Sony takes the wiki way

Hello!, Sony is one of the leading corporations that have smartly incorporated social technologies in enhancing their business. Last week, I posted about Sony’s use of social technologies in sales and marketing. This week I will focus on how Sony benefited from implementing Wikis.

What is Wikis?

Linguistically, the word is originated from Hawaiian term " wikiwiki" which means fast. Technically, wiki is a collaborative server program where content is created by anonymous users unlike blogs(Rouse,2007). And because we are talking about wikis I thought it is appropriate to include Wikipedia's definition "wiki is a web application which allows people to add, modify, or delete content in collaboration with others". Wikipedia is the most popular wiki, however there are many different types of wikis created for public or private uses.

Examples of Wiki (Rouse,2007) 

Below, watch CommonCraft’s (2007) video explains Wikis further.

Sony’s experience in implementing Wiki ?

In a Sony conference that was held in Tokyo back in 2008, Edward Lerner, the director of tools and technology at Sony Entertainment, America, took his time to explain to everybody on the importance of using Wikis in the development of new products and their introduction to the market (Gardner, 2008). One reason as to why Sony has done so well in its adaptation of the Wikis is that its management is knowledgeable on the use of different social technological avenues (Read more about Sony's uses of social technologies). Moreover, Lerner was keen in introducing wikis especially in the gaming department, because this would make coding a lot easier. The implementation was a bit challenging, as it was hard convincing “older” managers in this new technology. However,It helped that some of the game department was aware of the technology impact. Lerner found that the key to successfully implement it is to find a person "champion" who has good leadership qualities so the department can get influenced by them (Claburn, 2008). Also, hiring experts in such technology because when other employee sees their success that will encourage them to learn and get on track.

Why implementing Wiki ?

Other than increasing  the game department productivity , Sony has employed the use of Wikis  in the production of its products is to boost its sales and marketing efforts. Sony also implemented Wikis in order to see to it that all its collaborative working processes with other organisations that majored in the production of technical innovations were improved. The Wikis made it easy for Sony to write, edit and comment on information written by analysts and affected them directly (Claburn, 2008).

What are the outcomes of this implementation ?

There are of course a lot of advantages that came with the implementation of Wikis and some of these advantages included:

• The improvement of the team interactions.
• A ready access to intelligence and expertise capabilities.
• Dissemination of information became faster than it ever was.
• The emails that were clogging up their systems were reduced.

To sum up, Wiki's implementation has proven many success among many companies, Sony’s case is a great example because of the company's business nature and its many social technologies experiences.

Please comment below, tell me what kind of companies you think could never adopt Wiki?

Also, do you think wiki will continue to be used in the coming 5, 10 years?

Thank you for passing by xo

REFERENCES:

Claburn, T. (2008, May 29). Enterprise 2.0 Conference Preview: Sony Gets Wiki With It - InformationWeek [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.informationweek.com/applications/enterprise-20-conference-preview-sony-gets-wiki-with-it/d/d-id/1068333?

Common Craft. (2007, May 29). Video: Wikis in Plain English  [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dnL00TdmLY

Deutsch, N. (2013). Wikimedias [Image]. Retrieved  from http://www.wiziq.com/teachblog/empower-with-wikis/

Gardner, D. (2008, November 6). Enterprise 2.0: Sony, CIA, Pfizer Strategize On Boosting Enterprise 2.0 Adoption - InformationWeek [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.informationweek.com/applications/enterprise-20-sony-cia-pfizer-strategize-on-boosting-enterprise-20-adoption/d/d-id/1068793?

Rouse, M.(2007).wiki [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://searchsoa.techtarget.com/definition/wiki

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Sony's Implementation of Social Technologies : Sales and Marketing

Hello!, Approximately seven years are down the line, ever since the documentation of the “Enterprise 2.0: The Dawn of Emergent Collaboration,’ an article that was written by Andrew McAfee on the advantages of implementing Enterprise 2.0 (Social Edge Consulting). The modern day has seen an exceptional amount of social technological platforms being developed, used and being integrated in a wide array of ways. It is obvious that social technological avenues have gone a pretty long way in enhancing how people work. In this post I will demonstrate on Sony’s implementation of social technologies in marketing and sales.

About Sony

Sony Corporation a company that is popularly known as Sony was founded back in the year 1946 (Claburn, 2008). Its headquarters are found in Tokyo, Japan, where the organisation carries out most of its business activities. However, the modern day has seen this company having branches in several cities across the world. Sony is widely known for its production of electronics, games and bringing entertainment to millions of its enthusiasts across the world, amongst other services.

