Thursday, 3 April 2014

Personal and Professional Reflection of Social Media

Personal Reflection

I am currently doing a unit at University called 'Social Media". Never would I thought there would be a class in adult education dedicated to Social Media. It is now apparent that social media sites such as Facebook and twitter are powerful tools that affect our everyday lives.

When I first got Facebook, way back in 2007, I thought it would be a fun way to meet girls, similar to msn. Over the years my usage for Facebook has matured, as it is now used more to keep in contact with friends and family from back home, as well as interstate and oversees. Recently I have also signed up with twitter, and slowly becoming engaged with online tweets that appeal to me. 

Throughout this course I hope to learn to be more effective and productive with Facebook and twitter, to allow me to reap the benefits that these valuable tools have to offer. I would also like to have a more professional presence online, and plan to sign up to the social network site Linkedln.


Challenges/Risks
Although, I do not have a professional presence online at this point of time, I do use social media website Facebook on a daily basis, and access my twitter account weekly. From a personal perspective, I do have an online responsibility to ensure my account is not being hacked, and be wary of what I put online. From a personal view, the following are a list of challenges/risks in regards to my online use;
-          Harassment and cyber bullying
-          Defamation, and damage of reputation
-          Private Photos, updates, conversations going viral
-          Content/Opinions being taken out of context
-          Computer Virus’s, which may access personal information.
-          Legal ramifications


An understanding and an effective use of the privacy settings for both my Facebook and twitter accounts would ensure many of these above risks are averted. Installing the latest security on my laptop will help prevent the risk of online Trojans and virus’s accessing and altering information on my Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Moreover, it is clear there are now legal ramifications for improper use of social media and this is evident in the case Mickle vs Farley [2014], where former student Farley was ordered to pay damages against his former teacher Mickle for “defamatory publications made on social media websites Facebook and twitter” An article on the story can be found through the following link  http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/the-tweet-that-cost-105000-20140304-341kl.html
As mentioned earlier we all have a personal responsibility on online, and need to be accountable for what is posted on our social media accounts. A case that most interests me was the rant that saw Josh Dugan blow his chance with a Broncos deal because of a rant on twitter.
In summary Dugan told a Raiders fan to "end themselves" after he was claiming to be harassed, over a picture he posted up. This is just one case of I'm sure many others, where an athlete has jeopardised their career because of what has been posted on a social media website. The major problem here is emotion and social media. It is only natural to feel you need defend yourself when your being attacked verbally, but when it’s online EVERYONE is watching and your actions are critiqued.
High profile athletes such as a Dugan should avoid social media altogether in my opinion. Hormones and lack of maturity effect the decision making process, and can only do more harm than good. In saying that, social media by no means should be barred by all athletes. Maybe programs can be introduced in sporting institutions and associations to train athletes to effectively use social media sites in an effective way; too ignore/manage harassment, and control emotions online.

Strategies/Opportunities for Professional Online Engagement
As mentioned earlier, at this stage I do not have a professional online presence, however there are a number of opportunities and strategies I could look into to become more engaged online from a professional point of view, including;
·         Joining up with Linkedln

-         - Is a business- orientated social networking service
-          -From a future sport manager perspective is able to network, relay and share ideas, with likeminded people from all over the globe.
-          -Important to ensure all information is up to date and accurate
-          -Use etiquette contacting online

·         Ensure Facebook account is presented in a professional manner

-         - Potential employers may run a Facebook check before hiring a candidate so it would be wise to ensure your Facebook account is clean (use appropriate language, ensure messy photos are hidden)
-          -Ensure private settings are up to date and you aware of what the public, and your friends can see on your profile

·         Engage with the right organisations and people on twitter

-          -Begin to actively follow local sporting organisations, to develop an online relationship.
-          -Actively contribute in discussion on the latest issues trending twitter, in regards to these organisations
-          -Follow and develop relationships with local sport administrators via twitter.


Moreover, according to Reference 1 there are 5 key strategies organisations can use to market more effectively through social media outlets;

Visualize the ecosystem
An understanding of how key media outlets interact with each other. The influence of TV on social media, and the people and organisations that are actively involved in these activities

Identify and track key performance indicators
The ability to attract performance indicators and measures of success. An example would be the amount of ‘Likes’ on a Facebook status would indicate it was very popular with the audience.

Begin with your story
Interact and engage with your online audience, though take the initiative and tell them what services, products you have to offer, and how they can benefit the target market.

Social Media does not require elaborate budgets
Recent statistics indicate over 1/11 people in the world have a Facebook account. Vast amount of people in the western world rely on Facebook and twitter for the latest news. As it is free to sign up, it is ideal for a business to have active accounts in all major social media outlets.

Be unique
Take initiatives to ‘stand out from the crowd’. You want to be able to market to not only to majority of people, but to the right people. The timing of Facebook posts, release of YouTube videos, and updates on twitter could be the difference between making a profit or loss.

Furthermore, from a marketing perspective “the definition of great content is not what makes you the most sales. It is what content people most want to share”.

The above link gives a very interesting insight into the statistics involving Facebook use, what people are talking about on social media, and when traffic is at its peak. The ability to reach customers on a personal level, to entertain and give them value is what will generate sales.

Lastly, scholars of the University of Texas tested how digital media use for information purposes, contributes to social capital. Results indicated that people use social media to keep up with news about political affairs, public issues and information about their community. Interestingly, the results also indicated that social media engagement increased civic participation within the community, hence had a positive effect on the social capital. In essence people use information on social media, to not only engage on Social Network Sites (SNS), but also in their everyday lives.

This supports the claim that social media is more than just a tool to trash talk with friends, but an important information sharing tool that effects many of our personal lives. On a personal level, engaging in a professional manner on SNS can only be beneficial in the long term.

 References



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