Marketing With Social Media Mix

Meningkatnya popularitas social media seperti blog, facebook dan twitter merupakan sebuah peluang yang bisa dioptimalkan untuk memulai berbisnis dengan modal yang tidak terlalu besar. Dengan memanfaatkan social media yang lagi menjadi trend terutama di kalangan masyarakat kota bisa dimanfaatkan untuk mengurangi biaya sewa lapak dan biaya advertising.

Dengan jangkauan global tanpa batas wilayah, social media menjadi suatu pilihan tepat bagi yang ingin mencoba bisnis online. Kombinasi berbagai social media yang ada (social media mix)bisa dimanfaatkan sebagai sarana pendukung bisnis yang sangat powerfull.

Melihat fenomena tersebut, saya pun tertarik untuk menantang diri sendiri mengelola social media mix agar bisa powerfull. Project pertama saya (bersama istri) adalah mencoba memasarkan makanan ringan khas magelang, yakni ceriping gethuk. Dalam hal ini, saya mencoba mengkombinasikan 3 social media yang sangat populer di Indonesia, yakni blogspot, facebook dan twitter.

Salam virtual market place..;)

read more...

Bahasa Indonesia Kurang Komersial..?

Salah satu Sumpah yang diucapkan oleh Pemuda Indonesia pada tanggal 28 Oktober 1928 adalah menjunjung bahasa Indonesia sebagai bahasa persatuan. Bila kita cermati, peran bahasa Indonesia sebagai salah satu alat pemersatu sangat lah penting. Hal tersebut bisa kita rasakan ketika kita berinteraksi dan berkomunikasi dengan orang lain yang berasal dari suku yang berbeda. Bisa kita bayangkan betapa bingungnya kita, bila harus ngobrol dengan orang menggunakan bahasa daerah masing-masing. Apalagi kalau urusannya tidak hanya sekedar ngobrol, tapi lebih penting dari itu, misalnya bertransaksi jual beli. Tanpa adanya bahasa yang bisa dipahami oleh kedua belah pihak, bisa gawat urusan..

Meski bahasa Indonesia mempunyai peran penting dalam hal mempersatukan anak bangsa, tapi tampaknya di era sekarang ini, bahasa Indonesia belum cukup mampu untuk membuat bangga anak remaja (ibu) kota. Bisa kita lihat fenomena bahasa Inglish (=Indonesia-Inggris) yang sering digunakan oleh sebagian remaja di kota. Mereka merasa bangga bila mampu menyelipkan beberapa istilah berbahasa Inggris diantara kosakata bahasa Indonesia yang mereka gunakan.

Hal yang paling mencolok adalah ketika kita cermati "bahasa iklan/marketing" yang beredar di media massa kita. Sudah puluhan, bahkan mungkin ratusan, produk atau acara yang dipasarkan dengan menggunakan bahasa Inglish. Salah satu fenomena menarik adalah mulai tenarnya acara "Stand Up Comedy Indonesia" yang ditayangkan oleh Kompas TV setiap Sabtu malam. Kenapa saya bilang menarik? Menjadi menarik karena yang bikin acara adalah Kompas TV. Ya kita tahu lah bagaimana "gaya" Kompas dalam hal bertutur dan mengangkat sebuah fenomena.

Bila kita sering melihat acara tersebut, kita tentu akan sering mendengar Mas Raditya Dika mengucapkan kata-kata "Let's Make Laugh..!". Meskipun di belakang judul acara sudah ditambahkan kata Indonesia karena mungkin kesusahan untuk menerjemahkan kosakata "Stand Up Comedy" dengan kalimat singkat, ternyata slogan yang diusung sebagai kalimat pengikutnya tetap kalimat dalam bahasa Inggris. Sementara kalau kita sempat membaca harian Kompas pada tanggal 9 Oktober 2011, ada ulasan tentang acara stand up comedy, dengan judul berita "Wahai Indonesia, Tertawalah..."

Mungkin memang aneh kali ya? kalau Mas Raditya Dika mesti mengucapkan: "Stand Up Comedy, Wahai Indonesia Tertawalah..."

read more...

Cinta Laura dan Bahasa Prokem Kaum Urban

Dalam pergaulan sehari-hari, kita lebih sering menggunakan bahasa prokem daripada bahasa Indonesia “yang baik dan benar”. Balai Bahasa Bandung mendefinisikan bahasa prokem sebagai bahasa sandi, yang dipakai dan digemari oleh kalangan remaja tertentu. Bahasa ini konon berasal dari kalangan preman. Bahasa prokem itu digunakan sebagai sarana komunikasi di antara remaja sekelompoknya selama kurun tertentu. Sarana komunikasi diperlukan oleh kalangan remaja untuk menyampaikan hal-hal yang dianggap tertutup bagi kelompok usia lain atau agar pihak lain tidak dapat mengetahui apa yang sedang dibicarakannya. Bahasa prokem itu tumbuh dan berkembang sesuai dengan latar belakang sosial budaya pemakainya.

