According to Chaffey (2010), a digital footprint is a trail left by an entities interactions in a digital environment; including their usage of TV, mobile phone, Internet and world wide web, mobile web, and other devices and sensors. In terms of my digital footprint, or Google reputation, when my name is typed into the Google search engine, the first result displayed is the link to my Facebook profile. When this link is clicked on, people are able to see my profile picture alongside a list of some of my friends on Facebook. In addition to this, my Twitter page and LinkedIn account are displayed. Interestingly, and maybe more worryingly, further down on the Google results page is a website which details information about where I live and reveals my current contact details. When I click on this website, it becomes clear it is to do with the electoral register. However, this is unnerving that this type of information about me can be accessed by anyone. Other notable search results listed contact details of other family members and their social network pages. With regards to user-generated content (UGC), I am yet to upload any to the world wide web. If i'm being honest, even if i tried I wouldn't know what to do. However, I know for companies for example, UGC greatly increases the rich media content of their website and provides regular up-to-date information regarding their company. Therefore, UGC is something I will probably become more familiar with when I enter the workplace. It is also something I'm thinking about as a recommendation for my company for the online audit. In terms of who's in control of UGC though, this remains open to question. |
Friday 25 February 2011
My digital footprint...
Monday 21 February 2011
Social Networks...
I am a very active user of the social network website Facebook, using it predominantly to keep in touch with friends and family I am unable to keep in touch with as much as I would like.
However, if I were to consider how my relationships are mediated by social networking websites like Facebook, Facebook firstly requires that you send a friend request which can either be accepted or declined. In this way, you are able to pick and choose who you want to become friends with. In addition to this, you can become friends with someone and delete them as a friend at any point you may wish. Yet, if someone's Facebook privacy settings aren't on, anyone can gain access to the information and photos on display, which can potentially cause problems. These are just some of the ways Facebook is able to mediate our relationships.
I have now joined LinkedIn and Twitter and have accounts with both social networking websites. As I have only recently joined both I do not have many connections/friends. However, on Twitter, I am following people I have never met and do not know personally. For example, I follow Henry Winter and Andy Dunn, both football writers at national newspapers, and people whom I have not met. I follow people like this to keep up-to-date with the latest football headlines. I do not consider following these people to be dangerous as they are both trusted and respected people. I find Twitter in particular, to be a good source for information I am interested in. However, it is worth mentioning that I would not follow people on Twitter who I was skeptical of, and wary of.
As for whether I would consider taking on Internet friendships, I do not think I would be. I know that I have 439 friends currently on Facebook, and probably of those, am only close, and see about 20 of those friends. However, I do not become friends with people on Facebook unless I have met them in person before. Therefore, I would not be receptive to taking on Internet friendships. I would not feel safe about the information I was sharing and what it might be used for, if used at all. I still prefer to make friends in public first.
Lastly, with regards to the phenomenal rise in online dating websites, I have to say I am quite surprised by how much they have taken off over the past several decades. However, with many people living busy, globe trotting lifestyles revolving around their work, making it increasingly hard for singles to meet other compatible mates, I suppose it shouldn't really come as a surprise.
In recent years, online dating has developed tremendously, growing to include media components such as free personals, video elements, audio/phone capabilities, and other technologically advanced programs that allow people to interact in a very personal and accurate way. Before online dating services were developed, many people feared to use their service because they didn't know who they were talking to, or if the correspondence was with a real person and not just a computer. While there are still some risks and cautions to consider, online dating has become much more personal and interactive over the years, creating a higher sense of trust in the online dating community.
Having said this, there is no doubt online dating has become an extremely popular way to look for a companion and that the online dating service will continue to be a dominant force in the dating scene for many years to come.
However, if I were to consider how my relationships are mediated by social networking websites like Facebook, Facebook firstly requires that you send a friend request which can either be accepted or declined. In this way, you are able to pick and choose who you want to become friends with. In addition to this, you can become friends with someone and delete them as a friend at any point you may wish. Yet, if someone's Facebook privacy settings aren't on, anyone can gain access to the information and photos on display, which can potentially cause problems. These are just some of the ways Facebook is able to mediate our relationships.
