This paper is aimed at examining two articles that are related to an important event in the world of online and social media. In particular, one should speak about the acquisition made by Facebook. This corporation purchased a start-up company WhatsApp at the price of almost $ 22 billion. This decision has given rise to various responses and many journalists tried to discuss the reasons for this step and its effects.
In their articles, Jared Newman and Adam Hartung enable readers to get better insight into this decision. Overall, in both cases, the authors discuss possible reasons why Facebook could have taken this step; however, the writers try to make different arguments. In particular, Adam Hartung wants to show that this choice is fully justified from a financial viewpoint, while Jared Newman intends to explore the consequences of this decision, especially its impact on Internet users. These are the main details that should be discussed in more closely.
Overall, these articles have certain similarities that should be considered by the readers. In particular, both authors try to provide the reasons why the senior management of Facebook chose to acquire a start-up company that had not fully proven its financial sustainability: Changing communication requirements have altered the use, and impact, of things like images, photos, charts and text. All of these have the potential impact of slowly (or not so slowly) eroding the value (which is noticeably lofty) of Facebook (Hartung par. 5).
This company has developed an application that can substitute traditional textual messages sent by the users of mobile phones. However, it was not clear how this business would develop. In turn, both authors argue that social medial continuously evolve, and companies that operate in this sector have be very responsive to changes; otherwise they can quickly become obsolete. Newman, for instance, puts a strong emphasis on the dangers of putting all stakes on social networking and disregarding the power of applications: Facebook is pretty safe from becoming the next MySpace or Friendster, but it cant risk losing peoples attention at the hands of newer, cooler apps (Newman par. 12).
Hartung, in his turn, reminds of the transient nature of the information transfer: Two years ago [&] WhatsApp developed a superior answer for messaging (Hartung par. 7). So, the managers of these businesses should pay close attention to the changes in external environment. In turn, the managers of Facebook want to make sure that the company can offer the best services to users (Hartung par. 10). This task is critical for their financial performance in the future. So, one can argue that these journalists try to explain the line of reasoning that the management could follow. On the whole, this question is of great interest to various pundits because many of them feel uncertain about the true value of WhatsApp. These are the main similarities that one can single out in terms of the articles content and the methods of representing it to the target audience.
However, there are certain differences between the two articles. In particular, Adam Hartung wants to justify this decision from a financial viewpoint, i.e., from the perspective of the revenues that the company will obtain (Yarow par. 2). For instance, he argues that that this acquisition will help Facebook remain the leading social networking site in the world: As long as Facebook has a very high market valuation it can make acquisitions with shares, rather than real money (Hartung par. 13).
Moreover, the author believes that this acquisition will eventually generate revenues in the future. In contrast, Jared Newman is not so convinced that this acquisition will eventually be profitable. Instead, this author only enumerates the reasons that could have prompted Facebook to take this step. Financial evaluation of this acquisition is of little concern to him. Additionally, the writer argues that this acquisition will change social media, which, in fact, is quite expected (Collier par. 4).
In particular, the companies, which work in this field, will be able to exchange the private data of their customers: Just think about all the stuff you talk about, the photos you send and the links you share when youre communicating privately (Newman par. 17).
So, it is quite possible that users will not be able to protect their confidential information (Newman par. 17). Moreover, the author states that the world of social media will change because companies like Facebook will strengthen their influence on the communication of people. The problem is that many people will simply have to use the services of this corporation. This is one of the effects that should be taken into account. To some degree, Jared Newman wants to express his concerns about this tendency because users may become strongly dependent on several companies that can control various online resources.
Furthermore, the authors want to address different audiences. For example, Adam Hartung wants to address investors. Many of them believed that the value of Facebook stocks could decline due to this acquisition. He wants to show that the shares of this company are still safe to own. This is the key point that he wants to make. In contrast, Jared Newmans article can be of some interest to people who want to learn more about the development of social media. It seems that Jared Newmans article is more comprehensive because the writer examines a wider range of questions. Moreover, the author openly admits that he does not have access to the necessary information. So, some of his conclusions may not be correct. In contrast, Adam Hartung does not mention that he may not know every relevant fact. These are some of the differences that can be distinguished.
It is quite remarkable that the specified differences, though being quite obvious, do not set the articles apart; instead, they add the articles a certain unique feel, at the same time keeping both of them within the boundaries of the topic. Specifically, the fact that neither of the articles addresses the negative outcomes of the problems that may possibly arise after the acquisition, such as the increased amount of liabilities, needs to be mentioned. Indeed, the financial burden of the decisions related to expansion, such as the acquisition process, traditionally follow the above-mentioned step, yet none of the articles renders the subject in question, therefore, leaving the audience blissfully unaware of this fact.
Moreover, the articles are related to each other stylistically. To be more exact, the consistent appeal to the target audience can be traced rather easily in both articles. For instance, each of the two authors addresses the reader on a regular basis by using the pronouns you, yours, etc. While the specified method is rather basic, it still helps get the message across in a rather convincing way and at the same time leave a positive impression on the reader.
In fact, the tool mentioned above is also used expensively by a range of other authors raising the same topic. For example, Martin Tilliers recent article, which renders the same issue of Facebooks expansion and the Whats Up concept, is a specimen of a more neutral writing style. The author refrains from addressing the reader directly and prefers to render the subject matter from a more objective viewpoint. Specifically, the author does not shy away from criticizing the weakest aspects of the expansion process, as well as the Whats Up application: It turns out, then, that those crazy acquisitions werent so crazy after all (Tillier par. 6).
The above-mentioned tone of the article is all the more remarkable with the 2014 criticism of the Whats Up concept in mind. At first appearing to be a major flop, the application was discussed as a major disappointment of the company and the most obvious flop made by the organization over the past few years. However, with the success, which followed the application in 2015 and the following revenue stream, which the expansion carried out by Facebook triggered, the organization was praised by most authors, as it can be seen in the article by Hartung and Newman.
Nevertheless, when it comes to defining whether the articles in question have more details in common or the ones that set them apart, one must agree that both authors consider the same issue from basically the same viewpoints and come to a set of very similar conclusions. While neither Newman, nor Hartung state their opinion on the issue of the expansion explicitly, leaving enough wiggle room in case the current policy of Facebook turns out to be not as successful as it may look at present.
Finally, as far as the objectivity of the articles in question is concerned, it seems that both Newman and Hartung share the same amount of subjective opinion in their articles. While being rather neutral on the surface, the articles in question have a very unique way of shaping the readers perception of the concept of acquisitions as a part of Facebooks strategy. To be more exact, both articles tend to manipulate the readers attention by exposing the facts, which point at the significance of the strategy adopted by the company. Tilliers article does not display the level of objectivity that can be characterized as moderate, yet the author obviously locates both the benefits and the evident threats of the policy, thus, making it clear that new acquisitions mean new liabilities.
On the whole, this comparison shows that journalists can examine the same event from different perspectives. As a rule, their rhetoric will depend on the type of audience that they want to address. As it has been said before, Adam Hartungs article is intended for investors, while Jared Newman writes for diverse audiences. This is why their arguments differ significantly. This event that has been described may eventually have implications for various people such as investors and Internet users. In turn, the chosen articles can help people gain a better about its underlying causes and possible consequences. These sources can give readers better insight into the main trends that will affect social media in the near future. Deep and displaying a good grasp of the material, though lacking in objectivity, the articles under analysis can be deemed as fairly similar.
The issue under analysis is the influence of social media on public opinion and how it can be used by governments or different political powers to shape the beliefs of people and obtain the needed attitude to certain event or question.
Research Questions
There is no use denying the fact that modern age can be called the epoch of the digital revolution. People obtained access to a huge amount of information and they can get the data about everything they want. With this in mind, it is obvious, that social media became one of the most significant factors of our everyday life. Modern man cannot imagine his/her life without compatibility with this remedy. That is why, it is vital to understand the peculiarities of its functioning as social media becomes very important and influential remedy, which cannot be ignored. Resting on these facts, several questions appeared. One of them is whether we still control this remedy or not and to what extent it influences the common life and beliefs of people. All these questions seem to be of great importance nowadays and that is why deep analysis of the issue is needed.
