Peer-evaluation 2

https://socialmediatools19.blogspot.com

This blog is a little bit different than the first one. The writing is understandable but there are some typos and spelling mistakes that hinders the reading. She has attended to all given assignments and has well marked down her sources. 

The implementation plan is understandable and clear. She knows what she wants and she is explicit on how to get there. In self-evaluation she seems honest and true

Peer-evaluation 1

https://socialmediasecrets302265071.wordpress.com

This blog is easy to read, the wording and texts are easy to understand and the context flows well. This student has done his homework well. All the given learning assignments can be find. He has put a lot of effort and personal interest and information to these tasks.

The implementation plan is feasible. It was interesting to read and I learned from it. I saw there different perspectives that I hadn't thought myself. The examples are good, they give understanding to the meaning of his plan. He is quite honest in his self-evaluation, some of which I agree he could have delved into more, but still all in all, I think he has done very good work on his studies.

Self-Evaluation

It has been over 10 years since I last studied as a student and I think it shows on my returned assignments. I don't think I approach the tasks as I used to and my research and input are lacking. While the language comes easy, the phrasing needs time and effort to put together.

In my mind I have a good and understandable implementation plan. Wether others can see it or understand it through all the written statements is different. As a plan it still needs more information written down and decided on, rather than leaving it to hang on air and waiting it to happen. If I was presented this plan as an employer I would first of order it to be written down more coherently.

There is really no need for a grocery store to be in social media, so what is the need of those who follow us online? We can provide sale-offers for our target group, we can express comedic relief, but what is the point of any of those, if the followers don't know us?
For me to understand our clientele I need to make another study.
Our social media is to relay messages and information to our customers.

I see no difficulty or conflict in using social medias that are provided by the same provider together. They complete one another, widening the range of our target group, who might not be using the other social media.

We need more administrators and new faces to import new ideas to improve and update old ideas, while widening my narrow thinking. With trial and error we can learn what our target groups want and wish from us in the future. During this course I have learned not to be too skeptical of new social media application and giving them a try. The users of social media decide what applications they use and what is a hit. In this age of socialism we must follow the users.

Implementation plan

Background

Name of the plan: Deli Syntymäpäivä

Our store has reached its pinnacle of ten years. We have a solid customer base in our store and in our social media platforms. Simply combining our stores name with the approaching event will imply to the users what is happening and why.

The aim of this plan is to create a coherent plausible plan how to rouse people to attend this event.
We have an occasion to make special sales, remind old customers of our existence and connect with our customers, many of whom have travelled all these years together with us.

Target group

Our clientele is our target group. That group varies from one end to the other. It includes multi-users who use not only our store but also neighborhood competitors, such as Lidl and/or S-Market. As our clientele is mainly constant, our target group is also solid. Not all of our customers are on social media or just not following us on social media tools, so one of the goals is always to entice more of our solid clientele to follow us on social media.

We have over thousand followers on our Facebook pages, but they are not even closely all of them our store customers. Some of them might be our potential customers. One of the goal is to entice those close enough to attend.

"Well planned is half done."

Every implementation needs a plan to succeed. Otherwise the plan might not be executed. When all is planned well, the implementation should have no problem succeeding.
With implementation plan every detail is written down, risks are assessed, mistakes calculated, so if a problem occurs there is a solution to it.
After choosing the target group, the implementation is planned around those specifics. The materials and ideas are specified for this implementation.
The implementation plan can solve problems that arise when the plan is finally implemented. With every implementation, executor will learn new ways to do and not to do things, what will work and how, and what will not.

Social media tools and services

We will be using, in addition to social media tools, printed media for advertising inside the store and outside. We will use our own media platform inside the store where we will make our own messages and advertisements, such as tv:s.
In social media we will be using Instagram and Facebook, since we have those already in usage. There we will make events so customers will know when what will happen and know to attend if need be. We will be posting pictures and stories to Instagram, and from there to Facebook. We will create a list of hashtags that we want to support and tag our event with. This will expand the audience to potential users and customers.
We also have our stores Webpages where we can launch advertisement campaigns. We can make email-adds for subscribers, and for those who have downloaded Kesko's mobile application tool we can make special sale offers.

Why these?

Most of the tools are already in existence and attends. What we need is to create plan on how to implement wanted measurements. We have a selected group of people who already semi-actively update our social media tools. Because we have these already in place, we already have a selected target group. Through these users we can attain more followers and users, through their social media activities.

