New Technology

It seems to me that I am starting to see smartwatches much more often these days. I started to do some research on smartwatches and found this website that is discussing how much smartwatches are going to expand and explode over the next five years. There are some really neat features that are to be expected. 

Apple Watch 2 is set to debut this year and it has an impressive list of new functions. Such as time lapse pictures, longer battery life (rumored up to one week), and waterproof. It will also expand to have more native apps. These apps are going to be especially useful, they are rumored to be Siri - for voice texting and calling, Health Apps - to keep track of steps, heart rate, blood pressure and a plethora of other great features, Facetime, GPS and others. The new apple watch is also going to be getting a facelift. Their new designer has been listening to the complaints since Apple Watch first launched and people have been expressing a need for new design scheme. They want options that make their watches classy and beautiful, something they can wear to their office jobs and galas alike while still having great durability. There's said to be some big changes and options for colors and designs that Apple has yet to reveal. 

Another watch that I am excited to see later this year is the Omate Rise Android Smartwatch. It works with IOS and Androids and has a bit more of a rugged exterior. The Omate Rise is 3G-compatible, has GPS and is properly waterproof. It boasts a round 1.3-inch, 360 x 360, touchscreen with sapphire coating. It works with iPhone and Android and the Rise also has a 3G micro SIM slot for untethered use as well as GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. There is a speaker and mic, presumably to take and make calls as well the usual 6-axis accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer for activity tracking. As someone who loves hiking and being outdoors, I would choose this watch over the Apple Watch 2 because of its durability. 

In general, I think that wearable technology is going to change social media, especially smartwatches.

Because of the Voice-Based Updates, I imagine the shift of wearable update-ers will be dramatic. The shift from PDAs with pullout keyboards to smartphones with on-screen touch-based keyboards was significant, but the shift that will come with wearable tech will be even greater. Because screen sizes will shrink down even further, users will no longer be able to type as conveniently as they used to. Now users will have to use their voices to respond which will ultimately change how we interact. Messages/posts will become shorter, more informal and contain less typing and grammar errors which can be embarrassing. As a result, you’ll have to change your communicative style to cater to those more conversational inquiries.

Images will become increasingly more desirable because long messages won't be accessible and people will quickly lose their patience. This will not only cause people to be more concise and the to the point in their personal messages, but advertisers might be able to capitalize on this as well. Optimizing your posts to be legible and interactive on a small screen will put you ahead of the competition, and more wearable users will flock to your social profiles as a result.

It will be interesting to see where Smartwatches will reach, what will happen to regular watches? You know the kind that just tell you the time?? I wonder how long it will take people to make the switch and which brand they'll run to. Social media will have to grow and adapt to keep up, and I have no doubt that it won't upset us. 

Where Have all the QR Codes Gone?

Remember how in 2011 QR codes were the big thing? They started cropping up everywhere. They popped out the snow, like daisies! (Props to you if you know what I just quoted.) I remember scanning a couple but mainly being unimpressed with them. They seemed like they had a lot of potential, but weren't used effectively. In fact, Alex Kutsishin, president of FiddleFly, said that:

"If there was ever a technology that was frustratingly unpopular despite its true potential to improve the way consumers and businesses interact, it would be the QR Code."

QR stands for quick response. Originally they were created as a way to track things for Toyota but have since evolved. They can hold 100 times the information of traditional barcodes, making them look great to businesses for marketing. QR codes are read digitally, most likely by your smartphone, with the pairing of an app too so that you can do a myriad of marketing with it. Ideally, QR codes enable businesses to connect offline customers with online content in an engaging and interactive way.  Unfortunately, before they could really become mainstream, the technology started to trip over itself and sort of fell flat on its face - ouch. 

Consequently, the steps for engaging with a QR code often look something like this process, aptly described by Joshua Johnson in an article for Design Shack:

"1. Get out your phone.
2. Find you phone’s QR Code reader, assuming you’ve downloaded one.
3. Search for that QR code app that you downloaded one time, the name of which escapes you.
4. Realize that you deleted that app ages ago because you never used it. Go to app store, search for and download a new free QR Code reader.
5. Take a nap because you’re exhausted at this point.
6. Launch app and wait for the camera to initiate.
7. Hold phone up to QR Code.
8. Wait for browser to launch and page to load.
Tadaah, a web page! Wasn’t that easier than typing in a URL?"

