Archive - Social Media

Olapic Proves a Picture is Worth More Than a Thousand Words

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Join us for our latest installment of Behind the Seen featuring Olapic, the premier photo crowdsourcing platform that provides tools to collect, curate and publish photo content from around the web for brands, publishers, e-commerce, sports teams and more. Olapic works with a variety of fashion brands and publications, all of whom have been coming up with really cool ways to promote their products and services through crowdsourced content. They recently partnered with the Urban Outfitter brand, Free People and created an awesome campaign allowing customers to upload pictures of themselves in their favorite Free People Denim utilizing Instagram and have them featured on the Free People website by pulling photos in from consumers who utilized the hashtag #myfpdenim.

We had an opportunity to speak to Campbell Kliefoth, the VP of Awesomeness & Business Development over at Olapic to learn more about how Olapic is proving to brands that a picture is worth more than a thousand words.

Africa: Most new businesses come into fruition because there is a gap in the industry that they are delving in, You seem to have found a market that has yet to be tapped within the photo and video sharing/crowdsourcing world. What was that gap and how is Olapic filling it?

Campbell: When we started working with our first client, the New York Daily News, we discovered that the platform they were using to collect user photos was extremely antiquated – it required uploading a single photo from the desktop, then filling out a very long page of user info to be even allowed to submit it. The bounce rate was enormous. So we began developing tools to collect photos from the services that hundreds of millions of people were already using – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, etc. I will admit when we first started trying to acquire clients, people didn’t quite get the concept, and it was a hard sell. It seems the market has caught up now, and we are hiring new employees every week to keep up with demand.

Africa: Everyone is familiar with Instagram, YouTube and other digital photo and video sharing companies, and they have been more than fairly successful, I hate to ask the typical questions but people are going to want to know what sets Olapic apart from other platforms? What are you all doing to remain competitive in the space? What is the motivation behind your whole movement?

Campbell: There is an extraordinary amount of photosharing going on these days – over 10% of all of the photos ever taken in the history of the camera were taken in the last year. Obviously the advent of the smartphone and accompanying photo-sharing services (like Instagram) are the primary reason for this – but the majority of the value coming from this sharing is unrealized. Someone might take a photo and post it to Twitter that could be extremely valuable to a particular brand, but that value is lost if they can’t find the photo. We are constantly developing new ways to overcome this problem, always looking for new APIs, trends, and tools to “bubble up” the truly best content.

Africa: How is the Internet changing what you do?

Campbell: We follow the trends in mobile photosharing very closely. Whenever a service pops up as popular, we try to find all the ways to collect great content from it. We actually were around to see the rise of Instagram, and immediately found ways to collect based on #hashtag, @handle, and even geo-location. We are always on the lookout for the newest thing.

Africa: So Fashion week is upon us, any big plans for partnering with any brands?

Campbell: We work with a lot of fashion brands and fashion publications, all of whom have been coming up with really cool ways to promote their initiatives through crowdsourced content. Free People (an Urban Outfitters brand) is doing a really beautifully designed street-style contest that got all of us excited.

Africa: Who are some brands you would love to partner with in the future?

Campbell: The interest in our fashion e-commerce “shop-able Instagram” product has been overwhelming, and we could not be happier for it. Because the interest is so high, we are trying to put together a small group of early-adopters who we think will really be able to run with the product, so to speak. The Urban Outfitter brands have been awesome, because they have such an engaged, fashionable, and social media savvy fanbase. We are looking for brands who will be able to replicate their success.

Africa: Could you talk about any long-term goals you have in mind?

Campbell: We want to revolutionize the connection between user generated content and e-commerce. Amazon grew their conversion rate by double-digits when they introduced the ability for users to upload photos to product pages, and we want to empower any brand to have that functionality.

It was awesome speaking to Campbell about Olapic and their growth, we look forward to their advancement in fashion eCommerce and the possibility of a “shopable Instagram” How cool would that be? To learn more about the Olapic team visit them at Olapic.com, follow them on twitter at @Olapic and liking them on Facebook at Facebook.com/olapic and take a look at their latest campaign with Free People

 

Only It In It for The Perks! Should We Take Klout Scores Seriously?

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Social Media has proven itself to be a great business tool over the past year. The emergence of new tools allows businesses to monitor and track interactions between them and their customers. However, some businesses are still quite skeptical and wonder “what exactly is social media and how the hell can it help me grow my business?” To put it simply: “Social Media is what happens when an idea and its audience collaborate on a shared experience in real-time;” a great definition eloquently tweeted by @TheOnenOnlySAH. These collaborations are real-time interactions that are happening right now as you are reading this. The question has always been, well, how does one go about measuring social media interactions? After it is collected, what do we do with the data?

