Enterprise Social Networking in the Groundswell

       It is easy to see how the groundswell can be used by consumers and the general public in ways that can connect them to corporations and make differences in services and results. The basic strategies for reigning the groundswell in - listening, talking, energizing, supporting, and embracing - can be applied to internal operations as well. Li and Bernoff use chapters 11 and 12 in their book to show how enterprises and companies can use the reach and power of the groundswell to strengthen communication and make a community that relies on each other instead of higher echelons.

       Even though the video above is an advertisement for a Socialcast, a company that provides social media services for companies, it makes the basic points about how an internal system can strengthen a company. Like Li and Bernoff claimed, "internal groundswell applications can make employees feel empowered, connected and more committed on a day-to-day basis." It closes the gaps between the management and the average employee and creates an encouraged platform for workers to voice their concerns without feeling out of place. Message boards have been used by companies for years by this point, but by embracing a social network-like application it allows for more types of media to be integrated and interlaced.

An example of Socialcast's interconnections

       Clark Kokich, former CEO of Razorfish experienced the power of internal groundswell firsthand, claiming that "the biggest benefit is being able to listen in on what people are working on, what they are concerned about, and where they are focused. It is the virtual equivalent to management by walking around."Companies can be so large that CEOs don't get to interact with every employee. Even though through a network like this the communication would be virtual, it still allows for communication that wouldn't likely occur. Kokich was able to keep a finger on the pulse of his company and understand from multiple points of view how employees were feeling and what they were up to. 

       Before companies can even embrace an internal social media system, they have to understand that connecting with the groundswell transforms how the company works. According to Li and Bernoff, the company goes through a "mental shift" in which you become so engaged with your customers that you walk in step with their needs and wants. Integrating the groundswell into operations cannot be a singular thing - the whole company needs to be aware and on-board. 

        The main tip that the authors impart is that the best way to understand and work with the groundswell is to take small steps that have big impact and measurable success. This way, the goals of the company can be focused upon and given precedent. It is important to keep everyone on the same page, to educate and build leaders into the plan. Understanding the mental shift that embracing the groundswell imparts is similar to understanding why an internal social media system would make such a difference: they both strive to make a community and to engage people in relation to how the company works.

       Because internal social media systems are so successful, there are a lot of resources for companies to begin their own communities. Beyond Socialcast that was mentioned above, here are some other options that can help companies embrace their own systems:

    - Yammer: This service is like the enterprise version of Twitter. Individuals with the same business email domain can join and be given a network where employees can microblog and shoot quick questions to those that they work with. Companies have used this system to break down barriers between business units and employees around the world.

    - Instant messaging like Digsby: Instant messaging internally is like a more private version of Twitter or Yammer and allows communications between people separated by distance and the like. The cool thing about Digsby is that it supports all kinds of other IM programs (AIM, MSn, Facebook Chat, and more) as well as supporting e-mail notifications and alerts from other social medias. A program like this streamlines social media and IMing and can cut down on clutter and confusion for companies.

    -Imaging and Video with apps like Skype: Being able to have a visual community with your company makes a huge difference. Skype allows for group conference calls and omits any awkwardness or misinterpretations because it facilitates video calling. Being able to put a face and a voice to a fellow employee or a CEO makes a huge difference and encourages more open communication. 

Li and Bernoff provide the basis of how companies need to change their point of view and apply aspects of the groundswell internally. As important as it is to have a strong connection to consumers and the general public, the company itself needs to run smoothly. One of the best ways to achieve this is to understand and to embrace the groundswell within.

Social Media Monitoring: Lush Cosmetics

       

       Founded in 1995, Lush Cosmetics is a company that makes fresh, handmade cosmetics under the standards of natural ingredients and cruelty-free practice. Starting in England, the company now has 830 stores in 51 countries that sell a variety of products such as soaps, shower gels, shampoos, hair conditioners, bath bombs, bubble bars, face masks, hand and body lotions, and cosmetics for a variety of skin types.
       Lush is known for its activism and contributions to various charities. They maintain a strong presence online, being a cult favorite of beauty bloggers and vloggers, and are especially popular during holiday seasons as they produce limited time products for festive pampering. I plan to use social media monitoring to examine their online procedures and interactions with customers, as well as to track their promotion of their Holiday/Christmas product releases during this season.