I have now joined LinkedIn and Twitter and have accounts with both social networking websites. As I have only recently joined both I do not have many connections/friends. However, on Twitter, I am following people I have never met and do not know personally. For example, I follow Henry Winter and Andy Dunn, both football writers at national newspapers, and people whom I have not met. I follow people like this to keep up-to-date with the latest football headlines. I do not consider following these people to be dangerous as they are both trusted and respected people. I find Twitter in particular, to be a good source for information I am interested in. However, it is worth mentioning that I would not follow people on Twitter who I was skeptical of, and wary of.
As for whether I would consider taking on Internet friendships, I do not think I would be. I know that I have 439 friends currently on Facebook, and probably of those, am only close, and see about 20 of those friends. However, I do not become friends with people on Facebook unless I have met them in person before. Therefore, I would not be receptive to taking on Internet friendships. I would not feel safe about the information I was sharing and what it might be used for, if used at all. I still prefer to make friends in public first.
Lastly, with regards to the phenomenal rise in online dating websites, I have to say I am quite surprised by how much they have taken off over the past several decades. However, with many people living busy, globe trotting lifestyles revolving around their work, making it increasingly hard for singles to meet other compatible mates, I suppose it shouldn't really come as a surprise.
In recent years, online dating has developed tremendously, growing to include media components such as free personals, video elements, audio/phone capabilities, and other technologically advanced programs that allow people to interact in a very personal and accurate way. Before online dating services were developed, many people feared to use their service because they didn't know who they were talking to, or if the correspondence was with a real person and not just a computer. While there are still some risks and cautions to consider, online dating has become much more personal and interactive over the years, creating a higher sense of trust in the online dating community.
Having said this, there is no doubt online dating has become an extremely popular way to look for a companion and that the online dating service will continue to be a dominant force in the dating scene for many years to come.
Monday 14 February 2011
Privacy and Social Media
It's no secret that I love social media. I am very active on many platforms, including Facebook, Youtube and now LinkedIn. Although I am not afraid of sharing parts of my life on these platforms with other people, I am also very aware of the fact that all the content that I share, and my behavioural data, is used for commercial purposes by those platforms and by anyone who uses "listening" tools to gather insights. However, are those 600 Million users on Facebook as aware?
In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with using insights gathered through advanced listening tools, statistical data or behavioural targeting to find hot leads, but it's the transparency of these activities to people which to me is very important. Only when people know that this is happening can they make conscious decisions about what to share on the web and what not to share. In most cases, people do not read the fine print.
I think there should be a better job done of creating awareness about these policies without scaring people. This belief implies brands have to be more open about what happens with this data, and provide the tools and information to people to both see how their data is being used and give them control over its use.
Trust is a key element when building relationships. A trustworthy brand cannot be built if they are not upfront about how they will use their customer's content and data.
In addition, there is an even darker side to social media, which can be very scary. For example, people updating statuses, which state where they are allow people (robbers) to know where they are and if they are not home.
I don’t think there is any reason to be paranoid though. I know I am not. It is all about being conscious of our privacy and about what we allow other to see, track and use. And as professionals in the online world, they need to be careful and respect privacy of people as it ultimately affects ourselves, our children and all our loved ones.
In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with using insights gathered through advanced listening tools, statistical data or behavioural targeting to find hot leads, but it's the transparency of these activities to people which to me is very important. Only when people know that this is happening can they make conscious decisions about what to share on the web and what not to share. In most cases, people do not read the fine print.
I think there should be a better job done of creating awareness about these policies without scaring people. This belief implies brands have to be more open about what happens with this data, and provide the tools and information to people to both see how their data is being used and give them control over its use.
Trust is a key element when building relationships. A trustworthy brand cannot be built if they are not upfront about how they will use their customer's content and data.