Klout has found a way to answer this question by measuring an individuals social interactions and influence online. They have created a great platform not only for measuring the data and interactions that are happening in real time but have also found a way to help brands utilize the data to increase their awareness. The way we interact socially has changed substantially over the last decade. Our friendships and professional connections have moved online, making influence measurable for the first time in history. When you recommend, share, and create content you impact others, and Klout assigns you a score to measures that influence on a scale of 1 to 100. The key component here is influence. Klout has taken data gathering to the next level by identifying influential individuals and rewarding them with “Perks”. Perks are gifts and giveaways from various brands in hopes that it will spark conversation and increase their visibility. Are influencers, those with higher Klout scores, only in it for the Perks? Or is Klout really turning tweeters and other social gurus into brand ambassadors?

For the most part when I polled friends, colleagues, business owners and other avid users of social networks about Klout most were not sure or confident about its rankings or exclaimed they did not pay much attention to it. However, a few weeks ago when Klout made changes to their algorithm and individuals scores dropped downwards of 20 points there was a big uproar on twitter. Business owners, professionals and experts who have been working hard to build rapport with consumers, colleagues and followers were at a loss and infuriated at the change because they thought they were finally making some headway with understanding how to increase their score even if many were never quite sure about the algorithm. According to Klout they have made the Klout score more transparent giving users more insight into how they effect/affect their audience. These recent changes made me wonder was Klout really turning users into brand ambassadors or were they just reaping the benefits of the perks but not returning the favor.

Whether the perk of utilizing Klout is building credibility, being labeled an influencer or simply a tool to see what your followers feel are the topics you are the expert on I think Klout has to do more than just provide a more transparent scoring system which is still very ambiguous. In order for Klout to ensure that a brands perk reaches it’s target audience, Klout needs to take into account social factors that may not occur online such as their expertise, fame and the amount of targeted individuals they can reach via other followers in order to increase awareness for a perspective brand. Other then Television I have not seen individuals collaborate on their shared experiences on a social network and increase awareness of a particular brand.  User’s on both Twitter and Facebook seem to watch their favorite television shows as a collective online and have collaborated on a large scale about their experiences, enjoyment or distaste in regards to a specific show, many share similar view points but they have not all shared them with each other.

One way to focus a conversation online is the use of Hashtags. Hashtags serve as a marker used to highlight keywords or topics in a Tweet so tweeters can follow a conversation on a specific topic. Conversations about brands we love happen organically, we update our status with information about our favorite brands daily such as tweeting about what we had breakfast meals, check-ins to Starbucks, pastimes, etc. The same needs to happen for the brands participating in Klout Perks. Klout needs to connect all redeemer’s of perks and facilitate the conversation around the brands in order to influence their following. Since a tangible product cannot be shared socially, Klout needs to ensure that experience is felt and shared among all Perk recipients as well as the people they influence. There is a certain level of abandonment once the perks are received where individuals use them and they are never spoken of again. Once Klout implements a system to keep the brand conversation going it will be a perfect tool for measuring social media influece.

Would you be more inclined to discuss brands if you were aware of the conversations surrounding Klout perks that you have received or are you just in it for the perks?

Keepin’ it 100: Authenticity in Urban Influence and Engagement

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On March 29th, thanks to @DREPowersBrands I was able to attend a wonderful event that highlighted the importance of engaging the Urban demographic that are interacting with Brands via online mediums. The Urban Works: Influencer 360 Panel Series: Social Media Installment gathered leading influencers in the social media and digital space to lend their insights on the emerging trends among urban consumers. The panelist included:

Rev Run, Media Personality (@RevRunWisdom)
Demetria Lucas, Author, Founder of abelleinbrooklyn.com, Relationship Editor, Essence (@abelleinbk)
Mike Presson, SVP Digital Media, Northeast for @MSL_Group (@MikePresson)
Corvida Raven, Creator of SheGeeks.net (@Corvida)
Reggie Osse (@CombatJack)
Mike Street, Senior Digital Strategist, Syndicate Media Group and Creator of Influential1s.com (@StreetForce1)
Troy Brown Founder of One50One.com (@MrOne50One)

Each panelist brought up great points on how brands can connect and engage individuals online but what stuck out the most was the reiteration of the word Authenticity. Corvida made a statement that resonated she stated “I am not an expert at this but I am passionate about it” and that is what garnered brands attention to SheGeeks. When speaking to clients on the best strategy to gain followers on twitter or to get likes on Facebook my first response is just be you, talk to them like you would speak to anyone else  they will appreciate that more than being sold on a product or service.

