Ok, so here's the deal...apparently consumers don't really know squat about social media because all we do is complain about it, yet we're so addicted to it we can't stop. In this technological era of social media and companies using social platforms to help their business, it has become more of a priority for companies to listen in on conversations either when they're being talked about or just to see what consumers are interested in. 32% of consumers using social media don't even know that companies do this, yet 51% of them are talking about these companies on a social media
platform but don't want them to know.
Excuse me...but this is the internet. We basically learn from day 1 that nothing on the internet is truly private and that if you don't want something to be seen, then don't post it. It's that simple. If you want to rant about a company, do it orally, or you might as well post it directly on that company's website, because someone is going to see it. 43% of people think it's an invasion of privacy for companies to listen in on conversations, but this is just the new thing in our world. We have to accept that the internet and social media is becoming a dramatically more popular way of doing business and it can help companies in a lot of ways. How else are consumers supposed to complain about companies or rave about companies or talk about them at all for all to see without the internet? It's a blessing and a curse, but people need to get over it and stop acting like they don't expect this kind of stuff to happen. You want companies to listen in some cases when it helps you and then not in other cases? Sorry, not gonna happen. If you don't want companies to listen to you and figure out your needs, then get off the internet.
Google seems to be trying to open up a physical store to sell some of their own products, but I think that is just about as dumb as Amazon trying to open up their own store. People like those websites because we are lazy and don't want to go to an actual store to buy things, and we can usually find cheaper things by searching on the internet rather than going to a store. Sure, we have to deal with shipping and handling and sometimes unnecessary service charges, but again, we are lazy. People aren't going to suddenly stop buying things off the internet and go to these physical stores if they did exist, they just wouldn't do very well. And even though Google is trying to showcase its new Glass project in a physical forum, there are many other places that Google could show this off, and they have plenty of money to have another store help them out.
It's going to be hard for them to turn a profit with these stores trying to sell some of their products. Why bother with rent, utilities, employees, etc. just to show a few products? I think it's all very unnecessary. But I do have to agree that if Google is trying to change its image from just a search engine to more of a consumer brand, the shift in public perception could actually help them in the future. I suppose Google has enough money to try to figure all this out, but I guess you gotta try everything once.
There's a new phrase being thrown around by Microsoft, and it's "scroogled" which is a play on words combing google and screwed. There is a major war going on between Google and Microsoft, and Microsoft is playing dirty. They are trying to let everyone know that Gmail goes through your emails to find what you're talking about and interested in order to advertise to you, and Microsoft is trying to be really negative towards them. But Outlook is already a very good and modern webmail client, that they don't need to be so negative to compete with Gmail. It has features that Gmail doesn't have, such as Active View, and it's a bit more modern, which Gmail can become cluttered. I personally think that when you try to be negative and bash a company, it usually ends up backfiring on you. People like to root for the underdog or the person or company who is getting picked on. So Microsoft should just focus on what they do better than Google instead of being negative, and maybe they can win fair and square.
The Super Bowl is tonight, and there will be plenty of social media activity going on. In an article on Social Media Today, they say that the companies the release their commercials before the Super Bowl actually helps the game get as many as 600% more views than if they didn't. There will also be many more YouTube views, tweets used as story lines for commercials, allowing fans to create commercials for companies (such as the Goat for sale video), and letting fans send in photos to be used to introduce Beyonce in the halftime show. Now more than ever, social media is going crazy with millions of people tweeting about the Super Bowl, getting involved with ad campaigns and commercials, and just getting them to tweet about their company to gain more recognition. It's crazy what social media has come to. Obviously this year will have more people tweeting than last year because it is more popular now, but how big is it going to get over the years? And when will it hit its peak? Companies are definitely taking advantage of social media in the best possible way this year; it has become such a great way to generate more buzz and to get people involved with their campaigns. It's amazing what social media has come to. I can't wait to see where it will go.
