carboni and Maxwell (2015) go further to explain why the company should continue to produce advanced services and make sure they are available in different corners of the globe. The move will support the company’s goals and eventually make it competitive.

Stakeholders

There are several stakeholders whose bargaining powers have the potential to influence Facebook’s business performance. The first group is composed of users or Facebook members. This group is prioritized by the company since it dictates its attractiveness and popularity. The increasing number of users will definitely encourage advertisers to do business with the organization. When these users are satisfied, it becomes easier for the company to succeed (Hoffmann & Lutz, 2014). The second category is that of advertisers. These stakeholders are the leading source of income for the company. The corporation uses automated services and interventions to ensure its advertisers are satisfied with different service. Advertisers can also select different audiences or platforms on Facebook.com to achieve their goals. Contented advertisers make it possible for the corporation to succeed.

Employees are critical stakeholders since they develop products and offerings that make the company attractive. Their needs are addressed in a timely manner. They also receive proper remunerations and allowances in order to support the organization’s business model. These initiatives are taken seriously to strengthen the company’s image and make it profitable (Hoffmann & Lutz, 2014). Communities are important stakeholders whose needs are always prioritized by Facebook. The needs of different members of the public are addressed using corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The government is another critical stakeholder. Facebook makes sure its practices and activities are in accordance with existing government policies and regulations to ensure its operations are executed smoothly (Menzies et al., 2017). Satisfaction of such stakeholders has made it easier for the company to succeed in the global market.

Conclusion

The case of Facebook is a clear indication that companies should use desirable models and strategies such as strategic management to meet their customers’ diverse needs. The organization examines its internal and external environments whenever developing appropriate strategic visions. Additionally, the emerging needs of different stakeholders are addressed in a timely manner. The company’s mission and vision also resonate with the expectations of its stakeholders. These approaches explain why Facebook has become one of the most successful and profitable public corporations today.

References

Bowen, G., & Ozuem, W. (2015). Computer-mediated marketing strategies: Social media and online brand communities. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Carboni, J. L., & Maxwell, S. P. (2015). Effective social media engagement for nonprofits: What matters? Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs, 1(1), 18-28.

Hoffmann, C. P., & Lutz, C. (2014). The impact of online media on stakeholder engagement and the governance of corporations. Journal of Public Affairs, 15(2), 163-174. Web.

Menzies, R., Petrie, K., & Zarb, M. (2017). A case study of Facebook use: Outlining a multi-layer strategy for higher education. Education and Information Technologies, 22(1), 39-53. Web.

Smithson, N. (201). Facebook Inc.’s vision statement & mission statement.Panmore Institute. Web.

About Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg was born on May 14, 1984 in White Plains, New York. The son of Karen, a psychiatrist, and Edward Zuckerberg, a dentist, Zuckerberg co-founded the social networking website, Facebook, out of his college dorm room following his successes with two earlier projects, one of which was called CourseMatch that helped students choose their classes based on the course selections of other users, and the other, Facemash, which compared the pictures of two students on campus and allowed users to vote on which one was more attractive (Biography.com, n.d.).

As an entrepreneur and CEO of Facebook, Zuckerberg has brought with him the passion and personality he cultivated at an early age when he first developed an interest in computers. According to those who knew him at the time, he used to write programs simply out of fun (Haaretz, 2009).

How Facebook Started

Facebook was born out of the desire to create an open global information flow that was not under the control of any business conglomerate (Lion’s Eye, 2007). Typically, it involved a social network platform that would give the promise of maintaining social interactions among users based on the culture of real identity on the service (StartupSchool12, 2012). To achieve this objective from the outset, the Zuckerberg led team leveraged on school email addresses provided by users as the basis for identifying the source of identity. This early real identity culture was informed by the fact that Facebook was originally a college specific social interaction engine even though it would later grow to include communities outside the college environment.

Ideally, Facebook began as a college project whose main objective was to connect Harvard students with each other, inspired by Zuckerberg’s previous feats such as the music software Pandora which he developed and named Synapse while at Exeter preparatory and both CourseMatch and FaceMash, mentioned earlier, that he created while in his sophomore year at Harvard (Biography.com, n.d.).