How Sony Implements Social Technologies in Sales and Marketing

Sony has been using such social technologies as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in its marketing efforts. These platforms have been very effective on enhancing the marketing operations and exploiting new market opportunities. Sony is one of the companies that have recognized that the effective use of social technologies can boost a business’ market share and the subsequent improved financial performance. This is one of the rationales behind Sony embarking on a marketing strategy that incorporates the use of social technologies. The company uses the social media platforms to inform their customers and potential customers on the products and services that they are offering. Noting that Sony has a diversified line of business operations, the social technology strategy has incorporated different types of promotions that have been critical in ensuring that its customer base is aware of the diverse products and services that the company is offering.

The company also uses these platforms to inform its customer base of the introduction of new products or improved products. The Facebook page is used by Sony to generate following. This page is used in posting pictures of the products, which are accompanied by descriptions and specifics of the different products and services offered by Sony.

Sony has taken a whole new approach of leveraging on Facebook. For instance, it runs competitions over and over again on its Facebook page, where winners get to walk away with prices. This in turn, attracts more and more people to join the page, leading to them purchasing more of the products that are offered by this organization, without a doubt this step leads to even more profits.

The Instagram platform is used to post pictures and details of the products. Twitter is also used for posting pictures and creating meaningful relationships with the customers and their influencers (Berthon et al, 2012).

Has Sony’s Growth been affected by the Social Technological Platforms?

There are a number of benefits associated with using social technologies in the marketing effort of different organizations (Li & Bernoff, 2011). For instance, Sony has registered an increased visibility in the social networks. This ensures that more people are aware of the products that Sony is offering. This leads to a situation where there are increased demands for the products and at the same time ensuring that more people are willing to buy the products. Social technologies have also been critical in ensuring that Sony has grown and developed its relationships with potential customers and their influencers. These enhanced relationships are significant because they lead to a situation where the company is viewed as the company of choice and has a good reputation in the market. This also contributes significantly to the marketing efforts of Sony.

Using social technologies and social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have also been noted to have the added advantage of creating a platform where the company can engage in real-time two-way interaction with people. This is critical in the event that a potential customer or influencer needs clarification on the products offered for sale by the organization. Many organizations have lost business opportunities because of the absence of real-time or prompt interaction with potential customers. Sony’s incorporation of social technologies in its sales and marketing efforts has enabled the company to ensure that it maintains its customers. This places Sony at a position where it can also get customers from rival companies when the rivals are not in a position of promptly answering queries from the customers. This implies that the incorporation of social technologies in Sony’s sales and marketing strategies has been rewarding (Li & Bernoff, 2011).

Finally, of all the social media avenues that have been used by Sony so far, Facebook goes down to being the most beneficial. As a matter of fact, many marketers have come to the realization that the use of Facebook can be highly beneficial.

Thank you for passing by xo

REFERENCES:

Berthon, P. R., Pitt, L. F., Plangger, K., & Shapiro, D. (2012). "Marketing meets Web 2.0, social media, and creative consumers: Implications for international marketing strategy". Business horizons , 55 (3), p. 261-271.Retrieved from http://goo.gl/4cO88F

Claburn, T. (2008). Enterprise 2.0 Conference Preview: Sony Gets Wiki With It - InformationWeek [Web Log Post]. Retrieved  from http://www.informationweek.com/applications/enterprise-20-conference-preview-sony-gets-wiki-with-it/d/d-id/1068333?

Li, C., & Bernoff, J. (2011). Groundswell: Winning in a world transformed by social technologies [EBL version].  Harvard Business Press, pp. 78 – 99. Retrieved from http://library.books24x7.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/toc.aspx?site=BPNPJ&bookid=27116

Social Edge Consulting. (n.d.). Measuring the Value of Social Technology | Social Edge Consulting  [Web Log Post]. Retrieved from http://www.socialedgeconsulting.com/2013/03/measuring-the-value-of-social-technology/

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Exploring RSS

Hello, Social technologies has changed our lives, almost every year there is a new technology that get us addicted. There is enough written about technologies downside that can fill the Albert hall. But what about the good side of it?. Could social technologies really be helpful for us?. How can we use it in a way to improve our daily lives?. This week I will be experimenting RSS which is a new social technology for me. Then,  I will discuss what benefits it might provide to us as students.

What is RSS?

RSS is a short for Rich Site Summary ( Peckham, 2013). Basically, it is a reverse method to browse the internet. This is because RSS brings to you all updates and new uploads made by your favourite websites ,and present it in one page. Below, watch CommonCraft (2007) video explains this technology further.

To be able to use RSS we are going to need a RSS reader. There are 5 different type of readers: web-based Feed Readers ,desktop Feed Readers, browser Built-In Feed Readers, email-Based Feed Readers and mobile Feed Readers (Boswell, n.g ).

