young-thoughts

[young-thoughts]

Affordable Connectivity Program

Good day Govna,

As we enter the last month of Q3 and recharge this holiday weekend, I'm spending bits and pieces of time reflecting on the year. In that reflection, simply taking time to try and put everything together from a mental standpoint and carry it into this last quarter is my aim. With everything that has occurred this year, piecing together the lessons learned and growth opportunities can only produce fruitful steps forward if implemented properly. Take that time to reflect this Labor Day and partition things for your benefit.

As promised, today's piece is on the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The ACP was an initiative implemented by Congress during the pandemic to essentially offer low-cost access to internet connectivity for communities that can't afford it as readily as others. The program offered monthly discounts of up to $30 per household for any service provider of their choosing and $75 for tribal communities (Griffis, 2024). Due to funding issues, the program has since been discontinued as of May 31, 2024.

As I was watching college football this weekend, I saw a commercial highlighting how elementary kids need internet access now more then ever. When the ACP was active, it had a very noticeable impact according to a survey by the Federal Communications Commission. About 75% of ACP users said they used the internet to book or attend virtual healthcare appointments, 48% applied for jobs or worked online and 75% of youngins aged 18-24 used the internet to complete homework (Griffis,2024). Staggering statistics to say the least.

It's no secret that the wealth gap is increasing at an alarming rate and continues to move at break-neck speed yearly now. To support this post, there was TedxTalk done by Scott Galloway (posted underneath the cited article below) that details extensively this wealth-gap divide and growth. It fits in well with the ACP ending and how it compounds this gap occurring in America today.

The US has showed it's resilience this year in the midst of reports about a potential recession and economically the country is doing ok all things considered. With that being noted, I believe if Congress were to revive this program and do so in an economically sustainable way, it will help the US maintain that resiliency while giving students the opportunity to contribute to the economy with a developed and well-rounded skillset.

Get after this month.

In Unity,

Griffis, Kelcee. “Millions of Americans Stand to Lose Their Subsidized Home Internet Connection This Year.” Tech Brew, Morning Brew, 15 Apr. 2024, www.emergingtechbrew.com/stories/2024/04/15/affordable-connectivity-program-renewal-congress?mbcid=35054186.418927&mblid=02087e23d76f&mid=5d51fb1a542a4da94236993f558c28a7&utm_campaign=etb&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=morning_brew.

[young-thoughts]

Q2 Close

Woahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

One minute it was the middle of Q1 and in the blink of an eye it's almost the end of Q2. Life can be lifin like that sometimes I suppose. Nevertheless, we're here and that's a blessing in and of itself. This post won't be about anything in particular but more so a general post. I stopped posting for at least a month and while it's easy for me to make excuses, the realty is I didn't carve out enough space in my life to post weekly when I had other obligations come into the fold. That's on me.

When I think about life and all that it entails, I'm reminded of a conclusion I came to a couple of years ago. The conclusion was that it's all on you. We all wield so much power and I'd even venture to say more power than we think we have. By power I am alluding to the ability to change or influence our circumstance to see a desired end result. If you think you can, you can and if you think you can't then you can't. Someone notable said that in the past and I forget who but that is an incredibly true and powerful statement.

Now coming back to reality a little bit here, I am aware of life throwing certain curveballs on top of systematic barriers to the pursuit of life and happiness. However, when one can develop a frame of mind and belief within themselves to not let their circumstance dictate their day-to-day motivation and attitude, then that is a power position that pays strong dividends. While certain circumstances can certainly be adverse, being able to see the bigger picture and push through not only makes one more resilient but builds belief. It also reminds one of the fact that rainy days don't last always. How do you react to the rain ?

This post maybe more so for me then anything but maybe it will speak to someone else. We all have the ability, to a degree, to change our circumstances for the better. Writing down a vision for your life, continually coming back to it and applying action to that vision is a simple model to do so. Although that is much easier said then done. If you're lacking in discipline or consistency, definitely give yourself grace and look to see what is causing the disconnect. Allow yourself to experiment with what routines and habits work best for you, catered to your unique life.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be writing about the following:

The Affordable Connectivity Program

Miso Robotics

Cheers!