Beberapa waktu lalu bahasa gaul yang dipopulerkan oleh Deby Sahertian begitu renyah dan populer di berbagai kalangan, terutama remaja. Sampai saat ini bahasa tersebut masih banyak dipakai orang dan terdengar di sekitar kita.

Terkait dengan dinamika bahasa prokem di kalangan kaum urban, kini muncul sosok baru dalam dunia hiburan Indonesia. Bila kita sebut nama Cinta Laura maka hampir dipastikan banyak diantara kita yang kenal dengan sosoknya. Ya, gadis kelahiran Jerman ini memang fenomenal dengan logat bahasa nya ketika berbicara dalam bahasa Indonesia.

Dalam setiap wawancaranya, Cinta Laura tampak kesusahan memilih kosakata dalam bahasa Indonesia dan selalu melafalkan bahasa Indonesia dengan logat bahasa Inggris sehingga terdengar aksen yang khas. Seperti dikutip detikHot. Cinta Laura mengungkapkapkan bahwa hal ini terjadi karena di lingkungan dia jarang yang ngomong Indonesia, kebanyakan bahasa Inggris.

Namun di lain waktu, ketika berperan di sinetron, Cinta Laura bisa melafalkan kata-kata dalam bahasa Indonesia dengan lancar. Perbedaan cara dia bicara ketika diwawancara dan ketika main di sinetron tak urung menimbulkan perdebatan, sindiran dan ledekan. Logat manakah yang asli? Ketika di sinetron atau ketika diliput infotainment?

Meski demikian, gaya bicara Cinta Laura seringkali ditiru oleh berbagai kalangan, khususnya remaja. Semakin populernya logat “kebarat-baratan” dan perkawinan bahasa Indonesia-Inggris (Inglish) yang sering digunakan Cinta Laura telah memunculkan fenomena baru bahasa prokem yang semakin memberi warna pada gaya hidup kaum urban.

read more...

Build Personal Brand Through Blog

Blog merupakan media yang sudah tidak asing lagi bagi kita. Menurut Wikipedia Indonesia, blog merupakan singkatan dari "web log" adalah bentuk aplikasi web yang menyerupai tulisan-tulisan (yang dimuat sebagai posting) pada sebuah halaman web umum. Tulisan-tulisan ini seringkali dimuat dalam urut terbalik (isi terbaru dahulu baru kemudian diikuti isi yang lebih lama), meskipun tidak selamanya demikian. Situs web seperti ini biasanya dapat diakses oleh semua pengguna internet sesuai dengan topik dan tujuan dari si pengguna blog tersebut.

Sebagian blog dipelihara oleh seorang penulis tunggal, sementara sebagian lainnya oleh beberapa penulis. Banyak juga blog yang memiliki fasilitas interaksi dengan para pengunjungnya, yang dapat memperkenankan para pengunjungnya untuk meninggalkan komentar atas isi dari tulisan yang dipublikasikan.

Sebagai sebuah bentuk media komunikasi, fungsi blog sangat beragam, mulai dari sekedar sebagai media curahan hati (curhat) atau catatan harian, sampai pada media interaksi yang memungkinkan pada terbentuknya komunitas online. Blog juga bisa dimanfaatkan sebagai media publikasi untuk kepentingan komersial maupun non-komersial, baik secara personal maupun kelompok atau corporate.

Secara personal, blog juga bisa dioptimalkan sebagai media untuk membangun personal brand. Berikut ini ada beberapa tip menarik yang ditulis oleh Darren Rowse di Problogger . Rowse menguraikan 7 faktor yang perlu diperhatikan dalam "menjual diri" kita :

# build trust - increasingly marketers are finding that people want to know and be in some sort of trusting relationship with those that they buy products or services from. This is particularly true for a personal service like consulting. Be open about your agenda and about what you do and don’t know. Talk both about your successes and failures. If all you do is use a blog for ’spin’ you’ll present as too good to be true.

# be personal - building on the last point - one way to make a deeper connection with potential clients is to show something of who you are. This doesn’t mean blogging about your personal life, but show you’re human injecting humor, a photo or two of yourself and showing your personality.

# use story - I find readers respond very well to story on blogs. Stories of my own experience, stories of other clients (shared with permission as case studies) etc. Using relevant stories can help build credibility in your niche.

# establish expertise - people won’t give you the ‘expert’ label without you earning it. Show what you know (without being arrogant), show how you apply it (it’s one thing to know a lot - but can you translate your knowledge into something constructive and useful) and be a thought leader in your niche (ie break some new ground and show people that you’re capable of original thought).

