You're Gonna Need a Ruler For This One

As the new media intern at my current internship, one of my responsibilities is maintaining and updating our social networking sites. But at the end of the day, how does my supervisor know that I'm not just doing my job- but doing my job well.

How do we put a number on the human interactions that take place on Facebook or Twitter? There is no cookie-cutter answer to this question, but there are tips and guidelines that companies can follow in order to measure their ROI relating to social networking.

These measures can be divided into two areas: qualitative and quantitative.

Qualitative measurements give insight to the quality of the connections that are occurring on your social networking sites. For example, it's not just about how many Facebook fans you have, but how many of them are commenting, engaging in discussion, re-tweeting, or posting to your site. Have 137,560 fans or followers means nothing if they aren't actively involved!

Yesterday I met a girl in Pennsylvania at an anti-human trafficking lobby day that said to us, "I found out about this information through the Facebook invitation that you posted [on your fan page]". It felt good to know that my posts were not falling on deaf ears, and even better to know that my supervisor was standing right next to me!

Quantitative measurements are where these numbers, like Facebook fans, start to matter. I am constantly looking at our Analytics page to see how many people read our blog, and more importantly- how many new users read our blog. Obviously, our dedicated readers are extremely important to us, but we also need to know how to attract new readers and bring in more traffic. Measuring the amount of Facebook friends or Twitter followers you have helps you recognize what you're doing well and should continue doing OR if you lose friends, what you need to stop doing.

If my post doesn't make sense- it's not my fault. There's no easy answer to this question, right?

Social Watch:Trends to Look Out For

All of the articles I came across listed similar trends related to social networking to look out for in the year 2010 and beyond.

For the most part, the ideas were the same: Social media is growing! yes. The audience is in control! duh.

There were two trends, though, that really caught my eye.

Trend one.

To the marketing team:

Have you considered creating a Social Media Protocol? A policy that sets "rules of engagement" for multiple networking sites. This is a trend that will soon be implemented at your company, if it hasn't been already. It'll probably look a little something like this:

1. Don't be mean to our followers, friends, or foes - it just makes us look immature

2. Don't curse and definitely DON'T TYPE IN ALL CAPS. It offends some people..unless of course you're being nice like, "THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT JENNY! WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT! In which case you should add a smiley face because, well, it looks nice. ;)

3. Don't be an idiot.

Trend two.

To the Corporations:

Try as you might, it is harder than ever before to control your employees. The reason being because social media is now able to reach behind corporate firewalls. I had some no idea that 70 percent of organizations ban social networks. SEVENTY!? With the rise in sales of smartphones, employees are now taking their social networking off their computers and on to their iPhones.

But, there is a solution: take their cell phones away. It's easy and it works! Just put a little bin at the entrance of the building where cell phones and any other distractions go. But I can't take all the credit for this wonderful solution. I got the idea from a sorority. Not really a corporation, more like kindergarten- except you have to pay for it.

Kudos to me.

221B Baker Street

Very rarely do I get writers block. Actually, it has only happened twice in my entire life. Usually, when I sit down to write the ideas come flowing from my brain, through my hands, and onto the paper (or in this case..my keyboard, laptop, or what have you).

But as I lay here, trying to write this blog, my mind is preoccupied with only one thought- bread, and it's not as random as you think.

I recall someone once telling me a "fun fact" (I am quite fond of random fun facts)- that grocery stores purposely put the bakery near the entrance so that when a customer walks in they immediately smell the delicious baked goods and are thrown into a shopping frenzy. She may have put it more eloquently. But neither here nor there.

Albeit deceptive, I remember thinking how ingenious this concept was. Get into the customers head, make it easy to guide them towards the things they like, and keep them coming.

The rise of the internet and technology has simplified the manner in which businesses are able to do this- to predict what we need, what we like, and what we want. They are able to cater to these needs by tracking our every move.

With methods such as split testing, conversion funnel analysis, and click tracking, companies are able to understand how we view their sites. Did we like it? Which page did we visit most often? What turned us off from the page- when did we exit out? With this information they are able to customize their pages, rearrange the layouts, the formats, all so that we stay there longer and (hopefully) by their product.

And it's not just what buy..oh no! It's what we watch, how we got there, the flow of traffic. What page did I click on that led me to this video? What exact words did I use in the Google search that sent me to their site? They want to know these things. So that they can position themselves more favorably. So that they can get inside our heads.

