Mediaboss Marketing

Small businesses, unduly apprehensive about social networking, are losing out on online marketing and commercial possibilities.

Social media in India is growing at 100 per cent and by 2014, 129.3 million Indians are expected to join social media forums. According to eMarketer, the fastest growth in social networking this year will come from India, followed by Indonesia and China.

With an increasing number of users registering on social media Web sites, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can successfully use social media platforms to promote themselves. Despite the fact that social networking sites now reach 82 per cent of the worlds online population and social networking is the most popular online activity worldwide, SMEs are not capitalising on it.

It is true not only in India but even in the US, where nearly half of the population is engaged in social networking. Yet, according to a survey by Zoomerang, one out of every two small businesses in the US doesnt have a strong social media presence.

Similarly, in Australia, which has a social network penetration rate of 44.4 per cent, only 34 per cent of medium and 27 per cent of small businesses are plugging into social media (Australian Interactive Media Industry Association). So why is social media still a scary prospect for SMEs?

Primarily, the fear of losing control over sensitive information hinders social media adoption among SMEs. It is like putting part of the message in the hands of customers, who may go the wrong way.

The fact is that not every business is going to be able to use social media in the same way. So before engaging in social media marketing, SMEs need to be clear about what they are trying to promote. What is their unique selling proposition? Who is the target audience?

It is imperative that they do a target audience profiling, which entails deciding on demographics (who your customers are) and psychographics (why your customers act as they do).

Though the main objective of using social media is to generate leads, it is equally important to understand the target customers and engage with them accordingly. Hence, social media is about community building, not blatant advertising.

Perceived difficulties in technical implementation, ROI (return on investment) measurability and the ability to tackle new and complex security threats also make SMEs (especially the ones with limited technical ability) resist social media.

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Social media — big visibility for small biz

Facebook is looking at ways of allowing researchers access to its data to validate the company's research papers.

Annette Shaff / Shutterstock.com

Social scientists hungry for Facebooks data may be about to get a taste of it. Nature has learned that the social-networking website is considering giving researchers limited access to the petabytes of data that it has amassed on the preferences and behaviour of its almost one billion users.

Outsiders will not get a free run of the data, but the move could quell criticism from social scientists who have complained that the companys own research on its users cannot be verified. Facebook's in-house scientists have been involved in publishing more than 30 papers since 2009, covering topics from what drives the spread of information and ideas1 to the relationship between social-networking activity and loneliness2. However, because the company fears breaching its users privacy, it does not release the underlying raw data.

Facebook is now exploring a plan that could allow external researchers to check its work in future by inspecting the data sets and methods used to produce a particular study. A paper currently submitted to a journal could prove to be a test case, after the journal said that allowing third-party academics the opportunity to verify the findings was a condition of publication.

We want to participate in the scientific process and we believe that there should be a way to have other researchers validate [our studies] without infringing on the policies that we have set with our users, says Cameron Marlow, head of Facebook's data-science team.

If the scheme were to go ahead, it would apply to papers after publication. Scholars would have to travel to the companys headquarters in Menlo Park, California, because Facebook would not risk sending the data electronically, and they would have access to aggregated data only, and no personally identifiable information. The company would also allow access for only a limited period and contingent upon researchers signing a non-disclosure agreement. Marlow says, however, that these conditions should not keep researchers from being openly critical about matters related to the published paper such as technique or data processing.

External scholars would not be allowed to conduct their own studies on the data sets.

The alternative publicly releasing anonymized raw data sets is not likely to be an option, says Facebook. Internet company AOL, based in New York, and film rental and streaming firm Netflix, based in Los Gatos, California, have both done this in the past, only for researchers to show that individuals could be identified in the anonymized data. It is hard to really guarantee that it is anonymous, says Marlow.

Facebook's proposals are a step in the right direction, say researchers. Their intentions are very good, agrees Bernardo Huberman, director of the social-computing group at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories in Palo Alto, California. Huberman has voiced concerns in Nature about the lack of researcher access to 'big data' at private companies3. Facebook wants to get closer to something that is the scientific method, he says.

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Facebook 'likes' the scientific method

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Alliance Health Networks, the leading social networking company serving consumers and the healthcare industry, today announced the addition of Susan Ingebretson, director of program development for the Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Center at California State University, Fullerton, and Christine Miserandino, award-winning writer and lupus patient advocate, as new patient advocates on the Fibromyalgia Connect and Lupus Connect networks, respectively.

Fibromyalgia Connect and Lupus Connect are part of Alliance Healths growing portfolio of social health networks currently serving more than 1.5 million registered users across some 50 condition-specific sites. Fibromyalgia Connect and Lupus Connect aim to empower people to more actively manage their health through personal connections, powerful tools and deeper insights. Patient advocates offer network members deep knowledge and experience dealing with a particular disease or condition, and can offer a unique perspective on how to effectively cope with and manage their health.

