Business and Social Networking

"How do most successful companies use social media?” Tweeting and Blogging To The Top –

Nora Ganim Barnes (Spring2010)

All companies should be asking themselves how they can become more successful, and work their way to the top through the use of social media. Two extremely profitable social media mediums are tweeting and blogging. But, there are some limitations companies will have to overcome in order to make tweeting and blogging pay off. First of all, there must be ground rules in place, for what can and cannot be said on social networks. Plus, if the wrong thing is said, it could be detrimental to an entire company and the company’s reputation. Some people would feel that these ground rules are a violation of one’s freedom of speech. Once these ground rules are met, companies can begin to use social networking to help their business become more profitable. One way that a company can utilize social networking, is by keeping employees up-to-date on meetings and office goals, through the use of tweets. This communication would allow all employees to be on the same page. Another way companies can make money using social networking is by acquiring faster responses from customers, thereby getting up-to-date feedback on their product(s). Fortune 500 businesses have already grasped this idea and have been quite successful with it.

After reading Nora Ganim Barnes’ article on tweeting and blogging, I found that Fortune 500 businesses(these are companies that are not incorporated or not as big as the Inc.500 businesses) are moving at a much faster rate towards social networking than Inc. 500 businesses. The Fortune 500 businesses see social networking as a way to get a leg up on the competition. First, the consumer is able to give feedback on the specific product, which is then evaluated by the company, thereby giving the consumer an added value to their purchase. Secondly, social networking allows these companies to run product and brand awareness campaigns through blogs and tweeting, with a more cost effective and valuable system of marketing. Thirdly, social networking makes a substantial difference as to whether or not a company, like Inc. 500, will be more or less successful in today’s business world. It also means that the Inc. 500 companies must overcome limitations, such as certain legal issues that come with social networking. Once these limitations are overcome, they too, like the Fortune 500 companies, can successfully use social networking in order to make a profit and have a successful business.

Barnes, Nora Ganim. (Spring 2010). How Do the Most Successful Companies Use Social Media? Retrieved November 25, 2010, from http://web.ebscohost.com.dml.regis.edu

Hybrid Reality and Location-Based Gaming

Per Adriana de Souza e Silva closing comments “The game arena is no longer confined to a board or to a computer screen.”

Hybrid Reality and Location-Based Gaming (HR&LBG) takes the online gaming to a new level of reality. For years the gamer has been trying to “get into the game” and now with mobile technology as advanced as it is the gamers are now able to interact with real life characters in realtime. CAN YOU SEE ME NOW? is a good example of how a good Hybrid Reality and Location-Based Game would work. According to de Souza e Silva, in the HR&LBG there are two components, a digital and physical component (de Souza e Silva 2008). The digital component is the online gamer that is logged in and is tracking and communicating with characters that are participating in the physical component, in real cities being chased or chasing one another around that city with mobile hand held devices such as cell phone and PDAs. Throughout the chase these characters are communicating with one another via GPS and text messages. The urban unknown variables such as bad GPS signal and red lights all contribute to the overall difficulty of the game. There are many different types of scenarios that could be manifested into an urban environment setting as a hybrid reality game such as a cold war spy game or the traditional cops and robbers.

Traditional video games and board games are confined to a defined space of the computer or the game board. Social interaction and space is limited and tied to the computer and physical game itself. Hybrid Reality and Location-Based Gaming redefines and bridges the space between two and three dimensional reality games using the advances in mobile technology and internet computing to take real time data such as climate, terrain, and other variables in the urban environment and used them to set up the limits of a hybrid reality experience.

Hybrid Reality and Location-Based Gaming is in it infancy, because many people still use their mobile device like a glorified telephone and not like a hand held global positioning computer. As mobile technology advances and the gamers reach further for that ultimate goal of virtual reality, hybrid reality gaming will become more of the norm. The integration of computer based technology and realtime data processing to set up a game based on reality has true potential for applications far beyond gaming for the fun of it. This type of integrated technology could be employed for social, economic, and military applications for training and problem solving for real world scenarios.

