Topic: New Technology

One of my favorite things about the Internet is being able to order food online. It means not talking to a person and quickly getting the food I want.

Lately, I've been noticing a lot of friends posting about food cravings, or food pictures, then tagging that company in them. A smart brand would take advantage of those social media shout-outs, send coupons or thank yous of some sort to the person. Not only would that build brand loyalty, but help increase reach and engagement. User generated content (UCG) is extremely important for most brands. It helps to listen to your audience with tools such as Hootsuite, Sprout, and Google alerts, to determine what they need.

But what if this individual who craved a certain restaurant, could tweet at the company, then get a downloadable file, and 3D print their food craving.

This is how I foresee 3D printing changing social media. Not only will our food industry become less personal, but more easily attainable in our homes. People will indulge more, because of how easy it will be to get our food. Social media will become the next phone for take-out.

Just imagine, craving Panda Express orange chicken, tagging them on Instagram, them getting notified of your order, then you printing out a hot, steamy bowl of citrus goodness within 10 minutes. I can only imagine the possibilities.

I know what you're thinking, "Ya right." But "Natural Machines" has already made it happen:

"The "Foodini," as it's called, isn't too different from a regular 3D printer, but instead of printing with plastics, it deploys edible ingredients squeezed out of stainless steel capsules: "It's the same technology," says Lynette Kucsma, co-founder of Natural Machines, "but with plastics there's just one melting point, whereas with food it's different temperatures, consistencies and textures. Also, gravity works a little bit against us, as food doesn't hold the shape as well as plastic."

Check out this video:

If you want to learn more about the future of this technology, check out the 3D Food Printing Conference.  Here you can get updates on the new technology that is emerging around the world.

And because social media has connected us globally, imagine being able to download traditional Swahili or Thai food, through Facebook. Because money exchanging technology is always improving, 3D restaurants will be able to serve people throughout the world.

Instagram will be full of a lot more food now, hope you are ready.

Food bloggers can work on developing their specific codes, rather then recipes.

And engineers will turn into the Julia Childs of the 21st century (or maybe 22nd, who knows)

I can't wait until I can print my own Cafe Sabor burritos at home.

Topic: Canva - Desktop or Mobile

Let me introduce you to one of my favorite apps in the entire world: Canva. First, however, let me clarify that I am by no means a designer. I have never taken a design course and I have utmost respect for those individuals who understand all of the Adobe Suite. But what I do love being able to do, is quickly put text over an image for social media or personal use. Never would I recommend using Canva for major design projects, unless your budget is very very limited.

That being said, I wanted to dive into the program, both in it's desktop/online usability and the mobile friendly version.

I first discovered Canva when doing a class project my sophomore year in college. I ended up falling in love with its abilities and began using it for other projects. What I love about Canva is how simple it makes design, for those of us just wanting to keep it simple. On the desktop version, it comes with many different templates to start off with including social media posts, resumes, invitations, you name it. I love that you can also make your designs public and other people on the Canva community can see what you're doing. It also comes with the option to change font, edit the pictures, change colors, and is super easy to learn and use. It also allows you to use grid locks to center your art and text, making it as visually appealing as possible. I have used Canva for over a year now and love it for both office and home purposes.

This summer I began wishing that they made it available for iPhones so that it would be easier to upload images and make quick Instagram posts. In the fall Canva launched their mobile app. I was initially excited to begin playing with it and was among the first of it's users to be notified of the changes. If that doesn't show you how much I use it I don't know what will.

The first thing I noticed was how limited the app was. It's hard to navigate a tiny little screen with only your fingers. My designs never look good on it, and the photo editing capabilities are zilch. It takes a lot of skill to pick the aspect of your design that you want to work with. It's also hard to see what the fonts will look like when designing or even choose the right size.

Some apps could maybe get away with both a desktop and mobile version, take Facebook for instance, but Canva is not one of them. Needless to say, I quickly deleted the app.

Topic: Viral Videos

Who hasn't seen any of the following videos?








These are just some of my favorite videos that have surfaced on the internet.