Taking photos in a  public store that anyone can attend makes problems with peoples privacies. As a rule we can use all those photos whoever is in them, but we should still be selective. All parents do not wish to have their children, or themselves, displayed in social media. We should use only the kind of material that we have the rights to and customers agree to. We do not link people to any post unless they agree to it. When having a lottery contest all the rules of the contest must be displayed in the post, same as that Facebook or Instagram are not in anyway connected to the contests. All the social media users agree on the terms of usage for all social media application, so therefore they are aware of all the legalities concerning in taking part in any activities in these applications. We don't publish the name of the winner without their consent though, and we give notice of the winning through private message. This is something that all users do not approve of, but that is also one thing in social media that everyone must learn to accept. You can never please everyone, and there will always be the negative sides. The social media updaters should always adapt the role of a customer servant. There will always be good and likable customers, and there will always be the unpleasant customers. The key is to learn to handle them, and not take it too personally, so not to create a raging verbal war online, "some-raivo".

Update and maintenance

With multiple administrators we can focus each on our own task when updating and maintaining the sites. Since this occasion is annual updating should be quite easy. With former implementations we can merely copy the idea with new source material. Before new implementation we will re-evaluate our former implementation and alter the plan according to the findings.
As social media is open and free, anyone can copy the idea.

GDPR Article 13

With the growing social media and online shopping spree, the personal data input online has been bombarding servers across the globe. This has raised the question of privacy issues online, since our personal data is being handled through many different mediators, whom we don't even know has access to them. In Europe this has led to upgrade from the old Data Protection Directive to the new General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR.  It obligees the companies to establish that all Personal Data are handled according to legislations.

Internet users has become more aware of the risks of hacking and identity thefts. They have also become more aware of their own rights what information to give online. All of these are creating more competition between online providers.

The new GDPR deals with how and what personal data is handled in different functions and organizations. How these organizations inform their customers what they are actually doing with the informations they are given, and where those informations actually exist. What are the conditions and procedures that are used to transfer that data from within EU to outside countries, and how long that personal data can be used. It defines the requirements for legislation when using subcontractors for handling that personal data. GDPR enhances how people's rights are properly treated in their personal data and how that data it properly protected.

Article 13 states all the information the data collector must provide for the users knowledge that they are collecting. If the collector has a need to use the data to others purposes, they are required to inform the users of this with all the specifics that they had to provide the users before data collection.


The GDPR is for us, the users. It enables you to have more access to your data, it gives you the opportunity to influence and it gives you the freedom to choose. In reality when you go to a new web page you will be bombarded with pop-up windows, which most don't seem to have any other button but "agree", before you can see the content of that site. Or simply choose not to use that site. The same problem occurs also every time you've checked their privacy policy and rejected them, and end up revisiting that site again. In social media you simply have to agree with their policies. Or choose not to use their services. 

Privacy issues

Our online behavior is a crude reflection of ourselves. How we talk with others, how we socialize. All our conduct in life is based on our upbringing. But even the best behaved people can act offensively and obscenely online. Even the best behaved people steal and lie. The beginning of this video makes me wonder human behavior and what makes people think it's okay to insult and slander people anonymously.

Google and Facebook are companies whose main object it to make money. Their objects are to retain their market value and keep up with the stock markets. Trusting in any such a company is delusional. Internet anonymity and privacy is a double-edgesword. It's nice to be able to voice out opinions that you can't say out loud as your own self. But not everything should be said aloud. With google scanning all the emails searching for terrorist is making the offline world much safer. But it might also unwittingly put a target on your own back. Who makes the decisions what is a threat and what is a joke? I would love to be there reading all the office emails, seeing what people think of me, who is having an affair and how steamy their romance is. But what right would I have to do it. What right does the thieves have to steal from others?

Everything has ups and downs. When committing to one thing, you have to commit to its side-effects too. Internet has grown so fast that the legislations has been hard to keep up with it. So how do we control our online privacy? With all the new and upcoming rules and regulation peoples privacies should be more protected. But what about the crumbs and footprints that we've already donated to the Internet? Wether we want it or not, our data is already out there for anyone to use. We should be very guarded with what we allow people to see and obtain.

https://debatewise.org/debates/2295-privacy-online-is-important/

This site has interesting points of view. It has looked on things both sides wether Privacy online is good or bad. Good has the majority votes, but there are aspects that argue against it.

Some couple hundred years ago employer was responsible for their employees, for their well being, money spending, religious life etc. During the years between employees have gained freedom from being observed and controlled on free-time by their employers. Now we are back to where an employer can just google you and your life and activities, and can have a control on your life.
When people have nothing to hide open intercourse online shouldn't be harmful. But while others don't bother with it, some might go and distort the facts for their own benefits, causing bad reputation for others thus getting them fired or demoted. Honesty may be the best policy in life, but in a competitive grounds where you might end up being the next obstacle on somebody's bath, your policy might get you burned. You never know what kind of information will get you promoted or demoted.

Internet is all about freedom and freedom of speech, but is it all good in the end?