# be generous - some consultants use their blogs to talk very abstractly about their field of expertise but don’t actually give their readers much in the way of practical and applicable content. My approach is to give away quite a bit of information and to be quite generous with what you share. If you help someone for free I find that the next time they need something they’ll quite often be willing to pay for it. You might not want to give everything away for free but free reports, ideas and tips should feature pretty heavily on these types of blogs.

# establish relationships in your niche - while building relationships on your own blog with potential clients can be very effective - when another blogger recommends you it can be even more powerful. Get to know other bloggers in your niche and you’ll find they will add to your credibility with their links and mentions on their blogs.

# be consistent - while there’s no problem with changing, growing and developing in your ideas over time you do need to present some consistent messages over time. If you’re constantly chopping and changing what you’re on about and focusing on you’ll find that readers find it hard to connect with you and build a ‘relationship’ over time. Remember that every time you post you have the opportunity to add to or take from your reputation and brand.

read more...

Media Planning

Definition: The process of establishing the exact media vehicles to be used for advertising
Choosing which media or type of advertising to use is sometimes tricky for small firms with limited budgets and know-how. Large-market television and newspapers are often too expensive for a company that services only a small area (although local newspapers can be used). Magazines, unless local, usually cover too much territory to be cost-efficient for a small firm, although some national publications offer regional or city editions. Metropolitan radio stations present the same problems as TV and metro newspapers; however, in smaller markets, the local radio station and newspaper may sufficiently cover a small firm's audience.

That's why it's important to put together a media plan for your advertising campaign. The three components of a media plan are as follows:

1. Defining the marketing problem. Do you know where your business is coming from and where the potential for increased business lies? Do you know which markets offer the greatest opportunity? Do you need to reach everybody or only a select group of consumers? How often is the product used? How much product loyalty exists?

2. Translating the marketing requirements into attainable media objectives. Do you want to reach lots of people in a wide area (to get the most out of your advertising dollar)? Then mass media, like newspaper and radio, might work for you. If your target market is a select group in a defined geographic area, then direct mail could be your best bet.

3. Defining a media solution by formulating media strategies. Certain schedules work best with different media. For example, the rule of thumb is that a print ad must run three times before it gets noticed. Radio advertising is most effective when run at certain times of the day or around certain programs, depending on what market you're trying to reach.

Advertising media generally include:
* Television
* Radio
* Newspapers
* Magazines (consumer and trade)
* Outdoor billboards
* Public transportation
* Yellow Pages
* Direct mail
* Specialty advertising (on items such as matchbooks, pencils, calendars,telephone pads, shopping bags and so on)
* Other media (catalogs, samples, handouts, brochures, newsletters and so on)

When comparing the cost and effectiveness of various advertising media, consider the following factors:

* Reach. Expressed as a percentage, reach is the number of individuals (or homes) you want to expose your product to through specific media scheduled over a given period of time.

* Frequency. Using specific media, how many times, on average, should the individuals in your target audience be exposed to your advertising message? It takes an average of three or more exposures to an advertising message before consumers take action.

* Cost per thousand. How much will it cost to reach a thousand of your prospective customers (a method used in comparing print media)? To determine a publication's cost per thousand, also known as CPM, divide the cost of the advertising by the publication's circulation in thousands.

* Cost per point. How much will it cost to buy one rating point for your target audience, a method used in comparing broadcast media. One rating point equals 1 percent of your target audience. Divide the cost of the schedule being considered by the number of rating points it delivers.

* Impact. Does the medium in question offer full opportunities for appealing to the appropriate senses, such as sight and hearing, in its graphic design and production quality?

* Selectivity. To what degree can the message be restricted to those people who are known to be the most logical prospects?

Reach and frequency are important aspects of an advertising plan and are used to analyze alternative advertising schedules to determine which produce the best results relative to the media plan's objectives.

Calculate reach and frequency and then compare the two on the basis of how many people you'll reach with each schedule and the number of times you'll connect with the average person. Let's say you aired one commercial in each of four television programs (A, B, C, D), and each program has a 20 rating, resulting in a total of 80 gross rating points. It's possible that some viewers will see more than one announcement--some viewers of program A might also see program B, C, or D, or any combination of them.
For example, in a population of 100 TV homes, a total of 40 are exposed to one or more TV programs. The reach of the four programs combined is therefore 40 percent (40 homes reached divided by the 100 TV-home population).

Many researchers have charted the reach achieved with different media schedules. These tabulations are put into formulas from which you can estimate the level of delivery (reach) for any given schedule. A reach curve is the technical term describing how reach changes with increasing use of a medium. The media salespeople you work with or your advertising agency can supply you with these reach curves and numbers.

