Unique SM Product Alert: FollowPlants

FollowPlants was introduced this week at Disrupt NY Hackathon and actually sounds pretty neat. Here is a quick description of what it is:

To use FollowPlants, a grower could install sensors near their plants, then data from those sensors would be automatically translated into tweets like “It’s a sunny day!” or “I need water!”

What is unique about this product is that it incorporates social media, online shopping, has a very distinct target market, and more. Can’t believe it was created by two 15 year old kids! So awesome.

Thought I would share since it just seems like a new idea, one I definitely have never heard of before, but would be interested to see if it takes off one day. I know several people who love to garden and who I think would really enjoy this product.

Interesting Research: Institutions Still Lack SM Policies

I was just skimming through the social media news today in relation to healthcare and came across this research study. I find it interesting that the results show a lack of protocols and standards for medical professionals to follow when interacting online with patients. When I conducted my research in 2012 and 2013, we found the same thing. I cannot say I am shocked to see nothing has changed, however I am a little disappointing to learn that institutions still do not understand nor see the importance of establishing social media policies for healthcare professionals. Without them, the practitioners, organization and patients are all at risk. Anyway, here is the article is you would like to read it!

New study examines impact of social media on mental healthcare, treatment

Super Bowl 2015 Ads: Best and Worst

I must have been watching different Super Bowl advertisements than everyone else or something. I have read so many posts and stories about how the commercials this year were pretty good. I think this was one of the biggest letdowns in several years. I think I laughed out loud maybe twice….said I liked that maybe three times……and when I see the top contenders, I am not surprised but definitely don’t agree. I kept asking myself where the big players were. For example, where was M&M? I love their ads typically.

Here are my top favorites in no particular order: 

Always,'#LikeAGirl'

This was an awesome idea, caught my attention, had a great message, and generated a lot of buzz worthy content.

BudLight, 'Real Life Pac-Man'

I want to play real life Pac-Man! I have always been a supporter of the brand but this was a very unique idea and clever. Just flat out awesome.

Clashof Clans, 'Revenge'

Hilarious. No other way to describe this commercial.

Squarespace,'Om'

This commercial made me want to go to the website and when we did it was overloaded with users hahaha meaning a ton of people found it intriguing.

Lost Dog by Budweiser

I love puppies and they stole my heart again with this ad. It didn’t make me want to buy the beer but it did make me love the company as much as I always have. What isn’t to love about a puppy and horses?

Here are the worst in no particular order:

Jublia, 'Tackle It'

Just gross. I like to eat tons of great food while watching the Super Bowl and this RUINED my appetite.  No one wants to see toes running around and toes with fungus on them…..yuck

Doritos,'Middle Seat'

Doritos probably offended so many people with this but honestly, compared to their previous years with great ads, what happened here? Huge let down. When everyone saw it was a Doritos commercial we all got quiet in anticipation……epic fail.

Nationwide,'Make Safe Happen'

DEPRESSING. This commercial disturbed me and didn’t seem like a good fit for the Super Bowl. I understand when the company said it wanted to raise awareness and get people talking about such an important topic, but was there not a better event to launch this ad?

T-Mobile,'#KimsDataStash'

Can’t she put on some clothes ever? They could have had a great commercial here but casting Kim didn’t help them in anyway. There are hotter more ridiculous celebrities out there.

LindsayLohan Esurance

Almost didn't recognize her and then I felt sad that she had to take a gig with Esurance. Made me think “hit rock bottom” plus the ad was boring and not that great.

I will say that BMW and Snickers were good as well. They just weren't my favorites compared to all the rest. Hope you all enjoyed the commercials this year and were more impressed than I was!

PR Nightmare for GoDaddy Ahead

GoDaddy had a major PR backlash today based on its new SuperBowl ad. Honestly, I am so glad they are pulling this ad from airing because while the company may find it funny, I think viewers would have lost it. Which is pretty much what is happening now on social media causing them to pull it. I wonder what test groups saw this ad and thought it was a good idea to air? I know they say all press is good whether it’s bad or not but this makes me not like the company at all and want nothing to do with them. As a dog owner who has two beautiful rescue pups, this disturbs me! 

Bad choice of an ad and just created in bad taste. The Super Bowl is known for having dogs, specifically puppies, in its ads and these ads always top the charts because viewers love animals. So why they thought it would be funny to show this dog fighting to find its family after being lost, finding the family and then realizing the family sold him online……….yikes GoDaddy……I am honestly baffled by this decision to create such a disturbing ad. Yes we are all talking about the company so awareness of their brand was generated and I am sure they can rebound from the bad PR, but still, was it worth it?  

