Mediaboss Marketing

21-02-2012 01:00 Using social media for business - blackboxsocialmedia.com According to just about every business statistic in the US, more companies are using social media for business in 2012. The reason is that it works very well. USA Today recently ran an article in which they interviewed the upper management for Smashburger, a small fast food chain that grew from three Denver locations in 2007 to 150 outposts nationwide primarily using social media for business marketing. Here's what they had to say: "The brand was really built on social media and PR strategies," says Jeremy Morgan, senior vice president of marketing and consumer insights. "Social media is an opportunity for us to engage with consumers and have a conversation, which is different than paid media, when you're just shouting through a bullhorn." Using social media for business advertising is different than traditional marketing, as Mr. Morgan points out. Traditional print or radio or TV advertising is a one way communication street, while social media is a two way communication street. If you want to succeed in social media marketing, then you will need to recognize that engagement and communication with your customers is a requirement. blackboxsocialmedia.com "Everybody should take a look at it," says Dan Galbraith, owner of marketing support company Solutionist and a National Small Business Association board member. "Whether they chose to jump into social media or not is a question that only they can answer," he says ...

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Are More Companies Using Social Media for Business? - Video

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Social networking via mobile is growing at a rapid pace, and the use of mobile social media, apps and location based marketing strategies has increased significantly in the last year making it a perfect addition to the SMWF event.

The Social Media World Forum (SMWF) has announced the line up for their dedicated Mobile Marketing track, taking place on 27TH & 28th March at Olympia 2. http://www.socialmedia-forum.com/europe

One of the headline sessions for the one day track is the Foursquare case study with Director of Business Development for Foursquare UK, Omid Ashtari, providing an overview of Foursquare as a platform for brands to communicate with fans & customers in an innovative way, as well as presenting client case studies.

Ian Johnson MD of Six Degrees, organisers of SMWF, said “It’s exciting to see such a high calibre of speakers coming together to discuss mobile social media, and the integration of mobile strategies with those of social media marketing. The increased proliferation of apps based strategies for brands, and their ‘social’ integration and promotion, has become an important part of many mobile marketing strategies.”

Speakers include: For a full list of all speakers click here

Ben Watson, VP Marketing, HootSuite Omid Ashtari, Director of Business Development Europe, Foursquare Dylan Fuller, Head of AdCommerce, eBay Kevin Mathers, Head of Media Solutions, Google Oliver Ripley, Head of Mobile Service, Travelex Ben Carter, Global Digital Marketing Specialist, Betfair Matt McAlister, Director of Digital Strategy, Guardian Media Group Neil Swanston, Mobile Experience Manager, Centrica

Full details of the Mobile Marketing agenda can be found here

To Book you pass to the event click here

SMWF is run by Six Degrees Events who also run the Apps World event series. Apps World will also be returning to London on 2-3rd October at Earl’s Court http://www.apps-world.net/europe

About Social Media World Forum :

SMWF event attracts over 4000 leading digital marketing and SME decision makers examining their social media, and digital marketing strategies. Held of the 27-28th March the event will feature over 100 leading speakers in the digital marketing arenas

Keep up with event news and announcements through the show blog: http://www.socialmedia-forum.com/blog Or via Twitter: @SocialMediaWF

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Mobile, Apps & Location Based Marketing high on the agenda at SMWF 2012

INDIANAPOLIS -

You're reconnecting with friends, but are you ruining your relationship?

Social networking is now one of the top causes for divorce. 500 million people log on and sign in every day. Friending, posting and sharing our lives online.

Scott and Emily Sutherland often tweet and check Facebook side by side by laptop in their living room. While they enjoy the interaction, they're also careful not to let social media sour their relationship.

"Hitting an unfriend button is a small price to pay when you're talking about protecting your family, protecting your marriage," Emily said.

But for some couples, connecting and reconnecting leads to a disconnect - and to a therapist's door.

"Probably about half the time, it gets brought up in relationship counseling," said marriage therapist Amy Harshman.

Some even call Facebook "a marriage killer," blamed for status changes in real life.

"I would say in almost every case, it comes up," said attorney Julie Andrews.