Notes

Blast Theory + The Mixed Reality Lab. Can you see me? (2001-2004). Nottingham, UK: Retrieved 23 April 2007 from http://www.canyouseemenow.co.uk

de Souza e Silva, Ariana, (2008). Hybrid Reality and Location-Based Gaming: Redefining Mobility and Game Space in Urban Enviroments. Retrieved from http://sag.sagepub.com/content/40/3/404

"Not so long ago the Net was presumed to be an unrelieved social backwater. "Nearly all the initial studies about people who used the Internet for social interaction suggested that they were getting lonelier," says University of Chicago social neuroscientist John Cacioppo, co-author of Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection. Those studies were predicated on the notion that people used the Internet to replace face-to-face interactions and that relationships formed online would stay online. "For disabled users who couldn't get around, that [practice] worked well," Cacioppo says, "but for others, it didn't." A person could not even know for sure who was really on the other end of the line. Psychology research focused on this scene with critical eyes, often dismissing online socializing as lonely escapism from the disquiet of real relationships.
This dire view of social networking began to change as research grew more nuanced. In a 2008 study at California State University, Los Angeles, psychologists Kaveri Subrahmanyam and Gloria Lin interviewed 192 high school students about how they used the Internet for communication, how much time they spent online and which sites they typically frequented. The study participants then completed psychological tests for assessing loneliness and social support. Neither total amount of time spent online nor time spent communicating online correlated with increased loneliness."(disalvo)

This captures how important online networking has become. In years past you were a loner, nerd or unattractive if you used the internet to be social. I would say years ago I used to be one of those that thought it was tabu to be online and talking to all your friends and making new friends online. But these days even study's show that this is not the case, many persons on social sites are well educated, well socialized person just getting another way to talk to eachother. Its a way to find a job, create business, build friend ships and talk to people and communicate with person far away from us and its cheaper than long distance calls.

It has defiantly been beneficial to many but can still make people that feel lonely even worse. Take the person that is not well liked in person, maybe the same could occur online. Or the ex you get to watch move on in status updates, pictures or possible you change to single and everyone wants to know your pain. I also think people seem to be more apt to be meaner because they are not face to face so you have to beware of that also.

I think just like anything, moderation is the key. make it apart of your social science but not the only part. You still need to meet face to face, still need to be there in person for your friends and family and still need to be meeting new friends off the computer.

DISALVO, D. (2010). Are Social Networks Messing with Your Head?. Scientific American Mind, 20(7), 48-55. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

WikiLeaks - Information Will Find a Way

"Information wants to be free" (Ludlow, 2010, para. 4).

In recent history, the posting of classified information on the website WikiLeaks has generated much controversy that might make the idea of liberating all information not the best, or the safest, idea. I am not about to debate whether or not all information should be made publicly available or defend WikiLeaks for potentially putting US service men and women overseas in danger. What is important to understand is that WikiLeaks is not a single crack in the dyke that can be plugged or eliminated. It is evidence of a larger movement.

The advent of the internet has spawned an ongoing struggle between transparency and anonymity. Holding people accountable for their internet actions can only be done if the source of posted information can be verified. On the other hand, the ability to protect the identity of the source of information on the internet is seen by many as a necessity in the battle against "big brother". WikiLeaks utilizes technology developed by the Tor project to protect a source's identity. The Tor application reroutes internet access through several levels of relays that hide the source's IP address and the IP address being posting to, making it impossible to connect the poster to the post or the emailer to the email. In fact, according to Nathaniel (2010), the developers of Tor have been contracted by the US government to ensure their intelligence activities are not compromised.

So this technology isn't all bad. As is the case with ANY technology, it can be used for good or evil. The problem lies with the intent of the users. Shutting down WikiLeaks and its developers will not remove the threat of exposed classified information. In fact, the last couple of days have seen the WikiLeaks website relocated due to a denial of service attack. If information wants to be free, it will find a way.


Ludlow, Peter. (10/4/2010). WikiLeaks and Activist Culture. Nation, Vol. 291, Issue 14.
Nathaniel, Rich. (9/2/2010). The most dangerous man in cyberspace. Roling Stone, Issue 1112.

