Understanding Social Media:The Role of Digital Networking Tools

Brian Barclay, Aubrey Madler, Alex McEllistrem-Evenson, Wendy Opsahl

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Our Goals Today:• Clarify what “social media” actually is,

distinguishing between specific services such as Facebook and Twitter.

• Offer background information on the 2.0 concept• Outline how & why businesses are using these

social technologies• Explain what the CRH is doing with these

technologies and why• Spark interest and discussion for future training and

implementation opportunities

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“The Internet is not something that you just dump something on. It’s not a big truck. It’s a series of tubes. And if you don’t understand, those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your message in, it gets in line and it’s going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that tube enormous amounts of material.”

U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, 2006.

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About “Content”• Refers to the information transmitted via a

given medium (Internet, television, face-to-face conversation);

• Consists of text (hyperlinked or not), imagery, video footage, software applications / utilities, and files;

• Can be dynamic or static, ephemeral or lasting, public or private, proprietary or communal… and sometimes both in each case;

• Is transmitted, shared, and publicized in many different ways.

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Social Media• Referred to as “social” because it usually requires

a reciprocal relationship: one is not either an “author” or a “reader”; rather, most users are both.

• Content in social media, therefore, comes from multiple sources – often simultaneously.

“The medium is the message” – Marshall McLuhan

RCHAn Overview of Social Media• Blogs (Blogger, WordPress)• Wikis (Wikipedia)• Micro-Blogs (Twitter)• Social Networking Services (Facebook, MySpace,

LinkedIn)• Photo Sharing Services (Flickr, Shutterfly)• Video Sharing Services (You Tube, Vimeo)• RSS Feed Readers (Google Reader, Feedreader)• Social bookmarking sites (Delicious)

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Disclaimers• Because social media are used by different

people in very different ways, defining what these services are is problematic.

• The best way to figure out how these services work and to explore their capabilities is to get online and try them out.

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What are blogs?• Think of a blog as being analogous in many ways to a

newspaper. Blogs feature regular entries of content from one or more authors. They emerge from a particular context or focus which can range from a person’s personal life to a wide-ranging subject. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order.

• "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning “to maintain or add content to a blog.”

• Blogs usually allow for readers to add commentary which can be read by all users.

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How do I create or read blogs?• Blogger and WordPress are free services which allow users

to create, publish, and publicize their blogs. Visit www.blogger.com or www.wordpress.com to access these services.

• Technorati.com provides a directory of blogs at http://technorati.com/blogs/directory/ (not comprehensive).

• Visit “Blog for Rural America” for an example at http://www.cfra.org/blog . Note the “Blogs We Read” panel on the right-hand side of the page.

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So, what is Facebook? • Facebook (www.facebook.com) is currently the most

widely used social networking service. Similar services are MySpace (www.myspace.com) and LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com).

• Users create personal profiles which can be made public or private, and add other users as “friends.” They are then able to view and comment on content added by these “friends.”

• Think of these sites as mirroring face-to-face socialization. Just as we all dress and speak according to the norms of the way we wish to be perceived, Facebook users provide content which does the same.

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Photograph The “Wall,” where

friends post comments

Basic information

Friend list: Earl will receive updates on

these people’s activities on his “home”

page.

Detailed Information

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Then, what is Twitter? • Twitter (www.twitter.com) is a micro-blogging service.

Posts, called “tweets,” are limited to 140 characters – enough space for a sentence or two, or a web link with a brief comment.

• Think of Twitter (and similar sites) as mirroring conversation. In a crowded room, where everyone is talking about various subjects, we are able to focus on those who we find most interesting by paying attention to them, or “following” them.

• Users have a custom feed consisting solely of the tweets posted by users they are currently “following.”

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Twitter’s quirks:• The 140 character limit makes it difficult to

explain and contextualize tweets, so users make use of a few simple “codes”: – the @ symbol indicates a username (mine is @alxmce); – “RT” is a “Re-Tweet,” a duplicate post from someone

else (“RT @alxmce” would indicate “what follows is a tweet originally posted by Alex”);

– the # symbol indicates a tag. One might end a tweet with “#UND” if one wanted it to show up in a search for “UND”.