The problems mainly stem from the fact that businesses don't know how to use them effectively. Some common problems are when the code sends you to a place that isn't set up for mobile sites - it's choppy and hard to navigate, which just becomes annoying and people lose interest. The next problems is that when you're on the page, there isn't a clear action - sometimes it just takes you to their unfriendly mobile site. Great. What next? It leaves users confused and frustrated that they wasted their time. The placement of QR codes is also important since you have to be able to take a picture of the code, having it in places like billboards and television commercials, isn't going to allow the user enough time to actually scan it. You also need an internet connection to scan it, so placing it in underground subways or on airplanes isn't helpful.

Those that did harness the QR and used creativity to make it beneficial for consumers did very well. Target had coupons that you could download onto your phone once you scanned their QR codes, Taco Bell and Mountain Dew used their codes for free music downloads, and Tesco, the second largest grocery chain in South Korea, created virtual grocery stores in select subway tunnels (those with cell service), allowing commuters to shop while they wait for the train by scanning QR codes next to items they want.  The items are then added directly to their carts and delivered to their homes after work.

So there is great potential for these little guys, but you can see how things can fade very quickly if they aren't used creatively. Now, I don't know if it would be possible to bring these codes back, people have already written them off. It will be interesting to see what the future holds - maybe they'll make a comeback.

Viral Videos: What it Takes

We've all laughed at Charlie Bit My Finger, cooed at Sophie the Bulldog Rolling Down a Hill, shared David After Dentist, chucked at Pizza Rat or Grumpy Cat, and quoted Double Rainbow or Damn Daniel. But it wasn't until recently that I learned that there is an art to making a viral video and actual techniques people use. Originally, I always thought viral videos were organic, they were posted simply because the creator thought their friends would find it funny, interesting, sad, etc. I had no idea that there were people out there - like Travis Chambers who came and spoke to us - that actually tried to make a viral video.

With the help of these articles (1, 2, 3) I was able to compile a list of ways in which you can make your video go viral.

1. Release your video on a Monday or a Tuesday.

When do you find yourself online the most? For me, it's when you're at school or at work. And Mondays and Tuesdays tend to be very boring for people, they need something to get through their days. So they read the news at work, or go online, check out what's trending, post on social media, etc. If you release your video on Monday or Tuesday you can give it the whole week to gain momentum. Some people may think it's better to release it on a weekend, but you have to remember that people usually are out and about during weekends, not online. Weekends are speed bumps; avoid them. While you can't always avoid it, try to upload something on a normal day. Be aware of holidays in your country and others. Some people don't work on certain days so it's important to release your video when the most people are active online. It's also important that you don't release it when any big new stories are going on unless it pertains to that news story, it is likely to go unseen.

2. Keep your video short.

This is the age of quick attention spans, I don't have time for a video that's over one and half minutes. I need quick and simple. 30 seconds to a minute is the perfect amount of time. If your video is too long it is less likely that people will click on it to begin with, let alone actually finish it. Short videos spread faster.

3. YouTube is great, but don't limit yourself.

Post it to Vimeo! There's no disputing that YouTube is the most popular video-sharing platform in the world (official data puts YouTube as the third-most-visited site in the world behind Google and Facebook.) However, it's not the only place to upload your videos. Hosting sites like DailyMotion, Vimeo, and more sometimes offer attractive features to video providers. For instance, DailyMotion is sometimes ranked higher in terms of video quality than YouTube.

4. Use animals or babies.

Let's face it, animals and babies are the best. I follow multiple accounts that are run by the owners of pets on Instagram and Facebook. Animals are so pure - too good for this world. Use them.


If you follow those steps, your video is destined to get more views. Be careful what you wish for, though, people often regret making videos and posting them online because of how crazy comment sections can be, media attention, and trolls and haters. People love to share things online, and once it's out there: it's out there forever. Even if you take the video down, other people still have access to it. 15 minutes of fame can quickly turn into 15 years of hell if you're not careful.

SEO - not Sia, unfortunately.

I'll be frank, I had zero clue as to what search engine optimization (SEO) was up until a few minutes ago. When I first read the phrase I assumed it had something to do with Boolean searches, but apparently not. Thankfully, the Internet knows all the things.

This beginner's guide defines SEO as a marketing discipline focused on growing visibility in organic (non-paid) search engine results. SEO encompasses both the technical and creative elements required to improve rankings, drive traffic, and increase awareness in search engines. So, from what I understand, it's the process of getting your web page to be pulled up in the search results when a keywords or phrases are typed into a search engine. The goal is to create more traffic: people accessing your web page.

