Rules of Engagement

Hello Forum Fans!

               Forums are a lot like the social networks we use on a daily basis but they can be even more personal. You can meet new people on Forum sites and build relationships that last for years. Everyone on the forum is likely to share your same interests or seek the same information about a topic or type of product that you were hoping to find.   

  Keep these tips in mind when interacting on Forum sites (like Amazon, CNET, and others). 

• Be helpful and stay on topic. As you type commentary or chat inside your forum, remember the topic of that forum and stay on point. It's not always about you wither. All comments and answers should stick to the subject at hand. 

• Get to know the message board, chat room or forum's style. Is the particular forum or board more "text speak" style or grammatical? Communicating within a group requires an understanding of the group's culture and reading other's posts before you comment can help you seamlessly fit into the group.  

• Respect specificity. Treat others as you wish to be treated, and be specific in your shared opinions. Be yourself, but be courteous and respectful of others.  

• Be transparent. Increase your credibility. If you represent a brand,  organization or client, put that information in your bio. It's even proper online etiquette to add a short disclaimer to your answers and responses (to remind others of your affiliation). 

• Don't feed the trolls. You can find all types of troublemakers on forums. Do take the time to differentiate between what the industry calls a "troll" and participants with legitimate complaints or concerns. By definition, a troll can never be satisfied.

        By following these guidelines, you can master the art of forum participation or management in no time!

Until next time!
~~ Abby and Meng  

  

The Magic Review Site = YouTube

YouTube has been ranked second largest search engine in the world. Its videos run the gamut - from commercial to educational to music to homemade clips of nearly anything. Many people love YouTube and rely on it as a way of keeping up with popular culture. Videos go "viral" when viewers share clips they like.

YouTube is popular with people of all ages, and many spend large amounts of time on the site. YouTube now suggests video clips and new "channels" based on what users have watched previously, which is increasing time spent on the video-sharing social network.

People can - and do - post comments under YouTube videos. There are no-restrictions and the conversation is free-flowing. There are four types of comments you'll find on YouTube: short comments, advertisements, negative criticism and rambling arguments. Short comments consist just of 1 to 3 syllables or words and most are positive, or just plain silly.
        Advertisements within comments usually include the links to other videos or YouTube channels. Negative criticism isn't always a bad thing in a YouTube comment, but the highest levels of criticism usually consist of commenters insulting other commenters' sexuality. Irate,  rambling arguments are also common under religious and political videos; most are against whatever ideology is being espoused in the particular video.

Freely expressing opinions is a great thing. However, there are negatives to getting a bad reviews on YouTube, where we can see some comments containing racist language, defamatory allegations and hate speech.  One such case is attached to Susan Boyle’s audition video from Britain’s Got Talent. The girl who rolled her eyes on film at 00:45 showing her disdain for Boyle became a national laughingstock. There are thousands of negative comments toward the woman including plenty of "hate speech," like the words "ugly, stupid and useless." 

      The Susan Boyle video has run for three years and received more than 86 million hits. The comments are never-ending. To review the performance visit HERE.  

Some companies use YouTube for stealth marketing, which means customers do not realize that they are being targeted for marketing messages. The spread of these videos and the number of views actually help companies develop awareness campaigns and promote products. For example, over 37 million people have now watched the Darth Vadar Super Bowl Ad on YouTube.

According to ________________________, 90% of consumers trust peer recommendations while only 14% trust advertisements. YouTube can be a useful tool for marketers and PR professionals. We also recommend that users exercise caution with their comments. As YouTube raises the fame quotient for video posters, it can also crash and trash a reputation overnight.

Until next week!

Meng and Abby