2014 Top Ads

It is once again that time where the best commercials, ads, tweets, etc of the year are announced. 

Honestly, it is hard to pick just one of each so let’s see who some of the top dog media groups selected:

·         Entertainment Weekly selected Budweiser’s “Puppy Love” commercial as one of their top ten.

·         Ad Week selected Newcastle’s “If We Made It” ad which I have to admit was pretty brilliant.

·         AdAge selected “Awkward Family Moments” which promotes HBO Go.

The list goes on and on. So what are my favorites of 2014?

Definitely “Unsung Hero,” “Most Shocking Second a Day Video,” and the “F1Car Truck Jump.” These are just to name a few. I think ads whether print, online, television; really any type had a great year compared to 2013. Creativity in 2014 was high! I can only hope 2015 will be just as great.

So tell me, what are your favorite ads of 2014?

Taco Bell Goes Dark: Launches App

Taco Bell was very unique in their online advertising choices. They wiped out all the content across their social media pages and posted one simple message: “Customers can now order tacos, burritos and chalupas from the chain's new mobile app.”

First of all, their advertising choice definitely got the attention of their followers, customers, and fans. The social sites went dark, feature a single post with the hashtag "#onlyintheapp," which sends followers to the app. By going dark, Taco Bell is not going to be able to effectively communicate with fans through social media sites which is an interesting decision during the launch of this new app.  

Second, a fast food chain launching an app for ordering, saving favorite orders, locating nearby stores, and checking out with a credit card is pretty awesome. Stores like Pizza Hut and Dominos have these features on their apps, but not many fast food chains do. This will be interesting to watch as it unfolds to see how it gains in popularity and convenience for consumers, but also in which additional franchises will follow the trend.

Source: Adweek “Why Did Taco Bell Just Wipe Put It’s Social Media Accounts?

The Effects of Social Media on the Brain

I saw this video post titled “5 Crazy Ways Social Media is Changing Your Brain Right Now”  and was very intrigued. These scientists/researchers studied the effects of social media on the brain. The results are pretty interesting so I thought I would share it. Check out the video here and let me know your thoughts!

Enjoy!

Social Media Communication Affecting ‘Blind’ Clinical Trials

Finally, an article was posted this morning by the Wall Street Journal about social media communication compromising drug trials. Working at a cancer hospital, we have a number of clinical trials that are testing new therapies, drugs, and treatments. I have heard before from healthcare professionals that they worry about what information is being shared online about the trials. Even though the healthcare team explicitly explains the importance and rules of the study, patients can and sometimes do still compromise the research.  I think it is important that the FDA consider establishing social media communication policies for subjects in trials to follow. It is also vital that the FDA create guidelines for researchers to follow when they discover subjects in trials communicate with one another on social media in order to not compromise the studies.  I understand that patients need an outlet to communicate and learn more about their treatments; however, I feel that drug trials are trying to determine effective treatment options that can be used to save the lives of many. Additional regulations should be placed to ensure the accuracy of the trials. Anyway, enough of my rambling. It is a good post, long…but really important in that it brings to light an issue several researchers are experiencing. 

Happy Social Media Day!

One of my favorite sites, Mashable.com, created a quick 2 minute video to celebrate Social Media Day in which they provided statistics about social media research they recently conducted. It is definitely worth watching. I think the best part was when they asked what social media platform people first used and some of course responded with Myspace. Ahhh Myspace, I was a user of that site once, and then came along Facebook.  I also found it interesting that people were using between 2-5 different social media sites a week. I typically use around 7 a week so this seemed pretty accurate but that definitely drives home the points that we still don’t prefer to use one social media site for everything. Lastly, it mentioned Facebook fatigue which we all know I think is real. Either way, think back and try to remember your life before social media if you can and compare it now. I just did and it really made me realize just how much has changed. Happy Social Media Day everyone!

