The topic on 3 Talk with Noleen, today, was Social Media, blogging and Facebook. She had Arthur Goldstuck on her panel as well as a bunch of other names that I didn’t catch. The panel addressed a few issues that I would like to highlight and comment on.
Facebook Affecting Productiviy
Facebook affects productivity during work hours, period! However, it depends on the type of business you are in. The Times use Facebook and other Web 2.0 sites daily to stay abreast as South Africa’s top interactive news paper. Metropolitan Health Group is using Facebook for recruitment and many others for marketing and business. If I have to use myself as an example, my productivity is extremely high with Facebook because Facebook is my business. It all depends on your industry and what you’re looking to achieve with Facebook.
Facebook Affecting The Youth’s Social Lives
If anything, Facebook helps the social lives of youngsters. It allows us to organise events and invite hundreds of people within a few hours. We can communicate at anytime of the day or night and organise to meet up offline. We’re seeing a huge convergence of “geek” and “jock” culture amongst the youth all over the world. We’re growing up with technology and using it to our advantage. Don’t be jealous because the early adopters and youngsters use it so well.
Personally, I have not seen one case of “cyber-bullying” on Facebook. I am in contact with a large number of youngsters on a daily basis and have not heard nor seen anything of the sort. However, I do agree that someone being denied to become a person’s friend on Facebook or not invited to an event can be slightly damaging to ones self esteem. I also think that Facebook can be used effectively for stalking, that is why I suggest everyone check their privacy settings.
Confusing The Viewers
This wasn’t a topic, but something that I picked up on and it bugged me slightly. The gentleman from MyDigitalLife confused the viewers with way too many buzz words. Terms such as blog, plog, vlog and mlog. He then went on to say that we make them up as we go along. This makes me irate because it gives some people the impression that the industry is very confusing and unorganised. No offence to the gentleman, he knows what he is talking about, but why not just use terms like picture blog and mobile blog to make it easier. Everyone is already confused with the term blog, lets not make it even worse.
Your Say? The Conversation Continued..
I would like to hear your thoughts on the show and what was said or on what I have written. Maybe I have missed the boat a little or jumped to conclusions.
There were a few of us watching the show and passing comment via Twitter, namely Jason Bagley, Steven and myself.
Tags: blogging, Facebook, Social Media, social networking
and that “clinical psychologist has probably never even been one facebook! I laughed everytime she said “when you blog someone” or “when someone blogs you”. WTF is she talking about?! As for the gent from myDigitalLife, I realize airtime is previous free advertising but seriously, how many times did he say MyDigitalLife?
As for “Miss HR”, she really knew what she was on about didn’t she
Tyler, just the other day you have commented on educating with relevance and although I haven’t watched the show, it is evident from your post that once again the message on social media (Facebook in particular) has been misconstrued.
The issue of Facebook affecting youths’ social lives is utter nonsense for all the obvious reasons you’ve mentioned. The only difference in all the positives and negatives of Facebook and offline is that the youth is embracing technology with such ease that it makes the older generation uncomfortable.
It seems that Noeleen has invited guests that has no clue on what social media is and what the benefits of technology has for the youth. It annoys me no end to see people in influential positions use a media to pinpoint negatives of something they have absolutely no clue of. It raises the question as to whether she has done her homework at all???
As to the guy from MyDigitalLife. Fair enough, he knows what he’s talking about. But smart marketers know that industry jargon is not the way to address a society that is completely ignorant to internet trends. Come now people, we need to educate in a language that addresses a society in its infancy ito online.
My message was simple: Facebook does hold some dangers, but they arise almost entirely from the inability of certain categories of people to understand what they are letting themselves in for. The two categories that apply here are young teens, who tend to lack the maturity to appreciate what is appropriate and what isn’t it, and (at the other end of the scale) corporate management, who have no idea how to manage such phenomena. The point was made quite clearly that it is something that must be managed rather than prohibited in the corporate environment. The point was also made that it is in tune with the social nature of human beings. The problem is that the scare stories tend to be the ones that stick with people who don’t use or understand the medium.
Incidentally, cyber-bullying is very real on Facebook, has led to disciplinary action at some schools,and has forced welfare workers at other schools into a very swift education regarding the workings of Facebook, in order to address the consequences to both victims and perpetrators.
