Social Media Tool Activity
After spending some time exploring your assigned tool, please comment on this post with a summary that explains:
- What your tool is (with a link) and what it does
- How it can (or could) be used
- In your opinion, both the benefits and limitations of this tool
Distance students – please be sure to also include your one-page how-to handout of your tool.
Feel free to comment on the summaries posted by your classmates!
Social Media Tool Activity summaries (and how-to handouts) must be posted by midnight on July 25th.
Posted on July 14, 2014, in Assignment. Bookmark the permalink. 19 Comments.
ACOM 5308 Utilizing Emerging Media 
http://www.Sulia.com
Sulia is a subject-based social network that connects viewers to the top social sources on subjects of interest. People use Sulia daily to discover new sources and engage with their interests. Sulia realizes that we all have interests that we’re extremely passionate about. Whether it’s our family, a sports team, breaking news, gossip, a hobby, a career or a political issue, they obsess over our interests’ daily. This site helps making topics of your choice easier to find. Other sites have an endless number of sources talking about an endless number of topics, it’s nearly impossible to find the best sources to follow across your interests. Sulia makes your interests a top priority as they cut through the irrelevant information and focus on what you want to see, from the best sources out there, including your friends. According to your interests they will recommend content and sources for you to trust, and then provide their content to you in a way that makes them easier to consume, repost, and share with others. This site can be used for both personal and professional reasons as it applies to many sectors of the viewer’s life. This site can also serve as a means of advertising, marketing, and promotions as it helps to connect viewers with products and companies that relate to their interests. In my personal opinion, there are both benefits and limitations of this tool. The obvious benefits include the great research tool, the ability to filter out the personal posts of people that the viewer’s follow on other sites like Facebook and Twitter, and the site allows viewers to tweet or post direct to Facebook from within the dashboard itself. Other benefits include the ability to expose posts to a potentially larger group of people without necessarily having to follow any particular person and the ability to return only posts and resources with your subject. These little perks help to make the site more navigable for viewers. Some limitations of this tool include the fact that this site is still new and creators are sure if the general public will openly use this site as a form of social media, unsure of the future of the this social media site, and the inability to follow an individual person. Overall, I like the diversity of this site compared to others, but there is yet still a lot of work to be done to this site to make it more user friendly and to boost the level of popularity.
http://www.flayvr.com
My tool was formerly known as Flayvr, but the creators have modified it into MyRoll. It is a smartphone app for photographs.
What Does It Do?
Flayvr was first created back in 2012. MyRoll is the new version of Flayvr. Creators call MyRoll a mobile gallery replacement. The app (available for Android and iOS) organizes pictures and videos in your phone into moments. The creators incorporated analyses and other tools to identify the photos and videos most important or meaningful to the user. The app recognizes colors and smiling faces to interpret which photos and videos would be most meaningful.
Don’t worry though; all photos are stored in the “Gallery” section of the app, while the analysis tools categorize certain pictures into the “Moments” section for that content to be highlighted. MyRoll also allows the user to see much bigger versions of the pictures taken instead of scrolling through thumbnail versions of the pictures. The date pops up on the side as the user scrolls through their pictures.
The app also makes sharing these photos and videos much easier than traditional sharing via smartphones. Users can share their photos and videos through texts, email, and social media outlets. A user can share a group of photographs or videos instead of singularly uploading photographs or videos.
Informational clip about MyRoll
Applying Real Life
I do like the app much more than my standard phone camera gallery. I love that the date pops up while scrolling through the pictures. One thing I’m not sold on is how the “moments” are picked. For instance, while it showed pictures of my niece which are definitely moments I want, it didn’t show any of my Fourth of July firework pictures. For us nature and landscape photograph enthusiasts, those photographs or videos without faces are beautiful and we want those displayed as well as those meaningful family moments.
Also, while most smartphone galleries will have at least some photo editing capabilities, MyRoll only allows the user to correct red eye. It is strictly for easy viewing and sharing of photographs and videos.
