Buzz On Biz

By now everyone has heard of at least one social media network. These days Grandmothers who once never touched a computer for fear of breaking it by moving the mouse are now Facebook pros who can upload and tag photos quicker than their 15 year old granddaughters. Like it or not the social revolution is in full swing, and if your business is not capitalizing on it and earning new leads and customers from it, you can rest assured that your competitors are.

If at this point you are not using social media to engage your customers and attract new leads, you need to understand that you’re missing opportunities to include yourself in this century’s word of mouth. No longer is word of mouth limited to face to face conversations, it is now a publicly broadcast conversation thanks to social media. To capitalize on this you need to give users every opportunity to share information about you and pass your company name around their circle of friends. As a business owner, would you ask a customer to not share their happy experience with others? Have you ever told a customer “Please, don’t tell your friends about us!” Of course you wouldn’t. So why would you do the same online? Do you give customers an easy way to recommend you to friends? Do you give them the ability to share your website link with only one click? If you’re not, you can see the opportunities you are missing out on.

With a potential audience of over 800 million users, Facebook is far and away the social media leader, but other general social media networks such as LinkedIn, Google+, and Twitter should be included on your list of social

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Congratulations!  Today is your day.  You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away! -by the Master of Rhyme, Dr. Seuss.

Facebook and many other social media companies are betting on the next big thing: geo-location “check-in” services.  For those of you who are uninitiated in the art of “checking-in” and why you would want to, let me be your guide.

You arrive somewhere (and I mean anywhere) and take out your smartphone.  You launch an application that offers “check-in” services which tries to determine where you are in a variety of ways – the GPS chip inside the smartphone, your proximity to various wireless towers or the nearest Wi-Fi network, depending on your phone.  Then you are given a list of locations and you choose the one where you are.  Let’s say it’s a local restaurant — and once you choose it, your location gets sent to Twitter or your Facebook  profile that you connected to the application.

That’s how it works, but the question is “why”.  Why do you want to tell the world where you are going?  Well, each service offers certain enticements and you will also get a list of other users who have “checked-in” to the same place – or are nearby.  It is catching on and now merchants have signed on to the services as well and may offer deals or coupons for individuals who have “checked-in”.  You also can make recommendations and reviews for locations to help you and other users discover new places to visit.

Foursquare, the leader of the geo-location applications, combines “check-ins” with games.  You earn badges and compete with other users to become the “mayor” of a location, meaning you have visited it the most.  Merchants can offer special deals to

“mayors” or others that “check-in”.  Other leading applications include: Gowalla, Brightkite, Where, and Yelp.

Now the big kid on the block has come to play: Facebook.  Last week, Facebook launched “Places” for iPhone users to “check-in” to locations and begin “tagging” and “liking” and generally fostering social communication around locations.   Currently only 4% of social media active adults use geo-location services, but with Facebook’s new initiative, it could be a game-changer.

With over 500 million active users, Facebook could take “checking-in” to a whole new level.  With brands, locations, restaurants, churches and organizations already using the platform, be on the lookout for special offers and advertising opportunities to start showing up on your profile wall.  Never fear, privacy-settings are available so no one has to know how many times you “checked-in” to Krispy Kreme last week.

JEREMY MACE This is a sponsored Tech Talk article. Jeremy is a founder and the Principal Social Media Consultant for New Fire Social Media. With over 15 years of experience in graphic design and web development, Jeremy is uniquely positioned to execute Social Media strategies and to implement real world solutions for companies and non-profits. Contact the self-proclaimed “Head Pyro” at jmmace@newfiresocialmedia.com and listen for his weekly social media segment on Fridays at 12:20 on the “Buzz on Biz” on 1630 AM and streaming on www.wrdwam.com. 803.640.8724. twitter @jeremymaceSocial Pyro

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The tide has shifted with some of IntelliSystems’ clients in the CSRA as it relates to Facebook. A year ago, some clients were asking our technicians to “block” employees’ access to the social networking site. Now, some of those same clients prefer to open access for employees so they can market the company with Facebook.

Backlash over Facebook’s privacy practices is triggering disagreements internally that could force the company to scale back efforts encouraging users to share more about themselves in public.

The social network has come under fire for a series of recent changes to its policies that have limited what users can keep private, as well as embarrassing technical glitches that exposed personal data. Privacy advocates have called on regulators to intervene. Some frustrated users, meanwhile, have created websites that highlight what they see as shortcomings in Facebook’s privacy controls.

The site’s privacy controversy have rattled Facebook employees and put pressure on CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who has argued for years that its users should be more open with their information. He has at times over-ruled employees who argue Facebook should make more information private by default. He has instead pushed to offer tools so users can control their information, these people said.

The privacy problems are piling up as the company, which is approaching 500 million users, grapples with how to build new services off all the data provided by users without offending users. The company is focused on ways to turn that vast amount of data into a multi-billion dollar ad-business.

Executives and other employees have hunkered down in Facebook’s Silicon Valley headquarters, debating how to address the backlash to two recently launched features. One of the features encourages users to share more about their online activities with Facebook. Another feature personalizes other websites with information about users’ Facebook friends

The company is discussing whether to implement new controls that allow users to conceal their profiles more universally. Such tools would represent a big shift from Facebook’s current approach of giving users multiple controls for specific parts of their profiles

On Monday, rival MySpace said it would simplify its privacy settings by giving users the option to select one privacy setting for all the information in their profiles. A Facebook spokesman said in a statement: “We know we are respected for our innovation in sharing and we want to be just as well-regarded around our innovations for control. And the conversations in the company reflect that.”

