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Is Social Media Toxic?

Rick Pitino, the successful and well-known Louisville basketball coach, claimed this past Wednesday on ESPN Radio's Mike and Mike show that he believes social media "poisons the minds" of athletes. He goes as far as not allowing his team to tweet, to protect their minds of course. He wants his players to read more, and learn how to communicate face to face. 

Pitino stated that his team uses about 4 hours a day on social media. As an athlete follower on Twitter, I'd say he's probably about right. And when you have another job to be doing, it can be important to stay focused. So I can see where he's coming from.

John Calipari, Kentucky basketball coach, on the other hand allows his players to tweet, and has said (with no disrespect) that he believes Pitino and Izzo don't like social media because they don't understand it and personally use it. Calipari says that the most important thing is just to turn their usage into a positive experience. As long as they behave properly, there should be no issues; and that's why he brings in professionals to teach them the do's and don'ts. 

My favorite line from John: "What we are trying to tell those kids [is], Hey, you build your brand or you break your brand down. For anyone to say [about social media], 'Don't do it ... it's crazy.' I don't know what you're talking about."

I'm gonna say I side with John in this debate. What do you think?

Google Investments

In recent news, tech giant Google has just purchased an Israeli start-up who created the app SlickLogin. The amount of the agreed deal has not been disclosed as of yet, but it's interesting to think about how much a program like this may be worth...

With the demise of passwords and their security, professionals have been pondering what the next system for passwords will be.  Google already offers a Face Unlock program on the Android market, but could this start-up be the next big thing?

In a way this program acts like a two-step verification (first created and offered by Google, for free). This is how it works. Users must click the SlickLogin icon on a website to generate the unique "song". Note, the songs cannot be heard by the human ear. The song is played through the speakers, and the app will listen to the unique song and thus verify the user identity. Pretty simple.

It really seems like Google is setting the standard for internet security. I'm glad to see they are pushing for services like this, after all it does seem that hacking and internet security is becoming quite complicated. With the NSA watching over us, and Facebook allegedly releasing people's private information, it's nice to see a large corporation acting on this issue. 

In other news, Google has recently made a huge investment in clean energy. Another win for them in my book. The Google campus is already designed for minimum power usage, but they won't stop there. Google has spent over $2 billion in the last quarter to move to solar, wind, and other alternative energies to power their data centers located around the world. Google has been the most impressive and aggressive in their efforts to minimize their footprint. 15 wind and solar investments have been made recently, totaling over $1 billion. You may expect this from a future-oriented company like Google, but it really is impressive the way they are moving forward with their goals. Similar companies including Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft are incomparable in their efforts versus the efforts put forth by Google.

"According to Needham, about 34% of Google's operations are powered by renewable power." Their goal is to reach 100%, and I'll put my money on them achieving it.

Social Media Traps

Found this article today on Business2Community.com regarding social media traps to avoid. Give the article a read for more information -- I completely agree with all 3 of their suggestions.

1. Avoid Automation

Scheduling posts ahead of time, cross-promoting status updates, monitoring all your platforms on HootSuite... Sounds like "automation domination." However, this isn't where the problem is. The problem lies in the idea of sounding like a robot online. You must bring life and personality to your brand on social platforms! It's important that people feel they are connecting with a relatable and honest human being. Check out the Bank of America example posted with the article.

2. Avoid Acting Like a Teenager

When you're curating information to push out to your customers, it's important you consider your audience. You want to push the limits and be humorous, but never overstep your boundaries. An example of acting immaturely on social media is the constant uploading of "memes" even as a professional brand. People will quickly lose interest, and "unlike" your page because the posts are annoying and obtrusive. It is important to hook your audience emotionally, but find another way. For example, create short video clips or share pictures with a meaning and story behind them.

Also, it is important to post more than just static content. Hold random giveaways or even run community based initiatives for a new slogan, logo, etc. Ask simple questions having to do with everyday life or peoples' preferences. This is how you get people interested engaging with you. The more users returning to your page, the better your social campaign is going.

3. Avoid a Strategy Without Analytics

Analytics are huge. This is how you track how your engagement is progressing. What type of interactions are you having and how meaningful are they? Your campaign won't get anywhere without analytics. Here are 10 useful analytics tools from Venture Beat.