Today I am going to experiment  NetNewsWire and Feedly.

Lets, the journey begin:

The first RSS reader is :

NetNewsWire it is a desktop Feed Readers designed for Mac users. They also have created an iPhone app, both of these applications are free and can be downloaded  from their website http://netnewswireapp.com/ , or from Apple store.

Functionalities :

• You can add a site by entering the site URL, also the program suggests a number of popular sites.

• Allows you to customise the background colour and the text font.

• Very sleek design simple and minimum , takes you away from online adds pop-ups and  complicated layout.It looks very similar to apple mail client. It also has a small application shortcut that informs you with latest updates "Unread posts".

• Easy and fast navigation using the arrow key and spacebar .

The second RSS reader is :

Feedly it is a web-based feed reader. It is free and quick to start with all you have to do is type www.feedly.com ( or via google search of course!) ,Using Feedly is as simple as clicking into Facebook. They also created apps for  iOS, Android and Kindle  for free download. Moreover, it is now can be used as a browser built-in feed reader.

Feedly comes with many features designed to provide fast searching, reading and sharing. However, you can upgrade to even more useful functions with relatively low cost ( 5$/month).

Functionalities :

• To start up navigating through the website you do not need to register. (Yessss! I really dislike when websites force me to register).

• You can subscribe to your favourite site by searching the title, category or paste the site url.
• You can customise the view options, making it simple by using Titles Only that views the title organised in categories, Magazine which is my favourite that shows pictures and finally Card that it is helpful if you have many categories.

• Registration options are wide and quick away from boring forms.

How RSS would benefit me as a student ?

1. Enhances research quality.

Usually whenever I search a topic, my screen end up looking like this..

Because of that I get very frustrated and give up on the whole research. Moreover, most of the results do not contribute to my research or provide unreliable information. If I used RSS, I could be following number of credible websites related to my major. Thus, this reduces the research time, and keeps me organised away from frustrating junk websites.

2. Reduces “Break Time”.

I have this thing if I am studying, I usually go for 30 minute break session just to refresh my mind and watch some Youtubers or read blogs.The sessions usually extend to hours because I have a long list of sites and there is not always a new post. Therefore, I keep spinning in circles ( forever -_-!) hoping there is a new post. However, with RSS I can have better control on my time because it easily shows the updates.  

3. Helps me stay on top of IT trends.

IT is an ever changing world. Every year there are some technologies raise in and other fail. As an IT student RSS can keep me up to date with the latest topics in my major. It is awesome cause I usually have no time to search these topics but RSS would keep me informed. I am planning to create an IT category in my Feedly reader and add trustful IT bloggers and leaders. (Any suggestions?)

Also, this might be even more useful for postgraduate students as they can follow people who are in their same specialisation and together they can improve their finding.

4. Improves group work productivity.

This is because RSS provides the latest information about the team’s progress. So, I can keep in touch with my group and see their updates ether on my phone, tablet or laptop as there are numerous reader options.

Also, it is helpful in units such INB346 that requires effective class collaborations. With RSS I can add my classmates' blogs that I enjoy reading, without the need to scroll up in down at Google+ page.

Side Note :

I found a lot of bloggers complaining about RSS that it is a waste of time. Personally, I believe it is just a tool that can be used for the good and bad. To get the most of RSS, we need to chose wisely the sites we follow. Also, it is not compulsory to read every single update, there is a "Mark All Read" button for a reason and lets not forget that we use RSS for the first place to save our time.

Guys, tell me your thought about RSS do you think it actually increase our productivity or not really ?

To sum up, exploring RSS was an awesome experience for me. It is what I need to reduce my crazy internet addiction and probably will help me be more productive with my time. I am happy that I get to explore more than one reader ,so now I know what functionalities and options is there to help. I decided to add RSS to my blog and I recommend you guys do the same.

So, I would add you and get to see all your update and comment on your blog.

Leave me a comment below tell me what other technologies would be beneficial for an internet addict (such yours truly “_”) that happened to be a student and need to use every second properly ?.

Also, if you used RSS before, tell me what reader do you use and what you like about it?

Thank you for passing by xo

References:

Boswell, W.(n.d.).Five Different Types of Feed Readers [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://websearch.about.com/od/rssfeedsreaders/a/feed-readers.htm

Common Craft. (2007, Apr 23). Video: RSS in Plain English [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU

Peckham, M. (2013, July 1). RIP Google Reader, Hello Four Best RSS-Reader Replacements[Web log post]. Retrieved from http://techland.time.com/2013/07/01/r-i-p-google-reader-hello-four-best-rss-reader-replacements/

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The Secret Diary of a Blogger

Hello and welcome to my first post. This is Yaman, get to know more about me by checking my about page.