However, one thing that stood out from all of this was the fact that Facebook founders did not initially think of it as a business venture because they saw it simply as a pastime-something which Zuckerberg attributed to the overall mission of making information sharing accessible to all( StartupSchool12,2012). Facebook, like its predecessors in Zuckerberg’s programming product portfolio were all driven by “a desire to make it for fun” rather than as a business idea. Indeed, this philosophy has remained very much alive to date on Facebook (Carlson, 2010).

Facebook began its rollout in other schools that were deemed to have the greatest challenge in terms of offering high quality college oriented products such as Yale, Stanford, Columbia, etc. The idea was to test the waters to see if Facebook might stand from anything offered out there in order to provide theoretical insight into whether or not to push ahead with the plans of expansion so as to know if it would be worthwhile to invest in and produce something different or maybe end up being just another one among equals or more of the same (Nguyen,2004).

Personal Characteristics

Mark Zuckerberg is a man with many desirable characteristic traits that make up an entrepreneur and are worth emulating. Key among them includes:

Passion

From the early age of 12, it seemed that Mark had already begun developing a burgeoning interest in computers and specifically programming. From Zucknet, which he developed out of his Atari BASIC programming courtesy of his father’s guiding and which they utilized both at the dentist practice and at home to communicate with, to the music software he developed in private high school and named Synapse, to Harvard Sophomore projects namely the CourseMatch and Facemash, it is very clear that this was an individual with internal drive to develop things out of fun (Carlson, 2010).

Leadership

Being able to provide direction to his fellow college mates when they were at the crossroads of decision whether to launch Facebook faster by going the way of many big companies or simply stick to their mission of creating an open world by taking the longer route of trying to understand the needs of their users. For instance, Zuckerberg and Dustin Moskovitz had to be involved in cleaning up the data for various schools that they were launching in with a view to setting a tone of high quality college level data on Facebook (StartupSchool12, 2012).

Pursuit of excellence

He took up the decision to launch in schools that had school specific social networks because he knew that if Facebook succeeded first in areas that would be the hardest to conquer then he would have passed the first crucial test of determining the level of quality his product was promising.

Minimalism

Zuckerberg took the investment decision slowly and carefully by investing in cheap servers for a start.

References

Biography.com n.d., Mark Zuckerberg biography. Web.

Carlson, N 2010, At Last – The Full Story of How Facebook Was Founded, Business Insider. Web.

Grimlang, G 2009, Facebook founder’s roommate recounts creation of Internet giant, Haaretz. Web.

Nguyen, L 2004, Online network created by Harvard students flourishes, The Tufts Daily. Web.

Philips Exeter Academy 2007, Face-To-Face with Mark Zuckerberg ’02. Web.

StartupSchool12 2012, Mark Zuckerberg at Startup School 2012. Web.

Since the informational technologies are developing at a significantly high pace, their influence on nearly every aspect of the contemporary world could be observed. Accordingly, the development of the Internet and social media has an immense impact on current business trends. However, it is argued that positive results can only emerge from the development of new business strategies since marketing, trading, and customer service on the Internet (also referred to as e-commerce) is not merely mirroring the models of the offline business (Mata & Quesada, 2014). This paper aims to discuss the question of Facebook and Twitter use for customer service and marketing, with the purpose to understand which companies are best suited for the mentioned platforms.

Facebook and Twitter, is among the most popular social websites, attracted considerable attention in recent decades as a diverse and efficient tool for promoting products and services along with establishing communication with consumers (Ngai, Moon, Lam, Chin, & Tao, 2015). It is possible to observe that social media platforms provide a significantly wide range of advantages for companies and businesses.

First of all, it should be noted that Facebook and Twitter are used by millions of people every day, which allows reaching a broad span of potential customers. Secondly, the costs for online promotional campaigns are considerably lower compared to traditional marketing means. Thirdly, it is essential to mention that social media platforms are immensely powerful tools for targeting since Facebook users usually provide such information as age, sex, education, geolocation, and various interests.

Arguably, Facebook and Twitter have obvious disadvantages; however, it is possible to observe that particular features would not benefit every company, aiming to enter the market. First of all, it should be noted that the companies which interact directly with their customers (they are also referred to as B2C (business-to-consumer) models) are the most suitable for online promotion. Also, businesses, producing specific products such as heavy machinery, are less likely to successfully promote their commodities on social media platforms compared to companies, creating mass-market products.