Surfing at Work

John Reed, executive director of Robert Half Technology stated, “Many companies monitor computer use, and excessive shopping is a red flag that could put someone's job at risk” (“Cybermonday shopping at,” 2010).

Employee usage of company networks for personal leisure has been an issue since the world wide web has become so widely available. This time of year with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, online shopping becomes one of the bigger reasons employees use company networks for personal gain. Who does not want to save a dollar or two? Cyber Monday is a widely known term for the Monday following Black Friday. The first Cyber Monday was November 28, 2005, when Shop.org released a press article entitled “Cyber Monday' Quickly Becoming One of the Biggest Online Shopping Days of the Year”.

Although Cyber Monday deals can be great, the excessive use of company network resources during work hours can reduce employee productivity. So what can a company do to keep their employees focused on the job? You may be surprised to find out many employers resort to blocking access to online shopping websites like Amazon and Ebay. Those employers who are not blocking access to these websites are monitoring how often their employees are leisurely surfing. Some companies have gone so far as to fire employees for wasting time surfing the Internet. For example, David Innes, 42, lost his job with Scottish and Southern Energy after bosses concluded he spent a "ridiculous amount of time" surfing the web (“Accountant fired over,” 2010). Employers are not only blocking these websites to keep their employees from wasting time, but also to protect their networks from malicious software. All it takes is for an employee to click a rogue link for a virus to be released or a hacker to be let inside.

Remember, the next time you see an email with a discount for that state-of-the-art ebook reader for 10 dollars off, is it worth your job? My suggestion is for everyone to read your companies Internet usage policy to ensure you are following the rules.

References

Accountant fired over internet use 'unfairly dismissed'. (2010, June 14). Retrieved from

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10313450

Cybermonday shopping at work closely monitored or blocked 635219. (2010, November 23). Retrieved
from http://find.galegroup.com.dml.regis.edu/gps/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T003&prodId=IPS&docId=A242732372&source=gale&srcprod=ITOF&userGroupName=regis&version=1.0

New Pentagon Command

to Sawer (2010) "the whole question of cyber security is shooting up everybody's agendas." (p. 2)

NATO and the United States communication networks are constantly being attacked, Anders Fogh Rasmussen Secretary General of NATO states, "It's no exaggeration to say that cyber attacks have become a new form of permanent, low-level warfare". NATO is of particular concern since they receive hundreds of attacks daily. Some computer have been deemed to "important" to be shut off for security work to be completed. I feel that NATO should have redundant computer systems so one can be maintained as the other is working.

The Obama administration plans to begin to counter these attacks with a new command, the Pentagon Cyber Command. The Pentagon Cyber Command began operating in October of 2010 however the largest problem seems that other agencies within the United States government have done little to fend off cyber attacks. The Obama administration is considering whether or not the new Command will play a larger role in the defense of network here in the United States. Some feel that Al-Qaida will soon exploit information about the NATO and United States networks obtained from rogue states. This problem could be on the scale of another 9/11 if terrorists obtain this information. The terrorist would possibly be able to mount an attack on the banking system, electrical grid and any other network they feel may distrupt or kill Americans. I feel that it is time for the government to create a new department that overseas the government’s ability to fight off a cyber attack, and this new agency should be headed by a cabinet level officer.

Fidler, S., Gorman, S., (2010, Sep 25). Cyber Attacks test Pentagon, Allies and Foes. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703793804575511961264943300.html?KEYWORDS=Cyber+Attacks+test+Pentagon+Allies+and+Foes