[young-thoughts]

Accounting Shortage

The accounting profession has been experiencing noticeable attrition for a couple of years now, with no expected end in sight. In the article cited below, Courtney Vien of Morning Brew takes a brief dive into some numbers that discuss this attrition and they're very interesting. For example, there has been a 40.6% increase in the number of companies reporting "material weaknesses" due to internal personal issues, from the first half of 2019 to the first half of 2023 (Vien, 2024). It's actually kind of crazy to see a spike like that over the course of four years...it begs the question, how can something so vital be fixed ?

Towards the latter end of the article, Vien includes a couple of steps that current CFO's believe can be used to reverse this trend. From offering better work incentives via benefits, more open dialogue between leadership and entry-level accountants and possibly automation of accounting practices (Vien, 2024). Although those steps sounds good, it doesn't seem very viable for college students or current young professionals to be interested in accounting going forward. The busy season for accountants can be incredibly challenging and taxing (literally), combined with long hours it's understandable to see why this career path is becoming more unattractive. I do see a way though (Paul Atreides line from Dune 2 right there).

What if, this might be a stretch, universities and institutions combined an accounting degree with data science undertones ? As prevalent as data science is becoming now, it would be extremely beneficial to pair it with accounting. Although inherently different in many facets, at the base of accounting is numbers and knowing how to appropriately track and bucket them for appropriate financial reporting. Data science alone can be used to help with financial analysis, forecasting and taking a peak into the future of where an org could be headed. Exploratory data analysis, statistical research and dashboarding could work extremely well with accounting, almost seamlessly.

Data science is a tedious subject to learn but as with anything, discipline and practice could be used to master the subject. Accounting is very similar to data science in that way.

Who knows, this could even be a new trend.

Get after it this week and stay focused. Practice delayed gratification and embrace your dreams

In Unity,

DaJuan

Vien, C. (2024, April 5). Tupperware delays filing due to lack of accounting staff. CFO Brew. https://www.cfobrew.com/stories/2024/04/05/tupperware-delays-filing?mbcid=34946278.94968&mblid=14c9c78a844a&mid=5d51fb1a542a4da94236993f558c28a7&utm_campaign=cfo&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=morning_brew

[young-thoughts]

Fixed Focus

Good day mates.

I hope all is well for whoever comes across this post. That your family is in good health, that you are in good spirits and that you are starting to see the maturation of the seeds you have planted so far this year. This week we'll take a dip into what it means to fix our focus in order to accomplish whatever it is we set out to. Going forward, I'm going to try and include resources for everyone to look at which will support what I write. Most of the stuff I'll include will be historical articles or references that I already know about and used myself but I will try to include something more fresh.

What comes to mind when you think of having a "fixed focus" ? Could it be having specific objectives that you key-in on for a certain amount of time ? Or maybe it is a mental framework in general where one is locked-in for a season or in regards to a section of their life. Whatever it is, "fixing" your focus should involve moving with consistent intention. To whatever you pursue. Not allowing daily distractions to take away from that focus.

Like any habit, developing a fixed focus require time and practice. It's incredibly easy to start something to then never finish it or suddenly lose desire to see it through. Fixing that focus should allow you to be in tune with the bigger picture, allowing you to move forward no matter your circumstantial mood. For each and every one of us, removing what doesn't serve us could be a necessary step to help you focus or at least setting boundaries will.

Having a finite amount of mental bandwidth per day, we can only focus on so much. Finding areas in your life where you can remove idle or meaningless activity and substituting it with steps towards what you want most will inevitably allow to move forward faster. Find time to fix your focus before we enter this next quarter, I know I will be. Shift, pivot and remember what helped get you here but think on what can get you there. Whatever there is for you.

