Reading for November 12th

The first part of the “Sticky Advice” chapter in Made to Stick focuses on the importance of strategy and the three barriers that interfere with strategic communication. Sometime, employees need to remember their own strategies within their companies and put those ideas to work. The fact that the CEO of Cranium, Whit Alexander, developed ideas for a new game piece without thinking of the company’s very own strategy, CHIFF, could have cost him a major failure. Luckily, the manufacturers were able to communicate CHIFF to Alexander and point out why his ideas did not fit in with creating a product that is innovative, different, and appealing to an audience. By using the CHIFF strategy, the manufacturers were able to create a game piece that consumers could enjoy. Without this communication of strategy, Alexander could have been in big trouble.

However, communicating strategy doesn’t always seem so simple. The first barrier, the “curse of knowledge,” explains that sometimes people don’t dumb things down enough and simplify ideas so that everyone has a grasp of the true meaning. By using abstract phrases, such as “unlocking shareholder value” and “highest-quality producer,” you’re preventing employees and consumers from understanding your true meaning. Trader Joe’s simplifies marketing strategies by claiming that their main customer is the “unemployed college professor who drives a very, very used Volvo” (256). With this metaphor, we can understand that Trader Joe’s is a low-cost store that is affordable for the average customer. Putting strategic ideas in simpler terms is beneficial for the supplier, as well as the consumer.

The second barrier, Decision Paralysis explains the difficulties of choosing between multiple different options. It seems that the more choices that are made available, the more difficult it is to make a decision (259). To make decisions easier, rules are enforced because they eliminate the freedom of choice in some cases. The example they provide in this chapter is the rule of having a patient try all medications before having surgery. Instead of choosing surgery right away, which may be unnecessary, doctors have that rule to follow and will allow the patient to try to regain health through different medications instead of surgery, which is costly and timely.

The third barrier is a lack of common language, which sort of goes along with the first barrier. Going back to the example with the CEO of Cranium, their strategy known as CHIFF is simple and easily understood. The company must develop products that are “Clever, High-quality, Innovative, Friendly, and Fun” (254). It is much easier to find or dismiss a product that meets or does not meet these expectations rather than trying to fit it in the concept of creating a product that is “the number 1 provider of engaging tabletop entertainment” (262). Simplifying terms is beneficial to the company, while abstract criteria does nothing to drive the company forward because it isn’t easily understood which type of products should be created.

Reading for November 5th

I found it interesting when Gillin asked the question about whether businesses should even bother with social media (p. 180). He admits that social media works for some companies and not for others, but the way we talk in class, it seems that all businesses should engage in some sort of social media site if they want to be successful. Our generation is dependent on communication over the internet, and there are so many different types of social media sites, that any business could find one that works for them. Creating a significant site that contains the right content and engages users is what draws an audience in to buy products or services from different companies.

It’s also interesting that Gillin mentions that question because talks about traditional marketing vs. social media marketing, and how traditional marketing doesn’t add up to marketing online (p. 184). Actually trying to promote and sell face-to-face is always a hit or miss and gains no power (p. 185). However, posting means of advertising and selling online allows for more concrete publication and reaches more of an audience.

Another point Gillin expresses is the fact that marketers need to “ditch the pitch” and engage more (p. 186). Engaging is so much more beneficial to users because they feel good that the company is taking the time to actively explain their product of service instead of just delivering a pitch that probably won’t even stick in the consumer’s mind.

I think it makes so much more of a difference when companies engage in social media because consumers are able to have more of an interaction with them that is more satisfying and successful than communicating face-to-face or over the phone. I guess my question for Gillin is: What do you mean when you say that social media is only for some businesses but not others?

Reading for Oct. 29th

At first glance of the chapter on Significance, it doesn’t seem to make sense that exclusion would bring people together on a social media sites, even more so than inclusion. However, it makes complete sense with the example of the Obama campaign. Their technique of releasing information only to those who signed up as members of the online community was genius because that is exactly what draws people in; people will want to feel significant, so they will join the site in order to receive those presidential updates.

