Timeline-Facebook Changes

Facebook’s change to user profiles has eventually gone live and now you can update your Timeline before it is automatically changed. It’s a huge change to how it all works and many are already complaining. With its first showing in September, CEO Mark Zuckerberg, has gone for a complete rethink of a user’s profile page, attempting to turn the data present into a digital scrapbook.

For some the ability to go back in time to their early postings may prove embarrassing but getting Timeline now allows you time to alter previous postings, removing and/or changing privacy settings.

With 7 days to tweak the page before it goes live, it’s an opportunity to design and get things right. If you think you’ve got it right you can choose to publish at any time within the week or leave it to go live at the end of the 7 days.

Your cover photo can now fit across the width of the page, rather than the small square shot previously allowed. This can allow you space to put a more panoramic shot of favourite places or express what you are about.

Although old posts have always been available to view by clicking again and again on a friends profile, now the Timeline lists them in years and months so it’s far easier to go back in time. The privacy settings on the posts will remain the same as when you posted unless you alter them individually, if you feel the need.

Timeline has already tried to guess which of your posts are the most interesting and has made these viewable. If you think a post needs expanding and it hasn’t been, you can expand it. Any item now added to your Timeline can now be given a date so they will appear in chronological order.

Facebook have added a very helpful page called the Activity Log and this is the best place to edit you Timeline. It is accessed from your profile page and every single item from a user is listed here allowing each piece to be deleted or tweaked accordingly. If you don’t want to remove completely from Facebook, you can change the visibility of the post to ‘Only Me’, then only you can see the item.

Facebook is hoping that given the Timeline design people will add to their profiles with before-Facebook items, adding to the already massive amount of data they hold.

Eventually Timeline will go live for everyone, use the opportunity to organise yours so people will see what you want them to see. Make an impression with your page and get to know how it all works.

Do you require any help with Facebook? Email us or telephone Tamara on 0203 468 8594

Filed under: TJConsulting news — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Diane Scott @ 10:00 am

How J & J Sing Their Way Back Into Favour

For those of us in the UK who may not have realised the furore surrounding the removal from the shelves of a specific Johnson & Johnson product in Canada and the USA, now thanks to our friends on Facebook we can now share the beautifully crafted apology, created by Toronto agency Lowe Roche.
The video is accessible online at OBTampons.ca/apology, where visitors type their name into a blank field to activate and can then hear an apology in the form of a power ballad sung by a male singer. The snazzy part of all this is the customisation of lyrics and certain visual cues to include the name the visitor has entered.
At the end of the video to seal their apology Johnson & Johnson have a 2$ voucher to apply to the purchase of OB Tampons, valid until December 20th.
The apology and coupon have been offered after J & J discontinued the Ultra brand of their products.The product was discontinued last year and customers voiced their displeasure with phone calls to customer services and online petitions. Shelley Kohut director of communications and public relation at J & J Canada said “When (O.B. Ultra) wasn’t available, they certainly did let us know that that was something they were counting on and needed from us,” and “Given the nature of the product and the high degree of loyalty to the product, we really wanted to take the opportunity to let our consumers know that we truly are sorry that we put them through that frustration.” J&J is at present working on a time-line for restarting production and distribution of the Ultra brand.

Now, it’s all a beautiful use of social media and while not everyone appears to have accepted the apology in the same way, (and why would they?) I think it’s entertaining but then I’m not personally affected by the brand disappearing off the shelves.

The video has worked and more than that people who don’t need to see the apology have viewed the apology. Downside of this, the video wasn’t made to be viewed on mobile devices, so a lot of niggles from people who were sent the link but couldn’t then view it. Mobile audiences are growing so don’t restrict your audience by forgetting them. Think mobile.

Social media, customer services, online petitions raised the voice level of the customers. The voucher offer, initially only available to its Canadian customers, J&J have now realised the errors of their ways and made it available to the US. Slight problem here is Canada get an easy to print coupon and the US have to download Coupon Printer and then print it out.

The coupon is dated for use by Dec 20th 2011 and for any product, as they are still working on the time-line for production of the much loved Ultra brand. So a bit tight with the expiry date of the voucher. Considering how viral the video has become, use the momentum and don’t lose everyone on December 20th 2011?

Is there any way we can help with your social media? Email us, or telephone 0203 468 8594 and speak to Tamara.

Filed under: TJConsulting news — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Diane Scott @ 10:00 am

How does copyright work for online images.

I love to use images on my blog but am never quite sure whether I should! My problem is solved much of the time as I use images from my own personal archive or by using book jackets, advertising and selling the books as an affiliate.

I look and check time and again when using images just to make sure I’m not infringing copyright. So just how does copyright work with online images?

Strangely enough, copyright laws were established to encourage creation by authors rather than giving them the right to deny their work to other people. It can then be a delicate balance between the rights of a creator and the public. Often when conflict happens the result is a leaning towards the public interest and may not be what the author believes to be right.

Copyright is attached when an item (literary,written,dramatic,artistic,musical,etc.) is initially created. The work has to be original and copyright is then acknowledged in the 164 countries that form the Berne Convention. Copyright applies to both published and unpublished works.

