Management Platforms and Tools - Hootsuite

Do you have a business that is online? Do you use social media to promote your business? Are you like me that has an account on every major social media site and wants to be on top of what is going on? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may want to check out Hootsuite.

Hootsuite is a social media dashboard where you can keep track of and keep on top of multiple social media platforms all in one place. You are able to schedule posts and manage every major social media platform, all without having to switch between each social media account.

While using Hootsuite you are able to setup different topics of information that you want to see on each dashboard. Lets say you want to see anything about your online business, a certain video game, or a band. You can setup these 'streams' as they are called, to break down the information that is relevant to that individual stream. Hootsuite is exceptional for businesses that have an online presence. With the ability to sort keywords in to an individual stream that are important to that type of business. My personal favorite is being able to create a stream for scheduled posts, this allows you to schedule posts every day for the upcoming week without having to login to each account and post this information. There are an almost infinite number of ways that you can use these streams to your advantage. With a social media management system like this there should be no reason you should be missing a beat on social media.

Now talking about missing a beat... You are not truly connected with the customers you serve if you are not using an automated social media management system. 79% of the top performing companies use these management systems because they know that the information on social media is crucial to what they are trying to accomplish. They know they need to be able to listen in order to grow and serve their customers. Social listening is a crucial part in having an online presence. Look back at a time that you were searching for an answer from a company how do you feel when it seems like no one is listening, or you are never getting a response back. Now look back at a time where you had great service and a quick response. What did you feel like, which would you rather choose? That is where social media management systems come in to play. When someone asks a question it doesn't matter what you are doing, you get notified that someone made a comment or asked a question and you are able to respond quickly and effectively without missing a beat.

What are your thoughts on social media management platforms? Is this something only for the business folk? If you don't own a business would you use it, how would it be helpful to you??



http://iag.me/socialmedia/reviews/7-reasons-why-you-should-use-hootsuite/

http://www.steamfeed.com/hoot-hootsuite/

http://www.business.com/social-media-marketing/back-to-basics-social-listening/

Organizational Uses

Have you ever wondered how and why some organizations use social media? For some companies without social media they might not be a company. Take Beachbody for example, here is a company that makes workout videos. They do not have gyms, stores, or ads in a newspaper. Almost all of their business now comes from social media sites. Beachbody invites people from around the world to become coaches in helping them spread their message of happiness through good health. These coaches are the ones hitting the social media sites and spreading their stories about how Beachbody has helped them become fit and for some turn their lives around. This past week I had the opportunity to interview one of these said Beachbody coaches. Growing up, this coach was surrounded with a family plagued by diabetes. At one point in his life when the thought everything was going really well he was told that he was in the realms of being pre-diabetic. His life got turned upside down, he even lost his life insurance policy due to the diagnosis. He decided to turn his life around and was able to do so using some of the Beachbody workouts. He is now spreading that message with everyone that will listen. His main source for sharing this information and helping people succeed... Facebook!

Social media has transformed the way everyone communicates. From marketing products to spreading breaking news social media has been a game changer, and most organizations are utilizing it. Lets take the Beachbody coach that I interviewed. Every day he posts three to four posts about something uplifting or about exercise, then one of him doing his daily exercise. He puts together challenge groups on Facebook for those interested or needing a support group to give their motivation a jump start. The use of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google , will contribute to the bottom line of most businesses that use them correctly and effectively. The challenge that these companies face are linking the business objectives, social media strategies, and the bottom line all into one package. They want to be able to grow, reach out to more people, and stay afloat all at the same time. For companies such as Beachbody there has to be purpose put together with tangible results. If Beachbody just sold home workouts just to make money, or sold them in a kiosk in a mall, they would not be where they are today. There is a purpose in what they do, they have a mission, a vision, and values that helps their results be driven with purpose. They want their customers to be healthy and happy, when their customers are healthy and happy their friends will want in on the action and Beachbody then gains more customers.

