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Social Media: Within Facebook
The gap between social networks and jobs is becoming increasingly closer together, and as a result, many people’s social lives outside of work are being directly affected. Over the years as Facebook has grown into a huge social networking site it has helped bridge the gap between people’s personal lives and their lives at work. This new rise in social networks and PR can have both an advantage or a disadvantage to people who use them in the workplace. In a good way, Facebook can allow users to network and exchange contacts and find jobs online with different people easier than other job sites. Since it is a more sociable tool, it is easier to communicate and exchange resumes as well as ask and answer any questions either party may have. The downside to this is that many of the new generations of teenagers are headed into the workforce, and it will become an issue with organizations and people’s privacy. Companies are becoming concerned with people’s lives outside of work and it’s becoming an issue with the interview process as well. As people go in to be interviewed for different jobs, their Facebook pages are being invaded and companies may be persuaded not to hire certain people because of their behavior outside of work. The evolution of Facebook has been a key factor in the rise of social media and PR and has both been beneficial in the work place, yet problematic as well.
Social media have been an enormous influence on public relations since they first began to be popular in 2004. According to A.C. Croft, author of Emergence of "New" Media Moves PR Agencies in New Directions, public relations agencies have made the transition from traditional forms of journalism to new “emerging” media. New media were first seen in blogs. Today, social media can be anything from a social networking site to podcasts.
According to Croft, social media have brought along a new set of public relations practitioners called “citizen journalists.” Everyday people can record, blog, write and videotape anything “newsworthy” to them. People today need their information faster than ever before. Also, according to Croft, press releases are being produced completely different. Press releases are no longer “one-dimensional.” Press releases are now being put out to the public in creative ways, such as logos, PDFs, preapproved executive quotes and creative formatting.
An outstanding example of social media is Facebook. According to Crunchbase, a free database developed by TechCrunch, Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook in 2004. Zuckerberg, with the help of friends Dustin Moskowitz and Chris Hughes, created an exclusive network for Harvard University students. In 2005, Facebook opened up to all high school students and in 2006 opened to anyone with an email account. Contrary to popular belief, Facebook’s fastest growing demographic is working adults older than thirty. 11% of users are over 35. As of date, Facebook has over 250 Million users, making it the world’s largest social network.
Just like Friendster, MySpace, and now Twitter, Facebook is a social network site that allows individuals to present themselves, articulate their social networks, and establish or maintain connections with others, which all revolves around public relations. Facebook is a wonderful site for social networking. People are able to make their own profile, make friends and network with many people. Being friends with one person promotes the opportunity to be friends with all of their friends, so if someone is promoting their own business or social contacts they can do so by making different connections through people on Facebook. This site is also great for advertising. Similarly to social networking and promoting yourself as well as businesses, you can also advertise these same businesses on Facebook. For example, Red Robin, which is a casual dining chain, makes a great attempt to advertise themselves on Facebook. According to an article entitled Red Robin calls in a Facebook favor from 1,500 fans, the restaurant has made their own profile on Facebook to help better promote themselves and improve their PR. First, Red Robin has customers fill out an online survey at the bottom of their receipt from the restaurant. In return, customers have the ability to win cash prizes if they answer questions about their experience. Lastly, Red Robin asks the customer if they would like to recommend this restaurant to someone else; if so, they are invited to recommend Red Robin to their Facebook profile page. Thanks to Empathica, which handles all the surveys for Red Robin, about 20% of the people who were asked to do this have, making this a great opportunity for Red Robin.
“Recommenders have an average of 150 friends, who all get positive impressions of the brand, at least in theory. Red Robin chief marketing officer Susan Lintonsmith estimates that her chain has gotten about 1,500 recommendations since Empathica launched the service in April. That would mean about 225,000 positive impressions during that time. The Red Robin fan page, meanwhile, has about 1,900 fans” (Red Robin calls in a Facebook favor from 1,500 fans).
Aside from social networking and advertising, Facebook also takes part in direct marketing. Direct marketing is an attempt to send messages directly to consumers. When users sign onto their Facebook, on the right-hand side there are advertisements that specifically fit your profile to try and find certain products that you may be interested in. Although this goes right along with social networking and advertising, it is specific advertisements that target different users based on the information they give on their profile. Facebook is beneficial to individuals as well as different jobs and organizations because of the ability to social network, advertise, and market anything you have to offer, which all revolves around public relations.
Companies are finding that using Facebook is a new way to connect with customers. This is a new marketing tool because the social media world is expanding, significantly. According to the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, Facebook also has the fastest-growing membership segment being adults aged 35 to 54, the majority of whom are in the workplace. As you’ve seen, most popular websites and company-based websites have been including the links on top of the page saying “Add us on Facebook” or the “Facebook Connect” with the Facebook “F” logo beside. “Facebook Connect” is a tool that allows websites to add the link to their pages to add social networking features.
Many reputable businesses use Facebook to market themselves. According to NetBanker, TD Canada Trust, the ninth largest bank in North America, just recently launched a Facebook application called Split IT, which helps roommates manage and split basic bills. It’s a visual bill: representing tables separating the roommates, utilities and each of their costs, simple and time saving. It even displays your debt, for example, if you owe one of your friends/roommates money. From Split IT, you are linked to their “Money Lounge,” which contains a plethora of job postings, offers, and all kinds of offers, which attracts their audience. Also, according to CIO Insight, JP Morgan Chase hosts a credit card loyalty club, Chase +1, to attract the college demographic. Chase +1 has about 34,000 and offers rewards and financial advice.
Also, ads on Facebook are an extremely useful way of attracting a broad audience and marketing your website/product/logo. Facebook has three different types of ads: sponsor groups, banner ads and text announcements. While sponsor groups and banner ads are the most popular (but, more expensive), text announcements are the cheapest (as low as $9/day). Sponsored groups are intended to promote a product, brand or idea as well as banner ads, which use brightly colored, sometimes flashy ads to attract people. Text announcements are for college students or smaller companies trying to target a specific audience or market.
In today’s business world an average of 60% of businesses use social media to track their employees, and do background checks on future employees. This can hurt you if you are not careful about what you release onto the internet. When looking for a job, you have to make sure that if you use any social media web sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Myspace that they all portray you in a professional manor. Things such as you pictures can give a company an impression of certain things that they may hold against you. Also your information and what you might say on these sites can affect your job processes. Anything that you put on the internet is accessible some way or another, and in most instances someone can get their hands on it one way or another. Social Media affects your entire outlook on yourself; you have to remember that someone is always watching you. You have to watch what you write and never post or write about anything work related that may surface later on. For example, from CNN article "How social media can hurt your career”, former Philadelphia Eagles employee Dan Leone, he was fired for making inappropriate comments about his organization on Facebook. Someone is always watching, you have to make sure you protect your personal image and keep it professional. It is your image that is on the line and your future that you have to look out for, why ruin it over something as small as social media web site.
Facebook brings engagement of Public Relations and its clients. People are no longer watching TV commercials; they are interacting and sharing their necessities. According to Dan Shust, The world is moving to more connectivity, more sharing, and more openness platforms. With all these things happening, social media will continue to grow and expand the Public Relations world and Facebook it’s going to be a huge part of it.
Dan Leone Interview & Interview Tips about Facebook
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