Now let's use the same schedule of one commercial in each of four TV programs (A, B, C, D) to determine reach versus frequency. In our example, 17 homes viewed only one program, 11 homes viewed two programs, seven viewed three programs, and five homes viewed all four programs. If we add the number of programs each home viewed, the 40 homes in total viewed the equivalent of 80 programs and therefore were exposed to the equivalent of 80 commercials. By dividing 80 by 40, we establish that any one home was exposed to an average of two commercials.

To increase reach, you'd include additional media in your plan or expand the timing of your message. For example, if you're only buying "drive time" on the radio, you might also include some daytime and evening spots to increase your audience. To increase frequency, you'd add spots or insertions to your existing schedule. For example, if you were running three insertions in a local magazine, you'd increase that to six insertions so that your audience would be exposed to your ad more often.

Gross rating points (GRPs) are used to estimate broadcast reach and frequency from tabulations and formulas. Once your schedule delivery has been determined from your reach curves, you can obtain your average frequency by dividing the GRPs by the reach. For example, 200 GRPs divided by an 80 percent reach equals a 2.5 average frequency.

Frequency is important because it takes a while to build up awareness and break through the consumer's selection process. People are always screening out messages they're not interested in, picking up only on those things that are important to them. Repetition is the key word here. For frequency, it's much better to advertise regularly in small spaces than it is to have a one-time expensive advertising extravaganza.

source : entrepreneur.com

read more...

Social Media

Social media is an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and "building" of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories, and understandings.

Description

Social media can take many different forms, including Internet forums, message boards, weblogs, wikis, podcasts, pictures and video. Technologies include: blogs, picture-sharing, vlogs, wall-postings, email, instant messaging, music-sharing, crowdsourcing, and voice over IP, to name a few. Examples of social media applications are Google Groups (reference, social networking), Wikipedia (reference), MySpace (social networking), Facebook (social networking), Last.fm (personal music), YouTube (social networking and video sharing), Second Life (virtual reality), Flickr (photo sharing), Twitter (social networking and microblogging) and other microblogs are Jaiku and Pownce. Many of these social media services can be integrated via social network aggregation platforms like Mybloglog and Plaxo.

Distinction from Traditional Media

Social media or social networking (one example of social media) has a number of characteristics that make it fundamentally different from traditional media such as newspapers, television, books, and radio. Primarily, social media depends on interactions between people as the discussion and integration of words builds shared-meaning, using technology as a conduit.

Social media utilities create opportunities for the use of both inductive and deductive logos by its users. Claims or warrants are quickly transitioned into generalizations due to the manner in which shared statements are posted and viewed by all. The speed of communication, breadth, and depth, and ability to see how the words build a case solicits the use of rhetoric. Induction is frequently used as a means to validate or authenticate different users' statements and words. Rhetoric is an important part of today’s language in social media.

Social media is not finite: there is not a set number of pages or hours. The audience can participate in social media by adding comments or even editing the stories themselves. Content in social media can take the form of text, graphics, audio, or video. Several formats can be mixed. Social media is typically available via feeds, enabling users to subscribe via feed readers, and allowing other publishers to create mashups.

Social media signifies a broad spectrum of topics and has several different connotations. In the context of Internet marketing, Social Media refers to a collective group of web properties that are driven by users. For example, blogs, discussion boards, vlogs, video sharing sites and dating sites. Social Media Optimization (SMO) is the process of trying to get one's content more widely distributed across multiple Social Media networks.

Social Media has two important aspects. The first, SMO, refers to on-page tactics through which a webmaster can improve a website for the age of social media. Such optimization includes adding links to services such as Digg, Reddit and Del.icio.us so that their pages can be easily 'saved and submitted' to and for these services.

Social Media Marketing, on the other hand, is an off-page characteristic of Social Media. This includes writing content that is remarkable, unique, and newsworthy. This content can then be marketed by popularizing it or even by creating a “viral” video on YouTube and other video sites. Social Media is about being social so this off-page work can include getting involved in other similar blogs, forums, and niche communities. Search Engine Marketing or SEM involves utilization of all available Social Networking platforms to brand a product using Search Engine Optimization or SEO techniques of communication, to the end consumer.

Examples of Social Media Applications Include:

Communication

* Microblogs / Presence apps: Twitter and Pownce
* Social networking: Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace
* Events: Upcoming

Collaboration

* Wikis: Wikipedia
* Social bookmarking: del.icio.us and StumbleUpon
* Social News Sites: Digg, Mixx and Reddit
* Opinion sites: epinions

Multimedia

* Photo sharing: Flickr and Zooomr
* Video sharing: YouTube and Vimeo
* Livecasting: Justin.tv
* Audio and Music Sharing: imeem

Entertainment

* Virtual worlds: Second Life
* Online gaming: World of Warcraft
* Game sharing: Miniclip.com

Other/Specialty

* social ads
* Healthcare apps: CareFlash


This article or section includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations.
You can improve this article by introducing more precise citations.