Beachbody also uses social media to their advantage in the way of reviews and ratings. If someone makes a post on a social media site that says how hard or easy a workout was, that is a rating to other viewers telling them how good or bad a workout really is; Its like a bunch of small infomercials floating around social media.  Companies like Beachbody love reviews and ratings because it lets them know more about the product(s) they are distributing. If someone gives it a bad rating because of the level of difficulty they now know that they need to create a more simple exercise program or make changes to the one they have out. Beachbody is only one small example of hundreds of thousands of companies that utilize social media sites every day to reach out the masses. Utilizing the many social media uses for an organization is key to success in almost every aspect. In this post I only hit upon a couple. What do you think are some other areas that social media helps organizations utilize social media? What are some other companies that you think of? I would love to read your comments!






http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2012/12/17/how-social-media-can-spur-organizational-transformation/#304ece411852

http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/social-media/social-media-workplace-research-roundup

Class Cloud

The class cloud was an interesting experience. I have had a Twitter account since 2009 and I think I spent more time on Twitter during that hour and a half of class than I have the entire time I have had an account. From my Tweets there was not much that happened, I did converse with a lady about Donald Trump and what he stood for, but it did not last very long. She stopped talking to me when I asked her specific questions about why she wanted to vote for Sanders. I really wanted to know about him and she shut down. I can see how people could spend a lot of time on Twitter tweeting back and forth between other people or even a group of people. I also see it as a dangerous place as I noticed how many bad things were being brought up that people posted in previous tweets. It has actually made me think about things I post on any social media sites before I post them. You never know if it will come back to bite you later on. 

I found it pretty amusing at how quick a tweet can spread. I watched as a CNN reporter tweeted something about Mitt Romney’s upcoming speech. Within minutes the single tweet from a single person was re-tweeted over 1,000 times and liked over 2,000 times. It never ceases to amaze me how big social media has taken over everything these days. It would be interesting to see how things would have changed in the previous presidential elections if Twitter and Facebook had been around.

Another thing that caught my attention was when my professor brought up a twitter profile name that has some meaning and background. It is a name where people look at it as a confident and polite user. The individual tweeted something about cats that would have looked suspicious and maybe unacceptable under that username. I had never really thought of how a single tweet could but a bad image for not only the person posting the message but everyone after that person that would carry the same mantle or responsibility.

As I was waiting and refreshing my Twitter feed I looked up support feeds for placed like Nike and Microsoft. It was truly a light that I had never thought of before, instant help through a single tweet. People would ask questions to @NikeSupport and within minutes have an answer back on how to fix a problem or where to go to get something fixed. I think that is something that will continue to grow in popularity as companies continue to go to the online route of selling goods and services. No longer having to wait hours or days for support to get back to you will be a great stress reliever for me in the future.

https://twitter.com/sparker24/status/705201306722398209

https://twitter.com/sparker24/status/705143389654650880

https://twitter.com/sparker24/status/705202837660143616

Reflection 2 - Bobbie "Basketball Cop" White

When was the last time you read or heard of an article that began with the title "Cool Cop Responds"? I dont know about you but for me I'm not sure I have ever heard it, especially in the last couple of months. I give props to anyone that would want to be a Police Officer today with everything that has been going on, it seems that on a daily basis we are hearing about how a cop shot this person or beat up this person. They have been receiving such a negative rep that people are starting to become afraid of what Police Officers do and what they represent. Enter Bobbie "Basketball Cop" White.

For those that do not know the story, Officer Bobbie White responded to a call of kids playing basketball "loudly" in the streets. As Officer White arrived at the scene he noticed a bunch of boys playing basketball on the street. So being the super cop that he was he turned on his sirens and chased them off, right? wrong. Bobbie White knew exactly what to do: play a little basketball. Imagine having a cop pull up to you when you are playing a pickup game of basketball getting out of the car and start to approach you, where would your thoughts go? "What did I do?" "Is there something wrong?" Now imagine if this cop started playing basketball with you, how would your mind change towards the image of cops? Officer White played basketball for around 10 minutes. As he was leaving he mentioned he would bring some "backup" to get a game going.