A recent study implicates Facebook in one out of three divorce cases in England. The social networking website was cited in one-of-five divorces in the United States. It's also the number one online source of divorce evidence, according to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, posts and photos discovered on Facebook and used in court.

"There have been several cases that I've been involved in where they find out, lo and behold, their spouse has a dating profile," Andrews said.

Harshman doesn't believe social media is inherently bad. But she has seen already shaky relationships damaged because of it.

"I see a lot of couples coming in with affairs, or sometimes just emotional affairs that come in as a result of Facebook or Twitter or things like that," she said. "Sometimes, that can be more damaging than actually meeting with somebody in person."

She says it often starts with a simple friend request.

"The biggest thing I've seen is people reconnecting with people from their past. Innocently saying, 'Oh, this is somebody I went on a date with once when I was younger'," Harshman said. "But then you see it completely pull a marriage apart and that's really sad."

There are signs to look for that your spouse may be connecting the wrong way, namely, shutting down the conversation at home.

"They notice that, 'Hey, we're not talking' and a lot of times when that happens, it's because somebody might be talking to someone else," Harshman said. "Things to watch are, are they doing it in secret, when normally they'd be sitting on the couch right next to you on Facebook? Are they always logging out of their accounts, or are they, you know, putting their computer in a different room or always keeping their computer, their phone with them?"

So how can you protect your marriage from getting undermined by social media?

Experts say, strike a balance. Don't spend more time on Facebook than you are with your spouse and watch what you post. Don't air personal drama for all to see.

"Is what I'm writing on here hurtful to my spouse if they were to see this?" Harshman said.

Consider a joint Facebook account, or share passwords.

"If your spouse has a password, then you're probably not going to do things that you shouldn't on email or Facebook or any social networking," Harshman said.

Also, be careful when accepting friend requests.

"Maybe you get an innocent request from an old boyfriend. It might not be a good idea to accept that," Harshman said.

Finally, recognize when to put your online profile on hold.

"If you know that there are some problems in your relationship, a very good thing to do is maybe put social networking on the back burner for a little while," Harshman said.

The Sutherlands use strategies to keep social networking positive - friending each other's friends, talking about their profiles and keeping private family issues off of public posts.

"We've decided that we don't want our marriage to be destroyed. So we're going to protect that pretty strongly," Emily said.

And making sure their connection as a couple is the strongest.

Emily Sutherland blogs about social media and marriage

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Couples manage social media for healthier marriage

21-Feb-12, 10:10 PM | Philippine News Agency

CANDABA, Pampanga -- Several mothers with newborn babies here lauded the Department of Health (DOH) plan to include rota virus vaccination in its “Expanded Program for Immunization” (EPI) this year.

Buding Dela Pena, mother for a three-month-old baby girl, said the private clinics in this town are already offering rota virus vaccination.

However, Dela Pena said that many could not afford to pay for the vaccination because it is expensive.

"The daily expenses on buying milk is already a problem for us. More so the rota virus vaccine. That's why when we heard about the plan of government to offer it for free, we are indeed so happy,” she said.

Another mother of a two-month-old baby boy said that the current Aquino administration appeared to be serious in bringing the best health for the new born babies.

"We hope that the program would go on continuously for the health benefit of our babies," she said.

It was reported that the free rota virus vaccine will be available in local health centers late 2012.

The said oral rota virus vaccine is expected to benefit children coming from the poorest 5.2 million families.

The Philippines is the first country in Asia to include rota virus vaccine in its national immunization program. The inclusion of rota virus vaccine in national immunization program is also a step towards achieving the country's Millennium Development Goal.

Rota virus is the leading cause of severe acute gastroenteritis (vomiting and severe diarrhea) among children worldwide.

It is also the second leading killer of children aged five years or less in the Philippines and worldwide.

Study revealed that every minute, one child dies of diarrhea worldwide.

In the Philippines, at least 13 children under five years old died every day due to diarrhea. 

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Moms laud DOH's vaccination drive vs acute gastroenteritis among children

Doctors believe virus has got through to brain through a small hole in his skull

By Lucy Laing

Last updated at 4:46 PM on 21st February 2012

Fighting fit: Seamus has not lost his sight or hearing despite having suffered meningitis six times

A six-year-old boy has beaten the killer brain bug meningitis every year since his birth, astounding experts.

