La paradoja del control silente

Estoy aprovechando estos días de prearranque postvacacional para redactar un par de artículos postergados sobre el significado de la tecnología, la cultura y el ocio para las familias en España, basados en una investigación realizada a 100 familias en España; y que junto a una importante cantidad de información cuantitativa y bibliográfica adicional sirvió de base para mi tesis doctoral.

Cuando revisaba los textos me he encontrado con la identificación de una paradoja a la que en su momento me limité a identificar pero a la que ahora con la redacción del artículo he llamado La paradoja del control silente.

Para las familias, las tecnologías y las telecomunicaciones son un canal de expansión y enlace, un potente cordón umbilical, hacia el exterior del hogar y con otros miembros de las familias.

El teléfono móvil -o la tecnología VoiP para las familias inmigrantes- cumple una función cohesionadora al mantener el contacto, prescindiendo de las distancias, “habló con mi madres todos los días un par de veces por teléfono” (este símbolo , a falta de otro posible remite a una cita literal de las grabaciones de audio de la investigación). Las comunicaciones a través de la tecnología permiten mantener el vínculo, la relación y alto nivel de cohesión sin necesidad de presencia física; y lo que a priori podría ser un inconveniente no lo es, ya que facilita una mayor comodidad y seguridad: “yo en mi casa y ella [la madre] en la suya y cuando me necesite estoy al otro lado del teléfono”.

El papel clave que las telecomunicaciones tienen para las familias es el de tener siempre activado el canal de acceso rápido y fácil al otro, “mantener siempre el contacto”, “saber con nada [de esfuerzo] como está”. Es la vía más eficaz y consensuada como canal de información, transmisión, contacto, disponibilidad, localización e incluso afecto. Al mismo tiempo, permite la coexistencia de dos componentes antagónicos, por ejemplo, tal y como sucede con la telefonía móvil en la relación padres e hijos: libertad y control.

Por un lado, se exalta desde los hijos el valor de la independencia respecto a los padres “para hablar en cualquier momento con mis amigos”, “para que no se preocupen” y “para poder llegar más tarde”. Y por otro, desde el punto de vista de los padres, permitiendo un mayor control de los hijos y reducir la incertidumbre, “para saber enseguida si pasa algo”, “para saber dónde está siempre” y “para saber cuándo llega”. Todos los componentes de las familias (padres, hermanos, hijos, abuelos) y las personas vinculadas a ellos por lazos de fraternidad (compañeros, amigos, colegas) aceptan el desenvolvimiento no problemático y de forma constante con esta paradoja del control silente.

La telefonía móvil ha hecho posible que ambas funciones opuestas, de control e independencia, puedan coexistir de forma equilibrada de forma extendida en el mismo “acto de comunicación”, sin que el “controlador” o el “independiente” sientan menoscabados sus derechos.

Auto ReTweeting: Removing “Social” from Social Media

Auto ReTweeting: Removing “Social” from Social Media | ploked.com

Those of you using Twitter are no doubt familiar with the numerous applications that can added to your Twitter account. In fact, the applications are too numerous to mention without adding an explanation as to their purpose. One of the nicest features that Twitter incorporates is retweeting (RT), or forwarding tweets that you find valuable to your followers. For instance, when the Iran riots took place, a Twitter user in Iran would send out a tweet to his or her followers, updating them on what was happening within the country. These followers then retweeted the information to their followers, and so on. Look at it like it’s a giant game of tag.

Twitter is used to share links, or websites, with other users. Link sharing lies at the heart of Twitter and is one of the most-used Twitter functions; it enables users, to transmit relevant content quickly. However, according to Mashable, some people just don’t retweet, or simply do no have the time (that’s hard to fathom).

But, to those experiencing problems of this nature can thank their lucky stars for YoTwits!

YoTwits is a service that enables users to add feeds to their Twitter stream. The automatic retweeting function, based on a user name or keyword, would resend all tweets received with the user name or keyword in the text. Automatically. Perhaps you follow Perez Hilton. You could set up YoTwits to automatically retweet every message recevied with his name on it. Likewise, setting up “bit.ly” as a keyword would retweet every message that you received with “bit.ly” in the text.

Although it looks good on paper, there’s a huge problem with the service: it removes “social” from social media. Why even join Twitter if you have a service retweet everything that’s sent to you. There is only one reason that YoTwits exists and that is to provide spammers and scammers with a tool to send more messages more often.

My advice? “Just Say NO to YoTwits.”