 It also makes sense that websites with exclusivity grow faster than those that allow anyone to join. The most popular social media sites, such as Facebook and Pinterest, started out with certain requirements that had to be met before joining. With Facebook, one had to be attending a college or university, so initially Facebook was a site that excluded anyone who was not in either institution. It grew quickly because college students felt significant in having their own form of social media that allowed communication amongst their peers. However, Facebook has grown tremendously to where anyone can join; you no longer have to be in a college or university. Facebook remains so popular all because of how it started out. Even though almost anyone can now join, the site still contains some exclusivity with the different groups and pages that are available to users. People can join and “like” pages, and after doing so, they will receive information and updates about those different organizations that no one else would have access to unless they were part of the group as well.

Pinterest also used a similar technique when it first launched. The site used to be invitation-only, but has recently granted access to anyone who wishes to join. Having to receive an invitation before joining is what made users feel significant to the community because they were specifically chosen to join. This allowed Pinterest to grow quickly because any member could invite anyone to join, so the word got out pretty fast, and users were tempted to join because of the presence of exclusivity.

All of the components of RIBS are crucial in maintaining a successful, long-living, and continuously growing social media site, but significance is one of the most important in my opinion. If users do not feel that they are important to the online community and are granted access to exclusive information, then they will not be persuaded to join the sites; a lack of exclusivity is one of the main reasons why most sites, such as Friendster, do not last.

Reading for Oct. 8

                The chapter, “Simple,” in Made to Stick makes a lot of sense when it explains how important it is to get the core message across when delivering any type of information. For the army, the Commander’s Intent is the most crucial message for soldiers because you can never know what the enemy will actually do. The only thing you can focus on is your mission, and that makes it simpler to carry out a plan. Simplicity is what people want. They want to get straight answers when they’re searching for information. I really like the part of the chapter that explains the upside down pyramid structure when it comes to news articles. When people read the news, they don’t want to read details upon details before they know what the story is really about. Having that initial lead is what really draws the readers in. Once they know the core idea of the story, they are more interested in actually reading the story from most important detail to least important detail.

                The importance of catering to what the audience wants is seen again in the chapter, “Unexpected.” On page 64, it is noted that people say, “You can’t make people pay attention.” However, as it discusses further, you can come up with ways to attract the attention of others, so in a way, you ARE making them pay attention. Once you break convention, you shock the listener and create curiosity (as the flight attendant does), which enables the audience to pay attention.  However, we can’t rely solely on surprise. After the initial shock, you must keep the listener tuned in by creating interest. For the flight attendant, she kept people’s interest by continuing to shock them. They probably didn’t know that she would use a car example for teaching how to put on a seatbelt, and they didn’t know she’d use a song reference for explaining that there are 6 exits on the plane. Her last sentence about the disco lights on the floor was another shock to leave the audience on a humorous note. She kept the audience interested the entire time, which is usually difficult when delivering information about safety precautions.

               This was a simple technique for the flight attendant because her announcement was short. There are other methods for keeping audiences interested when the information is put into a longer text. The example of the text on the rings of Saturn shows how creating a mystery for the audience is a good way to keep them reading. The author continuously asked questions, which got the reader thinking and wanting to know what the answers to those questions were. I think it’s always a great idea to start any text with a question because it immediately gets the reader’s attention if that question involves something they’re interested in.

Readings for October 1st

               Belonging is one of the most important things when it comes to social media. People aren’t going to want to join a site unless they are able to feel and know that they are part of a community that shares the same goals and interests. As Howard explains in the beginning of the chapter, stories of origin are what bring the people together. His example of new faculty learning about the story of how Clemson University came to be allows them to become a part of the school, as well as influences them to act in certain ways, such as with funding. These stories are the very foundation of a social community.