In addition, there is an even darker side to social media, which can be very scary. For example, people updating statuses, which state where they are allow people (robbers) to know where they are and if they are not home.
I don’t think there is any reason to be paranoid though. I know I am not. It is all about being conscious of our privacy and about what we allow other to see, track and use. And as professionals in the online world, they need to be careful and respect privacy of people as it ultimately affects ourselves, our children and all our loved ones.
Tuesday 8 February 2011
The Digital Envrionment
The digital environment is forever evolving and changing. It appears we are in the midst of a revolution. As Soderqvist and Bard (2001) remark, the digital revolution is changing things far more dramatically than the hype-mongers ever imagined... the move from a society dominated by print and broadcast mass media to the age of interactivity is at least as dramatic as the move from feudalism to capitalism.
However, digital doesn't come naturally to everyone. In terms of how I can keep up with the changing digital environment, I should immerse myself in the digital environment and actively participate in social networks, for example. I should live in this world which includes Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. At present, I do not have a Twitter or LinkedIn account, although, I am becoming increasingly intrigued about opening accounts on both of these social networks.
In addition, I should find and subscribe to some interesting blogs. For instance, I could join some digital marketing forums. I should also build my own blog, which I am doing now. It is interesting to see whilst I am writing my own blog that I still feel unsure what to write about and how to express myself. Furthermore, I should get a second life and see what it is like to live and experience other people's lives. Other notable things I could do to keep up with the changing digital environment could be to use more e-commerce websites. Using e-commerce websites such as Amazon save time, money and energy looking for a particular product.
Currently, I do not routinely look at news sites such as www.mashable.com or the Guardian newspaper's own media and digital sections. However, I should look regularly at these types of websites because they ciruclate the latest news, trends and stories involving the digital environment.
I have just navigated around the Guardian newspaper's digital section and found it very interesting to read about digital news stories, which included Warner Music's revenue falling 14%. This is predominantly because CD sales continue a steep decline.
This is just one way I can keep abreast of digital issues that are important in my sector. In addition, I could subscribe to relevant marketing and advertising blogs and forums, as well as trade press such as Marketing and Marketing Week. These publications are very good to keep up-to-date with the latest information in my sector and also provide details of the latest jobs on offer. At this time, it is very important to be actively looking for jobs in my sector which I may like as I begin to send my CV off to companies and firms of my interest.
However, digital doesn't come naturally to everyone. In terms of how I can keep up with the changing digital environment, I should immerse myself in the digital environment and actively participate in social networks, for example. I should live in this world which includes Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. At present, I do not have a Twitter or LinkedIn account, although, I am becoming increasingly intrigued about opening accounts on both of these social networks.
In addition, I should find and subscribe to some interesting blogs. For instance, I could join some digital marketing forums. I should also build my own blog, which I am doing now. It is interesting to see whilst I am writing my own blog that I still feel unsure what to write about and how to express myself. Furthermore, I should get a second life and see what it is like to live and experience other people's lives. Other notable things I could do to keep up with the changing digital environment could be to use more e-commerce websites. Using e-commerce websites such as Amazon save time, money and energy looking for a particular product.
Currently, I do not routinely look at news sites such as www.mashable.com or the Guardian newspaper's own media and digital sections. However, I should look regularly at these types of websites because they ciruclate the latest news, trends and stories involving the digital environment.
I have just navigated around the Guardian newspaper's digital section and found it very interesting to read about digital news stories, which included Warner Music's revenue falling 14%. This is predominantly because CD sales continue a steep decline.
This is just one way I can keep abreast of digital issues that are important in my sector. In addition, I could subscribe to relevant marketing and advertising blogs and forums, as well as trade press such as Marketing and Marketing Week. These publications are very good to keep up-to-date with the latest information in my sector and also provide details of the latest jobs on offer. At this time, it is very important to be actively looking for jobs in my sector which I may like as I begin to send my CV off to companies and firms of my interest.
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