Cheers everyone and stay locked in. Happy Easter

DaJuan

[young-thoughts]

Embracing Change

Ever since this year started, I couldn't shake the feeling and thought to write about this topic. Whether I was reading articles about business, scrolling on LinkedIn or talking to people in my inner circle, the same two words came to mind. Embracing change. I've never wrote about this before but I hope this will help someone who reads this, as with everything I write.

In Denver, I had the chance to hear from a keynote speaker who further drove home this topic of Embracing Change. Jess Wedel is a cancer survivor who went on to climb the tallest mountain in the world (Everest), but her story is much more powerful then this brief sentence. Please read and learn about her story, I can almost guarantee you'll want to run through a brick wall after and dominate anything that comes your way. During her address, Wedel said " More can be done in fear, rather then running from it" and "During life's storms, take action".

We all respond to change in a variety of ways. Maybe it's initially responded to with anxiety, stagnation, fear or even excitement. Whatever it may be for you, and I'm sure it varies by the degree of change, I would challenge you to embrace the unknown and step into it. It's very scary, amongst other things, but what if this change can propel you into the person you were meant to be ? Furthermore, imagine the resilience and level of confidence you will have within once you get through the change.

Change is inevitable, like taxes. With that fact established and knowing that it will come in some shape in your life, how you respond can change everything. I believe emotions are important, but to an extent as they clue you in to what your body is telling you. Using rationale in your response to change, instead of relying on passing emotions will allow you to accomplish much more then acting on a temporary feeling. Being trained through different experiences and developing the discipline to adapt will help you go far. We are all far more capable then we realize and once we get through a few trials without folding, I truly believe we can soar to unimaginable heights.

I would encourage you to take the time and evaluate how you respond when change occurs. Give yourself grace and see how you can incrementally improve. Maybe it means asking for help or even learning to be patient. Whatever it is, I believe you're strong enough to not only embrace change but use it to your advantage.

In Unity,

DaJuan

[young-thoughts]

ILC 2024

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Express Employment Professionals International Leadership Conference in Denver, Colorado. The experience was nothing short of phenomenal and it was an amazing way to end out Q1. Beyond being a new city for me, Denver was a cool place to visit and the weather was amazing but the altitude is something to account for when flying in. Luckily I didn't pass out or projectile vomit anywhere, maybe it's all my Planet Fitness sessions paying off for me.

There were over 1500 people in attendance for the conference, made up of franchisee's (owners), office managers, Express's executive team and a packed roster of guest speakers. For those who don't know, Express is a global professional staffing agency that specializes in light industrial, professional, office services and direct hire employment. They are the premier staffing agency for virtually any client's need. Over the course of three and a half days, participants heard from the likes of Deion Sanders, Goldie Hawn, Chris Barton and Jess Wedell. Furthermore, two of the days included learning sessions that delved into a variety of topics, from sales tactics to leadership coaching.

The opportunity is truly something I am looking forward to attending again next year. The networking was unparalleled to anything I have experienced since graduating college and I was able to take away detailed pieces of wisdom both professionally and personally to build on.

Before ending this post, I want to write about something Deion Sanders spoke about during one of the general sessions in Denver. I have been following Coach Prime ever since he started at CU and hearing him speak was easily the highlight of the event for me. Coach Prime talked about "finding your rabbit", which is the thing in your life that is just out in front of you that you can't quite reach but motivates you to get after it every single day. For Coach Prime, it is his Mom. What is it for you ?

As the quarter comes to a close, take time to reflect on all that occurred these first three months. Use that time to adjust, pivot or maybe even double down on what worked for you. Keeping your "rabbit" in front of you, as Coach Prime talked about in Denver, will allow you to push past all the noise and distractions in your life to conquer what you set out to. Coach asked the question to us, "How can you expect greatness without consistency ?".

Proverbs 14:23 sums up my point perfectly and what I believe Deion's ultimate statement was with the rabbit analogy. Get after it, enjoy the journey but most importantly stay consistent and let everything else work itself out.

