Social media and Riots

Many are beginning to question whether social media is good or bad in the event of a riot. Some people argue that social media is what fuels the riots. The riots that accrued last August in England are a great example. The riots began in London and spread rapidly into other cities including Manchester and Birmingham. Blackberry messenger was the primary source of social media used to spread the rioting along with social media sites such as facebook and twitter. Many locals that were interviewed all concluded that social media, epically Blackberry messenger, were to blame. On the other hand, many believed that social media may have helped during the riots. Police officers said that monitoring the rioting allowed them to track and prevent the spread. Many locals agreed that social media gave them fair warning of the rioting which allowed people to find safety in what appeared to be a warzone. The question raised is whether social media should be blocked or shut down in rioting situations. There are two opposing sides that both raise good points. I personally think it would be wrong to shut down these networks because in a time of crises one would need to have contact with family and friends. I do think that televised news reporting should be clear, accurate, and not misconstrue the situation to local viewers.

Vupen Hackers

Recently Google held a “hackathon” contest in Vancouver were some of the worlds brightest hackers attempted to bypass Google chrome and other similar software for a price of $60,000. Google offered the winners the price of $60,000 in exchange for all the techniques and secretes used to bypass the software. Google’s intention was to gain knowledge to fix the unknown security risks. A French security firm by the name of Vupen showed up to the contest and really made themselves known. Vupen was able to bypass all of Google’s software without breaking a sweat and after doing so refused the money. Vupen says they would never tell Google their secretes, especially not for $60,000. Vupen is a security firm that offers their hacking techniques to government agencies in exchange for a large fee. Some say that a yearly subscription to Vupen’s hacking techniques will run well over six figures. There are many people who disagree with the services Vupen and others offer. Many believe that Vupen and other companies are providing the weapons for cyber war. According to Vupen they only deal with NATO government agencies. Once there techniques leave their hands there are no guarantees the information won’t be passed on. Some of Vupen’s competitors think the company is not classy in the way they do business. Dominating a Google held contest then refusing the prize really showed Vupen’s arrogance. I think there are many other companies in the same field as Vupen that like to keep business confidential. Vupen purposely exposed themselves possibly to show competitors what can do.  

Global Social Media Trends

There are many different social media networks used around the world. The most popular and well known network is facebook. What gives facebook its global popularity is being globally local. Facebook has a wide variety of languages and user can interact with others all over the world.  A recent report from Comscore shows that facebook is dominating all but seven countries.  China is one of these seven countries that do not allow facebook. The reason China does not allow facebook is due to censorship laws.  Instead China uses two networks called Qzone and Renren. In the years to come facebook will somehow make its way into China and eventually dominate the globe. Russia is another country that does use facebook but it is not the most popular social media network. The top two social media networks in Russia are Vkontakte and Odnoklassniki, leaving face book at number three. Not only does facebook need to be careful of competitors outside the United States but also inside. Many reports show that twitter is growing in users and is not too far behind facebook. Although there are seven countries that either do not use facebook or do not consider it to be the most popular, in future years to come facebook will make its way into these countries and become number one worldwide.

B2B Social Media

Business to business social media has become a very common and useful tool used in the business environment. Most companies use business to business social media for its many benefits which include marketing, advertising, and an overall decrease in costs. Not only do businesses benefit from adverting their product or service but they also build stronger relationships with customers. Staying connected with customers is a key factor in business. Businesses using social media sites allows for B2B relationships to become stronger and for new relationships to be made. Another aspect of B2B social media is the decrease in cost of sales. Social media is one of the most effective ways to advertise and build a name for a business at lower cost. Companies can stream live updates of information to stakeholders, advertise a new product, and build a larger customer base all through the use of B2B social media. Almost all businesses benefit from B2B social media and this is why more and more businesses are joining. Many experts and researches predict that this B2B trend is going to explode in the next couple of years. I personally think B2B social media relationships are an excellent business strategy. Although B2B is a very effective business strategy I don’t think it should be relied upon. A business should use B2B social media in combination with other business strategies and tools.