The Gainesville Police Department uploaded the dash cam video to their Facebook page where it became an instant viral video, getting over 17 Million views. Imagine how one simple video can change the prospective of cops around the world. This would not have been possible 10 years ago, but because of social media millions of people have seen that not all Police Officers are bad. This story became so big that Shaquille O'Neal, a police officer himself, decided to come join in the "backup" game. "These kids will never forget the day Shaq rolled up to their house to play ball," the police department said. Now talk about the power of social media and how it can effect the outcome on something as simple as a game of basketball.

As I have been reading about this story, I have learned that its not all about how something looks or how you perceive something. I wonder what Officer White was thinking when he first got the call to check out a rowdy group of kids playing basketball, what do you think his state of mind was. I'm pretty sure it wasn't negative, but was more along the lines of how he could make a routine check, more meaningful. Always looking to see how you can improve a situation is not always the easiest thing to do. How easy could it have been for Officer White to drive up with his lights on, park under the basket and tell the kids to be quiet. Unfortunately, that is probably the normal way a police officer might handle those kinds of situations. Officer White has been known to do goo deeds such as this one. A few years ago Officer White suggested that the Police Department purchase footballs and basketballs to keep in the patrol room. Anytime they saw kids out that needed something to do, they would give them a ball to play with. Don't we wish more Police Departments were like that?

This story also makes me think of the power of the media. When the media wants to make someone look bad, they can do it, and very easily. As I mentioned earlier the only thing that we hear about in the news these days is how a Police Officer has shot and killed another person. This is ultimately destroying the way that we view all Police Officers. If you met Officer White without knowing his background and what kind of a person he is, you would probably judge him according to what you see on TV or read in a news article. Are all cops that way? The media wants us to think they are, but they are not. Any Police Officer that I have been able to meet and talk to have been some of the kindest most generous people. That is why I loved hearing about this story, its proof that not all Police Officers are bad and the media is not always the best place for information and news. Get out and meet your local Police Officers and see for yourself what they are like, I think after you do that your mind set and attitude will change about them.

Here's a question. When do you draw the line with media, when do you go find out the information for yourself instead of relying on them?







http://www.rollingstone.com/sports/news/cool-cop-responds-to-hoops-noise-complaint-with-savage-dunk-20160122

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/24/us/florida-shaq-police-officers-game/

http://www.today.com/news/florida-police-officer-joins-basketball-game-kids-following-noise-complaint-t68521

Online Reputation

This Online Reputation is to see how much I can find out about Erik Fox using social media sites, for our class. 

Erik is a fan of the outdoors. From shooting, to skiing, and getting a little dirty on ATVs. All of these came from the first search that I did. The top result was from his Instagram account. One of the main themes in these pictures of Erik was, he loves being in the outdoors with other people. There are not many pictures that have been posted that do not have other people in them. Erik is single so it makes it easy to see that he is always with his friends.

Another point that I noticed is that he is a big sports fan. His favorite teams are the Denver Broncos, Utah Jazz, and Utah State Aggies. Again pulling a lot of this information from his Instagram account. He definitely gets involved with the sports he loves! From the posts that I saw I would say he is not one to go and just sit on the sideline at a football game; he is going to be involved in every chant, ever yell, and every mosh pit that happens. 

    

The third thing that I noticed about Erik is that he is a family man from his Instagram and Facebook accounts. He has multiple posts and pictures that contain family members. He has pictures eating, skiing, and hanging out with his family. By the looks of it he is not only a family man, he is a very close family man. His sister is in many of his pictures, and mentioned in Facebook posts. 

   

Erik is currently a Residence Assistant in the Merrill 1^st West building, where he was responsible for the health, safety, and academic success of the students living on his floor He was responsible to put on programs to help and encourage certain areas of academic, social, and health success. He is excited to get to know more people and help them achieve their goals. This to me shows how much Erik cares about others around him. According to LinkedIn he was also an Account Manager. He was responsible to help customers receive student loans. He answered any questions regarding their account or the processes of student loans.

By the looks of it Erik is a very active person with a great personality. I did not see any photos or posts that I would mark as questionable. If I were an employer looking up Erik Fox, I would say he is a clean, good hearted, and strong individual that I would not have any worries if I hired him.