Brief description of the topic
The issue we are going to investigate is connected with peoples beliefs and points of view. It is obvious, that nowadays humanity obtains information with the help of mass media (Mass Media Influence on Society n.d.). Different channels present the same information from different perspectives. That is why, very often people, who are armed with information about some accident or event, have, though, absolutely different opinions and points of view (Thorsten 2013). It is important to investigate the issue of the influence of social media on peoples worldview and determine whether it is done purposely or not. Moreover, it is also important to take into account the peculiarities of modern policy and conflicts. Every state tries to shape public opinion primarily, as it is the guarantee of good support. That is why, officials can use social media to change the image of some object, issue or even create the image of an enemy (Rainie, Smith, Lehman, Schlozman, Brady, & Sidney 2012). With this in mind, an important question of the independence of social media and its credibility appears. It should be determined whether the government controls the work of social media and uses it for its purposes or not (Wihbey 2015). Nowadays, people spend the majority of their time using the Internet for obtaining information, communication or just entertaining in social networks. Very seldom, the credibility of the information obtained from the Internet is doubted (Information Warfare: Automated Propaganda and Social Media Bots n.d.). That is why under modern conditions our topic obtains great significance as people should start thinking about the possibility of manipulations with the help of social media.
Brief description of the approaches
The majority of approaches which are used in this research paper are based on new digital technologies and the Internet. There are several reasons for this choice. First of all, the issue of the influence of social media on public opinion and a persons worldview should be investigated with the help of the Internet. Different social networks, websites or some databases can give us a great amount of information about this very issue. Moreover, with the development of social media more and more people start thinking about this issue and there should be some scientific researches or academic articles connected with investigations of the question of the influence of social media on public opinion. These articles can be found with the help of Google Scholar or some other libraries which contain information about academic journals and other works related to the issue. With this in mind, it is possible to say that almost all sources can be found on the Internet. Additionally, some discussion between users of social networks can be introduced for them do become involved in the issue and give their point of view on the problem.
Presently, many people and institutions use social media to interact and conduct business. According to Alexy et al., social media refers to forms of electronic communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other contents (280). Some of the current social media platforms include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Podcast. Social media has enhanced instantaneous communication.
Indeed, business people can communicate to their customers and get feedback within the shortest time possible. Nevertheless, these benefits do not come without a cost. Social media is prone to numerous ethical challenges (Reyns 100). Because of the nature of information and transactions that take place in social media, hackers and other criminals have identified it as a suitable avenue to perpetuate their crimes. Social media is susceptible to numerous cybercrimes, which include phishing, cyberbullying, and cyberstalking. This paper will discuss the above cybercrimes and recommend measures that can help to mitigate their effects.
Phishing
According to Bose and Chung, phishing refers to the attempt to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication (545). Messages alleging to originate from renowned social sites, banks, auction sites, information technology managers and online payment processors are frequently used to allure gullible individuals. Phishing is normally perpetrated through instant messaging and email spoofing. Unsuspecting persons are instructed to key-in private details into a phony website that resembles a known and genuine site. Phishing is a form of social engineering system that attackers use to swindle internet users (Bose and Chung 547).
There are numerous forms of phishing, which include clone phishing, spear phishing, and whaling (Bose and Chung 550). Spear phishing entails gathering vital information about specific target people or groups to increase the likelihood of a successful cyber attack. The majority of present attacks involve spear phishing. Clone phishing entails using details of a genuine email to develop a phony one aimed at deceiving unsuspecting people.
Whaling refers to phishing attacks that target senior people in business institutions. Attackers use emails or web pages that are highly official. The emails may appear to carry official information or customer complaints. Attackers design emails to appear like important business emails coming from genuine business associates. Among the effects of phishing include monetary losses and denial of services. Over 1.2 million Americans were victims of phishing between 2004 and 2005. The United States lost over $929 million to cyber attackers. Moreover, business institutions lose over $2 billion annually as their customers get deceived (Bose and Chung 552). Although Microsoft disputes existing statistics on phishing, the crime is widespread and is making many institutions to lose clients.
Cyberstalking
Cyberstalking refers to exploitation of electronic media or the internet to pester or trail someone, a group, or an institution. Cyberstalking may be in the form of slander, false allegations, defamation and libel (Alexy et al. 281). Moreover, it may entail intimidation, solicitation for sex, identity theft and destruction. In most cases, cyberstalking occurs alongside offline stalking. It arises due to ones desire to influence, threaten or manipulate a victim. Mostly, stalkers are people known to their victims. Cyberstalking may occur in different ways, which include gender-based stalking, stalking by aliens and stalking by ones spouse.
Gender-based stalking is common worldwide (Alexy et al. 284). It involves the disclosure of victims private information on social media and rape threats. Gender-based stalking makes victims refrain from engaging in online activities. Moreover, it undermines victims dignity, opportunities, independence, and identity. Cyberstalking that involves spouses is a type of domestic violence aimed at demoralizing a victim and establishing dependency. Perpetrators send intimidating and abusive messages to their victims. In addition, they monitor victims online activities and use their accounts to send abusive messages to other people. Eventually, they lead to the victims being in wrong terms with other people and may even lead to the victims facing prosecution for crimes they have not committed.
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying refers to harassment that is perpetrated through electronic and social media (Meredith 48). It may be in form of offensive emails, upsetting pictures, and threatening messages. People use mobile phones to post upsetting pictures of their estranged colleagues on Facebook, Twitter, and other social sites. In most cases, cyberbullying targets young people and has devastating effects on victims. Victims of cyberbullying are likely to drop out of school and indulge in alcoholism and drug abuse (Meredith 51). Besides, cyberbullying may lead to victims having low self-esteem, thus being unable to interact. Cases of cyberbullying are prevalent among school-going students. In 2013, at least 15% of high school students experienced cyberbullying in one way or another.
Ethical Response
The fight against unethical activities that take place in social media should be a concerted effort between the internet users and law enforcing agencies. One way that people can combat phishing is by using browsers that warn people against fraudulent websites. In most cases, fraudulent sites look attractive and genuine such that it is hard to discern. Therefore, people need to have browsers with anti-phishing capabilities. In addition, social media users should maintain a list of suspicious sites and refer to them when accessing suspicious websites (Bose and Chung 561). On the other hand, institutions need to procure domain name servers that are capable of identifying and filtering modern phishing domains.
Account owners should regularly change their images to avoid cases of attackers using their accounts and images to defraud unsuspecting people. For the case of bank transactions, people should incorporate a second authentication procedure to secure their accounts (Bose and Chung 567). For instance, one may use mobile phone as an extra authentication method. Law enforcing agencies should also help in the fight against phishing. The available anti-phishing laws are not punitive enough to discourage the vice. Hence, law enforcing agencies ought to come up with stringent laws to discourage attackers.
The majority of cyberstalking crimes are perpetrated by individuals known to the victims. Therefore, one way of fighting cyberstalking is preventing people from taking ones photos (Reyns 107). Once a person takes pictures, it is hard to control how they are used. Consequently, to avoid falling victims of cyberstalking, it is imperative to ensure that people do not take photos without consent. Additionally, people should avoid posting details of their activities on social media. Posting what one is doing or where s/he intends to go may subject him/her to cyberstalking. Hence, it is important to ensure that people cannot predict your activities and whereabouts.
Currently, the majority of cybercrime laws focus on cyber terrorism and child abuse. The available laws cannot apprehend cyberstalkers (Reyns 112). Nevertheless, countries are in the process of developing laws to fight cyberstalking. Rather than telling people to avoid vulnerable sites, law enforcement agencies should come up with laws that track and apprehend cyberstalkers. They should work in partnership with internet service providers to track and arrest people engaged in cyberstalking (Reyns 117). It would discourage cyber attackers from engaging in the activity. Cyberbullying is hard to control since it mainly targets school-going students (Meredith 61).
However, the problem can be resolved with the help of parents and school administrations. One way that the public can manage cyberbullying is by keeping a record of the incidences and reporting them to the relevant authority. Criminalization of cyberbullying may not help to fight the crime. Hence, Meredith recommends the use of education (62). School-going children should be educated on the dangers of cyberbullying and how to avoid it (Meredith 62). It will ensure that they do not fall victims.
