Social media seeds in the Big Apple

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Getting the message across: Times Square, New York

By DAVID BOYES

WHEN the United States of America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold, goes the time-honoured saying. Yet, on the British side of the Atlantic, it would appear that, in one aspect of modern business life at least, preventative medicine has been taken by the bucketload, when it comes to social media marketing.

The reticence in some commercial quarters to wholeheartedly embrace the social media dimension is something of a mystery. But there must be a reason because everything in life is explainable.

The affliction that prevents small to medium sized enterprises delving into the most exciting and potentially beneficial realm of the current age must have its roots somewhere. Is it ignorance? Doubtful. Is it fear? Perhaps. Is it a pre-conceived notion that the social space is [Read more...]

©WordMediaCo Ltd. If you wish to reproduce or translate this article, you may do so, provided you add the following credit: This article was written by David Boyes. He is a media consultant and trainer who empowers businesses to use social media more strategically. For more information visit: http://www.wordmedia.co

Foursquare for business

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Foursquare: check it out, then feel free to check in

FOURSQUARE is worth checking out – and worth keeping a weather eye on if you are in business. It is an addictive, fun little app – or an annoyance, depending on your point of view.

The principle behind it goes like this: go somewhere (with a smartphone, of course) and check in via the sat-nav-based app, thereby sharing the information. You can also add your opinion of your surroundings before you head off somewhere else.

Other people checking into places visited by you get to read your review and they can add their own views – all of which is then further sharable, and so on. Parks, rail stations, offices, even your favourite bus stop, can be places where you check in.

Sounds straightforward, doesn’t it? And, for the user, it is. For the location being reviewed, there should not be a problem, provided the reviews are positive. However, if any app embodies instant citizen power, it is Foursquare. That’s because no establishment is safe from a bad press from users. Restaurants, bars, tourist attractions, museums, cinemas, even august companies and institutions, are being reviewed – positively and negatively – all over the planet, and the majority of these organisations are not aware of it.

If you are a restaurant owner, whose business has just been described on Foursquare as “the worst restaurant I have visited in years”, wouldn’t you want to know about it?

Food for thought.

©WordMediaCo Ltd. If you wish to reproduce or translate this article, you may do so, provided you add the following credit: This article was written by David Boyes. He is a media consultant and trainer who empowers businesses to use social media more strategically. For more information visit: http://www.wordmedia.co

©WordMediaCo Ltd. If you wish to reproduce or translate this article, you may do so, provided you add the following credit: This article was written by David Boyes. He is a media consultant and trainer who empowers businesses to use social media more strategically. For more information visit: http://www.wordmedia.co