But what makes a video viral? According to Techopedia:

A viral video is any clip of animation or film that is spread rapidly through online sharing. Viral videos can receive millions of views as they are shared on social media sites, reposted to blogs, sent in emails and so on

What I liked about this definition is how broad it is. It can be animation or film, clip that is shared via many different routes. What I don't like, is how many view it says it must have to become viral. If we were to rank the most watched YouTube videos by simply numbers, all of them would be music videos. But I wouldn't consider them to be viral. Instead I think what makes a viral video is humor, easy to share, and short.

With Facebook rolling out their video ability a few years ago, the stats have shown that more than 70% of internet videos are being posted directly to the social network. (Fortune). This makes things a lot easier to share through social media.

But why do some videos go viral and others do not? Here's the breakdown from some research that I have done:

1. Psychological response: In order for a video to make it to the big leagues, it has to do one of three things to us psychologically: make us laugh, make us cry, or shock us. These three emotions are the strongest felt by a person and can motivate people to share to see what their friends think of the content. 
2. The right "sharers" see the video - Nearly 18% of internet users share videos at least once a week—and almost 9% share daily. If you can tap into this network of people likely to share things on social media, your video has a better chance of going viral. 
3. Timing: If you share a video on a Friday at 4 pm, chances are NO ONE is going to see it. But instead, time your content to go out on a Wednesday afternoon when everyone is trying to get over hump day. Research has shown that people are more likely to watch things when they are bored than when they are heading out. 
4. Have a message that everyone can relate to: Sarcasm, humor, anger, are all relative emotions. But if you can target your message to be funny, sad, or inspiring to a group of people, you are more likely to see results. 

Obviously the only sure-fire way (if I dare say this) to get your videos shared is just keep filming. You never know what your camera will capture. 

Topic: Search Engine Optimization

Let's talk SEO. At this point, many businesses are understanding the importance of having some form of website or landing page to make it easier to find information. In today's society and business world, it's impossible to get ahead without a website.

Simply put, SEO is search engine optimization. Here's a broken down definition I like from Search Engine Land: 

SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” It is the process of getting traffic from the “free,” “organic,” “editorial” or “natural” search results on search engines.

Organic search traffic does not include AdWords  or PPC marketing, a valuable thing for businesses to do if they have the dough.

In the beginning of the internet, SEO meant packing your website full of keywords to try and build relevance in a search. Now, Google, Bing, and other major search engines can pick out these "fake" websites and block them from rising in ranking.

Most people think that SEO is just doing a lot of random tags, keywords, and coding. This is definitely a major part of doing SEO, but not all of it.

So how does one "do" SEO? There are many different things that people can do to make their website easier for search engines to find that don't necessarily mean knowing how to code:

1. Update content regularly. A blog is a great way to keep your website up-to-date. Occasionally back-linking your blog to other relevant articles can help search engines find your content easier. 
2. Do keyword research when writing a blog post. Tools such as Keyword Discovery and WordTracker help you to understand what kind of words to incorporate in your blog post. Know your market and what will be interesting content to them. 
3. USE SOCIAL MEDIA. I can't emphasize that enough. When you link social media to your website, it help boosts your page. Just do it. 
4. Build an inviting landing page that invites people to stay. If your site is confusing and backwards, nobody will stay very long and your bounce rate will be higher. 

To learn more basics about SEO and how you can improve, check out this article from Moz.com. And good luck! SEO is a crazy world but with practice, you can become a master of Google.

Sources:

http://www.business2community.com/seo/9-reasons-blogging-essential-good-seo-results-0866944#ZfmdxGrhm57SzlJp.97

http://searchengineland.com/21-essential-seo-tips-techniques-11580

Topic: Management Platforms and Tools

I am so excited to be writing about this topic! It has made my life as a social media manager so much easier. At the beginning of the week, I can sit down schedule all my posts in one fell swoop and then focus the rest of the week on other items.

Agora Pulse gives good reasons to schedule posts:

• Get more posts out at a more frequent and consistent time
• Word ahead of time
• Helps stay ahead of local time if you have global customer

I would also like to add my own to the list:

• One less thing to worry about if all he!! breaks loose at the end of week (trust me, last minute meetings always happen)
• You can change the post if needs be, but it allows you to have some form of structure to your posts. 

