Reading Response 3

In these chapters I realizede that the groundswell really has a mind of its own. People are drawn into things because of their appeal. Most women are drawn in by beauty commercials. If you see an extremely beautiful woman on an advertisement promoting a product, people initially think it will make you lookm like that. It is appealing therefore people buy it. The Knoy 2012 campaign took off tremendously once it went viral. It appealed to a lot of people because it was sad and it talked about the atrocities that were being done over there in Africa. People saw that video and wanted to know more.

Different companies use the groundswell, and sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. For example the Knoy 2012 movement was doing great until evidence was released that Joseph Kony was no longer a threat, and had not been for some time. Also it did not help that the video's creator, Jason Russell was caught nude, and intoxicated in public .  Videos of that went viral and after that people started taking him less seriously. the Kony movement has all but disappeared from people's minds. an example of how the groundswell went from being a negative to a possitive would be to look at BP.

As we all know BP had a horrific oil spill a few years ago and at the time didn't really care. People in the Gulf Coast were losing jobs and their homes do to this spill. Fishermen especially because all the fish were dying and the environment was destroyed.   BP was absolutely bashed in the papers, on TV, and through social media. Relief efforts are on going in the Gulf to help clean up, and BP has released ads saying  that they are committed to staying in the Gulf as long as it takes until their mess is cleaned. It is just another example of how a company took the groundswell and tried using it in their favor to make their company seem appealing to people again.

Blog 3 Orginal

What is Google +?

a lot of us have heard about google +, but do you really know what it is? We all use Facebook, and Twitter, but Google + is another form of social media that is starting to make its name known. Google + is basically a bunch of services we already use but combined. Google's plan is to just do it better. You can have friends on Google + but it work differently.Google Circles are groups of friends you organize by topic: Friends, Family, College Buddies, Roommates, etc.From your Circles page you drag and drop your contacts into each of these groups, which makes it easier to share what you want with them.

Sparks is a new thing Google came out with that is quite interesting. Sparks is like Google Reader, except it brings content to you automatically based on your interests. Each topic (tech, kitties, whatever) will get its own "Spark" page and provide links to related articles, videos, photos, etc Google + even has video chat, and it is called Hangout. It is a virtual chat room where you can video chat  with friends in your circle. They have a mobile app called Huddle which is a group messaging system, and instant uploads from your phone to the computer are available. Just like Facebook, if you take a picture on your phone, it is immediately updated to your Google + profile.

Google + is not at the level of Facebook or Twitter just  yet but its popularity is growing, and soon i believe it will be the new  "it" thing for people using social media. It is easay to get started. It is free, and I think everyone should give it a try . I made myself an count and it is pretty cool.

Blog 2 Orginal Extra

The New England Patriots also use Facebook to reach out to their fans around the world. Football Patriotico is a Facebook group for Spanish patriots fans in Spain. They get all the same news and videos we do here. The only difference is the page is in Spanish. Check out this link to see how they view the Pats in Spain! http://www.facebook.com/#!/footballpatrioticoThe team even has a fan club in Hungary. The Hungarian Patriots fan club is huge in Eastern Europe, and Romanian native, and Patriots punter Zoltan Mesko anually visits them in Budapest, the countries capital. The team stays connected with its European fans through social media, and the Patriots have one of the biggest fan basises in the world because of it.

Blog 2 Orginal

The New England Patriots, & Social Media

In an ever growing social media world , professional sports teams are even starting to use sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and even Pinterest to better stay connected with their fans. In the past it was tough to be able to reach out to everyone. Back then it was just paper advertising, and things of that nature. Teams like the New England Patriots use all sorts of social media to stay connected with all their fans.

I follow the Pats on Facebook, and Twitter. Everyday they have something new to report about the team. Whether it be actual team, or roster news or what the Patriots are doping in the community. Just recently the Patriots posted that players Jullian Edelman, and Matthew Slater took a trip to UMASS Children's Hospital to visit sick kids. The Patriots posted pictures of the event on Facebook, and Twitter.

Another way the team reaches out to its fans is posting links on Twitter and Facebook to the team site. They do this when the want fans to vote on certain things. An example of this is a link was posted on Twitter so that fans could put their vote in for who gets inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame this fall. it is a competition based only on votes of the fans, and through social media the Patriots get their votes. It is a good way for fans to feel a part of the team. The Patriots also post players birthdays on Facebook, and twitter telling fans like this post to wish so and so a happy birthday.

Patriots wide receiver Chad Ochocinco is a freequent so called "Tweeter", and he posts at least 30 tweets a day. When he first came to the patriots last summer he posted on twitteer with the permission from the team , a competition. The competition was for fans to compete for the right to have Chad live at their house for 2 weeks. Fans had to tweet him, letting him know why he should go live with them. It was a fun thing he did to interact with his new fans here in New England . later on in the season he posted on Twitter that the first 200 people at Sylvia's restaurant in Harlem N.Y by 7pm will have their meals paid for personally by Chad. Chad does a great job of using social media to interact and promote himself among his peers and fans.