Multimedia social media encompasses all video, photo, art, music and audio sharing. The dominant channels within this category are YouTube, Flickr, Metacafe and Photobucket, however many others exist.
YouTube
YouTube is the most dominant site within the multimedia category, with over 70 million videos uploaded for the internet community to view, share, rate and comment on. The site began as an application on the social network site MySpace, however the rapid growth in popularity spurred its break from the social network, making it the individual channel it is today.
In relation to using YouTube to broadcast advertising messages, the success rate in reaching widespread diffusion is relatively low. It appears that the site attracts amature videos of poor quality and often odd in nature. Research suggests that users strive to establish an affinity or feeling of connection and openness between those experiencing and those producing the multimedia content. For this reason, authentic, unscripted and real videos gain more attention than those of a commercial nature. One strategy is for organisations to act as motivators. Through encouraging their audience to engage in social media, it benefits the organisation through raising brand awareness through association.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Analysis of Collaborative Social Media
Collaborative social media interfaces provide users a virtual space and the tools to co-create, publish, assess, promote and discuss content. Examples of social media interfaces which encourage collaboration include Wikipedia, Digg, Epinions, 7tipson, StumbleUpon, Reddit, and Yelp. Of these interfaces, Wikipedia is one of the most successful examples of large scale collaborative content development. There are however an emerging number of collaborative communities which focus on niche industries such as Travel. TripAdvisor, Wikitravel and LonelyPlanet are three virtual communities dedicated to the growth of collective intelligence in relation to all things travel. The sites include accommodation, transport, dining and activity reviews and tips. They also contain tools such as discussion pages, message boards and forums. These tools make the space a valuable source of travel information.
The role of intermediaries such as travel agencies is being challenged through the growth in collaborative user generated content. Travel information is now among the most popular and frequently visited information on the internet. Collaborative online social media content creates transparency, particularly among destinations. “The mirror has never been shinier but it also has never before been pointed as directly at the destination and its suppliers as it is today”. The social presence within social media channels creates medium richness. This is demonstrated through high rates of immediate feedback, a personal focus, unbiased opinions and the diversity of contributors. The audience now has more control over a brand or destinations image, and can therefore influence others perceptions at will. An ignorance or avoidance of the conversation which is taking place within the collaborative social media platform could potentially be damaging for an organisation. The opportunity to respond directly to consumer complaints, criticisms or questions before they get misrepresented through main stream media, is lost.
Through the investigation of collaborative media an overwhelming number of benefits have presented themselves. However, one problem has emerged in relation to the equality of collaborative social media contributions. Research reveals that approximately 80% of contributions to sites such as Wikipedia are contributed by a mere 20% of users. This phenomenon is called the Pareto Principle, or the 20/80 rule, proposed by Italian economist and sociologist, Vilfredo Pareto. This inequality of contributions is found in not only collaborative social media, but reflected through Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social media channels contributions. Marketers should keep the Pareto phenomenon in mind when measuring the effectiveness of social media marketing efforts. The use a analytics tools which measure ‘unique’ visits or contributions can reduce such distortions.
The role of intermediaries such as travel agencies is being challenged through the growth in collaborative user generated content. Travel information is now among the most popular and frequently visited information on the internet. Collaborative online social media content creates transparency, particularly among destinations. “The mirror has never been shinier but it also has never before been pointed as directly at the destination and its suppliers as it is today”. The social presence within social media channels creates medium richness. This is demonstrated through high rates of immediate feedback, a personal focus, unbiased opinions and the diversity of contributors. The audience now has more control over a brand or destinations image, and can therefore influence others perceptions at will. An ignorance or avoidance of the conversation which is taking place within the collaborative social media platform could potentially be damaging for an organisation. The opportunity to respond directly to consumer complaints, criticisms or questions before they get misrepresented through main stream media, is lost.
Through the investigation of collaborative media an overwhelming number of benefits have presented themselves. However, one problem has emerged in relation to the equality of collaborative social media contributions. Research reveals that approximately 80% of contributions to sites such as Wikipedia are contributed by a mere 20% of users. This phenomenon is called the Pareto Principle, or the 20/80 rule, proposed by Italian economist and sociologist, Vilfredo Pareto. This inequality of contributions is found in not only collaborative social media, but reflected through Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social media channels contributions. Marketers should keep the Pareto phenomenon in mind when measuring the effectiveness of social media marketing efforts. The use a analytics tools which measure ‘unique’ visits or contributions can reduce such distortions.
Social media Investigation Findings
The investigation of social media interfaces has revealed a number of cases in which organisations have benefited greatly from using social media as a marketing tool. There are however cases where social media has caused major implications for organisations. The drawbacks of social media however, can be overcome if the correct strategy and understanding of this medium is in place.
The research findings are divided into their respective categories as outlined in the introduction to social media. Each category of social media is explored through the use of case studies, which help illustrate the notions proposed in both commercial and academic literature examined.
Analysis of Communicative Social Media
All of the social media channels examined through this research report possess a strong communicative focus, however the most communicative social media channels are social networks. A social network can be defined as a social structure made of nodes (an individual or organisation) that are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency. This interdependency may be shared values, visions, ideas, friendship, kinship, dislike, trade or other forms of exchange (Jackson & Wilinsky, 1996). There are hundreds of social networking sites available on the internet today; however this report will not cover each one. Instead, this report will provide a theoretical framework of social network analysis. This will be followed by an investigation of social network sites ‘Facebook’, ‘Twitter’ and the alternative option of creating ones own social network site, as practical examples of social network marketing.
In order to understand how the interactions occur through social networks, and how this is relevant to marketers, it is beneficial to have an understanding of sociological theory which sets the underlying assumptions upon which social media interaction behaviour is based. Research by Mark Granovetter titled ‘The Strength of Weak Ties’ provides a theoretical framework with regards to information mobility and diffusion through social networks. Sociological theory prior to his research focused on micro-level interactions; however his research identified macro-level patterns of interaction which can be applied to today’s extensive online social networks.
He identified two types of ties which make up social networks. Strong ties are a combination of emotional intensity, frequent interaction, mutual confiding and reciprocal services. They form clusters such as an individuals close circle of friends. Weak ties act as a bridge between groups or clusters of strong ties within the whole social structure. They act as channels through which ideas, influences or information can flow from socially distant groups. This means that information, ideas or innovation to be diffused, can reach a larger number of people and traverse greater social distance if passed through weak ties rather than strong ties. Individuals whom are ‘early adopters’ of ideas, products and innovations are therefore more likely to have weak ties. They are less subject to localised social pressures and influence, and sit on the margins of social clusters. Identifying individuals most likely to have many weak ties as opposed to those who are more integrated into a local social system can be beneficial to marketers whom want to rapidly disseminate information over a vast distance or acquire socially distant ideas and innovations. This is the strength of weak ties.
The unique feature of social network sites such as Facebook is that they enable users to articulate and make visible their social networks. This feature allows for identification of an individuals social capital, and furthermore, facilitates the bridging of social capital by making visible potential ties that would not be made in an offline environment. Research by Ellison, Steinfield and Lampe (2007) confirmed a positive relationship between usage levels of online social network ‘Facebook’ and the creation of social capital. Information now has greater liquidity and dispersion, presenting marketers with increased opportunities to reach their target audience.
