Facebook Home: Is user privacy a concern?

With the announcement of Facebook Home for Android and the HTC First, HTC’s Facebook phone, people now have a chance to use the widely popular social networking site in a whole new way. They will be able to send messages to their friends and check their News Feed directly from their phone’s home screen without even opening the Facebook app.

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While the new Android launcher’s features may eventually win over avid Facebook users, tech experts, especially those who attended Facebook’s April 4 event in Menlo Park, California, think that Facebook Home is only a gimmick and that, knowing Facebook, there might be privacy problems that can crop up in the future, such as GPS location tracking services that passively and continuously run on the phone in order to send location-based advertising to users.

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However, that fear may be unfounded, as Mashable.com reports that Facebook has confirmed that Home will not be actively tracking users’ GPS location, even on the HTC First, where the launcher is built right into the phone’s operating system. Furthermore, data on the activities of other applications, such as Foursquare check-ins, will not be seen by Facebook. Still, location-based ads can and will be offered to users if they use Facebook to check-in to a location.

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Despite some privacy concerns, there are people who believe that Facebook Home is a powerful software that can potentially disrupt the telecom industry.

Socialtyze is John Bohan’s answer to branding and social media marketing issues. Visit its website for more information about its services.

Social media monitoring: Screening and background checking using social media

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Before applying for a job, most applicants update their resume, get a haircut, find something decent to wear, and rehearse their “why you should hire me” lines. However, with 2 out of 5 companies now using social networking sites, like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and MySpace, to screen applicants and perform background checks, it is now imperative that applicants also add cleaning up their social networking profiles to their to-do list.

Many applicants may not be aware that posting inappropriate comments and using foul language online may be grounds for rejection. However, studies show that the biggest factor that contributes to an applicant being rejected is having provocative photos publicly posted online.

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The main reason why an increasing number of employers use social media for background checking is because it is a good source of personal information that can’t be found in an applicant’s resume. These pieces of information may signal red flags, like gang involvement, drug use, drinking problems, and potentially violent behavior, which can affect a person’s work performance. Current employees are also not safe from social media monitoring as they may post content that is damaging to a company’s corporate image.

Thus, it is a wise decision to stay on the side of caution by deleting unruly photographs and posted negative content, and setting appropriate privacy settings to avoid risking one’s career because of these indecent online content.

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Growing engaged audiences in social media to promote brands is media expert John Bohan’s goal when he established Socialtyze. Visit its website for more information.

Checking accuracy: Using social media as a news source

An increasing number of people are using social media these days, and with world-spanning information access now available 24/7, more people have started using social media as their primary news source, which raises this question: Are breaking news reported in social media outlets, like Twitter and Facebook, real and accurate?

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Information that flows through social media is fast, and news spreads around quickly like wildfire. For instance, the Arab Spring, a revolutionary event that spanned many countries and toppled governments, was found to have been organized through Facebook and Twitter.

However, this fast flow of information is also a downside of social media since many incidences of inaccurate or even doctored or falsified information being passed on to billions of people have occurred in recent years. The Lil Wayne incident is one example. On March 15th, news agencies around the country reported that famous rapper Lil Wayne was hospitalized, but from there, their stories began to deviate from one another. According to Lil Wayne’s Twitter account, he is doing well and even thanked people for praying for him and sending out love. Lil Wayne’s friend Mack Maine also said that Lil Wayne is, in fact, alright and is even watching the Syracuse game with them. However, celebrity gossip site TMZ tweeted that Lil Wayne was in a critical condition after suffering from more seizures. With these many versions of a single story, it is hard to find out what really happened.

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As this example shows, it is imperative that people first check the veracity of a story being shared over social media before sharing it to others, so as not to contribute to the noise and the distribution of gossip masquerading as a news story.  

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Socialtyze, which was founded by advertising maven John Bohan, helps its clients understand what it means for a brand to be social. Visit its website for more details.

Facebook's latest redesign: Will it be better for brands?

True to Mark Zuckerberg’s entry in 2006 about how Facebook listened to feedback from its users and contributors, the company’s decision to revamp its news feed seems to be fueled by user complaints of boredom on the site and by pressure from advertisers that want more value for their money.

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The social networking site has gone far from being “brand new and still evolving” to something that is almost ubiquitous to people in the modern age. As the site attempts to change the way people find information on the Internet, it seems inevitable for its users to ask for more.