Scheduling posts really helps me to stay organized! These are my favorite tools:

1. Facebook scheduling: This is the back-end way that FB allows you to post on timelines at specific times. They let you formulate your posts so you can see exactly how it will look on Facebook. It also lets you boost so you can always have your budget figured out for the week. 
2. Sprout Social: This platform is what I mainly use to schedule my tweets. I am the worst at trying to remember to post on Twitter so it helps me to get that project done. Sprout allows you to make a queue (pronounces "Q"). A queue, by definition is "a line of messages waiting to be sent." What this platform does for you is post at a regular time every day so that you ensure that things go out the way you need. It also allows you to schedule tweets at specific times, if you know something will be happening. I use it to make sure my hospitals show support to the high school sports teams they sponsor. Those tweets get a lot of engagement, so I'm grateful for my ability to tweet. 
3. Gramblr: My new favorite scheduling tool - it schedules your Instagram posts! The only downside is you must keep your computer on and the internet open for the posts to go. Since I work 8-5, I'm always on the internet. I wish more people knew about this tool. When you are ready to use this tool, here's a great step-by-step guide to how to use it.  

And there you  have it! Here's just my thoughts of social media management platforms and tools. 

TOPIC: Organizational Uses

I absolutely love the community of Cache Valley. I have lived here my entire life and have been able to rub shoulders with some amazing individuals. 

One such opportunity that I have had is to serve on the Logan Downtown Alliance Marketing Committee. It is such a fun environment be around successful business owners and other members of the community. Part of my job is to run the social media campaigns for the Alliance. It's a fun job that, for the most part, isn't hard to come up with content. Being on this committee made me wonder, how are other ways that we, and Logan City, can better benefit from using social media to interact with members of the community. 

I recently read an article by Tod Newcome titled: "The City that Incorporated Social Media." In it he talked about Roanoke, VA and their uses of social media. What I liked about this article was how simple it made social media for cities sound. 

"...accounts also act much like a 311 service. While citizens can still notify the city about a problem via a phone hotline, social media followers increasingly use the city’s Facebook and Twitter pages to query, complain or ask for help. “It’s become a highly effective way to contact us,” says Melinda Mayo, communications and media officer."

I think that Logan City does an excellent job at using social media to announce news, but could improve on answering inquiries made by members of the city and outlying neighborhoods.  Because so many more people are feeling more comfortable messaging rather than calling a city, (source) it's important for a city to have a structured communications network established. 

Another way I think cities can uses social media, is to relay important emergency information like road closures and power outages. Since people already post about that stuff on social media, if a city was actively looking for questions and could answer them quickly, it could help put the public's minds at ease. 

I also liked what this article from CivicPlus talked about: 

"Several Parks and Recreation departments use social media to remind the community of upcoming activities and classes to register for. Within the social media post they’re linking to an online registration form to boost participation by making it easy to sign up." 

If more cities, even smaller ones like Nibley and North Logan, did things like this, I think there would be more participation in city-wide events. This could lead to reduced crime (because everyone is banded together), more friendly communities, and better collaboration on future projects.

I think that all cities should have at least one person dedicated to the social media and online presence of their community to stay in touch with the members of the community and spread news and events quicker than traditional methods.

Social Media Case Reflection #2

The internet is a great place to share creativity, show-off your talents, and generate new ideas. Because of the internet information, videos, pictures, are passed around like the flu during January. People often now start conversations with "I saw this thing online" or "I read on the internet..." or "I saw this thing on Pinterest..." 

This kind of talk is generally positive for the world as it unites us, connects us, and makes us more aware of the people around us. 

Because things spread so fast online, a new generation of entrepreneurs has emerged from the dark, dusty basements of the millennial generation: YouTube sensations. While Preston Parker might not agree that these social media and internet stars can be considered "famous" I beg to differ. We've all hear of "Charlie bit my finger," "Double rainbow," "Hide yo kids" etc, and those people have definitely made money. (Most viewed YouTube videos) 

Another major YouTube sensation is the band OK GO. Their first major video included carefully timed jumping from treadmill to treadmill. They were instantly a hit. 

In their latest single-take internet sensation, OK GO created a video in zero-gravity. The video was set to launch exclusively on Facebook for a 48 hour window. But the airplane company that the video was filmed in, Russia's S7, released the video first. 

Big no-no. 