Video Link: How We Use Social Media, Illustrated-Mashable

Building a Community Through Social Media

Social media has made such a huge difference in the health and fitness world. Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram allow us to share our workouts with the world. Someone just posted an accomplishment, “I ran 1 mile and before I could not walk a mile.” Posts like this bring inspiration to the many that fall into this same category. With social media we are able to connect in a way we could not before. We can start a biking or running group on Facebook with bikers from Canada, USA, or Italy and report our miles to one another while keeping each other motivated. We can express how we may have hit an obstacle and how we got over that barrier. Social media allows us to share our triumphs and successes, rather it be completing 10 pull-ups or 100 push-ups. We can pin our favorite healthy recipes to Pinterest for those who need ideas on how to prepare lighter meals. Instagram, a short clip of a new exercise you learned. Social media has given us something so phenomenal, connecting people with the same fitness goals to help push each other across the finish line. We share our fitness stories, dreams, goals, and visions with the world through social media.

Author: Carlos Duncan, Certified Personal Trainer (CPT), Health and Fitness Specialist (HFS), and Certified Strengthening and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)

Google+: Changes & What's To Come

This will be a short post today about an article I read titled “The Year Ahead: 5 Social Media Trends Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know.” At first if seemed pretty straight forward as to how technology continues to transform the modern entrepreneur yada yada; however, I loved point #2 on this list. It says Google+ is for real. I have been user of this site from the start and could never figure out why entrepreneurs were not more active so I was definitely excited with this point.  What I found most interesting was the suggestion that Google Authorship will begin to play a larger role in SEO. I plan to keep my eye on this and see how it goes for Google+. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think Google Authorship will create a big of an impact as the author is predicting?

Google+ has been in the headlines recently for its brand getting twice the engagement of tweets, how its fan engagement is getting closer to Facebooks, or my favorite, the narcissism stats (stats that show how many times your profile has been viewed as well as your photos). Love that feature! Google+ is definitely making some interesting changes to become more competitive with the other big social media players so perhaps the Google Authorship will produce positive effects. If you get bored anytime soon, research Google+ news releases. There are at least six different articles that will emerge from the past week discussing all of the changes Google+ is making to its site to increase user activity. 

Other than that the article mentioned a few key points but ones that most of us are aware of by now. It is still a good read and interesting so I suggest everyone checking it out. Until next time……

Neknomination: Social Media to Blame?

The big story this week is about a lethal drinking game called “Neknomination” which has gone viral. The rules of this game are simple: you film yourself downing an alcoholic drink (usually in large quantities) and then nominate a friend to outdo you. You must also post a video of this on social media. Currently, this game has killed at least five men under the age of 30.

The main question that seems to be the “hot button” is who is responsible? People are suggesting that sites being used to distribute this game, such as Facebook, should take ownership and recognize their role in this game. Facebook has of course already issued a statement saying they do not tolerate content that causes direct harm but also does not find certain behaviors against their rules. I am not sure what YouTube has decided to do yet. It appears that people are targeting Facebook and place blame on this social media giant more than others and are not consistent in their criticisms.

I am wondering this: If an individual is old enough to drink alcohol (21+), they are considered an adult. So is this adult not the one who should be responsible for deciding to play the game or not? Also (I am just looking at this from my point of view), I would NEVER post a video of myself drinking on a social media site. Sharing content like that would most likely damage any personal and professional opportunities I may have in the future. Once something goes online, it is always out there. Just because you delete it, doesn’t mean it’s deleted. We all know this by now….it’s called a digital footprint….. Am I the only thinking about that?

While I do think that the sites being used to distribute content about the game should address the issue, I don’t think they are directly responsible for people’s actions. However, to avoid any further bad PR drama, they might want to consider removing the videos. One can only hope that this game fizzles out quickly. 

Best/Worst Superbowl Commercials 2014

I honestly can’t believe I am writing this, but I think the commercials this year were a bigger let down then last year! Not only was the football game boring, but so were the commercials. 

I guess it makes it easier though for me to pick which advertisements were the best. Below are my top 5 favorites:

1. Budweiser Puppy Ad: This is my #1 of course because it has a puppy in it! We all know the most effective way to pull on the heartstrings of viewers is with images of puppies. Nothing I can say that’s negative because I adore puppies.  
2. Budweiser A Hero’s Welcome:  After Budweiser’s salute to the troops commercials last year, I honestly didn't think they could pull something off that well again. They proved me wrong big time. I think this was perfect and I wouldn't change a thing. My only question is, what do the other members of the military get when they come home? Ha-ha I bet they are all expecting a massive party now from Budweiser!  
3. Bud Light: OK when Arnold Schwarzenegger showed up in this commercial, everyone was stoked and cracking up! Plus the lead guy’s facial reactions in each situation throughout the ads were priceless.
4. Microsoft: This commercial was an immediate attention grabber with the voice that was used. Then images of how far we have come with technology and the positive ways technology can change lives by giving hope to the hopeless was the major selling point. However, the ending really brought it home. I was impressed to see this innovative advertising side of Microsoft.
5. Cheerios: After watching the response to their bi-racial couple advertisement last year, I was excited to see if Cheerios would scale back at all. Instead they continued with their same method which, I think, proved successful. People love that little girl! I do wish that they found a way to include their message “Love” with the vision of Cheerios a little more but overall, good commercial. 

