Social Media

TandBabyPI'll never forget the day that I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed and one of my friends posted a photo of her newborn baby and somewhat snidely pointed out that this was her first post to announce the arrival of her baby, which insinuated that others had posted her good news before she had. Yikes! I'm sure that those who had posted about her baby before she did, did not intentionally mean to upset her or steal her thunder.  Sometimes, in the midst of chronicaling our lives, "ATM," we forego social etiquette that we normally practice in person with others.  We must remember that the same basic rules of common courtesy apply to social media.  In fact, I would assert that we must be even more attentive to our conduct online because of its permanence and reach.
MH900053611After the tragic Boston Marathon bombings took place, everyone within our nation and abroad was immediately aware of what took place. Within just a week's time, authorities, officials and the media worked around the clock to solve the crime and inform the people. Now that we can reflect on what took place, there is definitely some discussion on what news sources were the most credible throughout the whole process. Where did you turn to for your news on the Boston Marathon bombings? If you paid close attention to the news reports throughout the crisis, you probably noticed that you were receiving information at a much faster rate than any other previous crises. Not to mention, you were probably seeking/receiving it from multiple sources, including social media. In the age of social media, we are used to getting our information now. In situations like the Boston bombings, the added pressure of the rapid pace at which social media churns information had traditional (and respected) news media all a flurry.
LinkedInlogoThere are so many social media options these days, though for professionals, few have the benefits of LinkedIn, without the downsides. LinkedIn started out in the living room of co-founder Reid Hoffman in 2002 and the site officially launched in 2003. At the end of the first month in operation, LinkedIn had a total of 4,500 members in the network.  As of February 2012, LinkedIn operates the world’s largest professional network on the Internet with more than 150 million members in over 200 countries and territories.  To us, this makes having a LinkedIn profile as basic as being a member of your local Chamber of Commerce.
RightSliceWe “like” The Right Slice. On Facebook. And otherwise.  The company makes deep dish pies with hand-rolled butter crusts filled to the brim with local Kaua`i ingredients. They’ve got a nice website and are astute in their social media interaction. Recently, they placed an offer on their Facebook page asking for “volunteers” to test a bake-at-home pie and provide feedback about their experience.
springwiseWe are religious readers of Springwise, which defines itself as “one of the world’s leading sources of new business ideas.”  Every week, they automatically send us blurbs about new business trends that have been identified by over 8,000 “spotters” worldwide. Recently, Springwise summed up its “Top 20 business ideas and opportunities for 2011.” There were some interesting findings.
FacebookHave you considered creating a Facebook page for your business, but aren't sure where to start?  Here is a link to a good Facebook page primer that'll get your business up and communicating to your publics on Facebook quickly and easily.
kukuigroveThis post is brought to you by guest columnist Jonell Kaohelaulii, Marketing Manager at Kukui Grove Center. Located in Lihue, Kauai.  Kukui Grove Center offers more than 60 shops and restaurants. Social networking has been a part of the customer service and shopping experience at Kukui Grove Center for over a year.  Our presence on Twitter, Facebook, Posterous, and other social media sites has allowed us to expand our online reach, beyond traditional website capabilities, to build relationships and communicate with our customers about services, sales, merchants, and community events. We utilize social media to increase Kukui Grove’s advertising exposure at every opportunity.  After a year of creating a database of online followers and fans, we decided to test Kukui Grove’s social media reach initially by promoting a new Toddler Thursday event via our Twitter and Facebook pages. The results were amazing!  Attendance increased each week.  Recently, we garnered our largest turnout of more than 81 toddlers thus, providing valuable entertainment for our weekday consumers and increasing pedestrian traffic for our merchants.