The copyright laws of the United States protects "original works of authorship, fixed in a tangible medium including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and other intellectual works." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_law_of_the_United_States)

Under this definition then, the OK GO video was original, fixed in a musical medium. By law, they owned the rights to the video. Only they had the legal capability to share it with the world. Once their video was posted, however, it became part of the fuzzy-gray line of internet copyright. (Learn more here)

How then was the airline able to release it? And what can be learned from this legal battle between YouTube, Facebook, and the producers of content? 

My first question with this case is, "How did the airline even get the video in the first place?" 

It's highly unlikely that they tapped into OK GO's deep values of data to collect the footage. The band then, I can assumed, sent the video to the airline to view before the rest of the world. That was their first mistake. I feel like the band should have kept it under wraps as much as they could. And if they wanted to send it on, they should have clarified that they DID NOT want it posted. Having clear directions and clear expectations would have prevented the airline from thinking they could post it. 

HOWEVER. 

The next part of blame I put on the airline for releasing something that wasn't theirs. They did not have permission from OK GO, therefore infringing on the copyright law. It was not theirs to use, making it blatant plagiarism. Before they posted it, they should have confirmed with OK GO that it was "ok go." In my line of business, I am often working with clients exclusively through email and I understand that things can get confusing. But a good social media manager will confirm with a client before just posting willy-nilly.  (For more information on how to be an effective social media manager read this post from Business to Community). 

In this situation, I see both OK GO and Russia S7's airline at fault. 

Another HOWEVER

The video was shot outside of Moscow Russia, making it obviously not on U.S. soil. So does that mean the copyright laws still exist for it? According to Russian copyright law (Copyright Law of Russian Federation): 

Under the 1993 law, copyright covers works of the sciences, literature, and the arts that are the result of creative activity and that exist in objective form. Neither the value nor the purpose of a work is a criterion for copyrightability. An "objective form" is any realization of a work such that it can be perceived by others in any way. Mere ideas are not copyrightable. Copyright is vested in an author automatically upon the creation of a work.

So who, in this case of Russian copyright law, was the true author? Sure OK GO filmed the video, but it was with the airline's airplane. In this case, I would still put all my case on OK GO. But as far as Russian law goes, S7 didn't break any laws.

Perhaps why there wasn't a large law-suit out, because of the international laws/regulations that were too open to debate.

I think that as the internet expands and things like this begin happening more and more frequently, there will be a change in international internet laws and perhaps a U.N. governing body to monitor such things. Because the internet connects countries and nationalities in a way never before seen, new laws, never before seen, will need to be enacted to protect the creativity of artists, musicians, and potential YouTube stars.

One last thing to be said, if you are going to post anything online, just remember that you've put out there for the world to see, use, and possibly manipulate or change. So be aware of what you post, use your brain, and give credit where credit is due and you'll be fine.

Topic: Class Cloud Assignment

On Wednesday, I had the most interesting assignment for a class. We were to tweet at someone to join in on some discussion about social media using the #socmeddiscuss. I chose to tweet at my boss, Lance Lyons, Monumetrics, and the Tailwind App.

Here is me inviting my boss:

And here is my question for the discussion:

I had hopes, because I had tweeted at them, that they would participate. However, as the class discussion began and other tweets popped up on my feed, I noticed that a lot of people had used the words "class discussion" in their tweets, driving away potential discussion. I think that that alone shows why the discussion didn't go as planned. I felt jipped in this discussion because no one took it seriously or used the hashtags appropriately.

Here is one of my tweets that I made that day:

As you can see, I tried to get a conversation going between me and my class mate, but nothing past my reply. I think that a lot of people were more interested in the not-so-interesting love affair blossoming on Twitter through the hashtag. It really bothered me that that was what people were excited about. Here we had this great opportunity to learn how to manage a live Twitter-feed, a skill many of us will most likely need in the future, and all we were concerned about was "Are you single?" That's not how I choose to spend my tuition. 

I did enjoy, however, reading the +Wendy's tweets to users. It showed me how to have creativity on Twitter, something that I struggle with when dealing with company complaints. That alone saved the experience for me. I learned that it's ok to be a little casual on Twitter, for a food brand like Wendy's. They can do that without ruining their reputation. 

My biggest struggle when replying to peers' questions, was the limited characters. Because I have so much that I'd like to say about social media and the topics asked, I could have maybe linked out to longer blog posts that summarized what I wanted to say. 

