Ello? Who's There?

 “Ello?”

“Hi, Who is it?”

“We're not sure, but would you like to request an invite?”

       Ello, a new social network, has attracted the attention all across the internet this past week. What is this site? From what I can tell, this is an invite only site that incorporates elements of Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr but with more bugs and less features. The site has been called the “anti-Facebook” and it appears the main difference appears to be the exclusivity of the site, which is attracting many users. The site received more requests than it could even process in the past week; however the site has been launched since last March. Some believe the recent popularity is due to Facebook’s recent “real name policy”. The policy requires users to have accounts with their legal names and automatically deactivated many false accounts recently. This policy has been bashed by many in the LGBT community after many activists are speaking out about drag performers losing access to their accounts that did not use their legal names. Many LBGT community members are turning to Ello where there is not yet a policy restricting the name on an account. 

    How do users know if Ello is the next big thing or just a fad? I have yet to learn of any redeeming qualities of the site that are not already available via existing and more widely used social sites. Invites to this new site are being sold on eBay and some people are paying hundreds of dollars just to be a part of the site. Ello has released a list of potential new features and planned updates however no time line for these changes has been announced.

     It seems like there are always social sites claiming to be “the next Facebook”. It will be interesting to see how Ello progresses. I believe the site’s success depends on the next few moves. The lack of a “real name policy” as well as the invite only access and ad free network all have attracted a large group of users. However, to attract more users the site will need to appeal to a larger audience or meet the needs of a niche market. I think Ello needs to quickly determine whether or not the site wants to appeal to the same diverse and mass demographic group as Facebook or continue with the “anti-Facebook” vibe. 

     Currently, I see no appeal for a college student to be on the site, which was the first and primary target market when Facebook launched. On one hand, I don’t think Ello should try to follow in the footsteps of Facebook, especially if the site is trying to actually be the “anti-Facebook”. On the other hand though, Ello needs to establish and convey a unique feature, appeal, or specific target market to differentiate from Facebook soon, or risk being known as the invite only but less capable Facebook.  

Article referenced:

http://mashable.com/2014/09/25/whats-the-deal-with-ello/

DiGiorno DiSaster

Domestic volence has been a topic for conversation in the media recently, largely due to a video being released showing a violent interaction between NFL star Ray Rice and his wife. The NFL has recieved heat for waiting to take action until the media was shown the video. In response, Ray Rice has been suspended and several more players are recieving simialr punishments for acts of violence that have been recently reported.

Immediately after the Ray Rice domestic violence video went viral, social media sites were a buzz with critisisms as well as with conversation about domestic violence. Twitter began to have two hashtags trending: #WhyIStayed and #WhyI Left. The #WhyIStayed included victims of domestic vioelence courageously sharing their stories and or reasons he or she stayed with the abuser. This began stimulating mature and informative conversation about an issue often times swept under the rug. The hashtag was being used as a vessel for those involved to share their testimonies and have a chance to explain to the world the complications involved with staying versus leaving when involved with domestic violence.

However, DiGiorno in an attempt to join the chatter tweeted: "#WhyIStayed You had pizza." and essentially "newsjacked" the conversation.


This extremely inappropriate and poorly planned tweet has cost the pizza company by obviously causing a lot of heat and backlash from the media and consumers. DiGiorno's response? Claiming ignorance. The company is claiming that the indivdual responsible for the tweet did not understand the context of the trendign topic when heor she made the insensitive joke while using a hashtag connected to an incredibly sensitive and personal issue.

I get that everyone makes mistakes, but not understanding a hashtag is an easy mistake to be avoided. If DiGiorno had even clicked on the hashtag to read any of the associated tweets, the context of the hashtag would have been extremely obvious.

I see two potential explanations. Someone tweeted from the DiGiorno account who, indeed, did not understand the hashtag. In this case, accidents do happen (dispite this being an EASILY avoidable mistake). I would hope the DiGiorno comapny has removed that individual from any social media involvment and possibly from the company. However, the second explanation involves "newsjacking". Essentially newsjacking occurs when an individual or company uses the popularity or relevance of a newsworthy event to direct the conversation towards their message, brand, or cause. For example, during the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge many participants posted videos of the ice bucket challenge but made points or directed the conversation away from ALS and toward a topic of their choosing to make an unrelated statement. I think DiGiorno may be guilty of newsjacking in this situation, whether or not this was the intention. The company's tweet turned the conversation from a way for the world to learn more about an issue not commonly discussed but extremely widesopread, to jokes about pizza.

However, I will again acknowledge that accidents happen. Whether or not someone at DiGiorno tweeted this on purpose or on accident, the company did everything right to make ammends after the tweet had been removed. DiGiorno immediately tweeted an apology, acknowledged their fault in the issue, and even responded to almost all the tweets from upset Twitter users to apologize. I do applaud their damage control in this situation, however there is still no excuse for the mistake.

Moral of the story, brands NEED to understand the context of an issue or discussion before joining in just to gain attention or followers on any paltform. And even if accidental, cosnuemrs will not view a brand favorably that seems to be "newsjacking" a serious headline. There are better ways to get the brand name out there, especially with proper social media use and content marketing.

Article Referenced:
http://www.idigitaltimes.com/digiorno-pizza-why-i-stayed-tweet-causes-public-backlash-381525

Keeping It Skimm-ple

    Everyone has their morning routine; wake up, roll-over, and grab our phones. We postpone getting out of bed until after we have checked our favorite social media sites or blogs. The list of sites to check each morning varies but for the majority, we check our email, Twitter, Instagram, and/or Facebook newsfeeds to catch up on what has happened while you were asleep.

    Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg have tapped into this typical morning routine with a free daily newsletter they established called the Skimm. The Skimm is sent out at 5:59 am each morning and is waiting in my inbox when I wake up. The newsletter sends out “Reader’s Digest-sized” snippets of the most important world news daily. The 5 minutes I spend reading my Skimm blast each morning are some of the most worthwhile 5 minutes spent during my day, especially time spent on my phone. Between clubs, classes, meeting, job interviews and research I barely have time to turn on my television at the end of the day before I fall asleep. Sadly, I don’t spend this time catching up on the news headlines; I typically wind down each day with a Netflix episode. That’s why I appreciate the Skimm. The newsletter allows me to start my day feeling informed and productive, after only 5 minutes of literally skimming an email.

    Zakin and Weisberg have created a vehicle aimed to “leave even the busiest readers just-informed enough that they can feel confident bringing up the latest Healthcare.gov snafu or NSA scandal during cocktail hour”. The Skimm has been successful among their target demographic but is also relatable among a larger population with gender neutral news available literally at our fingertips. The world is moving more and more towards mobile for promotion of brands and products and now for delivering content. The Skimm has already reached 100,000 subscribers and has been promoted primarily through word of mouth recommendations from satisfied users.

     Why is the Skimm so successful? First, the newsletter addresses all the needs and wants of their target market by delivering news in a short but relatable format that users can understand and even reference during their day. Most importantly, the Skimm is providing this service when and where the audience wants it: on their phone. The email blasts allow users to have control and choice of when and where they access the news and how they incorporate the headlines into their daily life. I believe the Skimm has been successful due to their concise but relevant content paired with the convenience of the newsletter. I praise the Skimm for their unique and successful approach to delivering global headlines to a population unfortunately custom to referencing 140 character tweets for their “news”.

http://www.fastcompany.com/3021236/most-creative-people/how-theskimm-became-the-must-read-newsletter-for-women