As the class began, I completely had in mind lectures filled with Java and HTML and creating our own site from "the ground up", so to speak. After all, that is what my counselor sold me on as I changed my degree path towards CSIT so I could brush up on the realm of IT before a contracting gig outside of the country. Needless to say, that was not this class. I suppose that led to some disappointment and frustration, but I feel I've grown fond of the social media subject matter.
So it began, opening the doors to the realm of blogging. I participate in hockey blogs all the time and have been asked to begin one with a group of people in hopes of success, but mainly to share our passion and knowledge. However, I was always held back by my own lack of experience and knowledge of blogging to ever pursue the idea seriously. Understanding the concepts of blogging and the unique ways to branch out and attract viewers has allowed me to pursue a fun goal of mine and it is due entirely to this class. I felt the assignments being answered in blog form really allowed me to explain my reasoning in a story-like setting when applicable and led to my new-found familiarity with blogger.
The Facebook assignment was a natural transition from blogger, in my eyes. However, I really felt limited with Facebook due to the requirements in place. With an online class, structure is ultimate reliant on yourself. You cannot make a class all head to the computer lab and "Like" each students page. Due to this fact, I certainly was unable to view the full realm of Facebook analytics. I was actually curious to do so and may spam some friends to simply like my fictitious page just for the sake of comparison between Facebook and Google. While Facebook is extremely popular, and I see the merit in understanding the business page side of it, I did not really enjoy that section. Mostly due to my own personal opinion of Facebook, but also due to the limitations as I mentioned earlier.
Following the path of social media, we dived into Twitter. I love Twitter now and I absolutely did not before this class. Before this class, I saw Twitter as a device that the everyday guy and girl use to "follow" what their favorite celebrity and/or athlete were doing. The idea of following someone famous who I have never, and likely, will never meet had little appeal to me. However, the class broadened my view of Twitter and I soon realized how powerful 140 characters or less can be. The quick news feed, short and sweet advertisements, and the chance to istantly communicate with like-minded individuals is great. I think I probably had two or three tweets before this class, and now I'm over two or three hundred. While that number is not comparable to someone who Tweets everyday, it proves the change in opinion I've had and due to this class. The business power of Twitter is, in my opinion, not even at full potential and will only grow.
With little to no surprise, I would absolutely push Twitter if I had a business. I feel like the ability for viral marketing due to trends allows for an increased possibility to be seen by someone who has never heard of the company before. Facebook is the one application I feel could be used weekly or bi-weekly and still yield the same result. I feel a Facebook post daily would become tiresome for followers in regards to my business whereas a small tweet linking the viewer to my site or a special offer is seen as enticing.
Simply put, I thoroughly enjoyed this class despite having no aspiration of starting a small-business. I enrolled, initially, to understand the concepts of Web coding and instead am taking away the unbelievable importance for social media within a business. As I begin my work in the IT world for a major oil company, I feel like I can contribute ideas with social media to expedite communication, if it is not already established. Surely it is, and if so I can still implement my knowledge to a smooth transition. It's a win-win in my eyes. Communication is key and the ability for instant, widespread communication is available now. This is the future for businesses small and large.
I'm glad you found some real world application through the class, even though it was not what you were expecting. Good job being open minded and coming out ahead.
ReplyDeleteGuess you should have been in my other class as that is what it is all about... html and css. But they definitely are a great tool to mix with social media.
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