I liked doing a live feed just to see how flexible social media can get. It's crazy to think about all the different directions and voices that can be a part of this conversation. 

After the class, the next day at work, I talked to my boss and asked why he hadn't joined in on the conversation. "I didn't get your tweet!" he said "Or I would have totally participated. From that, I learned that if you really want someone to be a part of your conversation, you need to more than just tweet at them. Really good preparation is required to have successful live Twitter discussion. 

Online Reputation

For an online reputation assignment, I have been asked to stalk Sadie Moffitt on social media and determine her trends on social media.

At first, I thought it would be an easy assignment because I found her so quickly on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. But, when she didn’t allow me to follow her on Instagram (for a week or so) or be her friend on Facebook (still pending), things became tough. I stalked her as best I could, considering her privacy settings.

One of the first things I noticed about Sadie, from her Facebook profile and cover photos, was that she loved her friends. Almost every one of her profile pictures (see below) has another woman in it. From this, I can infer that her friends are very important to her and that she likes being with people, especially girls that make her feel good. But honestly, who doesn’t love being around people. Real people, I’ll add, not just people on the Internet.

And people seem to really like her! She only has 3 posts on Instagram, but over 1200 followers and all her posted photos got over 100 likes. I couldn’t find much about her on Instagram and to me that says that she’s more focused on living life than capturing every single moment. (www.instagram.com/sadielynnmoff)

Another trend that I noticed in her photos was her love for adventure. A lot of her cover photos depict her outside doing something fun, and again, social. You can tell she’s not one for being bored. All her adventures make her look like someone who can have a good time, but not be too boastful about the places she’s been. And from the looks of some of her photos, she’s been to a lot of fun places.

I also read through her blog posts and this one talked about some of her favorite blogs to follow. In it she talks about travel blogs and vlogs and lifestyle blogs. Because those are what she chooses to read, I can use that to support the trend I’ve identified:  Sadie Moffitt is a girl that likes to travel.

In this same blog post that I mentioned above, she also mentions loving “cute moms’ blog links on Instagram, whose lives look like they are straight out of a magazine and read about what furniture they love to put in their living room.” Sadie Moffit likes interior design. The other thing I found to support this, is that the only two boards on her Pinterest page are “Wedding” and “home.” And her style is very cute, I might add. Sadie definitely has an eye for detail in the home.

I think there is something to be said about the mutual friends that she and I had. When looking through her list, I found that she was friends with my cousin and upstairs neighbor. If I had really wanted to go deeper into who she was, say I had been a potential employer, I would have reached out to them and see what they thought of her.

Continuing with that line of thought, if I was a potential employer, I would definitely hire Sadie Moffitt. She seems to be fun and outgoing, but not so self-absorbed that she posts every day. Her eye for details in the home and social attitude give her skills that could qualify her for a really good job. Her privacy settings also say a lot about her willingness to keep some things private. I hope she doesn’t mind how I have interpreted her information. She seems like a really fun-loving, social, person to be around.

Topic: Social Media Laws, Policies, and Ethics

Hospitals and healthcare clinics have entered a new stage in the media game.

With over 80% of hospitals using social media to communicate health information to patients, it's no wonder that public relations and marketing teams have had to think creatively to deal with patient reviews and messages.

According to HIPPA laws, an individual has the right to protected information regarding their health information and well-being.

Here is an example of HIPPA laws being violated on social media:

In an incident with particularly harsh repercussions, a student nurse moved by her three-year-old chemotherapy patient’s bravery took a photo of the boy and posted it on her Facebook page. Even though she had privacy settings in place, another nurse not among that student nurse’s Facebook friends came across the post and photo. This nurse informed the hospital. This HIPAA violation got the student nurse expelled from the nursing program and the nursing program bounced off of that hospital’s list of accepted schools from which to draw student nurses. Even when motivated by the best intentions, HIPAA violations can result in severe consequences.