I will definitely continue using MyRoll and see how my moments evolve. Will MyRoll be the only photo gallery I use on my smartphone? No, I still want the few editing capabilities I have on my smartphone’s gallery. I will definitely use the app for uploading photos into texts and Facebook because it is way quicker and more convenient.
http://www.gogobot.com
GoGoBot is an innovative, different, easy to use application as well as online website. With over thousand of locations and information on hotels, vacation rentals, things to do, and restaurants it makes traveling a breeze.
By signing up I am able to connect what I do on the website to my app on my phone. Saving locations I want to travel too, “tribes” to read and view other people’s advice and experience that relate to my “travel style”. You can also pick multiple tribes and it gives you the top picks within the tribes.
Gogobot can be great for travel and useful in your own community. By setting up the app with your current location you can get places to eat (never know when you could find a great new “hole in the wall” restaurant), places to hang out, as well as the weather for the week.
There is unlimited information on this webpage, but that can also be overwhelming. Sometimes I find myself not being able to find something on the app because there is so much information. Also it can be a misleading in what the place looks like. For example I am almost certain Mackenzie park does not have a waterfall.
There is also a way to become a “high-flying jetsetter”, by writing reviews, creating photos, and following others travels gains you points on the page (I received 2 points just by signing up).
The more points you receive the closer you are to a “travel expert” on gogobot you become. Eric Brink from Pleasant Hill, CA has the most points. You can go to his page and view all his information and trips there. By following his page you can keep track of trips and information he post on his page.
I added one of my personal locations, Alnwick Castle, Northumberland in Scotland, where the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland live. I am one of the two comments on the page and the only picture, but I gained 25 points.
I defiantly would love to try to set up more trips through the service of gogobot, you never know I might become a national traveler.
http://thumb.it/
Thumb is a website and mobile application used for a simple task; asking questions. With any question, you can receive 50 -100 responses from Thumb users. Users give their feedback, which is done by selecting thumbs up, thumbs down, neutral, or leaving a comment. Photographs may be added to each poll for a visual reference to users. The results are seen by the public and yourself, for a instant results.
Thumb allows one to customize the target demographic audience for each questions. It offers the user to set the gender, age, and location preferences for each poll. One may also specify the number of responses desired for each question.
In addition to giving feedback within the app, one can share their question on a variety of social media outlets to other peers. Thumb supports Facebook and Twitter, allowing you to post and send your message directly to your friends and followers.
In our industry, we often need to know how a message will resonate with the public. Thumb is a perfect forum for receiving this type of information. I see the app excelling in message testing. Although informal, this is a quick solution for any business.
Thumb’s website suggests using the app for other uses as well. The list includes ad creative & copy, product design, new products and services, pitches & story writing, price changes, and many other tasks.
Thumb offers a Pro version of their program. This version allows more qualitative and quantitative responses, excel spreadsheets of results, target/demographic information, and more. The Pro version is segmented into three plans ranging from $95/mo. to $295/mo.
As popularity for this app grows, I can see its benefits to industries. This app is a fresh and modern solution for the every day researcher!
Watch this video to see Thumb in action:
Founded in 2011 by Axel Hanson and Jonah Varon, Newsle provides users real news in real time about their Facebook, LinkedIn and public news figures.
Using advance algorithms to filter through information on the internet, Newlse’s purpose is to provide relevant and important information about contacts within professional networks. Essentially, the goal is to help users be informed so that they can be at a professional advantage. Knowing who is being talked about and what is being said –like mentions in the news –can provide valuable insights about a potential employer, investor, or political figures.
Newsle, recently acquired by Linked In earlier this month, pulls from existing contact lists within Facebook, LinkedIn and Gmail. The tool is calculated to search for mentions of your contacts (i.e. people you care about) and email you the results. Found also within the Newsle Home Feed, any published story with a contact mention will display. Newsle has invented ‘professional stalking’.
I think that this tool is a great concept. Knowing about your professional network, helps identify talking points for business meetings and interviews. Newsle can benefit young professionals by helping them stay informed within their existing and potential professional circles.
