Mediaboss Marketing

London, July 31:

Social networking site Twitter can predict whether you are going to fall ill eight days in advance, a new study has claimed.

Researchers from University of Rochester have already used the site to track flu as it spreads through New York using a heatmap of users who complain of being ill, the Daily Mail reported.

Mr Adam Sadilek from the University and his team analysed 4.4 million GPS-tagged Tweets from over 6,00,000 users in New York City over the course of one month in 2010.

They trained their artificial intelligence algorithm to ignore tweets by healthy people such as those claiming they were sick of a particular song, and trained it to find those who were really ill.

Mr Sadilek said the key to his system is friendships.

Given that three of your friends have flu-like symptoms, and that you have recently met eight people, possibly strangers, who complained about having runny noses and headaches, what is the probability that you will soon become ill as well? he was quoted by the paper as saying.

Our models enable you to see the spread of infectious diseases, such as flu, throughout a real-life population observed through online social media, he added.

The tweets were plotted on a map, and used to predict when a particular user was at high risk of getting ill.

We apply machine learning and natural language understanding techniques to determine the health state of Twitter users at any given time, Mr Sadilek said.

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Twitter helps predict sickness eight days in advance: Study

MANY businesses love the idea of social networking tools like Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn and know that engaging in a personal dialogue with customers and prospects can be highly rewarding - but - they simply don't have time to invest in updating statuses, tweeting and broadcasting the company's latest news to a bevy of online networks.

In the recent past, if you'd suggested getting someone else to do your social networking, you would have been shot down by a horde of purists who would have vehemently argued that outsourcing completely goes against the spirit of social media.

However, in recent months, there has been a shift in opinion among social networking gurus, with a new stance gaining ground that perhaps social media doesn't have to remain in the hands of a brand/business.

Why? Well, for two very good reasons:

1. Time - so many companies lack the time or in-house resources to dedicate to building online social followings of value and engaging in a dialogue that's mutually beneficial. What's more, for new entrants to the social media revolution, it takes time to actually become au fait with the nuances of the various sites and how to leverage them for maximum benefit.

2. Outsourcing options - now there are a number of entrepreneurs and companies specialising in the management of all aspects of social media. It's now easy to have someone else keep tabs on all parts of your social online presence and manage an effective social media program that actually delivers real results for you.

Choosing a company that has proven expertise in this area has a number of benefits:

Don't think outsourcing means you'll lose touch altogether with your social media though, it's imperative that you're still aware of all of your business' communication portals. The company you choose to execute your social media must stay true to your brand and ensure that your posts accurately reflect your business' personality. Just as you would keep tabs on any other aspect of your business you outsource, similar checks and balances should be conducted on your social media.

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Social media superstars

Monday Night Raw is a show that has seen unparalleled success over the years. They just completed a record 1000th episode on July 23, 2012. As the newest episode kicked off from Cincinnati on July 30, 2012, momentum is about as high as it has been in the past few years. Young superstars are starting to make their way out of the mid card, the product is shiny and well represented with a three hour show on Mondays and CM Punk is leading the way brilliantly as the WWE Champion. Unfortunately, these things are clouded by the virtual begging of Twitter mentions and Tout questions. Many others have stated a similar position.

Monday Night Raw is starting to feel like those Facebook posts that you dread sifting through every morning over your coffee. Eventually, you will simply un-friend the person that keeps sending them against your wishes.

Why is it a problem as a Monday Night Raw viewer?

I don't mind the occasional Twitter mention or even their obvious alignment with the Tout website. It certainly is a wonderful way to expand their huge business if done correctly. Any business that ignores social media and networking in today's world is sure to fail eventually. It is the future of advertising and for many, the present as well. The problem I have with the WWE is the constant stream of social networking that litters their shows. In particular, Monday Night Raw feels like a constant advertisement rather than a primary product.

What is good about the social networking on Raw?

While the constant social networking is a problem, I did like the way they used Twitter to allow the fans to choose the type of match that Sheamus and Daniel Bryan would have. This type of social networking creativity is a good thing and should be done more.

The constant "trending" thing that pops up throughout the entire show is so self serving that it comes across as almost desperate. I beg of the WWE marketing team to rethink the constant barrage to our senses. The WWE has been a part of my life for a very long time and I can't remember ever having felt annoyed while watching the show.

Even in a larger than life industry like the WWE, less can be so much more with some things.

*Southern is a huge WWE fan that believes they could improve a great deal by looking back at the old NWA ways of doing things.

More from this contributor:

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Why the Recent WWE Social Networking Blast is Killing Monday Night Raw: Fan's Opinion

29-07-2012 15:39 Here's the latest news for Sunday, July 29th: Romney says differences between US and Israel embolden adversaries; Arkansas killing suspect claimed to be mentally ill; Syria accuses neighbors of conspiracy; Olympic seats unfilled.

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AP Top Stories - Video

STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

A Nexus of converging forces social, mobile, cloud and information is building upon and transforming user behavior while creating new business opportunities, according to Gartner, Inc.

Although these forces are innovative and disruptive on their own, together they are revolutionizing business and society, disrupting old business models and creating new leaders. As such, the Nexus of Forces is the basis of the technology platform of the future.

"In the Nexus of Forces, information is the context for delivering enhanced social and mobile experiences," said Chris Howard, managing vice president at Gartner. "Mobile devices are a platform for effective social networking and new ways of work. Social links people to their work and each other in new and unexpected ways. Cloud enables delivery of information and functionality to users and systems. These forces of the Nexus are intertwined to create a user-driven ecosystem of modern computing."

Mr. Howard explained that not that long ago, people's most sophisticated computing experience was at work, and computing was limited at home. Now, in most cases, the opposite is true. The consumerization of IT is a result of the availability of excellent devices, interfaces and applications with minimal learning curves. As a result of using these well-designed devices, people have become more sophisticated users of technology, and the individual has been empowered. People expect access to similar functionality across all their roles and make fewer distinctions between work and non-work activities.

Social is one of the most compelling examples of how consumerization drives enterprise IT practices. It includes personal activities of sharing comments, links and recommendations with friends. Consumer vendors have been quick to see the influence of friends sharing recommendations on what to buy.

Social technologies both drive and depend on the other three Nexus forces:

Mobile computing is forcing the biggest change to the way people live since the automobile. Mass adoption forces new infrastructure, it spawns new businesses, and it threatens the status quo.

For business, the opportunities and the stakes are high. To a retailer, the same device that navigates a customer into a store can redirect the final sale to the competition. To a bank, the mobile phone is a new wallet that could make the credit card obsolete. To a sales organization, mobile computing keeps salespeople out in the field talking to customers. To a medical caregiver, a patient's vitals and behaviors may be constantly monitored, which increases the effectiveness and efficiency of treatment. Every industry is affected.

However, mobile does not stand alone as an isolated phenomenon. People will interact with multiple screens working in concert. Sensor data will transparently enhance the experience, integrating the virtual and physical worlds contextually. The information gathered in this immersive world will have tremendous value and, ultimately, the lasting relationship will be between a user and a cloud-based ecosystem.

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Gartner Says Nexus of Forces – Social, Mobile, Cloud and Information - Is the Basis of the Technology Platform of the ...