Indian Politicians should learn the art of using social media from US Prez. Obama

Barack Obama’s successful networking on the social media space and his landslide win against Republican opponent, John McCain can teach a thing or two to Indian politicians raring to go on the election blitzkriegs slated early next year.

India has a handful of educated, technologically savvy third-generation politicians who can definitely take a leaf out of Obama’s book and benefit from it.

Barack Obama, the harbinger of change in the United States of America (USA) will go down in the history as not only the first African-American to lead USA that first brought Africans to its shores as slaves but also as the first president who aggressively used social media networks such as facebook, flickr, youtube among others to reachout and embrace social communities and raise astronomical sum for his election campaign.

However as social media sector in India is still in its infancy, the outcome may not measure up to the spectacular response Obama garnered during his two-year campaign period but as a networking tool it can still do wonders for our desi politicians.

Fundraising for elections in India is not as transparent as it is in the West hence raising funds within the social media space will serve as a difficult proposition; however social media can be used as a platform by Indian politicians to connect and initiate a two-way communication with technologically savvy young Indians.

One of the key constraints in India is that Internet connections are not growing as fast as we would like. Social media during the Indian elections can serve as just a channel of communication as internet penetration in India is minimal. Despite the low penetration, India already has 80 million Internet users which makes it the third largest Internet market in the world behind the United States and China. Total users are expected to grow by about 40 percent this year, according to Morgan Stanley, almost double the growth rate in other developing Internet markets like China and Brazil.

The opportunity for additional broadband penetration combined with a sizable middle class with tremendous spending power makes today’s investment landscape in India extremely attractive.

Social media during the Indian elections can serve as just a channel of communication; however Indian politicians should not be ignoring this tool as it surpasses all others in terms of bandwidth and reach and cost.

Now let’s see how social media helped Obama win election. What’s interesting in Obama case is that he used social media to his advantage by connecting with fellow Americans over a two-year period which helped his campaign find new audiences to engage with. During his campaign, Obama not only used the top networking sites but also made his presence felt in niche communities mainly targeting youths.

Obama’s campaign

In many ways, the story of Obama's campaign was the story of his supporters, whose creativity and enthusiasm manifested through multitudes of websites and YouTube videos online. It even saw volunteer contributions like the innovative Obama '08 iPhone and iTouch application that enabled owners to mobilize their friends and contacts in battleground states through the Apple devices.

It will be difficult for Indian politicians to ape Obama’s social media campaign as social media awareness in the country is very low. The main reason for lack of awareness is low internet penetration. However a beginning can be made by our politicians in the forthcoming general elections.

Pepsi used friendfeed and not facebook or myspace? I wonder why?

Barack Obama’s strong social media capabilities help win election

Barack Obama, the harbinger of change in the United States of America (USA) will go down in the history as not only the first African-American to lead USA that first brought Africans to its shores as slaves but also as the first president who aggressively used social media networks such as facebook, flickr, youtube among others to reachout and embrace communities and raise astronomical sum for his election campaign.

After the longest and costliest election in U.S. history, Barack Obama won a landslide, defeating his Republican opponent, John McCain, in the Electoral College by a ratio of two-to-one.

What’s interesting is that Obama used social media to his advantage by connecting with fellow Americans over a two year period which helped his campaign find new audiences to engage with. During his campaign, Obama not only used the top networking sites but also made his presence felt in niche communities mainly targeting youths.

"I was never the likeliest candidate for this office," Obama said in an acceptance speech in Chicago Tuesday night. "We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign ... was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause."

Both Obama and Republican rival John McCain relied on social media to bolster their campaigns. But Obama's online success dwarfed his opponent's, and helped him win the presidency.

Volunteers used Obama's website to organize a thousand phone-banking events in the last week of the race -- and 150,000 other campaign-related events over the course of the campaign. Supporters created more than 35,000 groups clumped by affinities like geographical proximity and shared pop-cultural interests. By the end of the campaign, myBarackObama.com chalked up some 1.5 million accounts and Obama raised a record-breaking $600 million in contributions from more than three million people, a large portion of which was donated through the web.

Obama's campaign carefully designed its web site to maximize group collaboration, while at the same time giving individual volunteers tasks they could follow on their own schedules.

The scale of Obama's campaign reached massive proportions. By Election Day, for example, it was asking its cadres of volunteers to make a million phone calls to get the vote.

In addition to fostering grassroots supporters with its social networking tool, the Obama campaign contacted hard-to-reach young voters through text messages, collecting thousands of numbers at rallies and sending out texts at strategic moments to ask for volunteer help or remind recipients to vote.

The campaign also launched online action groups to fight the underground, e-mail whisper campaigns. In one effort, the campaign urged supporters to send out counter viral e-mails responding to false rumors about Obama's personal background and tax policies.