As LinkedIn takes over Newsle, I am interested to see what changes will be implemented. Having created an account and exploring within the platform, there are a lot of limitations I noticed. First, if you are not previously connected with a person through Facebook or LinkedIn, Newlse won’t pull any mentions. As an upcoming candidate for the 2015 workforce, I don’t see how Newsle would benefit me. I want to be able to search for people and follow them, regardless of my existing connections. Secondly, you can only follow people on Newsle. If I were able to follow organizations or companies as a whole, I would see this tool as being more beneficial to me.
Personally, I probably won’t use my Newsle account. Unless LinkedIn adds more capabilities to the contact and following options, I don’t see a use for this tool that would be more beneficial to me than my current platforms.
https://newsle.com/
When first asked to explore the social media tool Socl I had no clue what to expect. Is Socl a bookmarking site, a place to connect with friends, or a more business related social media tool? The answer is…none of the above. Socl is a free social media site that allows users to create, collect, and share visual collages, media, and memes. You can share what you love in seconds on Socl as well as on Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Twitter.
Link to Socl: http://www.so.cl/
Users can share the things they love in the following four ways:
1. Collage- These can be comprised of videos, pictures, or links found on the web or uploaded by the user. The user must type in a topic, paste links or upload images, and then drag and drop these images and links. In an instant a fun collage will be assembled for you and your sharing needs.
2. Video Party- Video parties allow users to compile video playlists using clips of bands, activities, music, movies, etc. These video parties can then be shared with friends via Socl and in real time.
3. Picotale- Picotales allow users to create memes by utilizing text overlay and images. A simple typed message and picture are submitted to Socl and out pops a unique meme. Feel free to text these great memes to your friends!
4. Blink- Blink allows users to create and share media captured in Windows 8 or with the Windows 8 phone. Using BLINK or BLINK Cliplets share your perfect photos or short films using Socl.
Socl is also a user friendly website on which users can see the posts they have created (filtered by type), manage the collections they follow, manage the people they follow, and update profile information from their profile page via internet or mobile phone. Collections are similar to Pinterest boards in the fact that similar content is organized into sets of posts based on specific post content titles (i.e. favorite football team or funny jokes). Users can add favorite posts to their own collection or to collaborative collections where Socl users bring their favorite posts together. These collections are controlled by moderators who have the ability to edit titles, descriptions and tags within a collection, and remove inappropriate collection content. Users can become moderators by creating their own collections, being invited to moderate existing collections, or replacing existing moderators by participating frequently in collection posts.
Socl is considered to be an open social network where people can connect based around posts and choose to follow individual people, collections, or both. Many people utilize Socl not only to connect with existing Facebook friends but also to discover new friends or topics to follow. If users are uncomfortable making new friends it is also possible to invite friends using Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, e-mail, etc.
After making connections on Socl, users can keep up with content via the “following feed” and the “everyone” feed. The “following feed” keeps users up to date on the collections and people that they have chosen to follow while the “everyone” feed allows users to discover new content and connect with new friends and collections. Both feeds also allow for the use of “riffs” which are visual responses to a post. All riffs can be seen simultaneously using the “view riffs” function and allow users a way to engage with each other in a way unique to Socl.
Although Socl seems like a new and interesting social media tool it is important to weigh out the possible benefits and limitations associated with using Socl. I really enjoy the visually driven nature of Socl but have noticed that feeds can seem cluttered from time to time. Also there is a point at which it becomes increasingly difficult to find or create new visual content related to subjects of interest; an issue which I could see eventually leading to the demise of Socl as a social media tool. Privacy also becomes an issue due to the fact that all media shared publicly via Socl can be shared with third parties and entities not associated with the site. On a more positive note the visual nature of the site automatically draws user attention due to the fact that we as web browsers are becoming increasingly frustrated with text based content. Socl also acts as a forum in which to meet new friends who may share similar interests; a trait that is becoming popular as more and more friendships begin via internet connections.
Overall I see Socl as a tool that may be beneficial to some users of social media and frustrating to others. I personally would have very little use for Socl as a social media site other than for meme creation . Perhaps those who are more creative when it comes to imagery and video might like this site but it just wasn’t for me. This is a social media tool I see catering to a smaller audience who’s ability to be creative is unparalleled.