Here are a guidelines or tips to keep in mind when dealing with HIPPA laws and social media:

• Never post a picture of a patient on a hospital page without permission
• When filming for social media uses, be sure that all participants sign a release form giving the hospital written permission to use his or her face or story. 
• Do not ask patients to take polls or fill out questionnaires online that could be traced back to them 
• Train employees on company policies
• If, as medicare professionals, you have private social media accounts, be careful not to "friend" patients and clients. 
•  If there is a security breach, report it immediately to appropriate managers. 
• A good rule of thumb is, if you wouldn't discuss it in the elevator, don't discuss online. 
• If speaking of a condition, don't say "I saw a patient that had xyz" instead say "Children with xyz usually..." to not link ANY patient information back to the post
• Don't mix professional and personal lives. Use a different account for the medical profile. 
• Last but not least, don't offer advice in comments, messages, or wall posts - meaning, don't practice medicine online, whether anonymous or not. 

Social media for hospitals is a great tool to use, as long as it is used effectively. 

Sources:
https://www.ncsbn.org/NCSBN_SocialMedia.pdf
https://www.hhs.gov/web/social-media/policies/
http://www.healthcarecompliancepros.com/blog/posting-with-caution-the-dos-and-donts-of-social-media-and-hipaa-compliance-2/https://www.law360.com/articles/743560/a-checklist-for-avoiding-hipaa-violations-on-social-media

TOPIC: Location Based Platforms

Sometimes, I am a little creeped out by how much social media knows about my life. It knows what foods I like, what my hobbies are, when I got married, where I go to school ... Ya. Creepy.

But the biggest thing that creeps me out, is how some apps know exactly where I am, all the time. I understand that you can turn these things off, and I have most of them turned off, but I still don't like it.

For instance, did you know that your iPhone keeps track of where you've been and how long you stay in areas? Check out this BuzzFeed article if you don't believe me.

But for this post, I wanted to touch on two of my favorite location-based platforms and their uses.

The first location-based platform that I want to discuss, is the app Waze. After hearing a classmate give a pitch about this tool, me and my husband downloaded it on our way to California. If you have ever driving in California traffic, you can understand why this real-time app is helpful. We were updated as to where all the gas stations were, cops, accidents, ice, weather conditions, everything. I loved that I just hooked it to the Bluetooth system in my car and didn't have to look at it. The app just piped up in a kind voice letting me know that a hazard was ahead. We were prepped and made it to and from Southern California in one piece, thank to Waze.

The next one I wanted to talk about was Snapchat. One of my favorite geofiltering features that Snapchat offers, is the new filters it offers based on your location. After taking a photo, it's exiting to swipe and see the various filters available your area. So for instance when I'm in Jackson Hole, WY, the filters are completely different than when I'm in Disneyland. It's a really fun way for people to share their travels.

Did you know that by paying a small fee (usually around $5), Snapchat will let you design a custom filter, geotarget a specific location, and let people use it? Cool right? This blog post walks you through, step-by-step, how to create one!

What kind of possibilities do you see in this location-based tool that Snapchat offers?

TOPIC: Most Used Platforms

What I wanted to talk about in this post, is a few of the platforms that we use at work and why it's important for healthcare companies to be on social media.

1. Facebook: 100% of our clients are on Facebook. This is probably the easiest platform to share articles, information, and lots of pictures on. And, until recently, it was the best way to get business hours, location, and phone numbers in front of a lot of people. Disadvantages? Facebook's boosting rules prevent a lot of our posts from being boosted. Very picky.
2. Instagram: We only have five of our healthcare clients on Instagram. Not because we don't believe it's a good platform, but only for highly visual businesses, like Etsy shops, spudnuts, and restaurants. If the hospital had an in-house individual to post personal photos of employee staff having fun, it would be better. However, in the last few months, Instagram has rolled out new business features that make it easier to promote posts and create Instagram-business profiles. On Wainscot Media blog, they say: "Just like any marketing product you use, it’s important to set goals for your Instagram endeavors." If your hospital has a plan to use it well, and you plan to stick to that plan, then you'll be successful.
3. Pinterest: Pinterest is an untapped world for hospitals. Very little of them use the platform to spread health tips and news. Although it's hard to target cities, besides large sprawling urban centers, getting content out has it's perks. "Pinterest needs to have a steady supply of fresh content. So before adding this to your social media channels, think about how you might engage talent from throughout the hospital," says CMBell. In my experience, Pinterest can work great in getting your name out there. I love to pin health articles and facts that I believe Pinterest users would like to see.
4. Twitter: Although Twitter doesn't seem to work super well for hospitals in Utah, according to Dan Diamond  on the Advisory Board, "Roughly 1,000 hospitals—about one-fifth of the nation's total—now have a presence on Twitter." Good posts to share include small health tips and the #healthtipTuesday. Having an active presence on Twitter also can help with patient questions and complaints. Although hospitals can't acknowledge that a  user was a patient, they can direct them to the appropriate people to resolve their issues. 

