Social Media & the Pet Care Industry

After reading chapter 4 I learned that there are a few key factors when it comes to online community building using social media. The first is to understand what exactly you want to accomplish. The next is to identify the best way in which to portray your message that will resinate best with people of like minds. After that a key task is establishing a clear vision and purpose that is portrayed through a vision statement. Your vision statement should be very direct and tell your readers exactly what is you stand for and believe in. The goal is to find like minded people that want to support the same things.

The next large step is implementing your above strategy and figuring out the best ways to allocate funds and time to keep the strategy working. You want people to be engagement meaningfully so that they are likely to come back and or share your business. Having a wide range of people from different walks of life can help give you a more rounded mindset, that in turn will help you reach more people. A good example of this are blogs, I saw a blog specially talking about the importance of feeding and walking dogs for their health. That's a great example of a smaller group of people who all believe In the same thing.

After completing the Hootsuite training I learned that there are various methods to growing an online community. Most of them are the same as the book states. Being very clear in your message and knowing how to connect with people who believe the same things. Having a clean and clear vision statement is key.

Businesses should be aware of many different things when using big data. But the foremost issue is where the data is stored, and who has access to it. Stated easier, cyber security is the largest issue. Big data is the largest data collection out there. It can be used in many ways, some good, some bad. It is very important for companies harnessing this data to understand that, and to take preventative action to protect it. In the video, Dough says that reacting to a cyber attack is the worst option. You should prevent it before it even happens, in order to protect yourself and your customers.

A few other things that companies should look out for when it comes to big data are, being open with their customers about where the data is going and what's it being used for. If it's going to be sold to the highest bidder, or only used within the company. Each customer has a right to know. Another thing to look out for is data bias. Using data they collected to make their own algorithms could cause problems. The insights collected must be used fairly and without any bias one way or another.

On the other hand the consumers main focus needs to be on what data they allow to be collected. Like they say, once something is out there on the internet it's out there forever. The best way to protect yourself is to share as little information as possible. Although that's not necessarily possible in todays world. The next best option is to be aware of the risks, and keep an eye out for any weird activity. Read the fine print, and don't share anything you wouldn't want someone else to know.

Algorithms - Big data is collected and used to make algorithms that decide what information is presented to whom. This has less to do with who each person actually is and what they believe in, and a lot more to do with what will make them the angriest / keep them on the app the longest. We have to realize that the companies themselves don't care who we vote for or support, they care about the money they make on their app. If they see the you hate a certain candidate and always take the time to leave a mean comment, the algorithm is going to keep placing posts with that person on your timeline. It's the same as targeted amazon adds. You search for something on amazon, one hour later its on your Facebook adds. It's all about interaction instead of actual content.

Advertisement - Because of the algorithms once something is gaining a little traction online it will start appearing on more and more profiles. Thats how we get the viral overnight videos that go crazy. These are usually very funny or crazy videos that actually draw a lot of attention. But sometimes they are what is called clickbait. A video made to grab attention that isn't serious or isn't accurate. An example would be a Youtube video labeled "Falling off the Eiffel Tower", but after watching the video its just a kid going on a tour of the tower. This may start gaining views because people think they might actually see someone fall off, only to find out it isn't true after interacting with the post. Which in turn makes the post more popular making more people fall for the trap of watching. It's a deadly cycle.

Exposure - There is a very small sliver of choice that we still have as users on these social media platforms. We still have the choice of who to follow and what we like. So we can choose what pages we like, but the app is still going to use those preferences in its algorithms to give you choices like the ones you've already made. So you immediately have a small bias when it comes to the content on your page because it is created specifically for you. It's going to be stuff that you like, dislike, or usually interact with. And that is not free speech, or equal representation of all points of view.

There are a few certain key qualities that come to mind when I hear "social media consultant"

Young

Creative

Great listener

Intelligent Communication

Visionary

I think these are just a few of the most important qualities. Being young is important because in todays world the leaders are the newer generations. They come with a different mindset and approach than the last few generations have ever tried. It will be very hard for a young audience to follow an older leader, they can't relate.

Being a visionary and having creativity are huge parts of this job. You're building an online persona, creating a brand, with your words and pictures. It is very important to be able to view yourself the way others will view you. As well as to have a vision for the future and how things will work out in the long run. Relating to the customer is the name of the game.

