Social Media for good causes

Anyone out there interested in raising money for something? Whether it be a charitable cause or just needing money for a birthday gift there is a website designed to help people collect money. At Fundable.org you can make your own webpage for just about any project. Some ways in which people are using this site is for:

· Raising money for personal projects
· Setting up fundraising pages
· Buying gifts as groups
· Collecting money for Events and Trips
· Confirming Demand

Fundable is just one example of a way in which people are using online sources and social media for good causes.
Of course this is just one of several websites that is trying to reach out to those who are looking to help out. On the downside of this project, it is not a non-profit fundraising organization. If you are giving funds to a non-profit through Fundable, you should contact the non-profit organization directly. It’s shocking how the internet is taking over so many aspects of our lives so quickly. Who knows maybe this will end all the door to door soliciting and turn everyone to the internet?

Social Media and the Election

While browsing some websites discussing the upcoming election and the debates, I came across a site discussing the importance of social media during the election. The social media aspect of the election this year for the candidates is a huge part of this process. Without the help of these online sites for discussion and debate, some would be left behind. The organizations that will be most successful this year are those that participate in social media.
Obama’s campaign website is set up as a social network and is helping to attract attention from the traditionally young non-voters. His page is set up with several other online sources for his campaign. Some of these social media outlets include:
Facebook
Myspace
Digg
Twitter
Eons
Glee
MiGente
AsianAve
DNC Partybuilder

I think this use of social media will be very beneficial in getting more voters at election time. It is because of the vast amounts of online sources that people are becoming more aware of the issues and are able to talk about them.

Response to "Growing up Online"

I was browsing through Frontline’s Growing up Online and reading through some of inside the revolution. It discusses whether this new form of communication and documentation is “just old teenage culture in a new wrapper” or whether it is a real transformation and danger. I think that both of these theories are correct.
Remembering back to when I was in junior high and high school, girls loved to show off pictures of their exciting trips, parties, dances. Etc. People decorated their lockers with pictures and quotes and anything that could define them. It was “the thing to do” to bring in photo albums full of pictures and pass them around to all your friends. Now this same culture is in the form of internet websites such as facebook and myspace. People can create their own pages to define who they are and form social networks through the computer. Guys and girls can post all kinds of pictures and albums for their friends to view in a quicker and easier fashion than “back in the day.”
This just proves how quickly our society can change and yet still maintain the same basic culture but rather through a form of technology. This has definitely made changes to the way we live and the way we go about our lives and for the most part is a good thing. There are sites dedicated to tragedies and in remembrance of lost lives. Also, this is an easy way to raise awareness to causes for just about any type of event. For example there is a facebook group “Pray for the students of NIU” with 12, 622 members currently. But with the good comes the bad.
Others think this new from of communication is a real danger. Kids are learning to use the internet at a younger age and because of this they are less educated about the dangers behind posting personal information. Because they are growing up in a world revolving around reality television they have a skewed vision of what privacy means. It takes the old saying learn from your mistakes to a new level. Some of these mistakes that are made online for millions to view are hard if at all possible to forget about. If anyone has ever kept and diary and come back and read it ten years down the road, they can understand how some of the things we used to say and talk about should not be spread all over the internet.
There have been several stories on the news and all over the world about internet stalkers and stories about how the internet has helped to aid in suicide. It is these types of stories that credit the growing up online phenomenon to be a dangerous one.
I think we need to be able to find a healthy balance between what is “just old teenage culture in a new wrapper” and what is dangerous. This new form of culture can be exciting and new but we need to know how to keep control of it before it controls us.

Internet Reputation

In class the other day I found our discussion on the Google Netherworld quite interesting. We have had several discussions on how quickly the media and blogging sights such as this one can blow up and turn casual stories into the buzz of the internet. Corporations have to be on top of their game at all times and not fall into the trap of bad publicity. We discussed such stories as the ComCast technician falling asleep on the customer’s couch as well as our latest story about how a pitch turned ugly.
Not only are big corporations at risk on the Google Netherworld, but we ourselves can fall into this trap. In class we have also had several discussions about the risks that myspace and facebook have on our future.
It’s as easy as a click of a button to recollect our past and all our pictures that have been posted in countless profiles all over the internet. Students need to be more aware of what they are posting and allowing others to view. Just as these stores listed above have had an effect on these companies, the same things could happen to us.
This is why it is also important that companies have a good public relations team to clear up stories that could give them a bad rap. We discussed how Apple’s CEO had to handle the iphone controversy. This is a good example of how a company can be quick to respond to a dilemma to prevent further controversy and more buzz.
As the internet becomes increasingly more accessible and more people are beginning to join the blogging world, internet reputation will begin to have more relevance.

Social Outlets

This past week in class we got to watch the Facebook Infomercial Parody video on youtube. I thought this was a very comical view to the world many can relate to on all college campuses. But overall, facebook and myspace have gotten a reputation as being a good outlet in the social media world. Many companies have hopped on this ban wagon and made a myspace page. For instance there is a page made for all the super bowl commercials so they can continuously be viewed even after the super bowl. Many other companies have done the same so they can gain more views and make themselves known through this type of media outlet. Although these pages seem to pull a number of hits, there are still those who question whether or not these social ads work.

Here is a post from a non-believer which discusses his reasoning behind why they do not work.

See for yourself whether or not you think these types of social outlets are successful.

eBay's Mistake?

As many of you know eBay is an online auction and shopping website for people and businesses to sell goods and services. I came across a blog discussing how eBay is removing their two way feedback system. I have to agree that it is a mistake on their part to remove this type of communication. eBay is based off of the fact that they are able to have this open communication between buyer and seller.

Although I have never bought or sold anything on this site I have always assumed this is the way in which eBay made its business. To take this two way communication away would turn it into simply another online selling website. It would take away the very thing that made this online buying and selling site different from the rest.

With all the hype circulating around the internet lately about the super bowl, I figured I could add to the buzz. Along with the game, how could anyone forget about the infamous commercials? Because of all the attention these commercials get through social media and having them all over the internet, these corporations are starting to get more bang for their buck. These commercials will be circulating all over you tube, news websites, and more. The Austin American Statesman has a page to watch and rate all the commercials that appeared during the big game. Decide for yourself if this year’s ads lived up to your expectations.

Fanatics

In last week’s readings from Citizen Marketers, it discussed the key players in social media. These people include the filters, fanatics, facilitators, and firecrackers. I found the most interesting of these key social media players to be the fanatics. I especially took interest to the story about Fiona Apple and FreeFiona.com. A 21-year-old music teacher named Dave Muscato took the initiative to make this website in order to pressure Sony to release her new album Extraordinary Machine. Because of all the press attention from the campaign, her label finally gave her the money and creative freedom to rerecord the album on her terms.
This is a great example of how social media can have a huge impact on people and companies. If it were not for Fiona’s fan, her career would have ended. There are several instances where social media has saved careers or changed their career paths altogether. Whether it is artists, musicians, sports, politics, etc., there is always someone out there who is fan enough to get people to start talking.
Social media can also work with the exact opposite effect by looking to discredit people rather than to hype them up. Luckily for Apple, her fanatic got her an album that debuted at number seven on the Billboard charts and later nominated for a Grammy Award.