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking site established in 2004, which has grown to be the largest social network on the internet. It has almost 200 million active users, of which 70% of them live outside of the United States. The site offers users a wide variety of tools to facilitate communication within individuals networks including status updates, photo sharing, email, event posting and live chatting (Facebook, 2009). The key question with regards to using Facebook as a marketing channel is how to leverage the power of the social network and engage users with your presense? One central finding with regards to not only marketing on Facebook, but all social media marketing, is to be a member, not a marketer (Gault, 2009).
The creation of a profile page is the start of your organisations presence on Facebook and is also the page which the creator has the most control over. This is the first point of contact with other individuals within the social network, therefore it needs to authentically express who you are or what you are trying to promote. From this point, further organsation awareness and growth can be fostered through the use of tools such as the creation of ‘groups’ and ‘pages’. These tools create a central place for conversation about your organisation or brand, providing useful customer feedback and insight. If named strategically they can motivate people to join, which then puts the group name on all members profile pages, creating additional brand visibility. An example of a successful group was the ‘1,000,000 Strong for Stephen Colbert’ group, which grew from zero to one million members in just five days (Facebook, 2009).
Other tools and applications Facebook offers includes event listings, posting invitations and requests, social ads, photo and video uploading and a ‘marketplace’ tool which acts as a classifieds listing service.
The Facebook interface and associated tools offer marketers entirely new paradigms for designing immersive and persuasive brand experiences. The challenge however is in creating something of value, and not only for the organisation but for consumers. This involves being creative and removing barriers, make the brand more accessible to consumers and encourage both B2C, C2C, and C2B conversation. According to marketing expert and author of ‘Purple Cow’ Seth Godin, “Conversations among the people in your marketplace happen whether you like it or not. Good marketing encourages the right sort of conversations” (Seth Godin, 2003).
Creating attractive interactive content through social network channels such as Facebook can require the combining of computing, media and telecommunications skills in order to produce effective exposure. If implemented strategically however, the results can include client retention through the building of relationships, customer engagement, brand awareness, increased customer satisfaction, positive word-of-mouth, and increased web site traffic.
Twitter
Twitter is one of the fastest growing social media platforms on the internet. The emergence and rapid growth of Twitter can be partly attributed to the release of mobile technologies such as the ‘iPhone’. Since the iPhones release in early 2008 over 17million iPhones have been sold (Apple, 2009;http://tinyurl.com/r5vvgm). Through the growing availability of mobile internet technology, consumers’ accessibility to social networks has increased, resulting in furthering the reach of social media.
‘Twitter’ can be viewed as a subcategory of communicative social media. It has been termed a ‘microblogging platform’, predominantly due to its constrictive status update offering, limited to 140 characters only. Users send out these short status updates, called ‘Tweets’, to all their followers within the Twitter network. The community of Twitter, Twitter users, and their ‘Tweets’ has been labelled the ‘Twittersphere’. Twitter users create a profile page as their point of contact with the ‘Twittershere’, however their network is structured in a different way to social networks such as Facebook. A users network consists of people they have selected to ‘follow’, and other users whom have selected to be ‘followers’. The two components are not interrelated, therefore the user controls what information they receive themselves (by who they follow) but the user cannot control who sees the users content (this is chosen by followers, not the user). As a result, Twitter users get interesting insight when posting questions, and it spreads the users message to new places. Twitter also allows users to connect with high profile individuals such as Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama and Ashton Kutcher, which they would otherwise not have the ability to connect to.
These structural variations around visibility and access are one of the primary ways in which social network sites differentiate themselves. The Twitter network construction is so open and simple, it is the users that are developing variations of how it can be used. Already an array of different uses of Twitter by organisations have emerged. It is being used in a non-commercial nature by local governments and Councils. It is also used as a link to tie audiences to other communication channels, used as a research tool, and in general a low maintenance way of connecting with people.
With the growth in Twitters popularity, so too has the frequency of social media communication flows. Initially, online social media tools such as email, message boards, forums, blogs and comment posts were asynchronous in nature. Twitter however is shifting the communication style to a more synchronous nature, with little to no time lag between the giving and receiving aspects of comminication. This synchronous characteristic of Twitter communication is the driving factor behind trends such as the non-commercial apoption of Twitter by local governments and Councils. One small town in America uses a Twitter network to distribute community notices such as road works updates. Twitter was used as a souce of emergency updates throughout the Californian bushfires in America, with Twitter users following Twitterer ‘@sandiegofire’ in order to receive uptodate evacuation information. Twitters capability to distribute emergency notices such as natural disasters and health alerts will become an increasingly effective means of citizen communication as the Twitter network continues to expand.
Large news corporations are using Twitter in a similar way to Government agencies, by alerting followers of breaking news through their ‘Tweets’. Twitter is a rapid catalyst for news. One of the most widely followed media distributors on Twitter is CNN, with over 1.5 million followers. The ‘Tweets’ however serve a secondary function of linking and driving traffic to their other media channels. CNN distributes breaking-news links which steer followers to CNNs central website. A second news corporation, KPBS News, also adopts this strategy. Figure 8.0 shows a sample of their ‘Tweets’, all of which contain links to their other media channels including their central website and their online radio station.
The strategy of incorporating links into ‘Tweets’ is being adopted by a wide range of industries as Twitters popularity grows. The key to a ‘Tweets’ success however, as with all social media marketing, is creating ‘Tweets’ which uniquely incorporate value to followers. ‘Tweeting’ an organisations website link repeatedly will fail to drive traffic if it does not offer the follower something of value. Businesses are therefore ‘Tweeting’ links to amusing videos on YouTube, special offers and sale information, rheurorical questions which stimulate consumer curiosity, or anecdotes, quotes and riddles in order to engage followers and offer them a valuable experience.
A third method of using ‘Twitter’ is harnessing its functionality as a market research tool. It can act as an instant focus group, a method of measuring responsiveness to offline media campaigns, to gain competitor insight, and remain relevant by tracking Twitter trends through applications such as Twopular, Twist, Tweetmeme, Twitturly, and Twithority, among many others.
The ‘do-it-yourself’ Approach
Another approach to social networking being adopted by a number of businesses including DMO’s such as ‘Las Vegas Tourism’, is the creation of their own social networks, accessible through the organisations existing digital assets.
There are however a number of disadvantages associated with the ‘do-it-yourself’ approach. The creation of the social network interface is costly, requiring web designers, project managers and digital architects. Research reveals that one’s existing offline network influences which social network site one embraces. People most commonly use social network sites to connect with those in their existing networks, rather than to seek out new friends and acquaintances. This creates a challenge for organisations such as Las Vegas Tourism, in establishing a strong enough online presence to motivate people to join the ‘MyVegas’ social network. People prefer to converse within the comfort of their own chosen network, it’s easier than trying to convince consumers to change.
The research findings are divided into their respective categories as outlined in the introduction to social media. Each category of social media is explored through the use of case studies, which help illustrate the notions proposed in both commercial and academic literature examined.
