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The Facebook revolution

By Holly Coe

The JK blog has often commented about the use of social media within both the consumer and the business world.  However, this month, we’ve seen the use of Facebook and Twitter take on a slightly different role over the recent political unrest in North Africa.

First and foremost there was the uprising in Tunisia – where social media played a central role in mobilising the Tunisians against leader Ben Ali, whose rule of 23 years was swiftly ended after days of organised violence and protest.  With images of the uprisings quickly posted, tweeted and shared by social media users across the globe, there was soon widespread condemnation of the authoritarian government. 

This only served as a catalyst to spur on recent activities in Egypt where more than 40,000 protesters are demanding the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak.

In both instances, the ‘powers that be’ had/have attempted to clamp down on the use of the internet, particularly in Egypt where there is now an imposed internet blackout.  And whilst this will evidently curtail the speed at which protests can be organised, and perhaps the mass numbers involved, one thing is clear – social media has evolved into a pseudo agent of democracy – providing a platform for free speech.

In the future as a greater number of less developed nations embrace the power of the internet, those countries which operate corrupt and/or oppressive regimes around the world may need to watch out – the collective power of social media will be a force not to be underestimated or ignored.

Les Misérables

By Alexandra Radius

It’s a sad, sad world….but apparently only for French people.  Following the results of the global ‘Survey of Hope and Despair’ the French ranked as the most pessimistic nation.  The BVA-Gallup survey of 53 nations unveiled the French as the world champions of scepticism, in addition to 61 per cent of respondents expressing that 2011 will be 'a year of financial complexity'.

I know that the French have a reputation for complaining about everything and anything, carrying out one strike after another, and claiming they never have enough and always wanting more, which could explain the results of the study to some extent.  But I keep wondering if the results are legitimate and actually a reflection of a ‘deep depression’ which is affecting the majority of French people today.  After all, France is one of the richest countries in the world, with one of the most generous social cultures.

In these first few days of January, as we continue to wish our friends and colleagues a Happy New Year while secretly believing that we will end 2011 even more miserable than we began it, why not - just this time - pretend to believe in the sentiment?

Yes, why not believe that it is possible, in this valley of tears that is France, to have some reasons to smile and even  laugh.  That it is possible not to constantly imagine the worst.  That it is possible to be even a little bit positive and just take a break from all this darkness.

So, on that note, we wish you all a good and HAPPY New Year for 2011!

 

Is 2011 time for social maturity?

By Jonathan Mathias

We’re only seven days into the new year and I’ve already had more engagement with businesses via social media than for the whole of 2010. 

This has mostly been via Twitter, but has involved communicating about Facebook groups and Foursquare promotions. 

My feeling is that social media interaction and promotions are much more of a priority on many 2011 marketing plans.  Perhaps businesses have, until now, tested the waters, grown a following and assessed viability, before finally committing to the level of investment that will result in the kind of intimate communication and rewarding promotions that social media has for so long promised but, at least from my perspective, failed to truly deliver.

It’s certainly going to be an interesting year for social media regardless, as the new kid on the block, Quora, has already made a big stir, Facebook continues on the path to global domination and there’s a rumoured LinkedIn IPO in the offing.

The proof is in the pudding, but I for one will be checking in, tweeting, liking and watching with a keen eye.

Roses are red, violets are blue, e-dating is blind but isn’t love too?

by Lindsey Challis

Have you ever gone out to lunch expecting a casual conversation with a friend, only to find out they have some earth shattering romance revelation that they insist on gushing about until it’s received with the appropriate oo-ing and aa-ing?

I’ll admit, this was probably me a couple of months ago, but my question is would the gushing and the oo-ing and aa-ing have been the same if it was an online rendezvous?  Is finding your soul mate in the virtual world as acceptable as finding one in the non-virtual world?  I’d argue that despite the 2% of all marriages in America that eHarmony claims to be responsible for, online dating still has some way to go in the eyes of society.