I will say that of all the commercials, I was most disturbed by Nestle this year. The people who were watching the commercial/game with me all actually stopped talking and had frozen looks of disgust on their faces! I mean did Nestle really suggest a three-way on national TV? Also, the M&M commercial was very disappointing. I was so thrilled when I read that yellow was going to get his own commercial and be the star, without red this time. All I can say on that is, EPIC FAIL. The advertisement had him say one line, a line that didn't even represent his M&M character. LAME. Sadly, I think most of the commercials were just awful this year and I was very disappointed. 

What was new this year and worked for some of the companies (I say some, not all) was the use of a commercial followed by another commercial from the same company tactic. There were several instances of that which made it easier to hit viewers with the same advertising messages due to the repetition. 

What were your favorites/worst commercials?

Social Media Predictions for 2014

I always enjoy reading the predictions for Social Media each year. It is so fun to see what people think will happen. Sometimes I agree, but most times not, however, this time I found a couple that I actually agree with. In an article posted this morning by Alex Kantrowitz, he predicts two things I think are we will see in 2014:

          Facebook will not tank necessarily but the average time spent on it will. It has long been predicted that Facebook’s time is coming to an end, yet, it is still a very successful social media site. I do agree that average time users spend on the site will decrease. Mostly because there are numerous social media platforms now that people are using. In the past, Facebook was a major player because options were limited, but today, there are tons of competitors.

      Vine will be the next big social media thing. While I do love SnapChat, I think 2013 was its year and Vine has been out there slowly building its user base. I currently do not use Vine but have to admit that I give it a few more weeks before I am an active user.

Other than that, I have not really seen many predictions that I agree with or just read them and think “Duh.” Have you seen any predictions that you think are worth sharing?

Here is to 2014! Let’s see what social media brings!

Holiday Vacation

As most of you know the holidays are very busy and so that has kept me from being able to find time to blog. Also, I have been looking for interesting social media topics to just file so when I get time to blog, I have some ideas, yet nothing good has really popped out at me. I will be on vacation until the end of the month but expect some great posts in 2014!

Happy holidays everyone. Wishing you all a safe and wonderful season.

Worth Reading

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/10/21/more-professors-using-social-media-teaching-tools

I would suggest checking out this article on how faculty are using social media in the classroom. Since some of my research has focused on this topic, I find it interesting to see that privacy is still a huge concern. My only question is "What kind of faculty were using social media?" The article did not specify if it was field specific or even education level specific.

Enjoy!

Monitoring Students Online Speech: Is It Too Far?

I am sure by now that most of you are aware of the issues involved with social media when being used by teenagers. Recently, Glendale Unified, a school, announced that they have hired Geo Listening to monitor their student’s online social media behaviors and use. Is this a violation of privacy? That was my first question. Turns out the answer is no because most of these teenagers have public profiles and make public postings. This why I am always stressing to young social media users the importance of locking profiles and always updating privacy settings. You have a digital footprint people and once it is out there, it cannot be erased.

Glendale Unified says they want to monitor cyber bullying, suicides, drugs and other things. While I agree that cyber bullying is QUICKLY becoming a huge issue that has led to several suicides in the past year among teenagers, is it the schools responsibility and right to monitor this through social media? The school claims it is looking for students violating the school conduct codes, but if this free speech is happening outside of school, then how is that a violation?

I think this school is treading on a very thin line and I do not see this social media monitoring as a step in the right direction. While I understand they are trying to be proactive and protect students, I think there are other measures that could be taken. For example, why not spend the $40,000 they are currently paying the Geo Listening on education programs to teach parents and caregivers how to best identify depression and abuse? Why not spend this money on increased security in the school to protect students from possible threats? I am sure as you can tell how I feel about the issue ha-ha. I believe in free speech, even if that speech is hateful. I think it is wrong to hurt people through speech, especially on social media, and I think it is an issue that should be addressed and hopefully one day stopped. However, I think there are more efficient steps that can be taken to protect teenagers from the dangers of online communication and use.