Analysis of Communicative Social Media
All of the social media channels examined through this research report possess a strong communicative focus, however the most communicative social media channels are social networks. A social network can be defined as a social structure made of nodes (an individual or organisation) that are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency. This interdependency may be shared values, visions, ideas, friendship, kinship, dislike, trade or other forms of exchange (Jackson & Wilinsky, 1996). There are hundreds of social networking sites available on the internet today; however this report will not cover each one. Instead, this report will provide a theoretical framework of social network analysis. This will be followed by an investigation of social network sites ‘Facebook’, ‘Twitter’ and the alternative option of creating ones own social network site, as practical examples of social network marketing.
In order to understand how the interactions occur through social networks, and how this is relevant to marketers, it is beneficial to have an understanding of sociological theory which sets the underlying assumptions upon which social media interaction behaviour is based. Research by Mark Granovetter titled ‘The Strength of Weak Ties’ provides a theoretical framework with regards to information mobility and diffusion through social networks. Sociological theory prior to his research focused on micro-level interactions; however his research identified macro-level patterns of interaction which can be applied to today’s extensive online social networks.
He identified two types of ties which make up social networks. Strong ties are a combination of emotional intensity, frequent interaction, mutual confiding and reciprocal services. They form clusters such as an individuals close circle of friends. Weak ties act as a bridge between groups or clusters of strong ties within the whole social structure. They act as channels through which ideas, influences or information can flow from socially distant groups. This means that information, ideas or innovation to be diffused, can reach a larger number of people and traverse greater social distance if passed through weak ties rather than strong ties. Individuals whom are ‘early adopters’ of ideas, products and innovations are therefore more likely to have weak ties. They are less subject to localised social pressures and influence, and sit on the margins of social clusters. Identifying individuals most likely to have many weak ties as opposed to those who are more integrated into a local social system can be beneficial to marketers whom want to rapidly disseminate information over a vast distance or acquire socially distant ideas and innovations. This is the strength of weak ties.
The unique feature of social network sites such as Facebook is that they enable users to articulate and make visible their social networks. This feature allows for identification of an individuals social capital, and furthermore, facilitates the bridging of social capital by making visible potential ties that would not be made in an offline environment. Research by Ellison, Steinfield and Lampe (2007) confirmed a positive relationship between usage levels of online social network ‘Facebook’ and the creation of social capital. Information now has greater liquidity and dispersion, presenting marketers with increased opportunities to reach their target audience.
Facebook is a social networking site established in 2004, which has grown to be the largest social network on the internet. It has almost 200 million active users, of which 70% of them live outside of the United States. The site offers users a wide variety of tools to facilitate communication within individuals networks including status updates, photo sharing, email, event posting and live chatting (Facebook, 2009). The key question with regards to using Facebook as a marketing channel is how to leverage the power of the social network and engage users with your presense? One central finding with regards to not only marketing on Facebook, but all social media marketing, is to be a member, not a marketer (Gault, 2009).
The creation of a profile page is the start of your organisations presence on Facebook and is also the page which the creator has the most control over. This is the first point of contact with other individuals within the social network, therefore it needs to authentically express who you are or what you are trying to promote. From this point, further organsation awareness and growth can be fostered through the use of tools such as the creation of ‘groups’ and ‘pages’. These tools create a central place for conversation about your organisation or brand, providing useful customer feedback and insight. If named strategically they can motivate people to join, which then puts the group name on all members profile pages, creating additional brand visibility. An example of a successful group was the ‘1,000,000 Strong for Stephen Colbert’ group, which grew from zero to one million members in just five days (Facebook, 2009).
Other tools and applications Facebook offers includes event listings, posting invitations and requests, social ads, photo and video uploading and a ‘marketplace’ tool which acts as a classifieds listing service.
The Facebook interface and associated tools offer marketers entirely new paradigms for designing immersive and persuasive brand experiences. The challenge however is in creating something of value, and not only for the organisation but for consumers. This involves being creative and removing barriers, make the brand more accessible to consumers and encourage both B2C, C2C, and C2B conversation. According to marketing expert and author of ‘Purple Cow’ Seth Godin, “Conversations among the people in your marketplace happen whether you like it or not. Good marketing encourages the right sort of conversations” (Seth Godin, 2003).
Creating attractive interactive content through social network channels such as Facebook can require the combining of computing, media and telecommunications skills in order to produce effective exposure. If implemented strategically however, the results can include client retention through the building of relationships, customer engagement, brand awareness, increased customer satisfaction, positive word-of-mouth, and increased web site traffic.
Twitter is one of the fastest growing social media platforms on the internet. The emergence and rapid growth of Twitter can be partly attributed to the release of mobile technologies such as the ‘iPhone’. Since the iPhones release in early 2008 over 17million iPhones have been sold (Apple, 2009;http://tinyurl.com/r5vvgm). Through the growing availability of mobile internet technology, consumers’ accessibility to social networks has increased, resulting in furthering the reach of social media.
‘Twitter’ can be viewed as a subcategory of communicative social media. It has been termed a ‘microblogging platform’, predominantly due to its constrictive status update offering, limited to 140 characters only. Users send out these short status updates, called ‘Tweets’, to all their followers within the Twitter network. The community of Twitter, Twitter users, and their ‘Tweets’ has been labelled the ‘Twittersphere’. Twitter users create a profile page as their point of contact with the ‘Twittershere’, however their network is structured in a different way to social networks such as Facebook. A users network consists of people they have selected to ‘follow’, and other users whom have selected to be ‘followers’. The two components are not interrelated, therefore the user controls what information they receive themselves (by who they follow) but the user cannot control who sees the users content (this is chosen by followers, not the user). As a result, Twitter users get interesting insight when posting questions, and it spreads the users message to new places. Twitter also allows users to connect with high profile individuals such as Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama and Ashton Kutcher, which they would otherwise not have the ability to connect to.
These structural variations around visibility and access are one of the primary ways in which social network sites differentiate themselves. The Twitter network construction is so open and simple, it is the users that are developing variations of how it can be used. Already an array of different uses of Twitter by organisations have emerged. It is being used in a non-commercial nature by local governments and Councils. It is also used as a link to tie audiences to other communication channels, used as a research tool, and in general a low maintenance way of connecting with people.
With the growth in Twitters popularity, so too has the frequency of social media communication flows. Initially, online social media tools such as email, message boards, forums, blogs and comment posts were asynchronous in nature. Twitter however is shifting the communication style to a more synchronous nature, with little to no time lag between the giving and receiving aspects of comminication. This synchronous characteristic of Twitter communication is the driving factor behind trends such as the non-commercial apoption of Twitter by local governments and Councils. One small town in America uses a Twitter network to distribute community notices such as road works updates. Twitter was used as a souce of emergency updates throughout the Californian bushfires in America, with Twitter users following Twitterer ‘@sandiegofire’ in order to receive uptodate evacuation information. Twitters capability to distribute emergency notices such as natural disasters and health alerts will become an increasingly effective means of citizen communication as the Twitter network continues to expand.
