mattsnod

Too Young for Facebook?

2012-05-12T04:11:32Z

As a social marketer by profession, I counsel on the virtues of Facebook to many different people and companies. As a parent, I’m now faced with my oldest child (age 12) pleading for his own Facebook account.

My wife and I have decided that the answer, for the foreseeable future, is no. There were arguments for (from him) and against (from us), but ultimately the decision is ours. Since we do our best to reason with our children, I knew I had to come armed with a good argument for our position. For the sake of others on the fence when it comes to social media usage for children, I figured I’d share some of the research and counsel in this post.

The simplest and most direct case against this is Facebook’s terms of use. They clearly state that you should not create a Facebook profile if you are under 13. However, a recent study from New York University showed that 55% of parents of 12-year-olds say their child has a Facebook account. What’s more, 76% of those parents said that they helped create the account for their children. So is this age restriction an arbitrary, self-imposed rule from Facebook? No. The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) dictates that online services employ the 13-and-over age restriction. As simple as that argument is, that’s the one that seemed to resonate most with our son. He simply didn’t want to break the rules.

The next argument we considered was one of safety. Allowing social media access to those too young to properly deal with it opens them to possible exposure to any number of dangers: pornography, profanity, violence, and – most disturbing – cyber-bullying. The tragic deaths of Megan Meier and Ryan Halligan have taught us that bullying takes on a more dangerous and public tone when it happens online. In fact, this was the subject of this episode of Glee.

The final argument is one that is least tangible or evident. It’s the future. These children who create and use Facebook accounts are leaving a digital footprint of their lives – the good, the bad, and the ugly. This footprint will most likely be checked by prospective colleges and later, employers. A quarter of U.S. colleges and half of corporate HR departments currently do this, and that practice will only increase. With all due respect to my 12-year-old, he and his friends can be idiots (no offense to actual idiots), and that idiocy will be laid out like a résumé from hell a decade from now.

All this adds up to him waiting for – and griping about – a Facebook account that must wait for now. And I suppose I should present his counter-argument ... that timeless classic, “But all my friends have it.”

Support Movember. Buy My Embarrassing Story!

2011-11-09T21:27:57Z

It's another November, which means I am once again growing a moustache (okay, a goatee for now) in support of Movember. In case you're not aware, Movember is the social media movement, which has men growing out their lip fur in support of prostate cancer.

This is my third year participating in Movember, and this year, I was looking for a way to boost the donations to such a worthy cause. That said, I'm offering up a tale for sale.

The offer: If I raise $1,000 for Movember, I will publicly recount my rather embarrassing story of when I had my prostate checked. Only my immediate family knows this funny and embarrassing story, and now I'm willing to sell it for a good cause.

If I've piqued your interest, and you have $5 or $10 to spare for a good cause, you can donate here to buy my story! Just click "Donate to me."

Facebook Lists and Google Plus Circles

2011-09-20T17:08:55Z

This week Facebook unveiled an improved version of their "Friend Lists." In Google parlance, this is the same as "Circles." Facebook obviously felt they needed to respond to the warm reception Google Plus received with their Circles.

While Facebook did make significant improvements to how you manage your Lists, it's still not as visual or elegant as Google Plus's Circles. With Circles, you can drag-and-drop your friends right into various categories. And while hovering over the icon of any Google Plus friend, you can assign them to Circles right away -- a very elegant management system.

Facebook does, however, hold the edge in automating the way friend management works. Facebook makes use of the way you interact with Facebook to suggest various friends into different categories (close friends, acquaintances, etc.). They call this method "Smart Lists." It's great in theory, but the people I interact with most on Facebook aren't always my friends, per se. With Circles, assigning friends is still a manual process. I'm not saying that one is better the other -- it will come down to a personal choice. If you're the type of person who wants total control over your friend management, then Circles is for you. If you want help with the process, then go with Lists.

A downside to using the new version of Lists, however, is that most Facebook users will be doing this after the fact. You'll need to spend a few hours going through your hundreds of Facebook friends to add them to one List or another. At least with Circles, the platform was new, so it was easier to add friends to Circles as you were adding then to Google Plus.

I'll continue to use both, but I'd like to see Facebook eventually get more of a visual or drag-and-drop interface.

More "Enhancements" to Hulu

2011-07-27T14:35:58Z

Yes, "enhancements" was intended to be sarcastic. The New York Times reported today that the Fox network will begin limiting next-day availability of their shows on Hulu to subscribers of cable and satellite providers. That means, for those thousands of Americans who have "cut the cord" of cable because of alternatives to paid television, they will have to wait eight days -- yep, you heard right -- EIGHT days to watch a new episode of a Fox show on Hulu.