El video del fin de semana (Laura de Charlie Parker)

No hay videos de Charlie Parker interpretando Laura pero prefiero la música a la imagen



En Sopotify

5 Social Media Tips and Tricks That Work : Performancing

5 Social Media Tips and Tricks That Work

Dee Barizo   8.24.09   Social Media  

Since social media is such a powerful tool for increasing the traffic to your blog, I’ve tried many different social media tips.  Here are five of the best tips that have worked for my sites and our clients’ sites.

1. Befriend power users.

Power users are the users that exert the most influence on social media sites.  These users regularly submit content that gets popular and they have many people that follow them.

Check out the popular content in your niche and see who is submitting them.  You’ll often find a select group of people who submit the bulk of the popular content.

Vote for their stuff, send them interesting links, link to their site if they have one, guest post on their blog, interview them.  Basically, do whatever you can to help them and get on their radar without being overbearing or obnoxious.

Once you’re developed a relationship with them, you can send them your best stuff and ask them to submit it if they like it.

2. Create more comprehensive content.

One of the things I started realizing is that much of the content that does well in social media is pretty comprehensive.  The content was longer than your average post and it covered a subject with depth.

Therefore, I started creating longer posts filled with a lot of value and I’ve done better on social media sites as a result.  Now each of your blog posts doesn’t have to be 1,500 words, but it’s a good idea to regularly publish longer, in-depth posts that stand out from the crowd of your typical 2oo-5oo word posts.

3. Add images and video to your best content.

Another thing that has worked out well has been adding multimedia to content.  This is another thing  I noticed about viral content. Much of this content is highlighted by images and video.

It only takes a little bit of  time to go to sxc.hu or flickr.com and find relevant images that will improve your content.

And I think video is the next big thing in blogging.  I know many people have made the same prediction that it seems cliche but it’s definitely true.  More and more people are making web video a part of their routine.   Many of us are already chronic TV watchers so it will only take time before we get used to watching videos on the web.

Therefore, if you have any video skills, use them!  Also, the cost and learning barrier for producing videos has come down with discount equipment, software, and training courses.  I’m actually trying an experiment of shifting one of my blogs to mostly video instead of text and seeing how that works.

4. Try niche social media sites.

Most bloggers just focus on the big general subject sites like Digg and StumbleUpon but there is a lot of opportunity in niche social media sites.  Here’s a great list of these type of sites.  These sites won’t send as much as traffic as the big general subject sites, but the quality of their traffic is often much higher.  You’ll get a higher percentage of repeat visitors, a lower bounce rate, and more time spent on your site because of the more targeted traffic.

Also, it’s easier to network with the power users because of the smaller user base.

5. Use social media widgets at the end of each post.

Widgets are a great way to encourage your visitors to submit your content to social media sites.  Visitors may like a post but without the prompting of a submission button, they won’t think to submit your content.

We added a StumbleUpon button on one blog and we’ve seen a big increase in submissions and traffic from StumbleUpon.

Did you know you’re naked? Your Online Reputation is showing

Did you know you’re naked? Your Online Reputation is showing

Your Online Reputation must be a multi-faceted positive picture of YOU

People can check out your Online Reputation (your O.R.) by reviewing your Social Media profiles in Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and other places on the Web. They’ll also check your Web site, your blog and they’ll “Google” your name to see what information shows up. I call this process “downloading” Social Media. Doing the “down lo” on you means that I quickly “know” or have a perception of your character by the digital footprint you’re tracking around the Web. <br><br>I do one one more thing: I check my “gut” (my inner sense or intuition) about you before I make that final decision to connect with you and possibly do business. THAT’S what’s going when you “Social Network”.

Did you know you’re naked? People can check out your Online Reputation (your O.R.) by reviewing your Social Media profiles in Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and other places on the Web. They’ll also check your Web site, your blog and they’ll “Google” your name to see what information shows up. I call this process “downloading” your net worth (a la “InterNET”). Doing the “down lo” on you means that I quickly “know” or have a perception of your character by the digital footprints you’re tracking around the Web. Based on these digital footprints, I’m going to decide whether or not I can trust you. You do it yourself, don’t you? You at least Google the name of the person before you decide to commit in some way, whether it be to collaborate or recommend or hire the person you “Googled.”

Your Online Reputation must be a multi-faceted POSITIVE picture of YOU

Like a diamond, your online reputation is multi-faceted. Each facet contributes to your overall sparkle.  Be sure every connection to you on the Web is something you could show your mother and make sure she’d be proud of what she saw.