The majority of web traffic is driven by the major commercial search engines, Google, Bing, and Yahoo!. Although social media and other types of traffic can generate visits to your website, search engines are the primary method of navigation for most Internet users. Obviously, Google has the upper hand here, with more than 80% of all people using Google's search engine.

The argument has been made that while Bing is the most helpful search engine,  as we talked in class, because of how popular and well known Google is, it will most likely always have the upper hand. The word "google" is a verb itself, so if you want to focus on a specific search engine optimization - stick with Google. I inserted a commercial from YouTube that Bing produced that shows how the results you want from Bing are generally more accurate than what you receive from Google.

Anyways, back to SEO's. There are some common tools and search engine protocols that can help get more traffic to your website. The first is Sitemaps.

Sitemaps are most easily understood if you think of them as files that can give hints to search engine on how they can find your website. They can help the search engine label specific content on your site that the search engine might not have found on its own. Sitemaps can be useful because if you have videos, images, or news on your website because Sitemaps can use those different types of formats to generate more traffic.

You can also implement Geotagging.

Formally, geotagging is know as: "the process of adding geographical identification metadata to various media such as a geotagged photograph or video, websites, SMS messages, QR Codes or RSS feeds and is a form of geospatial metadata. This data usually consists of latitude and longitude coordinates, though they can also include altitude, bearing, distance, accuracy data, and place names."
Simply stated:geotagging is the process of adding geographical identification to photographs, video, websites and SMS messages.

Keep in mind, geotagging has big privacy flaws to it. Why? Well, you are giving up your location, whether you are still there or not. In this article, it explains how to avoid the potential risks to geotagging.

You should always be aware that your phone may automatically geotag your location - this has been shown to be problematic, especially for people in the public eye who do not want their location given away. Turn your location settings off if you do not want your photos to be tagged with your location.

There are other risks involved because if your photo is posted with the location it can be a great way for potential stalkers or thieves to find you/your location. It's important to know where you shouldn't geotag: private addresses, dorms, hotel rooms, public settings (beaches, amusement parks, etc) and never geotag photos of children.

And finally, if using geotagging websites, control with great care the people who are able to see where you're located. "Each website differs in how it confines your information to only those people whom you want seeing it; always be sure to read the instructions carefully and don't just rely on the default setting which might be allowing anyone to see your whereabouts."

Overall, search engine optimizing can be extremely helpful when trying to gain more traffic to your website through keywords and phrases, especially using tools like sitemaps and geotagging. But be careful, privacy is something that is much harder to get back than it is to maintain.

Aggravating Aggregators

I'm going to be honest, if you had asked me what an aggregator was up until twenty minutes ago, I probably would have responded with something like, "Um...it's like a character from a storyline right? Like you have the protagonist, the antagonist and an aggregator...who is aggravating to the protagonist...Probably. IDK IDK IDK."

I had never heard of the word in relation to technology. So I looked it up. According to TechTarget, a content aggregator is an individual or organization that gathers Web content (and/or sometimes applications) from different online sources for reuse or resale. There are two kinds of content aggregators: (1) those who simply gather material from various sources for their Web sites, and (2) those who gather and distribute content to suit their customer's needs. The latter process is called syndication. ScreamingMedia, Moreover, and iSyndicate are among the increasing number of companies offering aggregated content for resale.

According to what I learned in class before social media really became the hot thing, organizations would update all of their social media platforms from aggregators, they wouldn't actually go to Facebook or Twitter to write out their post. Nope. They would write them out from the aggregator and the aggregator itself would post to all their social media platforms. It was a quick and easy way to get a point across through social media without having to make multiple posts.

The Wall Street Journal came out with an article on the lack of privacy that aggregators have.
"Security and privacy are a concern because users must reveal their account numbers and passwords to the banks doing the aggregation, in most cases. Banks say the service is as secure as online banking -- but even online banking customers may think twice about having all their access codes in one place. While banks often provide aggregation services to clients free of charge, it is vital to determine whether the bank assumes liability for any mistakes or security breaches, as each aggregator has its own terms and conditions. Otherwise, the risk could fall to you."

