Reading Reflection #1

It can be weird and overwhelming at times to think of how fast and dramatic public opinion can be shaped through social media. A careless phrase or an ill conceived marketing strategy by a group or individual could result in a public relations headache and may even do long term damage to public perception. It has been made clear time and time again that the groundswell is not something to take lightly. This large scale build up of public opinion is dictated by the three forces of people, technology and economics (Li & Bernoff, 10).

People have a desire to connect and that certainly plays a huge part in groundswell and economics are the driving force for most things in life so that's not a surprise. In my opinion what might be the most important element of them all is technology. Technology has given life to this media and is constantly changing and growing. To focus on just mastering what is currently the trend at the moment is futile, but to ignore social media trends altogether is worse. It is not so much that an organization can just be aware of social media they have to be actively involved in it in order to be on the right end of the groundswell (Li & Bernoff, 13-15).

Groundswell technologies are as numerous as they are diverse. Blogs and podcasts, social networks, wikis, and certainly forums have all become catalysts for groundswell. Blogs in particular are viewed and used by a great percentage of the population everyday and have become invaluable for businesses looking to stay ahead. However, it is through social networks like Twitter and Facebook where direct interaction with the public can have an even greater impact due to the number of people that visit these sites and how frequently  they visit.

Percentage of U.S. Population with a Social Network Profile

The influence from these media outlets over time have become highly respected and something a successful company is going to want to be aware of and involved in. When it comes to groundswell actions though not everyone necessarily fits into every roll. The Social Technographics Profile refers to the people-to-people activities in the groundswell and essentially divides the population into groups depending on level of involvement. You could be a creator, a critic, a joiner, a spectator, or really any number of different labels depending on the level of which you use or not use social media platforms. The point shown is that groundswell seems to encompass everyone and its presence doesn't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.

For people and businesses in particular looking to get involved and to use the power of groundswell for their benefit a key planning process to use is POST. Also known as people, objectives, strategy, and technology this process is at the foundation of groundswell thinking. Study the people you are trying to reach in order to see what they are ready for, figure out what you want to accomplish, determine how you want the relationship with costumers to change, and finally choose what will be the best technology available to do this (Li & Bernoff, 67-68). It may not work every time but it's better to take that chance rather than be left behind.