Conclusion
Unethical behavior in social media deprives people of their right to socialize or even do business. Today, there are numerous unethical activities that take place in social media. They include cyberstalking, phishing, and cyberbullying. Victims of phishing lose millions of dollars to criminals.
Besides, they unwillingly disclose confidential information, thus enabling criminals to perpetuate their crimes without being noticed. The fight against cybercrimes should be a concerted effort among the public, internet service providers, and law enforcing agencies. People should ensure that they do not access suspicious sites. Besides, they should avoid disclosing personal details to strangers. On the other hand, parents should educate their children on the dangers of cyberbullying and how to avoid it. Law enforcing agencies should work in partnership with Internet service providers to track, apprehend and prosecute cyber attackers.
Works Cited
Alexy, Eileen, Ann Burgess, Timothy Baker and Shirley Smoyak. Perceptions of Cyberstalking among College Students. Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention 5.3 (2005): 279-289. Print.
Bose, Indranil and Alvin Chung. Unveiling the Mask of Phishing: Threats, Preventive Measures, and Responsibilities. Communications of the Association for Information Systems 19.24 (2007): 544-569. Print.
Meredith, Jessica. Combating Cyberbullying: Emphasizing Education over Criminalization. Federal Communications Law Journal 63.1 (2010): 47-63. Print.
Reyns, Bradford. A Situational Crime Prevention Approach to Cyberstalking Victimization: Preventive Tactics for Internet Users and Online Place Managers. Crime Prevention and Community Safety 12.1 (2010): 99-118. Print.
I use a significant amount of my social media presence to discuss, share, and read about things that interest me within the industry. I think it allows me to stay connected to relevant information and growth within my professional area. I think it expresses engagement within my workplace and willingness to learn more to either explore new ideas, be a part of the discussion, and make sure the information I am gathering is accurate and comes from multiple sources. I think an employer may find it beneficial to have an employee that can utilize social media as a research and reporting tool. However, I tend to post about off-topic or personal life matters as well in ways that may seem excessive. It can negatively affect me by presenting me as an over-sharer and possibly cause my employer to distrust me with sensitive information or unprofessional behavior in connection with my work.
I think the first and most essential step is to decide which platform is fitting for my professional online presence. Though LinkedIn is often cited as the most popular choice for job searching, it is possible to maintain a professional Instagram or Twitter account (Birmingham City Business School, 2021). Separating my personal and professional posting can show my employer that I am able to accomplish all my necessary tasks inappropriate time slots. I may struggle with managing more than one account on each platform or even run into trouble with managing multiple platforms in a way that presents itself as professional and organized.
Secondly, I would focus on creating an editorial schedule so that posts or updates have consistency and a clear format that has been prepared ahead of time (Birmingham City Business School, 2021). This can show a potential employer that I am able to follow a timetable and create content that is well-thought-out and constant. However, it would require me to have additional time to prepare and write content that is engaging and of high quality, which can become time-consuming.
The authors of this book provide very comprehensive sections on various events. These sections can be used in setting up an event because every detail is attached, and thus it may act as a complete guideline. In addition, the authors give comprehensive pieces of press releases and their benefits to the readers. The book recommends the use of focus target in the social media as a way that individuals and businesses can boost their online presence such as the number of post on social media like Facebook, Twitter, Vines, and Instagram. This book has a great appeal to the audience as ideas are presented logically and systematically.
The book is focused on a wide range of readers including journalists, bloggers, and researchers who need information on the space exploration, individuals running small businesses, and people interested in using various social mediums for their personal branding. Regardless of all these aspects, a major constraint is that this book needs to be backed with more information, which can be used for medium-sized businesses that do not benefit from the majority of the highlighted approaches. Kawasaki and Fitzpatrick (2014) do not provide broad and detailed information on how to get more followers from a given social media platform.
The book lacks detailed information on the desires of the readers of the specified information and it is hard to recommend the tools that the authors use even though they give alternatives. In some sections of the book where the readers want to gain more information about an attached article, the authors do not point out to other sources that can be used to provide the background information on the scope. Kawasaki and Fitzpatric (2014) only provide guidance and approach on certain issues.
Analysis and Evaluation
The information presented in this book supports the assertion that the art of social media is helpful in proving strong guidelines to individuals and small upcoming businesses. The use of social media by small businesses is not fully exploited due to the huge costs involved and the corresponding small share of return on investment. For one to benefit from social media, thus leading to huge returns from a small-scale business, the following strategies have to be put in place.
Targeting the techniques to use
From the current statistics the social mediums that provide maximum customer contacts through sharing of information coupled with availing the best exposure of newly available commodities are Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. These platforms can be used to come up with a master plan in the business sector. Other mediums include YouTube and Pinterest.
Timing
Businesses should set a time that will be sufficient and most convenient to attract the attention of the views. Posting of materials online should be executed when the target segment is likely to see them (Haydon, Dunay & Krueger, 2012).
Selective timing
Studies on mass media in information dissemination show that some issues should be raised at particular times. Posting should be done when the target customers are free and relaxed to avoid misjudgment. Most social media information deliverance usually fails in this section, which is the core of the 4Ts strategies of social media (Haydon et al., 2012).
Target based on the topic to be addressed
When posting any article on the social media to draw the attention of many users as possible, the context should be put in a way that it does not cause boredom to the readers. The highest percentage of the article should be fun and focused on the expectations of the readers to keep them happy. The core writing of the issue, which contains the intended purpose of posting, should not be placed in the last lines, but in strategic locations for the reader to access with ease.
Social Media Campaign Results
Various cases can be cited on the several occasions that the use of social media has helped in the generation of a small business to a large company. For instance, Denver Sword and Plough set up a business of recycling military materials that ended up producing tote bags and other products. The firm decided to increase its popularity, which led to increased sales through social media to kick off its campaign. The firm started sharing its information thoroughly using Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. Immediately after the kick off campaign, the firm gained $20000 within the next 24 hours and raised more than $310000 in the following month of operation.
According to Coles (2011), firms dealing with passports design that are used in travels around the world is another renown entity that has used the social media effectively on the promotion of its activities. A passport-producing firm in San Francisco focused its social media investment in Facebook and embarked on the use of messages and various designs. After the perfection of concept design and the messaging system, the firm decided that it should conduct a major Facebook campaign. After this campaign, the firms revenue increases by $ 570,000.
Sharpie Company that produces products of writing materials such as pens and markers was falling in the category of underdeveloped smaller businesses. The management of the firm decided to capture many customers using Twitter campaigns. The campaigns mainly involved participation in music and writing. The followers of Sharpie rose by more than 580 percent (Scruton & Scruton, 2012). Therefore, through the outcome of these three companies, the effect of social media in the promotion of small businesses cannot be underestimated. The strategic approach has to be adopted in such a manner that it is really felt by the targeted audience in the most effective way.
Criteria Used In Posting Article in Social Media
According to Tsai (2013), a number of approaches can be used in ensuring that the audience spots the posted article. Initially, one should have an active account of the small business. From this point, one can reach new customers and look for additional strategies via social media, which might include diversifying links. This strategy involves sending the business website to various social mediums such as
Facebook one has to link the account of the small business to other social mediums. More followers will connect via Twitter or Google Plus, which will increase the number of followers that join the link.
Posting what the audience wants to see
Any article that is placed on any social media group should be aimed at ensuring that it captures the interest of the readers. One should post what the customers need.
Videos should not be overlooked
One should post videos that last for a short period. This aspect ensures that the audience is left in the suspense, thus arousing the urge to know more. One should always enable the videos on every social medium.
Adhering to issues raised by the audience
When the audience is interested in a certain issue concerning a business, clients will comment on a post or ask a question. Getting back to the customer by replying the comment will be one of the best ways of creating firsthand information to the customer.
Measuring the taste of the audience
After posting images, the audience may like some more as compared to others. This aspect enables one to understand the clients preferences. This aspect helps in the market analysis of products and the present market gap.
Persistence
One should create a pattern that keeps the audience captivated. This goal is achieved by creating a regular period that one will be posting some images.
From these strategies, it suffices to conclude that the social media is a very influential tool in the shaping of the strategy of small business (Sharp, 2009). Therefore, social media can be classified as a tool that works on several numbers of goals such as generating traffic to a website, conversations-based arguments, and creating awareness to the public about the existence of a new product.
