Unit 3 Wrap-up

Understanding and following how corporations and industries (big and small) utilize social mediums effectively in marketing their products has altered my approach on/in using these mediums to their full, and sometimes, unexpected potential. Not only does understanding how a company uses medium outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. to promote business and keep and expand client basis is crucial in applying to our own careers as digital pioneers. Leah Betancourt’s article on how these companies use social media data was a mixture of recycled know-its and eye-opening discoveries. Information towards successful use of social media in business includes learning more about customer base and tailoring to enhance their experiences. Having to follow organizations helped to apply Dave Tolivers 7 ways in enhancing customer experience. This information has helped to improve approaches in visual and contextual content layout for remodeling personal websites or media sites for future/potential employers/clients. Though I am still riding the fence on Tweeting, I found Lauren Fischer’s page of successful campaigns using Twitter to brainstorm second thoughts on the hidden and untapped potential Twitter may have. Currently I am still not sold on tweeting. 

With our current age of digital users converging materials, ideas, thoughts, songs, you name it, defining and applying copyright laws has fell into the gray area. Music is usually the first medium many think of when the issue of copyright arises because so many of the digital users are familiar with sharing or pirating songs/albums of various artists without having to pay monies. I feel that Paul Miller’s excerpts to be an interesting approach to the issues of sampling or copyright infringements. As artist, specifically digital artist, it becomes crucial in understanding how far or much we can use as inspiration in order to create our own original ideas, and whether or not we should be restricted completely from integrating others works in the process.  . . .TBC

Sample Post 5

Exploring through whosampled.com shows how much the music industry relies on sampling, be it a beat, a riff, chorus, shriek,etc., most musicians rely on the influence and inspiration of others. To an extent this is quite innovative when producing new pieces, yet when multiple groups share the same beats it becomes an aesthetic issue more or less to the audience. Sampling music is similar to coining a phrase, you may be the originator of that phrase yet coining doesn’t’ entitle the creator instant profit from the phrase if it becomes mainstream/viral. Much like phrases I view music as being coined allowing for the wide public to view and manipulate their experience of viewing to their liking. Even if this means sampling beats and lyrics in order to create or inspire their own works. As artist sample other works, they are recreating the piece through their own experience adding their personal reflective style to the sampled piece. Miller points out that the twenty-first-century self is so fully immersed in and defined by the data that surrounds it…(Miller 61). Themes throughout art are repeated, this can be seen in mediums such as: music, film, television, books, games. Concepts can be drawn from previous arts and used to create/inspire an idea that will be used in a similar manner yet portrayed in a different way. Listening and watching the sampled piece of The White Stripes song Fell in Love With a Girl and being applied to Weird Al’s parody Angry White Boy Polka shows creative use of the Stripes beat and chorus line, yet when he copied the music video clip of the music segment sampled seemed too much. Like those at Costco who lunch off the samples and take too much, same goes with the sampling of music, in that taking too much of something becomes stealing. This is the issue touched on by Keller and others in conflict with copyright laws. Just how much is enough to be considered stealing or an original creation? Overall I feel that allowing the freedom to sample and create “Frankenstein” music or any other arts should be promoted, especially in a society that is becoming more and more a “mix culture”.

“Rhythm science builds on the early success of file-sharing to create a milieu where people can exchange culture and information at will and create new forms, new styles, new ways of thinking (Miller 65).”

   We sample and collage/create these samples in a fashion that reflects our form of thought and expression we reference in order to make ourselves credible as well as familiar. Bridging these samples allows for the discovery of new-old and new-new artist, just as whosampled.com has done. It creates connections to other artist and creators of similar styles and idea that we may not have known if it weren’t for the sampled segment, in a way it is creating a wider audience base and publicity for similar sounding beats, lyrics, and what have you.

Facebook Privacy

   With the increase use in social media sites, allows creation of expressive user profiles, yet at the same time requires the privacy expected in protecting those users personal information from being sold for profit, stolen and misused etc.. Facebook, Google +, being the pioneers of social media privacy are creating/raising newer issues surrounding users privacy issues when using the mentioned and other similar media sites. FTC is requiring updated policies surrounding invasive privacy issues that have been manipulated or dwindled through the years benefiting the networking sites, while taking advantage of the unaware user.
   I feel that privacy issues need to be formatted in ways that allow users to understand and follow what they are opting in or out of. Though we sign up and opt in agreement of the privacy policy issues, we glaze over the updated policies that the networks send, within these new policies they piggy back new policies that allow for the use and "abuse" of the information users provide in the service(s). Though network groups like Facebook and Linkdin provide new innovative services, the underlying purpose is to attain more information from the users without the users conscious knowledge of providing "private" information. What the networks do is what Chunka Mui touched on describing Google's CEO's statement that, "Google policy is to get right up to the creepy line and not cross it." Social networks provide us the means in order to be part of a "public" yet we want to retain some anonymity as well. Much like our lives outside our cyber lives, we want the ability to be public to those we know, and have the sense of privacy from those we don't. Since our current society trend is pushing towards a social media heavy culture that we need to adapt and look at current privacy policies that ensure the protection of the users, and that information provided on networks aren't being used to benefit the inustries.