In Unity,

DaJuan

[young-thoughts]

The Digital Dash

Transformation. Innovation. Automation.

The digital dash of this decade seems unparalleled in both scope and impact, to any other period of time I can readily think of. Outside of the industrial revolution of the 18th century. Daily it's starting to seem like there is a new AI app/service, biomedical breakthrough or an optimized invention of varying sorts. Residing in the most capitalistic economy there is, maybe this is a healthy standard. However, there should be limits on everything, with no exemptions.

When it comes to the digital dash of this present decade, placing limits on such advanced developments is challenging and rightfully so. Has there ever been a time when technology has rapidly evolved as such a pace as now ? Along with the nuanced implications of these developments ? From compliance policies, regulatory measures and everything in between, there really is no precedent set for containment or limits.

Diverting away from the pain point of the lack of limits with technology, it's healthy to look at the bright side of things with anything. Increased efficiency, excelled productivity and creative abundance are just a few ways technology has made waves and will continue to do so. 2024 will most likely be the most defining year of this decade as it relates to technology, in both the public and private sector. At any rate, the use of most things depends on the wielder of the tool and I don't believe most things are inherently bad in and of themselves.

Closing out this post, I would encourage anyone reading this to do their own due diligence from a research perspective. Formulating an independent opinion based on trusted sources is empowering and hopefully brings peace of mind. With such a topic as this, it can be daunting to deep dive it from an information gathering standpoint but I would error on the side of "less is more" here heavily. Find a few trusted resources and experts but vet their knowledge as well.

Get after it this month and finish out Q1 strong. Keep the main thing the main thing and stay true to yourself.

In Unity,

DaJuan

[young-thoughts]

Patient Urgency

This week's topic is about a subject that's been on my mind as of late and can be extremely beneficial if interpreted correctly. Patient urgency. Take some time to read those two words and I'm sure you'll come to an easy interpretation of it's meaning. For the sake of this post, I'll go ahead and define what the concept means to me and maybe it's tied to what you're already thinking. To be patiently urgent is to pursue an objective with an understanding that it will take time to come to fruition, but one works diligently towards that objective daily and with focused intent. It's like applying the phrase 'carpe diem' but with a beeline focus on your objective and a realistic expectation that the best pursuits in life often require patience to see the end result through.

With a common understanding of patient urgency established, think about applying the principle of the concept to your life and shifting your mindset in favor of what the phrase means. In a world full of expectations of instant gratification, it's not normal to put off what you want now for what you want the most in your future. However, that shift right there can drastically alter the trajectory of your life. There's an opportunity cost to every decision we make in life, even the small ones. Buying a new watch that costs you $400 could have been $400 applied to a student loan or other debt. Is the watch worth the investment when your loan is accruing interest around 2-5%?

What makes this concept so powerful is potentially combining it with other small life changes to double the potency of the impact in your life. Less time-consuming content, investing in your relationships, and spending time on your physical health are just a couple ways patient urgency can be applied in your life and drastic changes can be made because of it. I could write more words on this topic but it requires personal agency to make that shift in your life and only you can do so. I am a big believer in "maxing" life out and I truly believe this concept is a way that can be done.

Get after it this week.

In Unity,

DaJuan

[young-thoughts]

3 Years Later - DaJuan

It's been almost three years since I last wrote a blog, which is wild to type out because it doesn't feel like time has passed as it has. This blog was originally created as a requirement for a business and social media class I had my last semester of college and I randomly thought of it as the calendar year changed to 2024. Before changing majors my junior year at CMU I originally studied public relations and I haven't really written as much as I know I should or want to. Writing has always been a craft that I have enjoyed doing so firing this Tumblr account back up seemed like the most appropriate thing to do and I hope to build out over the course of the year.

Since this post serves as a reintroduction, now is probably best to give a little update on what I have been up to. After college I jumped into the consulting industry and have learned quite a bit about various different industries while also developing the ability to wear multiple different hats on projects. It's been a fun experience so far and I am definitely looking forward to adding more to my toolbox that actually interests me. Location wise, I'm in southeast Michigan and I truly love the area. Very diverse with a variety of different opportunities, should one look for them.

