Even WE get a little tired of Facebook from time to time. Sheesh!
We thought we’d tell you about a really funky new social media site that is gaining speed super quickly and could be an amazing resource for businesses to show the world what they do! When the proof is in the pudding, it’s not hard to sell. Anyhow… it’s called Pinterest!
The Stanley Cup finals have been the center of attention for weeks, yet on Wednesday evening following the Canucks’ loss in Game 7, the attention quickly shifted to Vancouverites as rioters took over the Downtown core. The Vancouver Police Department had been dreading the possibility of a riot, after experiencing one in 1994 following a loss during that year’s Stanley Cup finals. Like the riot in ‘94, there was chaos, violence and destruction. What undeniably separates the most recent riot from the one in ‘94 is the overwhelming presence of social media.
The many civilians taking photo and video footage during the riot is an excellent case of the “everyone is a reporter” mentality that social media has cultivated. Facebook and Twitter were being overrun with photo evidence of criminal activity at the same rate, or often quicker, than the police and traditional news sources were documenting them. Because of this, the world became aware of the riot much quicker than if they had relied on traditional media for information.
There’s been criticism that by remaining in the crowd and not dispersing at the request of the riot squad, these amateur news correspondents were only encouraging the mob. While this may be true on some level, it can be argued that the Vancouver PD now has a much richer collection of evidence to draw from when arresting rioters in the coming months.
During and following the riot, the Vancouver PD embraced social media, taking to their Twitter account (@VancouverPD) to update the public and to request photo and video evidence to be sent to them. As an efficient way of submitting videos, they are asking people to share video clips with the police via YouTube. If you have evidence to share with the police, please click here to learn how you can help.
Within hours of the riot starting, a Facebook event called “Post Riot Clean Up: Let’s Help Vancouver” was created as a rallying point and information source for volunteers wanting to help the city clean up the mess. By mid-morning following the riot, an astounding 15,000 people had marked themselves as “attending”. Certainly a large number of these individuals kept their word, as the Downtown core is currently the most spotless it has been in ages!
Organizers of the Post Riot Clean Up also established the @VancouverClean Twitter account, which was used to inform citizens of latest developments and to encourage action. Overnight, the account had amassed nearly 3,500 followers.
Proud Vancouverites have also been taking to social media platforms to share inspiration and positivity in an effort to rebuild the community and show the world what Vancouver is really made of. For example, local photographer Andy Fang snapped photos during the clean up to recognize and celebrate the volunteers, whom he has dubbed “the REAL citizens of Vancouver”. His pictures have been featured as a photo gallery at The Province.
Vancouver resident Don Falconer (@TheFalconer) has been instrumental in bringing back hope and positivity to fellow Vancouverites. He created the hashtag #ThisIsMyVancouver in the hopes of turning around the negativity and remembering why Vancouver is such a fantastic place to live by encouraging Twitter users to include it in tweets with positive messages and photos. To his amazement, his hashtag gathered momentum, eventually becoming a trending topic in Vancouver. Everyone from CBC News to Tourism Vancouver to Vancouver Is Awesome have adopted this hashtag in an effort to help rebuild the city’s image. Falconer credits @VancouverClean with helping popularize the hashtag.
The tweet that started it all:
Social media is being used in a big way in cracking down on rioters who are guilty of vandalism, violence and robbery, among many other possible charges. Numerous rioter identification sites and groups have been set up by the public. For example, identifyrioters.com has a “connect to Facebook” functionality that allows users to tag lawbreakers in incriminating photos. Once a rioter has been positively identified by multiple users, the photos and evidence is sent to the Vancouver PD.
Already, riot participants are feeling the consequences: as Global BC reports, a 21-year old Vancouver man was fired from his job, following riot comments he made on Facebook. Surely many more jobs will be at stake in the coming weeks. There have also been reports of perpetrators turning themselves in to police after having friends and family members see their photos online.
Many organizations and companies work tirelessly to be recognized as a trusted brand. In this year’s “Canada’s Most Trusted Brands” report, Toyota’s rank is the biggest riser on the 2011 list. After falling 86 spots with a reputation score of 38 to number 95 in 2010, Toyota has climbed to rank 41 with a reputation score of 60.2.
How did Toyota accomplish this difficult task? They turned to their online presence and more importantly to social media! In a recent interview done by Marketing magazine, Toyota Canada’s managing director, Stephen Beatty gave the inside scoop on how social media, blogs and the company’s website played a crucial role to build Toyota’s reputation up again. Toyota knew their website was the central point of communication, where they provided details about their vehicles and videos on their systems, but what Toyota also quickly realized was their weak social media presence. Toyota noticed how their customers were talking about their experiences and defending the brand, but the company itself was missing from this interaction.
To encourage even more stories about what Toyota has meant in the lives of people and to be a part of their online community, Toyota re-launched their Facebook and Twitter with their “No. 1 Fan” contest. With 23,126 people currently liking their Facebook page and their success of building their online presence and brand through social media, Toyota definitely does not plan on stopping to communicate to its customer and others through this medium.
Social media activities can have a big impact on your company’s reputation and brand, Toyota Canada’s story proves it! If you need help establishing your social media presence, give us a call or send us an email! We are here to help!
Twitter has launched their official new “Follow Button” for websites! With a single click users are now able to follow your Twitter account right from your personal homepage or website where the button is installed.
Previously, a web visitor would have to leave your site for Twitter.com to start following you, but not anymore! Users won’t have to go to your Twitter profile any longer. Instead you can keep them on your website where they belong! This new tool is a great way to increase new Twitter followers right from your own website. Visitors are still able to preview profiles before choosing to follow a Twitter account, they just have to click the username next to the button.
Twitter’s Brian Ellin explains, “For publishers and brands, adding the “Follow Button” to your website and using Twitter to stay connected with your audience is a powerful combination. People who follow your account are much more likely to retweet and engage with your Tweets, and to repeatedly visit your website.” Who doesn’t want that?
You are able to add this new Twitter Button by visiting Twitter’s Follow Button Configuration Page. Be sure the placement of your Facebook Button is user-friendly. If you need any help setting-up and customizing your Twitter Profile, you can give us a call or send us an email! We welcome all your questions!
We will not share your email with any person outside of October 17 Media.
October 17 Media recently launched our very first E-book, Like me on Facebook! Written by partners, Tamara Brooks and Brenda Cadman, this book offers a do it yourself guide to creating and maintaining effective Facebook Pages for small businesses.
Facebook is becoming a popular outlet for companies to reach their customers so it is very important for businesses to fully understand what they are getting into before jumping straight into Facebook. And you thought we already had too many skills, now we are writing books too! 
Ready to dive in? This guide is very simple to understand and details the step by step process behind building and marketing an effective Facebook Page. Not tech savvy? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered; the guide was written with everyone in mind, from computer rookies to experts.
The e-book is also useful for those of you who have already created your Facebook Page and now just don’t know what to do with it. There are so many different apps and tools that can be integrated into Facebook Pages these days that is important to know which ones are smart for your business, and how to use them properly.
Topics Include:
Where can you find this amazing book of knowledge? Well that’s simple; the first 5 people to comment on this post are going to receive a free (yup free) copy of the E-book. If you were not lucky enough to see this post in time, then not to worry as you can purchase your copy on our website.
Read the book and loved it? Let us know if it helped you or if you are looking for more personalized assistance with Facebook, give us a call and set up your social media consultation with our experts!
October 17 Media specializes in website development, paid search advertising, social media and viral marketing, search engine optimization (SEO) and email marketing.