In fundraising, Obama raising record amounts online by federal filing deadlines. He used this money for more traditional campaigning — for example, flooding cable markets in strategic states with television advertising. Obama spent a record-shattering $293 million on TV ads between January 1, 2007, and October 29, 2008, according to TNS Media Intelligence.

In many ways, the story of Obama's campaign was the story of his supporters, whose creativity and enthusiasm manifested through multitudes of websites and YouTube videos online. It even saw volunteer contributions like the innovative Obama '08 iPhone and iTouch application that enabled owners to mobilize their friends and contacts in battleground states through the Apple devices.

The spectacular win by Barack Obama clearly showcases the power of social media as a branding and communications channel. Social media cannot be ignored anymore by politicians or corporations as it is here to stay.

Pepsi goes US Prez. Obama way; Uses social media to connect with consumers

Regular “twittering” has its advantages and most of you in the social media space must have found out. For those of you who are new to this domain, Twitter is a free social messaging utility for staying connected in real-time.

While twittering the other day, I came across an interesting piece of information---Pepsi initiating a social media blitzkriegs by setting up a room on Friendfeed called the Pepsi Cooler, asking consumers to “Join us as together we shape Pepsi’s social media future. We’re changing the way we do things and want to have you along for the ride,” stated a company official in Pepsi’s friendfeed room. However it will be interesting to know why Pepsi used friendfeed and not facebook or myspace?

Pepsi’s move endorses my view that social media is going to become the most preferred marketing and communications channel for big brands in the near future. So what has Pepsi done? It has launched its re-branding campaign on Friendfeed. Pepsi’s room has attracted more than 260 members in a very short timeframe. However, comments are currently restricted to merits of targeting social media networks.

The fact that such a global brand is using social media network as against traditional marketing channel is a case in point for social media. Going forward, I am sure Pepsi will see value in social media, especially when the economy the world over is bitten by the recession bug. After all, if the new US President Barack Obama can use social media not only to raise funds but also to win the election and connect with fellow American through facebook and other network sites, why can’t corporations follow suit!!

Networking sites look for communities in India, China to grow

In my previous blog, I shed light on the need for networking websites to innovate and enhance presence in virgin markets like India and China to grow amid the gloomy economic scenario in US and Europe.

One thing is for certain. India and China are increasingly becoming an attractive destination for the likes of Facebook, Myspace… et al. If you have been following the social media landscape, you will know exactly what I mean. New community networking websites targeting different verticals are cropping up dime-a-dozen. What’s more, even consumers are in experimentation mode as they are lapping up the social media pie.

Recently I read about a company launching a networking website for foodies where one could exchange recipes and trends pertaining to this segment. Unique….isn’t it!

Well I won’t be surprised if there exists a community network site for travelers, finance professionals and sports personals also. In case you have not come across such verticals, be assured of bumping into one of these in the near future.

However what’s worrying me is the gloomy economic scenario that might slow down the growth of social media.

On a more optimistic note, “the gloom” may not bring “the doom” for social media. I am however forced to think that this gloomy economic scenario might encourage companies to cut down on traditional marketing tools and move over to low cost social media for their branding, marketing, and advertising needs. Social media can definitely achieve higher results vis-à-vis traditional marketing platforms in the current economic scenario. Long live social media!!

Networking sites look for communities in India, China to grow

In my previous blog, I shed light on the need for networking websites to innovate and enhance presence in virgin markets like India and China to grow amid the gloomy economic scenario in US and Europe.

One thing is for certain. India and China are increasingly becoming an attractive destination for the likes of Facebook, Myspace… et al. If you have been following the social media landscape, you will know exactly what I mean. New networking community sites targeting different verticals are cropping up dime-a-dozen. What’s more, even consumers are in experimentation mode as they are lapping up the social media pie.

Recently I read about a company launching a networking website for foodies where one could exchange recipes and trends pertaining to this segment. Unique….isn’t it!

Well I won’t be surprised if there exists a community network site for travelers, finance professionals and sports personals also. In case you have not come across such verticals, be assured of bumping into one of these in the near future.

However what’s worrying me is the gloomy economic scenario that might slow down the growth of social media.

On a more optimistic note, “the gloom” may not bring “the doom” for social media. I am however forced to think that this gloomy economic scenario might encourage companies to cut down on traditional marketing tools and move over to low cost social media for their branding, marketing, and advertising needs. Social media can definitely achieve higher results vis-à-vis traditional marketing platforms in the current economic scenario. Long live social media!!

Innovation, new markets to help social media websites move ahead

It is now official! The credit crisis plaguing the world has forced the US economy into a recessionary mode. Layoffs, credit squeeze, lower spending, credit default, slowdown of new initiatives by firms are some of the trends emerging today.