Facebook has slowly crept into many business marketing and communication plans: In the last few years, I have often been asked by clients and prospective clients if, as part of our services, we could help them block Facebook within the confines of their offices. I was surprised late last year when upon asking a new client if they would like to block Facebook, they replied, “Absolutely not, we use Facebook as part of our advertising and customer communications.

Neil Gordon, Publisher of this newspaper had a day of enlightenment last year as well: “In the spring of 2009, I learned the power of Facebook. I was under deadline to fill an entire page of ads in this publication. At that time I only had about 300 friends or members of the Buzz on Biz group.

I created a “Face book special” and hit “send”. After a few follow-up phone calls and emails the next day, I had eight new advertising clients. The next phase of my Facebook growth will occur over the summer as I begin to send out daily Facebook messages to about 1,000 friends to encourage them to tune into the “Buzz radio show” or visit our website for interesting content.”

Making everyone happy when it comes to privacy concerns will likely be an impossible task. The government is likely to get involved as well, so we’ll just have to hold on for the ride and see where it all lands. In the mean time, more and more businesses are recognizing the value of staying in touch with their public using social networking sites such as Facebook.

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Every superhero has a secret identity. Who would Superman be without Clark Kent? Could Batman get money for all of his toys without Bruce Wayne? How would Spider-man land Mary Jane without Peter Parker? And Neil Gordon and the Buzz on Biz team are no different. They needed a new identity – only this time, it was no secret.

The Past:

When I first began working with the Buzz on Biz team we made the crucial (and sometimes painful) step of looking back and seeing the mistakes and successes of the brand’s past. The existing color scheme and logo had served for a while, but looked outdated and it was time to move into a new era and build a foundation for the future.

The Brainstorm:

Through effective listening and asking questions, I discovered the audiences for the various versions of the Buzz on Biz. There is the TV segment, the paper version, the radio show and even the website – all needed a consistent look and feel. Neil described to me broad reach of the concept and detailed his future goals. Once I acquired this critical information I was able to develop a series of initial concepts to “feel-out” the Buzz team and see which direction they wanted to go. I was careful in not including any concepts I would not be happy with as a designer, but made an effort to create a bold, professional and iconic brand for the Buzz.

Here are a few of the initial concepts…

The Committee:

As is the case with some clients it became apparent to me that Neil was not the only part of the Buzz team that needed to be satisfied with the logo. He shared the concepts with several key parties (including the highly-valued spousal approval) and the general consensus was made. Number 10 was the one.

But we were not through yet…

The Final Concept:

After discussing the need to keep a smaller profile on TV and tighten up the logo, I stacked the typography of the chosen concept and customized the art to arrive at the final version.

The Simple Truth:

By cleaning up the logo and reducing the number of elements I was able to create an iconic image that will serve the Buzz on Biz team for the foreseeable future. The concept of “Less is More” is one that a good designer uses as often as possible. This can be difficult, because the desire to show off, or push further can often take over a design project. The “Art of Removal” is key to arriving at an effective brand. Look at Target, Nike, McDonald’s and even Coca-Cola. These logos and trademarks are so recognizable that the name of the company is no longer used. Maybe one day, the “Buzz” tie will be become the icon we intend it to be, but until then, this new logo and brand will serve as a symbol of quality business news and information in the CSRA.

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“The fantastic advances in the field of electronic communication constitute a greater danger to the privacy of the individual.” Earl Warren, American Republican Politician and Judge.

Whether or not you agree with Earl Warren’s political views does not change the truth cited in the quote above.  All of the “advances” with personal computers, mobile devices, social media platforms and the global internet have us scrambling to put that “privacy please” door hanger on our digital entryways.  In 2008, the Consumer Reports National Research Center showed that most Americans are very concerned about their personal information online.  According to the poll, 82% of people reported their concern about credit card number theft, while 72% were concerned that their behaviors were being tracked and profiled by companies.

Enter social media 2010. Rather than the government, new world order or a massive corporate conglomerate becoming the Orwellian “Big Brother” – we have created this apocalyptic behemoth ourselves, by sharing everything about us online.  If Facebook were a country it would be the world’s 4th largest, between the United States and Indonesia.  And for most businesses, it is a vast and uncharted territory in which they are trying to stake a claim.

As I help companies and organizations determine how to engage in this medium, one of the inevitable conversations I have, is about “privacy”.  People are concerned about their company’s brand, but more often than not, they are concerned about themselves.  Questions like:  “What if someone posts a photo of me I don’t want anyone to see?” “What if I don’t become their friend?”  “Can they see pictures of my kids?” “How did that get on Google?” and “What the heck is a tweet, anyway?” all lead me to give one answer: “Learn how to use the tools of the trade.”

Most, if not all social media platforms and applications, make privacy settings easy to understand and accessible.  Even with all the hoopla over Facebook streams and default settings for photos becoming public, the gigantic online club allows you to create “lists” of your “friends”, and determine what those “lists” can see.  A good tip is to categorize your friends by what you want them to see (and what you want to see from them).  I have lists for “Networking”, “Church”, “High-School”, “Family” and even “Comic Books”.  Each list has different access to information on my profile.  That way I am in total control over what everyone sees and what is available to the public.

If you are worried about identity theft, there are services available to insure that no one will be able to steal your identity.  But that does not affect your privacy.  Make sure that you control who has access to your personal and business information.  Go through the lists of your contacts and learn how to use the tools available.  Another “identity” tip: don’t make the year of your birth public on Facebook.  Just click the box that says “Display Day and Month Only” – that is the best way to prevent people from finding out how old you actually are – I mean – steal your identity.

Bottom line: We are all on this journey through the field of electronic communication together, but we don’t have to know everything about each other.

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