Large news corporations are using Twitter in a similar way to Government agencies, by alerting followers of breaking news through their ‘Tweets’. Twitter is a rapid catalyst for news. One of the most widely followed media distributors on Twitter is CNN, with over 1.5 million followers. The ‘Tweets’ however serve a secondary function of linking and driving traffic to their other media channels. CNN distributes breaking-news links which steer followers to CNNs central website. A second news corporation, KPBS News, also adopts this strategy. Figure 8.0 shows a sample of their ‘Tweets’, all of which contain links to their other media channels including their central website and their online radio station.
The strategy of incorporating links into ‘Tweets’ is being adopted by a wide range of industries as Twitters popularity grows. The key to a ‘Tweets’ success however, as with all social media marketing, is creating ‘Tweets’ which uniquely incorporate value to followers. ‘Tweeting’ an organisations website link repeatedly will fail to drive traffic if it does not offer the follower something of value. Businesses are therefore ‘Tweeting’ links to amusing videos on YouTube, special offers and sale information, rheurorical questions which stimulate consumer curiosity, or anecdotes, quotes and riddles in order to engage followers and offer them a valuable experience.
A third method of using ‘Twitter’ is harnessing its functionality as a market research tool. It can act as an instant focus group, a method of measuring responsiveness to offline media campaigns, to gain competitor insight, and remain relevant by tracking Twitter trends through applications such as Twopular, Twist, Tweetmeme, Twitturly, and Twithority, among many others.
The ‘do-it-yourself’ Approach
Another approach to social networking being adopted by a number of businesses including DMO’s such as ‘Las Vegas Tourism’, is the creation of their own social networks, accessible through the organisations existing digital assets.
There are however a number of disadvantages associated with the ‘do-it-yourself’ approach. The creation of the social network interface is costly, requiring web designers, project managers and digital architects. Research reveals that one’s existing offline network influences which social network site one embraces. People most commonly use social network sites to connect with those in their existing networks, rather than to seek out new friends and acquaintances. This creates a challenge for organisations such as Las Vegas Tourism, in establishing a strong enough online presence to motivate people to join the ‘MyVegas’ social network. People prefer to converse within the comfort of their own chosen network, it’s easier than trying to convince consumers to change.
Internship Research Methodology
In this investigation, both primary and secondary research was used in order to gain insight into social medias value and effectiveness as a marketing platform for DMO’s. The interfaces of current online social media channels were researched through both directly observing, contributing and interacting with them, in conjunction with analyses of literature; both academic and commercial in nature, relating to individual interfaces characteristics. The research data was categorised and summarised in terms of the user base size of each interface and its defining characteristics. Four broad categories have been assigned; the first three are communicative, collaborative and multimedia. The fourth category is titled ‘hybrid social media’ in recognition that in fact a large majority of social media interfaces possess characteristics from more than one of the three main categories assigned in this report. The interfaces placed within this fourth category however are divided more evenly than others in terms of which of the three categories it could fall within.
Through the broad analyses of the social media platform and its component interfaces, the most significant interfaces (in relation to GCT) were then selected to explore on a deeper level in terms of the channels different marketing uses, strengths, criticisms and implications. This data was sourced from academic journals in conjunction with case studies which illustrate the notions academia propose. Primary data was collected through observation, contribution and interaction with the selected relevant social media interfaces. This involved the creation of a weblog (blog) and Facebook profile, joining the YouTube network, initiating a Twitter presence and joining a virtual community. Through experiencing the social media directly, the physical and tangible aspects of the interfaces could be experienced and analysed.
The analysis of the all data collected provided recurrent notions which are divided into recommendations and implications of the interfaces examined. These recommendations have then been translated into a brief action plan for using the social media interface as a marketing tool, which Gold Coast Tourism or other destination marketing organisations could adopt.
Through the broad analyses of the social media platform and its component interfaces, the most significant interfaces (in relation to GCT) were then selected to explore on a deeper level in terms of the channels different marketing uses, strengths, criticisms and implications. This data was sourced from academic journals in conjunction with case studies which illustrate the notions academia propose. Primary data was collected through observation, contribution and interaction with the selected relevant social media interfaces. This involved the creation of a weblog (blog) and Facebook profile, joining the YouTube network, initiating a Twitter presence and joining a virtual community. Through experiencing the social media directly, the physical and tangible aspects of the interfaces could be experienced and analysed.
The analysis of the all data collected provided recurrent notions which are divided into recommendations and implications of the interfaces examined. These recommendations have then been translated into a brief action plan for using the social media interface as a marketing tool, which Gold Coast Tourism or other destination marketing organisations could adopt.
Internship Research Problem Overview
Marketing is an organisational investment. Effectiveness and value in marketing investment is therefore necessary. The more knowledge and understanding the organisation has of the operating environment, the less inherent the risk of a wrong and costly investment decision. In particular, the risk involved with investment in online marketing channels, and specifically social media channels needs to be investigated. Currently it is unclear for GCT what risks the organisation will face in operating within an online social environment in order to capitalise on the benefits which social media as a marketing platform offers. Through an analysis of different formats of online social media the most effective methods of capitalising the e-channel strengths can be identified and applications recommended.
An estimated 100,000 new profiles are created each day on social media network ‘Facebook’ (Serino, 2008). Although a social media network such as ‘Facebook’ offers an online marketer the opportunity for widespread exposure, the question is how effective are these social media channels in reaching the target audience for a particular organisation, and what are the most effective ways of utilising these channels to benefit DMO’s? When taking into consideration the amount of clutter by which ‘Facebook’ is surrounded, the dominant purpose of use, and the prevailing user characteristics, there may be more value in posting a homemade video on ‘YouTube‘, or perhaps starting your own group on ‘MySpace‘.
The objective is not just reaching the target audience, but providing them with a unique, transparent space which engages and encourages conversation. With so many avenues for online destination marketing through the wide array of online social media, it is beneficial to understand the characteristics of each one. This research project will investigate a sample of online social media channels which cover the broad categories within the online social media sphere. This information will help GCT determine the best method to make use of social media as a marketing channel.
An estimated 100,000 new profiles are created each day on social media network ‘Facebook’ (Serino, 2008). Although a social media network such as ‘Facebook’ offers an online marketer the opportunity for widespread exposure, the question is how effective are these social media channels in reaching the target audience for a particular organisation, and what are the most effective ways of utilising these channels to benefit DMO’s? When taking into consideration the amount of clutter by which ‘Facebook’ is surrounded, the dominant purpose of use, and the prevailing user characteristics, there may be more value in posting a homemade video on ‘YouTube‘, or perhaps starting your own group on ‘MySpace‘.
The objective is not just reaching the target audience, but providing them with a unique, transparent space which engages and encourages conversation. With so many avenues for online destination marketing through the wide array of online social media, it is beneficial to understand the characteristics of each one. This research project will investigate a sample of online social media channels which cover the broad categories within the online social media sphere. This information will help GCT determine the best method to make use of social media as a marketing channel.
An Introduction to Social Media
An Introduction to Social media
Overview
Social media refers to activities that combine technology, telecommunications and social interaction, with the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. Social media can also be defined as collective goods produced through computer-mediated collective action (Wikipedia, 2009). Social media offers tools that allow consumers to connect and share. Businesses often refer to social media as user-generated content (UGC) or user-generated media (UGM) typically transmitted via cable and broadband internet connections or mobile communication networks such as the Apple ‘iPhone’. Through the juxtaposition of social media and traditional broadcast media, the defining characteristics of social media become clearer.