And just in case you need any more incentive, check out these stats from startyouruprise.com: 

• 95% of millennials expect brands to have a Facebook Page. On top of that, 87% of Gen X'ers (30-44 year olds), and even 70% of those ages 45-60 think brands should, at the very least, have a Facebook Page.
• 41% of people said social media would affect their choice of a specific doctor, hospital, or medical facility.
• 60% of doctors say social media improves the quality of care delivered to patients

In conclusion, social media is a great resource for hospitals to represent their brand and create top-of-mind awareness of their services.  

Social Media Reflection Case 1

I’m sure we’ve all heard of this “fake news” business that rocked social media during the presidential election. If you haven’t, here’s a general synopsis from Politifact:

Fake news is made-up stuff, masterfully manipulated to look like credible journalistic reports that are easily spread online to large audiences willing to believe the fictions and spread the word.

Yikes.

My problem, however, in this scheme, doesn’t lie with the journalists or “news stories” but with the consumers of these stories. Why do we believe them? Why do we share them? And aren’t we smart enough to detect the fake news stories?

Craig Silverman, argues in an NPR interview (full interview here) that fake news must “appeal to emotion. They know that maybe if it can have a sense of urgency, if it can be tied to things people care about, that's probably going to do well in terms of fake stuff.”

We become emotionally invested, click on these fake news stories and begin to be buried by an avalanche of media and internet lies.

I think that Facebook is trying their hardest to balance between upholding our First Amendment rights and still keeping the media honest. That is a difficult bridge to walk. On one hand, people go to social media to express themselves and make statements, which would allow fake news to be integrated into our news feeds. On the other hand though, I believe that if Facebook wants to keep its place as the social media giant of the world, it needs to get this sorted out.

Facebook already has plenty of blocks and rules and regulations when it comes to marketing. Occasionally, Facebook flags certain words like “pain” and “joint” expressing that it doesn’t meet their guidelines. Facebook is smart enough to know not to share a beer ad to an underage individual, what is stopping them from ending the spread of fake news?

I am in marketing. For my job, I have to boost posts to help them appear higher in my client’s customers’ news feeds.  My job is to generate new leads for clients and entice new customers through social media. But when I try and write headlines and captions, I avoid the “click-bait” language that deceives people on Facebook. As marketers, we need to be aware of the type of message we are sending to the general public.

And that’s another measure that needs to be taken to stop the spreading of false stories. The people and companies who share it, need to be held accountable for their actions. Maybe if there were some form of punishment or a fine, the companies wouldn’t spring up. Who would enforce this, I don’t know. The age of social media has brought a need for different laws and regulations to help protect the public.

Part of that law could also be enforced against Facebook if they don’t stop fake news from being spread.

What I’d like to know however, is why  Facebook’s strict system, allows the fake news to get distributed. I understand that Mr. Zuckerberg is making necessary changes to fix it,but I can’t believe it will work.

 Humans are just as fickle as Facebook and the general consumer will latch onto whatever they can do to make the opposite side of an argument appear invalid. Inside our human brain lies a place for gossip and fighting. Ever read world history? That’s why fake news spreads so much. No matter how Zuckerberg and his Facebook technicians try, uneducated people, consumers who believe anything, will always spread the news. Fake news is the new version of war propaganda. It stirs our emotions and makes us not able to think logically.  

That is why, I believe that when we get on Facebook we should be able to put on our critical thinking hats and become smart consumers on news.

May I suggest 3 ways to avoid being sucked into fake news on social media.

1. Use your brain. Sounds self-explanatory but really think about what you read and question to yourself if it makes sense.
2. Know where popular “fake news” comes from. DailyDot composed a list of 58 websites to look out for. Read and familiarize yourself with these websites to help avoid spreading their lies. (Original here)
3. If you question anything, don’t share it.

It might take a combination of laws, tighter Facebook monitoring, and a critical-thinking population to sort through all the fake news. We can’t stop people from posting things, that would be a violation of American freedom, but we can stop it from being shared.

