Eco-Friendly Digital Marketing Internship

Research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey (CMB) recently published a study highlighting the purpose of interacting with a brand on Facebook. In a 15 minute web survey to 1,491 consumers, CMB found that 56% of users aged 18-35 interact with brands they use on Facebook. Overall about one in three users use Facebook to follow brands, where only 4% follow on Twitter and 1% on LinkedIn.

The main reason people “like” a brand is simply because they are a customer. Other popular reasons are to keep track of discounts or to show their support for the brand. A 77% majority consider the extent of their interaction to be reading posts on their newsfeed. However, a “like” could still mean good things for a business. 56% of respondents said they would be more likely to recommend a product after becoming a fan. About 51% said they would be more likely to purchase the product or service. Finally, 58% “like” fewer than five brands and 78% “like” fewer than ten. Therefore, for a majority of users a “like” is significant.

The first big takeaway from this is that Facebook should be the focus of a social media marketing strategy. A very small proportion of people in the study followed brands on other sites like Twitter and LinkedIn. Another thing to notice is that “liking” something is a fairly passive action. In order to make the most of a Facebook fan page businesses need to offer an incentive to be followed – like discounts, new product news, and interesting content – without being overaggressive.

If you’re interested in the rapidly growing world of online marketing, this is the perfect class for you! With Michigan State University’s New Media Driver’s License, you will learn all about the different aspects of online marketing from the experts. Derek Mehraban, CEO of Ingenex Digital Marketing, shows his students the many facets of the digital world in a fun, easy to learn way.

One of the greatest things about this class is that you are learning brand new things, but a lot of it is just expanding your knowledge of media you already use. Not everyone blogs, but it’s a pretty simple thing to do and you will learn the little extras that turn your good blog into a great blog. Most of the students who take this class already have accounts on at least one social media platform. Learn how to use platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube to their full advantage.

Some things you may know little or nothing about are search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM) and Google and Yahoo! search rankings. When you successfully complete this class, you will have an understanding of these things and just how great of an impact they have on a business.

Another great thing about this class is that it is (mostly) online. From experience, I can say this is one of the most enjoyable and most useful classes I have ever taken. I loved the convenience of being able to do my work when it worked best for me.

Sign up now for the Fall 2011 New Media Driver’s License (ADV420) course!

THE NEW MEDIA DRIVERS LICENSE IS PROVIDED BY The Michigan State University Advertising, Public Relations & Retailing Deparment in Partnership with Derek Mehraban.

The Ghost of Facebook Past

Do you remember what you were doing a year ago today? Two years ago today? Facebook has recently released a feature that shows what you posted as your status exactly one or two years previous to the current date.

Sounds like a cool idea at first, but then I started thinking about things that people post on their statuses.

For some days, I’m sure this feature is great. Reading a status about a great weekend that you had, a shopping trip, a family vacation, or a friend’s wedding can bring back some great memories. What about the not-so-great ones? Facebook is a great way to keep in contact with friends and family, and I often see status updates about people’s family or friends who have been in a tragic accident or who have passed away. These are not things that we need to be reminded of by Facebook.

If you’re interested in exploring this feature, it occasionally pops up in the top, right-hand corner of your page, where you would see friends’ birthdays or suggested friends. You will also be shown past status updates from your friends. There are still some kinks in this feature, as it is fairly new (only released in the past few days).

It is unsure if this feature has a purpose or if it is just another feature for users to engage with Facebook. It may even be a way to remind users that they have invested a lot of time into Facebook to keep them from switching to something new and different.

Anonymous, a well known group of “hacktivists”, has organized Operation Facebook to take place on November 5, 2011. The reason of the attack is for the lack of privacy that Facebook provides its users. Anonymous claims that “Facebook has been selling information to government agencies and giving clandestine access to information security firms so that they can spy on people from all around the world.”

This group has claimed to have had some sort of participation in nearly every notable attack this year, including hacking into 70 law enforcement websites as well as completely taking down the Syrian Ministry of Defense this past week.

After being banned from Google+, the group has created its own social network called AnonPlus, but it is not yet available to the public. It is “a new social network where there is no fear … of censorship … of blackout … or of holding back.”

A tweet made by the group has stated that even though some Anons are organizing Operation Facebook, not the entire group agrees with it. Only time will tell if the threat to demolish Facebook is real.

Posted below is the video and statement released by Anonymous that explains the reason for their upcoming attack on the world’s largest social network.