Social media is still in its infant years of growth, only in the last few years emerging as a new marketing platform. Similar to traditional broadcast media channels such as television and newspaper, social media has the capability to reach small or large audiences, however at a significantly smaller cost. In contrast to traditional broadcast media however, social media has greater accessibility, useability, recency and permanence. Social interfaces such as ‘Facebook’, ‘YouTube’, and ‘Wikipedia’ are generally available for anyone to use, and are a simple means of content production that does not require specialised skills such as operating a printing press or developing film. Communication through social media channels occurs virtually instantaneously, particularly through real time social media interfaces such as ‘Twitter’, therefore eliminating the time lag between media production and distribution. Lastly, unlike broadcast media, social media is not permanent, meaning that it can be altered, rated, commented on, deleted or improved. Social media encourages organisations to interject themselves into conversations among customers within the online marketplace, rather than dominating what in the past was a one-way communication channel (Ahn, Han, Kwak, Moon & Jeong, 2007)
Figure 1.0. Illustration of social media marketing and traditional marketing approaches (www.awarenessnetworks.com, 2009).
Figure 1.0 illustrates the comparison between social media marketing and traditional marketing channels. One of the defining characteristics of social media is the multi-way marketplace within which social media operates. Brand-to-customer, customer-to-brand and customer-to-customer interaction are enabled by blogs, pod-casts, social networks and other web 2.0 technologies. This new type of engagement was not possible until the arrival of Web 2.0, which has been named the ‘participatory web’ as opposed to Web 1.0 which was purely an information source. Web 2.0 is the facilitator of the communications, information sharing, interoperability and collaborations which take place through applications such as social networking sites, video-sharing sites, wikis and blogs (Wikipedia, 2009; Constantinides & Fountain, 2008).
Figure 2.0 illustrates the diversity of both producers and consumers of social media. The producers and consumers of social media range from individuals, small businesses, large corporations and social groups. In communicating within and between these groups, traditional broadcast media adopts a push strategy where a brands message is transferred
Figure2.0 The diversity of producers and consumers of social media (Microsoft Research, 2008)
from a single firm to an audience. In contrast to traditional broadcast media the combinations of communication flows have expanded through the emergence of social media. This allows for example, a group of brand consumers to produce brand communication and direct it towards other groups (Microsoft Research, 2008).
Another example of the customer-to-customer communication which social media facilitates can be found on community blogs such as ‘Lovemarks’ (http://tiny.cc/q0z0V). ‘Lovemarks’ is an online global community of people who create pages dedicated to particular brands they love, allowing comments and video uploading. Another example is German automobile manufacturer ‘BMW’ which has Wikipedia pages, Facebook groups and fan-pages (http://tiny.cc/9K7Rb), blogs and almost 200,000 YouTube videos dedicated to the brand, all produced and consumed by the global online community, not by BMW (Facebook, 2009; Wikipedia, 2009; YouTube, 2009). This social media characteristic of customer-to-customer communication flows illustrates that brand communication and media can be user-generated (UGM), giving brands less control over what is said in the marketplace and whom the communication is directed to. For this reason, one of the keys to successful social media marketing is no longer a one way push, but joining and encouraging positive conversation and communication between social media users with regards to the firms brand, product or service.
Social Media and Destination Marketing Organisations (DMO’s)
The relevance and application of social media to destination marketing is becoming increasingly apparent as the number of social media users grows. An estimated 373 million people currently engage in a form of social media ranging from blogs to forums to instant messaging. This number is projected to grow to one billion by 2012 as social media applications for communication and collaboration further diversify (Google, 2009).
Through the growth of user-generated content online, the role of intermediaries such as travel agents and tour operators is being challenged. Through access to blogs, forums, social network interfaces and pod casts, consumers can now be more informed about any subject as never before and more importantly, consumers have the means to communicate his or her knowledge and expertise to the rest of the global online community. These free flowing conversations create transparency among destinations, heightening the importance of quality information as well as the potential for misinformation. Destination marketing organisations exist for the most part as information providers. The information based nature of tourism therefore makes social networks an increasingly important means of promoting and distributing destination information (Choi, Lehto & Oleary, 2007). This is achieved through participating in the global conversation about the destination, rather than trying to control it. This involves engaging in different social media interfaces with the objective to interact with their dominant users.
Figure 3.0. An illustration of the global reach of social media (Denton, 2009).
Figure 3.0 illustrates the global reach of social media through the reach of dominant social media applications. It also shows that ones existing offline network influences which site one embraces. Research has found that people often use social media services to connect with those in their existing networks, rather than to seek out new acquaintances (Ellison, Steinfeld & Lampe, 2007). For example, social media network and discussion site ‘Orkut’ has approximately 30 million users; 17 million of these users are concentrated in Brazil alone. Age demographics also influence users’ choice of social media. Social media network ‘Reunion’ has approximately 50 million registered users, however only 10% of these are aged under 25 (Hargittai, 2007).
Social Media is however in its infancy, which leaves many questions still unanswered. The key to successful social media marketing for DMOs and businesses in general is still yet to be theorised, however as this research report analyses current strategies being adopted, the foundations of ‘best practice’ will become clear.
Overview
Social media refers to activities that combine technology, telecommunications and social interaction, with the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. Social media can also be defined as collective goods produced through computer-mediated collective action (Wikipedia, 2009). Social media offers tools that allow consumers to connect and share. Businesses often refer to social media as user-generated content (UGC) or user-generated media (UGM) typically transmitted via cable and broadband internet connections or mobile communication networks such as the Apple ‘iPhone’. Through the juxtaposition of social media and traditional broadcast media, the defining characteristics of social media become clearer.
Social media is still in its infant years of growth, only in the last few years emerging as a new marketing platform. Similar to traditional broadcast media channels such as television and newspaper, social media has the capability to reach small or large audiences, however at a significantly smaller cost. In contrast to traditional broadcast media however, social media has greater accessibility, useability, recency and permanence. Social interfaces such as ‘Facebook’, ‘YouTube’, and ‘Wikipedia’ are generally available for anyone to use, and are a simple means of content production that does not require specialised skills such as operating a printing press or developing film. Communication through social media channels occurs virtually instantaneously, particularly through real time social media interfaces such as ‘Twitter’, therefore eliminating the time lag between media production and distribution. Lastly, unlike broadcast media, social media is not permanent, meaning that it can be altered, rated, commented on, deleted or improved. Social media encourages organisations to interject themselves into conversations among customers within the online marketplace, rather than dominating what in the past was a one-way communication channel (Ahn, Han, Kwak, Moon & Jeong, 2007)
Figure 1.0. Illustration of social media marketing and traditional marketing approaches (www.awarenessnetworks.com, 2009).