Google me

With a common name as mine it is easy to be lost in the masses. I've tried to be invisible on the internet as much as possible, but it seems it hasn't worked out as I thought. But despite my efforts I'm still found in there. When I google my name I don't find hits or matches. My home computer will naturally find me in Facebook, which is the first search result.  Then there is also an old playlist on youtube that I made a long time ago for fun for our store.
Photo search varies from Queen Elizabeth to men with same last names. One picture appears long down the line of me, but with links to someone else's Instagram account who I follow.

I don't know how to delete the old playlist from Youtube. Therefore the playlist will remain linked to my account and anyone can find me through that. 
In the beginning when I created my Instagram-account I didn't register it as private and people could just add me to following list. Then I turned it to private account and deleted some of my followers. I didn't delete this one user who I follow, and through that account I'm found.  

I don't believe that anyone can truly control all the information out there online about themselves. One should always be aware of the dangers involved in posting something on the bit-space (bittiavaruus). The probability is that it will remain there for the duration of the internets lifespan. Therefore anyone with decent amount of understanding and knowledge can dig it all out.

Fake news is the topic of the present President of the United States of America. However true or false his accusations are against the local press it is still a good example of how information can be manipulated or misconstrued. With small posts such as in Twitter where you can post just a word or a gesture can be interpreted various ways which can all lead to misunderstandings. With hashtags one must always be careful since the words are written all together, and can sometimes be read differently, as was pointed out in this Graham Norton show-clip.

There is a saying that any press is good press. All celebrities have a some size must to be online to promote themselves and the product they sell. But having someone hack your phone or laptop and releasing all your inner thoughts out to the public isn't necessarily the press that was wanted. Worst case, it might ruin a career.

Not everybody wants to be out there in the public eye to be judged. Working as a public representer one is required to have an opinion. Does that requirement include posting online thoughts and opinions? Usually they are required to be accessible to people, but how much is enough?

Grocery stores on social media

I've always wondered what can a grocery store do in a social media. As long as people need to eat, groceries will exist. The stores however might not be there. With Kesko buying all the stores from Suomen Lähikauppa, the competition has grown. There are stores in every corner, and the question is, which store to choose. So how do you distinguish yourself amongst the others?

Social media is a good place to advertise your store. Running your own facebook-pages gives you free advertisement, but wether the content is good is a different matter. What is good social media content for a grocery store?

There are stores that mainly update their sites by posting sales and offers. Many times I've seen them only copy Keskos weekly advertisement letter to their pages. As good as that is, it is not really sociable. I knew one Facebook-site like this once, but couldn't find it anymore.

Then there are those who advertise their personnel, rather than their stores. Jounin Kauppa is a good example of this. I don't know how much business is booming in Äkäslompola, but it seems that they have a lot of time on their hands to post all sorts of things throughout the day. There is a limit to how much people want to have posts from someone. They do make posts from their store now and again, but mainly to my eye the store owner Sampo is advertising himself. Video of Sampo taking a shower at home is not something I would consider a good social media content for a grocery store.  However they do have more than 500 000 followers. Is their content good or bad? Has their content reached their main customers?

There's been political happenings all throug this spring, and during that time we've had communications from political parties. My own boss has made it clear that it is crucial to stay politically impartial. Using contemporary political issues might make your social media status drop, and make users void your store altogether. Personal opinions are good enough on your own social media status, but it shouldn't be posted on company sites. 

We've made it a point not to delete any criticism the social media customers might post. Social media is for users and in a country with freedom of speech everyone should be allowed to voice their opinions. While writing a post I always try think what is the appropriate thing to say and how to voice things without giving offense. Also checking typos is a good thing. Even though  posts are allowed to be changed after posting, it the changes not necessarily updated to the mainstream posts.

In general social media is like social communication without actually speaking face to face. We have the freedom of speech, but we should still consider what to say and most importantly, how to say it. In social event when you make a mistake or make a bad remark you can always apologies later on. On social media when you make that bad remark, things will hit the fan pretty fast and apologizing might be impossible in the end. 

Living Deauville on social media

Living Deauville is an interior decoration store. They have an actual store in Naantali where customers frequent but also an online store. Their products vary depending on seasons. 

They are quite active on Instagram. They post pictures of installations and ideas. They keep up with seasons and holidays, and they post them often. They also make instant Instagram videos.

They have linked connection with Instagram and Facebook, so once they update one, they also upload the same message to the other. On Facebook they make also other updates, such as special offers and season sales. I like it that they start their sites with customer reviews. 

I think that this store is a good example of active social media usage.

Mentor Hirvensalo on social media

Mentor Hirvensalo is your basic neighbourhood gym with personal trainers for every customer. Their product is pretty much customer service, so they don't really have a product to sell on internet. The actual product that they sell is reputation. The better the feedback, the better chances they have to get new customers. 

