Social Media Analytics (Week Seven Discussion)

“Social media analytics is the practice of gathering data from blogs and social media websites and analyzing that data to make business decisions” (Rouse, 2013).

Using metrics is beneficial in driving changes to an organization’s social media campaign. "Different networks have different metrics, as well as different methods of analyzing those metrics, however, there are three characteristics that can be determined for almost every network and can help identify areas in need of improvement" (Turner, 2013):

• page views generated

• following/reach

• sentiment

Week Seven Discussion Questions:

1) Why is it social media analytics important for your company or organization?

2) Do you feel that is it important to track your competitor’s social media activity? Why or why not?

3) Explain how each of the above mentioned characteristics can be measured and utilized to make business decisions and ultimately build a strong social media presence for your company or organization. 

References:

Rouse, M. (2013). What is social media analytics? - Definition from WhatIs.com. Retrieved October 11, 2015, from http://searchbusinessanalytics.techtarget.com/definition/social-media-analytics

Turner, J. (2013, November 17). An In-Depth Guide on Calculating the ROI of a Social Media Campaign. Retrieved October 11, 2015, from http://60secondmarketer.com/blog/2013/11/17/in-depth-guide-calculating-social-media-roi/

Social Media in the Workplace (Week Six Discussion)

1) Have you ever been disciplined for a work related social media post or do you know someone who has? Do you think it is justifiable for an employer to take action against an employee for a "rant."

Personally I have never been disciplined for a work related social media post. Since last year, I have seen many NFL players take to Twitter to rant about their teammates, coaches, and incidents within the league. For example, after Michael Sam was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in May he shared a celebratory kiss with his boyfriend and it was featured on ESPN. Later on, both former and current NFL stars took to Twitter to bash Sam. Some players got away with the rants, but others were disciplined. Don Jones, safety for the Miami Dolphins, tweeted “OMG” and “horrible” when ESPN aired Sam kissing his boyfriend. Joe Philbin, Miami Dolphins Head Coach stated, “We were disappointed to read Don’s tweets. They were inappropriate and unacceptable, and we regret the negative impact these comments had on such an important weekend for the NFL. We met with Don today about respect, discrimination and judgment. These comments are not consistent with the values and standards of our program.” I feel that in many cases it is justifiable for an employer to take action against and employee for a rant because ultimately the employee is a representation of the company or organization. 

2) In 2015 is it reasonable to expect that employees are on social media during the work day? Is this the new norm? If so, does this have a positive or negative effect on the work place? If not, how can an employer ever truly restrict this use?

While today’s technology continues to evolve, it is unreasonable to expect that employees are not on social media at all during the work day. I believe that the use of social media should not be permitted during work hours, but with mobile devices I don’t think that it will ever be truly possible to restrict this use. 

3) Do you think that social media helps or hurts a young person’s ability to have a professional job? 

I feel that having social media helps a young person’s ability to have a professional job. It allows the individual to network with others, create a personal brand, and acquire a following. 

4) Of the nine points listed by NLRB which one did you think was the most important and which one did you feel was the least important?

I feel that “Employers May Prohibit Employee Rants” is the most important point. “The NLRB has expressly ruled that employees may be disciplined or terminated for engaging in such public rants. Prohibiting this behavior in a social media policy does not violate the Act as long as it does not chill protected speech” (Halpern, 2015).

“Generic or Overly-Broad Courtesy Clauses Should be Avoided” seems to be the least important because I feel that it goes hand in hand with the point made about employers being able to prohibit employee rants. “Employers may encourage employees to refrain from making insulting remarks or engaging in hateful speech in social media. However, employers may not impose wholesale restrictions” (Halpern, 2015).
      
Reference: 

Halpern, S. (2015). When is Your Company's Social Media Policy an Unfair Labor Practice? Recent NLRB Decisions Offer Long-Awaited Guidance for Employers. Retrieved October 6, 2015, from http://www.natlawreview.com/article/when-your-company-s-social-media-policy-unfair-labor-practice-recent-nlrb-decisions-