Lush's Online Presence
       Before getting into the nitty-gritty of statistical analysis, it is important to gather first impressions about the brand's online presence and how they market themselves.

Lush.com

       Their website is bright and gives off a magical vibe. They are currently in the thick of promoting their Halloween treats, so all of the visuals revolve around the limited edition items that will be around until the first few weeks of November. They have links to their blog and charity work first and foremost. Having these two links up front proves that Lush places a lot of stock in their charity work and their employees (who run the blog). The page not only shows what matters to them, but it showcases the colorful and festive nature of their products through interesting visuals. Scrolling down, they have widget links to their other social media sites for easy access.

Lush's Facebook

       Lush's Facebook carries on the aesthetic of their website, but brings a more personal tone with their posts. Although a majority of their posts are on their products, they take the time to post on other aspects of natural, cruelty-free living, such as the post above that provides vegan recipes. They link to their blog, share posts from causes that they support, and pictures of happy employees at various stores around the nation.

Lush's Twitter

The lovely @DesiPerkins talks about getting that gorgeous #glow from our Feeling Younger skin tint! Check it out: https://t.co/FFJl7fJxMR
— LUSH Cosmetics (@lushcosmetics) October 6, 2014

        Their Twitter follows the same format as their Facebook, but there is more of an emphasis of embracing the groundswell and crowdsourcing. They retweet a lot of tweets from customers that share experiences with products or tweets from bloggers (like above) that review (and in turn advertise for) their cosmetics. They also tweet pop culture references and find ways to tie them in to their products.

Lush's Instagram

       Because most of Lush's products rely on their interesting scents and smells, having intriguing visuals of their items can make up for the lack of scent when browsing online. Their Instagram is colorful and they try to have videos as well as pictures. When Shark Week was on Discovery Channel this year, they posted a lot on their Instagram to raise awareness on shark poaching.

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Just in case you needed another reason to help save sharks.Tune in to Shark Week tonight at 9/8c.

View on Instagram

Lush's YouTube 

       Lush uses their YouTube a lot, and all of their products on their website have accompanying embedded YouTube videos showing how to use them and what they look like in action. Like their Instagram, this serves as a platform to demonstrate the full experience of their products.

Analytics and Data

Addictomatic.com

       I searched "Lush Cosmetics" on Addictomatic to see how the brand is talked about by others online. News results from Ask.com and Bing both came up with trends in talking about Lush as "sustainable" and in terms of donations and protecting the environment. "Fresh" and DIY recipes were also common results, which ties into Lush's mantra of handmade products. Addictomatic also reinforces the visual presence that Lush has online, coming up with a lot of results in YouTube (featured are beauty vloggers that demonstrate products and show off what Lush goodies they have collected in "haul" videos) and Flickr where there are a lot of featured holiday items (tis the season!!).

IceRocket 

       I searched "Lush Cosmetics holiday" on IceRocket to see what blogs were saying about the 2014 holiday line. There is a spike at the end of September, as the weather changes and Halloween products are being sold in stores, and predictably the hype rises again during October when Lush released their products. Blogs are a great venue for crowdsourcing and customer reviews, as seen in this post that came up with the search, that describes each holiday product  and provides pictures. The spike around October 12th is due to the exact date that Lush released the products and announced new additions to their Christmas line. I expect the blogs to continue to talk about the products through the Christmas buying period. The percentages of blog posts talking about Lush's holiday products are low though. This is an area that can garner a lot of hype. As Lush puts a lot of focus into their visual online presence, maybe they should look into reaching out to written blogs as well.