References

* Johnson, Steven (2005). Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today’s Popular Culture Is Actually Making Us Smarter. New York: Riverhead Books

* Scoble, Robert, Israel, Shel (2006). Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers. New York: Wiley & Sons

* Surowiecki, James (2005). The Wisdom of Crowds. New York: Anchor Books

* Tapscott, Don, Williams, Anthony D. (2006). Wikinomics, How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything. New York: Portfolio


source : wikipedia

read more...

Blogs: A Part of the Modern Life

Imagine a place where you are allowed to speak your mind freely. Imagine that everyone else listened intently and nodded rhythmically in agreement with every word that was spoken. It is this fantasy that has fueled internet users all over the world to start posting blog entries on every subject imaginable. With the help of free sites such as Myspace(www.myspace.com), Livejournal(www.livejournal.com), and Deadjournal(www.deadjournal.com) there are now millions of blogs maintained in the United States alone. There seems to be no decline in this trend. The blog is one trend that may not be going anywhere for a while.
There are quite a few bloggers out there making quite a name for them selves and not doing anything more than typing out a few opinions or in the case of the vlogger, video recording those opinions. It is becoming a daily routine for people to write in their blogs just as someone might write in a journal or diary. It has not caught on completely but the statistics are pretty impressive with 12 million Americans keeping blogs as a Jan 2006 study states.
Blogs started to rise in popularity just in the last few years but got their start in the late 90s. The first blogs were online journals started by individuals just keeping track of their lives and sharing them over the internet. This was a harmless hobby that very few participated in. It did not stay that way for long. Now there are news groups, public figures, celebrities, and people from all walks of life that have skipped over the pen and paper and gone straight to the keyboard to log about the many facets(or not) of their lives.
The internet has made a completely new form of media/entertainment in our recent history. This development opened the door for a new type of celebrity (as if we needed more of those), the internet celebrity. Many a new face came forth from our computer monitors with the development of the blog and it’s offspring, the video log, or vlog. A good example of a popular vlogger is the, Oh so popular, Chris Crocker, who can be found in all of his highly emotional glory on Youtube.com ranting in defense of the falling star, Britney Spears.
When we are not distracted by the over exposure of internet celebrities, some of us use blogs in a more productive sense. I am speaking from experience when I say that blogs can be an excellent creative outlet. Blogs are not exclusively used as online diaries. One of the great wonders of blogs is that they start as a completely blank canvas for the blogger. Using handy html coding; pictures, videos, and music can be added to any blog page maximizing personal expression.
Of course, like most things, blogs are not exclusive to being a benefit to society. With more computer literate kids than years before we are seeing a higher number of young users being exposed to and creating blogs of their own. This can be especially hazardous with the prowling eyes of cyber stalkers hiding among the massive internet community. Then again with crime fighting blogs like Crime Blog, The True Crime Weblog, and Bonnie’s Blog of Crime it seems that the crime fighting is on pace with the criminals. Still, the preventative measures of parents are the first defense to such internet hazards.
These days many of us are spending more and more time in front of our computers. Since you are sitting there anyway, why not type up what you did today. Throw in some dreams, aspirations, opinions on major issues of our day and you have just created a blog. A blog could be a pretty useful tool in keeping all your friends and family in touch with your daily life. Computers are becoming more and more a part of our lives, this is just one more evolutionary step in the life of technology.

source : Bruce Tucker - freearticlepublishing

read more...

Blogs : A Force of Nature

Blog, a simple word, from web and log: log – a journal, record of events, thoughts, inspirations, opinions, and since they happen to be on the internet, a blog. Yes, an easy, simple word that reminds one of other simple words like fire, water, air; all simple yes, and all representative of immense power, primal force, the stuff of creation itself. Like a fire that begins slowly then blazes out of control, blogging began in 1983 with message boards that were used to convey simple information that changed from time to time – calendars, lists, agendas.
In the 90’s blogging exploded, and in the words of one writer, “There is no end in sight.” Simple information turned into highly impactful banks of information with the potential to create change. Truckloads of data, to borrow a term from the recently defunct Industrial Age, were loaded on the web followed by storefronts from every type of business everywhere. Desktop publishing, graphics, music, media all went through explosive growth and change. So imagine a web surfer back in the 90’s moving from one static storefront to another when suddenly confronted with many and cheap opportunities to express his/her/their feelings, thoughts, and opinions with others who have similar interests.