Figure 1.0 illustrates the comparison between social media marketing and traditional marketing channels. One of the defining characteristics of social media is the multi-way marketplace within which social media operates. Brand-to-customer, customer-to-brand and customer-to-customer interaction are enabled by blogs, pod-casts, social networks and other web 2.0 technologies. This new type of engagement was not possible until the arrival of Web 2.0, which has been named the ‘participatory web’ as opposed to Web 1.0 which was purely an information source. Web 2.0 is the facilitator of the communications, information sharing, interoperability and collaborations which take place through applications such as social networking sites, video-sharing sites, wikis and blogs (Wikipedia, 2009; Constantinides & Fountain, 2008).
Figure 2.0 illustrates the diversity of both producers and consumers of social media. The producers and consumers of social media range from individuals, small businesses, large corporations and social groups. In communicating within and between these groups, traditional broadcast media adopts a push strategy where a brands message is transferred
Figure2.0 The diversity of producers and consumers of social media (Microsoft Research, 2008)
from a single firm to an audience. In contrast to traditional broadcast media the combinations of communication flows have expanded through the emergence of social media. This allows for example, a group of brand consumers to produce brand communication and direct it towards other groups (Microsoft Research, 2008).
Another example of the customer-to-customer communication which social media facilitates can be found on community blogs such as ‘Lovemarks’ (http://tiny.cc/q0z0V). ‘Lovemarks’ is an online global community of people who create pages dedicated to particular brands they love, allowing comments and video uploading. Another example is German automobile manufacturer ‘BMW’ which has Wikipedia pages, Facebook groups and fan-pages (http://tiny.cc/9K7Rb), blogs and almost 200,000 YouTube videos dedicated to the brand, all produced and consumed by the global online community, not by BMW (Facebook, 2009; Wikipedia, 2009; YouTube, 2009). This social media characteristic of customer-to-customer communication flows illustrates that brand communication and media can be user-generated (UGM), giving brands less control over what is said in the marketplace and whom the communication is directed to. For this reason, one of the keys to successful social media marketing is no longer a one way push, but joining and encouraging positive conversation and communication between social media users with regards to the firms brand, product or service.
Social Media and Destination Marketing Organisations (DMO’s)
The relevance and application of social media to destination marketing is becoming increasingly apparent as the number of social media users grows. An estimated 373 million people currently engage in a form of social media ranging from blogs to forums to instant messaging. This number is projected to grow to one billion by 2012 as social media applications for communication and collaboration further diversify (Google, 2009).
Through the growth of user-generated content online, the role of intermediaries such as travel agents and tour operators is being challenged. Through access to blogs, forums, social network interfaces and pod casts, consumers can now be more informed about any subject as never before and more importantly, consumers have the means to communicate his or her knowledge and expertise to the rest of the global online community. These free flowing conversations create transparency among destinations, heightening the importance of quality information as well as the potential for misinformation. Destination marketing organisations exist for the most part as information providers. The information based nature of tourism therefore makes social networks an increasingly important means of promoting and distributing destination information (Choi, Lehto & Oleary, 2007). This is achieved through participating in the global conversation about the destination, rather than trying to control it. This involves engaging in different social media interfaces with the objective to interact with their dominant users.
Figure 3.0. An illustration of the global reach of social media (Denton, 2009).
Figure 3.0 illustrates the global reach of social media through the reach of dominant social media applications. It also shows that ones existing offline network influences which site one embraces. Research has found that people often use social media services to connect with those in their existing networks, rather than to seek out new acquaintances (Ellison, Steinfeld & Lampe, 2007). For example, social media network and discussion site ‘Orkut’ has approximately 30 million users; 17 million of these users are concentrated in Brazil alone. Age demographics also influence users’ choice of social media. Social media network ‘Reunion’ has approximately 50 million registered users, however only 10% of these are aged under 25 (Hargittai, 2007).
Social Media is however in its infancy, which leaves many questions still unanswered. The key to successful social media marketing for DMOs and businesses in general is still yet to be theorised, however as this research report analyses current strategies being adopted, the foundations of ‘best practice’ will become clear.
Journal - Week 13
Ok, now I am officially going crazy, or schitzophrenic or split personality where one side is in denial and the other side is completely over-reacting. I need to find some sort of happy medium but it’s just not happening. Today, I was typing away at my assignment and started thinking “oh this is going to be a piece of cake to finish, I have so much great information that my report will be super” (that’s denial). Then a mere 30 minutes later I was stricken with panic thinking ‘there’s no way in the world I will get this done… I don’t have any good research, it’s all terrible and I am going to fail….I am doomed!!! (That’s over reacting).
Now that I reflect on it, I find it all quite amusing but at the time it is no fun. I think that up until now my rollercoaster has just been clicking its way up to the highest point like it does at the beginning of the one at Dreamworld. The ride hadn’t even begun yet…but it has now. That makes more sense anyway because rollercoaster’s are pretty quick. I only have a few days till my report is due so time will go pretty fast.
I just need to finish my findings section, then of course referencing which I suck at. At least I don’t have to reference every single website I visited, just reference the main journal articles which shouldn’t be too hard. Then its all over red rover.
Now that I reflect on it, I find it all quite amusing but at the time it is no fun. I think that up until now my rollercoaster has just been clicking its way up to the highest point like it does at the beginning of the one at Dreamworld. The ride hadn’t even begun yet…but it has now. That makes more sense anyway because rollercoaster’s are pretty quick. I only have a few days till my report is due so time will go pretty fast.
I just need to finish my findings section, then of course referencing which I suck at. At least I don’t have to reference every single website I visited, just reference the main journal articles which shouldn’t be too hard. Then its all over red rover.
Journal - Week 12
THURSDAY 28TH MAY
Week 12 is almost gone now which is so scary. That means in a week and a bit I will be talking to industry people about my fabulous research findings which I haven’t even written yet…..oh dear. Though I never get too stressed about due dates because over the last three years I have NEVER been organised with uni, always leaving everything till the last minute! And considering I haven’t done so badly to date, I have faith that it will be the same for this report. I’ll definitely procrastinate a bit more, then completely freak out, then drink huge amounts of coffee and punch out my assignment. I’m so predictable.
I have all the findings and everything is summarised and highlighted and categorised. I just have so much trouble writing it out into sentences so I put it off. I think that I am good at collecting information, but not so good at the writing side of things. I read journal articles and they’re always written so perfectly. Then when I write it sounds too conversational. Dr Schembri said I have to learn to join my point and paragraphs together so my writing isn’t so disjointed. As a result I have used the words ‘however’ and ‘In relation to’ about a trillion times already. I think I need a bigger thesaurus.
Anyway…in other news, I haven’t heard back about the job I applied for which is disappointing. I’m not that surprised though. They wanted someone with a bit of a clue about social media marketing…which I don’t have. I just keep remembering that if I don’t get a job then it’s because it wasn’t the right job for me and that I just have to be patient. Honestly I am so tired and stressed right now that working as a checkout chick sounds like a great idea. So little responsibility, so mindless and easy….I like to set my sights high :) When I was in primary school and they went around the class asking each kid what they want to be when they grow up, most kids said doctors, the Prime Minister, fire-fighter etc, but I said secretary! Some aspiration. I think it’s because my mum told me I am good at organising things neatly.
Now when I honestly think about what job I would like, I would like to be paid to sit in a little office and research things for people. Going into this internship I wanted to do some sort of market research as opposed to a marketing plan, so I am happy with how it all turned out.
