social ROI???

the whole ROI concept only works if you have metrics set up to track and quantify what it is that you want to measure a gain (or loss) on. it would only be fitting if social ROI was conducted in the same way. there are many ways you can assign metrics to- webhits, unique url clicks, number of downloads..the list really could go on forever. it is very easy to see that if you know what it is that you want to measure then getting the correct metrics set up isn't difficult; it's when you don't know what it is you are looking for in the numbers that calculating social ROI can be challenging..

HOWEVER, you do realize that you are talking about calculating the return on investment of social media. how do you really quantify this? it's almost as if i was going to track the number of people that i spoke with during the day to see over time how this number changed. but it wouldn't account for the quality of the conversation or whether the conversation was about business or pleasure.

the numbers don't feel the smile during and after laughter..they don't feel the satisfaction after a well done deal..and they certainly can't taste the tea during a quick meeting with a client..this is why in my mind there won't be ways to fully quantify social anything.

it's social- it's not supposed to be quantified, that's the point of the whole concept of being socially active.

a dabble into everything

on the topic of the futuristic social media, i think there will be more conflicts than there are now with the virtual life/reality balance. the number of generations brought up with these new technologies that are making social media so handy 24/7 is naturally going to grow; so much so that our generation will be considered to have grown up in an out-dated technology era- it's only inevitable that way because of how rapidly technology changes. hopefully we will be able to stop it before the line between the virtual world and that of reality get too blurreddddd.

although the biggest difference between now and then is that there are going to be more access points and opportunities to expand yourself online (believe it or not). if anyone thinks that this whole developing your online image cleanly is going away, man are they wrong. everything will affect a person's online image. this could be absolutely amazing from a business standpoint though- could you imagine the financial benefits from actually being able to market 100% successfully because you know what's on your consumers' minds consistently??

a marketing evolution

marketing is forever changing with the developing industry of technology; this is easy to see. however, their companies that are not changing their strategies to adapt to this virtual world and are not going to see profits from it. it's ashame because it doesn't seem that difficult to do. using google analytics for example is something we have done in class, for the IT department of a company to set this up for the marketing executives is not something that would be out of the question, especially if the webpage is already set up (which i am assuming here that most are).

the area that i think is being left out is the analysis of redirections from other pages such as blogs that would be mentioning a certain company. this is where tracking your online image becomes important. if a company searches for their name on google or a part of their business, then they can see who is mentioning them in news articles, etc. everywhere on the internet. so if they were to track how many times a web user sees these "mentionings" and then googles the company or clicks on the link for the news article from the blog, they could track a potential new market. this might take some time to discuss the metrics and how to track these items but it seems like a good place to start customizing a company's analytic strategy from the rest of their competitors.

10 tips for the every day job searcher

1. clean up your internet image (recruiters will be researching you..this means no drugs, no drunken pictures of you exposing yourself, and no posts saying 'omgod i got super wasted last night and hooked up with XXX number of people' no, just no)

2. informational interviews (if you don't know what you want, go out there and look for it)

3. research for potential interviews (most bullshitting ends at college graduation, this isn't getting through an english 101 paper. if you're making things up they will know)

4. be social! (there is no excuse for sitting behind the computer and hoping for something good to happen, go out there and get it)

5. dress the part (if you want to be professional the first step is appearing professional)

6. utilize all network outlets (linked in, professional associations, and yes that great uncle you almost never see, who has a great job at a corporation, he might be able to help you so talk to him)

7. follow up (without further contacting the firm you sent your resume to you are just another piece of paper in the pile)

8. be yourself (let your personality shine through, a touch of flare will set you apart from the rest of the potential candidates)

9. relax!! (the more you worry about not having a job or wanting a new one, the less you are going to accomplish. don't risk overlooking some opportunity because you were stuck in bed crying and applying to everything possible)

10. be passionate!

..i cannot stress the last one enough, if you're not passionate about what you are doing or want to be doing there is less incentive for that person to hire you. a little enthusiasm goes a long way!