The consensus was that you must be authentic and true to yourself for the individuals you interact with to believe YOU, but is “Keepin’ it 100″ causing brands to misinterpret our authenticity thus labeling our interactions and placing them into the “Black Twitter” box. Over the past couple of months there has been a heightened fascination with the so called “Black Twitter” that is starting to garner mainstream attention on blogs, newspapers and other publications. Now this topic was not discussed in detail during the conference and this could be due to the fact that many of us probably had never entertained the idea of being a part of “Black Twitter.” When it comes to influence especially in certain demographics it is well known that we are the trendsetters, we decide whether or not something is quote on quote cool. Now I think this is more of an “Urban” quality more so than a “Black” one but we will discus that at another time.

Most recently Virginia Heffernan released an op-ed entitled Making a Hashtag of It where she dissected the origins of trending topics and hashtag usage on Twitter and even refers to some of the topics as “blacktags” as Farhad dubbed them last year in his Slate article How Black People Use Twitter. What I find funny is that I think these people are totally missing the point of why “WE” use twitter. I feel like I am being racially profiled, I didn’t realize I had to worry about Tweeting While Black. My interactions on social networks depending on the outlet can range from topics of social responsibility, business, music, art, fashion, personal views, random musings and so on but is just representative of me as an individual. The reason why I preferred twitter over other networks is because I felt that it was the only site that didn’t stifle my creativity.

But with the dissection of how “We” tweet I am now second guessing how freely I express myself via twitter which in turn has effected how I influence others as well as how I will be influenced.  I always thought Twitter was the perfect medium for focus groups that were organically present and would help brands learn more about how individuals are interacting with their product and/or service in an unbiased environment, and I use the word unbiased loosely. The dynamic of the interactions on Twitter always reminded me of those that may happen on the back of the bus, in the beauty salon or barbershop or those that just arise while hanging out with friends in an intimate setting. Those who grew up in this atmosphere know that some of the most intelligent conversations can arise in these venues as well as some not so favorable but they encompassed the things that were on our mind at that time whether political or for comedy. Not every person who tweets has that same passion Corvida expressed, some are on twitter for pure entertainment or other reasons and people need to differentiate between the various personas displayed on twitter from the authentic.

Do you find yourself editing tweets or making them “politically correct” or do you tweet freely?

Digital Detox Infographic: Taking a Break from Online Interaction

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Social Networking has definitely changed the way that most of us interact with each other, for the good and bad. It is healthy to take what @JamilahCreekmur refers to as a digital detox so that  you don’t become socially inept as displayed below.

Mark Zuckerberg is a Genius but F*CK FACEBOOK

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A good friend of mine who is a Spoken Word Artist, Poet, Writer or how ever you would like to classify her wrote a great poem on the effects of Facebook on her life. One thing that is undeniable is that Desireé Marshall is dope! She has encaptured how Mark Zuckerberg has found little ways such as Photo Memories, Status Updates and so much more to make sure that individuals stay engaged and interact as much as possible and it is frickin’ ingenious.

WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE

You can follow Desireé Marshall on Twitter at @dezisdope.

Africa Hannibal Offers FREE Facebook Advertising

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As you all may know Facebook redesigned and changed the aesthetic of the Facebook user profile which now features the last 5 photos that you have uploaded or that have been recently tagged of you right at the top of your profile page. Over the past couple of weeks I have seen many individuals add some unique photos to the banner such as friend Matthew “Sah Ril” Jennifer seen below where it seems as if you are taking a look into his soul via his eyes.

So I began to think to myself, how can I utilize this space on my various Facebook Page to benefit others and also to see if individuals pay attention to them when they visit a page. So starting on Monday March 4th, I will be advertising various business owners on my Facebook profiles for FREE, that is right I said FREE. All I need for you to do is to add me as a friend on Facebook by visiting http://www.facebook.com/AfricaHannibal then send me an email at info@africahannibal.com that includes a 468X60 banner for your business and a short bio on yourself and your business to enter.

