Groundswell: Sharing is more Effective than Shouting

In chapters 5 and 6 of Groundswell, the authors discuss talking with and listening to the groundswell. One of the ways in which they suggest to do this is to create a community. Whereas with traditional advertising, organizations are "shouting" at consumers, Groundswell advises organizations to instead talk with their consumers and create a community in which consumers can learn from one another AND from the organization.

"Once people are aware of your product, a new dynamic kicks in: people learning from each other. Social technologies have revved up that word-of-mouth dynamic, increasing the influence of regular people while diluting the value of traditional marketing. When we surveyed online consumers at the end of 2006, 83 percent said they trusted recommendations from friends and acquaintances, and more than half trusted online reviews from strangers. At the same time, trust in ads continued to plummet." (p. 102)

As the book suggests, the strategies used in marketing and advertising have shifted from traditional methods with the emergence of the groundswell. Consumers no longer trust the "shouting" approach, calling for a change in the way companies communicate with their consumers.

The Ernst & Young case study does a great job illustrating the success of listening and talking with the groundswell to engage consumers. Ernst & Young started talking in social networks through Facebook. The company, a global accounting firm, must hire thirty-five hundred new college grads every year. What better way to connect with college students than through social media sites such as Facebook? Not only could Ernst & Young connect with the students but the students could connect with one another, strongly demonstrating real groundswell thinking.

Not only does Ernst & Young provide information, videos, and other traditional advertising elements on their facebook page, they also respond to individual questions that potential candidates may have. Therefore increasing trust and communication between the company and its consumers:

 Ernst & Young's marketing strategy allows recent college graduates to find information about their company AND develop a relationship with the organization. Instead of being "shouted" at to join their organization, recent graduates are able to develop trust with Ernst & Young through a social network community.

It seems that creating a community results in increased marketing success and the authors of Groundswell were spot on! Recent college graduates are reaching out to the Facebook page and "for a decision as big as where to take that first job, this type of connection is powerful" (p. 106).

Social Media Over Sharing

I have never been one to update the internet community on my life and experiences through social media continuously. I have created two blogs in the past and have been wary about sharing personal opinions and information because I am not as trusting as some of my social media- and internet-savvy peers. I have also debated deactivating my facebook as I am unsure of the consequences it will have for my future.

While I want to keep up with the groundswell that is Web 2.0, I have remained more of a spectator than an active participant. How does the general population decide the level of privacy they are comfortable with? And for those who feel comfortable expressing themselves completely in regards to social media, at what point do they cross the line?

Social media and publicity rights continue to emerge as people become more and more fluent in social media applications. Twitter, in particular, is an interesting case because it allows users to constantly tweet about any topic that anyone on twitter can follow and participate in.

(Legal Issues Over Social Media, youtube)

Twitter brings up a legal issue when it comes to the right of free speech. While Americans are able to exercise the right of free speech, there are still expectations as to how these rights are used. "You can't cry fire in a public theatre...you can't create a public danger with your free speech". At what point must the law interrupt what you write on your personal social media accounts?

Not only can you get in legal trouble for inappropriate posts on social media sites, but what you share can be held against you. Whether social media be used as evidence in lawsuits or evidence that you are too much of a partier to qualify for a specific job, the information and images that you put on social media sites can affect your life.

(Embarrassing Nightclub Photos, Facebook)

If this photo is on your facebook profile, what are the implications? I was able to access this photo on Facebook without knowing or even being friends with the people who are in it. While this photo may be amusing to some, I'm not sure that this is how these people would like to be viewed by their employers, parents, or anyone that they may not know. I value having a good time with my friends (maybe not to this extent) but posting photos like these may be a bit over sharing and detrimental to someone's future.

I do not believe that anything I write would get to the point of becoming a legal issue, but social media has such power in controlling the people who use it either as spectators or participants. It makes me nervous sometimes to think that my personal information is out there on social media sites for the world to view. My ideas of privacy are changing as I am coming of age in a world where social media and the internet are now a part of society and highly influence our culture and opinions. It is important to decide at what point the things you are sharing are actually over sharing.