I had the opportunity to learn more about https://paper.li. When I first checked out the site, I was very excited to learn more about it. Paper.li allows users to create their very own online newspaper on the topics someone is most interested in. The service is free, but you may pay ($9/paper/month) to upgrade the service. Once you have created your paper, you may promote and share the paper with others.
When I logged into paper.li, I first added ‘Texas politics’ to the search engine. I then had the option to choose where I wanted the topics to be populated from. After the paper was generated, I wanted to add ‘Texas Tech football’ to the search. However, I quickly learned you can only have one topic/paper. I think this is a huge drawback, and quickly turned me off from the site. At first, when I saw the pricing mechanism (mentioned above), I was confused. However, after a little bit of help from Dr. Gibson, I realized that, for the upgraded version, you would pay $9 for each paper you create each month…meaning the papers may only handle one search topic at a time.
To be truly useful, I think the paper will have to be able to accommodate more than one topic. This could be an incredibly useful tool, but obviously people are interested in more than one topic and many topics, especially in industries, intersect.
When I worked at a lobby firm, I could have definitely used this tool. (Plus, it’s always nice when the client could pay the monthly fee for the site.) For example, we had a lot of clients that focused on oil and gas reclamation topics. O&G reclamation is basically the cleanup after the product has been drilled. Paper.li could have helped create a newsletter for those clients without me scouring Google for hours. Even if the newsletter would have required some additional explanation, paper.li would have been a great complement to the explanations and weekly client briefings.
I will definitely keep this site on my radar, because I think it has a lot of potential. I hope they quickly add the opportunity to search for more than one topic at a time. Without that option, I think they will lose traction as they try to move forward with consumers in the social media world.
So, I initially thought that highlight was another dating app. Or at least the awkward lets meet complete strangers through media. Yes, this still might be one of those, but I will give it a chance.
The App is featured by CNN, NY Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal, which seem like really reliable sources. The App is advertised as a simple way to learn more about the people around you.
If someone near you has highlight his or her profile will show up on your phone. You can see their name, photos, and mutual friends depending on what they have allowed to be public.
Highlight uses Facebook as their login. I thought that this could be limited because not everyone has a Facebook. But in their website they address this issue in a great way. “Please let us know if you’d like to see other login options. You can reach us anytime at hello@highlig.ht.”
The App is compatible with Iphone, Ipad, and Ipod touch. This App was made this year, so it’s very new and the website said that their were not enough comments yet to post them on the site.
I would probably never use this app; however, I think users would enjoy being connected constantly with other people. Social media is everywhere and this is just another tool have that media connection.
The Learnist is a social media site that lets you pin and create boards allowing you to expand your knowledge over various areas. A member of the site can also upload information to share with others. I think this is similar to Pinterest but I am not sure because I do not have a Pinterest account. The website states that you can gain “expert insight” and that it’s the “bookstore of the future”. The Learnist is connected to Facebook and Twitter or you can sign up through email.
Initially I thought this was a great idea but after exploring I don’t think it was executed well. Most of the boards are just random information. They do have categories but there is not a ton of information with each category. You would think education would have a lot of choices but it really doesn’t. I saw this site as a teaching tool or a way to get some neat ideas to do in your classroom but they dropped the ball in this area. Also, the search section doesn’t auto correct your spelling which I know some people are laughing at but I want search sites to do that. The other thing is when you search not many options pop up. I searched for lawn care with little return. Some of the returns were not related to lawn care at all. I think this site would be awesome if they would focus more on education and higher education.
Overall cool idea but done very poorly.
https://medium.com/
Medium is an online tool for easily creating and sharing long-form articles and stories. It functions the same way the WordPress editor does, except it’s restricted to one template and formatting style. It places the emphasis on the article and included images themselves, instead of flashy presentation.
Future ag communicators should use this tool to share more personal perspectives from the industry. The standard formatting makes everything look modern and attractive. By using an established outlet like Medium, ag communicators could reinforce the industry’s technological know-how and willingness to share. It might also be a good tool to introduce to ag practitioners who are reluctant to start a blog because of the technical knowledge required.
While the final results and interface look very visually attractive, using Medium’s text editor tool was frustrating for me. In trying to appear unobtrusive and minimal, the developers stripped a lot of information that authors would want to see from the editor. Most of the time, it was hard to tell what exactly was going on with my formatting.
