Assignment: Heath & Heath, Made to Stick 253-284
These last few pages of Made to Stick outlines the main ideas of the book as a go-to reference guide for making ideas stick. This chapter not only includes the six principles of SUCCESs, but also many examples that were given throughout the book so that the reader can remember what exactly they refer to.
Simple. Unexpected. Concrete. Credible. Emotional. Stories. SUCCESs. Keeping these concepts in mind will help anyone make their ideas stick. Everyone has ideas and plans that they want to share. With this book, the chances of sharing successfully are much greater.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Week Twelve
Assignment: Gillen 179-206
This week's reading came from Paul Gillen's Secrets of Social Media Marketing. Chapter 10: Basics of Social Media Content focuses on the overall objectives you should establish before even picking out a social media. In other words, do research on your audience and what you're planning to accomplish. For example, businesses that have Facebook know that the majority of their (potential) customers are on Facebook as well. These businesses can use this to their advantage and post coupons or events that will draw customers in.
This chapter also focuses on common sense "secrets" that will make a social media publishing successful in the long term. These secrets include staying "relentlessly focused" and "seeking feedback," which are vital to any marketing campaign. However, Gillin uses these ideas and explains them in a way that any new social media marketer could develop a successful campaign. Long term success is a common theme in this chapter and coincides with the secrets previously discussed. In order to achieve long term success online, you have to be patient, focused, and committed. No social media ever succeeded because people just left it alone and expected it to happen.
For example, you open up a restaurant. You don't just open it, never show up, and don't put any effort into it. No, you spend every hour of every day there, promoting your great food, figuring out what works and what doesn't, how to get people in, and what your specialty is. It may take a while, but if you are determined, you will be successful. It is the exact same way with social media marketing.
Overall, if you have a good product, then reputation and word-of-mouth will create your success. It takes a lot longer for an online campaign to reach someone than it does a TV commercial that plays on every channel 15 times a day. However, once there, if the content is good, people will return every time they get online.
This week's reading came from Paul Gillen's Secrets of Social Media Marketing. Chapter 10: Basics of Social Media Content focuses on the overall objectives you should establish before even picking out a social media. In other words, do research on your audience and what you're planning to accomplish. For example, businesses that have Facebook know that the majority of their (potential) customers are on Facebook as well. These businesses can use this to their advantage and post coupons or events that will draw customers in.
This chapter also focuses on common sense "secrets" that will make a social media publishing successful in the long term. These secrets include staying "relentlessly focused" and "seeking feedback," which are vital to any marketing campaign. However, Gillin uses these ideas and explains them in a way that any new social media marketer could develop a successful campaign. Long term success is a common theme in this chapter and coincides with the secrets previously discussed. In order to achieve long term success online, you have to be patient, focused, and committed. No social media ever succeeded because people just left it alone and expected it to happen.
For example, you open up a restaurant. You don't just open it, never show up, and don't put any effort into it. No, you spend every hour of every day there, promoting your great food, figuring out what works and what doesn't, how to get people in, and what your specialty is. It may take a while, but if you are determined, you will be successful. It is the exact same way with social media marketing.
Overall, if you have a good product, then reputation and word-of-mouth will create your success. It takes a lot longer for an online campaign to reach someone than it does a TV commercial that plays on every channel 15 times a day. However, once there, if the content is good, people will return every time they get online.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Week Eleven
Assignment: Howard 167-196
As soon as I began reading Chapter 7: Significance in Howard's Design to Thrive, I knew it would be relevant to the current project we are working on with the Oconee Humane Society's website. According to Howard, the definition of a "significant" network/community is one that is:
The next section of this chapter that I related to the OHS project was the idea of quality versus quantity. Right now, the website has a great deal of information on the home page and looks busy. However, our plan is to re-arrange the information in a way that gives the home page more quality and allows people to navigate more easily. All of the same information will be there, but in a completely different way.
The "influential theory" that Howard discusses can also be applied to the OHS website. For example, people who seem to know everyone, or "connectors," will contribute to more visitors if they promote the website. The "mavens" or "salesmen," or animal enthusiasts in this case, will probably be volunteers and workers who want to tell everyone they know about upcoming events and get them to join in.
This reading assignment came at the perfect time in the semester and I cannot wait to implement the ideas presented as a way to promote the Oconee Humane Society overall.
As soon as I began reading Chapter 7: Significance in Howard's Design to Thrive, I knew it would be relevant to the current project we are working on with the Oconee Humane Society's website. According to Howard, the definition of a "significant" network/community is one that is:
- well recognized
- established as the "go-to place" for users
- valued by both frequent users and visitors
- populated by people who are serious and passionate in their field
- distinguished as a reputable brand
The next section of this chapter that I related to the OHS project was the idea of quality versus quantity. Right now, the website has a great deal of information on the home page and looks busy. However, our plan is to re-arrange the information in a way that gives the home page more quality and allows people to navigate more easily. All of the same information will be there, but in a completely different way.