Additionally, it is of high importance to mention that it is necessary to develop and maintain relationships with customers and to conduct social media analysis since it makes the company more competitive in the online market (Zhang & Benyoucef, 2016). Another thing that should be mentioned it that users of Facebook and Twitter interact rapidly, and thus the company needs to establish a customer service that can keep up the pace with the consumers’ requests.

Further, it is possible to mention several strategies for improving online marketing. In their research, Zhang, and Benyoucef (2016), drawing on a vast literature review, propose an integrative framework for analyzing the process of consumer decision-making. Based on the notion of social commerce, the authors determine three primary categories that influence the customer’s decisions: stimulus, organism, and response (Zhang & Benyoucef, 2016).

Also, another research on the topic of online marketing should be mentioned. Ngai et al. (2015) employed a similar method of literature review, and they also developed a framework, which is based on their findings. Their conceptual approach is “providing a holistic view and forming a basis for the design and development of social media applications” since it is based on various social, behavioral theories (Ngai et al., 2015, p. 796).

In conclusion, it should be observed that e-commerce has an immense impact on current marketing and business decision-making. In this paper, the advantages of social media platforms along with possible complications were discussed. Social media marketing can be significantly beneficial for companies and businesses if it is used adequately.

References

Ngai, E. W., Moon, K. L. K., Lam, S. S., Chin, E. S., & Tao, S. S. (2015). Social media models, technologies, and applications: An academic review and case study. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 115(5), 769-802.

Mata, F. J., & Quesada, A. (2014). Web 2.0, social networks and e-commerce as marketing tools. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 9(1), 56-69.

Zhang, K. Z., & Benyoucef, M. (2016). Consumer behavior in social commerce: A literature review. Decision Support Systems, 86, 95-108.

Introduction

Strategic management as a discipline is the management of the organization, which is based on human potential as its foundation. The main goals of such management are orienting production activity on consumers’ inquiries, executing flexible regulations and timely changes in the organizations, adequate to the influence of the environment, that allow achieving competitive advantages. These aims in long term prospect, further the survival of the organization and achieving its purposes. In that sense Strategic management could be considered as the issue of decision making which with the use of flexible management would provide adaptation of the enterprise to the changing environment. Based on the context of the aforementioned definition, this paper is addressed to the issue of timely reaction to arising challenges, by means of strategic management, based on a presented case study of the company Face book.

Problem Statement

News around “Facebook” appear almost every day. The company is one of the most fast-growing and popular social networks. Having replaced its concept in the spring of this year, the site became a platform for web applications which number steadily grows. Started in 2004 Facebook long time remained a closed social network for students. In order to become a member of this network, not only it was required to study in US college or university, but also to have an e-mail address issued by an educational institution. Later founders of the service had gone on some indulgences, first allowing using any email address, and after that made even made the registration accessible for everyone.

The main issue of case study could be expressed in the dilemma of the company strategy direction in establishing the target market. On one side there were the campus and educational which promoted to the growing popularity of facebok, and on the other side the business approach in appealing to wider audience where accordingly the big brand companies are interested in investing. In that sense, it should be mentioned that in addition to that dilemma, the niche previously occupied by Facebook has started to fill with new networks directed toward campus users, thus targeting narrow profile audience.

Analysis

The main point of strategic analysis in this case study could be addressed to the issue of balanced development. Balanced development, as the benefit of strategic management, is “avoiding the potential risk of being dependent on one particular industry or company” (Liou, 2000, p. 1621) In that sense, it could be seen that the benefits of balanced development are already taking place, where it was mentioned that Microsoft, Amazon along with “more than 65 developer partners have built applications on Facebook Platform, a new development platform that enables companies and engineers to integrate with the Facebook website and gain access to millions of users.” (Facebook, 2007).

Additionally, the growing audience of Facebook could help changing the direction of reshaping workplaces, thus building a new platform for new target market. The contacts such as employer-employee, and employer-students, along with contacts between coworkers have a major influence on shifting the workforce, the implications of which “innovative leadership, flexible human capital management, technology adoption, and increased education and training” (Boddie, Contardo & Childs, 2007).