According to Rouhiainen (2012), while working with social media, one has to consider various key tips during the campaigns for different products. One has to plan effectively for the kind of products that are to be displayed coupled with carrying out in-depth research of the constraints and strengths of the commodity that will boost the ability to get large audience attention. In addition, one must focus on the content of the piece of information that is being displayed in the social media.
In this situation, one can come up with an idea of building and expanding the business by using certain terms. Therefore, one must be very categorical when choosing the piece of information that is to be delivered to the public through social media. Attachments such as pictures must always contain some additional information coupled with including other referencing sources to increase the confidence of the audience about the idea being sold (Coles, 2011).
According to Tsai (2013), the images of the brand must be consistent coupled with having a variety of links with other social mediums. One can also use a strategy of blogs in the marketing of business products. In this case, one creates a blog to highlight the details of the small business that the owner intends to expand. One can then link to blog to the social media in a bid to reach a wide audience.
The use of unique links with various color-coding is also another technique that can be used in the marketing of products. Linking to other resources from an outside context will help in improving the products presence and the reliability of the provided information. This assertion holds because other sources will provide a good back up about the information concerning a certain product that one has posted will help in the building of the company perception from the outside (Haydon et al., 2012).
In addition, one should monitor their competitors moves over the social media. Therefore, one has to carry out intensive research on the various methods and strategies that the competitors are trying to use. If these strategies are working well for the competitors, one can borrow a leaf and integrate the same into a companys marketing strategy.
According to Shih (2011), one can also use Google analytics in the determination of a business success. In these cases, tracking tags are incorporated in the campaigns in a bid to allow close supervising of the process. This strategy can be used by much small business in the determination of the success of their social media campaign strategies. In this way, a firm can easily identify its weaknesses and strengths for better decision making.
As described from the above techniques, it is important for every social medium to create own working environment, which is different and unique from others in various ways. In addition, each social media should have unique ways of approach to the issues concerning the growth of the market. Moreover, everyone operating a specific platform should be different in the approach from the other social media. Some of the key social mediums include
Facebook
This friendly social media strategy requires one to begin with the creation of business a fan page. In this platform, the firm posts various business-related articles whereby a direct personal conversation is involved between the audience and the firm. While using Facebook, one should ensure friendliness and be free while chatting with the audience.
Google
This platform is the greatest competitor to Facebook. In Google+, one creates small groups whereby s/he can share the information freely with the public or friends of choice. This sharing of information to small groups creates a network, which can be used to reach wider audiences and thus the circle enlarges exponentially, which in return offers a good platform for information sharing. Using this tool, video conferencing can be done in some creative way
Twitter
This platform is a two-way traffic social media and individuals linked can follow one another via retweeting posts. For business, tweets should be mixed with businesses related information and fun. While using this social media, one should ensure immediate response to the questions raised by the audience. This move will enable businesses to create interpersonal terms with their audiences (Rouhiainen, 2012).
From the above stated social mediums, it is evident that social media drives traffic to a given website coupled with helping businesses to reach more customers. According to Shih (2011), social media provides a venue whereby firms are in a position to understand the perception of their products to the targeted audience by coming into direct contact with them through the social media. Hence, social media is a proven business promotional tool.
While working on social media, one of the concepts that capture the audiences attention is the profile of the firm of interest. This aspect affects the reputation of the company either positively or negatively. The profile of a given firm is one of the ever-changing documentations in any case of an advertisement because it represents the current skills and the level of professionalism to the person interested in networking. It is always advisable when writing down the profile of a company to ensure that it starts with your name (Coles, 2011).
Applications used on social media profiles
A wide range of applications is available, which can be added to ones profile. While preparing the profile, one should know that this will portray a reputation based on the global market, and thus it should be as perfect as possible. According to Coles (2011), some of the applications include the use of blogs, boxes, slide shares, and reading list. Others based on the industry include real estate, legal update, and portfolio as discussed herein
Blog
Blogs are applications that are linked to a companys website. One can start creating a LinkedIn profile then proceed to add the blog of the URL. It is easy to use this application. People that login into the LinkedIn can view the blog and see what a company has to offer.
Events
For people to understand that a firm is operating successfully, a list of its events and outcome should be highlighted. The events include training, workshops, seminars, and open days that are conducted by the company. When one does this, the targeted audience is notified that it has been promoted with LinkedIn ads.
Box
This tool is used in social media whereby one can upload and download many contents such as the white paper on a business, pricelist, or even the list of menus. Everyone that is on a given network coverage is usually capable of seeing all what has been uploaded in the box. Compared to Twitter and Facebook, this method makes it hard for the firm to determine the taste of their targeted audience about their products (Coles, 2011).
Slide share
Compared to many of the social media advertisement tools, slide shares are powerful tools as a website resource center. Slide share functions by the application of PowerPoint presentation. This tool is of great advantage to firms that are running production business. Through this open website, a firm can upload a number of clips that show the production processes that are involved in the business. Many people will be in a position to download a lot of information concerning their company as it is accessible.
Reading list
This tool is used to give extra clarification about someone. Sometimes it is disadvantageous to the readers because when one has uploaded a big list of items that they want to be seen, the list is directly redirected to amazon, and thus there will be limited people that will view the list. Reading list shows only the first and the last list added. According to Coles (2011), using reading list ensures that one is persistent as much as possible because through this, viewers will be in a position to realize the given list, which mostly appears without purchasing it from Amazon.
Update box
This application is used by businesses for posting different interesting issues that the readers will want to see. Firms use this box to alert their clients of upcoming activities being undertaken by the firm that will be helpful to them. For one to update in the update box, s/he must be logged into the home page and then proceed to the update section then the item will be immediately uploaded. This simple process is used to attract a large number of people in the LinkedIn. Some information that may be shared through the update box includes the variety of items that one has written that can be found online and information about some of the companys projects that are underway. Others include job vacancies that are present in the company and a link that can be used to run some attached video clips of some of the companys operations.
It is very important to note that while using the update box, one must be very careful not to pinpoint its weaknesses because this may cover a wide range of audience including competitors who can use the information to fight back since it displays the list of events that the company is undertaking. Therefore, one must ensure that the posts are interesting and relevant concerning a company. On the other side, an update that has been placed will appear on the home page of those linked up, and thus they can as well choose to like the update, comment on the update, or even share the comment on other social mediums such as Twitter and Facebook( Coles, 2011).
Networking and Making Connection
While using social media, it is advisable for one to spend adequate time advertising for the product to reach the targeted customer. By taking the right measures and following the proven steps, a business idea matures by reaching out to the targeted customers, which in return purchase, thus leading to maximum profits. Due to the various platforms available in the contemporary times, a business can build quick customer relations. According to Coles (2011), various types of links are provided and they include business-to-business networking site, LinkedIn for adults only, 24-hour system networking, and a database of the prospective contacts, hence one new member joins every second. Many firms thus consider several ways of increasing their connection.
When a certain group of individual signs in to check on a profile, they always want to know what a company is up to in the coming days. In some cases, when creating a profile, one can integrate a strategy of using outlooks as the profile emails whereby through LinkedIn many customers can be added. This aspect is a permanent way of retaining an audience. The owner of the firm can still determine whom to stay in the group because even after joining, one can be deleted.
Networking Using LinkedIn
Networking through LinkedIn is the most effective way for individuals to advertise their profiles to the international community. In this site, one makes an attempt of meeting various people coupled with the opportunity of marketing projects. Marketing of products is usually done through various ways such as creating a network within the LinkedIn groups, getting in touch with those that have connected to ones connection, and finally answering the provided questions.
Recommendations
The use of recommendations concerning a certain product or an aspect of a firm also determines the extension of popularity to the targeted customers. This assertion holds because many customers do not trust many advertisements and they need to get enough information in a bid to be convinced. This goal is thus achieved by using some of the satisfied customers to tell others about the level of services and the terms offered by a firm. These recommendations from satisfied clients can be used as a stepping-stone because they always portray a good external reputation of the company.