Topic: Social Media Change

Recently I went to dinner with a few of my girlfriends from high school. I had been particularly close with them because of our involvement on student council together.We were excited to sit and chat about life and catch up.

We sat down at the table and began discussing the comings and goings, when we realized, that we had very little to talk about. The conversation lulled. I squirmed trying to think of new ways to spark life back into our dying anecdotal exchange.

I wondered why this had happened. We were so close in high school. Why all of a sudden did we lack for discussion topics. I was friends with all of them on Facebook and followed them on Instagram….

And that's when it hit me.

I didn't have anything to ask about their lives because I already knew it all from being on social media. Our conversation lacked because we had already told each other the things that we would normally talk about, on Facebook!

And they knew my life because of what I had posted as well.

Social media has created what I have deemed the "see-saw" effect on our communication. I see what you post, you saw what I posted, and the result is no movement in our communication or relationship. Just an up and down stagnant, boring motion. And no one ever likes to play on the see-saw for very long anyway.

The "see-saw effect" and social media has hindered us in being really invested in our friends. Communication and catching up no longer happens so we aren't able to learn deep things about each other.

Now, even when I know what Instagram tells me my friend has been up to, I try and talk to them as if I haven't seen anything about them. That way I'm able to have better communication with them and enrich our friendship through other things than a blue thumbs up or double tap.

Along with conversation stagnation with friends, we have become a society that walks around like this:

MIT professor Sherry Turkle in her article "How Smartphones Are Killing Conversation" talks about the danger this communication phenomenon:

"Everyone [pays] attention and not paying attention, you end up with nobody talking about what’s really on their minds in any serious, significant way, and we end up with trivial conversations, not feeling connected to one another."

Sometimes we get to class early and rather than talk to our peers about the assignment or get to know one another, what is the first thing that we all do? Instantly pull out the phones to avoid having contact with anyone. Scroll as fast as we can because of our FOMO. But don't we realize we are missing out on the people around us? I think that this video sums up this communication-illiterate generation we have created: (My guess is only one-third of you will get past the length to watch the whole thing)

So what do you do? Talk to the people around you. Get to know names. Start up a conversation. Facebook will always be there. People will always be tweeting. But our peers and classmates are only with us a for a few short months. Take advantage of their thoughts and feelings and you might be surprised what you can learn.

Topic: Blogging

I love blogging. I think in my lifetime of knowing how to run the Internet, I've created eight or nine blogs. Recently I made this one, The Married Student Life and it's by far been my favorite. But I think in the future, I will eventually want to blog about something different. Does that make me a bad blogger because my mind skips around like a fat kid at a dessert buffet? I don't believe it does. It just means I have a lot to say and think and express about life and one URL can't contain all of me. 

So then why do I blog? 

At first, blogging was a struggle for me because I felt like I didn't have anything to share with the world that hadn't been shared before. And I'm sure a lot of people start out thinking they have to create something monumental. But in this post from  Becoming Minimalist, he gives 15 reasons why we should blog, and not once does it say that we have to reinvent the wheel. It's more of a personal journey and discovery. 

However, one of the things he mentions is the opportunity to earn money, and I don't agree with that. 

We have all seen the articles or Pins or stories about mommy-bloggers making it big in the world, but I don't think that to be a good blogger, your writing should pay your rent. That might be a great thing to have and money will never be turned down, but if you do anything JUST for money, then you're doing it wrong. You have to enjoy what you're doing and be passionate about the subject. Passion is what takes a person from sitting, to standing, to changing the world. 

I love this quote from Huffington Post: (original article here) 

According to “the 1 percent rule,” only 1 percent of Internet users actively create new content, while the other 99 percent of the participants simply view it. By blogging, you separate yourself from the 99 percent of people that don’t blog. 

If you struggle in knowing why you should blog, then you're on the right path. Part of the fun of blogging is finding out who you are and where you fit in in this crazy world. Don't focus on the money. Don't focus on the fame. Focus on being you, and the Internet will thank you for it.

So why do I blog?

For an outlet. For a creative space. For a place to just word vomit everything that I think. If people read it, wonderful. If only my mother-in-law and occasionally some Internet junkie from Asia happen across my thoughts, sweet!

 I blog for me.

What do you blog for?