Here’s what happens when I do the “Down Lo” on you

• I check my “gut” (my inner sense or intuition) about you before I make that final decision to connect with you and possibly do business with you or refer business to you.
• If I discovered you in Twitter, I soak in your brand that you’ve, hopefully, extended onto your Twitter profile: I look at your avatar to see if it’s a professional or amatuer photo; I read your bio to see if it has keywords that speak to me and what I want and like; I read your tweets to see if you talk about things that have value and to see if you balance the “fluff” with the demonstrations of expertise and supportiveness. (But I do like “fluff” because I can connect with you when you tell me things like “Having breakfast with my mom on her birthday. Today she’s 70 years old. I hope I’m as wise as she is when I’m her age.”
• Then I click on your one link that’s allowed in your Twitter profile and if I land on an out-of-date website or a blog that has no posts or very little information, that tells me you don’t really know that people are judging you by this or worse, you might not care about what people see.  That’s a big mistake. People are judging you by your Twitter link so be sure it’s something worthy of a visit, whether it be your blog (filled with helpful posts) or LinkedIn profile or up-to-date and updated website.
• If I’m trying to decide whether or not to employ you, I’ll check your LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have one, then that’s a red flag for me because you’re missing out on big opportunity to show off your “living” resume. When properly maintained, your LinkedIn profile is alive with your work, your endorsements, your productivity, your education, your expert answers to posted questions and many other things that show what a team player you are and how knowledgeable you are.  Your LI profile should be continually updated. In LinkedIn you are two degrees of seperation away from a top industry guru, CEO, founder, celebrity, or other BIG mover and shaker. That’s who shows up in LinkedIn. Make your LI sparkle!
• If I’m really curious, I’ll Google you, too. Hopefully, I’ll see press releases, good reviews, good testimonials, articles you’ve written, Twitter tweets, Facebook mentions, your LinkedIn link and so on.  I’m not the only one doing the down lo on you so be sure you get a Google Alert set up so you always know what someone has clicked on when they’ve found a link to you in Google.
• By the way, I’m probably not checking past page 2 of your Google listings and many people only check what’s above the “fold” on their computer screen. It’s important to keep that first page of listings totally positive and impressive.

What can you do to control your Online Reputation?

Simple: hire a professional SEO expert to help you manage your online reputation.  You should have enough positive links about you so that if anything negative gets linked to you, people can clearly see the good outweighs the bad or perhaps that one negative thing was simply a fluke or a nutcase. With enough positive listings, anything bad gets pushed down below the fold or onto the next page–unless it’s someone out to get you and in that case, I can recommend a good attorney  who’s in my Twitter community.

El video del fin de semana

Volvemos, poco a poco, también con el video del fin de semana. Esta canción Tutto l'universo obbedisce all'amore del albúm de Franco Battiato Fleurs 2, interpertada con Carmen Consoli es un pequeña joya.

Rara la vita in due, fatta di lievi gesti,
e affetti di giornata, consistenti o no,
bisogna muoversi, come ospiti, pieni di premure
con delicata attenzione, per non disturbare
ed è in certi sguardi che, si vede l'infinito

Stridono le auto, come bisonti infuriati,
le strade sono praterie...
accanto a grattacieli assolati,
come possiamo, tenere nascosta, la nostra intesa
ed è in certi sguardi, che s'intravede l'infinito

Tutto, l'universo, obbedisce, all'amore,
come, puoi tenere, nascosto, un amore.
ed è così, che ci trattiene, nelle sue catene,
tutto, l'universo, obbedisce, all'amore

Come possiamo, tenere nascosta, la nostra intesa
ed è in certi sguardi, che si nasconde l'infinito

Tutto, l'universo, obbedisce, all'amore
come, puoi tenere, nascosto, un amore,
ed è così, che ci trattiene, nelle sue catene
tutto, l'universo, obbedisce all'amore...
(obbedisce all'amore)

Social Media Best Practices

Social Media Best Practices — Social Media Optimization

Social Media Best Practices

July 31, 2009

I was intrigued when I saw an email from eMarketer this week titled Social Media Best Practices. eMarketer had an article about a survey last year of social media marketers by MarketingSherpa. The survey looked at the effectiveness of social media marketing. The results are interesting.

Helps branding but not sales

smo1

Large majorities of the respondents rated social media marketing effective at influencing brand reputation, increasing awareness and improving search rankings and site traffic.

Social media was considered less effective, but still good, for internal communications and driving online sales. This last point is something that we are seeing over and over. The number of companies or web sites that have been able to use social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to generate any kind of online sales are few and far between
Marketers thought the best specific social media tactics are user reviews, relationships with bloggers and discussion groups. But they also found those tactics difficult to measure—only around 10% of respondents thought they were “very accurately measured.”