The general theme of this blog moving forward will be about the intersection of business and technology, with a few posts here and there about life and all that comes with it. The hope is that we can all learn together with these posts and take bits and pieces of knowledge to utilize as well as act on weekly. I'm looking forward to getting the ball rolling again, I'll definitely be using the MLA works cited method as well just in case anyone thinks I'm capping with my sources :)

In Unity,

DaJuan

[young-thoughts]

Week 8 Post

After watching the video on implementation, thoughts of challenges that my client could face going forward became easier to think of. Not because I believe there are several flaws in the strategy that I and my point of contact came up with but because it takes a good amount of time to bring something to fruition. It’s easy to draft thoughts out on paper but there is a lot of sweat equity and midnight oil that needs to be burned to really get the ball going on a brand new strategy. Below are a few challenges that my client, His House, could possibly possibly run into with implementation.

Since His House is a Christian church that is particularly aimed at college demographic, the approach with social media tools and content in particular can be challenging. There is the obvious want to come off as attractive and appealing with an image and what an organization brings to the table but there are certain boundaries that just can’t be crossed in the delivery of that image. For a Christian church, this means setting guidelines on what content will be delivered as to not distract away from their initial purpose. It’s easy to get caught in wanting to stay hip to the trends and whatnot but as long as His House sticks to their roots like they have been, this shouldn’t be that much of a challenge.

Another challenge that comes to mind that isn’t necessarily a problem for my client in particular but more so a problem in general for every organization is developing a content calendar of some sort. A content calendar can be extremely beneficial but also requires time, energy and resources to stick to it. Having a team who is dedicated enough to spend the time drafting and following through with a particular plan can sometimes not be feasible. This could be due to the issue of not having a readily available team with the bandwidth to handle keeping up with a content calendar or maybe having enough content to plan out in general.

There are obviously a few struggles that my client could have going forward with implementation but nothing that is out of the ordinary. What it really comes down to is how much value the organization sees in revamping their social media strategy to become a social organization. I don’t see anything too large that could significantly stop or be detrimental for my client to implement a social media plan of any kind. I

[young-thoughts]

Hello!

I also spoke to the differences between platforms which decides how to deliver a certain message. What I missed that I read in your post is about positing certain content throughout the day can vary in its effect. It makes me wonder if certain organizations that our global have multiple teams to post throughout the day considering the different time zones. Great post!

Week 7

While completing the Hootsuite modules 3 and 4, we learned all about content marketing and different strategies to be successful when it came to social media collaborations and content creations. We learned how effective content is developed and shared. These two modules taught me a lot about social media content and how to approach making content that people will want to interact with. 

I liked how one of the modules was split up by social media applications such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. This helped because if I needed to go back and learn more about how to create more effective content on a certain social media platform, I could. Creating effective content is extremely important when it comes to social media marketing. The modules talked about how posting content at certain times of the day can boost interaction with the posts and can change how many people see your posts. While I feel like I knew this in the back of my head, it was nice to hear it again and learn more about this. I think that this is a really important subject because you want to make sure you’re posting content at a time of the day that is beneficial for you, while also getting the attention and interaction you’re aiming for through your company. Posting multiple times a day was another area of focus that the modules talked about, which I found interesting. I can totally see how posting multiple times a day to gain followers and interaction on your posts can help you. Reaching that following that you’re after is super important.

What does becoming a social organization have to do with the principles of effective content development and sharing? When becoming a social organization, you need to have effective content development and sharing. Really connecting with your followers is important as it makes them feel important and like they are apart of your business. Making sure that you are aware of what kind of feedback your posts are getting is also important. If something doesn’t get a lot of good feedback such as likes, shares, comments, etc. then you will know to change how you make posts in the future. The modules made a good point about getting your followers to interact with your posts by doing simple things like asking them to comment something or doing a contest where a follower who shares your post can win a discounted item or something along the lines of this. This is getting your followers to interact with your posts, as well as seeing what they like. 