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Cakeman Catastrophe: Using Social Media as a Crisis Management Tool

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Anybody who is anybody has heard of Cakeman Raven, the infamous baker who is known for his Red Velvet Cake and for servicing many celebrities in the industry for any and every occasion. People come in droves to purchase the moist delicacy that he serves in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn.

On October 8th, while on twitter I began to see tweets in my timeline referencing an article that stated that Cake Man Raven was closed and the ironic part was I was just about to purchase a Red Velvet Cake for a family members birthday. As I opened the article and read the list of upwards to 78 violations points by the Health Department, I was appalled but not so much by the violations but the way they went about informing their customers of the issue.

Passersby may not have noticed the two bright yellow Health Department signs pasted to the shop’s front doors Thursday night, which read “Notice: Closed.” That’s because two large plants obstructed the signs. More prominently displayed was a handwritten sign that read “Sorry for inconvenience, cakes sold out for today.”

Soon many people began to retweet the story found in the New York Times which goes into detail about the various violations found in the establishment and went what we social media addicts like to call viral. I understand Cakeman Raven wanted to protect his brand and reputation but this issue is public information and can be accessed with the push of a button and twitter proved how powerful viral news can become.

My first issue with Cakeman was the deception involved with the closing, yes we understand brand protection is important but you need to be honest when issues like this arise. For a local business it is important that your patrons and community trust you, loyal customers will always support you despite your pitfalls if they are true supporters they will be there through thick and thin.

Secondly why didn’t anyone address the issue, word of mouth is powerful and a trusted form of communication because especially when it comes from a trusted source such as a friend or family member. People will take the opinions and the advice of a friend or family member before anyone else especially when suggesting a local business. So addressing the issue would have quieted those inquiring minds who were not quite sure what was going on and comforted those who did.

And last who is managing your brand online, everything is happening online these days especially with the emergence of social networks and online review sites. Who is putting out the fire that is occurring on twitter, facebook, blogs, even the comments on the article in the times. Makes no difference if you have a sign saying you ran out of cakes when the whole world knows it is not true.

Many local business owners have yet to realize the importance of going online and doing research on their brand to find out what consumers are saying about their products and services.  I suggest that every business conduct a buzz analysis, what is that exactly, it is research to found out the buzz about your company online. Whether good or bad it is in a businesses best interest to engage and address any issues online to show that you are paying attention to your customers thoughts and concerns or at least acknowledge them internally.

P.S.  - I know that Cakeman resumed business the next day and thank you @AWarriorsSoul for the idea for this post

Profile of a Socialpath – Is Social Networking Making You Insociable?

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Recently I attended the YRB/Blac Label Event at The Gates with my friend Tamika of Cultureflyy.com and Shana, PR Specialist to support young entrepreneurs. All of us were huddled together on our perspective Blackerry’s having separate conversations but apparently it looked as if we were talking to each other. A nice gentleman came over and asked are you all talking to each other via BBM while standing right next to each other, I laughed and said no. But I could see how he would think that and we were currently the most social anti-social people in the room. He then presented us with a proposition, he asked if we could go the rest of the night without our Blackberry’s I was hesitant but I kindly obliged and took him up on his challenge. The gentleman was a funny personal banker who I enjoyed very much, it had been so long honestly since I haven’t had my phone as a distraction to me when interacting with people especially since I purchased this Blackberry. My new Blackberry keeps me organized but it is also the ultimate distraction since I can do so many task at once, which include holding a conversation while BBMing, texting, tweeting, setting an appointment, emailing, well you get the point.

Taking a breather, putting my phone away and having a real face to face interaction was definitely the highlight of my week. I love people who bring out the more outgoing side of me and help me to feel free when networking. With all of the advances in the internet and social networks, face to face social interaction seems to have become a thing of the past, I have to even check myself at times when I get caught up on my phone when I should be engaging in conversation. At times it is easier just to message someone, it is quick, painless and leaves out having to explain certain things especially due to character limitations.

Here are some signs you are a social path:

  • Constantly checking your phone for updates including tweets, text, status updates, emails, etc.
  • You introduce yourself as @Twitterhandle and refer to people by their handles when networking
  • Talking without letting anyone else get a word in, real life conversations consist of a mutual interaction, a conversation is not a timeline or status update, might as well just talk to yourself
  • You are in a group setting and all of you are on your phones and not interacting with each other

If you find yourself doing any of the things above, you are certainly a Socialpath. When establishing yourself and/or your business you definitely do not want to be viewed as socially inept when interacting. It is important that you build and maintain strong relationships when networking, a bad first impression may limit your chances of connecting with great individuals.