No Social Media Policy

smo2

I thought it was interesting that 75% of small businesses and 48% of large businesses had no written social media policy, meaning that social media is more of ad hoc than a important part of the overall marketing strategy of the company.

“A lot of the time, brands will put up a corporate blog or Facebook profile and think that’s social media marketing,” Lou Cuming of social media marketing agency DEI Worldwide told eMarketer. “It’s getting consumers into those environments and engaging with them online that becomes more difficult and requires more resources,” he said. “You really have to continue to nurture the conversation, otherwise it just dries up—it’s like having a one-way conversation, and if people aren’t listening, it does damage to the brand.”

No Reputation Management

smo3

With so many companies not having any policies around social media it is not a surprise then to see that around one-quarter of all businesses do not monitor the social media conversation at all. Nearly one-half of large businesses kept an eye on discussions without responding publicly while less than a quarter of all firms attempted to contact the writer of a negative comment. Amazingly only 4% of large businesses actually post a public rebuttal to negative comments, instead letting those comments sit and influence customer opinion!

La revolución de los Medios Sociales (Social Media Revolution)

SOCIAL MEDIA TRABAJOS

Puestos de trabajo en Social Media | gabycastellanos.com

Social Media Strategist: El es responsable de definir una estrategia global que puede incluir formacion, blogs corporativos o no corporativos, aplicaciones y posibilidades de las communities (FB, Twitter, Youtube, etc) con relacion a la marca. Si existen franquicias, ellos deben estar presentes en su estrategia. Este perfil es la base ejecutiva de los Social Media.

Community Manager: Es el responsable de manejar una comunidad ( blog / comunidad, una cuenta de twitter, FB Fan Page, etc). Tambien pueden ser responsables de la gestion social como plataforma de escucha y filtrado, y luego la asignación de conversaciones con otros en la unidad de negocio (SMS (no mensajes cortos), por ejemplo). A veces incluso pueden organizar eventos en persona (o Townhalls) para obtener retroalimentacion de la comunidad. Ellos son el rostro de la marca. Las conversaciones son su responsabilidad. Tambien puede encontrarse en esta area el Strategic Community, pero si lo es pasaria al reglon anterior, sin controla la estrategia en totalidad, sino es un Community Manager.

Social Media Manager: Puede ser un SMS ya que puede definir la estrategia, y ejecutarla. Son los amos de las campañas de marketing y probablemente, de la gestion de la misma. Tambien pueden estar a cargo de la compra de medios en Social Media como Facebook, Digg, etc. Y sin duda, deberian trabajar estrechamente con los Community Managers para aprovechar / integrar los elementos de conversacion en cada campaña.

Social Media PR: En muchas empresas, PR es una herramienta indispensable en Social Media. Por lo general, usan el blog y twitter. Tambien tienen relaciones exteriores con los bloggers y medios, y pueden gestionar el manejo de los Influencers.

Social Media Metrics: Es quien se encargara de la definicion de objetivos (dentro y fuera de Social Media, porque Social Media NO es solo Internet) y la presentacion de informes de los resultados. Entendera el Buzz y comprendera el Marketing para poder saber como valorar resultados y explicarlos al cliente.

Social Media Analyst: es quien controla el que pasa y donde sucede. Sabe donde nacen las conversaciones. Es capaz de analizar varias communities a la vez y decir donde y cuando conversar. Junto con el SMM hacen un equipo de escandalo, porque saben el como, el donde , el por que y los resultados.

Social Media Legal: Por lo general deberia ser un abogado, pero un abogado experto en las posibilidades de Social Media (complicado no?). Debe conocer los terminos legales de todas las communities y entender como afectan a las marcas. Es un puesto dificil de encontrar, pero si existe, nosotros tenemos uno :)

Social Media Security: Esta posicion es vital y que suelen trabajar estrechamente con SML. Ellos estan interesados no solo en proteger la privacidad de los activos de la empresa, sino tambien garantizar que las empresas cumplan con las leyes de privacidad en Internet.

Social Media Seo: Especilista en fomentar el correcto posicionamiento de buscadores en Social Media. Aunque este seria sin duda un puesto que deberia estar como complemento en cualquiera de los anteriores, porque es una base de SM, para empresas inteligentes deberian tenerlo aparte. Reequiere esfuerzo y dedicacion, como cualquiera de los anteriores.