So I got to thinking, what is the best aggregator out there? What's the worst? The rest of this blog post will be dedicated to weighing the pros and cons (with the help of outside sources) of three different aggregators to decide who is deserving of the title: The World Wide Web's Most Aggravating Aggregator!! (*applause*)


ScreamingMedia:

In 1996, while developing a site for the 1996 summer Olympics, Alan Ellman learned how difficult and expensive it is to get content. He developed ScreamingMedia as a way to deliver, filter, back content and efficiently integrate it into websites. ScreamingMedia got off to a very quick and efficient start, ramping up over 530 customers and 119 providers supplying content to 390 publications by January 2000.

Pros: large user base, generally simple/easy to use, well-known/trusted, and it allows the designer to create their own filters which is useful.
Cons: has multiple complaints about quality of streaming videos and the cost is rather high: web clients can spend upwards of 1500$ per month.

iSyndicate:

iSyndicate has managed to distribute both for large companies and content providers, but also reaches smaller sites that pertain to electronic commerce and hobbies. An invaluable resource for content providers, iSyndicate also offers individuals a way to distribute their work across the Internet.

Pros: large user base: 795 content providers use iSyndicate to reach 170,000 Web sites, it also covers a very large array of categories such as business, entertainment, finance, sports, and politics.
Cons: It is easy to use, but you first have to cut through a lot of jargon, and there is also a 300 dollar set up fee which can deter many potential clients.

Moreover:

"Moreover.com allows people to search the Web," says co-founder David Galbraith in London. "We have a headline service and are focused on being the biggest and best aggregator of headlines."

Pros: uses proprietary software to produce the Web-style news feeds it calls Webfeeds. It aggregates news and information from 1500 Web sources in near real time and then assembles the Webfeeds in more than 200 categories. No content or licensing fees which help people who are new to the world of aggregators and aren't sure where to start.
Cons: Its basic filtering is free, but if you're serious about getting into the world of aggregators it's going to cost you much more on Moreover.

Utilizing Humor in Organization's Social Media

Personally, I am a large fan of comedy. It's one of my favorite genres, who doesn't love to laugh?? Humor is one of the most powerful tools one can use, especially in marketing. I love it when companies use humor in their tweets and posts, the ability to make your product relatable through humor is something that is extremely valuable. It makes a brand "followable," for me. Just think about the things people "like" or share on their social media sites; it's either educational, valuable, appeals to your interests and needs, or it's just seriously funny. Humor can do four things for your brand, creates unity, triggers an emotional response, makes your brand memorable and provides audience insights.

When you know your audience, you'll know what makes them smile. You should use that to your advantage. Using your knowledge and paying attention to news, current events, and pop culture can give you material to comment on in your social media posts. Knowing where to draw the line with humor is a skill that may take some time, trial and error, but I believe that it is one that can endear your to your target audience and make you unforgettable. Even though it might seem like extra work to figure it out, I think humor is a marketing technique all its own.

For example, I think Charmin toilet paper has a hilarious twitter account. I follow it and regularly laugh out loud because of it. The other day I had to go buy toilet paper for my apartment, as I was in the aisle looking around, I saw Charmin and proceeded to buy it even though there was cheaper toilet paper nearby. I follow Charmin for its hilarious tweets, but I also see all of its other tweets about the excellent quality of toilet paper Charmin has. So even though it was more expensive, Charmin was still able to have my service simply based on the fact that whoever writes their tweets, is someone who I consider humorous.

There is a balance organizations must strike between personality and professionalism. Many companies are still navigating the world of digital marketing and social media, and many are making social media a cornerstone of their digital strategy. When social media becomes one of the main ways your business reaches its followers, leads, and customers, your social media image becomes all the more important. Your social media becomes your brand image. The most successful companies at finding the right mix of personality and professionalism in social media will be able to both gain trust and seem “human” to their followers. Making this a goal for your business will give you a competitive edge when web searchers look to social media for a solution like yours.

I attached some pictures below of some of my favorite tweets from businesses and organizations that use humor effectively.

#HoopsNotCrime: a Response to "Basketball Cop"

On January 15th, Officer White responded to a 911 call that there were boys playing basketball "too loudly" in the street. Officer White arrived at the scene and started asking the boys if they knew who called the cops, they said they didn't know. After a small exchange Off. White said, "I don't know who called it in, but obviously, I ain't got no problem with it" (FoxNews). He then began to play some basketball with them, there were some shots fired, but not from a gun. Officer White played basketball with the boys for few minutes more before some other children joined in, to which he joked that they had "brought backup." After a few more minutes playing around, he told the boys that he had to go now, but he would return later tomorrow with some backup of his own to get a real game going. He also asked them to keep playing as long as they want but try not to be too loud. The boys agreed and the officer and the players parted ways. 