But why? It could be that online dating has been stigmatised as romance for the socially challenged.  Or it could be that e-dating still has some technical hitches, and as a result, the techy evangelists who popularised Twitter and the like, haven’t yet been won over.  Also, credibility issues such as thousands of fake profiles and poor matching algorithms may deter users, and could be a reason for the rise in niche sites such as those for people with specific religions, disabilities or even book preferences!

So is it really that new or different?  The concept of finding your true love through carefully constructed prose is surely not a new phenomenon.  The once wax sealed love letters were firstly transformed into the lonely hearts column of our parents, and have now become a website pool of singletons who WLTM U but only if U R VGL (would like to meet you but if you are very good looking, for the e-dating novices).  Soon the divide between reality and virtual will become even more blurred with the proliferation of smartphones and location based dating apps.

Which brings me on to my next point – is online dating really more blind than traditional dating?  Perhaps it is blind in a different way.  In online dating, as far as I can see, the idea is to get to know the person before you can judge on true appearances, by delving deeper into the web page you can move beyond ascetics to a perhaps, truer connection.  On the contrary, in traditional dating, success is often achieved if the singleton is able to look beyond first appearances.

All in all it’s about enhancement rather than replacement.  Technology has given to dating, what masks gave to the masquerade ball, an added flourish that can be embraced or ignored as you wish.  Unless, of course, you have a gushing friend insisting on lunch!

Viva Las Vegas!

The Consumer Electronics Show, held each January in Las Vegas, has been back with a bang this week.  One of the world’s largest technology trade shows, it has been swamping Twitter and dominating the press, overshadowing even Apple’s groundbreaking announcement about its new Mac App Store.  So why all the fuss? 

Well, CES helps to create real market value.  The announcement of ARM’s partnership with Microsoft (and consequent dissolution of ‘Wintel’?) resulted in a 13 percent rise for the Cambridge-based company’s stock value.  The show also caters not only to tech geeks but to everyday consumers.  Throughout its 40+ year history, it has showcased gadgets that change the way many of us live, such as the CD player, Camcorder and Xbox, all of which debuted at CES. 

This year’s focus on connectivity is demonstrated by the flurry of iPad-chasing tablets and internet-connected TVs.  The question is, will these CES-exhibited technologies be changing the world again?

 

 

Why can’t we just communicate?

by Jonathan Mathias

The current hot topic in the UK media is the cold weather, and all the disruption it’s continuing to cause.  Special mention to some of our very own JK’ers who are suffering (good luck guys!).  I personally didn’t escape the first round of flight cancellations earlier in the month, when what was due to be a special trip to Berlin got grounded at the last minute.

I did, however, get my all my money back and I can appreciate – especially being an even worse flyer than Mr T – that it’s better to ground flights in the interest of safety.  What I do not understand is the apparent lack of information communicated to commuters.  In my instance, none of the clip-board wielding staff could answer my simple question of whether all refunds would be absolute, so instead I spent over an hour in a queue to be told ‘yes, but we can’t sort that out here, you need to do it online’.  Later that day I found myself in some kind of nightmare feedback-loop with the website telling me to call a number and the automated message on the phone line telling me to go to the website, just before disconnecting me.  In short, it was a shambles then, just as it is for those poor people at St Pancras and Heathrow now, and things don’t look set to change.

We’re talking about exceptional circumstances and a certain level of disorder is always going to occur, but it seems as there is no central communication policy, with staff being briefed, websites being routinely updated - with comprehensive data instead of just ‘delayed’ – and, hell, maybe some good old press releases.  The overarching complaint is lack of information – something which seems so surprising given, for example, how popular and well utilised social media has become with businesses.  Indeed, while all these organisations are – understandably – struggling to react to circumstances that are changing very quickly, Twitter would be the obvious medium, yet they don’t seem to be embracing it very well.

When something bad happens, the immediate human response is to try and cover it up, pretend it didn’t happen or stay as quiet about it as possible, hoping that it will just go away.  Yet the only way to move on from a disaster is to hold your hands up as soon as possible and be as open and as honest as to what the situation is and what’s going to happen to put it right.

Hopefully, something will be learnt from this recent bout of disruption – let’s face it, it’s snowed the past few years and there was the ash cloud to contend with too, so you’d think it’s about time – and the next time we’re hit with widespread bad weather, we’ll be a little more in-the-know about what’s going on.