Recommendations about a given firm should be factual. In addition, business owners should not simply rely on close friends or even relatives for favorable recommendation of the business. On the contrary, businesses should give quality services and encourage consumers to give feedbacks based on their experience. From the consumers feedback, businesses can create a testimonial page where potential clients can get sufficient information and conviction to deal with a given firm. On the contrary, depending on relatives and friends to give positive recommendations is tantamount to lies and unethical behavior.
According to Coles (2011), the following suggestions should be considered in the recommendation sheet from the client. The requirements include information concerning how customers discovered the business, ways through which they obtained the business contacts in the first place, the working relationship in terms of the level of services, relationships with clients, and finally how customers were helped in addressing their needs. For one to receive a recommendation, s/he should ask for it and decide on the person that s/he is going to ask the recommendations.
As anticipated, in the past, many businesses did not have time to use media campaigns for their small companies. In addition, such companies lacked the resources to cater for the media expenses coupled with the lack of the relevant knowledge about the social media. However, the current state of the world business has forced nearly all firms to venture into social media campaigns for the growth of their products.
Therefore, the main key issues that determine the effectiveness of a given social media platform in the promotion of a small business are the internal organization of a firm. This reorganization involves the formulation of the companys laid down objectives and strategies. The main reason for coming up with the goals is to counter the unaccounted misappropriation of funds (Berkley, 2013).
According to Berkley (2013), the techniques that one uses in the business must be capable of attracting huge audiences. One of the main advantages of using social media in the business campaigns is that the firm can easily examine its performance and evaluate the needed efforts in the product or business promotion. Another advantage is that social media is flexible in its operation and it can reach many people at a go. The use of social media also does not need personal presentation in every aspect, but proponents share through LinkedIn.
The performance of a small business is based on its immediate environment. The majority of these factors have been caused by the current development in technology, climate change, deforestation, and pollution. At this point, the community has to find solutions that will help in curbing these problems. According to Scruton and Scruton (2012), a free market is needed whereby people can be in a position to take great care of their environment in a bid to control pollution. Therefore, tax enforcement will see the people fined for their actions that lead to pollution and this move will promote environmentally friendly trading centers.
One of the major ways of ensuring that these issues are addressed is by using social media, which can broadly advise people on what is expected of them. In a situation whereby all these decelerating factors to the growth of local business will be eliminated, there will be tremendous growth of the local businesses. Therefore, the social media is portrayed as a good tool for individuals and small businesses.
Measures of Media Success
Like any other activity, the use of media in advertisement is an activity that needs to be evaluated on its effectiveness. This aspect explains why one must set goals and objectives that a certain firm aims to achieve prior to venturing into the use of social media in the promotion of small businesses. According to Sharp (2009), there are four measures of any given social media that matter most in its operation. They include
Conversation rates
Conversations between the firm and the client is a form of creating a personal link. The number of comments concerning a given article that has been posted shows the real taste and perception of the audience about the product. In addition, the number of replies that one gets after posting a certain product on the social media shows how clients want to learn more about the product. Through increased conversation rates, the firm will be in a position to determine the value of a given product that the customers need. In addition, one will be in a position to tell the type of brand that the audience wants. The most important aspect with the increase in conversation is that the firm will be in a position to get a clue on how they can use this opportunity to grow.
The rate of amplification
Amplification is the rate at which a link is extended. In other terms, amplification shows the size of the market. The amplification rate of a certain firm can be easily determined using the various social mediums that it uses in its campaigns and promotion such as the use of Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and Instagram. After information from a certain social medium about a companys product is shared with another person, it increases the rate of amplification. This aspect increases the number of the targeted audience of the given product, which in turn increases the market served by the firm.
Applause rate
The rate of applause is the measure of how people speak well about a product. When using a LinkedIn account and individuals or groups like a product or the terms of operations, it adds credit to the company. Consumers are curious and they want to know the popular information concerning a given product. In the social media space, the popular issues are called the trending topics. The popularity of a certain product or company can only be improved via people sharing information on the same. The applause rate may serve the same purpose as recommendation, but the central part is that recommendation may be true or false, while applauses are usually endorsements showing what a number of people found about a given commodity.
Economic value
Economic value of a given firm shows that the firm is gaining capital from its operations. For a firm to ascertain economic value, it means that the strategy of its campaign activity is fruitful. This aspect is the most appreciated measure, which is a dependent of the applause rate, amplification rate, and the conversation rate. According to Sharp (2009), economic value is measured by the degree in which a good number of audience comes to the business hub for various transactions.
Economic value is attained through a number of ways such as mastering of the business operation skills, enhancing the productivity of the firms products, and an aggressive team of workers. According to Sharp (2009), various aspects have to be put in place for the above four named measures to be achieved. First, the firm should evaluate the strategies that need to be used before deciding on the social media to use. Second, one should focus on the social media that many people are concerned with in their lives. Third, one should look for a social media that is flexible and be the sole controller of the hub. Lastly, one should master the four key measures.
Offers that nurture valuable customers
The audience that is served by a given firm is actually key determiner to the success of a business. According to Tsai (2013), these people are called positive referrers. These people always keep on telling others about the good thing that a given firm has offered to them. Therefore, businesses should work hard not lose such individuals no matter what happens because they influence the market. In short, such people spread positive word of mouth and a companys popularity grows exponentially. The following are some of the offers that have been found to be effective in nurturing such a kind of valuable customers:
Being an equal opportunity provider
A business should provide rewards to customers that spread the word of mouth to others about the good terms of service provided by the firm. The rewards can be in terms of gifts, small freebies, or a gift card. This gift is usually given to the business as a token that is meant to be a thanksgiving present to the client for the good work done in promoting the business and as a means of increasing customer relations. In addition, businesses can create an advanced referral program where customers earn points after referring a new client the business. Such points can be redeemed and converted to money or goods and services from the involved company.
Keep on playing even after scoring the first goal
In this case, the business provides an incentive to help the referred customer to come back to the firm for a second time. In the case of using such a referral channel, the referred returns with a different acquired audience, and thus the customers chain increases until the small business grows to a large business (Tsai, 2013). However, after winning the clients, businesses should strive to maintain them, as the cost of keeping a returning client is cheaper as compared to that of acquiring a new one.
Be magnanimous with merchandise
The business should have a culture that rewards customers in terms of commodities, but not services as this is meant to increase the perceived price. This value of the commodity that is rewarded to the customer is returned back to the business eventually through the high price quotation.
Encourage the use of gift cards
The use of gift cards is usually meant to be an advantage to the firm because the customers will certainly return to the business and shop for more. In addition, using gift card will enable online customers to market the firm to friends and this aspect increases the chain of customers.
Distributing e-business cards
Businesses can use this strategy to reach out to the clients online. E-business cards can be shared or sent to clients via social media space, which allows customers to gather more information concerning a given business. The customers can then share this information with their friends who then can become clients to the company. The main purpose of being online is to create awareness of the existence of a business, and thus firms should use this opportunity optimally.
Harness the power of the customers words
In this case, a firm focuses on the recommendations and review from customers about a given product. Therefore, the firm usually provides reviews to the current customers about those positive remarks from the referral customers about their good terms of services. These recommendations can be in terms of video clips on the customers or even snapshots.
Ask the clients to come with an extra person
This referral system is usually termed as bring a friend. In this case, the business usually benefits from this strategic plan in two ways, viz. by ensuring that the referred customer brings a client that is new to the business coupled with making the existent customers come back in the future. The price of a returning client cannot be measured because businesses spend less in keeping such clients. Well-organized referral systems can be so profitable and to some extent they may work as the customer base for the business (Tsai, 2013).
The sole aim of a business venturing into social media is to increase its financial position after marketing its products through a wide range of social media platforms. Crowd funding is a criterion that is commonly used by artists, filmmakers, and other creative individuals to gather money from a given crowd upon entertaining them. Similarly, small businesses are using this criterion to mobilize funds from angel investors. Such an exercise can only be conducted online for efficiency. Businesses need to advertise the need for crowd funding so that a large number of people can be aware of the same (Young, 2013).
The main advantage that is usually associated with crowd funding is that a firm will be in a position to acquire capital that it would never have attained from the conventional borrowing channels like banks. However, the power of crowd funding lies on the strategies and abilities that a firm can use to draw angel investors within a short period. The popularity of crowd funding is growing with time, and thus in the years to come, institutions will have to reschedule their systems to accommodate this fast growing tool of funds mobilization.