Social Media Strategy: Complaining Customers

As I'm transitioning into a career in social media, I have been doing some independent research regarding various social strategies. Today I found a note-worthy study that I thought was worth a share.

A recent survey was conducted by the Social Media Marketing University and published on Newswire regarding customer complaints via social media platforms. The survey concluded that brands are not prepared to handle complaints in social media. Long have I agreed with this statement, as I feel brands/companies are too slow or nonchalant in their responses. For me, complaints and the brands' ability to handle various situations with customers over social media is a reason I like the industry so much. Social media adds a certain level of engagement (not to mention problem-solving) to your marketing efforts. It can make or break any campaign, and must be treated seriously.

The article explains that more than 50% of brands do not have an effective strategy to deal with social media complaints and hazards.  This is overwhelming to me. I cannot believe that reputable and widespread brands do not consider the threat of complaints before launching a social campaign. Furthermore, it is vastly important to deal with the complaints in a professional and timely matter.

I learned in class that all it takes is one positive, well-handled interaction to turn a complainer into an apostle. This is the type of job I find interesting and rewarding (albeit dealing with a lot of angry customers). I've always thought it could only be beneficial to respond to everyone as quickly and professionally as possible. Everyone loves a response, whether it be a solution to their problem, or a simple acknowledgement of their situation. Brands should learn to empathize with the average Joe. Hard work on this side of social media is crucial, and although it takes time it is one of the more advantageous strategies a company can set in place. Below you'll see a pie graph illustrating the findings of the survey with regards to responding to customers:

Book of Mormon Review (SPOILER ALERT)

Last night I was fortunate enough to attend The Book of Mormon at the beautiful Fox Theatre in Atlanta (thanks Elliot!!), and what a show it was. Being familiar with Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park I knew I was in for a treat, but I could have never foreseen the route they went with this musical.

The storyline followed the two main characters, Elder Price (well-known and promising leader) and Elder Cunningham (chubby and goofy), two 19 year old Mormon boys graduating from the Missionary Training Center and eager to depart on their missions. After being paired together, much to Elder Price's dismay, they are informed they will be sent to Uganda to complete their two year mission trip. Upon arrival they quickly experience first-hand the poverty and crime in Africa, leaving them hopeless that they will be able to convert people. It didn't help that they other Uganda Elders had converted zero villagers in their 3 month spells. After much chaos, Elder Price decides he will seek out the Mission President to request a relocation. This leaves Elder Cunningham in charge just when the villagers decide they do need a Savior to help them escape the wrath of "General Butt F'ing Naked". Being a habitual liar and having never read the Book of Mormon, Elder Cunningham retells the Mormon history utilizing characters and scenes from science fiction hits Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. The villagers are enthralled by his story, decide to accept Mormonism, and Elder Cunningham ends up baptizing the whole lot. After being told the Mission President and senior leaders are coming to check on the Uganda progress, Cunningham eventually finds Price at a "kafe" stand drowning his sorrows in coffee. He persuades him to come back to the camp, where the villagers end up reciting Elder Cunningham's rewritten Mormon history to the Mormon senior leaders. The President is appalled and orders the Missionaries back to the States, and explains to the villagers they are not Mormon. Price and Cunningham come to the conclusion that although this was wrong, it's not the message that matters but that you are giving the people something to believe in. The musical ends with a song where the Uganda villagers are dressed in the typical missionary clothes going door to door spreading the message.

Trust me, this was just a very brief and clean synopsis. Go see it for yourself, I highly recommend it!

(Our seats)

All Things Sochi

Found another great article about the Sochi Olympics to share today. Everyone's gotta be all informed and ready for tonight's opening ceremonies!!!

I'll keep this brief... Feel free to check out the linked article above for more information.

Sochi (pronounced So-chee) is located on the Black Sea. It has a population of around 400,000 and stretches 90 miles along the Black Sea, making it the second longest city in the world behind only Mexico City.

