Pope Francis’ 63 tweets about climate change

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Pope Francis did something historical! He published on Thursday a 180 – page document urging citizens to do something about climate change. Well no, it wasn’t pontiff leaving a lengthy letter. He just tweeted… A LOT!

In total there were 63 tweets with hastags #LaudatoSi, including: “The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth,” which struck the most to masses and got most retweets.

Here’s everything Pope Francis tweeted about climate change:

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Social Networks That Ultimately Failed

Something’s are destined to fail no matter how much effort has been put into them.

Social media has been nothing short of a phenomenon, with the success of platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter which continue to inspire people around the globe along many businesses and corporations to keep up socially interactive.

There is glory but not for everyone or everything. Some experience major success stories, on both an individual and brand basis, while others eventually fade away never to be remembered again and the same goes for most of the social networks, too. Fall of many recognized social networks will keep giants like Facebook and Twitter on their toes because you never know what people may like/dislike in this demanding world.

The Hub

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It took just a few months in 2006 for America’s largest retailer Wal-Mart to both launch and shut down its social network website which was targeting teens for its growth. Marketed as a “School Your Way” promotion, Wal-Mart tried to cash the opportunity to connect with the youth who preferred the store’s products. As everyone is serious about their privacy, especially teens, Wal-Mart made a blunder by sending user information to parents for approval and making fake profiles which was a major flop to attract more people to shop at the mega store. Also the Hub was indeed “The Hub of Advertisements also”

iYomu

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August 2007 in New Zealand a social network specifically for the older demographics was launched. People under the age of 18 were restricted from joining the social network, but seriously 18 doesn’t sound like much of an ‘old person’ to me. It acted too similarly to the other networks out there, especially Myspace because it was designed in Flash. The social network lasted less than a year before it went offline forever.

ITunes Ping

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Launched in September 2010 by the Tech Titan Mr. Steve Jobs himself. The idea for this social network was very simple, all the music junkies could socialize with each other online. In the event of attraction, more descriptive tips jogos caca niquel gratis. Sadly the demise was inevitable because Facebook and Twitter had gained so much popularity that even music artists switched from iTunes Ping. So finally after 2 years of struggle, iTunes Ping sank into oblivion without any possibility for a life line.

Google Buzz

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Google is tech giant with so many achievements under its belt but, sometimes with fame comes shame! Google+ is not the first attempt at tying all its services together through a social media portal. Google Buzz was launched in February 2010. Sadly Google has been known to release new products before they are completely ready for public and then continue to develop that product which causes huge problems for the users. Soon after the launch there was a privacy backlash when Buzz made certain Gmail information public without the knowledge of its users and any prior warning. The final in the coffin was put by Facebook and Twitter. Thus on December 15, 2011 Google buzz was discontinued.

Orkut

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Orkut launched in 2004 by the tech giant Google. Social networking was on the verge of evolution and Orkut made its entry into social media. Orkut was an instant hit after its launch and managed to make a strong following from users all over the world. Before the wall in Facebook, the concept of Scrapbook was introduced by Orkut. Like many other social networks, the demise of Orkut because of Facebook, unlike Facebook Orkut was slow as a tortoise! The social network did not bother to up its game to compete with the rivals and the launch of Google+ made sure that the Tech Giant is preparing to let go Orkut. Thus in 2014 after ten long years, Google pulled the plug and all that remained was memories.

Friendster

Launched in 2002, this particular social network gained popularity rapidly, so much so it was the first social networking website which gained 115 Million users in 2008. Sadly as the users connected with Friendster, the social network did not put up with the load which frustrated the users thus paving way for Facebook and Twitter. After crashing down in 2009, Friendster was re-launched in 2011 but as a gaming site which gained in popularity in Asia.

EONS

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Launched in 2006 and straightaway targeting internet users 50 was a given fail from the word get go! So it was supposed to be a social network but why the age restrictions? Really bad on part of EONS. The social network focused only on elderlies and could not get a grip, failing to attract users for building an online social community. Eventually in June 2012, the site was shut down and the reason given by its founder was, “their team is working to resolve the business issues with [their] service provider.” He goes on to say that their providers were demanding financial commitments that cannot be made at this time.

Diaspora

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Just as Ello is trying (or I dare say, Tried and Failed Miserably) to derail Facebook at present, Diaspora was dubbed as a Facebook rival or killer, it was created in Nov 2011 as the answer to Facebook’s much publicized privacy issues. Built on an open source social networking software, it was designed to be simple to use. But lack of functionality and features ultimately made it a quiet dull experience. Although the Diaspora is still active at the moment but rarely sees any kind of activity or traffic in its domain.

There are tons of new social networks being introduced every year, with some having the capacity to take on the giants while others dramatically fail to gain any audience. As the technology and social trends continue to evolve, there will always be a gap in the market for something new. Following some key elements the networks should constantly innovate, adapt and evolve, offering something different that will make a fan base and users can engage on topics that they feel passionate about.

Oh you are dying? Let’s take a selfie quickly!

What Is A Selfie?

It’s a self portrait photograph, typically taken with a hand held digital camera or mobile phone.

But who don’t know that? Oxford officially named ‘Selfie’ the word of the year in 2013!