Good luck to everyone who’s stranded – hope you make it back in time for Christmas!

Facebook vs. Twitter

2010 has really seen Twitter grow in terms of popularity and public awareness.  We were surprised, however, to see that according to this infographic from Digital Surgeons, almost as many people were aware of Twitter (87%) as they were of Facebook (88%).

It’s also interesting to note that Twitter is more popular from mobile devices (37% compared to 30%), but a far greater proportion of those asked log in to Facebook every day (41%) than they do into Twitter (27%).  Is this representative of how you use these two social networking giants?

Christmas 2.0

By Ingrid Daschner

Christmas is a wonderful time of year – I love the gifts, the good food and good wine. I love the Christmas lights and the street decorations, plus the good food and good wine.  I love the wintry ambience and the pause for reflection it provides.  All of which just makes the good food and good wine taste even better!

I have the feeling, however, that we – the ‘we’ that loves Christmas and winter (and good food and good wine) – are a dying breed.  The reason?  Because Christmas doesn’t have a WiFi connection.

My neighbour’s daughter, for instance, has collected every gold medal going in Winter Sports on the Wii.  But as soon as the first real snowflake fell, she threw a hissy fit and made her father promise that she wouldn’t have to put one foot out the door until the streets were no longer decked, gloriously, in white.  To keep an eye on the situation, she installed a weather app with snow warnings on her mobile – she hasn’t looked out of the window since she was three.

Unfortunately, my neighbour's experience with his son, who at 12 is old enough to know better, wasn't a big improvement either.  Once the severely pubescent youngster had determined that his chocolate Santa – traditionally presented to children on 6^th December here in Germany – didn’t have a USB 3.0 port, it found itself arching gracefully through the air on its way to an appointment with the wall.  And the music box, which has welcomed in every New Year with ‘Silent Night’ since Grandma’s era, has now been banished following vain efforts to save the tune as an MP3 and upload it onto YouTube.

Maybe their father’s attempts to rescue the situation will make headway though – he's got hold of programmable LED fairy lights for the Christmas tree, replaced the fairy with Super Mario, transferred the open fire and Christmas soundtrack to his iPad, and has got the kids iTunes vouchers as presents.

I do feel a little sorry for them, these kids who think Montepulciano is a laptop manufacturer and that mince pies are a new type of computer memory.  But it’s a feeling that soon passes – over a glass of good wine and a festive feast...

 

How connected is Facebook?

Ever wondered what all of Facebook’s connections would like on a map?  Probably not, but still, this brilliant visualisation – from Facebook intern, Paul Butler – gives us some idea, and really shows the incredible reach of the social network.  You can check out more info at Mashable.

 

French journalists? They deserve special status

by Valérie Sontot

It is often difficult to explain the French specificities in the world of journalism as they tend to be uniquely Franco- French, for the French and us only!

Did you know that French journos even have fiscal advantages?  It’s true, and it stems from a law decided last century.  The taxing of journalists has its roots in the mid-1930s when most of the professional statuses that are still in effect today were determined.  This special tax came before the famous one-year statute of 1935, the foundation of the journalist’s status.  This was then followed a year later by a declaration specifying the operation of the « Commission on the press card ».  Finally, the "social partners" came to agree on the first syndicate work of journalists in 1937. 

The tax agreement was initially put in place to account for the expenses incurred by journalists, as the majority of companies don’t reimburse journalist costs incurred at work.  Many politicians want to get rid of this fiscal advantage but have come up against many hurdles – especially given Nicolas Sarkozy’s own special relationship with the media world.

One of the best advantages for French journalists is probably “la clause de cession”, meaning the "transfer clause".   The "transfer clause" is extremely unpopular with media owners as it allows journalists to leave their job at their own will if the title they work for is purchased. They are entitled to a month’s salary as well as compensation in the form of unemployment benefits. That's the principle; however its implementation is less straightforward.  I remember when Son IT media was bought by a big media group… on Monday, 20 journalists were there, on Tuesday, 15 of them put down this clause… and on Wednesday, only 5 were still working.