This was all caught by the dashcam in Officer White's police car, the Gainesville PD later released the video with the hashtag, #HoopsNotCrime, it soon went viral gaining more than 4 million views in 24 hours. One of the viewers was Shaquille O'Neal, NBA legend. Shaq saw the video and wanted to help, he dropped by the police station the next day and surprised Officer White. Shaq expressed his thanks to White for his actions towards the kids playing basketball. Later that day, White did return to the place where the boys were playing with backup, as promised, including Shaq. The kids went nuts when they saw Shaq. The rest of the video shows the kids, police officers, and Shaq all playing a pickup game against each other. At the end, Shaq lines up all the boys and tells them that if they can make a shot from a certain point in two tries that he'll give them 100 dollars. All of the boys, some with a little more leniency and help, make their shots. All of them looked very excited as Shaq gathers them around before he gives each of them 100 dollars he talks to them about the importance of staying in school, respect, and staying away from drugs. He makes them recite this, "I will become whatever I want to be. I will be a leader, not a follower. I will respect my peers, my elders and especially my parents." 

I searched the hashtag (HoopsNotCrime) on twitter and found a YouTube video from the Gainesville PD. It's a series that the Gainesville PD runs called, Gainesville PD: On Duty. It give a behind the scenes look at most of the big stories that the Gainsville police are associated with. In it, they interviewed Officer White and when asked how in all of the interviews he conducted with the various news sites, they kept reporting on his "extraordinary response" and his take on that. Officer White responded saying that what he found most disheartening was that it was considered an extraordinary response in the first place, he was "just doing his job, and it is sad to see that the perception of cops around the world is so negative that this instance was seen as surprising at all." I'd like to focus on this point as well because I agree with Officer White. It is extremely disheartening that in today's world, a video like this seems out of the ordinary. That a cop stopping to be kind and play basketball with a bunch of kids is out of character. It seems that all we hear about in the news today is "cop killers," and mostly their African American victims. This is a tough subject to approach because of all the contention surrounding it. However, there is the fact that the incarceration rate of black people is much higher than any other race, and the sentences that a black person receives are often more extreme than that of a white person for the same crime. And dashcam videos do show, in my opinion, many cops being overly-aggressive and overly-eager to use their guns. Unfortunately, this has created the idea that all cops are bad. While I 100% believe that there are bad cops, and some police departments are more corrupt, the idea that all cops are bad has permeated through our society. That is why this video of Officer White's actions was seen as so out of the ordinary. 

Having positive public relations is important with any type of business or corporation, but it is perhaps even more important for Police Inc. (lolz) to have the best public relations espeically in times like these. The Department of Justice would agree with me, in fact in 2014 the Department of Justice released a resource guide to help law enforcement strengthen relationships with communities. “Law enforcement officers are stewards of the peace and protectors of the people, but above all else, they are custodians of the public trust,” said COPS Office Director Ron Davis. When public trust is violated, it takes twice as much effort to gain back that trust. You've heard the saying, two wrongs do not make a right, well I believe that it takes at least two rights to repair a wrong. “It is vital to engage in planning and preparation, from evaluating protocols and training to choosing the appropriate equipment and uniforms.  This is the hard work that is necessary to preserve the peace and maintain the public trust at all times—particularly in moments of heightened community tension.” Today's society definitely has had its fair share of heightened community tension. Many Black Lives Matter activist are extremely upset at the justice system today. In my opinion, the best way to help de escalate tensions is not to ignore or defend actions of past injustice, but to openly admit that there are problems. Validating people's feelings is incredibly powerful. And the feelings of many activists are true and need to be addressed, brushing them aside or permeating hashtags such as #BlueLivesMatter or #AllLivesMatter is not helping. Of course all lives matter, but we have to realize that there is a specific community of people who are being mistreated more than everyone else. Saying that Black Lives Matter is not a direct attack at all lives not mattering, it would behoove the police departments to start looking at it in this light. Bringing attention to one group does not threaten the wellbeing of every other group - or at least, it shouldn't.

I also found a GoFundMe page that is dedicated to Officer White gaining the funds to help him start a program for children to help keep out of trouble and get into basketball. The Basketball Cop Foundation is helping kids to achieve that. You can donate here.