Social Mention 

       Social Mention provides us with numerical statistics on what the internet is saying about Lush Cosmetics. What can be gathered by this information is that feedback about Lush is generally very positive. With the sentiment being 24:1 and the passion being close to 50%, it is clear that consumers are happy with their products and are willing to convey that online. The percentages for strength (likelihood that it is being talked about on social media) and reach (amount of new people talking about the brand) are on the low side, but because of the level of sentiment and passion, this could be because the brand has a smaller following that are dedicated and excited about Lush. Keywords show that people are likely to buy products online ("shipped") and that "handmade" is yet again a key factor of the brand's image.

Google Trends

       Google Trends solidifies that Lush gains popularity and interest during the winter holiday season (all of the high peaks, especially after 2009, are at December) because of their holiday collections and specials. News articles that accompanied the peaks revolved around political statements and protests that the brand participated in. Below shows the distribution of the brand throughout the internet, showing concentrations in the United Kingdom and North America, where most of the stores are located.

Initial Conclusions

       Lush targets the environmentally conscious consumer. They campaign for communities and positive self-image. Although their presence on social media isn't extreme in strength or reach, they have cultivated a loyal and strong fan base that keeps up with brand changes and talks highly of them online. Visuals remain an important factor of their presence and hype to make up for the lack of smell and touch on the Internet. The brand has grown a lot from its humble beginnings in the mid-90s to a brand that is breaking into the international market. They use various forms of social media and are consciously trying to create a larger, but still loyal and enthusiastic group of consumers.

       

Social Media and Self-Worth

     

       Most social media sites and communities include a like-system, in which users can show interest and increase popularity of original posts. Although this is a valid way to get feedback from followers and friends, it inevitably ties in with personal self-worth. More likes means that more people appreciate your posts and in a time where social media is where we tend to represent ourselves it unavoidably becomes linked to ones self-esteem.

       SheKnows is a website that gathers news stories, DIY activities, and advice from experts in various fields. The site has a slant towards women and promoting feminist equality throughout all facets of society. Their YouTube channel updates regularly with a variety of series and topics. The video above is one from their series where they interview kids on their opinions of society and how it functions. In this case, the girls discuss how social media can cause anxiety and issues due to the like/popularity system that it seems to rely on.

       This is where the idea of FOMO enters - the fear of missing out. Applications like Snapchat and Instagram are very socially inclined and people tend to use them to exhibit activities that they are participating in or people that they are hanging out with. In the age of social media, there are constant reminders of and copious opportunities to display one's social life, and because of this those that might be left out are constantly reminded of that fact. 

The fact that @MAD_aboutyouu and @charlesisgross were together last night and i wasn't there <<<< #FOMO
— Melissa Charles (@charliehorsee) October 19, 2014

       Searching #FOMO on Twitter shows a lot of results, though most of them are silly or jokes. The anxiety that comes with FOMO and getting the most likes on a post drives people deeper into the social media sphere. Although these likes are ultimately trivial, in a world that relies and revolves on social media they become everything and inevitably linked to one's own self-worth and popularity. As these are already volatile aspects of teenager's lives, it can be distressing and all-consuming especially as social media puts a quantifying factor on reputation.

       Because of the nature of likes and bragging on social media, there is an obvious trend in such sites causing depression in users. A teen who usually gets 200 likes whenever she uploads a new profile picture only gets 50 in the first couple of hours: even though this does not quantify the teen's actual worth, the discrepancy in likes is sure to cause anxiety and the assumption that the picture isn't beautiful or exciting. It is the quantification of popularity in social media, the permanent determinant of acclaim that anyone can see that causes insecurities and the need for attention.

       What can be done about this? As represented in the video above, a strong step forward is to encourage dialogue about social media and its effects. Even though there are some discouraging trends in teenage social media use (such as the popularity implications discussed above), teens seem to generally be aware of its dangers and predictabilities. By opening up discussions on the "real life" social and mental implications of social media, it not only helps this digital generation to understand their actions, but it also encourages considering overall impact. As one of the girls in the video explained, teens are often discredited and assumed to not know as much as their adult counterparts despite teens having more experience with digital media because it is all they have ever known. If we encourage dialogue and education on social media, maybe FOMO and the need for likes will be more understood instead of an unavoidable condition of social media and self-worth. 