Copyright is an automatic right and the ‘c’ symbol can be used without registering. If the work is registered certain rights become available to creators. They are:

  • to reproduce the work
  • display work publicly
  • prepare derivative work based on the original
  • distribute copies to the public for sale, rent, lend or display to the public

    • Now where does that take us? The general rule to keep in mind is, you may not use a copyrighted work without the owners permission, but this one legal construct allows millions to see and share images on line every day. Fair use (not to be confused with Free use) is the legal exception to the exclusive rights an owner has over his copyrighted work. Probably nothing to do with fair but all to do with ‘in the public interest’.

    Fair Use – a balance between protecting a creator and promoting the interests of the public.

    Fair Use Doctrine – allow for limited and reasonable use and does not interfere with an owner’s’ right or impede their right to work as they wish.

    In brief: If in doubt about copyright, do not use without permission. Ask, and in a majority of cases permission will be granted readily.

    Do not rely on the fair use clause to use copyrighted images, you could face disruption and removal of your site if the copyright holder disagrees with your interpretation of fair use. People make a living from selling and licensing their work and poaching their work is unlawful and interferes with their right to control its distribution.

    The Internet is still in its infancy and the laws of copyright were written before the word and image were so easily spread. Just remember that others too are trying to make a living from their creations.

    If you need any help please email us or telephone Tamara on 0203 468 8594.

    Filed under: Marketing — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Diane Scott @ 10:00 am

    Twitter and the Benefits of Social Media

    This week I found one of the benefits of using Twitter as a customer. I had recently decided to move my phone number to GiffGaff as it seemed like it would work better for me. For the last few years I have paid for two phones on T-Mobile on their 30 day rolling tariff. Initially it has worked very well. At the beginning of the year my old phone decided to be more trouble than it was worth and my OH bought me another phone, a very nice LG and bought it from T-Mobile. Now I suppose I should have realised that any phone bought from T-Mobile will be locked to the network, but silly me, I thought that as I had bought it off contract that wouldn’t be the case.

    Anyway, thinking that GiffGaff’s offers will work better for us, I decided to finish the rolling contracts, keep the numbers and move to GiffGaff. The winner for them has to be that calls between GiffGaffers are free, together with the ‘no contract’, ‘change your mind each month if you want to’ deal.

    Now I find myself in a complete tizz, my number has been ported out to my GiffGaff number and when the new Sim is put in the phone we have USIM locked. So backwards and forwards between various numbers, GiffGaffers being very helpful, T-Mobile saying £15 please and 28 days to release the phone. Arrrghh!!!

    And so to Twitter, after getting the usual email automated responses from T-Mobile, saying we may take 7 days to answer your query, just shout ‘help’ on Twitter and we are off. It remains to be seen whether anything gets sorted but at least T-Mobile responded within minutes and not days.

    You feel that someone is listening and not just fobbing you off, but that may come later. Wish me luck!

    So what does that tell you about Social Media? That if it is going to work for your business, it’s good to talk and listen to your customers. Twitter is quick at getting results, no business wants it to be broadcast across the internet that people are unhappy with their service. Handled correctly, social media, can nip things in the bud and customers know they have your attention because you have answered them with something other than an automated response.

    It would be nice if things didn’t always happen this way, but with plethora of technology, folk can’t be expected to understand how it all works and companies must handle that knowledge with care, likewise their customers.

    For help with anything techy email us, twitter @tamarabaranova, or just plain pick up the phone and talk to Tamara on 0203 468 8594.

    Filed under: Marketing — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Diane Scott @ 10:00 am

    Will Google+ Add To Your Social Network Experience?

    After many tries to provide a social network that in some ways equal Facebook, Google have now produced Google+, hopefully learning from their past mistakes (and those of Facebook too). How do you rate the new experience?

    I personally think they have their work cut out to promote another social network when Facebook has become so well established. But as it seems to be directed at businesses it may provide a better experience for brands. Google’s significant difference being the sharing of groups, eg. colleagues and activities, rather than the entire Web. I’m not sure this is a plus for them with Facebook’s recent refinements in this area, where all parts of your information can be shared, (or not shared) with whatever part of Facebook you desire, from all of your friends down to a single individual.

    Initially the project was open to only a select group, but has now been opened up to one and all. Available to one and all, you will be able to share and discuss photos,links,status,etc in the much the same way as on Facebook together with group text messaging and video chat.

    With the production of Google+, they will benefit directly from Web search, with the information they can process. They still have some catching up to do but will be better placed. According to comscore, 180 million people visited Google sites,(which includes YouTube) with 157.2 million visiting Facebook. Their time spent on the sites, Facebook (103 billion pages) is 375 minutes for Facebook and Google (46.3 billion pages) an average of 231 minutes. A substantial difference, one which advertisers will pay close heed to, when choosing their platforms for advertising.Where do you primarily ask your questions? Twitter, Google or where?

    Analysts are of the opinion that people will not duplicate their groups on both sites but will use them for different types of communication. Also that people who have seen Facebook as too public, too invasive and have been uncomfortable with the network will turn to Google+ as a more select offering.

    How do you feel about Google+? Will it add anything to your social networking?

    Do you need help with any of your social networks, email us or phone Tamara on 0203 468 8594.

    Filed under: TJConsulting news — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Diane Scott @ 10:00 am
    Older Posts »