Many have followed that opportunity to connect with others of similar tastes, and that, in and of itself ,is magnetic, the ability to find someone that shares interests no matter how outlandish, how rare, and even how evil those interests may be. Presidential candidates, Hollywood celebrities, neighbors, friends, co-workers, corporate America, dog lovers, pool players, heroes, leaders, charlatans and thieves have spoken, conned, shared, lied, maneuvered politically, exposed, gossiped, made bunches of money, lost bunches of money, triumphed, and fallen via blogs. The marketing and political potentials are limitless and those limits are being pushed. Dichotomies and ideological clashes occur in every area. For instance, one is horrified by the blogs the child predators use and awed by the efforts at some of the crime blogs that are working to keep the children safe.
In short the blog and its effects are a type of re-living of human history. The relationships between humans, the sacred and the profane, the good and the evil, have always been there, only now things are going quite a bit faster. What would take months to cross the country in the late 1800’s and went only to people of privilege is now there instantly for anybody who can access a computer. In a way the blog is even faster than nature. We usually know when a hurricane is coming or when a tornado is nearby. Since the blog is operating at mental speeds, you know a hurricane hits when you’re in it.
Consider that all the tools are present – creative, marketing, technological - at a very affordable price for anyone to say whatever they want about literally anything and anyone. Add to that the ability to find people that have an affinity with you no matter what you’re saying or why, and you have a mighty tool with which you can further a cause, make a name, make lots of money, destroy a reputation, build a reputation, and/or any number of options limited only by the human menu of possibilities . That’s powerful.
When the primal force known as humanity makes use of a potential like this, as is happening now, even as we wonder about it, we certainly have the ingredients for a butterfly effect – a moth flapping its wings in Japan sets off a series of events that fuels a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. Can we and our children use that power for the good? We hope so. And while we must use our technology wisely, is it our technology we need to sorry about, or is it how we plan to use it?

source : Bruce Tucker - freearticlepublishing

read more...

Robo-Calling and Campaigns

The 2006 mid-term elections saw a large increase in the use of a campaign communications technique called "robo-calling." Robo-calling is a form of mass notification that uses a computer to call thousands of voters with a pre-recorded phone message. According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 63 percent of registered voters received an automated phone call with a political message in the final stages of the 2006 elections.

Robo-calls are made using an autodialing service or software. Here's how this works:
1. Create a calling list by manually typing in names or importing them from another document.
2. Record a message using the microphone on a computer, a telephone or text-to-speech software.
3. Send the message to all the people on your call list. The software can even leave a different message if it encounters an answering machine [source: voicent communications].

An additional 24 percent of voters in 2006 received phone calls from real human beings urging them to vote for a particular candidate. These phone calls were likely made using a predictive dialing system. Predictive dialing software automatically dials outbound phone numbers and only passes the call to a live agent if a call is successfully answered by a person. If the computer encounters an answering machine or a busy signal, it doesn't pass along the call [source: TMCnet].

The computer is smart enough to estimate how many calls can be handled by the number of live agents, how many calls will successfully go through and how long each person will remain on the line [source: TMCnet]. Telemarketers typically use predictive dialers. The telltale pause that accompanies most telemarketing calls is due to the time required for the computer to recognize a human voice and connect the call to an agent.

The 2006 elections also saw the first use of tele-town hall meetings. Tele-town halls are a combination of robo-calling and teleconferencing technologies. Here's how tele-town halls work:
* A computer simultaneously calls tens of thousands of voters in a particular area.
* The call contains a pre-recorded message by the candidate asking the voter to participate in a live teleconference with the candidate.
* If the voter wants to participate, he presses "1" on his telephone keypad.
* The participating voter is then given further instructions. If he wants to ask a question, he can press another key and be added to the line of people who want to ask a question. Using special teleconferencing software, the people running the teleconference can open the voter's phone line when it's his turn to ask a question.
* Otherwise, the voter listens to the candidate talk live about his platform and answer questions from other participants.
* Using teleconferencing software, the candidate's staff can survey participants with questions they can answer by using their keypads.

Future of Campaign Communications Technology

As candidates adapt to the prominence of social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, they must also address the growing presence of alternate online realities like Second Life [source: Second Life].

Democrat Mike Gravel was the first 2008 presidential candidate to establish an official campaign headquarters in Second Life [source: Metaversed]. John Edwards built his headquarters some months later, but fell victim to virtual vandals.

More and more, the future of campaign communications is moving away from official spokespeople, paid advertising and credentialed journalists into the hands of ordinary citizens empowered by extraordinary technology. According to Micah Sifry of the Personal Democracy Forum, voter-generated content and grassroots online initiatives are going to be the “the wild card” of the 2008 elections [source: TechNewsWorld].

source : communication.howstuffworks.com

read more...

