We can’t deny that we have to rethink the way we protect our privacy. There was a time when online applications could only be used by the cleverest minds on the planet. Now every nitwit can create a Facebook account and share his life with the world. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that these things are easier to use, I’m having trouble enough installing a new MSN Messenger, I don’t know what I would do when it gets more complicated.
I just find it hard to determine who should be responsible here? Companies like Facebook, Google,… try to earn money by collecting data from their users, it’s in their own benefit to gather as much data as possible from as much people as possible. Quantity is what counts and I bet that respecting people’s privacies isn’t on top of their ‘to do’-list, though it should. On the other hand, privacy is something we all define differently. So even if companies decide to give users the tools to protect their privacy, how are they going to do it if there’s no set of rules or guidelines? Is the user responsible for protecting his own privacy and, if it’s being mis-managed by the company, his responsibility to ask for a change?
The easiest way would be putting the responsibility with the company. They are the ones who made the applications, who wrote the lengthy privacy statement and who profit from our data. But what if they took their responsibility… would we take ours? When is the last time you read a privacy statement before you started to use the application? We usually only read it when there’s a problem. Even with news that Facebook would sell its database, do you think a lot of users would close their accounts?
So… to what extent are you protecting your privacy? Do you think it’s the responsibility of companies like Facebook, Google,… to protect our privacy or is it our own? Do you believe that if the tools were made available, that they would be properly used?
Over one third of our time we spend online is spent on social networks, Facebook has over 150 million users, Twitter over 3 million and there’s been a blog created almost every 5 seconds. So obviously reports about the rise of social media spendings pop up. But with it, also reports about the lack of proper information. Nobody questions the fact IF you can use Facebook, Twitter,… for business, but HOW? What is the best social media set-up?
Before you start reading, this is not a ‘how to’ with an explanation… it’s a ‘how to’ with lots of questions. Depending on how you want to communicate (or engage) there’s a difference between two basic set-ups.
One-2-one (social networks) Social networks like Facebook are a collection of individuals sharing information with each other basically in a one-2-one way (or many-2-many depending how you look at it). It’s great for professionals to promote themselves as a brand. Ideally they collect al the tools at their disposal and center them around themselves, when they work together they create optimal exposure. The network itself is the beginning and the end. It’s where you engage and where you get your information. But you can cross-over from one network to another. Putting your Twitter updates into your Facebook status is a simple example.
One-2-many (online communities)
Online communities are we-places. Places with people with a common interest. Contrary to social networks these communities, once set-up, require minimal effort in sustaining them. They exist because of the people who joined and keep it alive. Perhaps one of the reasons why some online communities are so succesfull is because they don’t try to sell anything. Nike+ created an online community where people with a common goal could come together and share information. Ofcourse they want to sell shoes, but it seems like a secondary concern. They create an online community and with it the possibility to spread that information towards the existing networks, like the funny Nike+ widget on Facebook. The community is only the beginning and the possibilities seem endless when you take the information and use for something else.
So how does your set-up look like? How do you use networks like Facebook for business? Do you use the information you get to create something more, to crossover to other networks? Do you think you’re optimally using the networks you’re engaged in or how would you like to use them? Let’s learn a bit from each other here!
Christmas dinner. A time where friends and family gather ’round a christmas tree and stuff themselves with lots of food. For some of them it has been a year since last time they’ve seen eachother so there’s a lot of talking going on. At one time or another the question pops up: “What are you doing right now?”. I explain (again) where I work and what I do (basically sell theatre tickets and try not to screw up) and if they’re smart, they shut up and don’t ask any further. But there’s always one smartass uncle around the table., he’s the one that always has some controversial opinion about something political just for the hell of it.
So I tell about social media and get a lot of confusing faces, it’s like teaching algebra to toddlers… it just doesn’t work. Everything I throw at them, they don’t understand it. They give me answers we all have heard a million times over and true or not… you can’t argue because there’s some truth in them. · Yes, you’re never sure if the person you’re talking to is exactly who he says he is. · Yes, a relationship in real life has a better chance of being a profound and meaningfull relationship. · Yes, bodylanguage and tone of voice are very important in conversations.
Yes, yes, yes,… [click to continue...]
Okay, so you know what you want to do with social media. But can you treat your online consumers the same way like you treat your offline consumers? Do the same rules apply? How do you make the transition from broadcasting to the ‘engaged’ online community?
In a way the same rules apply, but they’re slightly different between online consumers and offline consumers. The biggest difference is the amount and the quality of information they get exposed to and how they use that information in their decision making process.
· Short attention span. Depending on who did the research you’ve got from 1 nanosecond to 2 seconds to catch someone’s attention. Online, it moves even faster. · They filter more information. Because of the information overload they develop the necessary skills to filter more efficiently and more quickly through it all. This means you have to strip down your information to its essence. [click to continue...]
This is my first interview and I’m glad that I’ve done it with Prof. Steven L. Johnson, I’ve been trying to find social media experts and it was really hard but I’m glad that I’ve found Prof. Steven because he is a very informative person, enjoy reading the interview .
Ahmed :Please introduce yourself.
Steven : My name is Steven L. Johnson and I am an Assistant Professor in the Management Information Systems Department of the Fox School of Business and Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My primary job duties include scholarly research targeted at academic business journals and teaching undergraduate and graduate courses on Information Systems.
Ahmed :You’ve been busy attending a conference a while ago, what was that conference about?
Steven : Last week I attended the 2008 International Conference on Information Systems in Paris. This is the premier academic conference for Information Systems researchers. It covers a broad spectrum of research interests including topics as varied as IS Economics, Design Science, and Knowledge Management.
Academic research of information technology moves far slower than practitioner usage. We lag well behind in studying emerging technologies. Still, as social media is growing in importance as a phenomenon, researcher interest is also. Last week, I spoke to authors of several interesting research-in-progress efforts related to social media, including: the use of Wikis to augment real-time presentations, the impact of clan membership on repeat usage of MMORPGs, and why people continue to use social networking services.
Steven : My name is 