The mountains you see in the picture above are the beautiful Caucasus Mountains. Sochi also hosts pebble and sand beaches, along with Stalinist architecture. Its been said that Sochi was Joseph Stalin's favorite "Dacha", or seasonal/summer home area. In fact, Sochi is known as the Russian Riviera.

Sochi is a resort town with subtropical temperatures, making it the warmest city to host an Olympic Winter Games (average temperatures around 53 Farenheit).

Sochi is a predominantly Christian city, though approximately 5% of its inhabitants are Muslim.

In terms of Olympic preparation, Sochi was chosen to host this years games back in 2007. More than 200 miles of roads and bridges were built along with over 125 miles of railroads. 690,000 people were at work to make this happen.

Sochi is 9 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.

The conversation rate for currency: $1USD = about 35 Russian rubles.

Final fun fact - the Sochi mayor has claimed that there are no gays whatsoever in Sochi. "They are not accepted."

Last but not least, GO TEAM USA!

Sochi Olympics -- Meet Team USA!

Found this awesome site this morning and thought I should share with y'all. The Boston Globe created an article profiling all 230 American athletes participating in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Hopefully this year we can improve on our 2010 record setting performance that included 37 total medals (9 gold). Anyways, check out the site where you can filter athletes by sport, home state, medals won, and gender!

Update on the MLS

Some interesting developments this week with regards to MLS Soccer. I keep close tabs on the MLS and its accomplishments, as a huge soccer fan interested in how this industry will expand. Well this week the news includes Beckham bringing a team to Miami, salary cap projections, and the NYCFC Badge.

New York Times reported yesterday that Beckham is back, as an Owner of a new club. The Miami based team will become the 22nd club in the MLS (hopefully with a team in Atlanta to follow!). Don Garber, commissioner of the MLS, did however announce that the team would not be likely to play until the 2016 season. It is obvious that they will need a new stadium also. I found it interesting that in 2007 when Beckham signed as a player, a clause was included allowing him future purchase of a club for the under market value price of $25 million. As it looks today, as soon as a stadium deal is set up, the team will be announced. However, NYCFC (the league's 20th club) paid a reported $100 million and does not even have a temporary stadium for their inaugural 2015 season. Also debuting in the 2015 season is the league's 21st club, Orlando City. Hopefully this surge in Southeastern clubs will draw Falcons owner Arthur Blank to opening a club here in Atlanta! Interesting stuff here, can't wait to see how it develops.

Another interesting article I found today dealt with the salary cap situation in the MLS. It's quite complicated to read, but very interesting if you're into soccer/wages in the MLS. It basically talks about how, if the MLS want to be a top club by 2022, the salary cap will be the number one issue that needs to be addressed. Currently Clint Dempsey's salary is at $8 million, the highest in the MLS, compared to the $36k minimum salary. Meaning Dempsey's salary can pay for around 222 minimum salary players. The article provides more breakdown of salaries for starters, substitutes, and reserve players which was interesting to read about. Also discussed is the money that the MLS makes and where it comes from. Included in this article is information regarding the MLS relationship to SUM (Soccer United Marketing), who were set up in 2002 to manage the marketing and rights to soccer in the United States. SUM currently manages the MLS, USSF and even the Mexican National teams appearances in America. Wow. So in turn, this means that the Mexican international squad is actually helping the MLS.

The final article for today I found on Bleacher Report. The new, New York squad named NYCFC (co-owned by the New York Yankees and Manchester City) thought that some community interaction could be advantageous for creating a new team badge. Remember people, social media does not always play nicely. Here's an example of a user created badge, head to the website linked above to check out the rest.

Google's $3,200,000,000 Purchase

I had to include the entire number in the title just to show how significant this is. 3.2 BILLION dollar purchase of Nest! (Read more from TheVerge.com) This is on top of other recent purchases including Calico, Boston Dynamics, and Motorola. Google has seemingly become a giant in nearly every industry these days, and must be planning big things for the future. Also think -- driverless cars and robotics are industries they have planted stakes in recently.

As we all know, Google is all about data. Here's an example of the data Nest will now be providing to Google. Energy reports. Month to month, hours used, differences caused by temperature change, tips, interesting facts, and much much more.