On Facebook customers can contact the company by calling or leaving messages. They have opening hours on display and they make posts to inform if it differs from the usual. Their pages are open to customers to rate, to comment, to question, to like, to follow. They keep updates weekly for customers to stay in touch, to remind people to attend and use their memberships.

On Instagram they post pictures as expected. Their images consist of fit good looking people who are up to speed in bodybuilding, and of the gym itself. There are a few hazy pictures that don't seem to have any correlation to their products.  They don'd seem to bother posting on Instagram much. 

On a day to day activity an idea could be to a have a personal trainer, or a customer, blog or update his or hers progress through a period of time. This might give more kick to others to activate and try out different styles, weights or machines. To actually get inspired to actively move for a purpose needs a lot of effort. Following someone else's journey through difficulties and victories gives others hope. 

On Instagram they don't seem to bother at all. They seem to rely on customers using hashtags to link them, but there are no customer pictures on the site, nor any link to them. #mentorhirvensalo has more posts than their actual site. Maybe they could make a promotional campaign, where they ask people to hashtag them and reward customers with discounts or free passes.

Instagram as a new social media tool

Instagram is basically about photos. Social media users share photos or videos through this application with other users. This service is owned by Facebook, and therefore, posts can be shared not only in Instagram but also in Facebook, and other Facebook, Inc owned social media tools. 

Instagram is used mainly with mobile application, but can also be accessed through computers website interface. The application allows users to upload photos or videos, modify them with different filters and tag them. Theses tags enable other users to find photos. The application also provides a messenger type of communication between users. 

Users can keep their profile private and select their own followers, or they can make it public and receive information as an organisation as to who and where the followers are from. Users can choose to follow users and tags or locations. 

I like that I can post all my photos in Instagram and have them also posted in Facebook at the same time. What I would like more is to post my photos from my computer, and not through my phone application only. Also the 1:1 aspect ration on photos is annoying, so it's good that you can post other ratio too. Still if you want to post panorama view, then you have to use other social medias. When connected with Facebook Instagram will automatically reconcile if there are other sites you are upholding, and allows you to post photos, not only on your own Facebook site, but also on your companies site.

Compared to Facebook the services provided are quite limited, but then again if the service is focused on photos, then it should be enough. I have yet to discover wether they have groups or communities that you can join as private person, and share photos with those in the group, but not outsiders. Adding hashtags makes everything so public. Instagram is publicity.

Facebook as a service tool for companies.

Facebook provides same applications for companies as for single users. Difference is that everything a company posts is public. 

Companies can post comments, videos, photos, just like any other user. For companies there can be more than just one publisher doing the posts. They can create events, services and all sorts of advertisement. Companies can like different sites and pages just like any other user, or share posts. 

Companies posts are posted on the front page of those who follow and like their site. Companies receive information of their content users, post views, likes and shares. With these information Facebook offers services to widen the post receiving users audience.

Users can communicate with the companies with messages to the publishers. Users can rate the site and company. 

With my company we post critical information, such as holiday opening hours or information of new products procured for instant for mothers day. We create contest where people can partake by sharing, liking and commenting the posts. We also post timely comedy that might have been filmed on our store. 
Facebook is also a fast way for the customers to contact us and acquire information.

Facebook as a personal social media tool

Facebook is a social media tool which provides different services for users. Users can find friends, make friends, share photos or videos. Users can post motions, feelings, opinions or ideas. Facebook is an open online communication platform where users create their own content and be who they want to be. It can be accessed through different devices that allow usage of internet. 

Registration is free for anyone over 13 years of age. Once registered, users can create their own profile, customise it to their liking. After finding, friends users can group them in different categories. With these categories users can decide who can see their posts and activities. 

All the posts appear on the front page. With notification settings users can decide what alerts they receive. Facebook also calculates which persons users follow and whose posts they dismiss. This way they can single out whose posts single users like to follow and who to discard. That way the front page is full of information the users like to see and not cluttered with all the possible posts that could be there. 

Facebook actively recommends friends. It reminds you of your friends birthdays. It advertises activities near you and which your friends are actively participating in. It reminds you of your friends stories and your own old stories and posts. It lets you play with your friends in online games through Facebook.

Facebook also allows users to create groups with interests. They can be open to anyone or classified as private group with invitation only. Facebook also allows users to create accounts for companies and manage them through your personal accounts. 

Within Facebook is private messenger, through which users can send private instant messages to friends. It is a lot like old Microsoft windows messenger that allows user to exchange photos and videos, files and audio, react with emoticons. The service also supports voice and video calling. 


I primarily use Facebook to chat with friends through messenger application, post photos of my activities and follow friends with their activities. It is also a very good application to find background information on people, that allow their profile to be seen. 

I also follow different content providers, such as Unilad, who post users videos that are given to them. Or comedians, such as  Foil arms and hog, who provide users with a video a week to laugh.