For those who just need a place to easily write, upload images, and share, Medium is a great tool to get started on writing for the web. For those who want a little more direct control over their content, Medium’s editor is probably not the best option due to its minimal tool set.
Yik Yak is a new social media tool that allows users to anonymously post comments to a discussion board. It uses the GPS in your phone to allow users within a 1.5 miles radius to see your posts, comment on your post, and even rate it. Yik Yak limits users to a 200 character message and no pictures or videos, just text. Users can then rate your posts and you gain Yakarma points, to increase your score and rating on the site.
It was created for people to spread news or funny jokes with the people in a small vicinity around you. You don’t have to be friends or connect with anyone directly on the site, since you are posting anonymously. The creator of Yik Yak stated that is was originally made for college students to interact with each other about campus events, like a bulletin board for the campus. The app is supposed to restrict users to being 17 or older, but people younger can still sign up with no problems.
I think Yik Yak could be effective if it was used solely for the purpose of sharing information. Similar to Twitter with the small messages and character limit, but Yik Yak allows you to see what is going on around you, which could be helpful for those wanting news or updates in their area. The restriction of no picture or videos helps keep information small and hopefully PG rated. However, with all social media, Yik Yak has gotten a bad rap for what people are using it for. Recently, there has been an uproar about high school students posting gossip, rumors, or rude messages about people in their school. It’s leading to the cyber bullying issue. This social media platform is easy for people to abuse and contribute to bullying, because it’s confidential and everyone around you can see it. With a simple Google search, all of the top stories are about how rude and nasty these younger people are on the boards.
Here is the link to Yik Yak 🙂 http://yikyakapp.com/?page_id=91
My social media tool was Branch, found at Branch.com. On this site you are able to post a topic and comment or question about a topic and other people can join in the discussion of the subject. You sign up using Twitter and to get other people involved you have to invite them through DM’s on Twitter.
I could see this being used to bring together a group of people to discuss topics. For example, if there was a crisis in agriculture, experts could come together through this to discuss the crisis. It might could work for something like AgChat, but I believe that would be too many people at once and most everything would get buried.
There are not any options on this sight. You cannot go and look at other peoples’ Branches unless you mutually follow each other on Twitter and are invited in. Plus there is not a great way to share what you do on the Branches. To me, anything you do on Branch could be done much easier and be much more useful on other platforms. My guess is the site is still in development and has a ways to go, at least I hope that because otherwise it is pointless.
I researched the social media tool Pheed. I retrieved the majority of my information about this platform from https://www.pheed.com/
WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT DOES
Pheed is a free social media platform where voice-notes, photos, music, videos, and text can be shared fast and easily. It allows for user creativity and connecting people to ideas. A pheed is content shared on your channel. Available on iOS and Android operated mobile devices, it’s a way to express yourself that was first introduced in 2012. From what I have seen, Pheed is a combination of Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.
Pheed sounds like a very promising social media tool based on the laudable comments it has received. Mashable calls it ‘the next social craze,’ Forbes ‘the new Twitter,’ and Huffington Post ‘the next generation of social media.’ Pheed has also been labeled by Business Insider as ‘the social media company of the year.’ Time will tell if these statements are proven true!
HOW IT CAN (OR COULD) BE USED
On your homepage you view the stream of posts from people or hashtags you have chosen to follow. This a great way to keep up with current events and stay connected to people or things that matter to you. Vice versa, you will also get followers whom you can build relationships with. Pheed also features a love button to let someone know you like their pheed but unlike Facebook there is also a heartache button which lets the person know you don’t like their pheed. This will be interesting to see how well this goes over!
As an example, pop diva Miley Cyrus is on Pheed where she charges a subscription fee for her channel. Fans then are able to view an exclusive and high quality live streaming of her concert via her channel on Pheed. Want to hear Temple Grandin speak but distance is a problem? Perhaps you can hear her utilizing Pheed. Want to share your agricultural story? Using text, video, pictures, or an audio message your voice can be heard.
You can also post to your Twitter and Facebook account from Pheed. This is cross promotion at its finest because you use one venue to reach across multiple social networks.
BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS
In my opinion, what sets Pheed apart from its competitors is how text, audio notes, photos, and videos are all arranged by categories in addition to viewing them on the home page. Users can utilize Pheed as an income source by receiving revenue when followers subscribe to their channel. Subscription fees range from $1.99 to $34.99 per month with half of this income being paid to the channel’s owner. The other half goes toward Pheed. As a result of this, advertisements do not appear on the app. Content can also be marked as a keeper where it is saved in your account. Unlike some of its social media predecessors, video and audio clips can be recorded with no time limit.
As with any technology, there are drawbacks and/or limitations. First, pheeds cannot be edited after they are posted; however, they can be deleted. Similar to YouTube Pheed is free and users can open their own channel but if they wish to subscribe to a premium channel it does cost money. Perhaps both a benefit and limitation, this fee does not automatically renew.
I believe Pheed updated to a newer version earlier in the year. Consequently, when I tried to download the app on my Android phone a message popped saying “Your device isn’t compatible with this version.” A definite limitation, if users cannot download the app it makes it hard for them to use it!
This short video helped answer my questions and provides a more in-depth look at Pheed’s capabilities: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyt5DIra8dE
Feedly-http://feedly.com/index.html
The social media tool assigned to me is Feedly, and the instrument can be utilized to stay current with your favorite blogs and sites. Feedly keeps the most current information posted from the desired sites you choose, and also allows access to blogs within the sites. The tool also gives you choices of the most common pages currently being accessed, and there is a search box to look for your area of interests. The system also has suggestion boxes for example as, News, Entertainment, Business, and Marketing etc. You can look into these avenues, or you can search for a specific blog or site not provided on the page as short links. Feedly can also be accessed by Smartphone and is easily navigated by this means as well. The most important factor of the tool is that you can keep up with current information based upon your desires with Feedly.
Social Media Tool: Couple – Relationship App for Two https://couple.me/
The app is essentially a communication tool for couples that combines a variety of ways to say connected. Think video, chat, drawings, “virtual kisses” via a thumb print, shared calendars, and more. The catch is that is only for you and one other person – typically your significant other- rather than a bunch of people such as Facebook, Twitter, Instragram etc.
It can be used to communicate with someone, especially if you are apart often or lead busy lives and stay up to date with them in various ways. For instance, while my husband was in training for 6 months, 3 hours away from me, this would have been a beneficial app to use because rather than using Skype, Facebook and Text messages, this combines it all in one. You can make lists with each other, send photos, update important dates such as your anniversary and birthdays, etc. You can share locations, draw photos, Your timeline is only shared with the person you are connected with so you timeline shows the photos, videos, etc. that you share. You can also call and facetime chat directly from the app, and check in on each other’s locations.
It seems to be a more in-depth kind of text messaging. Instead of just videos, photos and texts, you can add voice, do drawings with your partner, send stickers, do “thumb” kisses, and more. I think the benefits are that is just for you and one other person so it is very private that way. It is a fun and different way to stay connected. The drawbacks are you do have to pay for some of the extras such as sticker packs. Both you and the other person need to be slightly tech savvy in order to operate it, it isn’t as simple as something such as Instagram or Snapchat. Another drawback is the video/facetime portion is only available to iPhone users.
To view my 1 page “How To” visit: https://sarabethhewitt.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/how-to-use-couple.pdf
https://path.com
The social media tool that I was assigned for this assignment is Path.com which is a photo sharing and messaging service for mobile devices launched in November of 2010. It was launched as a simple way for its users to share photos, and create a multimedia timeline or “smart journal” with a small network or group of people. Path.com main competitors are Instagram, and Facebook, but it limits the number of people in your network to 150 in order to retain the feel of the user having a small connected group. This tool is different from many of the other social networking because it’s not an interest network or general social network. It can be, but isn’t designed for sharing content to a wide audience, like the articles you publicly tweet, or the major life events you share with hundreds of your Facebook friends.