                Another important part of belonging that Howard mentions is the appearance of symbols to represent communities. As a Clemson student, I immediately identify myself with its logos, such as the one pictured on page 141. To me, symbols are one of the most important aspects to belonging because it creates an identity that the community shares. Once you see that symbol, you instantly feel at home because you belong to that community. Even other symbols, such as the thumbs-up on Facebook, bring people together because those who belong to the Facebook community have access to those icons.

                Creating ceremonies is also a great technique used to ensure belonging. Our way of including this in our Clemson Student Affairs project was to hold contests for best videos and announce winners on Clemson’s website and the Facebook pages of both Dining and Housing Services. Recognizing these winners allows students to feel as if they really did something productive, and they’re being rewarded for their hard work. We also thought it would be a good idea to allow those winners to choose the next winners. That way, the students know that it’s all about them, and their voices are being heard.

Readings for Sept. 24

               This chapter on remuneration focused on how important it is to keep the customers’ (or community members’) interests in mind when building social media websites (51). The only way a site is going to work is if it is user-friendly and provides the necessary materials that the audience is looking for. In most cases, simplicity is the answer. In the comparison between AltaVista and Google, it’s clear why more people turned to Google for their search engine; instead of seeing all of the information on one page and browsing through all of the information on AltaVista, Google has one search bar, so you can start your search immediately without all of the unnecessary navigation.

                Another essential part to developing social media sites is making sure you’re allowing the community to form “real connections in the world” (Zuckerberg in Howard 51). When you think of the most popular social sites like Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, they all have that exact thing in common, and that’s why each site has so many users. When Howard explains that most computer engineers just think of the “freemium” model when starting a new site, it makes sense that they wouldn’t take into consideration how they’re going to draw people in and keep them there. That should be the most important part of any site. The whole point of social networking is connecting people in ways they normally couldn’t. For instance, Pinterest allows users to share ideas anywhere from wedding themes to homemade recipes to DIY crafts. Users create their own boards then follow other people who have boards that they are interested in. The great part is, you don’t have to know the people you follow, but you can still get great ideas from them. I think that’s what social media is all about, and it’s exactly what keeps users on the sites.

                In the list of techniques, I thought the part about “Mentors Teach” was interesting (62). I immediately thought of Facebook because it does a great job of mentoring. Throughout the newsfeed, you can see what most people are doing, talking about, what groups their joining, and so much more. This allows other users, who aren’t so familiar with Facebook, to keep up with the community and share in the “likes” on pages that they’re interested in. Without anyone teaching users how to navigate social networking sites, no online community would be successful. 

Readings for Sept. 17

                Chapter 8 of Howard’s Design to Thrive really focused on the importance of social media in today’s world. We rely so heavily on social media for communication that it has completely changed the way information is spread. The Twitter example proved that anyone with access to social media can share opinions and information about events occurring around the world. The process of retweeting and hashtagging enables users to spread news. Without social media, information would not travel nearly as quickly, and less people would be able to talk about their thoughts with others around the world. The problem with social media, as Howard pointed out, is that it is so easy for people to post absolutely anything they want to online.

                The tragic story of what happened to the U.S. Embassy in Lybia all started with an offensive video that was made available to the public eye. The video was “anti-Muslim” and really had nothing to do with the United States, but the violence got out of hand and people who weren’t even involved in the production of the video are the ones who suffered (FOX News Online). This example shows how powerful social media can really be. The information and content that is placed online affects how our world operates, whether good or bad. It can bring people together or completely tear us apart. It’s scary how huge of an effect different videos and posts have on the rest of the world.

                Another important part of social media that Howard mentioned is copyrighting. Most people don’t think about copyrighting issues when they download a song or use online pictures for different projects. Copyrighting protects authors and publishers because their work should be their own, and if someone else tries to display their work as their own without crediting the original producer, it takes away all of the hard work that person put into that creation.  I’m glad that we go over this in class for our Camtasia projects because I probably wouldn’t have thought twice about using a random song from the internet as part of my project. It’s important that we know the consequences of copyrighting so we are more cautious when borrowing other’s work.