Seamus Rafferty has been left with epilepsy and a tremor in his hands because so many blood vessels have been damaged, but he has luckily escaped any brain damage and hasn’t lost his sight or hearing.

His mother Caiomhe Rafferty, 31, who is married to Chris, 34, said: ‘The doctors are all amazed that Seamus has beaten meningitis so many times.

‘It is a miracle that he’s still with us - but he’s such a little fighter. He never lets it beat him.I can’t believe he’s still here.’

Seamus was first struck with the bug in May 2006, when he was just ten months old. He started suffering with a high temperature and a fit whilst he was sat on his mother’s knee.

Mrs Rafferty, who lives in Keady, Co Armagh, said: ‘I’d taken him to the doctors who said that he had a stomach bug and to take him home, which I did.

‘But as I was sitting with him on my knee he suddenly started having a fit. So I rang the ambulance straight away. I was terrified about what was happening to him.’

The ambulance rushed Seamus to Craigavern Hospital, Co Armagh, and a lumbar puncture showed that he was suffering from streptococcal meningitis. The doctors pumped him full of antibiotics to try and save him.

Mrs Rafferty said: ‘I couldn’t believe it when it was diagnosed as meningitis. I just had to hope that he would pull through.’

After seven days in hospital, Seamus made a recovery and the couple took him back home. But then just six months later was ill again and this time he had a rash on his body.

 

Mrs Rafferty said: ‘I’d taken him to the doctors as he was off-colour, but then after I’d driven home, I lifted him out of his car seat and I noticed the rash on his body. It had literally appeared on the drive home from the doctor’s surgery.

‘I knew that meningitis caused a rash, but I never thought it would be, because he had only had it six months ago. I just thought it couldn’t possibly be happening to him again.

‘I put him straight back in the car seat and rushed back to the surgery. They gave him antibiotics straight away and called an ambulance.’

Mother Caiomhe said her son survived as they rushed him to hospital quickly each time he exhibited symptoms

Seamus was rushed back into hospital where the doctors diagnosed him with meningitis - but this time it was pneumococcal meningitis - a different strain than before.

Mrs Rafferty said: ‘I couldn’t believe it when the doctors told me he had meningitis for a second time. It was different strains too, so he had just been incredibly unlucky. He was only a year old, and again he was fighting for his life.’

Luckily Seamus responded to treatment and after two weeks in hospital he was allowed home again.

Since then he has been struck down with the bug another four times, in October 2008, January 2009, October 2010 and most recently, January 2011.

Mrs Rafferty said: ‘It just strikes so quickly, but after the second time, I’ve recognised the symptoms each time we’ve rushed him straight to hospital. So he’s been treated incredibly quickly, and I believe that is what has saved his life.

‘The fifth time he got it, he was jumping on the sofa at 9.30am. Half an hour later he was complaining of the bright lights and an hour later he was having convulsions. So he goes downhill with it so fast.

‘It’s just amazing that he has survived it so many times.’

Doctors have discovered a small hole in his skull, and believe this may be how the virus is getting through each time. In December he underwent an operation at Belfast Children’s Hospital where surgeons located the hole and blocked it.

They are hoping that this may prevent him from getting meningitis again.

Mrs Rafferty said: 'We are hoping that the operation has been a success and he won’t get it again, but we just have to wait and see.'

In December, Seamus had a hole in his skull blocked during an operation at Belfast Children's Hospital

She added that her son had been incredibly lucky not to suffer many of the meningitis complications.

'It did affect his balance one time and he walked with his head tilted to the left for six months, but that gradually righted itself,' she said.

'He’s such a happy little boy and it never lets it get him down. After his operation he asked me if he was fixed now, and we just have to hope that he doesn’t get it again.

'Beating meningitis six times by the age of six is enough for anyone.'

A spokeswoman for the Meningitis Trust, who have provided Seamus with an Ipad to catch up with his education, said: 'Seamus’s case is unique. We are not aware of any other child in the UK who has had meningitis this many times.'

 

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Boy, 6, survives meningitis a record SIX times after virus gets in through hole in his head