Path allows its users to share info on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Foursquare, and WordPress all from a single source. The app has picture editing features like Instagram, and allows users to share movies, videos, the music you’re listening to, photos, and specifically select friends in your network to receive your messages. It also has a feature like foursquare which uses your GPS location settings to display a list of places near you so you can check in at a restaurant or event.
The app is not accessible from your browser, and basically the only way that you or the people in your network can access Path is through an iPhone or Android device. Also, Path has received a bad publicity in the past for messaging and emailing all of the users address book contacts. Path is limited in the number of connections it allows the users to have since it functions on a closed network concept. If you are user that is concerned about privacy, Path is private by default so you have to approve your connections since you only have 150 spots available.
https://tagboard.com/
Tagboard(link) collects common hashtags from all social media posts and compiles them into one ‘tagboard’ allowing users to find all posts using that hashtag in one place.
For a fee, companies can customize pages to help frame the conversation and brand.Tagboards can be used as a visual component on websites, mobile apps and as a display for a certain hashtag.
Businesses and organizations can use tagboard to monitor how others are using their hashtag. This can be helpful in branding as well as reputation and/or crises management. Also, this social media tool can be used as an advertising strategy by embedding a tagboard on an organizations website so that visitors can see other people’s opinions.
For example, a tagboard can be set up by a University so that whenever anybody posts on social media using the University’s hashtag it will be added to that tagboard. This allows for fans not attending an event to keep up with all posts regarding that event in one place.
Users can favorite, retweet, reply, comment, and like directly from the tagboard. This outlet is also another way for organizations to connect with their customers and/or audiences. It is an avenue for information to be monitored so that only the wanted information is making it to the public.
Tagboard also lets you customize your board so that it fits your organization’s design goals. If you pay for the enterprise version of tagboard you are able to create and control multiple tagboards. Another addition to purchasing is the option to show live feed at events and allow live feed to be seen by all attendees.
At first, I found it confusing to understand what exactly tagbaord did and how to use it. It required more research and trial and error than I think I would normally do. After understanding the tool, I think it could be extremely beneficial to an organization but only if the live feed feature was purchased and implemented. I was fascinated to find out that The Mariners, a professional baseball team, uses tagboard to stream live content that fans are posting about at games.
Overall, I wish that Tagboards free version had more features but I still think it would be beneficial for organizations to purchase.
I was assigned the Chirp.io app as my social media tool (http://chirp.io/.) Created in London, in 2012, Chirp seems to be pretty unheard of in the states. This app is currently only available to iPhone and Android users, however their tagline, “let’s teach the machines to sing,” foreshadows their up and coming plans to make it possible for all sorts of machines – computers, all smart phones, ATMs, and many other machines – to one day be compatible with Chirp as well. Chirp is an app used for transmitting data, such as photos, notes, contacts and links, through what is supposed to be a birdsong. Both devices being connected must have the Chirp app, which can be downloaded for free at the App Store or on Google Play. Once the app is opened, if the microphone is powered on, the devices are instantly ready to share information with one another. It’s much like iMessaging, but there is no need to exchange phone numbers, emails, or activating Bluetooth. Upon downloading the app, there are not many options, but the design is very sleek, and they have won awards for this. There’s a Chirp icon at the top with a bar next to it showing the sound waves, a section that includes Chirps from Chirp, and at the bottom are symbols for settings and information, add content, and delete content. There is not much help available at all. In order to use this app, there’s much research to be done, and few people, other than myself, to share data with. The section with Chirps from Chirp has a very unhelpful “How to Chirp…123,” message and a message with a link to their blog, where I was connected to their website, (chirp.io/.) Still, here I sit with my computer, my iPhone and my iPad trying to figure out everything about this app, share data, and write a paper over how this app works.
I see very few benefits of using this app, however I see how it can benefit some companies or be cool to use for some things. For example, when large events are being held or aired on TV, they can ask the audience to download the app and listen for Chirps over the speakers, with links to their site, photos of the event, and messages regarding the event. I can also see it being useful in a meeting setting. The speaker could have everyone download and open the app, then share any photos, websites, and notes with the attendees, to have for later reference. I also read in their blog that a Canadian radio station used Chirp to award a contest winner with $50 over the airwaves. Instantly, a radio station can give winners of contests with their prizes, as long as the prizes are downloadable: money, tickets, printable gift certificates, etc.
