Time to Wrap Up!

It has been a quick 12 days, going through this module has exposed me to topics that I wasn’t aware of and learning through reading what my peers have shared in their posts have been an insightful experience.

My favourite topics are 1 and 3. Through Topic 1, I was able to identify myself as a digital visitor by mapping out my online activities. As time passes I suspect the activities on my map will start to edge nearer towards the resident end of the spectrum and more towards “work” than personal.

As for topic 3, it was really helpful in providing me the knowledge on how to create an authentic digital profile. I’ll admit I still have ways to go on that, but the module and set me on a path towards the right direction. For starters, the module has made me pay more attention to Twitter and LinkedIn. I have started following people and sites that are relevant and interesting in field of marketing.

I have also started to use LinkedIn’s news app: Pulse. It offers easy to read news of professional content and insights that matter to me. I am also able to personalize my feed from hundreds of trusted sources and it lets me see what’s trending among marketing professionals worldwide. With Pulse it is easy to like, comment, and share articles with my future network.

 
DIGITAL LITERACY SELF TEST

Accessing, managing and evaluating online information
At the start of module: 3
At the end of module: 4

• I think I am better at managing and evaluating online information after this course as there are so much info to sift through to pick out the relevant ones

Participating in online communities
At the start of module: 2
At the end of module: 3

• Participation is really something I need to work on moving forward, especially on a professional level. So far my interactions has been on twitter and commenting on my peers’ blog post

Building online networks around an area of interest
At the start of module: 2
At the end of module: 3

• The module has provided me the knowledge on how to build a professional online network around the field of marketing, I just need to put it into practice

Creating online materials (text, audio, images, video)
At the start of module: 2
At the end of module: 3

• Started to explore audio and video creation, looking forward to hone my skills in this area

Managing your online identity
At the start of module: 1
At the end of module: 2

• I didn’t have an online identity prior to this module. As I start to build one, the knowledge on how to manage my personal and professional identity gained from
  the module will be helpful.

Managing your online privacy and security
At the start of module: 3
At the end of module: 4

• While I was aware of the privacy and security settings on the platforms I am on, have only started to tinker with them after going through this module

THE CHECKLIST

• Appreciate the broad scope of contemporary digital literacies and the challenges and opportunities associated with such activities (Checked. Thanks to the posts by my peers and students in the UK.)
• Apply a critical approach to the study of online behaviour in a professional and a personal capacity (Critical thinking skills is something I need to continue to develop)
• Effectively draw upon a range of free digital tools to support your online educational and career development activities (Checked. Came across various free online tools like powtoon infogr etc)
• Showcase your digital skills portfolio to attract the attention of potential employers  (Something to work on during the holidays and beyond!)

Find me @

Reflection : Topic 5

I stumbled upon the above video where well known author Neil Gaiman talks about his changed views on piracy, copyright and the web. I found it refreshing as most book publishers and authors would see giving away free books on the web, would mean a net loss in sales. In fact those who have tried it often find the opposite to be the case. Many times free digital books actually boost sales of print copies. In addition to that, using book giveaways foster deeper, long-lasting relationships with followers, readers and customers. By asking for email addresses in exchange for free ebook downloads, authors are able to maintain an ongoing dialogue and that allows them to frame themselves as a real, engaging and memorable human in the eyes of their readers.

+1 to free content on the web!

After reading what my fellow peers have been sharing on open access and education, i believe the advantages of it out weighs the cons. It is also great to know that The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are behind it as well by allowing unrestricted access and reuse of all  peer-reviewed published research funded by their foundation. With such influential people expressing their agreement in open access to educational content for all, it marks a huge step forward for the advocation of open access.

 Another +1 to free content on the web!

IN FREE ONLINE CONTENT !

---

Commented Posts @
Sylvia
Kell

 

Paid Vs Free Content

Have you spotted the key differences? Maybe its hard to tell from the video. Go take a look in your browser, Vice & The Straits Times.