Ways of Rallying Influencers
The main aim of using social media is to ensure that a business gathers a large market via different campaigns platforms. Using influencers is another social media method that can be used to attain a multitude of potential clients, through influencers. According to Sharp (2009), a number of ways are used to rally influencers including informing the on the companys social media strategy, connecting the influencers with other influencers, providing access to them, acknowledging and appreciating the audience in the social media, making fun, and including pictures in blogs. In conclusion, social media has revolutionized the way businesses conduct marketing and advertisements. By following the strategies outlined in this book, small businesses can gain a wide range of potential clients via social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus among others.
References
Berkley, H., & Walter, A. (2013). The social media advantage: An essential handbook for small business. Washington, DC: Self Counsel Press. Web.
Coles, L. (2011). Learn Marketing with Social Media in 7 Days: Master Face book, LinkedIn and Twitter for Business. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Web.
Haydon, J., Dunay, P., &Krueger, R. (2012). Social Media Marketing for Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Web.
Kawasaki, G., & Fitzpatrick, P. (2014).The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users. New York, NY: Penguin. Web.
Rouhiainen, L. (2012). Smart social media: Your guide to becoming a highly paid social media manager. New York, NY: Create space Independent Publishing. Web.
Scruton, R., & Scruton, R. (2012). How to think seriously about the planet: The case for an environmental conservatism. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Web.
Sharp, J. (2009). Design and launch an online social networking business in a week. Irvine, CA. Entrepreneur Media. Web.
Shih, C. (2011). The Face book era: Tapping online social networks to market, sell, and innovate. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Web.
Tsai, A. (2013). The small business online marketing handbook: Converting online conversations to offline sales. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Web.
Young, T. (2013). The guide to crowd funding: Learn how to use social media for small-business funding: understand crowd psychology: gain an online presence: create a successful crowd funding campaign: promote your campaign to reach hidden funding sources. Avon, MA: Adams Media. Web.
Beyond any doubts, social media is a powerful unit that has much influence when it comes to business. It used to be a mere tool of communication between individuals; now, it facilitates communication of groups and circles, and a contemporary business establishment considers it useful to have a social network account or two.
The undoubtable influence of the social media has started to encompass every area of business. Private and non-profit organizations have long been enjoying the opportunities it offers. One of the reasons for it is that registering and using social media does not require extra expenditures; also, social media has an immense scale of operation and unites audiences in masses. The membership of Facebook, for instance, amounts up to more than a billion. Also, the users of Twitter are able to follow business organizations accounts and are, in fact, more willing to buy from the organizations that they follow (Roberts, 2013). Considering all the online shops and delivery services present on the Web, it is a small wonder that the deployment of social media should become so popular in businesses of both global and small-scale scope.
Although medical establishments have only recently begun making the most of their web audience, some of them might already be considered bonzes of social media interaction. Albeit the plethora of decisions and profound challenges that a newly online-registered hospital comes to face, social media can prove a valuable asset for them, just as for any other establishment. Such was the situation with Mayo Clinic, with brand recognition that it has gained and the place to manifest its missions and values that it has found on the Web (Pennic, 2014). It uses social media to launch health promotion campaigns, holds webinars and more.
In this paper, we are going to evaluate the strategies utilized by Mayo Clinic, determine whether and how the establishment uses the best social media practices and explore the possibilities of deploying conventional communication tools as complementary to the Mayo strategy.
The role of social media in business and medical establishments
The role that social media plays in life of any business encompasses far more than advertisement. For any establishment willing to fill a niche in either conventional or digital market, it is crucial to invest in a marketing platform. On the other hand, the value of social media can be purely empirical, especially for a health care establishment. However, there are several factors that unite them as users of social media and make the latter their undeniable benefactor.
In simple terms, social media is a means of interaction that provides effectiveness and cheapness at the same time. Organizations investing in outsourcing have long been benefitting from finding resources both externally and internally. Such organizations, either global, medium or small-scope, are the most likely to gain an advantage in the market competition (Atanassova & Clark, 2015). Another beneficial point here is that social media makes an establishment more visible (Fisery, 2014).
The majority of global establishments have websites, and there is little surprise at that. Most probably, the familiar icons leading to the big three accounts that these organizations have on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus can be seen in these websites, as well as other popular social media sources such as LinkedIn, WordPress, and more. This is done in order to enable the customers to both find the organizations easily and give their feedback or ask questions directly.
The latter is yet another valuable feature that social media offers to businesses. It facilitates communication between the establishment and the audience; still more, through sharing and reposting, the customers can carry the information to other potential customers, thus significantly expanding the target audience (Hornick, 2011). As said, social media membership is usually free, meaning that anyone who has access to the Web can take part and interact first-handedly.
Hospitals, on the other hand, might seem conservative in relation to adopting social media strategies. However, given the unlimited communication, increase in revenue, and the opportunities in recruitment and appointment of personnel that the media facilitates, some of the most well-known medical care institutions have made their first steps and did not go wrong. True, when adopting social media, many decisions have to be made. For example, the websites and pages should be kept up since an unattended page does not call for trust in customers. The same concerns attribute to too much interaction or lack of interaction, making I another issue to decide on.
The training and the involvement of employees is another point of concern here. As a consequence, when it comes to social media involvement, hospitals are reluctant as a rule (Pennic, 2014). Not every hospital can afford it, too. Smaller-scale and rural ones, just as any SME, might find it difficult to maintain since the experts and their work should be paid for (Atanassova and Clark, 2015). Those who appear in the social media, on the other hand, present much variance in the ways and strategies they use.
Mayo Clinic social media strategy: Marketing and health care improvement
In fact, the Mayo Clinic is probably the one that has taken social media presence most seriously. The Clinic has established a center devoted to media alone. The MCCSM (Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media) is aimed at improving the clinics social media presence and helping other medical care organizations and promoting health care literacy among the customers (Aase, 2014). The CEO of the Mayo social media center Lee Aase (2014) emphasizes literacy as the ultimate aim of the whole project.
He states that information should be provided in abundance for people to learn and use in case something happens to them. Through constant interaction with patients in social networks, posting videos on YouTube, and more, MCCSM has made a name for itself and has proved to be an asset of extreme value.
With the help of the MCCSM, the Clinic has made its specialists available to the public through webinars and chats in Twitter. As a result, Mayos YouTube channel and Twitter account are the most popular among its kind. Such policy also seems justified since, in the CEOs rating of how the customers choose their health care services provider, Internet was only placed secondary to the word of mouth (Aase, 2014).
Such strategy can be beneficial for all participatory sides. Firstly, there is a constant knowledge exchange between clinicians and patients, clinicians and clinicians. The key word here is, of course, participation: at MCCSM, they understand that a few pictures is not enough to encourage potential customers to give feedback. Indeed, social media is, by nature, constructed by humans and their interaction (Longo, 2014). By sharing their ideas, clinicians can learn from each other and educate the patients and potential customers in a timely manner. Speaking about the customers, there is a strict privacy policy concerning the data that gets revealed through social networking (Jannetti, 2014).
Considering this, Mayo specialists let the patients ask questions and lead the conversations since each patient has a right to decide whether they want any information disclosed or not (Aase, 2014). Thus, through social media, Mayo Clinic has accomplished its two goals: expanding its customer base and improving health literacy among them.
Mayo Clinic and conventional media
Although the digital age dictates its own rules, the benefits of conventional media are not to be underestimated. TV, mail, and print journals and newspapers might provide businesses and clinical organizations with some points that social media lacks. The main difference between the two is that conventional media is outbound, meaning that an establishment can reach their audience by its own means (Nica, 2014). Also, such media provides personal connections that are valued by those customers who prefer face-to-face communication (Longo, 2014). Besides, through the means of conventional media an establishment can further expand its audience by targeting those who do not use social media (Nica, 2014).
Mayo Clinic has its own print journal, online copies of which can be found on the Web as well (Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2016). However, the journal is mainly oriented on clinicians and deals with issues of internal importance. By popularizing its publications and deploying mail-outs or more active TV advertising, Mayo could attract and educate adepts of conventional media, e.g., elderly people or those experiencing sight issues.
