Technology Social

Social media is a phrase being tossed around a lot these days, but it can sometimes be difficult to answer the question of what is social media?

Officially, it is “an Umbrella Term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction and the construction of words, pictures, video and audio”. It is also a fancy way of describing the millions of conversations people are having online 24/7. So You may ask yourself “Why Should I Care?”

I have officially explained “What Is Social Media” but how does that effect me? Well 3 out of 4 Americans are now using Social Technology whilst 2/3rds of the Global Internet Population now visit Social Networking Sites such as Facebook, Myspace, Twitter etc. So now that these statistics paint a bigger picture, we can see the importance of using social media to our advantage, when branding a business and having an online presence.

So Personally social media can effect us in every day life. As mentioned above social media includes Social Networking, which accounts for the majority of Social Media. Using Networking sites such as facebook, is a fantastic way of staying in touch with friends and family who may be as close as home, or on the far side of the world. It provides an easy way to communicate with friends while at the same time it allows for privacy of photos, comments, status updates etc if necessary. In a nutshell it is a fun and easy way to interact online.

Business wise it plays an important role, in branding your profile image online. With the many websites that are available online, it allows for people too network and build contacts, and possibly even make sales of a particular product/item that you wish too promote. It is a great way for people too see the real person, from both a business and a personal angle. As mentioned above Social Media allows for various ways to integrate technology. With the various Smart-Phones and Smart-Packages that are available today, it is easy for anyone too access their business partners/contacts/friends via email and social networking sites, all at the push of a button on their phone. Read the rest of this entry »

Telecom and social media are a game changer for modern Africa. Modern Africa is on the move. We are presently seeing modern Africa quickly evolving from an emerging economy to a significant player in the Global Economy. Just as the Asian Tigers became a force in the ’80s, the African Gorillas are becoming a force in our contemporary Global System.

Africa is an example of how quickly individuals and nations can become productive and competitive in our modern era of social media. To become competitive, Africa must develop a ‘smart’ telecom system. To appreciate the importance of mobile technology in Africa, it’s vital to first understand the gravity of the “digital divide”. The digital divide is simply those people who have access to technological-social media assets and those that don’t. If a person has no access to digital resources, those people, like Africans, are at a significant disadvantage. Conversely, those people, like Americans, who have access to digital resources, have a significant advantage. This is one reason why the U.S. is a significant economic player, and, until recently, Africa wasn’t even on the radar. The causes of the digital divide between the West and Africa are not simply due to poverty or development. It is due to geography.

Africa is enormous. That’s the good news—it also the bad news. The continent is 30 million square kilometers. Africa controls 20% of the earth’s land mass. Approximately 1 billion people occupy the African continent. Africa is comprised of 53 countries on a land mass that spans from the Mediterranean, 40 degrees north of the equator to the Antarctic. Africa is a huge market. If it is developed it will create incredible revenue streams.

The African landscape is just as varied as its inhabitants. In the north we have the stifling sands of the Sahara. Africa is made up of endless deserts and plains. Africa possesses some of the world’s tallest mountains, mightiest rivers and densest forests in the world. In the old media era, it was impossible to string phone lines across the continent of Africa.

This is the reason why Africa lagged in development. Geography has destroyed Africa until our present social media era. Because of geography, the advent of human communications left an entire continent behind. Geography is the reason that Africa possessed some of the largest telecom disconnected areas in the world in the old media era. Then came the mobile phone and social media platforms. The advent of social media is a game-changer for the continent because geography is now no longer a major issue. Social media makes geography and capital non-issues. Read the rest of this entry »

Julia Soul said If you are never scared, embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take chances.

Never were a phrase better used than in the context of professional service marketers considering the new business development era in which you must compete

To realistically appreciate the scale and the power of the latest internet technologies as well as the scope of the interactivity that happens on social media sites and how you can best use these to break the mould, so as to be able to listen and to communicate more effectively in meaningful ways has to be your starting point, if you’ve not given this serious consideration to date.

The term “Web 2.0″ is commonly associated with web applications that facilitate interactive information sharing and interoperability,[that word always brings back thoughts of Mrs Thatcher]; its all about user-centred contribution and collaboration on the World Wide Web. See Facebook as an example of a site with a high level of interactivity

A Web 2.0 site allows its users to interact with each other as contributors to the website’s content, in contrast to static [Web 1] websites where users are limited to the passive viewing of the information the site owner wants to provide, which so often in the case of professional service sites is of little to no interest whatsoever.

Getting more focused, the Social media: are channels for social interaction on a highly accessible basis? They use web-based technology to transform monologues into social media dialogues. And they build on the technical foundations of Web 2.0, allowing for the creation and exchange of user-generated content, which has proved to be so, so powerful.

Its easiest if you view the social media as places where you’ll find user-generated content. The social media’s utilization is undoubtedly a driving force in defining the current period as the Attention Age.

The social media is a blending of technology & social interaction for the co-creation of value; as such the social media has become extraordinarily attractive to big and small businesses alike. Read the rest of this entry »