[young-thoughts]

Hey Madison,

When reading you post I liked how you mentioned learning about the cohesiveness that is required when developing a content strategy. It’s something I hadn’t thought of yet after completing the modules but it’s a really important part of the strategy overall. You also mentioned content calendars in your post which I happened to overlook as well but it’s just as important as the other concepts as well. This really drives home the point of posting consistently and intentionally which will allow any strategy to build on itself and become more and more effective.

Great post!

Week 7 Blog Post

After completing modules 3 and 4 of Hootsuite, I learned how effective content can be developed and shared. Module 3 stressed the importance of aligning your social media strategy with your organizational goals. This is how organizations make sure that their social media content is effective. For example, the company I am working on is an accounting firm. Their organizational goals revolve around gaining more clients. In order for their social media content to be effective, they must attempt to accomplish this goal through their social media posts.

Along with aligning overall strategies, content strategies are also important. Following a content strategy helps the organization keep a cohesive story behind their brand. With every post following the same strategy, consumers won’t get mixed ideas about your brand. This also helps the company focus on their specific target market and understand what is performing well.

Content calendars are another tool for developing and sharing effective content. These calendars make sure that your company is consistent with their posting schedule on different platforms. It also makes sure that your posts are well thought out and intentional. A helpful aspect of a content calendar is that you can keep track of which posts performed well and which didn’t. This helps your company tailor their content to be more engaging with their followers. 

The principles of effective content development and sharing play a major role in becoming a social organization. Once a company has an understanding on how to post effective content, they ultimately develop a larger audience that is more engaged. This type of interaction with their followers can make the company a social organization. Following the strategies I mentioned above will benefit companies in accomplishing this goal. There is a lot of strategy involved in growing your following on social media and making sure that your followers are always engaged.

[young-thoughts]

Week 7 Post

Content and it’s development is an extremely important part of any social organization’s goals and it would be very beneficial to plan and strategize on how that content is disseminated. In the content development stage, spending time on what information should be delivered to have as much of an impact on a target audience should be step one. This requires sitting down and taking into consideration all the communication or brand resources that are at the disposal of an organization and decide which is the most effective in how it is presented and if the target audience will be motivated to take action off of it. On that same note, once good content is selected and chosen to use, it is just as equally important to try and see how that content should be delivered based on how it is delivered before and new ways to deliver it so it becomes more effective.

Content delivery obviously varies depending on the medium which is being used to deliver it. There could be two identical messages but the way to go about sharing them using Twitter and Facebook is different. When delivering content certain strategies can be used to keep posts interesting and interactive. Visual content that uses basic design principles' is an easy way to draw in a target audience and tap into the creative potential of an organization. Varying content in terms of what it includes such as questions, polls or even surveys could also be built on to increase user engagement and allows for interfacing with customers.

Becoming a social organization has everything to do with learning and using content development and delivery strategies. There are so many companies and organizations attempting to grab for everyone’s attention and it’s important to research and use the best tactics to develop captivating content and learn how to use it effectively. The world changes so fast these days and the landscape of social content and media is becoming more and more enhanced and intricate. It’s much easier to be left in the dust if an organization isn’t invested in improving their content delivery and messages.

[young-thoughts]

Hey Noah,

The ‘Six F’ model you mentioned in your post seemed very comprehensive but also rewarding because it processes messages and whether or not they’re worth being delivered. You also mentioned that you applied what you’ve learned to CMS. It’s pretty cool you can start to reshape and revamp what you’ve learned and apply that to an on-campus organization. On top of that, it’s a great resume builder.

Week 6: Blog One Post

Hello Everyone,

While completing chapters four and five in the Social Organization this week I was able to expand my knowledge on many concepts related to community building. I was able to take a deeper dive into how to form a vision for community collaboration and how to develop a strategic approach to community collaboration. I wasn’t aware of the importance of building your community and how it has such a significant impact on different organizations. Both chapters had tons of valuable and relevant information within them that will be able to apply to my client, Central Marketing Society.

