Comments on: Is social media changing the way we design websites?

By: maricia

maricia — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:58:12 +0000

There is much to be said about social media today.

As a facebook fan, doubts and reluctance (after 6 months to a year eventually faded).

After properly learning and utilising the application tools ie : to post photos, chat, transfer and update information to the wall, and clicking to newsfeed (to friends & family) was the click for me.

It has to be said that this user-friendly social & business networking is like an educational warm-up before creating and designing ones own blog or website.

Gaining confidence and with a platform provider that with a click here and there has one be in touch instantly with family and friends from afar.

Privacy and perhaps the silent dangers are what comes with the territory.

Then there is the frustration of resourcing the right safety filters or portals aswell. But that comes with a community, pulling together to work out problems.

Ellatron had a very good point with the likes of telecom … definately frustrating, waiting for their services.

Yes, I would have to agree that facebook chatline would triple, quadruple the time of contact with the community at large.

I cannot agree initially that I agreed that facebook was the place to be. It’s been a wonderful community base to connect with family and friends, that’s for sure.

Also a good business portal.

By: Ellatron

Ellatron — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:46:01 +0000

Hmmm, I think I have been convinced to take a seat on the fence…

By: Hayden Raw

Hayden Raw — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 03:02:36 +0000

Hi Elliot.

Thanks for the props. I love the fact that you have considered where the audience wants to interact with Endemic World. A lot of businesses don’t know the answer to this; they want to be on Facebook because they’ve heard that’s the place to be.

You’re completely correct in acknowledging that social media just another communication portal. The process is not new, only the platform is.

By: elliot

elliot — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:29:41 +0000

Nice post Hayden. Businesses and even marketing companies are confused too. We treat it like the phone. Its another way t communicate. Phone, Fax, Email, Tweet, Face, … nothing is different. Its just the usual human pattern of more please and faster please. At endemicworld.com we have all the options because you expect us to.

Would like o try and answer some of your questions above, but they are too broad, I would answer “it depends” to all of them.

By: Hayden Raw

Hayden Raw — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:47:55 +0000

It’s interesting you refer to the practice of businesses using social networking as ‘devious.’ Underneath it all social media is just word of mouth conversation. We use word of mouth marketing in our friend circles all the time without thinking much about it. The action of a friend recommending a place to get dinner is word of mouth marketing.

Is it the process of a business subconsciously implanting their brand association in your head that you find devious?

By: Ellatron

Ellatron — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:35:59 +0000

Let me start off by confessing that I don’t have a blog, I am not ‘on’ Facebook, Twitter or any other kind of social networking site (Hayden, I can imagine your face-palm and corresponding eye-roll). It still seems a little strange to me that businesses use social media as a method of representation or communicating with the public. For me, if I were to use a social networking site like Facebook, it would be for just that – social stuff. I wouldn’t want to interact with my phone/internet/banana provider socially. Am I wrong in finding this practice of companies and business including themselves in social networking sites perhaps a little devious?

On the other hand, anyone who has tried to call Telecom for any kind of help for anything (especially after hours) will know how frustrating it can be. So why wouldn’t you Facebook message them? Especially when their representative would get back to you so quickly…