From the beginning, our top priority at Alliance Health has been to create an online forum that provides actionable information with a personal touch, and one of the ways we accomplish that is through our patient advocates, said Stead Burwell, CEO of Alliance Health Networks. There is a lot of information out there, and our patient advocates are able to draw upon their personal experience to distill it down to something understandable and useful. Susan and Christine are extremely passionate about helping people navigate their personal health journey, and I know they will be great sources of knowledge and support for our members.

In addition to her work at the Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain Center, Ingebretson has written extensively on fibromyalgia, including a book titled FibroWHYalgia: Why Rebuilding the Ten Root Causes of Chronic Illness Restores Chronic Wellness, which chronicles her own journey from illness to wellness. She is also a frequent speaker and a certified holistic health coach. More information on Ingebretson can be found on her website, http://www.rebuildingwellness.com.

As a patient advocate for the fibromyalgia community, Ill be able to share my first-hand experience in both dealing with and finding healing solutions for fibromyalgia, said Ingebretson. When I searched for answers more than a decade ago, I couldnt find resources specific to my concerns. Fibromyalgia Connect serves as a way to help navigate through the immense amount of information, and I hope visitors will find the sense of comfort and community that theyve been looking for.

Miserandino has lived with lupus for 18 years, and has also been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, Sjgrens syndrome, Raynaudsdisease and neuropathy. An ardent advocate, Miserandino is a guest expert on WebMD.com, has been a keynote speaker for many health organizations around the world, is a member of the board of directors for the Lupus Alliance of America, and is a member of the Society for Participatory Medicine, which aims to help patients make informed decisions about their care and treatment. Miserandino also runs the online resource http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com.

I believe that my lifelong medical circumstances have put me in a unique and understanding position, so that I can try to help people through similar difficult times, said Miserandino. No one should ever feel alone or singled out because of their illness.I hope the information and community on Lupus Connect can aid people in leading better lives through knowledge, networking, friendship and most of all support.

About Alliance Health Networks

Alliance Health Networks is building a free and independent social engagement platform that gives people the power to navigate their personal health journey. The company owns and operates more than 50 social networks and 20 mobile versions serving over 1.5 million registered members. Alliance Health leverages social networks to help consumers more actively manage their care through personal connections, powerful tools and deeper insights. The company's investors include New World Ventures, Physic Ventures, Highway 12 Ventures and EPIC Ventures. For more information, visit: http://www.alliancehealthnetworks.com.

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Alliance Health Networks Brings Two Prominent Patient Advocates to its Lupus and Fibromyalgia Social Networks

BEIJING, July 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/-- Renren Inc. (RENN), the leading real name social networking internet platform in China, today announced that it will report its second quarter 2012 unaudited financial results on Tuesday, August 7, 2012, after the close of the U.S. markets.

The earnings conference call with simultaneous webcast will take place at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, August 7, 2012 (Beijing/Hong Kong Time: 9:00 a.m., Wednesday, August 8, 2012). Renren's management will be on the call to discuss the quarterly results and answer questions.

To participate in the conference call, please RSVP by email at ir@renren-inc.com.

Interested parties may participate in the conference call by dialing the numbers below and entering passcode Renren, 10-15 minutes prior to the initiation of the call.

Dial-in Information: US: +1 718-354-1231 Hong Kong: +852-2475-0994 China: +86 800-819-0121 International: + 65-6723-9381 Passcode: Renren

A replay of the call will be available for one week and dial-in information is as follows: International: + 61 2-8235-5000 Passcode: 13421725

This call will be webcast live and the replay will be available on Renren's corporate web site at http://ir.renren-inc.com for 12 months.

About Renren Inc.

Renren Inc. (RENN) operates the leading real name social networking internet platform in China. It enables users to connect and communicate with each other, share information and user generated content, play online games, listen to music, shop for deals and enjoy a wide range of other features and services. Renren's platform includes the main social networking website Renren.com, the online games center game.Renren.com, the social commerce website Nuomi.com, and the video-sharing website 56.com. Renren had approximately 154.2 million activated users as of March31, 2012.

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Renren Inc. to Release Second Quarter 2012 Financial Results on August 7, 2012

The Premier League has drawn up guidelines for players about how to use social media.

They offer advice on the endorsement of brands, goods and services and also warn players not to reveal confidential information about team matters.

There is a more human side now to some of the players and the public can communicate more directly with them

"Social media is doing a good job of allowing fans to feel closer to the players," Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said.

"Clearly it isn't the same as texting your best mate or talking to someone."

A number of England's top-flight clubs have their own rules but some teams wanted more guidance for their players.

The Premier League guidelines also cover what disciplinary action the Football Association (FA) could take against players who make improper comments on social media.

Scudamore continued: "There is a more human side now to some of the players and the public can communicate more directly with them.

"Sometimes there can be abusive comments, but generally the internet, online chat rooms, and the way people are communicating, is healthy."

There have been a number of players charged over comments on social networking sites, the latest being Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong, who has been charged by the FA with improper conduct on Twitter.

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League issues social media rules