Under such a scenario when corporate spending is expected to hit rock bottom, sunrise industries in the Web 2.0 domain such as social media, networking and community websites are likely to face a slow down owing to lower interest from venture funds.

The scenario looks bleak in US and Europe as consumer spending is going to touch rock bottom very soon. It is also estimated that a substantial number of credit card default in the US are expected to surface in the current quarter. Hence it is very clear that thanksgiving and Christmas this year will be lackluster.

The “me too” factor aptly visible in the Web 2.0 domain is scaring venture funds away. With easy funds moving away from e-ventures on the back of credit crunch, social media bigwigs such as facebook, myspace and many others are forced to spread their wings in emerging economies such as India. Indian’s GDP is estimated to grow between 7-8% in the current scenario (an attractive growth rate when compared with that of US, Europe and a few Asian giants like Japan amidst the credit crisis).

Asia is turning out to be an attractive “consumer destination” with India leading the way, closely followed by China. Big global brands are closing in on growing economies in Asia to cash-in on the ever growing consumerism. Likewise social media and community networks are getting increasingly attracted to the large market in India owing to the large consumer base and strong economic fundamentals.

Facebook for instance has already launched an India dedicated website to tap the growing need of Indians to socialize on the web. The potential is huge, scope of business is mind-boggling, and the speed at which Indians are adapting the Web 2.0 technology is amazing.

Facebook is not the only community networking website to tap the growing potential in India. There are others in queue to tap the market potential in India amid the gloomy economic scenario.., the world over. Let me not disclose the names of other social media bigwigs venturing into India and china. We will wait for the announcements to come. Till then watch this space.

Social Media Monitoring Product Firms to spruce up act for profitability

In my previous post, I had discussed the repercussions of the global economic crisis on the social media industry. One of the segments that I touched upon was vendors selling social media monitoring tools.

It is clearly evident that in order to maintain a respectable bottom line, most companies will try to restrict their spending on public relations, branding, and marketing going forward.

In such a scenario, social media monitoring tool companies will have a tough time selling their products and services in developed markets unless they offer strong value-proposition to clients. At this point in time, if one looks at the value-add these companies offer, the scenario does not look very impressive.

Agreed that these firms monitor the buzz around you, gets you the unedited version of discussions and chats from communities, networking websites, at the most tonality of a comment which definitely require human intervention, is dished out….you get nothing more.

Ok, you may impress you boss by showing him a jazzy report which can serve as a visual treat (with colorful bars and charts), showcase the data in different permutations and combinations by slicing and dicing. However, if you have to make a business decision based on reports which these social media tools generate….you need to think again. These tools just monitor the buzz for you. For analysis, interpretation, and connecting with the audience, you will have to depend on social media specialists. Period!!

Although most of these companies cater to the buzz monitoring needs of public relation agencies and advertising firms, in order to survive during a downturn, the tool markers will have to expand their target segment which in turn would mean expanding their service offerings by providing human intervention capabilities. Otherwise these social media tool companies will not stand the test of time.

How Global Credit Crisis will Impact Social Media

Search for “social media monitoring” on google website and you are bound to find pages on the subject. There are social media trackers, thought leaders, vendors, and a whole new genre of professionals wanting to cash-in on the current buzz word in the industry. If you show ignorance towards this new form of networking, you are not considered to be part of the Web 2.0 revolution.

The success of social networking websites and craze among netizens to be seen on these websites has definitely given a fillip to the social media industry. In a way it is good for the industry and professionals associated with it. However, it looks like the dream run is over before it ever started.

At the time when the world is witnessing economic and credit crisis, layoff and credit squeeze have become the order of the day. Corporates, the world over are trying to tighten their purse strings in order to curtail losses that are bound to reflect in their holy grail---the balance sheet—in the forthcoming quarters.

In such a scenario, when the developed economies in US and Europe are facing fears of recession, one needs to dissect the business repercussion on social media.

It is evident that companies facing credit crisis and reduced business opportunities will try and curtail peripheral costs such as advertising, public relations and marketing budgets. This in turn would mean calling all stop to new initiatives such as activities in social media sphere.

The first casualty might be the vendors selling social media tracking, measurement, and analysis tools. As they bill on the basis of cost per seat, it is likely that going forward companies may not renew their subscription or move over to free social media tracking tools such as technorati, google trends and analytics respectively.

The second casualty would most likely be the in-house social media tracking and measuring team, mainly considered a cost centre. Layoffs and pink slips could become a reality in the social media department of a company.

Till recently we were seeing the launch of social networking websites almost daily. The credit crisis will most likely put a stop to this trend.