In that sense the direction taken by Facebook management seem reasonable in appealing to wider audience, however, achieving the desired balance without losing large demographic portion could be achieved by following several outlines.

Recommendations

It could be assumed that the problem of contradicting target audience is a problem of identification of the key stake holders, where introducing a product simultaneously for different audience resulted in both refusing its certain features. The separation can be done on a basis that students and other campus auditory will have the basic features o Facebook. An analysis of the market tendencies shows that this market is still growing, and the orientation toward the future is vital in that case. In that sense, competitors that attempt to occupy the position left by Facebook only confirms that statement.

On the other hand, business oriented users who outgrown the campus category can have a separate version of Facebook where a subscription could be implemented. In that case, the aforementioned category will have an ad free version of the network and an escape from “unwanted requests from strangers who try to horn in on their network to ask for favors” (Pearce).

It could be seen that both audiences are interesting for Facebook from business perspective where both can attract more popularity and investors, whereas the satisfaction of both sides could be considered as the critical success factor that solve Facebook’s dilemmas.

In the context of privacy and networks correlation, the same balanced approach can be used where the users will be restricted only to their networks with the ability for fixed number of switches. At the same time this restriction will be removed for members with paid subscription.

Conclusion

The analysis of Facebook case study has shown that the problems faced by the networks are obstacles that can be seen as typical when outgrowing the limits of the initial project and stepping into the brand names market. The satisfaction of both parties could be achieved through separation of priorities of each sector. In that sense, the interaction of different players within balance development can “result in development programs that represent a win-win situation to everyone involved in the process” (Liou, 2000, p. 1621).

References

1. Boddie, W., Contardo, J., & Childs, R. (2007). The Future Workforce: Here They Come A New Generation of Professionals Are Reshaping Government Workplaces, Markedly Changing the Expectations of Individual and Organizational Behaviors. The Public Manager, 36(4), 25+.
2. Facebook Inc,. (2007). In Facebook Platform Launches with 65 Developer Partners and Over 85 Applications for Facebook. (chap. Press RoomFacebook) Web.
3. Liou, K. T. (2000). Applying Strategic Management to Economic Development: Benefits and Challenges. International Journal of Public Administration, 23(9), 1621.
4. Pearce, J. A., & R. Robinson. (2009). Strategic Management (11th Edition). McGraw&Hill.

Memo Opening

Problem is that it would take You several years to break the cost of buying the Fit-ify! Facebook application using only web-advertizing revenue. “The online advertising has been Facebook’s main revenue source” (Geron). In order to monetize the application and change its revenue model, it is useful to create some advanced features on the application that allow the user to customize his/her page more flexibly, make one’s progress public and appreciate the other users’ progress. You can also sell the user virtual gifts, provide the drug-testing online and send messages to the user if he/she does not weigh for a long time.

Discussion

Combining the web-advertizing revenue model with the fee-for-service model would be more effective for monetizing the Fit-ify! Facebook application. “Monetizing refers to the conversion of existing regular site visitors seeking free information or services into fee-paying subscribers or purchasers of services. Many of the sites that are conducting these monetizing campaigns worry about visitor backlash” (Schneider 304). It means that when offering the services for sale, the administration must be aware of the risk, as it is difficult to be sure whether the visitors will pay for certain services or ignore the offer and waive the application.

An implication of this fact is that the administrator, before launching the fee-for-service model, should carefully research the aimed audience, understand their needs and interests, and then choose the right moment to offer the services. Implementing the elements of the fee-for-service revenue model in Fit-ify! Facebook application means providing the optional opportunities for which the users are to pay, which could be effective on the condition that the interests of the audience are taken into consideration and the right moment is chosen.

The Facebook audience includes representatives of diverse ages and social groups. “On Facebook, older users make up 40%, with college students (29%) being the next biggest group” (Atal). The same is the situation with the users of the Fit-ify! Application, that is why the emphasis should be put on taking advantage in capturing the users’ attention. The application should provide unique options for entertainment and self-expression.

Within the six years since the day of its opening, the purposes of the site changed as well as the audience’s attitude to the process of sharing the information and its privacy. “Schrage concisely summarized a contradiction the site must deal with every day: “Facebook is all about sharing information. At some level, sharing information is antithetical to secrecy. ‘The site bridges that gap by offering control over how you share’” (Pegoraro). Getting accustomed to the options of managing the level of privacy, some users may desire to share their progress, and they are not to be deprived of this.