Crowdsourcing and Twitter: Online Magnets

       It is a given fact in today's day and age that the world of journalism is changing. Gone are the days of the radio and papers being delivered to your door. People use their smartphones and laptops to check in on current events, and applications such as Twitter can be exploited for news updates in real time. The news is more of a constant, and now people themselves can become involved and invested to new extremes.

     

       Chapter 9 of Li and Bernoff's groundswell discusses how embracing the groundswell, or "making customers an integral part of the way you innovate, with both products and process improvements" is the best way to open up new distribution channels and to speed up the improvement process. Customers who are invested in your product won't take long to tell you what they want and because of this, you can iterate. Feedback reaches you immediately so you can process it and move on to the next improvement. The process is more direct and clearer than it ever has been. By having this direct access to consumers and dedicated users, companies can collect their feedback and quickly turn it over into making the company the best it can be for its customers. 

        The groundswell has opened up this avenue of crowdsourcing, or asking the groundswell to provide you with ideas. Organizations can delegate advertising tasks to consumers or creating new products. For example, Lay's Chips has used crowdsourcing in their Do Us A Flavor campaigns. They get fans to create their own flavor of chips and through a series of votes, the top four are chosen and released into stores. Customers can then buy these fan-invented flavors and vote on social media or through text messages for which flavor should be permanently sold in stores. The final product would not only be made by a customer, but it would be the overall public's favorite determined by the votes. Its a win-win for Lay's as they not only delegated work to others, but they will know that the public wants the new flavor that they introduce.

       Chapter 10 demonstrates how this phenomenon correlates so well with how Twitter is organized. Because the application is so simple to use and "free and open, it connects people and gives them power." There are obvious implications of this in terms of crowdsourcing for producers and companies, but what about other industries? What about the news and investigative journalism?

       Above is a TED talk by journalist Paul Lewis in which he discusses how he was able to help uncover and solve two murder cases with the crowdsourcing power of social media, in particular Twitter. Because of the scope of this platform, you can reach almost anyone. 

       Lewis was reporting on a difficult case involving a man's murder via police brutality. The situation in which it occurred - a rowdy, crowded London street - caused confusion over how the murder happened. Looking for answers, Lewis turned to the internet to find witnesses. He discusses how news and tragedy are like online magnets that draw people in because they have the power to help. News travels like the wind, spreading over vast pockets of people. Lewis found not only witnesses, but photographs and videos from them that clarified the crime and provided the journalist with the missing information that he could never have uncovered without the power of the groundswell that he embraced. 

       

       There is an extreme level of accountability that comes with Twitter and social media. Witnesses of crimes have the ability to unveil what they saw, to reach out to journalists like Lewis and provide the missing piece, the alternate point of view. Li and Bernoff see how Twitter is such a valuable affiliate. The separation between the common public and the organizations (or journalists) is now paper thin. The example with Lewis demonstrates its power as well: by listening to the consumers (in this case, his readers) and tapping the groundswell with Twitter he strengthened his final product - a solid result in the case and a true recount of the event. Twitter not only ups the accountability for companies, but for people in general.

Conspiracies and Fear in Social Media

       The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of news regarding the recent Ebola outbreak. After the first case of the virus in the United States was diagnosed last week, the spread of panic is amplified in the wake of the groundswell. Instead of people relying on news outlets and verified sources for updates, a large majority of social media users are turning to each other. In most cases, this tendency to refer to peers instead of professionals in the Internet age can be helpful and informative. What about in terms of an international health crisis? In a medium where news and emotions spread like wildfire, social media proves yet again that it is a paradoxical mix of helpful information and a cesspool of bizarre opinions that spill into fear.