The main disadvantage of such strategy is its potentially high cost. On the other hand, the results of conventional media deployment would be short-term and longer-lasting than those of social media presence (Nica, 2014). By monitoring the customer records, the company could identify potential range of clients most likely to be attracted by such means and use conventional post mail-outs to promote health literacy, advertise, and further increase revenues.
Conclusion
To sum it up, the role that social media has in business is hard to overestimate. It provides its adepts with increased interaction and instant customers feedback. It helps find recourses both inside and outside companies, benefitting the skillful outsourcers as compared to the others, both on local and global scale. It facilitates the organizations visibility and is lower priced than conventional media usage. For hospitals, being present in social media is also a valuable asset.
To Mayo Clinic, for instance, the social media means the ability to interact and teach both the fellow clinicians and patients health literacy through Twitter. Also, Mayo has made use of YouTube and Facebook to post video clips and hold webinars. The constant source update and monitoring have enhanced the strategy and gained Mayo Clinic the name and popularity; however, it seems that a slight inclination towards more traditional media would benefit the Clinic further still. An appropriate strategy would be to invest in mail-outs and print journals that would provide their customers with simply-put information and advertise the Clinics services at the same time. Such strategy can be rather costly but it would further expand the target audience and prove profitable in the shortest time.
References
Aase, Lee. (2014). Evolution of the Social Media Revolution in Health Care. Web.
Atanassova, I., & Clark, L. (2015). Social media practices in SME marketing activities: A theoretical framework and research agenda. Journal of Customer Behaviour, 14(2), 163-183. Web.
Fisery, E. L. (2014). 5 Social media best practices to boost e-Bill adoption. Web.
Hornick, L. (2011). Summit sheds light on social media best practices. Web.
Jannetti, A. J. (2014). NCSBN Promotes Social Media Best Practices for Nurses. Deans notes, 35(3), 4. Web.
Longo, B. (2014). Using social media for collective knowledge-making: Technical communication between the global North and South. Technical Communication Quarterly, 23(1), 22-34. Web.
Mayo Clinic Proceedings. (2016). Web.
Nica, A. (2014). Benefits of Traditional Marketing and Social Media. Web.
The main question that the proposed research aims to address is to identify the underlying causes of cyberbullying among adolescents and the main factors that need to be considered when developing prevention strategies. The independent variables are the age, background, and social status of respondents, and the dependent variables include their engagement in cyberbullying and factors that influence their social media behavior. For the purpose of this research, cyberbullying is defined as the aggressive pressure and repeated harmful actions towards an individual inflicted through electronic devices, including posting, sending, or sharing negative or wrong information (Peled, 2019). The focus of the research is placed on bullies rather than their victims.
Methods
An anonymous online questionnaire will be used to collect information about adolescent cyberbullying behavior. The questionnaire will be designed based on the similar surveys used in the studies by Akrim and Sulasmi (2020), Shams et al. (2017), and Peled (2019). It will include a section on participants demographic characteristics, including age, background, and social status, and several sections on their social media behavior and factors of influence.
Particular attention will be given to questions related to the reasons behind bullying as perceived by bullies themselves. The questions will concern emotions experienced by adolescents who engage in cyberbullying, their motives, desired outcomes of their behavior, and the selection of victims. The results of the survey will be processed and interpreted using quantitative research techniques, description analysis, and correlation analyses.
The reliability and validity of the questionnaire will be determined through a pilot test with a limited number of participants. Due to the sensitive nature of the research, anonymity will be used to ensure that the respondents give honest answers. According to the study by Flowers et al. (2020), which first used an anonymous online survey to access the adolescent population, anonymous responses might reflect more honest reporting and be higher correlated with measures of actual behavior (p. 3). The limitations of the method are connected with the inability to verify the demographic information and the possibility of inaccurate self-report data.
Population of Interest
The population of interest is high-school students between 14 and 18 years who engage in cyberbullying behavior. No specific requirements are made regarding their gender and ethnicity. The questionnaire will be distributed online, and the respondents will be invited to participate voluntarily. With the focus of the research being placed on bullies rather than victims, the first question of the survey will be Have you ever engaged in cyberbullying? and a positive answer will be required to continue.
Procedures
The selected research method requires an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. It will be obtained in accordance with the standard procedure, which includes completing the Mandatory Online Certification for Researchers and the Research Project Application and preparing the Informed Consent Document ( Institutional Review Board , 2018). An Informed Consent Document will be provided to participants prior to the research, explaining the purpose of the study and promising to protect their identity.
With the study being conducted anonymously among adolescents, a waiver of parental consent is required for ethical reasons. Parental content significantly limits the researchers ability to gather anonymous data and negatively affects the quality of responses (Flowers et al., 2020). According to Flowers et al. (2020), if students are asked to provide their parents contact details, they will not answer truthfully or might opt out of the survey to avoid the consequences (p. 2). With a waiver of parental consent, the participants will only need to provide their own consent to the research.
References
Akrim, A., & Sulasmi, E. (2020). Student perception of cyberbullying in social media. Talent Development & Excellence, 12(1), 322333.
Peled, Y. (2019). Cyberbullying and its influence on academic, social, and emotional development of undergraduate students. Heliyon, 5(3), Article e01393. Web.
Shams, H., Garmaroudi, G., & Nedjat, S. (2017). Factors related to bullying: A qualitative study of early adolescent students. Iran Red Crescent Medical Journal, 19(5), Article e42834. Web.
The Internet permeates all aspects of peoples activity today, being an indispensable component of professional and social lives. In this regard, social media networks have become one of the primary characteristics of the 21st-century Internet. The access to unimpaired communication has attracted the intense of adolescents, for whom social media presence has become a matter of paramount importance. While such networks demonstrate evident advantages, their use is also associated with certain risks, which range from minor to highly serious. The aim of this essay is to analyze the risks and opportunities, which emerge for adolescents using social media in the 21st century.
Self-expression is a recognized need for a modern person, which is universally established and acknowledged by Maslows pyramid. According to Eleuteri et al. (2017), social media has become an essential means of self-expression and identity building for adolescents. Young people have access to global communication, allowing them to extend their range of acquaintances and find like-minded people. This aspect is especially important for those who live in small, remote communities where certain groups may be ostracized for their views and lifestyle.
For example, Eleuteri et al. (2017) refer to social media as one of the most important means of self-identification for adolescents willing to explore and accept their sexuality. This way, adolescents feel prompted to become more sociable and open in terms of their personalities, positively affecting their mental health. Recognition, support, and acknowledgment
Nevertheless, the range of social media users is not limited to kind, understanding people who provide support to others. Eleuteri et al. (2017) discuss important risk factors, which follow social media presence. Adolescents, who freely explore their interests, personalities, and sexuality online, may face intense cyberbullying, entailing dire clinical consequences in some cases. In addition, social media networks often occupy a considerable portion of their users time.
As a result, the implications may include dissocialized behavior and failures in other aspects of ones life, including studies, thus damaging their relationships with peers and families. Social media does require considerable effort, making it one of the easiest and, therefore, desirable means of pastime. Finally, the Internet, including social networks, often possess graphic content not suitable for It is essential to consider these risks, as they may leave a lasting impact on the course of a persons future life.
In conclusion, social media is deeply embedded in the contemporary lifestyle, which is especially true for the youth. Its influence is undeniable, and the Internet has largely become a necessity rather than a privilege. Social media presents positive opportunities for teenagers, who can utilize its immense potential in terms of self-realization. Accordingly, the Internet may help them overcome the negative influence of their immediate environment. However, excessive exposure to social media may lead to negative developments in the form of cyberbullying and poor socialization. Overall, it is essential to maintain the right balance, which would allow teenagers to maximize the benefits of social media while alleviating the unnecessary risks caused by excessive self-disclosure.
The blog can focus on electronic books. This is a popular product in many countries, but there are still people who oppose the use of e-books (Rosenbloom, 2012). Therefore, it is necessary to reach these people, which may result in larger sales and positive effects on the environment. It has been acknowledged that every successful blog has to address a particular audience (Rich, 2014). The target audience is all those who have mixed feelings concerning the product as well as opponents of e-books. These can be people of different ages and socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnicities, and genders.