Previously, it launched its Graph Search feature, which allows people to “find more of what they’re looking for through their friends and connections.” The news feed redesign move, meanwhile, is aimed at making the site akin to “the best personalized newspaper in the world.”

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The customizable feed now allows users to see only the types of content that they want to see. They can focus on video feeds, music feeds, or photo feeds and expect to get the type of content that they favor from their friends. Meanwhile, advertisers can be happier with the following feed, which is dedicated to the posts of brands and people users are following, arranged chronologically. Facebook maintains that through this feed, people won’t be missing any posts now.

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With these changes, the social networking site has effectively responded to advertiser complaints that people aren’t seeing their important posts enough. In time when competitors are at the heels of Facebook, perhaps the change is enough to prevent advertisers from seeking another platform.

John Bohan is an Internet advertising expert who specializes in social marketing solutions. Find more material on effective social media use on Socialtyze.com.

The great equalizer: How social media brought back power to the people

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The advent of the Internet birthed a voice that gave unprecedented power to the people—a voice called social media.

A few years ago, the case differed. Companies and governments were untouchable, and the people had a lot to say but had no platform to express themselves easily or without legal repercussions. What little voice they had was quickly quashed and swept under, never to be heard again.

However, with the advent of the Internet, the people got back their voice in the form of social media, and even once-powerful corporations and governments are wary of this new power, as one wrong review or one bad press can instantly be read by billions of people, the precursor to potentially lost sales, revenue, and profit, or toppled governments.

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The best example would be the Arab Spring wherein oppressive governments in Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, and Libya were toppled by a wave of demonstrations, protests, and uprisings sparked by the use of social media. Another example is that customers who purchased a faulty product and shunned by the company that made the product can now complain on Twitter or such online platforms, their effective and better chance at being heard.

Social media is quickly changing the information dissemination landscape and becoming the de facto way of how people communicate online. This is why Internet advertising experts, like John Bohan and Mateo Gutierrez, advise companies and governments to leverage social media for directly interacting with their customers and constituents, respectively.

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John Bohan heads Socialtyze, a firm that crafts smarter-media campaigns, manages thriving communities, and builds engaging applications. Visit its webpage to learn more.

Social media management: Tools for businesses

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Social media is no longer just for individuals who want to connect with friends and family online. Businesses are now taking advantage of the power of social media to communicate with clients, promote products and services, and track competition. Below are two cost-effective programs which can help businesses effectively manage all their online accounts:

Sendible - Sendible is a social media management, monitoring, and analytics tool rolled into one. It allows businesses to engage with their customers across varied social media platforms, particularly Facebook, Twitter, and blog accounts. Through Sendible, online users can schedule updates, and they can post simultaneously to Facebook, Twitter, and blog sites with one click. Sendible starts at $9.99 a month for eight accounts, and offers plans for $ 99.99 for 120 accounts.

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Viralheat -- Like Sendible, Viralheat tracks a business’ Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest accounts, as well as blogs, company websites, and video sites. It also monitors conversations in real time so businesses can understand what’s going on online and how to best engage with its audience. Viralheat’s analytics also lets businesses stay ahead of the competition by understanding the competitor’s performance on social media. Viralheat is offered free for seven accounts and charges $ 499 a month for 50 accounts.

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Sendible and Viralheat are just two of the many social media management tools available in the market today. Such tools will help businesses effectively and efficiently market their brand online.

Be in the know of the latest in social media marketing by following this John Bohan Twitter page.

Measuring ROI of social media

Nowadays, business owners have adopted the principles of social media pioneers, like John Bohan and Jay Baer, and many entrepreneurs would agree that measuring the ROI of social media is one of the building blocks in coping with social media trends and strategies. How does one put a corresponding amount to a ‘tweet’ or a ‘like’? Here are some points to help businesses get started in calculating digital success.

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This article discusses metrics that online marketers can use as benchmarks that determine whether their social media efforts are paying off or not:

• Re-examining content strategy. Social media platforms should be able to interact with their target audience by asking them questions, speaking with them, and creating dialogues. Reviewing their content strategy should be done to make room for this practice.

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• Sharing of voice. It is the online marketers’ duty to make it a point that their brands’ presence can compete with other brands’ image in the industry. This has something to do with the size of their audience, followers, and fans.

• Acknowledging advocates. Engaging and leveraging the loyalty of avid followers, re-tweeters, and pinners for the brand kicks businesses into higher gear.

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To complement the above-mentioned practices, tools such as SourceMetrics and Klout help companies improve their bottom line.

This website provides industry news and tips on measuring social media’s ROI.