 This leads to the idea that Google is closing the gap on creating "Smart Homes". Quite an exciting thought. With Google's networks and connections, it would be great if they could use Nest's products to dramatically decrease America (and the Worlds) energy usage. It's about time super companies begin sustainability practices.

For those of you who don't know much about Nest, they are company formed in 2011 by Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, specializing in thermostats and smoke alarms. I've included images of their sleek and intelligent products with this post. Their products have raving reviews and are consistently best sellers. Furthermore, Google CEO Larry Page describes the team these men have created as "tremendous". Fadell, Philips Electronics developer and designer of the iPod, will continue to lead Nest separately from Google's operations. The deal with Google is set to close in the coming months.

Update on Cristiano Ronaldo

He's at it again!

If you look back my post from November, you'll see some information about soccer-stud Cristiano Ronaldo trying to market his name into the business world. His previous attempt entailed men's underwear, but now he's started his own social network! (Read more at Mirror Online).

Titled Viva Ronaldo, the site offers photos, games, community interaction, and opportunities to meet and play soccer with Ronaldo himself. The website offers connections to his Twitter and Facebook pages, so you can easily post/tweet to him, and the network is even available for download in the App Store. (Get it HERE)

It will be interesting to see an athlete take a "fansite" to the next level by creating a social network revolved around himself. Even more interesting to see if the network succeeds. For this international superstar, however, it may not be too difficult as he is the most followed athlete on Twitter, with 23,614,324 followers. That's a little more than twice what LeBron accounts for!

Winning the 2014 Ballon d'Or (given annually to the best individual soccer player in the world) may also help this ever growing superstar's popularity and reach extend just a little bit further. The 28 year old beat out Messi and Ribery to take home the prestigious award. Here he is, pictured emotionally holding the award.

Reddit - The Front Page of the Internet?

Many of you probably know of the popular website known as Reddit. The name comes from combining the words Read and It, who would've known? Myself being a Redditor, I can tell you first hand that the clever name is only the beginning of the clever and interesting things you can find on this domain. Honestly, it's the type of site you can get lost on, being that there are so many random and intriguing "sub-Reddits". For any of your interests (or pretty much anything you can think of), there is probably a sub-Reddit with humorous content and a dedicated community of Redditors interacting on the page. In turn, Reddit has also become a viable social media source of information as users crowd source news, and quickly seek out the proof that deems the news legitimate.

However, the Business Insider published a report this morning pertaining to Reddit's traffic stats from 2013. Author Jim Edwards states that although Reddit saw an 83% increase in traffic in 2013 (up to 731 million unique visitors), the site has dwindled to a much smaller amount of social media sharing traffic. Shareaholic found that Reddit's share of information given to publishers dropped around 36%.

This growth in overall traffic, but decline in shared information can only mean one thing - that Reddit has begun to horde its own information. Publishers are now beginning to "link in" to information from Reddit, whereas Redditors used to do a lot of "linking out" to information found elsewhere online.

For charts, graphs, and more information visit the Shareaholic link posted above. And furthermore, if you are interested, I invite all of you to go check out Reddit for yourselves!

Social Media Greatest Influencers

First of all, I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable New Year's Eve! I'm excited for what 2014 may bring us!

The other day I was browsing my Twitter feed when I stumbled across an article from WSBTV about Georgia's 2013 social media influencers. It's definitely interesting to see which celebrities/Atlanta locals are piling up the most followers, or the creating the most popular content. 

In case you're too lazy to follow the link and see for yourself, the list goes as follows:

1. Jennifer Brett (@AJCBuzz)

2. Paste Magazine (@PasteMagazine)

3. Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) -- My personal favorite.

4. Clark Howard (@ClarkHoward)

5. Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks)

6. Jovita Moore (@JovitaMoore)

7. Atlanta Events (@ATL_Events)

8. Kim Severson (@KimSeverson)

9. Kasim Reed (@KasimReed)

10. 2 Chainz (@2Chainz)

So if you're from Georgia and enjoy social media, get on your Facebook or Twitter and give these people a follow. You'll be amazed with the kind of information and discussions they create. 

PS. Congrats Jennifer! Keep it up! (This is her Twitter avatar, go follow her!)