Topic: Blogging

I have never really been a person who is into blogging. I can barley keep up with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so blogging was something that I never had time for. Plus, I didn’t think that people were interested in hearing about how my day went, who I am dating or what I ate for dinner.

So what is blogging anyways? According to Dictionary.com blogging, the verb “is to maintain or add new entries to a blog.” Therefore, a blog, the noun, is a “website containing the writer’s or group of writers’ own experiences, observations, opinions, etc., and often having images and links to other Websites.” I thought this was an interesting definition because I feel like a blog can be way more then what was defined. From what I can tell a blog is anything and everything that a person wants it to be.

This got me thinking, what are some of the top blogs created Blogs.com has made lists of the 10 Ten blogs in many different categories. From DIY Renovation, Stylish Food, Travel for Hedonists, Madrid, Games, Family Crafts, Daily Inspirations, and many more. One blog that was interesting to me was the “Top 10 iPhone Photo (iPhoneography) Blogs. These are blogs that display images that are taken and edited only with an iPhone.

Basically, anyone can write a blog about anything and I’m sure someone will read it. Wordpress.com, which is another blog creation engine gives 6 tips on basic blogging.

1.                    Post regularly, but don't post if you have nothing worth posting about.

2.                    Stick with only a few specific genres to talk about.

3.                    Don't put 'subscribe' and 'vote me' links all over the front page until you have people that like your blog

4.                    Use a clean and simple theme if at all possible.

5.                    Enjoy, blog for fun, comment on other peoples' blogs

6.                    Have fun blogging and remember, there are no rules to what you post on your blog!

Now, since this is all about blogging and I have never been one to have a blog, I still enjoy checking out what other’s have to say on their own blogs.

Here are some of the blogs that I have subscribed to that you might like as well (some of them are more girly than others):

-       http://threadethic.com/

o  a blog created by Desirae and Melody (two of the siblings from the piano playing group “The 5 Browns”) who created a modest fashion blog.

-       http://www.huntsmanschool.blogspot.com/

o        Being a business student, I always like to know what is going on at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business. This blog always has great stories, ideas and tips about the business world. 

-       http://www.jordanchristy.com/blog/

o  Jordan Christy is the author of “How to Be a Hepburn in a Hilton World,” a fantastic book and blog on how to live with style, class and grace.

Topic: Qualitative and Quantitative Research

What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research? Honestly, this is something that I discussed freshman year and haven’t really heard the terms since. Therefore, when I started researching the topics again, I was surprised that I didn’t remember these terms at all.

However, when it comes to your own specific research, one type is not better than the other. It depends on what you are researching to determine which style you use.

Qualitative Research – Is all about exploring the unknown. It is used when we don’t know what to expect, to define the problem or develop an approach to a problem.

          Common methods used: focus groups, dyads, in-depth interviews, uninterrupted observation, bulletin boards, ethnographic observation.

Quantitative Research – Focuses on the numbers. It is conclusive in its purpose as it tries to quantify the problem and understand how prevalent it is by looking for results to a larger population.

          Common methods used: surveys (online, phone, paper), audits, points of purchase, and click-streams.

When thinking about both types of research, sometimes it is best to use both since they provide different perspectives and usually complement each other. While one helps you explore what you want to know, the other one will give you measurable information.

Many companies or large corporations tend to use quantitative research more often because it provides a specific number or outcome. Some examples include; when dealers call customers to ask them how their customer service was or when a customer is given a taste test of product A and product B and ask them which product is better. With this type of research it allows companies to provide numbers, percentages and statistics to clients that helps them see the specifics of the company.

On the other hand, it can still be beneficial to companies to look into qualitative research. When they are looking for customer’s opinions or thoughts on maybe a particular product or situation, they can use focus groups or interviews to help gather that information. It normally will have a smaller number of respondents but helps them determine trends or patterns.

When thinking about how qualitative and quantitative research come into play with social media the only thing that I can think of are survey questions that are posted on Facebook. This survey typically asks if Justin Bieber or One Direction is better, but to the person who is asking the question, I’m sure they get a great quantitative response.

However, I’m sure there are millions of other ways people collect quantitative and qualitative data through social media sites. Any ideas?

For more information on these topics check out:

http://www.surveygizmo.com/survey-blog/quantitative-qualitative-research/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantitative_research  (yes, I used Wikipedia, and yes it was helpful!)

Topic: SWOT Analysis

If you think back 5 years ago to when Facebook was just another MySpace, no one knew what Twitter was and Instagram wasn't even a topic of discussion, then Im sure that you never thought of implementing social media into your business strategic plan.

A common plan that is used is a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) Analysis which is a useful tool for decision making and providing good framework for any corporation or organization. With the major increase in social media within the last few years, you can expect to see Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and maybe even Instagram appearing in a company's SWOT Analysis. Some companies plan to create a SWOT Analysis specific to only marketing or social media.

According to Social Media Ledger's article "How to Write a Social Media Strategy," there are many tactics that can be used to create a beneficial social media strategy. Some of the their examples include:
Strengths 
- what kind of social media programs do you have in place that are better than your competitors.
- stronger brand awareness in the market place
Weaknesses
- what areas of social media are your competitors doing better then you? (Blogging, Twitter, Facebook, etc)
- have you lost sales due to any interactions within social media channels?
- not building your Social Media strategy into your existing company process.
- Utilizing the wrong Social Media tools for your company requirements.
Opportunities
- Are there any new or emerging channels where you can gain an engaged audience? (Pinterest, Google+, etc) 
- Have you effectively positioned your brand as an expert in your field?
- Social Recruitment
- Reputation Management
Threats
- Do any of your weaknesses pose a legitimate threat to your business?
- Your competitors getting ahead using Social Media

When it comes to creating your own SWOT Analysis for a company or organization, it will be more beneficial if you keep it detailed and be sure to compare your internal and external strategies too. Social Media allows you to do just that.

LinkedIn is another social networking site that can help building your companies framework and strategy created in a SWOT. A main goal that is typically always placed on SWOT charts is customer service, whether that is your strength or weakness, it is the main thing that drives companies. On a LinkedIn page, when asked to discuss the topic of "SWOT Analysis for Social Media" it mentioned that some of your customers, especially ones you spend alot of time working with, will most likely look you up on a social media site. It is important that you keep your company and personal profiles appropriate and that you are building good relations with each customer.

In conclusion, I think that including social media in your company's plan is a necessity in our world today. It is important to make sure that you are up to date on what is happening and continuously update it if you want to maintain your customer base. Especially if your main consumers are those who keep up with social media trends.