Regardless, I see far more limitations and reasons not to even bother with this app. First and foremost, it is a hassle. It wouldn’t be so bad if it were more common in the states and there were more people using the app.
My question is, why would anyone go through all the trouble to do all this Chirp work, when modern smart phones have the exact same data transferring options? It’s all very silly to me. The sound it makes when you push the yellow button to send the data sounds more like a robot from Star Wars than any bird I’ve ever heard. In addition, sending a web page is not as easy as the default options that an iPhone comes with: when you open a page in Safari, you can click a button at the bottom of the screen that gives you the option to send the page via message, email, Facebook or Twitter, but not Chirp. To Chirp the page, you must copy the link, open Chirp, open Chirp on the phone you’re sending it too, paste the link into the phone sending the data, wait for it to finally accept the information, and then push the yellow robot button. When you wish to send a note, for whatever unknown reason, once the note is typed and sent, there is an option to copy the note to your clipboard. When you attempt to paste the note elsewhere, nothing happens. Sending a picture is easy and never fails. To this very second, I honestly don’t believe there is a way to send contacts, unless you type out the number and name, add it as a note, and send it to sit in their Chirp inbox, with nowhere to go. Sending contacts and photos are the main things they speak of when describing their app, and even in their commercials.
It has been used at events such as London Fashion week, as attendees were arriving. They have partnered with a fashion company called Topshop, (http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogNavigationSearchResultCmd?pageSize=20&catalogId=33057&viewAllFlag=false&langId=-1&categoryId=1359557&beginIndex=1&sort_field=Relevance&storeId=12556&interstitial=true&intcmpid=W_HERO_HP_UK_WK3_WATCHAGAIN_1) to feature information about their SS14 line for London Fashion Week. However, the only way to get to this site is from their blog because when you’re in the US, it automatically takes you to the American website. On this page, they have a Chirp feed, but it only worked on my iPhone and iPad. Here, there is a little Chirp icon that you can click to transmit the picture to a smartphone or tablet that has the Chirp app open. To me, that doesn’t make sense. Why would you visit a site on one phone, and have to use a different phone to view the Chirped content? Anyway, you can also follow Chirp on Facebook and Twitter. Their Facebook is rarely updated, but their Twitter has regular posts and photos.
Overall, I will probably never use this app again. I do not see the point, and do not like the annoying sound it makes. I also would not recommend anyone else downloading it. The beauty in apps is the simplicity they add in making tasks easy, convenient and fun, none of which are words that I would at all associate with the Chirp app. However, if one does choose to explore this app, I have below, a how-to on how one can Chirp and be Chirped.
How to Use Chirp (As applied only to iPhone and iPad users)
1. On both the phones that are sending and receiving data, open the App Store and type, “chirp,” in the search bar. Double click the “buy” option and enter your Apple ID password.
2. Click the home button on your phone and next open the Settings icon. Scroll down to the privacy option. Open it and then select the microphone option. Be sure to swipe the little button on the right, to the right, so that it slides over and turns green.
3. Once downloaded, find the app on your phone and click the yellow icon to open it. Make sure the person you are sending the data to does the same on their phone, and is within a few feet of you.
4. At the bottom left hand side of the screen, clock the icon for settings and information, which is a lowercase i inside of a circle. A menu will appear. Select the “My Profile” option and select either Facebook or Twitter to register. Enter your account information and authorize the link to your account.
5. Click the + at the bottom center of the screen. There are options that include adding photos, notes or links.
a. Photo: take a picture or select one from your camera roll. It should now appear in the center of your Chirp screen. You may select and Chirp ony one image at a time.
b. Note: Type the text you wish to send into the text box, then press done at the top right corner.
c. Link: Open Safari, once you have opened the site you wish to send a link to, click the address is the search bar. Highlight the text and click the text once more. Select the copy option. Reopen Chirp and paste the link into the text box after the http://. Click done at the top right corner.
6. Your selected content should appear as individual Chirps. Select the content desired and it will drop down with an image and a yellow bar. Press the yellow button and the content will be sent.