Now let us look at the scenario a little differently. It is seen often enough that during economic slowdown or a recession, firms tend to innovate and ideate to curtail expenditure. And what better way to reduce advertising, marketing, public relations cost by using low cost web 2.0 version i.e social media to reach audience globally.

Let us wait and watch if innovation is the virtue companies adopt globally to fight recession.

Do social media trackers adopt cookie cutter approach to meet corporate demand?

You want to search for social media? Well I wanted to so I typed keywords such as “social media”, “social media monitoring agencies,” “social media trackers,” “social media analysis and measurement” et al on google, the ultimate search engine. I tried almost all permutations and combinations. And what did I get. A handful of companies(35-40) selling sleek algorithm laced tools claiming to dish out each and every bit of information available on the internet liked to the keywords that you type.

The tools search not only the blogs, but chats, forums, discussion boards, mini blogs and the likes. Each company’s tool claim to crawl millions of blogs, chats and forums. Some of these companies are--Radian6, nielsenbuzzmetrics, buzzlogic, techrigy, technorati, trackur, brandseye, icerocket, ….the list is endless. If I continue to write the name of each and every company offering social media tracking tools, I will have to fill up many more pages. Hence I am limiting myself to just a few.

Some claim to offer human intervention in assessing the tonality of a post while others offer sophisticated algorithm that accurately defines the tonality of a comment. Some offer semantic searches while others offer to interact with client’s customers directly.

Some tools are free, others offer free trials whereas some are paid ones. Now the question that’s plaguing me is how to choose a tool. Should I use the free ones or the ones that comes with a price tag.

There are blogs….and more blogs..and so are the opinions floating around the world wide web. Although some bloggers have established credibility on account of the knowledge base they have acquired (Jeremiah Owyang, KD Paine, Nathan Gilliatt,Philip Sheldrake) among others, the general climate in the blogosphere is that of uncertainty about how to carry forward social media monitoring. As social media analytics is at a nascent stage, social media trackers are exploring the Web 2.0 to find answers for some elementary questions such as—

How do you measure social media accurately?

How can a tracking tool analyze conversations?

How does a tool read the tonality of a statement?

Tell now no one seems to have a satisfactory answer that can serve as a benchmark for the industry.

This brings me back to the question---so how do I choose a tool that will serve my needs? Well as technology is not very subjective in nature and it follows a certain protocol, any search tool will most likely throw the same results (how you apply the tool to find answers or deduce meaningful result is more important). As most tools crawl the same sites for aggregating data (there are some that track larger number of websites), the result will be only slightly skewed.

But do numbers really matter? Is your client interest is knowing each and every small and obscure data that talks about his brand on the internet or is he interested in knowing opinion of people who really matter to him. This brings us to the question of authority and accountability of savvy internet users who generate content.

I think the most important thing here is to aggregate content that comes from authoritative and accountable sources rather then collection of abstract obscure content that does not offer any credible content. After all for top brands, credibility of the media is sacrosanct. Do I hear somebody out there shouting Rating or Ranking….maybe a Moodys for the internet generated content!

………………………to be continued later

Social Media Networks--a treasure trove of News. Is it the end of Journalism?

Coming from a journalistic background with a stint in public relations and communications, an inclination to learn about the social media networking and its positive attributes seemed almost inevitable in my case. My curiosity to understand the social media space got the better of me. A month of goggling, surfing the net for any topic associated with the social media, scanning discussions involving highly rated social media bloggers, participants at discussion boards, forums and community networks got me thinking--- is social media here to stay?

Yes, without doubt, my inner self asserted! Social media seems to be turning an average individual into a prolific journalist. So is the future of journalists globally nearing an end.

Thanks to the discovery of social media space. Now everyone wants to be someone and what better way to reach the stage of becoming ‘someone’ by the exceptional tool called ‘The BLOG.’

A quick scan of few blogs on the internet showed emergence of a few thought leaders, a few reporters talking passionately about the things they like. It should definitely send a red alert to journalists the world over. They will have to reinvent themselves or face extinction.

In order to keep up with the rapidly expanding social media networks and the amount of news flowing around, even traditional media such as newspapers and magazines will have to innovate and reinvent themselves or they will be dead before one utters ‘Jack Robinson’.

This trend is visible for all to see. Take the case of the ongoing financial sector crisis in the US. A few days ago I was reading a top line international newspaper-- the epitome of classic journalism at play (name deleted for obvious reasons). And this is what I found. The newspaper was quoting discussions in the chat room about what people had to say about the crisis. Now-a-days even international columnists with impeccable reputation are taking their news pegs from blogs and chats.

If such trend continues, “traditional journalism” is sure to die a slow death. Although it won’t happen immediately but the fact that I am already referring to the so called journalism as “traditional journalism” is definitely a case in point. So what do we call social media journalism----the new age journalism! Any comments.