We live in that digital age where even a 3 year old respond to word selfie by…. “pouting”.

Mobile companies are also cashing in on the selfie trend.

Is The Selfie Disorder Fake or Real?

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All of a sudden, everyone started sharing about the announcement made by American Psychiatric Association (APA), that taking  ‘Selfies’ is a mental disorder named ‘Selfitis’.

News was surprisingly unbelievable yet it spread like a fire in the forest in virtual community.

Yes, it was fake – hoax created by the Adobo Chornicles, a website which spread unbelievable news to get more likes. No such news was found on the official website of APA or confirmed through any other credible source.

What Is So Cool About Selfies?

The psychological phenomenon of the ‘Selfie’ culture is quite simple, It is the basic desire of human race — to be noticed, even if it doesn’t elicit the most appropriate type of recognition.

In this era, people feel appreciated by receiving just a few likes from  Facebook or Instagram friends.

It even leads to fake rolex for sale better results in workplace. (weird right?)

Thus, no matter who it is.. Celebrities, President ( Our very own Obama) or a plumber, almost everyone has fallen into this trend of Selfies.

Let’s see if it will be a short lived fad or a way of life 😉

How Social Media Will Help You Grow Business

Three steps to your Social Media action plan

People often don’t understand what I do when I say I am social media engagement specialist. They think that it is only about posting on Facebook and Twitter but why will anyone need to hire someone to do that? What type of job is it?

Let’s explore what is social media to business and why is it important for success in this age. Guess what business owners are using right now to connect with clients? Yup. Social media!

When we googled the question “Will social media help me?” we were greeted with 1.6 billion suggestions. Had we added the word ‘business’ to it, they would still be few millions. Many of those will be repeating the same thing. Still it’s clear that getting started on social media is a question that business owners are looking for an answer to. Facebook campaigns, blog posts, news articles, corporate videos and more – again, everyone is looking to find the right way to do the social media.

What is the secret ingredient?

If you ask me, the secret is simple: You might want to start right away just like everything else that you do in your business. It is helpful to have a plan with measurable milestones and results. I was always amused by the idea of connecting with so many people virtually. I got more and more interested, every time I explored a new aspect of social media. I have a hobby to try new networks which I come across, just to study new ways of spreading virtual messages. Not kidding! Now being a social media engagement specialist, I know it’s not a myth or exaggeration that your social presence online is a representative of your company.

It was a challenge for me to make others understand that posting JUST anything on social media isn’t social media marketing.   You need to be specific to attract right kind of people. You can’t afford to say ‘what’s in your mind’ without thinking. It should be what others want to read because people will judge you accordingly!

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Step 1: Why should your business want to be on Social Media? > Define your Social Media purpose

From having discussions with clients to monitoring conversations online, the overarching theme that prevents businesses from using social media is lack of understanding about why they NEED to be here! The typical responses we get include, “Our competitors are here,” “Because everyone’s talking about it”, “We want to be on everywhere.” The problem is that they fail to dig deep into bigger questions they need to answer:

  • What are your competitors doing on social media?
  • How can you differentiate yourself from the competitors with social media?
  • Will you be able to identify impact it will be have on your business?
  • Will you measure increased awareness, number of new leads through social media, heightened participation of potential clients and will you find out if it changes your bottom line?
  • Are you reaching your target audience?
  • Have you identified who that is?
  • Will you enjoy working with social media or is it just an extra chore for you?

Being able to answer these will allow you to move to next step.

Step 2: Where do you need to be? > Determine your Social Media channels

There are literally hundreds of social networks online along with power hitters Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn. Not to forget the forums, niche networks, community blog networks and more. No wonder so many businesses have trouble spotting the right path.

  • Define your market segment – Where is your target market in social networks? Are the business professionals on LinkedIn or every day users on Facebook?
  • Who do you want to be connected with? – Unless you are selling coke or pampers, you don’t need mass audience! Be specific. The closer you stick with your offerings, the fewer followers you will attract. But they will be delighted to connect with you.
  • Stick with maximum 3 to 4 networks – Work only with a number of networks than you can consistently maintain. Only if you can add meaningful content publish your business page on that network.

Step 3: How do you measure success= > Map out goals and success metrics

Try to define your goals and measure the success of your social media use. What do you want to achieve out of it? Quantitatively measure your efforts in terms of Likes/Follower growth or increase in frequency of engagement or brand mentions or amount of content to be shared etc.

  • Set up a calendar – Set up a social media calendar and break it down into results pattern like monthly, quarterly, biannually, annually .
  • Analyse results periodically – Study the difference in website traffic. Does traffic increase and which channels bring more traffic. Google Analytics will do the job!
  • Determine acceptable growth vs. ideal growth – Compare if you are at least reaching the former i.e. minimum growth you expected to achieve through social media. And how far behind are you lagging from ideal growth? An indicator could be your turnover that is generated through Social Media or leads you receive through referrals on Social Media (email does not count!).
  • Analyse the cost of implementation – Compare cost of implementation to the expected return (increased customer loyalty, word of mouth marketing, brand perception)

Remember content is the key! Stand out from the crowd through your content.

What is your greatest challenge when it comes to Social Media Marketing for your business?

 

Need my assistance in social media marketing? Email me at nabehalatif@live.com