There are no ads or paywalls on Vice News.

Clearly, Vice must be at some kind of disadvantage by providing all that free content on its site right?

Not quite. Sure, Vice is dependent on the ad industry, but what vice is doing is adopting a loss-leader strategy on its main news site, a way to drive traffic to sponsored content.

“For Vice News, there’s no advertising on Vice News. The most popular thing we have online is our news platform, so it’s the fastest growing part of our business, but we actually don’t put advertising next to it for that reason. However, on the travel, food, and all of the other things, we make a lot of money. We rob Peter to pay Paul.” Shane Smith – Vice CEO

In a world where publications born in print have struggled to make money on the web, Vice’s business is only getting bigger. Vice still has a revenue generating print business and a deal with HBO to run a show on its subscription cable TV channel. But the bulk of its business and focus is undeniably online now. Take a look at its  Youtube channels, Ad network and how much they charge advertisers Cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM) 

Digital technology has increased competition as print and distribution costs have essentially fallen to zero, media companies and publishers that still implement paywalls on their sites should really rethink their strategy. All things being equal, marketers will pay more for consumers than consumers will pay for content. Paid versus free content? Free content wins, in the news publishing world at least.

---

References
http://www.themediabriefing.com/article/buzzfeed-vice-comparison-not-the-same
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregsatell/2014/11/19/why-it-doesnt-matter-if-consumers-are-willing-to-pay-for-content/
http://www.businessinsider.sg/how-vice-will-make-500-million-in-2014-2014-6/

Media’s Golden Rule

Reflection: Marketing ethics or lack thereof

Photo Credits: movemequotes

I think when it comes to selling a product or service, there are plenty of marketing approaches to choose from. Some people uphold the highest standards of honesty and integrity while others will say or do absolutely anything to make the sale or attract eyeballs. That means there is a lot of people that live in the gray area as Khai has mentioned in this post, where companies use controversy in tandem with the exploitation of the misfortune of others to gain publicity.

Sara gave me a few good examples of opportunistic marketing / real time marketing in her comment. I think companies/brands who adopt those approaches can be too hasty to ride the wave of free publicity and fail to consider the consequences and relevance to their audience.  I think there is no point engaging in social media with content on a topic that has nothing to do with what your company stands for. I believe the audience will disregard it, and they are smart enough to know that the content has been written for the sake of writing it.

By no means am i the judge to give the final verdict of what is right, wrong, honest, dishonest, ethical or unethical. I have made “grey” decisions in the past. I guess marketers need to make ethical mistakes in order to get a clearer picture of what is acceptable. The mistakes made isn’t the most important. It’s what we learn from them and how we operate moving forward that matters.

The world is constantly changing and so is the online world and i think people are looking for less hype and more value. So i think for marketers who are willing to demonstrate integrity, uphold an ethical standard and bring value to their target audience will reap the majority of the profits.

---

Blogs i’ve commented on:

Corrine
Khai

Right or Wrong, Black or White, It depends?

Photo Credits via: Insightiitb

Issues of ethics are difficult to discuss, as they often are not clear cut and linger in the grey area, between black and white. I would like to briefly talk about ethics in a business/marketing context. Here is my crude attempt at creating a short video clip about one of Ford’s social media posts.

Ford updated their Facebook status following the capture of the second bombing suspect. The brand said, “To the first responders of Boston: Thank you. You are true American heroes.” It is hard to find fault in wording, ford is just expressing their sincere appreciation for the sacrifices of those who serve. What about the striking image of their products, complete with the Ford logo and tagline ? It seems fine right? Compared to the dull text message they could have posted. Ford is just trying to associate their brand with the image of the police. No false advertising there either, they are indeed manufacturers of the police vehicles.

While not everyone will agree, Augie Ray feels that Ford’s use of brand imagery not only reduced the sincerity of the message but demonstrated questionable ethics. he asks to compare the two status updates and consider the following questions:

• Which is a more authentic expression of appreciation to people who sacrificed their safety to protect us?
• What does the product and brand imagery of the post on the right add (if anything) to the sincerity of the gratitude compared to the simple text version?
• Which version more clearly puts the focus on the heroes in Boston?