Besides the implementation of the in-opt policy of sharing the private data in the application, my recommendation is that the elements of the real-time simulation game, resembling the popular Farmville, should be added. “The makers of popular Facebook games FarmVille and Mafia Wars have a new time-waster that has users digging for buried treasure — and the game already has had 7.5 million players after about a week” (Valentino-DeVries).

It means that this kind of user’s time destination could be a significant source of revenue for You. Expanding the theme of the sports competition, the game should provide the opportunities to combine fun with self-expression, such as training the virtual outstanding Olympic champions, choosing the virtually balanced diet for them, the exercises program and participating in the competitions, interacting with the other users.

The three main purposes of present-day social networks are uniting the users into interest groups, sharing information and entertainment. “The Silicon Valley company has focused on tying together people on the Web, mapping out who knows whom.

Now, Facebook wants to map out connections between people and their interests” (Schatz). Researching the user’s audience it should be noted that their behavior in the virtual world resembles that in real life, the people reflect their mobility in their virtual preferences, that is why the designers could provide additional motivation, such as sending the reminding message to the users which did not use the application for a long time. Being motivated by the other users may be useful and that is one of the services which can be purchased. “There is always someone telling you ‘Good job’ or ‘You can do it. Don’t quit — you’re almost there.’ Which is probably why so many people keep talking about it on Facebook” (Webley).

The users are to be provided with certain symbolic prizes for their achievements, such as medals, cups or flowers, which they could purchase for themselves or send to their friends in order to support and encourage them. Trying to make the application fun the message about the positive drug test may be sent to the users if they change their data immensely and unexpectedly by mistake, for example. It is important that the application should meet all the main requirements of the application users, provide a wide range of opportunities for sharing information, expressing one’s emotions and entertainment.

Closing

Making the application fun, controlling the users’ regular weighing and providing the optional opportunities for the encouragement of the other users will help to monetize the Fit-ify! Facebook application. But before the implementation of some of the suggestions, it is necessary to customize the existing options and note the users’ feedback as to the possible faults of the application, such as difficulties of changing the weight and other parameters.

Bibliography

Atal, Maha. Myspace, Facebook: A Tale of Two Cultures. Business Week. 2007. Web.

Geron, Tomio. Giving Credits where Credits Are Due. The Wall Street Journal. 2010. Web.

Pegoraro, Rob. As Facebook privacy settings change, company execs defend the changes. The Washington Post. 2010. Web.

Schatz, Amy. Facebook Execs Defend Changes as D.C. Eyes Privacy Regulations. The Wall Street Journal. 2010. Web.

Schneider, Gary. Electronic Commerce. Cengage Learning. 2008: 655.

Valentino-DeVries, Jennifer. App Watch: FarmVille Creators Go Hunting for Treasure. The Wall Street Journal. 2010. Web.

Webley, Kayla. Running in Marathons: Facebook Made Me Do It. Time. 2010. Web.

A policy is typically described as a deliberate plan of action which acts as a directive in attaining the desired objectives. The strategies which are used in Facebook have been undergoing a lot of changes on daily basis so as to improve the security of the information it contained. Facebook has not always managed its users’ data well and this is the main reason as to why the Facebook team has come and reason together on the new policies in order to manage and govern the users’ data in a most secure way. When it was first established, it was only accessed by the few people who were your friends any information which relates to you.

With time, this has been improved, and as per now the users can be able to access their on information and that which belongs to other people. There have been changes over a number of years by the Facebook fraternity to come up with the privacy of all the users. The implementation of various strategies by the company has lead to many users experiencing complications in the utilization of the websites. There has been great improvement of the company policies which have enabled the may users to access many linked information such as the movies which one can access without any problem (Dunay, 2009).

The changes which have been made on Facebook have been successful. Facebook has enhanced the reconnection of long time friends and establishment of new friendship. The updates which one post on the Facebook wall enables them to connected and even chatting together which is very important to their developments. This has enabled new friends maintain their friendship, hence big ups to the Facebook team for the job well done.