Tweeted Root

Roots is an athletic and leather apparel store located in Canada. In keeping with current modes of social media use, dispersal, and involvement, they have branched out their customer support through twitter. With a quick scan and glance of the tweets on the companies tweet feed there are plenty of advertisements of new apparel and products, as well as customer questions thoughts, accompanied by a prompt response virally initialed by an employee. What this twitter feed successfully does is integrate social media into the company’s customer service providing feedback on both negative and positive comments. In addition to the comment responses are the digital initials of the employee who directly viewed the customers tweet. In some instances there would be a lengthy tweet between customer and employer, creating a user added value, as well as providing something unique for a customer to experience, taking full advantage of the feed capabilities. Aside from providing customer support through the twitter feed, the company also provides incoming apparel products, partner company deals, and employee thoughts and inside scoops/deals, as well as prize give away to followers.

            What has made Roots’ successful is their attention to customer care and concerns with and about their clothing products through Twitter and Facebook. There are nothing but rave reviews and comments about the products and personal response interactions that go on between tweets and comments, even if the customers initial blurt was a negative issue. Dave Toliver’s mentions seven was in which companies can create memorable/effective customer experiences using social media. Social media being the new “grape vine” reflects and can determine the effectiveness of companies based on how well they integrate, use and approach social mediums in reaching out to clientele. Roots effectively provide, through twitter and Facebook, a place for customers to talk, as well as integrate these services into their customer support. Roots tweets contain compelling content from new apparel, updates on/of photo shoots, photos and comments from employees and partner comments and advertisements. In addition, they promote other events and groups they sponsor they have attracting taste to the “following” audience group. This provides an opportunity to reach out to existing customer bases through other manufacturers sponsored by roots. Having addressed these partnerships connects the viewers of those pages to the Roots twitter or Facebook creating an open doorway to new members who view one brand and see that Roots is a partner and take a minute to view the company’s products.  

            Most of Toliver’s seven steps in creating a memorable experience are implemented within both Twitter feeds and Facebook comment timelines. This is essential in maintaining the interest of the current customer support, and provide that positive social media feedback, which in turn can provide future customers. What Roots can derive from the current clientele base is used in reaching out to the wider audience, which in this case, is a global market for sporty clothing apparel.

            Being a clothing apparel business, emphasizing in athletic wear, Roots tweets are aimed at the general audience, yet at times we can see an emphasis towards “athletic “members. Roots tweets contain Jodi Dean’s “ideology of publicity” in that Roots provides the right information that grabs the public audience’s attention. Example tweet of providing customers a chance to win a trip, the only question they leave for the customer is, who to bring:

What attracts me the most as a follower reading these tweets, are the personalization of the responses by Roots, signified by the initial so the employee who viewed the tweet. This brings the audience interaction to a more personal level of tweeting person to person, rather than person to computed corporation tweet. Having roughly 7.500 followers, appealing to every audience may seem like a daunting task and clog the twitter feed with clutter tweets. Yet Roots manages to maintain the promotion of theirs and similar products to the wide audience and allow those interested to pick up and follow. Allowing employee added tweets to the feed such as TZ who added a pic to pinterest.com, or an ad with Men's Health Magazine: 

providing audience’s material to view or retweet something that is not a Roots’ product. When these occur they have broadened their name and company to a wider group from those who retweeted, and if there are followers of those retweeters who like what they see, they too will retweet, and the process goes on and on. This is an effective use of the twitter feed and system of retweets, providing material that attracts followers to retweet can lead non-followers back to the source, being the Roots home tweet page.

            There’s a ton of active participation on the Roots twitter feed with content ranging from newly purchased products, to Hockey games and related apparels. Having an engaging audience helps to build the Roots viral credentials it has allowed itself in becoming an area for people to solicit and socialize with other that have similar interest in Roots clothing.  It is important for any SNS or sub-site to allow audience members an area to gather an communicate, and the fact that Roots promotes and engages in the audience conversations demonstrates how aware Roots is as a company in using sms effectively.