After reading chapters four and five in the Social Organization I was able to learn more about effective principles on online community building with social media. It’s super important for organizations to interact and engage with their community as this helps their social media presence. My biggest takeaway from Chapter Four was the ‘Six F’ Model of Attitudes Toward Social Media. The six attitudes play a huge part in the success of your organization’s collaboration efforts. The ‘Six F’ model consists of folly, fearful, flippant, formulating, forging, and fusing. Each of these different attitudes has unique characteristics and can help organizations build their community and social media presence. My biggest takeaway from Chapter Five was the ‘No, Go, Grow’ model that is related to empowering community collaboration. The model is a way of systemically determining if and how a community collaboration effort should move forward. All three parts of the model help organizations have a deeper understanding of how their collaboration will work with the community.

After completing the Hootsuite/Podium module four I was able to learn more about concepts related to growing an online community. My biggest takeaway from the Hootsuite module this week was that it’s crucial to utilize different social media channels in different ways. All social media channels have different and unique ways for people to engage and interact with their community. It was awesome being able to take a deeper dive into the popular social media channels that are currently in our lives. I was able to apply what I’ve read and put that towards my recommendations that I have for Central Marketing Society. The main social media channels that Central Marketing Society uses consist of Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The Hootsuite module covered different features that can be used to interact and engage with your community and network. These principles apply to Central Marketing Society because I will be implementing all of these unique features within their social media channels. The organization hasn’t been utilizing all of these features which could help them with recruiting potential members and gaining traffic to their social media platform.

Thank you,

Noah Tatum

[young-thoughts]

Hey Kara,

When reading chapter five, I overlooked the part about inviting people outside the organization and how it should be creative and stimulating. Most of that stimulation comes from the organization knowing their purpose and end goal as well as what the want to target using social media. Just like you mentioned in your post, once that’ is satisfied, it gives other people more of a sense of what to contribute without forcing them to have a narrow mindset.

I’m interested on how you would  implement what you’ve learned from the Hootsuite modules into your sorority. You could probably do a lot honestly. I’m a member of Alpha Kappa Psi and can thing of several ways to help our chapter out with what we’ve learned this week alone with the Hootsuite.

Week 6 Blog Post

Chapters 4 and 5 of the Social Organization are titled, “Forming a Vision for Community Collaboration” and “Developing a Strategic Approach to Community Collaboration.”

Chapter 4 discusses how social media can have a positive impact on pursuing mission and vision statements of a company. However, one big point Chapter 4 highlights is the understanding of when community collaboration is appropriate. “Community collaboration is more appropriate when large groups of people act independently to contribute and share open and complementary information that aggregates well into a bigger picture and results in actions that lead to heightened performance.” (Bradley, 2011, p. 42). “Community collaboration is less suitable for challenges that require deep analysis, where information is best provided by intermediaries who are often recognized experts and who influence one another. Also, if information is sensitive and requires significant safeguards in its use, then sharing it with the masses is less appropriate.” (Bradley, 2011, p. 43). Another huge takeaway from Chapter 4 that I recognized is the “Six F” Model of Attitudes Towards Social Media; folly, fearful, flippant, formulating, forging and fusing. Each of these characteristics determine an audience’s view on social media, and having a clear understanding of which attitude your audience has towards social media can be extremely beneficial when deciding whether or not community collaboration will help your company increase value.

Chapter 5 discusses the importance of purpose within a community collaboration strategy. When inviting your audience to participate in your community collaboration, the invitation is important. Having bland and boring invitations will not increase any engagement. When discussing the purpose of your community collaboration strategy, you must answer four questions: “Who are the target participants? What is the nature or focus of their collaboration? What’s in it for participants? What value will the organization realize?” (Bradley, 2011, p. 59). One of the biggest takeaways for me through Chapter 5 is “determining the power and potential value of a purpose by assessing it against the following characteristics: magnetic, business-aligned, low community risk, measurable, facilitates evolution.” (Bradley, 2011, p. 60-61). I think that this is an extremely important point because it gives you a guideline to determine if your company will increase value within community collaboration. A high-quality purpose for collaboration will have each of those characteristics. If it doesn’t, the collaboration probably won’t have that much value, and therefore may be a waste of time, or ineffective.