As future digital marketers, we need to be responsible when sharing content on social media. There are posts that are deliberately set up to gather likes and shares, with motives which are less than ethical. For example, Like-Farming is hugely popular and uses social engineering tactics in order to gather as many likes as possible. User data is then collected and sold on the black market, or the user is directed to a survey scam or even a site infected with malware. As a social media marketer it is our job to know about these scams so you don’t pass/use them on to our followers/customers

When we click “submit” to share the next social media post, it is easy to settle on the simple questions of will it achieve its goal, fits best practices and suits the brand. As digital marketers we have take the extra step to ask ourselves if it is honest, transparent and ethical. While it is a much higher standard to adhere to, isn’t higher standards what consumers want and what brands should be striving towards?

---

References

Photos in video via: Socialmediatoday , Chromasia

Anon., n.d. Hoax Slayer. [Online]
Available at: http://www.hoax-slayer.com/like-farming-scams.shtml
[Accessed 5 12 2014].

Butters, K., 2014. Xen. [Online]
Available at: http://xen.com.au/social-media-marketing-ethics/
[Accessed 5 12 2014].

Ray, A., 2013. Social Media Today. [Online]
Available at: http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/ethics-social-media-marketing-responding-boston-tragedy
[Accessed 5 12 2014].

 

A Reflection On Authenticity

Photo Credits: via theunitive.com

It has been a great learning experience reading posts on how to create an authentic digital profile and that has prompt me to log in to my inactive LinkedIn account that was created years ago. As i typed in the URL. pressed enter and tried to recall the password, i dread the amount of work i have to do to breathe life into this extremely lacking, empty and boring profile. I understood it is going to be a process and my first hurdle is authenticity. Is full disclosure a good thing? Is authenticity a luxury only a few can affford? The quote Tor mentioned at the beginning of his post gave me a starting point to work on.

I have also gain a few pointers from Cindy Gallop, who publicly shared her sexuality with the world when launching her new company, MakeLoveNotPorn.

• Identify exactly who you are and what you stand for, what you believe in, what you value.
• Only ever behave, act and communicate in a way that is true to you.
• Then you never have to worry about when anybody comes across you or what you’re found doing, because by definition you are never caught doing anything to be ashamed of.

Yes, it might be a calculated business/marketing/pr decision to share her sexuality with the world. Michael Simmons states that by doing so, Cindy is building an authentic network; a network of kindred spirits around her who deeply value her for for who she is. Kindred spirits are people we connect with at a very deep level and who play a transformative role throughout our life. As entrepreneurs/marketers, this means vendors, partners, employees, investors, mentors, and customers with shared values. Cindy has entered a virtuous cycle of success and fulfillment where being herself is rewarded because that’s what people want and expect. She doesn’t have to worry about other people discovering who she really is. She has already ‘outed’ herself.

Simmons also mentioned that most people have the opposite of authentic networks; default networks. Default networks are the networks we fall into and then try to fit into. If we continually operate in a way where we feel like we need to be inauthentic in order to be successful or appreciated, we’ll feel like a fraud, be less authentic (therefore less trustworthy), and less passionate (therefore less effective). Ultimately, a vicious cycle will occur where we attract and ultimately become financially dependent on a network of people who do not reflect our deepest values.

Just a few thoughts i’ll have seating at the back of my head when i start to, slowly but surely, fix my digital profile.

---

Blogs I have commented on:
https://aetiiqcaz.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/are-you-for-real/comment-page-1/#comment-17
http://torws.wordpress.com/2014/12/03/the-brand-called-you-3/comment-page-1/#comment-15

---

References
Simmons, M., 2014. http://www.forbes.com/. [Online]
Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelsimmons/2014/08/11/how-to-bulletproof-your-reputation-in-the-digital-age/[Accessed 4 12 2014].