Being a great listener is important for the client. You have to be able to listen to the type of image a client wants to present themselves as, and build something beautiful that matches that vibe. That can be limiting, and hard to get a good idea of exactly what a customer wants. Thats why it's important to be a good listener that can take a few pointers and create a matching tone.

Another key is intelligent communication. The way your social media consultant talks and communicates will be seen through your social media platforms. If you don't like the way they communicate or the vibe they put off, its most likely your customers won't either. Being able to adjust and and communicate with everyone is very important.

Big data and algorithms are powerful tools used by large companies. They have the power to filter, track, identify patterns and predict future behavior of consumers. This can help companies directly market and tailor their products to their customers. This can be a good thing, or a bad thing depending on how you look at it. They know the best ways to make you buy things. Meaning they are essentially controlling you without you even knowing it.

Seeing how often I check my phone and the amount of time I waste daily was very eye opening for me. My original count for 24 hours was very high. I had almost 7 hours of screen time! Given, that was a day that I didn't have work so I was basically just sitting on my phone. But still that seems very excessive and possibly harmful.

For my experiment I decided to try and go a full 24 hours without using my phone at all. I chose to carry it out on July 1st, the day of the fireworks at my grandmas lake. I knew we would be celebrating all day and thought it would be easy to stay off of my phone.

I started off my morning by turning off my alarm, yes on my phone. I immediately went into my routine of checking my phone, but caught myself pretty quickly. I took a shower and noticed that it lasted about a third of what a regular shower usually lasts. This is definitely due to the fact that I'm usually having a full on concert in the bathroom, trying to pick the best songs and not being able to narrow it down.

After that I headed to my grandmas house to start celebrating. In the car I caught myself looking for my phone multiple times. I think it was more so to know that I had it and hadn't left it at home, because its usually tucked under my leg. But it was in my backpack so that I wouldn't be tempted to check it.

After arriving I was greeting everyone and helping prepare food, during that time I never even thought about my phone. I was present and enjoying the moments with my family. It felt good to not be distracted and trying to split my attention between two things. That lasted about two hours and then I started to wonder if I had any notifications.

I was tempted to check, but for the sake of the experiment I decided not to. I went outside and got in the lake for little bit. I played with my cousins babies for a while to distract myself. But I did catch myself thinking about possible notifications and what if someone needed to get ahold of me, things like that.

We ate dinner and began to light our own little fireworks before the big show began. I wanted to pull my phone out to take some pictures and videos but quickly realized I didn't have it. It started raining and the firework show got canceled so it was time to call it a night. I did check my Lock Screen when I was leaving my grandmas. I saw a lot of notifications that I really wanted to check, but I didn't.

We've Been Sneaking Into Your Brians Video

In the video Max talks about different ways in which technology is created to be almost addicting. Tech developers are always coming up with ideas to better hold peoples attention. With almost constant notifications from multiple different platforms it makes it hard for anyone to say no. People want instant gratification and praise throughout their everyday lives, and technology gives them the opportunity to get it. They encourage consistent updates and regularly checking online platforms in order to stay up to date. I hadn't realized until watching the video, but I do refresh my email after already checking it. Why? Because subconsciously I'm looking for the next best thing to come through. I think this is a huge reason that so many people lack self confidence, and are so insecure, anxious, and depressed, in todays world. When you get less likes than you were expecting, it knocks your confidence. When the person you posted the picture for doesn't comment, it makes you question your appearance and possibly even value. A lot of children grow up thinking that the number of likes you receive determines your likability, attractiveness, or worth. I think this video should be shared with more schools.

Before the Internet Article

Hello everyone, I am currently a senior at CMU and plan to graduate at the end of the summer. My degree is focused in business admininistration with a minor in management. I plan to work in HR for a midsize company while also beginning my journey into opening my own business. I plan to run a dog kennel and grooming business, I'm hoping my time here at Central will help prepare me! And I'm looking forward to learning new ways to use social media and technology to better the industry.

I want to use this blog to discuss, debate, and research the effects of social media and new tech on the pet industry specifically. And to help learn and grow my professional online presence through connections.