From the Hootsuite modules this week, I was able to establish the importance of targeting differently depending on the social platform you are using. Each social media platform has a different audience that needs to be stimulated in a different way to target engagement. The hootsuite modules this week give you “best practices” per each social platform, which I found to be extremely beneficial. The client I am working with for my project is my sorority, Sigma Sigma Sigma. I think that these modules this week helped me have a better understanding of the main platforms used by my chapter, consisting of Instagram and Facebook. The modules gave me different suggestions to engage within each of these platforms, especially Instagram, by discussing many of the various features it has to offer, such as Instagram TV, Instagram Insights, Instagram Ads etc. These modules gave me a better understanding of all of the features Instagram has to offer, and how I can better engage my audience with these features.

References

[young-thoughts]

Building Online Community

Chapter four and five of “The Social Organization” details critical steps to help build an online community that will enhance the goals of an organization in detailed steps. Firstly, when inviting the opinions of people from outside an organization it is important to give them the autonomy and space to contribute independently (Bradley, McDonald, 42). This would allow for unbiased and open information which could be pulled together and used to make improvements. Building on that thought, an organization also needs to look at their own selves and see what particular part of their business could use valuable input from a community to become more effective. This could be on their marketing side or web development or even target audience.

After certain basic pieces of information to establish an online community are gathered and considered, it’s important to think of what needs to be done to implement this community. One such route is the “No, Go, Grow” Model. In a nutshell, or organization would fare better if they consider their implementation in certain steps and this model dictates whether an option should be green lighted or not and if it is a go, should a company invest it that collaboration or now. For example, a company decides to partner with teenage boys on increasing their marketing scheme by receiving their input or thoughts. Should the company invest in facilitating that discussion or leaving them up to their own devices ?

Also, while reading and completing the fourth Hootsuite module, I learned about the value of social advertising on a target audience. This module is relatively self explanatory and details the different impacts social advertising has based on the media platform used. All in all, it just allows for an organization to focus in on a particular audience and cater to their needs. It does take time and effort to do so.

References:

Bradley, Anthony J., and Mark P. McDonald. The Social Organization: How to Use Social Media to Tap the Collective Genius of Your Customers and Employees. Harvard Business Review Press, 2011.

[young-thoughts]

Big Data Post

The video “The Legal Side of Big Data” really should make companies aware of how to actively protect consumer data and look out for their best interest. It’s so easy for a breach to occur with hackers becoming more effective in searching for even one singular hole to exploit. What makes this situation even worse is that some consumers may not even know that their information has been leaked until it’s too late. When I think of my life, sketchy things start to come to mind... like maybe repeated calls from an unknown number, weird text messages or attempts on my bank account. That could be my fault but also maybe an organization who has my information.

On the consumer end, there are a variety of ways to protect themselves from being potentially compromised. For one, consumers should use a Virtual Private Network from their employer or a third-party VPN. This would protect and ensure a secure connection where less tracking or heading to sketchy sites. On the bank level, a consumer could use like an access 360 card when purchasing from certain stores or placing online orders. I even use it myself. Lastly, simply using a browser like Duck Duck Go is very basic and I would highly recommend it. Users can protect their search history and not be tracked.

Moving to the discussion on the article, “The Internet’s Original Sin”, it seems as if the internet doesn’t do nearly enough to stop consumers from being tracked. So now as a society, we have to change the norm of companies always asking to accept cookies and so on. A consumer shouldn’t be forced to accept cookies in order to use their site and purchase items. All in all, we should do a better job moderating and placing restrictions for websites and basic online use in general.