Social networking and employers have been in the news more recently as employers have begun to monitor the personal information of employees and prospective employees. Journal of Business Ethics published an article discussing employers’ use of social networking sites and the problems involved. “Employers Use of Social Networking Sites: A Socially Irresponsible Practice”, written by Leigh Clark and Sherry Roberts, delves into the growing trend of employers using social network sites to conduct background checks on potential employees and explains why it shouldn’t be done. Employers should not use social networks to monitor employees or potential employees.
Clark and Roberts do an excellent job of describing why employers should refrain from this practice. The article points out that social networks are designed to facilitate interaction between people on a personal level, not a business level. Internet communication has replaced face to face communication for a variety of reasons; however this type of communication should be afforded the same level of privacy as face to face, phone or traditional mail communication. A comparison is drawn between meeting a friend in a restaurant or bar and communicating via a social network. This comparison is very accurate as many people use social sites to keep up with friends rather than meeting in person. The writers point out that an employer would never send someone to a restaurant to eavesdrop on a personal conversation in an attempt to judge a person’s character; neither should an employer “eavesdrop” on a social site to gather information.
There are several reasons why employers should not use this method to judge employees or gauge the character of employees. There is no established proof that judgments made using information gathered this way has any relationship to one’s job performance. People have the right to a life separate from their work and looking at a person’s profile or page can be misleading. It would be like trying to judge the dynamics of a family by looking at a snapshot or two. Employees also need to be able to develop as people apart from their work environment. This improper usage by employers blurs the line between individual identity and employee.
The most overwhelming reason that employers need to refrain from this practice has to do with the social responsibility of the employer. Employers, as well as individuals, have a responsibility to conduct themselves in a way that is ethical and does no harm to society as a whole. Invading the privacy of an individual through a social network is damaging to that individual but also to society. “If a realm of personal privacy is not provided to this type of communication, society will forever lose the benefits that online communication provides” (Clark & Roberts, 2010). This quote sums up the whole idea. These types of communications need to be given the measure of protection that the user has a right to expect. If we, as a society, have to censor our own personal communications for fear of being judged, we then lose the effectiveness of that communication. We become cardboard cutouts interacting in a way that is wholly fake and utterly useless. While some maintain that anything that is put on the internet is fair game, I disagree. In the personal space that I have claimed as my social network, what I say, feel or think is not fair game. This information is placed there for a select group of people to see. For anyone to gain access to this information without the benefit of my permission is an invasion of my privacy. Clark and Roberts are correct, if we lose the ability to communicate in this manner in an honest way, we lose the ability to communicate in this manner completely. Anything less is pointless and employers should not be allowed to rob society of this valuable form of communication by rendering it useless.
References
Clark, L., & Roberts, S. (2010). Employer's use of social networking sites: a socially irresponsible practice. Journal of Business Ethics, Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.dml.regis.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&hid=12&sid=9231dca3-15e2-44b6-8d27-30650608821b%40sessionmgr10 doi: 10.1007

Minding Your Netiquette

“Following proper netiquette is essential to developing professional relationships online, and the solution to ensuring employee etiquette is trust” (Nikravan, 2010). In his article, Minding Online Manners Boosts Leadership and Workforce Development, Laden Nikraven reviews the current down-spiraling trend of proper netiquette use in the workplace and the causal effect from poor leadership relationships.
Businesses today have a critical need to use online communication to reach not only their external consumers, but their internal customer, the employee. Current leadership methods frequently use the “hovering-over-the-shoulder” threat to enforce proper netiquette from their employees which according to Nikravan is back-firing. Employees that feel micromanaged and threatened are less likely to be productive or offer communication that supports their employer. It is this sense of “mistrust” that destroys online relationships and in office cohesion. Leadership needs to refocus the use of “hovering” and threatening employees to something proactive and useful such as providing meaningful netiquette rules and empowering their employees to use it successfully. According to Nikraven, “If trusted and thus empowered, employees using social media for the good of the company will collaborate with other members of the organization to be productive” (2010, para. 8).
There are many lessons to be learned from prominent netiquette experts. Proactive tools are available to all employers to regain their employees trust and improve their bottom line at the same time. These tools are as simple as remembering to communicate with professionalism and common courtesy no matter the medium. In this new cyber-communication age it is time to make sure these lessons and tools are used.
Nikravan, L. (November 17, 2010). Minding Online Manners Boosts Leadership and Workforce
Development. Chief Learning Officer. Retrieved November 26, 2010 from http://clomedia.com/articles/view/3917/1