Arthur, thanks for clearing that up to me. Point being that cyber-bullying is as much prevalent as it is in real life. I think the message we’re trying to carry across is that it seems that parents / businesses pinpoint the negatives and base their opinions and choices on their fears.
If that is the correct approach, parents wouldn’t allow their children to go to school, go out at night or subject them to any form of social endeavors due to the possibility of bullying.
Corporate management would have to ban mobile phones, personal e-mails, hell, even internet for that matter, if they wish to enforce military-like discipline in terms of social interaction in the work place.
I understand that the fears need to be discussed, but as it stands it seems that corporates and authority figures rather downplay the existence of Facebook than acknowledge the benefits it holds to society, especially the younger (more savvy) generation.
Facebook has become a swear word amongst (many) authority figures and it is evident from the reaction one gets when talking to them.
The main question from yesterday’s show is this: What is the perception Noeleen’s viewers got from yesterday’s show? (Keep in mind the demographics of her viewers)
I’ve said before Facebook drains mental bandwidth because of the multitasking myth. And when I speak to companies I advocate the middle way: unlike Mike Stopforth who says everyone should have full access or radical steps like a complete ban; I say companies should allow access before 8am and after 5pm and maybe between 12-1pm or lunch time. This helps to get it out of the employees system, especially if they are between 20-30 years old.
I agree with you Tyler when you say Louis-March from MyDigitalLife was confusing. I’m sometimes amused at how 3Talk chooses its guests because someone like your or Rafiq should have been interviewed to present a more realistic.
Damn! I can’t even find him on Facebook…how can that be?
Ramon, you are categorically confused. Facebook is not the scourge of a generation, it is potentially a tool that companies WITH THE BANDWIDTH CAPACITY can use to leverage and manipulate their own and other networks in ways they never dreamed possible.
I say allow employees to use Facebook because they will anyways, just behind closed doors or on cellphones in smoke breaks, and because it’s the biggest opportunity companies have ever had to preempt market trends, gather research, seed viral interactions and LEARN than ever before.
There is no middle way.
I agree and disagree with everyone here. There has to be a middle way, but it doesn’t have to be management’s middle way. Restricting Facebook to after hours or lunchbreaks is unworkable, for the reasons Mike gives. My suggestion, which was my last word on the topic during the show,was that banning Facebook was the wrong approach. And that, instead, management should challenge employees to come up with suggestions for productive uses of Facebook in the work environment. That way,everyone buys into the strategy, and everyone benefits.
Good one Tyler. Personally, I think the only people who are really able to talk about social networking, blogging and new media in South Africa are those who are involved, most specifically – bloggers!
There is such a lack of understanding still in South Africa, people think and claim that they understand all of this, but honestly, they don’t! Yes, most people have heard about blogs, and can explain what a blog is, but does that mean they have an understanding with regards to the depth that blogging goes? We see it on TV, we see it in the work place, we see it online.. people, in general, just don’t get what it’s all about. Dare I throw the words SEO into the mix
Fantastic post Tyler, I will now continue to read all the comments everyone left.
I would reconsider that statement: “the only people who are really able to talk about social networking, blogging and new media in South Africa are those who are involved, most specifically – bloggers”. You run the risk of promoting a form of elitism that will continue to alienate non-bloggers from the blogging environment.
Why should someone who writes one or two or three blogs be more qualified to comment on blogging than someone who reads dozens of blogs? Why should a blogger be more qualified to talk about it than someone who studies blogs, for example? L-M runs a blogging platform, yet the comments here suggest he didn’t do bloggers any favours by confusingviewers. But many veteran bloggers are even more confusing,and some are so purist and evangelist about it, they undermine all of blogging.
I do agree that someone who isn’t on Facebook can’t possibly comment in depth on it’s role, but that’s because you have to use Facebook to understand both the problems and the huge opportunities it represents.
Blogs are out in the open, and anyone who follows blogs is entitled to comment on them. You don’t have to be able to mash to comment on the amazing potential of mashups. Etc.
Finally, I’d like to pose a question, which I asked a while ago in another blog when a similar comment was made about only bloggers being entitled to comment on blogging (no one offered an answer): How do you define a blogger?