Tag: facebook

A Completely Unshareable Social Event

In this day and age.., how can you create a website for a social event which is completely unshareable?

In Brussels we have an event.., the “Roller Bike Parade” (I don’t even want to link to it, but for the sake of the post I will).
It would seem to me that when organizing such an event you’d want to share the heck out of it.., and make it as easy as possible for anyone to do just that.

So, how come..,  in 2012.., when everybody is fully aware of Social Media a web design company claiming to be “building brand experiences” does not add any social sharing tools right off the bat? I do not know.

Now.., next to the fact there is an extremely annoying ‘puppet’ jumping around all the time and that the whole site is made in Flash there just is no social platform present on the whole page.., anywhere.

Now.., if you click one of the menu items there are some “articles” and those articles have a FB share button. But those are hardly share-able too.

Well.., no problem then.., I will just copy the main URL (http://www.belgiumrollers.com/#/en/home/) and share that on Facebook as a status update.., surely we get an image and some useful text to share…

Wrong again…

Instead of creating a post for the Roller Bike Parade the status only mentions and links directly to the makers of the website!

Now.., I’m sure somewhere in this mess there is some brand experience being build.., but I doubt if it is a positive one.

I don’t use Flash.., I used to.., in 1999, but no longer… However, I’m quite sure inserting social sharing into Flash must be possible.

Lesson learned: Make it share-able! You can create the most amazing content, but if it can’t be shared it is worthless.

Content is King.., sharing is Queen.

 

Answer

Just read this article by Brian Solis. The following passage is how I feel about social media in general and Facebook in particular and it provides me with the answer I was looking for (I just didn’t know how to put it in words).

Indeed, privacy as we knew it is dead. It is now something that we have to learn and teach. Your privacy settings in Facebook are yours to manage. But, to do so takes initiative and an understanding that like your credit score, what you share online requires definition and reinforcement. Remember, what works against us also works for us. We’re essentially adding a layer of thoughtfulness in our social networking to better tell our story and also enjoy the stories of others.

So there you have it. We move ahead.., we just need to be more cautious about where we click or what we like. Be more conscious and use your head when you surf the Internet.

Remember that the easier it is to share.., the easier it is to share the wrong thought…

Paradigm Shift

A turning point.., a crossroads.., a social media shift…

Choice: Do I fully immerse my self in Facebook and Open Graph?

It is a fantastic technology, a huge development in how we experience the web. Do we join Facebook and take full advantage of it’s possibilities?
Do we do this with open eyes, fully aware of the dangers this might bring to our privacy.., how much privacy do we have left anyway?
Do we trust the big ones or will we be skeptical, paranoid or even afraid of them?
What does it matter if they know whether I like Coke over Pepsi (and I really do)?
Why is it a bad thing if I get advertisements tailored to my tastes.., it’s a whole lot better than being bombarded with adverts which have absolutely nothing to do with me.

Then again.., will all this information be used against me at some point in time by somebody who doesn’t like me for whatever reason…

Then there is my job.., I am the social media guy at work.., I should explore everything.., all possibilities.., how can I do that if I’m to withhold from certain developments.

And then there is the future…
What if half a billion people and one company decide that this is the future.., who am I to argue. And am I willing to pass it by.., what will it be like in 10 or 20 years time…

I guess I have to sleep on it for a bit more.., or even meditate.

What do you think?