Reading Nonverbal Communication Cues

A large percentage (studies suggest over 90%) of the meaning we derive from communication, we derive from the non-verbal cues that the other person gives. Often a person says one thing but communicates something totaly different through vocal intonation and body language. These mixed signals force the receiver to choose between the verbal and nonverbal parts of the message. Most often, the receiver chooses the nonverbal aspects. Mixed messages create tension and distrust because the receiver senses that the communicator is hiding something or is being less than candid.

Nonverbal communication is made up of the following parts:
1. Visual
2. Tactile
3. Vocal
4. Use of time, space, and image

Visual:
This often called body language and includes facial expression, eye movement, posture, and gestures. The face is the biggest part of this. All of us "read" people's faces for ways to interpret what they say and feel. This fact becomes very apparent when we deal with someone with dark sunglasses. Of course we can easily misread these cues especially when communicating across cultures where gestures can mean something very different in another culture. For example, in American culture agreement might be indicated by the head going up and down whereas in India, a side-to-side head movement might mean the same thing.
We also look to posture to provide cues about the communicator; posture can indicate self-confidence, aggressiveness, fear, guilt, or anxiety. Similarly, we look at gestures such as how we hold our hands, or a handshake. Many gestures are culture bound and susceptible to misinterpreation

Tactile:
This involves the use of touch to impart meaning as in a handshake, a pat on the back, an arm around the shoulder, a kiss, or a hug.

Vocal:
The meaning of words can be altered significatnly by changing the intonation of one's voice. Think of how many ways you can say "no"-you could express mild doubt, terror, amazement, anger among other emotions. Vocal meanings vary across cultures. Intonation in one culture can mean support; another anger

Use of Time as Nonverbal Communication:
Use of time can communicate how we view our own status and power in relation to others. Think about how a subordinate and his/her boss would view arriving at a place for an agreed upon meeting..

Physical Space:
For most of us, someone standing very close to us makes us uncomfortable. We feel our "space" has been invaded. People seek to extend their territory in many ways to attain power and intimacy. We tend to mark our territory either with permanent walls, or in a classroom with our coat, pen, paper, etc. We like to protect and control our territory. For Americans, the "intimate zone" is about two feet; this can vary from culture to culture. This zone is reserved for our closest friends. The "personal zone" from about 2-4 feet usually is reserved for family and friends. The social zone (4-12 feet) is where most business transactions take place. The "public zone" (over 12 feet) is used for lectures.

At the risk of stereotyping, we will generalize and state that Americans and Northern Europeans typify the noncontact group with small amounts of touching and relativley large spaces between them during transactions. Arabs and Latins normally stand closer together and do a lot of touching during communication.

Similarly, we use "things" to communicate. This can involve expensive things, neat or messy things, photographs, plants, etc. Image: We use clothing and other dimensions of physical appearance to communicate our values and expectations Nonverbal Communication:
The use of gestures, movements, material things, time, and space can clarify or confuse the meaning of verbal communication. In the above example, factors such as Terry's tone, the time of Terry's call, will probably play a greater role in how the message is interpreted than the actual words themselves. Similarly, the tone of the boss will probably have a greater impact on how his message is interpreted than the actual words.

A "majority" of the meaning we attribute to words comes not from the words themselves, but from nonverbal factors such as gestures, facial expressions, tone, body language, etc. Nonverbal cues can play five roles:
1. Repetition: they can repeat the message the person is making verbally
2. Contradiction: they can contradict a message the individual is trying to convey
3. Substitution: they can substitute for a verbal message. For example, a person's eyes can often convery a far more vivid message than words and often do
4. Complementing: they may add to or complement a vebal message. A boss who pats a person on the back in addition to giving praise can increase the impact of the message
5. Accenting: non-verbal communication may accept or underline a verbal message. Pounding the table, for example, can underline a message.

Skillful communicators understand the importance of nonverbal communication and use it to increase their effectiveness, as well as use it to understand mroe clearly what someone else is really saying.
A word of warning. Nonverbal cues can differ dramatically from culture to culture. An American hand gesture meaning "A-OK" would be viewed as obscene in some South American countries. Be careful.

source : http://web.cba.neu.edu/~ewertheim/interper/commun.htm

read more...

How to Understanding Nonverbal Communication?

One study at UCLA indicated that up to 93 percent of communication effectiveness is determined by nonverbal cues. Another study indicated that the impact of a performance was determined 7 percent by the words used, 38 percent by voice quality, and 55 percent by the nonverbal communication.
If you want to mask your feelings or your immediate reaction to information, pay close attention to your nonverbal behavior. You may have your voice and words under control, but your body language including the tiniest facial expressions and movement can give your true thoughts and feelings away. Especially to a skilled reader of nonverbal cues, most of us are really open books.
Here are several tips for improving your reading of nonverbal information. No matter your position at work, improving your skill in interpreting nonverbal communication will add to your ability to share meaning with another person.
Shared meaning is my definition of communication. Correct interpretation of nonverbal communication will add depth to your ability to communicate.