The "influential theory" that Howard discusses can also be applied to the OHS website. For example, people who seem to know everyone, or "connectors," will contribute to more visitors if they promote the website. The "mavens" or "salesmen," or animal enthusiasts in this case, will probably be volunteers and workers who want to tell everyone they know about upcoming events and get them to join in.
This reading assignment came at the perfect time in the semester and I cannot wait to implement the ideas presented as a way to promote the Oconee Humane Society overall.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Week Eight
Assignment: Heath & Heath 25-97
Chapter 1 in Made to Stick focuses on simplicity and finding the core, or "stripping an idea down to its most critical essence," and making it compact. Finding the core is the first of two steps in making your ideas "sticky." The second step is to translate te core using the SUCCESs checklist, which is discussed later in the book.
Through an array of examples, from war plans to an airline company's mission to political campaigns to journalism, this chapter really gave me the insight to making ideas stick through simplicity. Also, instead of the typical definition, I realized that simple doesn't always mean "dumbing down" and that it requires strict prioritization. I can easily compare what I read to this year's mission of the Clemson University yearbook. Our editor-in-chief's mission (or the "Commander's Intent") is to focus on the spirit of Clemson tradition. In other words, when the staff is writing stories for the book, the focal point needs to be what makes Clemson different than other universities and that's what I think about when writing.
After giving a lot of examples, the authors compare the idea to proverbs and The Golden Rule, explaining that ideas should be "compact enough to be sticky and meaningful enough to make a difference." This comparison stuck out to me because it shows that making ideas stick can apply to any aspect of life, not just businesses.
I also liked how the authors explained a few things to avoid, like "burying the lead" and "feature creep." Basically this means to not focus too much on the details. This idea has been evident to me for several years when writing for the high school newspaper or, more currently, the Clemson yearbook. You only have about a couple hundred words to talk about a big topic, like the College of Business and Behavioral Science or all of the famous speakers who come to campus. Therefore, you really have to figure out what is the most important. Also, headlines and photographs are very important. When someone is flipping through the yearbook, they are more likely to stop and read a story if either the title catches their eye, or the photographs interest them.
Chapter 1 in Made to Stick focuses on simplicity and finding the core, or "stripping an idea down to its most critical essence," and making it compact. Finding the core is the first of two steps in making your ideas "sticky." The second step is to translate te core using the SUCCESs checklist, which is discussed later in the book.
Through an array of examples, from war plans to an airline company's mission to political campaigns to journalism, this chapter really gave me the insight to making ideas stick through simplicity. Also, instead of the typical definition, I realized that simple doesn't always mean "dumbing down" and that it requires strict prioritization. I can easily compare what I read to this year's mission of the Clemson University yearbook. Our editor-in-chief's mission (or the "Commander's Intent") is to focus on the spirit of Clemson tradition. In other words, when the staff is writing stories for the book, the focal point needs to be what makes Clemson different than other universities and that's what I think about when writing.
After giving a lot of examples, the authors compare the idea to proverbs and The Golden Rule, explaining that ideas should be "compact enough to be sticky and meaningful enough to make a difference." This comparison stuck out to me because it shows that making ideas stick can apply to any aspect of life, not just businesses.
I also liked how the authors explained a few things to avoid, like "burying the lead" and "feature creep." Basically this means to not focus too much on the details. This idea has been evident to me for several years when writing for the high school newspaper or, more currently, the Clemson yearbook. You only have about a couple hundred words to talk about a big topic, like the College of Business and Behavioral Science or all of the famous speakers who come to campus. Therefore, you really have to figure out what is the most important. Also, headlines and photographs are very important. When someone is flipping through the yearbook, they are more likely to stop and read a story if either the title catches their eye, or the photographs interest them.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Week Seven
Assignment: Howard 129-165
This week's reading about the idea of belonging was very informative and gave lots of great, real-life examples. Howard begins by showing how a sense of belonging is created and then moves on to discuss several successful techniques as to how to incorporate belonging into an online community. Initiation rituals, stories of origin, leveling up, mythologies, symbols, and protocols are all important to any community as a way for people to fit in and learn about the group. When I read these sections, Tumblr kept coming into my mind. A great deal of people on Tumblr remain anonymous and have to kind of prove themselves in order to gain popularity (unlike with Facebook and other online communities), kind of like an initiation process. It takes time and consistency to gain a lot of followers and to "level up." For example, I have been on Tumblr for about three months now and I am just now starting to get a good number of followers based on the content I post.