Message from Anonymous: Operation Facebook, Nov 5 2011

Attention citizens of the world,

We wish to get your attention, hoping you heed the warnings as follows:
Your medium of communication you all so dearly adore will be destroyed. If you are a willing hacktivist or a guy who just wants to protect the freedom of information then join the cause and kill facebook for the sake of your own privacy.

Facebook has been selling information to government agencies and giving clandestine access to information security firms so that they can spy on people from all around the world. Some of these so-called whitehat infosec firms are working for authoritarian governments, such as those of Egypt and Syria.

Everything you do on Facebook stays on Facebook regardless of your “privacy” settings, and deleting your account is impossible, even if you “delete” your account, all your personal info stays on Facebook and can be recovered at any time. Changing the privacy settings to make your Facebook account more “private” is also a delusion. Facebook knows more about you than your family.

http://www.physorg.com/news170614271.html
http://itgrunts.com/2010/10/07/facebook-steals-numbers-and-data-from-your-iphone/

You cannot hide from the reality in which you, the people of the internet, live in. Facebook is the opposite of the Antisec cause. You are not safe from them nor from any government. One day you will look back on this and realise what we have done here is right, you will thank the rulers of the internet, we are not harming you but saving you.

The riots are underway. It is not a battle over the future of privacy and publicity. It is a battle for choice and informed consent. It’s unfolding because people are being raped, tickled, molested, and confused into doing things where they don’t understand the consequences. Facebook keeps saying that it gives users choices, but that is completely false. It gives users the illusion of and hides the details away from them “for their own good” while they then make millions off of you. When a service is “free,” it really means they’re making money off of you and your information.

Think for a while and prepare for a day that will go down in history. November 5 2011, #opfacebook . Engaged.

This is our world now. We exist without nationality, without religious bias. We have the right to not be surveilled, not be stalked, and not be used for profit. We have the right to not live as slaves.

We are anonymous
We are legion
We do not forgive
We do not forget
Expect us

Search engine giant Google launched their very own social networking service on Tuesday. The Google+ Project attempts to take a bite out of, and possibly rip the head off of menacing social networking superstar Facebook. Parasitic social networking sites are rapidly invading Google’s territory, as Facebook and Twitter absorb the traffic once reserved for Google. Social networks cripple Google’s infrastructure by depriving important information from the systems used to enhance Web search and Google AdWords.

Google+ Project surpasses any other social networking attempt made by the company in the past. Standard social sharing is taken to the next level, converting the typical social networking mass communication model into a more personalized small group, real-life communication experience.Users can create separate communication groups between friends, family, acquaintances, ex-boyfriends, frenemies, roommates, running buddies, co-workers, etc., into “Circles.” Circles is a Google+ Project feature uses a drag and drop method and simplifies standard practices used on other social networks to dividing friends, foes and co-workers into individual sharing networks.

The iPhone and Android mobile applications for Google+ are very similar to the web version of Google+, making sharing and communicating easy and fluid. Users won’t have to use four different applications to share information or chat with friends in different ways. The magnitude of Google’s Web and mobile presence is enough to make smaller start-ups and mobile developers quiver in their boots. Add the element of social sharing into the mix and Google could potentially destroy its social networking competitors.

Fusing together content sharing, group video chat, video and photo sharing and a mobile app is an impressive start for Google’s social networking future. Google+ Project combines Internet social sharing habits into one centralized place where messages can be controlled and disseminated in real-life fashion. Google+ Project is still in its field trial period and more innovations and changes are expected. It will be interesting to see if Google’s search engine marketing skills will match their social media marketing abilities.

New York Times: Another Try by Google to Take On Facebook

The Google+ Project

Katy Perry pulled out all the stops for her 2011 Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) Video. The video is jammed packed with 80s heartthrob’s, 90s teen pop sensations, Internet memes and Kenny G?

Brace faced frizzy haired Kathy Beth Terry, played by Katey Perry, wakes up to find herself next to a buff young male and a fuzzy memory of the night before. Perry used social media marketing to promote the music video’s main character Kathy Beth Terry, who’s Facebook fan page is packed with links of 80s and 90s teen heart throbs like Jonathan Taylor Thomas (JTT), viral videos created by Kathy Beth herself and video clips of the boy band Hanson.

Katy Perry – Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)

The music video features Kathy Beth Terry getting a makeover from the Friday queen herself Rebecca Black, Hanson playing in the backyard and a saxophone solo from Kenny G. Darren Criss (Blaine) and Kevin McHale (Artie) from “Glee” make an appearance along with other famous stars from the past and present.

Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) is a hilarious play on teen geek-to-chic movie’s. Who knew Rebecca Black was such a party animal. As a Katy Perry fan I give this music video is a must-see and I give it two thumbs up!

Entertainment & Stars: Katy Perry’s ‘Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)’ Features Rebecca Black as Hostess (VIDEO)

In high school and early years of college my Facebook addiction appeared to distract me from what many others thought I “should” be focusing on. As I got older my Facebook addiction led to a fascination with Twitter and other forms of social media. Suddenly I was studying social media and digital public relations strategies in school. Within three years my degree in public relations went from cool to awesome. I was taking innovative journalism classes tailored to social media strategies and search engine optimization and all things digital. Was this too good to be true? Can I really make a career out of this?

Photo: DirJournal.com

It turns out you can. And there is quite the demand for digital agencies and social media strategist as the digital revolution continues to grow according to The Detroit News article, Aging Nation, Technology Give Rise to Five Hot Jobs. There is real value in social and digital and more and more people are recognizing that. The job market is fierce and there is good news for college students. According to The Detroit News Article. “By 2018 a million new jobs expected to be created.”  I don’t know if fate or luck or destiny brought me to my current internship in the digital marketing field, but the future is looking nice for me and for the digital agency.

The Detroit News: Aging Nation, Technology Give Rise to Five Hot Jobs

iPad’s are awesome and the applications are even better. I read about Deja, a new and highly anticipated iPad application last night that released today. I woke up excited because Deja is said to be similar to one of my favorite and most used apps, Flipboard. Flipboard is an app that beautifully arranges a completely customizable database of a users favorite websites, Twitter, Flickr, magazines and other online publications into a newspaper or magazine like layout. Then allows you to “flip” through different pages and view organized content seamlessly within the app. It is said that Deja does for videos what Fliboard does for photos and text and that is something to be excited about, after all Flipboard was named, “App of the Year,” in 2010.

I downloaded the app this morning and was instantly attracted. Videos are extracted from my Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google and RSS accounts, then compiled into a sleek and user-friendly design. Videos are updated accordingly and the sharing option is easier than ever. Users can share content on Twitter, Facebook or to email. Deja is what an iPad app should look and feel like. The interface displays tiles you can swipe threw zoom in on, and watch. Deja has a feature called ‘fling,’ where you can take whatever video you’re watching via Deja on the iPad, and view it on a TV connected to Apple TV.

You can search and view video’s, easily make playlists, view related videos, save and share in one place. It is beautiful and innovative but also very new. There are a lot of bugs and Deja crashed on me almost every time I used the app. I usually get very frustrated when something doesn’t work but I think Deja has serious potential and I can put up with it for now. A lot of time, effort and $200K of funding went into the Apps development and I really don’t think it’s going to fail. I’m hoping that the iPad 2’s video recording capabilities will help provoke the development of an option to upload videos directly to Deja. I want more customizable options for account preferences and I am also wondering if there are any privacy concerns. Deja has the potential to be a great social media marketing tool and I am interested to see how the iPad application evolves.

Yeah, you read that right. It was announced today that Netflix is in talks to exclusively distribute a new show from David Fincher and Kevin Spacey. The show, a remake of the classic U.K. drama “House of Cards”, would be owned by Netflix and would be shown exclusively through them. It hasn’t been confirmed as to how much Netflix would have to pay to get this show, but they have offered to guarantee 26 episodes, or two full seasons, whereas most networks must see a pilot before even one season is greenlighted. This flexibility might be what gets the show for them. This would make Netflix it’s own network, and a potential competitor to some of the pricier cable networks like HBO and Showtime.

This has very exciting implications for the average consumer such as myself. I predicate this all with the assumption that they don’t raise their prices too much, but if Netflix expanded to having their own shows, as well as their already enormous library of past stuff, I might never need to pay for cable again. Also, for those of us who use Xboxes or Playstations to watch Netflix, when Hulu is added to the Xbox online marketplace there will be no need to pay the obscene prices for cable. Wouldn’t that be great?

This news will definitely affect the ever changing consumer entertainment industry. With the announcement of Facebook offering movies, and now this bombshell, it will be interesting to see what else will come up: maybe individual networks separate and become Netflix-esque online networks, or maybe Hulu modifies their site to show episodes the night they air. I don’t know, but it should be good for us.