Advice from a LinkedIn Guru

Being authentic can be a challenge, but it is important! In today’s digital age, having an authentic professional profile on the net is becoming a necessity for us job-seeking students!

Here are some advice i came across from Brendan Browne (LinkedIn’s head of global talent acquisition.) who hires all the staff at LinkedIn.

• Choose who you want to be and what you want to do, and share it on your LinkedIn profile.  We have to ask ourselves,  “what am I passionate about?”   Find someone who is doing that “thing” that you want to do, “follow them” and then leverage social media to accelerate the process of being your authentic self.
• Be Authentic. Add a professional picture to your profile (I need to start working on that soon!)– your activity on LinkedIn should also reflect your passion.  If you want to be a chef, make sure your profile says that and then share relevant culinary editorial to your connections.
• When you share content on LinkedIn, add your personal voice to it. Brendan suggested adding a pithy statement to the beginning like, “Dang, how can I meet this LinkedIn Guru?” Say something – don’t just forward an article.  Brendan says, “Most magnetic people share insightful content with personal comments that lets their personality shine through.”
• Brendan Browne’s take on standing out from the pack: Engage with other people on LinkedIn to stand out from the crowd and be noticed. Brendan says, “how can I get my LinkedIn profile noticed by this recruiter, company or employee?” Build a network that is carefully selected. Join groups that you find relevant or interesting.  Follow influential people. After you have commented, shared or liked their content – reach out to connect with that person.

Lets assume you have followed the awesome advice Brendan Browne has given. What next? Maintenance! Yes, doing an audit of your digital profile can be a chore. But all of us have to monitor and polish our digital footprint else there might be holes for people to poke at! For example the ex head of Yahoo! was forced to step down after it was found out he did not, as his resume said, have a computer science degree.

I’ll end with this quote by Simone Collins

“Digital audits will do you little good if they do not happen on a semi-regular basis, just as haircuts won’t make you look very polished if you only get a trim once a year. You will only be able to keep your digital identity in tip top shape if you lovingly tweak and tune it.”

---

 

References

Anon., Tim McNamara. firebrandtalent. [Online]
Available at: http://blog.firebrandtalent.com/2012/05/does-your-resume-match-up/
[Accessed 3 12 2014].

Collins, S., 2013. Huffingtonpost. [Online]
Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/simone-collins/online-identity-audit_b_3756840.html
[Accessed 3 12 2014].

Hyams, C., n.d. jeffbullas.com. [Online]
Available at: http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/11/09/personal-branding-on-linkedin-10-mistakes-to-avoid/
[Accessed 3 12 2014].

Tsouvalas, D., 2014. Studentadvisor. [Online]
Available at: http://www.studentadvisor.com/pages/linkedin-enhance-your-profile-and-get-the-job-of-your-dreams#.VH7YVDGUd1U
[Accessed 3 12 2014].

 

Topic 2 : Reflection

So after reading several blog posts, it seems that most of us would choose to adopt either of the following strategies

Strategy #1: Use One Profile for All Social Media Networks
Strategy #2: Use Separate Personal and Professional Profiles

I am a believer of strategy #2, if only for these few points

• Helps maintain work-life boundaries
• Less fear of your colleagues or boss seeing personal details you may not want to share, so you may be more candid
• Messages from contacts will be more relevant to the account type

As for anonymity vs authenticity, it was interesting to that see that Zoie agrees with Mark Zuckerberg, that “Having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity.” While Evelina disagrees, stating that you are just  turning the volume up on some aspects of your identity, and tone down others, all based on the particular context you find yourself. I agree with Evelina. I do not think he should be questioning people’s integrity for simply wanting to manage their identities online. I believe you can have a layer of anonymity and still be authentic in your interactions on the web. I don’t think being authentic means that you have to expose every single detail about your life.

