Reflective Blog Post

Looking back to the first day I came in, I did not understand what this class would be about. I knew it had to do with social media and thought I knew quite a bit about it. Throughout the course, we learned of several different mediums and it was very interesting. I learned a lot from the technology presentations each of us were required to do. This course taught me a lot about social media STRATEGIES, which is just as important as what site or app you are using as a business.

We also learned quite a bit from working with the CMMA. We presented to them several times and I think they were very happy with our final product to them as a group. It helped us to learn how real companies out there need help developing a strategy to gain followers. It is so interesting because social media seems so easy to use, yet a lot of people struggle with it.

Looking forward, I will use this course and its lessons to monitor my social media and technology myself. We did a few activities that involved monitoring our technology use, and I realized that I need to work on it! It was very helpful and I think it will end up helping me in the long run.

Thank you for a great semester, and a fun and interesting course! I will see you next semester in BIS 260.

My Social Media Video!

Hey Guys, here is my short video on how social media is used in my field! Hopefully I tell you something that you weren't aware of, or teach something that will make you say "oh wow"!

Enjoy!

Cyber Monday- Deal or No Deal?

Cyber Monday has been a growing trend over the past few years. It is a huge e-commerce day where retailers make a large number of sales over the internet because they offer great prices that day. Today was cyber Monday and I took a look at a few items I wanted to purchase. I didn't see that great of deals. I don't know if I wasn't looking in the right spot, but I was not impressed by what I saw. I have worked at retail stores such as Sears, Lowes, and Menards over the past 5 years so I know what a good deal looks like. To me, Black Friday and the whole rush of shopping on those days is absolutely ridiculous. The things people go through to save a few dollars is unbelievable. You hear on the news about people being hurt, getting in fights, and being trampled over buying things like headphones. Maybe Cyber Monday could eventually be our savior from taking people away from their families on thanksgiving to go to work. Maybe if people just shopped online people wouldn't get trampled and hurt while going to a store trying to make their kids happy on Christmas. Every year stores open earlier and earlier. This year stores opened at 8 pm thanksgiving night, and some didn't even pay their employees time and a half. It is quite pathetic to think about. I hope Cyber Monday can find ways to improve their deals and take the stress away from everyone on black Friday for years to come.

Twitter...Good for Business?

We know that on Facebook businesses can post things as long as they want. They can get into their specials and upcoming deals, post about current events, and many other options. On Twitter, you are limited to 160 characters. Is this good for businesses, or bad? The purpose of a Twitter for business is to update and "tweet" frequently so it shows you are active and have a strong social media presence. You can gain a lot of clout by getting "retweeted" and more and more people begin to see your short post. Dog Central comments on people who tweet at them, and they post several times every day. This makes people laugh and feel "cool" when they get retweeted or commented on and it makes them want to go there even more. Is this true for all businesses? I am not so sure. Twitter is a different type of social network because it can be used in so many different ways. I like it more than facebook personally because facebook got annoying with very long posts by the same people every single day. What do you guys think is the best avenue for businesses? Twitter, or other social networks?

Continuing Trends?

I got to thinking last night while I was watching a Christmas movie, about how movie stores such as Blockbuster and Family Video are closing down all over the US. this is because of the Ondemand features by cable companies, Netflix, Hulu, and other technology which can steam movies directly into your home. I was thinking about in 20 years, if people will still be going to cinemas? Will we ever see a day that people just stream new releases into their home too, or is going to the cinema something that wont ever fade. Not to mention, "Dinner and a movie" is always a go to on a first date. What will happen in the upcoming 10-15 years with these trends. When I was younger I always thought it was a privelage to go rent a movie. Now, we can get those movies for basically 1/4 of the cost right into our living room. It is unbelievable to think how fast times have changed and where we are today. We went from projectors, to videotapes, to Dvd's, now we are on a virtual movie store with every movie that's ever been made right on our fingertips. Where we want the future to go is up to us. If we stop going to see these new movies, then cinemas will also become non-existent. It is a really interesting topic to think about, what do you guys think?

Impact of Social Media on Relationships

Bob Dylan once wrote "times, they are a changing". With the ever changing technological universe, more and more relationships are starting from meeting someone online. To me, this sounds like such a crazy thought. People are constantly joining dating sites, but I am talking about Facebook and Twitter as a channel to meeting new people. Research says that 1 in 4 relationships start online. This may be where they start now, but it also changes other people's relationships as well. It is a lot easier now to talk to other people whenever you want. It never used to be so easy, so a lot of jealousy comes out of a girlfriend/boyfriend messaging other people as well. A lot of my friends have had this happen and it really makes you think. In my parents era, they could barely even talk on the phone when they weren't together. Now, we text all day long, get one facebook and chat, get on Twitter and tweet, and it is an entire new era that we are in. What do you guys think about this issue? Have you ever gone on a date with someone who you met online? I am interested to see if this trend continues to grow.

Impact of Social Media on Holidays

With the holiday season upon us, we need to look at the impact that social media plays on them. We have days such as "Cyber Monday" where retailers have Black Friday prices if you buy things off the internet from them. OF course, how do you think people find these deals? They have to visit the stores website or social media sites. It drives so much internet traffic that the stores end up making such a profit that they couldn't even in the stores. All they pay for is the website maintenance, not 50-60 workers trying to sell it. By this day, their marketing plan has already been executed and put in place. Now, it is in the hands of the customer to use their technology and buy the products. Things such as QR codes you can scan with your phone and get discounts, coupons, browse the website, or whatever the company wants them to be able to do. People are spending more money than ever over the internet! Don't worry, retailers know this too. It has a major impact on how they do their business. I am interested to see where this goes within the next 10-20 years. Will in store sales decline majorly? If everyone just orders off the internet, we need more delivery services and the right resources to adjust accordingly. What do you guys think? Do you shop online for your Christmas gifts?