WKU & Social Media

I was curious about the social media presence here at Western and I discovered the school is making a strong push to implement social media use. WKU has big plans for expanding its social media outlets this semester. At the top of their list is FourSquare, a website that allows users to "check in" aroud campus. WKU hopes to partner with the WKU Store and the WKU Restaraunt and catering group. Corrie Martin, manager of creative web services, said, "“We’d like to set it up to where students can go in these retailers and when they check in, they’ll unlock discounts." This seems a little risky to  me because not that many students seem to use FourSquare. But if WKU creates incentives, it could increase FourSquare popularity. Martin also plans to use the WKU Twitter and Facebook accounts to share news and photos with students and alumni.

Facebook Stats: Gary Randsdell - 4,663 friends      
                                Big Red - 25,018 fans
                                WKU - 32,995 Likes

Twitter Stats: @wkunews - 1,446 followers    
                     @WKUSports - 1,499 followers
                     @WKUAlumni - 2,611 followers                                

Nextdoor

How familiar are you with your neighbors? For the most part, American neighborhoods operate as tight-knit communities. The San Francisco company, Nextdoor, has launched a social networking site for neighborhoods to create private, online communities. "We didn't see a social network for what we believe is one of the most meaningful communities of all," said Nirav Tolia, the chief executive and co-founder of Nextdoor. The site has several rules that are crucial to making these communities work. Anyone who joins a network must live in that neighborhood. The site can send a postcard with a code on it that the residence can enter on Nextdoor's site. All members must sign in using their real names. Search engines like Google won't have access to any information on the network. Nextdoor is designed to encourage stronger relationships between people who can benefit from one another, but often don't know each other.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/26/there-posts-the-neighborhood/?ref=socialnetworking

Google Plus: Success or Failure?

To cap my examination of the most popular social media networks, I'll take a look at the fairly new Google Plus. Many analysts tabbed touted it as the Facebook Killer. But now after the buzz has subsided, it appears Google Plus may just be another social network to add to the list. Though it boasts 25 million users, how many are active users? Do you have a Google Plus account? I don't and I have very few friends that do. And those that do own an account don't use it that much. So what's Google's next move?

This month, Google utilized its search engine to boost the company's social networking site. Google promoted the change with a blue arrow from its search-engine box to Google Plus in the upper left corner. The move paid off, with visitors to the social networking site increasing thirteen fold. "Theoretically, Google has the edge" over Facebook, IDC analyst Scott Ellison says. "Google has search, Android, Youtube, Gmail," Ellison says. "Facebook just doesn't have as many assets."

While it appears Google is making moves to compete with the social giant that is Facebook, I don't see them overtaking them in the social media realm.

http://www.webmarketingwar.com/2011/08/curious-case-of-google-plus-success-or.html

Linkedin: A Must for Any Aspiring Professional

As I near the end of my college career, I am realizing the importance of building relationships and establishing connections for future employment. The more people you know, the better you will fare in the professional world. I was well aware of media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. But this semester I have been made aware of the value of Linkedin, a social networking site that allows you to share yourself with other professionals. So what is the value of Linkedin? Here are eight reasons why YOU should be using this social tool:

1) More Money/Job Opportunities
2) Communication with Industry Leaders
3) Stay In Touch With Other Professionals
4) Receive Recommendations by Other Professionals - INVALUABLE
5) Ask Questions/Receive Feedback by Other Professionals
6) Functions as an Online Resume
7) Operates as a Personal Website
8) No SPAM

For anybody hoping to receive employment directly out of college, I highly recommend creating and maintaing a Linkedin account. More and more companies are utilizing this growing community

Twitter: #Winning

Do you have a Twitter account? I do. I love it. I'll go as far to say that Twitter has surpassed Facebook. Since the first tweet on March 21, 2006, Twitter has exploded into a social media phenomenon. The numbers don't lie. 3 years, 2 months and 1 day: the time it took from the first tweet to the billionth tweet. 140 million. The number of tweets sent in one day. The numbers are impressive and continue to grow. The second link I attached at the bottoms shows some staggering statistics. I encourage you to check them out. Twitter has also identified a 182% increase in the number of cell phone users. Tweetsters, as I like to call them, have the ability to tweet about anything, anywhere, anytime. I tweet around 2-3 times a day, sometimes less depending on my mood. With the majority of tweets being pointless babble, I try not to fall under that category. I consider Twitter to be an outlet for comedy, with the majority of my tweets reflecting that opinion. But Twitter can also be informative, which is why I think companies who capitalize on Twitter's growing popularity will reap the benefits.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/14/twitter-user-statistics_n_835581.html

://blog.twitter.com/2011/03/numbers.html

Facebook's Overwhelming Success

Do you know anybody that doesn't have Facebook? I don't. I'd be willing to bet if you asked ten strangers if they had Facebook maybe only one would say no. Facebook has taken the world by storm and has achieved overwhelming success. It is the unrivaled leader in social media networking.

Facebook's revenue doubled to 1.6 million in 2011's first half. These stronger results have come from investors pushing its value in private markets. In response to this success, rival Google Inc. launched Google+, which attracted over 10 million users in its first week.  Many experts believe Google is doing the right things to compete with Facebook by offering games like poker and the very popular Angry Birds

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/07/us-facebook-idUSTRE7863YW20110907