  With effective implementation of Toliver’s methods in creating a memorable experience, and an awareness of achieved audience and future audience members, Roots Canada as demonstrated successful use of SMS. I feel their strategies in tweet content are aimed well to the general audience, while at the same time retaining some specificity to address those already following. Providing incentives and rewards to followers helps to retain and promote active participation within the feeds, thus scuttling the Roots name out to those unknown of the brand. Roots as a strong grasp and understanding of effective use of SMS, and does so with the personal connection of each initialed employee you tweet/comment with.

Project 2

Mom’s Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.) seems to have a reasonably efficient and up-to-date feed on their social media platforms. Aside from the organizations web page, they are linked to Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to connect various community members.  Their Facebook provides dates of sponsored events throughout various major cities. This network allows members from out of state locations to travel or attend nearest MADD event. Having nearly 76,000 likes, and 1,100 people talking about surrounding issues, I feel that MADD has gained ground in the Facebook medium. We are able to see the number of people who are going to attend the sponsored events, to many; this is their “Diner sit-in”.  MADD’s organization also has a LinkedIn and Twitter feed both in which provide followers related news events as well as updates on legislature bills being passed to enforce drunk driving prevention.  LinkedIn, as well as Twitter and Facebook provide connections to committee members and various other government members to contact and address when resolving or discussing an issue. After further exploration, it can be noted that Leo Mirani’s belief that revolutions will be tweeted is reinforced by and through the efficiency MADD has used media platforms to connect followers.  Space is provided for continuous discussions, and having them archived in digital spaces allows for information or past topics to reemerge and provide new followers to inform themselves on issues being discussed. In addition members are provided with the organizations event calendars allowing followers to plan their schedule in order to attend particular events and not feel left in the dark.

                Similar organizations that have the same social media qualities as MADD were Above The Influence, a campaign against drug use, and truth, an anti-tobacco organization.

Weeks in Review

I found that the core fundamentals of the first three weeks have built off and expanded on O’Reilly’s What is Web 2.0. This article aids in understanding the infrastructure behind the old and new generation(s) of software. Being in a web driven society it’s key to/in understanding the concepts behind web 2.0, and how this has shaped and will shape the web. The first concept is viewing the web as a platform that provides a “Google” amount of data that is controllable and manipulated by the user. We can see how earlier web applications (those from web 1.0) have pioneered and paved way for newer web applications that have more accessibilities and data. Another concept within web 2.0 that I found to be crucial is the end of the software release cycle. This defines the internet software era as a delivered service and not a product. What this allows is for users to affect current and future possibilities of applications which are determined by the producers monitoring of users usage of the product. What this bridges to is the evolution of software compatible on multiple devices that add a conscience to the users and eventually the concept of convergence.

Convergence is a key concept that is essential in understanding and creating rhetoric of digital media. We need to understand the way we as a society use and interface with the technology we have at hand through daily means, or any other means of social media usage. It is the concept of the users and producers of media devices, which in themselves are merged (i.e. cell phones with cameras and internet service, internet radio, etc) that perpetuate the production of current and new media hardware and software.

In the article It takes a Village to Find an iPhone, the expansion and the ethos and pathos of the citizens woven together through the social media structure is an interesting feat. There are people daily who lose or have stolen, their phones, mp3 players, wallets so on and so forth. Yet in this case a woman had lost her phone in a taxi, she inquired a friend to post a reward to any person to find the find. Sometime later she ended up purchasing a replacement phone, and had all of her info (located on the phone provider’s server) transferred and gained identity of the person who had her phone. The persons contact information was available, and the two sent the person an email requesting the return of the phone. The request was denied and soon led to a post about the incident on a web page, which gained recognition through the online community and became a top story on DIGG. (Millions of viewers read and began to follow the story aiding the two in the return of the phone) Ten days later the phone was returned to the owner, but the power of the online community demonstrated how connected we become when a fellow person is in need and the need strikes an emotional an relatable connection between the people. These similar tactics are applied to various advertisement agencies as well as disaster relief groups. My question, or concern, is, how much power and control one can have through digital means such as the one provided in the story. Would similar results have occurred if the post for the lost phone was in a physical print media, rather than a cyber-form?

With the convergence of media(s) and the expansion and evolution of web/digital media, how connected are we going to be as a society? Some critiques believe that the digital world can isolate people, yet from various accounts the opposite is occurring. How much further can the digital infrastructure expand from what we have currently, is there going to be an age were all software is available, and requires just the force of a thought process to run?