Week 12 is almost gone now which is so scary. That means in a week and a bit I will be talking to industry people about my fabulous research findings which I haven’t even written yet…..oh dear. Though I never get too stressed about due dates because over the last three years I have NEVER been organised with uni, always leaving everything till the last minute! And considering I haven’t done so badly to date, I have faith that it will be the same for this report. I’ll definitely procrastinate a bit more, then completely freak out, then drink huge amounts of coffee and punch out my assignment. I’m so predictable.
I have all the findings and everything is summarised and highlighted and categorised. I just have so much trouble writing it out into sentences so I put it off. I think that I am good at collecting information, but not so good at the writing side of things. I read journal articles and they’re always written so perfectly. Then when I write it sounds too conversational. Dr Schembri said I have to learn to join my point and paragraphs together so my writing isn’t so disjointed. As a result I have used the words ‘however’ and ‘In relation to’ about a trillion times already. I think I need a bigger thesaurus.
Anyway…in other news, I haven’t heard back about the job I applied for which is disappointing. I’m not that surprised though. They wanted someone with a bit of a clue about social media marketing…which I don’t have. I just keep remembering that if I don’t get a job then it’s because it wasn’t the right job for me and that I just have to be patient. Honestly I am so tired and stressed right now that working as a checkout chick sounds like a great idea. So little responsibility, so mindless and easy….I like to set my sights high :) When I was in primary school and they went around the class asking each kid what they want to be when they grow up, most kids said doctors, the Prime Minister, fire-fighter etc, but I said secretary! Some aspiration. I think it’s because my mum told me I am good at organising things neatly.
Now when I honestly think about what job I would like, I would like to be paid to sit in a little office and research things for people. Going into this internship I wanted to do some sort of market research as opposed to a marketing plan, so I am happy with how it all turned out.
Journal - Week 11
WEDNESDAY, 20TH MAY, 2009
Well this week has been quite the wake up call, considering in class yesterday I looked at our course outline and realised the final report is due the week after next…eeeek!.Though for some reason, when ever I feel stressed and have little time to complete something I always get real sleepy and nap all the time. It’s some physiological form of procrastination or avoidance which I have no control over which is annoying.
We also had our poster critique session yesterday which I found really nerve racking. Getting up in front of everyone and showing your work so that people can cut it to shreds is so scary. As the class went on everyone’s posters were so impressive and professional that I got so nervous. I was hoping I could just sink into my chair and they would skip over me. My poster was pretty and colourful with bright blues and pinks so I was expecting Sharon to tell me it wasn’t serious enough and looked too fun. Fortunately it went ok which was a relief. I absolutely love doing creative stuff like making that poster. I only spent a few hours on it but had so much fun. It made me value having experience in design and using Photoshop because otherwise it would be pretty hard. Every ones work was great though, I think that because everyone does such a high standard of work that we all motivate each other to do better. Katie’s work is particularly good, she’s one person that I think will go a long way.
I also applied for a job this week. An agency in Brisbane called ‘XCOM Media’ is after a social media marketing coordinator, which is pretty much exactly what I am researching. They are after someone with a years experience so I’m not expecting an interview or anything, but I thought it’s worth a shot. My supervisor Tim recommended I go for it. I was thinking about how much I have learnt from him and realised a little thankyou letter really won’t cut it. He has taught me so incredibly much ranging from tips on working more efficiently and organising things better, to getting me contract work, recommending me for jobs, being a referee, helping me with my project, throwing me in the deep end with jobs, emailing me journal articles and links to good websites. Every day I go in there we always have lunch together and I just drill him with thousands of questions about the industry and my project and he answers all of them so well. I just feel so fortunate to have such a great mentor, its changed my entire career direction because I had never really experienced the digital side of marketing through uni subjects. I was actually considering doing an IT degree because I am interested in digital technology, so digital marketing combines both my need for a creative outlet, as well as the more technical side of things.
Well busy weeks ahead considering I have done ‘sfa’ in terms of my research findings and results section. It’ll be fine as long as I stop napping, implement a “No Napping” rule!!!
Well this week has been quite the wake up call, considering in class yesterday I looked at our course outline and realised the final report is due the week after next…eeeek!.Though for some reason, when ever I feel stressed and have little time to complete something I always get real sleepy and nap all the time. It’s some physiological form of procrastination or avoidance which I have no control over which is annoying.
We also had our poster critique session yesterday which I found really nerve racking. Getting up in front of everyone and showing your work so that people can cut it to shreds is so scary. As the class went on everyone’s posters were so impressive and professional that I got so nervous. I was hoping I could just sink into my chair and they would skip over me. My poster was pretty and colourful with bright blues and pinks so I was expecting Sharon to tell me it wasn’t serious enough and looked too fun. Fortunately it went ok which was a relief. I absolutely love doing creative stuff like making that poster. I only spent a few hours on it but had so much fun. It made me value having experience in design and using Photoshop because otherwise it would be pretty hard. Every ones work was great though, I think that because everyone does such a high standard of work that we all motivate each other to do better. Katie’s work is particularly good, she’s one person that I think will go a long way.
I also applied for a job this week. An agency in Brisbane called ‘XCOM Media’ is after a social media marketing coordinator, which is pretty much exactly what I am researching. They are after someone with a years experience so I’m not expecting an interview or anything, but I thought it’s worth a shot. My supervisor Tim recommended I go for it. I was thinking about how much I have learnt from him and realised a little thankyou letter really won’t cut it. He has taught me so incredibly much ranging from tips on working more efficiently and organising things better, to getting me contract work, recommending me for jobs, being a referee, helping me with my project, throwing me in the deep end with jobs, emailing me journal articles and links to good websites. Every day I go in there we always have lunch together and I just drill him with thousands of questions about the industry and my project and he answers all of them so well. I just feel so fortunate to have such a great mentor, its changed my entire career direction because I had never really experienced the digital side of marketing through uni subjects. I was actually considering doing an IT degree because I am interested in digital technology, so digital marketing combines both my need for a creative outlet, as well as the more technical side of things.
Well busy weeks ahead considering I have done ‘sfa’ in terms of my research findings and results section. It’ll be fine as long as I stop napping, implement a “No Napping” rule!!!
Journal - Week 10
TUESDAY, MAY 12TH, 2009
I am feeling particularly spirited about everything today which is cool. I think it is because I have finished all my mid semester exams, so between now and my final exams I can fully concentrate on this subject. Maybe I will actually do all the things I would like to put into this project rather than just think about it and stress because I have no time.
Today is my internship day at Gold coast Tourism which is good because it’s the day before my internship tutorial, so I can spend the day getting up to date. I’m really nervous about tomorrow’s class because we have to do a 30-second grab, and I am not good at that kind of stuff. Whenever I try to explain things to people I get my words muddled and make a big mess of it, or I speak too quietly and no one can hear a word I am saying so they just smile and nod politely. I’ve been trying to think of what to say but still have no idea, it always sounds boring because my project is all about nerdy computer stuff. I am thinking of throwing in some statistics about social media to keep it engaging because some of the figures regarding social media are pretty amazing.
We also get our interim reports back tomorrow which is exciting but scary at the same time. I am expecting to see a lot of red pen on my report!