Fox, a partner in the Hulu venture, is attempting to appease cable and satellite providers who fear alternative delivery methods of network television (Hulu, Netflix, AppleTV, Vudu, et al) will continue to eat away at their subscriber base. The quote I love is from a Fox marketing executive who said that this is meant to “enhance the value of pay television to subscribers.” By handcuffing people to their cable provider?

It is clear that Fox -- and ABC network (another Hulu partner) is considering this too -- is following the money. They would rather satisfy the larger, yet declining, income source of cable and satellite providers than the smaller, yet increasing, income source of on-demand streaming television.

Hulu was an early success. Consumers caught on and loved it. However, the continued tinkering of Hulu will turn off consumers who value Hulu because of its simplicity and content availability. Mess with either of those, and it will fail. I urge the TV networks to remember the old axiom, "The customer is always right."

ADA & Technology

2011-06-26T17:49:48Z

Here at the American Diabetes Association's 71st Scientific Sessions conference in San Diego, I'm amazed at the level of technology embraced by the diabetes community. And that is in two forms.

First, the technology behind the medicine was impressive. The glucose level meters and delivery methods of insulin seem to be moving ever-faster to that of high-tech. I was impressed to learn last night at Miriam Tucker's tweetup that industry is moving closer to developing a system whereby the continuous glucose sensors would "talk" to the insulin pumps, thereby acting like an artificial pancreas of sorts.

Second, the level of social media (Twitter in particular) activity at the conference has been impressive. Some of the more prolific Tweeters make it seem like you're sitting in the sessions. And some, like @iam_spartacus, add a good dose of humor into an otherwise dry subject.

It was also a pleasure to meet some of the social media folks in the diabetes community at that tweetup last night. Such passion and camaraderie among them. Folks like Paul Boidy, Elizabeth Georgescu, Allison Blass, David Edelman, Sunnie Southern, and Dan Hurley.

[Disclosure: I work for an agency that works for a pharma company that makes insulin. My opinions are my own.]

ADA Conference

2011-06-24T23:22:24Z

As I sit here in the lounge of the American Diabetes Association's conference in San Diego, I'm amazed at the sheer number of other people's Mac laptops I can "see" from my Mac's Finder.

But that's not why I'm here. I must say I am excited to learn more about diabetes, especially now that three of my friends have Type-2 (due to their eating habits). I hope to get some pointers on how to approach my "dude guy friends" with some sound advice that may save their lives. I'll also be helping out with some social media work for a client in the space.

Facebook Page Commenting Changes

2011-04-15T18:46:14Z

Within the next couple of weeks, Facebook will be announcing changes to how their Facebook Pages work, specifically when it comes to commenting. Currently, Page administrators have the ability to disable comments to Wall posts, photos, and videos. Certain companies have taken advantage of this, since they work in highly regulated industries and would find it difficult to deal with open comments from the Facebook communit

Two industries in particular -- pharmaceutical and financial services -- are regulated by various government entities that mandate the ways in which they must deal with information from the general public. Those "charged" topics can include: financial advice, stock recommendations, adverse (drug) events, off-label use of drugs, etc. In the world of pharma, for example, when these topics are discovered online, it is incumbent upon the drug maker to report that to the FDA (based on certain criteria). On a pharmaceutical company's Facebook Page, they lock down that conversation by disabling commenting on the Page's Wall posts, photos, and videos.

Facebook will be changing their policy when it comes to disabling comments. At some point, possibly as early as mid-June, Facebook will be opening up comments on all pharma Pages with the exceptions of:

Pages that promote, talk about, or support prescription drugs or devices
Pages that focus on a disease state where there is only one prescribed treatment (even if the Page doesn't mention the treatment)
Disease-state/therapeutic area Pages that have the PI/ISI on the Page

This means that corporate Pages, general disease awareness Pages, and unbranded campaign Pages will have their comments re-enabled for their Walls, photos, and videos. Other details of this change are detailed in the below presentation.

Facebook to Open Page Commenting

View more presentations from WCG

Healthcare Social Communications

2011-03-17T15:47:00Z

This morning, I attended another great seminar from the Business Development Institute and founder Steve Etzler. The subject matter was social communications for healthcare companies and organizations. It's a much-debated and feared subject, given the regulatory boundaries in which pharmaceutical companies and healthcare providers operate. Here are some highlights from the speakers.