To finish off my reflection, i would like to thank Elisha for bringing to my attention  the idea of “Owning your identity” in her comment to my post. There is this technology that was created upon the idea that, in the world of big-data where private information of people are being traded for profit, consumers should have a choice. Consumers should own their identity, and be able to profit from how their identity gets used, and most importantly, they should be able to choose and know when it’s being accessed and how it’s being used. While this seem to be a terrific idea that is pro-consumer, i am not sure that organizations that collect and sell data to advertisers would be excited about it. Also if this technology becomes widely adopted, many of the free services online that rely on ad revenue as income would cease to exist.

Till next time!

---

Links blogs i have commented on:

https://wingslykeagles.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/topic-2-online-identity-privacy-and-security/comment-page-1/#comment-7

https://cheexiuzhen.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/topic-2-online-identity-privacy-and-security/comment-page-1/#comment-11

One or more online identities? Which Is more suitable for you!

It really depends. What are your personal interests? Are they aligned to what you are doing professionally? Should you keep your personal and professional identities completely separate online? I think there isn’t a definitive answer. It boils down to the individual.  How much you want a potential employer to be able to find out about you and how strong your desire for privacy is, are questions that will lead us closer to the answer we are looking for.

There are people that live with their identities in public because they have to, either because they work in public under their own names or assumed identities, or because they prefer to be seen as an expert, guru or an authoritative figure with their comments and public interactions on the web.  However there are other people who prefer a layer of anonymity so they can speak their mind, comment and write what they really feel, and join the communities they prefer without worrying about who might find them there later.

I’m leaning more towards the side of keeping my online identities separate. By being relatively anonymous, i am free to comment where i want to, say what  i want, and be an active participant in any community i wish, without fear that my professional portfolio or career will be affected by it. In addition to that, i can decide who sees what, and what information is available to a potential employer, business partner, family member, or anyone else looking for information on me and what i have been up to. This allows me to have the option to let some people into both worlds while keeping most people in the ones i prefer.

I would like to end this post encouraging you to think about a hypothetical scenario. Imagine this happened to you :

Lifehacker.com gave a detailed answer to the above situation that i feel is worth 5 minutes of your time as it is likely that we might be in a similar situation in the future! Here is a sneak peek to a much more comprehensive response here

References

Henry, A., 2012. Lifehacker. [Online]
Available at: http://lifehacker.com/5896413/what-do-i-do-when-my-employer-wants-to-be-too-social[Accessed 1 December 2014].

Info-Graphic- Available at: http://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/Library/researchacma/Research-reports/digital-identity[Accessed 1 December 2014]

Topic 1 : Reflection

It has been an interesting learning experience so far reading my classmates’ posts and commenting on them ( @Simon’s blog and @Xiu Zhen’s blog ).

There are two posts that got me thinking about “Visitors” and “Residents” in business / marketing context. The first one was Vanessa’s post where she mentioned about being able to identify who are the “Visitors” and “Residents” of your target audience. She also gave an example of how a retail business ASOS.com created a virtual marketplace where independent labels could sell and interact with their customers, and that the marketplace forces consumers to get on the internet and talk. She suggests that ASOS.com has successfully indirectly create online communities that has changed their customer behaviors from being a visitor to a resident.

Whether ASOS.com did really incite change in their customer behaviors is up for debate. Tor pointed out in his comment to Vanessa’s post that a “Visitor” could just visit the site, make a purchase, leave and only return when the need arises again. He ended his comment with a thought provoking question: “what do you think could be a strong reason for a “Visitor” to change to a “Resident”?” That question could be partially answered by Simon’s post, where he talks about Homer and Kahle’s value-attitude-behaviour hierarchy (1988).

Are they any relationships between the type of content, product or service a “Visitor” would prefer compared to a “Resident”?

As marketers, are we able to influence the opinions, attitudes and beliefs of our target audience in such a way that we could constantly change where they stand in the spectrum of Visitors to Residents, to align them to whatever we are selling and elicit a purchase response?

More questions that i do not have answers to !