True story! I have been obsessing about blogs since I was young. It is my favourite zone in the world wide web ( Yup !). I created my first blog when I was 13, and then a number of other blogs followed. However, I get bored after a while as there were not that many visitors.  So, after number of tries I gave up on blogging and I kind of  Let it go.

What is the purpose of creating this blog?

Through this blog I want to achieve two main goals:

•  The main goal is to introduce Enterprise 2.0 world in an interactive and fun way. That we both can contribute to each other knowledge, and share our thoughts and opinions regarding web 2.0 technologies and how to successfully apply it to real world projects.
   
• The second purpose is to take you with me in a journey to reunite with blogging again. This time following a number of strategies and techniques (which I will reveal in this post). Through my every week post you get the opportunity to see and judge by yourselves if I get to improve and obtain readership for my blog. Therefore, it might inspire you to join the blogging community as well.    

So, join me and let the fun begin !

5 strategies to achieve useful blogs and readership :

1. Understand your readers. 
   The first step in creating useful posts is identifying who is your target audience. If you want your blog to be valuable, you should understand your audience needs and interests. Being aware of your audience will help you to know what time is better to post and what titles would be most attracting. Cohen (2014) in Blog Post Timing: When Is Your Best Publication Time? post pointed that blogs attract most traffic when publishing between 9pm. and 11pm. In my case my readers will be mostly my class mates (IT students) ,and  my family and friends (non-specialist). So the writing style should be quite professional but still simple and understandable. I will be providing links to define any complicated IT terms.
   
      
2.  Read, Read and Read.  Obtaining knowledge from different sources is important in creating useful content. Also, presenting the information in a unique angle makes it more interesting for readers. I will aim to reference at least 3 sources for each post. 
   
   
   
3. Engage your audience in creating useful content.
   Engage your audience ideas will help you to reach better understanding as every person has his own unique way in understanding things. Giving a space to readers to contribute will make the posts more useful. There are many ways to engage with audience, such as opening discussions, asking questions at the end of the post and also by creating surveys.    
      
     
   
4. Be active.   
   They say what goes around comes around (karma honey!). Comment and refer to other bloggers they will do the same to you. Also, share your posts on your social channels it is important to notify people so they can notice you. In fact, there is a recent statistic confirm that companies get 65% of their daily Website visitors through Facebook ( Romeri, 2013). So, lets never forget to share our posts link on our social media.
   
   
5. Maintain  blog style  
   The blog style would make or break your relation with your readers. Nothing more annoying than using harsh colours and messy layout. Believe me the readers will click the x out. 

Here are some blog style tips:  

• Keep your writing neat, short and clear.
• Tell your ideas in a story! A wise man once said that people remember stories better than they remember facts.
• Use listing when possible.
• Support your content with pictures and charts to summarise the main point and make it easy to read.
• Stick to the same format in each post.
• Maintain signature style to stand out among others. 

An example of a successful blogger who has a very signature blogging style is Perez Hilton. His way of reporting the story is so unique and different from other gossip sites. He has a comedy take in reporting celebrity news, also he always create hilarious picture captions. I would never read a gossip without checking how Perez reported it. Also, he is very active on YouTube and twitter promoting his blog. Perez's blog makes about 105 thousand dollar per month according to Metronewspaper (Stevens ,2013). 

Another favour it of mine is Vsauce The channel is famous for its short and very informative videos. It always succeed in blowing my mind with amazing facts about the world and our lives. You can definitely tell he does a lot of research. Although the channel present rich facts and information, it is presented in an understandable way for mostly all ages. The videos titles are interesting and attractive. The channel has more than 7 million subscriber, the net worth of the channel is approximately $1.2 million as reported by  Warner ( 2014 ).

So, these are the strategies I will be following for the upcoming posts. Tell me what strategy do you think is the most powerful?. Also comment below and tell who is your favourite V/blogger and why ?. I would love to hear from you guys.

Thank you for passing by xo

References:

Romeri, M. (2013, May 23). New Statistics Highlight the Power of Social Media Marketing [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/new-statistics-highlight-power-social-media-marketing

Stevens, M. (2013, Feb 11). Top 10 money-making blogs: HuffPo, Mashable, Perez Hilton and more [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://metro.co.uk/2013/02/11/top-ten-money-making-blogs-huffpo-mashable-perez-hilton-and-more-3400833/

Warner, B. (2014, March 9).The 25 Highest Earning Youtube StarsRandom Celebrity [Web log post]. Retrieved from  http://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/celebrity/the-25-highest-earning-youtube-stars/

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