Marc Monseau, Director, Corporate Communications & Social Media, Johnson & Johnson

61% of HCPs have read a blog, and 79% have watched an online video for personal or professional use
J&J has had 80,000 downloads of their mobile Black Bag app geared towards doctors are a real-time health news feed
J&J has created some closed communities for connecting professionals (vision care, diabetes)
J&J maintains strong relationships with doctors and especially with nurses via BlogWorld, Facebook, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter
Marc's basics: listen to the conversation, establish your role, identify key influencers, establish policies, streamline approval process, resource appropriately, empower teams, remain flexible
Marc uses Google Reader to track the most influential health bloggers/writers
Funny moment: J&J reads a statement any dinners where they host doctors, saying that they won't object if the doctors would prefer to pay for their meal

Brian Mulligan, Assistant VP of PR, North Shore - LIJ Health System

Getting your extended corporate message onto social media is like fitting a square peg into a round hole
The challenge: YouTube is fun, but HIPPA is serious business
North Shore LIJ refuses to put press releases on their Facebook page

Fred Muench, Associate Director of Research, The Partnership at Drugfree.org

Patients are using social media to extend their health care
30% of patients have e-communications with their HCP, but up to 70% of them WANT to have e-communications with their HCP
78% of patients would like a counselor automatically alerted if they relapse
HCPs are concerned that their patients aren't getting reliable information in the social health forums
People are having virtual AA meetings in Second Life (seriously ... Second Life)
Largest growing population they are starting to cater their materials for is the U.S. Hispanic market

George Tunstall, SVP, Sales & Business Development, Within3

Within3 creates online health communities for pharmas, medical associations, HCPs
Virtual advisory board meetings can get satisfy the Sunshine Law by not paying for doctors' travel and accommodations
Health care communities aren't launched; they're cultivated.

Bradley Jobling, Office of External Affairs, Columbia University Department of Surgery

Columbia has patient bloggers reach out to them for advice
They run 11 different Facebook pages around various topics
NY-based doctors have such a strong offline network among their peers that they don't really use Sermo or Osmosis to information-exchange
You can't do everything you want at once. Pick one program to kick off a social media initiative.
They participate in sharecare.com

Engagement Span

2011-01-04T15:07:43Z

This week, I'm in Austin, TX, at my company's leadership summit. A collection of great minds have come together to share their experience and ideas on where marketing and online communications is headed.

It's a new year, and this social media rage will continue to grow and to change. That seems to be the only constant -- that things in social media are always in flux. That's what makes this so exciting.

Some great nuggets from the talks:

Customers only spend 1% of their time in the actual process of the purchasing action. The other 99% of the time is spent learning, assessing, reading reviews, etc. Companies need to concentrate their efforts more on that 99%.
Great applicable quote from Wayne Gretzky: "A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be."
Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams: "You don't have to be a 'person of influence' to be influential. In fact, the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they've taught me."
Imagine if companies used social media research when they developed: New Coke, Crystal Pepsi, Smith & Wesson mountain bikes, McDonald's Arch Deluxe.
When you interact, you learn. When you learn, you improve. When you improve, customers appreciate it. When customers appreciate it, they help you learn more.
About 92% of Americans get their daily news from multiple sources. (from Pew Research)
Message to companies: Don't build a website that people come to; build a website that people come back to.

You're Not Last

2010-12-23T23:28:47Z

Each day, I see companies that think they're still far behind in social media. They each believe that everyone else, including their competitors, is way ahead of them in terms of their social media prowess and expertise. But the thing is, nearly everyone thinks this. Not everyone can be in last place. That would mean everyone's also in first place.

Social media is still in its infancy. And you're not really any father behind than your competitors. Even if you have a competitor who seems like they're way ahead of the pack, that just means they tried out something first. There are no real "standard ways of doing something" -- it's just a way of doing something.

Point being, if you haven't at least dipped your toes in the social media (media, really) pool yet, go for it. But do it in a thoughtful way, just as you would take on any new business venture. Namely ...

Be sure your social media policies and guidelines are in place.
Claim your name. Sure, you have www.mycompany.com locked up, but do you have "MyCompany" locked up for YouTube? Twitter? Flickr? Or any number of hundreds of social media channels?
Figure out who will be handling this. Reality check ... it's not a job you can just pawn off on the receptionist.
Train and empower your employees to use social media.

Mind you, these are broad strokes, but at least it should get you thinking. And by the way, Merry Christmas!