I am feeling particularly spirited about everything today which is cool. I think it is because I have finished all my mid semester exams, so between now and my final exams I can fully concentrate on this subject. Maybe I will actually do all the things I would like to put into this project rather than just think about it and stress because I have no time.
Today is my internship day at Gold coast Tourism which is good because it’s the day before my internship tutorial, so I can spend the day getting up to date. I’m really nervous about tomorrow’s class because we have to do a 30-second grab, and I am not good at that kind of stuff. Whenever I try to explain things to people I get my words muddled and make a big mess of it, or I speak too quietly and no one can hear a word I am saying so they just smile and nod politely. I’ve been trying to think of what to say but still have no idea, it always sounds boring because my project is all about nerdy computer stuff. I am thinking of throwing in some statistics about social media to keep it engaging because some of the figures regarding social media are pretty amazing.
We also get our interim reports back tomorrow which is exciting but scary at the same time. I am expecting to see a lot of red pen on my report!
Journal - Week 9
Thursday May 7th, 2009
This week has been what I call “a stressful patch”. I’m starting to stress that its week 9 already and I haven’t even done the bulk of my research! I feel as though I’ve spent all this time doing my interim report; however that’s just the basic part. I’m praying to have a week off work soon because otherwise it will all just be terrible and the end of the world!! I’m feeling a tad dramatic, I think its because I’m listening to my housemates soppy R&B music. All I can do is my best I suppose. At least I am really happy with the project I am doing. I have started realising that social media marketing is becoming more and more a part of firms marketing budgets. ‘Versace’ for example hire a guy full time just to manage their ‘Facebook’ page and other social media channels. Imagine being paid to sit on ‘Facebook’ all day! Personally I would probably die of boredom but still. Maybe I could get a job with ‘Google’s’ marketing department; I heard it is one of the best places to work. A bit of a far fetched dream though, I feel as though I wont be able to get a really good job because number one: we’re in the middle of a recession, and number two: I don’t really have the vibrant outspoken personality. I commonly get mistaken for a 16year old when I am at work, and on the phone telemarketers just ask me to put mum or dad on having assumed I must be 5 or something!
Anyways it’s not the end of the world. I’m just going to try and be optimistic about my career, I figure worrying never achieves much. I feel doing a research project on something so current will be a good advantage over other marketing graduates.
This week has been what I call “a stressful patch”. I’m starting to stress that its week 9 already and I haven’t even done the bulk of my research! I feel as though I’ve spent all this time doing my interim report; however that’s just the basic part. I’m praying to have a week off work soon because otherwise it will all just be terrible and the end of the world!! I’m feeling a tad dramatic, I think its because I’m listening to my housemates soppy R&B music. All I can do is my best I suppose. At least I am really happy with the project I am doing. I have started realising that social media marketing is becoming more and more a part of firms marketing budgets. ‘Versace’ for example hire a guy full time just to manage their ‘Facebook’ page and other social media channels. Imagine being paid to sit on ‘Facebook’ all day! Personally I would probably die of boredom but still. Maybe I could get a job with ‘Google’s’ marketing department; I heard it is one of the best places to work. A bit of a far fetched dream though, I feel as though I wont be able to get a really good job because number one: we’re in the middle of a recession, and number two: I don’t really have the vibrant outspoken personality. I commonly get mistaken for a 16year old when I am at work, and on the phone telemarketers just ask me to put mum or dad on having assumed I must be 5 or something!
Anyways it’s not the end of the world. I’m just going to try and be optimistic about my career, I figure worrying never achieves much. I feel doing a research project on something so current will be a good advantage over other marketing graduates.
Journal - Week 6
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009
Well I’m feeling a bit confused about this whole reflective journal thing because we got our first journal submission back and I got the feeling I wasn’t doing it right. From the examples read out of other people’s journals, I think I’m not reflecting on myself enough. When I reflect on things I don’t get all emotional like “…well today I was really sad, and then I felt happy, but by the end of the day I was tired and feeling scared and alone...” (Over exaggerated example of course). I just don’t think like that! In fact I just feel pretty happy all the time because I like my project that I am working on a lot. I am finding it hard to reflect on how I feel because I don’t even think about it. I spend my time thinking about what I have learnt and ponder on what direction marketing is heading and what things will be like in the future. Tim, my internship supervisor really inspires me to think in a more forward manner which is great. We have lunch together every time I am in there and discuss the marketing industry and new trends and technologies which I find really cool to talk about. It does make me feel pretty clueless, but I guess I am in a way as this is the first real work experience I have had the opportunity to undertake.
As for my project, I just wish I had time freezing abilities because there is so much I would like to do but I just don’t have any time. I have concluded that I have turned into a girl version of Jim Carrey in that movie ‘Yes Man’. I keep saying yes to everything and as a result I am working seven days a week in three different jobs and going to uni at night. As for study time, it either is nonexistent or I have to forfeit sleeping. Coffee is now my very best friend!
My boyfriend thinks I’m crazy, but I like to think of everything as a challenge, and I’m quite competitive so I like to succeed. Each semester I seem to take on more and more and keep surprising myself on how much I can push myself to get done. The draw back however is that I feel I could hand in a way better project at the end of semester if I spent as much time working on it as I should. Although on the other hand, knowing that I have done this internship whilst working and doing uni and everything else, builds my confidence in what I can achieve (not to mention forcefully turning me into a time management connoisseur).
Well I’m feeling a bit confused about this whole reflective journal thing because we got our first journal submission back and I got the feeling I wasn’t doing it right. From the examples read out of other people’s journals, I think I’m not reflecting on myself enough. When I reflect on things I don’t get all emotional like “…well today I was really sad, and then I felt happy, but by the end of the day I was tired and feeling scared and alone...” (Over exaggerated example of course). I just don’t think like that! In fact I just feel pretty happy all the time because I like my project that I am working on a lot. I am finding it hard to reflect on how I feel because I don’t even think about it. I spend my time thinking about what I have learnt and ponder on what direction marketing is heading and what things will be like in the future. Tim, my internship supervisor really inspires me to think in a more forward manner which is great. We have lunch together every time I am in there and discuss the marketing industry and new trends and technologies which I find really cool to talk about. It does make me feel pretty clueless, but I guess I am in a way as this is the first real work experience I have had the opportunity to undertake.
As for my project, I just wish I had time freezing abilities because there is so much I would like to do but I just don’t have any time. I have concluded that I have turned into a girl version of Jim Carrey in that movie ‘Yes Man’. I keep saying yes to everything and as a result I am working seven days a week in three different jobs and going to uni at night. As for study time, it either is nonexistent or I have to forfeit sleeping. Coffee is now my very best friend!
My boyfriend thinks I’m crazy, but I like to think of everything as a challenge, and I’m quite competitive so I like to succeed. Each semester I seem to take on more and more and keep surprising myself on how much I can push myself to get done. The draw back however is that I feel I could hand in a way better project at the end of semester if I spent as much time working on it as I should. Although on the other hand, knowing that I have done this internship whilst working and doing uni and everything else, builds my confidence in what I can achieve (not to mention forcefully turning me into a time management connoisseur).
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