Tips for Understanding Nonverbal Communication :
* Recognize that people communicate on many levels. Watch their facial expressions, eye contact, posture, hand and feet movements, body movement and placement, and appearance and passage as they walk toward you. Every gesture is communicating something if you listen with your eyes. Become accustomed to watching nonverbal communication and your ability to read nonverbal communication will grow with practice.
* If a person’s words say one thing and their nonverbal communication says another, you are wont to listen to the nonverbal communication – and that is usually the correct decision.
* Assess job candidates based on their nonverbal communication. You can read volumes from how the applicant sits in the lobby. The nonverbal communication during an interview should also elucidate the candidate’s skills, strengths, weaknesses, and concerns for you.
* Probe nonverbal communication during an investigation or other situation in which you need facts and believable statements. Again, the nonverbal may reveal more than the person’s spoken words.
* When leading a meeting or speaking to a group, recognize that nonverbal cues can tell you:
--when you’ve talked long enough,
--when someone else wants to speak, and
--the mood of the crowd and their reaction to your remarks.
Listen to them and you’ll be a better leader and speaker.

Understanding nonverbal communication improves with practice. The first step in practice is to recognize the power of nonverbal communication. I’m sure you’ve had gut feelings that what a person said to you was untrue. Listen to your gut. Along with your life experiences, training, beliefs and all that make up your past, it’s your inner expert on nonverbal communication.

taken from About.com : Human Resources

read more...

Citra dan Media Massa

Kotler (dalam Sutisna, 2003: 331) mendefinisikan citra sebagai jumlah dari keyakinan, gambaran dan kesan yang dipunyai seseorang pada suatu obyek. Obyek dimaksud bisa berupa orang, organisasi, kelompok orang atau yang lainnya yang dia ketahui. Menurut Roberts (dalam Rakhmat, 2001: 223), citra menunjukkan keseluruhan informasi tentang dunia ini yang telah diolah, diorganisasikan dan disimpan individu. Kedua definisi tersebut menjelaskan bahwa citra berkaitan dengan pemahaman atau persepsi seseorang tentang suatu obyek berdasar informasi yang diterimanya. Seperti dinyatakan Ruslan (2002: 74), pengertian tentang citra pada dasarnya merupakan hal yang abstrak dan tidak bisa diukur secara matematis, tetetapi wujudnya bisa dirasakan dari hasil penilaian baik atau buruk yang berasal dari khalayak sasaran khususnya dan masyarakat secara luas.

Dwidjowijoto (2004: 62) menyatakan bahwa dalam proses pencitraan, media komunikasi massa mengambil peran terbesar Terkait dengan hal ini, menurut Rakhmat (2001: 224-227) peranan media (massa) dalam pembentukan citra, adalah sebagai berikut:

* Menampilkan realitas kedua. Informasi atau realitas yang ditampilkan media massa pada dasarnya sudah diseleksi oleh lembaga media yang bersangkutan sehingga menghasilkan realitas kedua. Hal ini mengakibatkan khalayak membentuk citra tentang lingkungannya berdasar realitas kedua yang ditampilkan media massa.
* Memberikan status. Di sisi lain, media juga memberikan status (status conferal). Seseorang atau kelompok bisa mendadak terkenal karena diliput secara besar-besaran oleh media. Sebaliknya orang terkenal mulai terlupakan karena tidak pernah diliput media.
* Menciptakan stereotip. Adanya proses seleksi informasi dalam media, maka media massa turut mempengaruhi pembentukan citra yang bias dan tidak cermat sehingga menimbulkan stereotip. Secara singkat stereotip diartikan sebagai gambaran umum tentang individu, kelompok, profesi atau masyarakat yang tidak berubah-ubah, bersifat klise dan seringkali timpang dan tidak benar.

Lebih lanjut Rakhmat (2001: 227) menyatakan bahwa pengaruh media tidak berhenti sampai pada pembentukan citra saja tetapi juga sampai pada mempertahankan citra yang sudah dimiliki khalayaknya. Media massa mencerminkan citra khalayak dan khalayak memproyeksikan citranya pada penyajian media massa.

Suyatno menyatakan bahwa citra pada dasarnya bisa dibuat, diubah, maupun didesakkan ke arah tertentu sesuai dengan keinginan dan kepentingan yang membuat kesan. Dengan begitu, citra bisa merupakan sesuatu yang sebenarnya atau bisa pula hal yang tidak sesuai dengan kenyataan (http://www.pikiran-rakyat.com/cetak/0604/01/0802.htm). Agar citra yang dipersepsikan oleh masyarakat baik dan benar (dalam arti ada konsistensi antara citra dengan realitas), citra perlu dibangun secara jujur (Sutisna, 2003: 335).

read more...