In essence, it has made its effort to accommodate every user even as they change their policies over the time. As much as many people connect and socialize in many ways and styles, privacy issues are very sensitive and this has forced the Facebook team to change their policies over the past years and they keep on to change even in years to come (Shih, 2009). Checking on the privacy settings now, can make one to change to a level with which he or she is comfortable with. There are many changes which have been made in Facebook which have been successful and in operation now. These includes data, audiences, implementation etc and each is addressed as follows.

Data

This involves things like availability of personal data on Facebook which has been successfully maintained. The data here is used in the establishment and interpretation of the various conditions which are to be met in the Facebook company. There is increase number of users of the Facebook resources which has enabled the many people from the Google sites to access various data. Again, the tremendous increase in population size is one of the major factors which have contributed to policy changes of Facebook (Pearlman, 2009).

Types of personal data

There have been tremendous changes on Facebook with respect to the details of the individual users which have been successfully effected and maintained. Some of which are common on its interface and they include what has been discussed below.

• The details which a person mostly prefers such as the movies and the web site among many others. The person’s prevalence is of great priority and hence the people who are able to renew their status are very important hence all of the expectations are included.
• There are other information which is found in the Facebook such as the name, and birthday among other details when enrolling as one of the users. This helps identify and authenticate a person from others.
• There is extension of information which relates to the users’ members of his/her family. There is also the information relating to the users’ religion and the academic centers where one has been to. There is also use of the employment details of the user.
• There is also a list of friends whom the user has been able to make.
• There is also a chain of the friends which the users is able to maintain in the site hence the indication of the schools attended will enable them to get more people.
• There is use of the photos which the various users posts so as to have other people view them.

Audiences

The audiences are the main people who make the access to the various contents to be of the highest priority. The increase in the number of users is linked to the many successful changes which Facebook has been making which accommodate everyone. There has been the expansion of the connections of the data which is being linked so as to have the many users’ access the information of other people without any restrictions so long as they are friends of their friends.

This was established by the management of the Facebook so as to have the users have an easy access of the Facebook and also to be more effective in their objectives. This has been able to reduce the users who are getting into the information of other people. The access to the data is restricted to the people who are authorized by the user to view the status, and even make a comment on it (Sankar, 2009).

Implementation

There has been comparison of the users which has increased to over one billion. This has enhanced the categorizing of the people in to various sizes such as the slice but not the use of the volume of the location. The above are just but a few features that Facebook team has come with as the policies are changed over time. This is a clear show that it will keep on changing as far as settings are concern. Facebook users have reacted differently as the policies are changed, some congratulating the team for the changes they are making as they suit and meet their needs. Some of the users have even gone up to an extend of threatening to move out of Facebook and join other competitors, but Facebook on the other hand has tried their effort to accommodate all users (Treadaway, 2010).

Future changes

The future strategies of Facebook should involve the securing of the users’ photos in the site so as to avoid the actions of other people who might use them maliciously. This is in relation to friends who should not be allowed to tag their names so that the photo also will be found on their photos album. There is need for having the pushbutton which will be used in reporting any kind of danger a person is subjected to.

This is a panic button which will enhance the safety of all the users. The button will lead to a site which gives instructions to the users on how to overcome any cases which instill fear. This will reduce the chances of luring the users to a trap which may lead to their death as it has been reported so far. The impact of this is that the company will not be able to accept the offer as its involving and that its complicated to install and can easily lead to various effects.

The panic button will simply means that there must be inclusion of the police which is not appropriate as the users are in various parts of the world, hence getting to the point where they are endangered might be very tricky and too late since they are mostly emergencies. The protection will ensure that the people who have such bad intentions does not access the information other people. In this case, they should address this as they change their policies now and even in future (Ward).

References

Dunay, P., 2009. Facebook Marketing for Dummies. London: For Dummies.

Pearlman, L., 2009. Facebook for Dummies. 2nd ed. London: For Dummies.

Sankar, K., 2009. Enterprise Web 2.0 Fundamentals. London: Cisco Press.

Shih, C., 2009. The Facebook era: tapping online social networks to build better products, reach new audiences, and sell more stuff. New York: Prentice Hall.

Treadaway, C.H., 2010. Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day. New Jersey: John Wiley and Son.

Ward, M., Facebook rules out installing ‘panic button’. Web.