Chapter 9: Social Buzz and Viral Phenomena: Part C
Web 2.0 and Social
Media for Business 2nd Edition
Roger McHaney, Kansas State University

Tumblr
Tumblr refreshes
the medium of
the blog and
renews it with a
better
format, centraliz
ed
management, a
nd higher levels
of interactivity.

Tumblr
• Does not require posting media on other sites (for instance no need to
post on YouTube and embed video in a blog entry)
• Allows material to be uploaded directly from a number of sources
including mobile devices

Tumblr• Fills the gap
between Twitter‟s
microblogging
features and
Facebook‟s
overarching social
media capabilities.
• First launched in
April, 2007
• Grown to nearly 50
million blogs with
over 18 billion posts
• 85% user retention
rate and over 13
billion views per
month

Tumblelogs
5
Tumblr populated with tumblelogs.
These „blog entries‟ may take the
form of a stream of Tweets
Entries also may appear as
multimedia blog entries
Many people use a tumblelog to
represent a personal view of their
lives (like an online diary or journal)
Tumblr users can follow each
others' blogs and restrict viewers
with privacy settings

Tumbler for Business
6
Not traditionally envisioned for
business use
Poor choice for many industries
Banking, financial services and those
seeking to develop a traditional
business reputation might not find the
„flash and glitter‟ of Tumblr compatible
with business objectives

Tumbler for Business (con‟t)
7
Excels in business seeking fast paced, social network optimized for quick
consumption
Best with multimedia
Mainly concerned with photos, videos, quotes and questions
Members known for being edgy, artistic, and inspirational

Example
Tumblelogs that
Work!
8

Tumblr Users
9
• Easy for users to find and view material on mobile devices
• Offers minimal customization options
• Does not permit self-hosting
• Most businesses view Tumblr as supplement to primary Web site
• Ideal for reaching user demographic hard to contact via print
media
• Tumblr‟s demographic is under 34 years old and mobile device
users
• Organizations find coupons, product information, sales
notices, and other material. All are shared among users on
Tumblr

Pinterest
• Social media Web site designed so users can organize and
share images and videos
• Shared media are called Pins and typically organized into
Pin Boards
• Pin Boards generally relate to a theme and can be followed
by other Pinterest users
• Content can be RePinned, Liked, and shared
• Users follow each other as well as specific Pin Boards
• Like Tumblr, Pinterest is visually-oriented and suited for use on
mobile devices
• Pinterest opened for beta use in 2010, making it a young and
rapidly growing site
10

11

Pinterest (con‟t)
Users pin interesting items they find on the Web (or that they
create for themselves)
Community aspect becomes important as individuals rely on
others with similar interests to help find new relevant items
Popular in areas where a visual component is important
Often is used for interior design, art, fashion, recipes, food, cake
decorating, and shopping.
Businesses benefit because traffic is driven to their Web sites
Users communicate by reposting content, sharing pins on
Facebook, tweeting pins, or embedding Pinterest material on
blogs
12

Foursquare and Location Based Services
Location-based mobile platforms enable users to “check in” via
a smartphone app and share their location and other details
with friends and businesses.
14

Location Based Services (LBS)
Seen as the next big area for business expansion with more
than six billion mobile users in the world.
15
Almost 20% of mobile device owners already use LBS, creating
a huge untapped market. Popular LBSs include
Foursquare, Yelp, and Living Social.
TNS Global

Login and Work Behind the Scenes
Foursquare creates competition between users by encouraging them to earn
points and badges for leaving tips, information, and photos of their current
location. Other use this information to create to-do/to-go-to lists. Merchants
and brands leverage Foursquare presence by offering specials and VIP
information to users

Foursquare Facts
Foursquare is a young company, founded in 2009 by Dennis Crowley and
Naveen Selvadurai. Over 20 million users as of June 2012.

Foursquare
User Activities

Foursquare Badge Examples
Plenty of themes---custom, free, or premium (cost) exist
Badges are
sponsored by
organizations,
send users
messages and
give bragging
rights.

Foursquare for Business
Foursquare specifically designed for business use. Software allows
businesses to find, interact with, interest, reward, and retain customers
Businesses control and personalize their venue and have access to user
traffic, comments, and other statistics
Businesses can create specials to reward loyal customers using
Foursquare services
Business have access to free data services to better understand
customers

Foursquare‟s Business Model
• Foursquare charges a nominal fee for creating badges
• Fees based on business size and other factors
• Seeks to evaluate partnerships and form mutually beneficial
agreements with particular interest in helping new and small
businesses
• Provides free data analytics including customer demographics
(male to female ratio, regular customers); time-related statistics
(check in times); and information comparing customer check in to
loyalty program memberships
• Working to create more powerful data analytics to provide more
customer information for businesses

Foursquare Business Activities

Foursquare Special Offer Example

End of
Chapter 9 Part C
Web 2.0 and Social
Media for Business 2nd Edition

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Slides Prepared by Professor Roger McHaney
Kansas State University
Twitter: @mchaney
Blog: http://mchaney.com
Email : mchaney@ksu.edu