Where the Real Verdict Comes From

            In chapter five of “Groundswell” by Charlene Li, Ricardo Guimaraes shared that a business is an open structure that management does not recognize. This is a powerful statement in a world of transforming social platforms because even though more business are becoming more aware of social media and joining in and getting involved, still there are businesses that still believe they are in control of how their product is perceived by the publics.

This is most of the time false and something that businesses need to be aware of.  The first two parts of “Groundswell” has continued to make that clear. A business can circle good press and chatter about their company; posting on their media about new campaigns and features. The real verdict though comes from the forums, blogs, and Facebook posts that give judgment upon these new campaigns, features, and items that businesses are coming out with.

I find this so intriguing because a company can spend all this time on a campaign just for a few people to snowball the product into something else entirely.  

            On page twenty-seven, it is stated that nearly half of online Americans read ratings and reviews; now there is a much smaller percentage of people who actually write these ratings. This shows that it does not take much to circulate press, which can be bad or good depending on the review. How many times have we looked online at hotel rooms to see who has had a good or bad experience? Or looked at the ratings of a movie out in theaters online? We care about what other people say even though we have never met these people and probably never will.

            This is what makes social media so unique and powerful. I can be writing on this blog about something, like how much I love something as simple as how I like Diet Coke, or how much I dislike the look of Kia cars and people will read it without ever knowing me but by being on a forum of social media I can share and critic Diet Coke and Kia cars and people will share, comment, and critic back. This networking is what gives the Groundswell all of its power.

The Power of the Global Village

In this modern world of text messages and social media people are talking more than ever before with people that are halfway across the world, down the street, or in another part of the country. Never before has the Earth’s population been able to communicate this quickly about what individuals believe is important.

One of these is politics, which people have been talking about since the world began, it is the era the world is living in in which one can be in California talking with someone in Italy about what is happening in Syria. The globalization of social media is a huge part in what comes into the political arena because groups can organize and rally so much easier on a blog forum, a Facebook page, or a text message.

In the online article “The Political Power of Social Media: Technology, the Public Sphere, and Political Change” published by the Council of Foreign Relations, the full article is linked in the title, author Clay Shirky addresses instances of the power of social media in politics and where the power leads or could lead.

The first example Clay Shirky’s article gave was from 2001 in the Philippines. The president, Joseph Estrada, was in the process of being impeached but the Philippine Congress was setting aside evidence that was a key part in the case against him. Less than two hours after the announcement of the trial citizens were starting to converge on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, angry that their corrupt leader would be free of charges.

In the next few days the city of Manila was deeply congested with over a million of protestors in the streets. Legislators were so alarmed that three days later Estrada was found guilty and impeached. Clay Shirky went on to say that this quick turnaround was affected by the mass forwarding text messages and social media messages saying ‘“Go 2 ESDA. Wear blk.”’

This article attests to the alarmingly quick way that the people can send and receive information. Furthermore, that one message can reach over a million people; and that is just the ones that responded, probably not all the people it reached went to Manila.

The term now in Integrated Marketing Communications about the paradox the “global village” rings true. Messages can bounce around from city to city until everyone hears about it even before the news can even cover a story about it.

            This is why instant communication is so important to monitor, and not only in politics. If over a million people can reach a city in the course of two days from a forwarded text message then imagine how many people can hear about a mistake a company has made, or that a new product is not working properly.

The company that made a mistake can have havoc spread without them even knowing if they do not keep their ear to the ground and monitor the chatter people are saying. On the flipside , integrating marketing and Public Relations into the media people read everyday should be a no-brainer. If done properly, a Twitter account, or a Facebook page is inexpensive compared to a million dollar commercial, and it interacts directly with the people you are trying to reach in a medium that people enjoy tuning into. Especially in the new smartphone era when most people have a handheld computer at their disposal.

This instant communication in the global village and a business’ way of keeping track of that instant communications can be the death of a company or the saving grace. In the global village it can literally pay to be Facebook friends with your publics.

Becoming a Polar Bear

What is the Tundra? I don’t know this because I just transferred to Ohio Northern the first week in August. Well that is when I visited and applied, I did not actually get accepted until the week before classes started. So I do not quite know how to be a polar bear yet; one could say I am a polar bear cub still sliding on the ice.

I transferred here from Capital University, a small liberal arts university placed in a subdivision of Columbus, Ohio called Bexley. I left Capital this past spring with every intention of going back in the fall, living with Jessica, my roommate and one of my best friends, again and being excited to not be a freshman anymore.

Do not get me wrong I enjoyed Capital, it is a perfectly fine University with a lot to offer, I just couldn’t afford it anymore.

I took multiple tours and I almost went to the University of Findlay because I thought Ohio Northern was going to be way too expensive. I thought I would be paying more than I was in Columbus if I were to go to Northern. It turns out I was wrong, and after my tour of Northern’s beautiful campus I decided to attend as a commuter student since I only live about twenty minutes away.

                This past week was my first week of classes, and overall it went well. I am only here for an hour on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; which is quite wonderful. The campus is much bigger than my old school so I had to get used to a lot of bicycles zooming past and a lot more people in parking the parking lots. Not to mention I almost got lost in the science center trying to find a classroom.

Hopefully by the end of the year I will catch on more and more and make Northern my new home. Until then, I am still learning how to be a polar bear.