The major feature of the target audience can be peoples Internet access. Another feature that can make people more receptive is their attitude towards environmental issues. People should feel concerned about these issues and try to contribute to the development of effective solutions.
Successful blogs are also characterized by aiming at well-thought goals (Rowse & Garrett, 2012). This blog aims at informing certain groups of people about the major benefits of the use of electronic books. The author will try to persuade people to buy or, at least, try the product. The blog will be helpful as people will learn more about one of the popular products and their impact on the world. E-books can also help users to save their money since they will not have to pay so much for paper books that are becoming more expensive each day. The blog can influence the marketing strategy of the company.
The organization in question is Amazon. The company offers its Kindle e-books, but this is not its primary product. The company may consider paying more attention to environmental issues. For instance, its advertisements can convey the corresponding message. Amazon can also invest more in numerous environmental projects. It is also to remember that the company should be ready for the increase in demand and be able to meet the needs of its customers (Rosenbloom, 2012). Finally, the feedback provided can help the organization reveal some of the products features that are valued or not popular among its customers, some services customers find helpful or useless, and the like.
Another important feature to focus on when developing a blog is communication. Barker, Barker, Bormann, and Neher (2012) state that blogs facilitate the process of sharing ideas and communicating with customers who can provide their feedback at once. It is stressed that blogs make various messages reach different audiences, they create different topics for wider discussions, and they provide a platform for communication and feedback. The blog in question, as many other blogs, will have the necessary feature for receiving replies. The customers will be able to reveal their ideas by posting their messages on a message board.
However, a successful blogs communication platform cannot be confined to the official website of the company (Kaufman & Horton, 2014). Social media can facilitate the discussion. The blog will have corresponding links. Moreover, the companys accounts will also have some web links to the blog in question. These steps can help Amazon facilitate the so-called word-of-mouth marketing as the number of social media users is increasing at a considerable pace.
In conclusion, it is possible to note that the product in question is the e-book and the organization selling the product is Amazon. The blog aims at persuading opponents of e-books or those are still not certain. The blog can become the platform where the downsides and benefits of the product and associated services are discussed. The marketing strategy can be changed as the messages concerning environmental issues can become more common.
Blog
If You Want to Save the Planet and Your Money, You Can Consider Buying a Nice and Helpful Kindle E-Book
Still, reading paper books? Why or why?
Of course, we all like the image of a person sitting near a fireplace with a nice book of fairy tales and surrounded by a couple of curly-headed kids. You can also picture yourself leafing through a book somewhere on a beautiful beach. However, how many people have those old fireplaces, and what about sand making the book seem dirty? The new digital era has come and brought numerous convenient solutions to problems that made us crazy.
Some people still think that e-books are evil as they are too digital. There are no pages to leaf through and paper to smell. Well, e-books also smell good especially if you have a nice case. Besides, you can never cut your fingers when leafing over your e-book.
At that, the major benefit of the e-book is its contribution to saving the planet from human greed. Every device can be a home to hundreds of books. You can have a substantial library without destroying half of the forests in your country. Do you think your reading experience is more relevant than your kids breathing experience?
By the by, having an e-book is not solely an investment in your future, but it is also a way to address your present needs. You can get a library of your dream at a price of a couple of paper books. You can borrow an e-book from one of your friends (there is such a friend) to understand what it feels like to read this digital masterpiece. You should simply try it to love it!
References
Barker, M., Barker, D. I., Bormann, N. F., & Neher, K. E. (2012). Social media marketing: A strategic approach. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Web.
Kaufman, I., & Horton, C. (2014). Digital marketing: Integrating strategy and tactics with values, a guidebook for executives, managers, and students. New York, NY: Routledge. Web.
Rich, J. R. (2014). Start your own blogging business: Generate income from advertisers, subscribers, merchandising, and more. Harlan, IA: Entrepreneur Press. Web.
Social media have become an integral part of peoples everyday lives, influencing how they relate both individually and professionally. It has enabled counselors to conduct research and offer services in better ways. Brew, Cervantes, and Shepard (2013) aver, Creating an online profile for professional reasons has the potential to be used as an extension of a counselors practice (p. 97). Despite the numerous benefits associated with social media, the technology poses significant ethical challenges. The steady transformations in digital technology beleaguer the majority of the counseling professionals, thus being unable to assist clients in coping with their online and offline lives. This article will evaluate the ethical concerns attributed to the use of social media amid rehabilitation counselors.
Ethical Concerns
Giota and Kleftaras (2014) posit, As the online world often overlaps with the real-life, professional and moral issues increasingly arise and will inevitably invade the practice of counseling and therapy (p. 2378). Counselors should be conscious of the possible ethical challenges if they decide to relate with clients online. Currently, there is limited consensus on whether it is imperative for rehabilitation counselors to communicate with clients via social media. Conventionally, clients do not know a lot about their counselors beyond the consulting room. Thus, challenges might occur should they decide to gather information about their therapist online or establish relationships on Facebook. Young patients may choose to send private messages to their counselors or request friendship on social media like Facebook.
Failure by a therapist to accept a friend request could result in the patient feeling rejected and abandoned. Conversely, accepting a friend request from a client and granting them permission to access private information can lead to the growth of dual relationships. Giota and Kleftaras (2014) aver, Counselors must explore their feelings, wishes, as well as counter-transference reactions to the client, his/her friend request, and technology (p. 2379).
Rehabilitation counselors should set strict boundaries between their personal and professional lives online. Failure to do so may affect the trust that clients have in the counselor and impact therapeutic relationships. The American Psychological Association Ethics Code states that counselors should avoid establishing multiple online relationships with clients as it can damage their competence, objectivity, and effectiveness.
Today, there is a need to formulate clear policies to regulate the use of social media amid rehabilitation counselors. The policies would guarantee that therapists observe ethical and professional behaviors when dealing with clients. Moreover, there is the need to include the policies in informed consent and to make sure that clients understand the possible repercussions of interacting with their counselors online.
According to Brew et al. (2013), therapists must be accountable to their social media presence and should appreciate that online activities might blur the limits between professional and personal lives. For instance, searching for information about clients on Google or reading their blogs without their consent amounts to unethical practice. Such an exercise may affect the counselors perception of the client, therefore interfering with their relationships.
Brew et al. (2013) assert that counselors should bear in mind that whatever they share on social media can be read by many people and may stick in their minds even if deleted. Thus, they should make sure that whatever they share does not disclose the identity of their clients. Giota and Kleftaras (2014) allege, A helpful tip could be to regard social media as a virtual office door: only post on your page what you would not have trouble displaying in your office (p. 2379).
Counselors should realize that there are multiple online places where they might interact with patients. A counselor who wishes to retain a personal and professional presence on social media should create distinct accounts for the two purposes. The information on the accounts should be different to enable clients to understand their uses. According to Brew et al. (2013), ensuring that ones contacts and profile are non-public can go a long way towards helping counselors maintain healthy online relationships with clients. Facebook allows people to tag their friends and share information with them.
Counselors should review their Facebook accounts regularly to make sure that they remove tags, which might lead to clients doubting their character. Rehabilitation counselors should avoid discussing confidential information about their patients on social media. Such information should only be considered in environments that guarantee privacy. Even though the counselors may use social media to interact and share ideas with their colleagues, they should avoid discussing their patients.
Conclusion
Social media have significantly affected the counseling profession. It has enabled rehabilitation counselors to gather information about patients and share ideas with colleagues. Despite the numerous benefits of social media, the technology poses immense ethical concerns. The rehabilitation counselors require setting clear boundaries with patients as social media may result in them sharing private information with clients. The primary moral concern with social media is a violation of privacy or breach of confidentiality. Rehabilitation counselors should ensure that they do not share diagnosis information on social media. Moreover, they should be watchful of the information they share on social media, particularly with young clients. Establishing two social media accounts for professional and personal use may guarantee ethical practices amid rehabilitation counselors.
References
Brew, L., Cervantes, J., & Shepard, D. (2013). Millennial counselors and the ethical use of Facebook. The Professional Counselor, 3(2), 93-104.
Giota, K., & Kleftaras, G. (2014). Social media and counseling: Opportunities, risks, and ethical considerations. International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial Engineering, 8(8), 2378-2379.