Tricky tricky, me likey!

Resumes: Pictures and (Some) Color Welcome!

Just last week I updated my resume. I was bored, applying for a summer internship, and felt that my current one lacked umph and pizazz!

So, after hours of editing, modifying, and moving text boxes around I finally had a resume that I felt (slightly) better about. I kept asking myself, can I use colors? What about pictures?

Why are resumes so boring?

Don't employers get it? If I happen to have hott pink or orange headings in my resume it's not because I'm childish or incapable of "getting the job done", it means that I'm excited about the possibility of working somewhere great, that I can walk into an office and light up the room while still maintaining that level of professionalism that is necessary in work space.

Get a clue! Resumes don't have to (and SHOULDN'T) be boring! Which is why I love the idea of virtual resumes and blogs for listing accomplishments! They're easy to edit and you can spice things up a bit!

I myself am thinking of creating my own little website-resume where I can add pictures and all the colors I want. I think it will go well with my IT specialization, don't cha think!?

Elle Woods had it right, pink scented paper all the way.

Job Recruiters..Here I am!

Whenever I think about my blog, my facebook profile, my (old..very old) myspace, and other profiles I have floating around the internet (ehhh?) I wonder..what future employer might see this? And if they did happen to stumble upon one of my profiles, could it keep me from getting a job?

These are the things that our generation really needs to keep in mind. With it now being easier than ever to find out information about someone else, it really is important to think about how we are representing ourselves, and how others are interacting with us. I'm sure we've all heard professors and parents alike warn us of the dangers of social networking sites and how they might one day hamper our job search, but I think that as long as you act responsibly and monitor what you post as well as what OTHER post on your sites, it'll all be okay.

Remember, what you allow others to post and what you keep on your wall is also a reflection of what you will (or will not) tolerate. Like I always say, never do anything you wouldn't want on the front page of the NY times! (In this case..the Washington Post?)

Come on people, common sense!

From LGB, With Love

Group meetings. There really isn't much to say except, no thank you. 

I dislike having to be at group meetings at a certain time (what if I get hungry and want to eat instead!). I dislike having to wait around or plan accordingly so that everyone can come to an agreement as to when is a good time for everyone. And above ALL I dislike getting to kogod lab at 8pm only to find that there's a class in there and I won't be able to finish my group powerpoint..ugh.

Which is why virtual groups make the top of my favorites list! As a business student we all know what it's like to constantly be working in groups and having to meet..and meet..and re-meet. But now, through the use of gmail ands skype working in groups is easier than ever!

Of course, people feel that virtual groups are less personal then real face-to-face meetings, and that it is harder to really get to know your peers. For those of you who don't get non-verbal cues (text-wise) here's a hint:

IF IM TYPING IN CAPS I'M PROBABLY ANGRY.

If I'm giving you one word answers. Like..yeah.

...I'm probably angry.

And if I'm currently stuck in Long Beach California, had my flight delayed by Jetblue, won't be in DC until 7am, and have a class at 8:30.


I'm probably..ugh.


Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Take Those Linden Dollars and Buy Yourself a Life

What is it about the virtual gaming that we find so enticing? Is it that we can be anything and everything that we've always wanted to be? That we can do and say things that we wouldn't normally do behind these avatar masks without anyone ever finding out? Whatever it is, its changing the face of how we communicate today and creating another world where we really are free to be what we want to be.

It's a concept that we've been drilled with since child hood: be yourself, do what makes you happy...but at the end of the day how realistic is it? We have to worry about "real" things like school, bills, careers, relationships. And what if being super hero, zombie-killing warrior or blue native on the island of pandora just isn't...within reach? If that's the case, then you can always turn on your laptop and escape into this fantasy land where you are free to exist in whatever way you'd like.

But how does this affect us in the real world? Kogod student by day, virtual gaming junkie by night, it just seems odd. And what do these games tell us about ourselves? If you enjoy playing Grand Theft Auto every night and stealing cars and killing women..does that mean that deep-down you're a cold hearted murderer?

What about being a second life junkie? Does the fact that you're willing to spend real money to make fake houses and live in a fake world say something about your social life? It seems to me that there might be better ways to spend that money, like taking a real person out to dinner.

The fact of the matter is that we all enjoy the idea of creating a better, more perfect version of ourselves. And if plastic surgery isn't for you, then maybe second life is.

PS. Get excited for our SL class. If you aren't already, then watch this.