Web2.0 Wonders

Social Media's Achilles Heel? answered

Are you familiar with the paraphrase when you ask a question you will most likely receive an answer? Well, funny because yesterday I asked the question whether social networking sites have the ability to protect themselves from competitor means of access? And today I find a reference relating to the same issue on TechCrunch. Evidently, Facebook block ads with the names of competing social networks, like "MySpace" and "Friendster", which is a direct way to censor out opponents.

Although, the Facebook ad filtering system may need a bit more work, as names like "Bebo" and "OpenSocial" do get approved to publish commercial ads, it is definitely one way to send the "store manager" out to supervise.

If you can't beat them join them

Millions of employees around the world spend lots of daily working hours chatting, sharing and scouring social network sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Del.icio.us and the list goes on. Admit it, you do too!

Well, the corporate world has taken notice. No need to panic. Your job is secure. Some companies today are not only aware of their employees' social media activities, they encourage it and even acknowledge social networking as a positive tool for strengthening internal business relations and progressing corporate goals.

In the past two years, IBM has been busy launching several in-house versions of Web 2.0 hits, including Dogear, a community-tagging system, Many Eyes, a data loading and discussion board webpage, and the latest, Beehive, a Facebook format social network for the thousands of IBM employees across the globe.

IBM and others, like the Blue Shirt Nation™ team of Best Buy™, are evolving with the times. When understanding the significance of the web2.0 medium, more businesses will leverage social media for their corporate advantage than forbid or dismiss it trivially.

Social Networks for a Good Cause

If we found a way to contribute to the society without leaving our home, we would do it in an instant. I know I would. The new Facebook Missing Children application is just one example of such an opportunity. Once downloaded, the application displays information of missing children on the user's homepage, capturing the attention of your friends to identify and hopefully help missing children reunite with their families.

The parents of four-year-old Madeleine McCann have expressed their support for the charity Missing Children initiative: "We would urge the millions of Facebook users around the world to keep looking and to do what they can to help bring these children home."

Social network sites have the power to access millions of internet users around the world, crossing countries, borders and cultures. Using this medium to raise awareness, spread the word and hopefully even trace links to thousands of missing youngsters out there, fills me with satisfaction. Imagine, just by adding this application, you can help save lives, a donation truly rewarding.

Combining the New with the Old

Reddit, a popular social media news site, is planning to launch YourWeek, a PBS weekly public television program and internet show. YourWeek will showcase top stories, user videos and basically what was hot on Reddit in the previous week. The Reddit pilot episode will be available around June 6th, 2008 for download, through the YourWeek website and Reddit blog. If the show gets picked up, it will premiere on TV this fall.

Reddit a new media pioneer promoting on an old media channel, may just be a winning combination. It reminds me of the old wedding custom for good luck, combining "something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue". In fact, Wikipedia, defines new media as the "marriage of mediated communications technologies with digital computers".

So as social media is an emerging medium for mass communication, combining television to the marketing mix, has the potential to not only convert those unfamiliar with the Reddit site, but also helps strengthen existing relations as the Reddit community will gladly join in on all the fun.

Good Luck guys!