The techniques that Howard suggests to use implement what is discussed in the previous section. The technique that stood out to me the most was to establish routines and protocol. In other words, create rules for the club or community. Howard compares this to the movie Fight Club, in which Tyler Durden blatantly spells out his set of rules. Some routines and protocol can be unspoken and simply understood based on knowledge and experience. For example, referring back to another part of the chapter, the members of the Red Hat Society (as well as many non-members) are already aware of the protocol to wear red hats, purple dresses, and whatever flashy attire they can find. However, the Red Hat Society also has rituals, mythologies, symbols, and other protocol that (mostly) only members know about.
After reading this chapter in Design to Thrive, I definitely feel like I understand more of what RIBS is all about; all of the components are beginning to come together to form a cohesive idea of what a successful online community consists of!
This week's reading about the idea of belonging was very informative and gave lots of great, real-life examples. Howard begins by showing how a sense of belonging is created and then moves on to discuss several successful techniques as to how to incorporate belonging into an online community. Initiation rituals, stories of origin, leveling up, mythologies, symbols, and protocols are all important to any community as a way for people to fit in and learn about the group. When I read these sections, Tumblr kept coming into my mind. A great deal of people on Tumblr remain anonymous and have to kind of prove themselves in order to gain popularity (unlike with Facebook and other online communities), kind of like an initiation process. It takes time and consistency to gain a lot of followers and to "level up." For example, I have been on Tumblr for about three months now and I am just now starting to get a good number of followers based on the content I post.
The techniques that Howard suggests to use implement what is discussed in the previous section. The technique that stood out to me the most was to establish routines and protocol. In other words, create rules for the club or community. Howard compares this to the movie Fight Club, in which Tyler Durden blatantly spells out his set of rules. Some routines and protocol can be unspoken and simply understood based on knowledge and experience. For example, referring back to another part of the chapter, the members of the Red Hat Society (as well as many non-members) are already aware of the protocol to wear red hats, purple dresses, and whatever flashy attire they can find. However, the Red Hat Society also has rituals, mythologies, symbols, and other protocol that (mostly) only members know about.
After reading this chapter in Design to Thrive, I definitely feel like I understand more of what RIBS is all about; all of the components are beginning to come together to form a cohesive idea of what a successful online community consists of!
Monday, September 24, 2012
Week Six
Assignment: Howard 43-79
Even though the chapter on remuneration was long in Howard's book Design To Thrive, I found it very interesting and informative. Comparing search engines is a perfect example of how user experience will either keep people coming back or drive them away. Websites that are both easy to use and pretty to look at will do better than those with lots of words and hard-to-find information. I think Facebook has done a great job with remuneration. I'm thinking back to around 2005, 2006 when I first joined Facebook and comparing it with today's version. Completely different. But the programmers made little changes over the years to get it where it was today so that people didn't get confused or lose interest when their friends list was located in a different place. Facebook also informed users and guided them through the changes, keeping the user experience as positive as possible.
The next section discusses what remuneration is specifically. As mentioned throughout the book, it is the psychological or emotional gratification that brings people back to an online community. When Howard advises website programmers to give users an "incentive," he does not mean financially. However, a great deal of companies have a main focus on their business model and revenue stream. Mark Zuckerberg became so famous initially because he didn't focus on making money; he was interested in creating a website that his peers would be interested in and therefore provide "a positive return on their investment of time and energy." He had no idea that his idea would end up being a worldwide revolution.
The remainder of this chapter talks about a checklist of techniques to use when creating a social network that will provide remuneration and a positive user experience. Some are obvious (make the text editor fun) while some not so obvious and interesting points to consider. For example, discourage attempts to send conversations to other blogs, Web sites, or discussion groups. Thinking about it, this is a smart idea, but I wouldn't have thought of it on my own.
Even though the chapter on remuneration was long in Howard's book Design To Thrive, I found it very interesting and informative. Comparing search engines is a perfect example of how user experience will either keep people coming back or drive them away. Websites that are both easy to use and pretty to look at will do better than those with lots of words and hard-to-find information. I think Facebook has done a great job with remuneration. I'm thinking back to around 2005, 2006 when I first joined Facebook and comparing it with today's version. Completely different. But the programmers made little changes over the years to get it where it was today so that people didn't get confused or lose interest when their friends list was located in a different place. Facebook also informed users and guided them through the changes, keeping the user experience as positive as possible.