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Questions?

• Wendy, Brian, and Aubrey will be covering the various aspects of “why” people and organizations use social media. If there are any remaining questions about what these services are and how they differ from one another, please feel free to ask now.

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So…why do people use this stuff, anyway?

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1. Changes in our “customers”

• Our customers are:– Watchers: 52% of online users have watched YouTube, 42% have read

blogs, 19% have downloaded podcasts– Sharers: 29% have used social networking sites, 28% have tagged online

content, 21% have shared online content that they created– Commenters: 32% have rated a product, service or person, 30% have

commented on a product, 22% have commented on newsgroup or site– Producers: 12% have created or worked on a blog; 11% have remixed

content.– Curators: People that have edited a wiki - moderated a forum– Non-active (not surveyed)

• It’s no longer about selling, it’s about the RELATIONSHIP

Charlene Li, the Altimeter Group

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Customers want to interact with us…• 93% of Americans believe

a company should have a social media presence.

• 85% believe a company should be active with customers in social media.

• 56% feel a stronger connection with companies they interact with in social media.

Source: Cone , 9/08

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And…we want to interact with them!We want our

customers to be here

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2. We need to keep up with our customers’ expectations

They: – want access to our product as quickly as possible– expect the product to work on any platform in any location– want to see that we allow for feedback– expect that we respond to our customers, quickly– expect that we join and lead the conversation– want to see that we continually improve our products– expect us to use our products and be visible– expect that we will embrace or lead standards– expect we are driven by more than money– want us to treat them as informed consumers and partners

Louis Gray http://www.louisgray.com/live/2009/05/10-rules-for-todays-consumers-in-new.html

RCH 3. How we establish and configure our

human network is maturing• Before Web 2.0, we maintained relationships through

email, snail mail, instant and text messaging, fax, phone, and in person – but it was typically confined to those contacts with whom we mostly knew or were getting to know.

• In Web 2.0, we are building a human network that transcends geographic boundaries as it expands our reach, connections, potential influence, and exposure to new ideas and principles.

• Our connections are no longer defined, bound or limited to that of our traditional relations or associations.

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• We enjoy the freedom to choose with whom we wish to follow and ultimately connect, creating a framework linked by shared interests and aspirations.

• We are defining a new era of society and how we ultimately communicate with one another:– distributed interaction– globally dispersed contextual networks– spotlighting individuals who can consistently demonstrate expertise,

capture attention, and empower their matrix of peers.

• We are bound by commonalities online, which extends our relevant net beyond relatives and current colleagues/friends.

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4. Changes in the marketing landscape

• Interactive marketing forecast: $55 billion by 2014– This includes social media, mobile media, email marketing, search marketing and

display marketing• Over the next five years, social media is projected to grow at a 34%

compound annual growth rate• Marketers seek:

– lower cost – more accountable channels which are also widely used by their customers.

• Marketers are migrating dollars away from traditional marketing channels and into interactive ones

• What is decreasing? – Direct mail is down 40% – Newspaper advertising is down 35%

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5. Location, location, location

• You need to go to where your customers/clients/partners are, and where potential ones may be

They are here!

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Recap: why are people using social media?

• Our customers are using social media• They expect us to use social media too• The marketing landscape is changing• How we communicate and network are

changing• It ultimately helps us achieve our

promotional/branding/awareness goals

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Questions about why we use social media?

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Who?