How People Deal with Fear in Social Media

hi im ebola and ur watching disney channel pic.twitter.com/OdpgdgFMtw
— (@Dory) October 4, 2014

       Ebola is terrifying. The disease basically causes the infected to bleed internally and externally along with other loss of bodily fluids and organ function. It's contagious and can be incredibly deadly. Because the disease has been diagnosed in the US, the coverage of its wake has been more readily updated and focused upon and has caused varying reaction among the twitterverse.
       As seen in the tweet from parody account Dory there has been a lot of comedic responses in the wake of the epidemic. A common defense mechanism, some twitter users deal with the fear of and the high volume of response to the disease with humor and nonchalance. If you don't make a big deal out of it, it won't become a big deal right?

if i catch ebola my first reaction will be to tweet 'lol i legit have ebola'
— alby (@blemsquad) October 5, 2014

       The problem with this attitude is that it spreads and with social media it can spread in a second. This is not to say that keeping a positive and humorous view on things is a problem - it isn't - the problem comes more with the spread. The more people who see this as a simple issue that can be laughed about, the less forward progress that can be made. More importantly, as twitter user Blemsquad demonstrated in his tweet pictured above, a lot of misinformation is loaded into his tweet and can cause panic in others who might see it out of context. Is it likely for him to catch Ebola? Would it really warrant such a blasé response? The tweet is somewhat harmless, but instead of spreading ignorance or passing the situation off as a humorous one, social media can be used to spread useful information, such as a parody account of popular YouTube personality Jenna Marbles does below.

To everybody who is freaking out about Ebola pic.twitter.com/NbHKg4gIOm
— JENNA MARBLES (@FunnyJokeBook) October 5, 2014

       Jenna (her real twitter can be found here) has over 14 million subscribers on YouTube and is one of the most popular and well-known creators on the video site. Her celebrity and influence has inspired the parody account FunnyJokeBook, where jokes and humorous quips in her signature style are posted. Even though it is a fake account and in no way affiliated with the YouTuber herself, it still carries her name. The account has over 2 million followers and has enough of its own fanbase to make a difference.
       It would be easy for FunnyJokeBook to make a joking tweet such as Dory or Blemsquad did, but instead the account used its power to spread information. They posted a clear and informative infographic explaining how the disease is spread. Not only can this infographic help inform users and followers who see it, but it is also verified by the CDC which brings peace of mind to the information that it is displaying. This parody account uses the power of celebrity with the power of knowledge to bring a wide range of followers to peace of mind.

How the Professionals Deal with It
     

       The CDC has been the obvious purveyor of information on the Ebola outbreak. As seen on their website pictured above, they have converted almost all of their top stories and links to Ebola updates and information. Their twitter features many retweets from their own employees and doctors of quips about how they are "focused" on and "working" with confirmed cases. Tweets (such as the one below) that are directly from the CDC are packed with information and resources for those who are looking. 

CDC experts answered questions yesterday on #Ebola in #CDCChat. Now available on Storify. Get the facts: http://t.co/Bt6AfRGw9N
— CDC (@CDCgov) October 3, 2014

       On October 2nd, the CDC ran a question and answer period on their twitter with the hashtag CDCChat. This allowed users to ask the organization questions about Ebola directly. The twitter account dutifully answered what they could, and made sure to give frequent updates on the confirmed case in Dallas that had a large number of American twitter users nervous and questioning.

       Yes...this is the CDC's responsibility as a governmental operation. They have to inform the public. Twitter gives the center the ability to respond directly to the people, person by person. In a situation like this one, when information is being spread anyway like users mentioned above, it is important for the "professionals" to respond as much as they can to overcome the inevitable misinformation and jokes that can clog a newsfeed. The more that the professionals get involved, the less likely it is that people will remain in the dark.

       The bottom line is that social media is a powerful tool. When something such as this Ebola outbreak occurs, fear rises. Fear spreads. Social media is a catalyst that helps it gain speed and spread quicker. The more accurate information about serious situations that is spread, the more it is likely to quiet the fear. The groundswell proves again that it can be a blessing and a curse.

More resources on the Ebola virus (beyond those listed above):
CDC Communication Resources
WHO Information Resources
International SOS Education Materials