The next section discusses what remuneration is specifically. As mentioned throughout the book, it is the psychological or emotional gratification that brings people back to an online community. When Howard advises website programmers to give users an "incentive," he does not mean financially. However, a great deal of companies have a main focus on their business model and revenue stream. Mark Zuckerberg became so famous initially because he didn't focus on making money; he was interested in creating a website that his peers would be interested in and therefore provide "a positive return on their investment of time and energy." He had no idea that his idea would end up being a worldwide revolution.
The remainder of this chapter talks about a checklist of techniques to use when creating a social network that will provide remuneration and a positive user experience. Some are obvious (make the text editor fun) while some not so obvious and interesting points to consider. For example, discourage attempts to send conversations to other blogs, Web sites, or discussion groups. Thinking about it, this is a smart idea, but I wouldn't have thought of it on my own.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Week Five
Assignment: Howard 199-223
The reading for this week grabbed my attention right away with the title "Technology Changes Rapidly; Humans Don't" because how true it is! My generation is supposed to be tech-savvy, but honestly, I already feel left in the dust. I probably haven't tried very hard to keep up, but in the past few years I have felt overwhelmed by the amount of changes in technology. My iPod is about eight years old and I definitely don't have an iPhone or an iPad. I don't know much about my laptop, just how to use the internet, write a paper, and do a few things on Excel. The only reason I have a Blu-Ray player is because my parents bought me one; I don't know the difference between it and my old DVD player. And I'm only 21 years old. I can't imagine what it's going to be like when I'm 30!
Anyway, the reading for this week points out that "online communities are going to change everything." I agree with this completely and can also say that I think they already have. Any product, service, idea, or anything else you could imagine is represented in an online community. However, as Howard points out, this internet revolution will cause a "social networking battlefield" which has already begun.
The issue of copyrights and intellectual property has been present for several years with people illegally downloading files. Also, the dilemma of control versus creativity is important to look at. Firms need control over their employees while at work in order to maximize productivity. On the other side, creativity is vital in many markets and can be attributed to multiple online community membership. The next issue that Howard studies is visual, technological, and new media literacies. Because the internet is expected to be 50 times larger in 2015 than 2006 (Wow!), institutions need to keep up with the literacies that are becoming so popular, like online videos for example. The last area to consider is decision-making contexts for future markets. Howard relates this back to RIBS. I agree that online media is going to have to "sell a quality user experience" that will create a context to "help a person make smart decisions."
After reading this final chapter of Design to Thrive, I am grasping just how much technology affects our everyday lives. Technology is growing and changing exponentially with new things happening everyday. I think back to ten years ago when I was in middle school; I did not have a cell phone, I liked playing outside, and I didn't really know what the Internet was. Today, my 12 year old sister has a cell phone, a Facebook, an iPod, and spends half her time on the Internet. I'm actually really happy that I was born when I was and enjoyed life before the technological revolution.
The reading for this week grabbed my attention right away with the title "Technology Changes Rapidly; Humans Don't" because how true it is! My generation is supposed to be tech-savvy, but honestly, I already feel left in the dust. I probably haven't tried very hard to keep up, but in the past few years I have felt overwhelmed by the amount of changes in technology. My iPod is about eight years old and I definitely don't have an iPhone or an iPad. I don't know much about my laptop, just how to use the internet, write a paper, and do a few things on Excel. The only reason I have a Blu-Ray player is because my parents bought me one; I don't know the difference between it and my old DVD player. And I'm only 21 years old. I can't imagine what it's going to be like when I'm 30!
Anyway, the reading for this week points out that "online communities are going to change everything." I agree with this completely and can also say that I think they already have. Any product, service, idea, or anything else you could imagine is represented in an online community. However, as Howard points out, this internet revolution will cause a "social networking battlefield" which has already begun.
The issue of copyrights and intellectual property has been present for several years with people illegally downloading files. Also, the dilemma of control versus creativity is important to look at. Firms need control over their employees while at work in order to maximize productivity. On the other side, creativity is vital in many markets and can be attributed to multiple online community membership. The next issue that Howard studies is visual, technological, and new media literacies. Because the internet is expected to be 50 times larger in 2015 than 2006 (Wow!), institutions need to keep up with the literacies that are becoming so popular, like online videos for example. The last area to consider is decision-making contexts for future markets. Howard relates this back to RIBS. I agree that online media is going to have to "sell a quality user experience" that will create a context to "help a person make smart decisions."
After reading this final chapter of Design to Thrive, I am grasping just how much technology affects our everyday lives. Technology is growing and changing exponentially with new things happening everyday. I think back to ten years ago when I was in middle school; I did not have a cell phone, I liked playing outside, and I didn't really know what the Internet was. Today, my 12 year old sister has a cell phone, a Facebook, an iPod, and spends half her time on the Internet. I'm actually really happy that I was born when I was and enjoyed life before the technological revolution.
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