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Adults and Social Networks

• 8% in 2005 to 35% now (2008)• Primarily for personal use

-50% on MySpace (primarily personal)-22% on Facebook (primarily personal)-6% on LinkedIn (professional)

• 37% access their profile daily

http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2009/PIP_Adult_social_networking_data_memo_FINAL.pdf.pdf

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Twitter demographics

http://www.comscore.com/blog/2009/04/twitter_traffic_explodes.html

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Web 1.0 vs. Web 2.0• Static• Directories (taxonomy)• Personal websites• Publishing• Designed for consumption• Scarce• Institutional• Expensive

• Dynamic• Tagging (folksonomy)• Blogging• Sharing• Designed for Participation• Abundant• Personal• Cheap

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html http://www.pewinternet.org/Presentations/2009/12-Governing-as-Social-Networking.aspx

“You don’t have to be tech savvy to use 2.0 tools”-Matt Lee, Minitex

RCH Businesses and Social Networks

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/social_media_for_business_who_is_doing_it.php

• Oracle (technology)• H&R Block (tax advice)• Comcast (cable)• Skittles (‘Mix the Rainbow’)• Starbucks• Wal-Mart

Companies that utilize the social web well:

RCH Veterans of Foreign Wars

http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=news.levelc&cid=3807

RCH Rural Reporter from Wisconsin ORH

http://www.worh.org/reporter

RCH Wisconsin Office of Rural Health

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Madison-WI/Wisconsin-Office-of-Rural-Health/48273314683#/pages/Madison-WI/Wisconsin-Office-of-Rural-Health/48273314683

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Rural Reporter Twitter

http://twitter.com/rural_reporter

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Rural health tweeters• WI Office of Rural

Health• NC Office of Rural

Health• MN Office of Rural

Health and Primary Care

• Rural Reporter-WI Office of Rural Health

• Rural Cellular• Center for Rural

Affairs• Rural Broadband• Oregon Rural Action• Rural Health IT Corp

• John Eich-NRHA• WV Rural Health

Research Center• Other followers:• Telecom Monthly• HMS-EHRSource (info

system for community hospitals seeking HER)

• Kat Rodman, Communications & Outreach Coordinator-Alabama Primary Health Care Association

• Public Health Policy• HHS• Health Affairs• Univ. MN Public

Health• Data Resource Center• Modern Healthcare• NIH for Health• Department of

Health• CBS Health

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• According to the latest research by Razorfish (3/09), the connected consumer continues to adopt social media at a staggering rate as these “leading edge” tools are being used by the mainstream:

• 28% use Twitter with some frequency • 41% use tag clouds with some regularity • 52% use RSS with some regularity • 52% have shared bookmarks on social bookmarking sites • 55% use widgets on their desktop • 62% use widgets on websites such as Facebook • 81% read “most popular” links with some frequency

Source: Greg Group: http://greggrouppublishing.com/2009/03/its-time-to-get-your-marketing-widget-on/

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What is the CRH doing?

• Facebook page• Twitter account• Wikipedia page

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CRH Facebook page

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CRH Twitter page

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What RAC is already doing

• Twitter• YouTube

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RAC Twitter pages

• RAC funding• RAC news• RAC events• RAC documents

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RAC YouTube page

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Plans for the future

• CRH blog• RAC Facebook page?• HWIC and Gateway Twitter feeds• HWIC and Gateway Facebook page?• HWIC customized RSS feeds and email

updates• Wikipedia pages for the Center and its

programs

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Why are we doing this

• Reach a broader, more diverse audience• Keep up with users’ expectations• We want to be a leader in helping our rural

communities leverage 2.0 technologies to help improve quality and access to healthcare in ND

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How might you use social networking tools within your project?• Build and strength partnerships and

networks• Promote your project and its activities to a

large diverse audience• Allow followers to get up to the minute

updates on what you and your project are doing

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Further Reading• All in the Facebook family: older generations join social networks

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/13/social.network.older/ • Video: Social Media in Plain English• Video: Social Networking in Plain English• Video: Twitter in Plain English• NRHA Social Media: Getting started in social media

http://www.ruralhealthweb.org/socialmedia• Ultimate How-To: Grow Your Social Media Network

http://www.interactiveinsightsgroup.com/blog1/ultimate-how-to-grow-your-social-media-network/

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Your CRH Digirati Teamis available anytime for additional information

• Brian bbarclay@medicine.nodak.edu 7-0676• Aubrey amadler@medicine.nodak.edu 7-6025• Alex aevenson@medicine.nodak.edu 7-6026• Wendy wopsahl@medicine.nodak.edu 7-0871