Internet v. Doctor: Patient-Provider Communication Barriers

I was doing some literature searches to look for information to support my current research on why healthcare students are going online. I discovered a research article discussing how patients go online to search for health information before talking to their doctors or medical providers. While this seems like a common thing to do, I started thinking about how much this effects patient-provider communication.

It used to be that a patient would feel sick and go to the doctor. After a thorough workup and discussion between the two, the physician would offer a diagnosis and treatment plan. Because the patient usually did not have any advanced medical knowledge or training prior to entering a doctor’s office, they accepted the diagnosis and treatment plan.

Now, patients are “self-diagnosing” by searching their symptoms online and then meeting with their physicians. When they enter the doctor’s office, they already hold certain amounts of knowledge and opinions over what they think their diagnosis is and what the treatment plan should be. So even as the doctor is communicating with them, the information being given by the patient may be bias to fit the symptoms of what they already “self-diagnosed” themselves with.

What was even more interesting to me was another news article I read stating that physicians are ok with the fact that patients search for health information prior to contacting them. I would like to see research to support this notion because from what I hear from physicians around my office, that is not the case. They discuss how inaccurate health information online causes barriers in patient-provider communication.

I admit to the fact that I do research health information online when I am a patient but I tend to be very selective in what I choose to believe. Most of my research performed online is AFTER meeting with a physician and hearing their opinions because I want to learn more about what the diagnosis and treatment plan. Maybe I am one of the rare ones, maybe it is because I work around physicians and understand/respect their knowledge, or maybe it is because I practice effective communication. Who knows.

Just me thinking here about it all but as a patient, what do you tend to do? If you go online before your appointment, does this affect the communication between you and the doctor?

Status updates with a purpose

It appears that there is never going to be an end to the number of specialized social media websites at our disposal, but there are a plethora of differentiation techniques the current sites are using to help stand apart. One recent example of this is Facebook’s newer profile feature, in which one can proclaim they are organ donors. A recent study out of Johns Hopkins conducted in May of 2012 revealed a substantial increase in the number of organ donors during the two-week study, with the number of organ donors climbing to over twice the normal rate. Yet sadly, the increase was short lived. The months following the new Facebook feature reveal, showed levels of registration returning to their original levels. This fact demonstrates the failings of a single push for a cause instead of a campaign that has different elements to keep the interest of the public.

I must confess that I never heard about this feature until preparing for this blog. While clearly I am not an early adopter of this feature, I do encourage the use of this feature for numerous reasons. Below are just a few of the many benefits to taking part in this initiative.

·         It allows one to raise awareness for a growing need in our society as 18 people a day will die waiting on a transplant due to the shortage in organ donors (organdonor.gov)

·         It enables you to notify your friends and families of your wishes, as hospitals will seek permission from your next of kin (though not always necessary if you are a registered donor).

·          By sharing this information you bring up the topic to friends and family that may have never considered being a donor before.

·         A single donor can save up to 8 lives, so imagine if you get your friends and family involved in this initiative!

I started this post by viewing this feature of Facebook as another way of differentiating it from the numerous social media websites currently available. I think this socially responsible behavior could be an important way for Facebook to build more brand loyalty and a highly favorable image. Even if only a few people are motivated to become donors because of Facebook, I consider it a success.

Will you become a donor? Or if you are already a donor will you tell people through Facebook?

Author:

Clay Craig, PhD.

The CEO and Social Media

One of the news stories I stopped to read today was about how CEO’s should be engaging in social media. My thought was “duh.” I have been saying this for years but still a majority of CEO’s were staying away from social media. Everything this article states is true and so I feel like if a CEO isn’t already actively engaging with its consumers on social media it might just be too late at this point. Sadly, I wish that this article would have come out two years ago instead of today. The main points of the article included:

·         Know what you want from time invested

·         Use listening insights as lever for change

·         Engage in business-minded social networks

·         Be the most trusted name for your news

·         Stay current with media change

·         Think before you tweet (or post)

These are all great points but just something that all CEO’s should already be aware of and practicing. It honestly makes me wonder who these CEO’s are that are not already on social networking sites and why they chose to refrain for SO LONG. There is tons of research offering reasons why CEO’s should be online and the overall benefits of it. This article is an interesting read because it offers some statistics about how employees feel about their companies CEO’s being on social media and percentages on how many global executives want to be online and why. So if you get time check it out.

(http://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisperry/2013/05/29/research-social-media-finally-seen-as-essential-for-ceos/)