4. 3. Social media is a computer-based technology that facilitates the
sharing of ideas, thoughts, and information through the building of
virtual networks and communities. By design, social media is Internet-
based and gives users quick electronic communication of content. Social
media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they
create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in virtual
communities and networks. The Office of Communications and
Marketing manages the main Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn
and YouTube accounts.
5. • 4. It is crystal clear that there are advantages and disadvantages to everything in
everyone’s life, and that includes our social networking habits. The practical
advantages and disadvantages of social media are a subject of frequent discussion.
Participation in social media by the general public has increased sharply over the
past nine years. In the U.S., the percentage of adults using social media has
increased from 8% to 72% since 2005. Using social media is widespread across all
ages and professions and is common around the world. Social media enables users to
connect with others and create a community. It’s more about building relationships
than simply announcing or posting and not engaging with others. It is undeniably
changing the way one communicates. Here are some of the main pros and cons that
most people are familiar with:
6. • 5. A D V A N T A G E S • Educational process • Worldwide
connectivity • Online marketing • Information spreads fast • It lets us
share anything with others • It helps you to achieve your goals
7. • 6. D I S A D V A N T A G E S • Privacy problems • It changes lifestyle
habits, and it is sleep disruption • Lacks emotional connection •
Reduces Family Intimacy.
8. • 7. SOCIAL MEDIA The purpose of social media is primarily to build a brand and increase a brand's visibility.
With social media becoming more popular, the more a brand is covered across social media and the more times
people see it, the more likely they are to be aware of it. There are many other things, though, that companies can
achieve through the use of social media. A key benefit is that it can be used to build relationships with potential
customers. Social media can be a great way of interacting with people and businesses before they become
customers. Often people want information about a company before they commit and it is a good way of getting
this information across. It allows a company to put a face to their brand, show they are interesting and, where
appropriate, show their creative or humorous side. Another use of social media is to make customers and
potential customers more aware of what a brand is up to. This can be in the form of promoting specific
campaigns, updating people on changes and showing off success. Brands can show they are on the pulse and up
to date with the latest happenings in their industry. They can comment on industry developments and engage
with people, including customers, potential customers, industry commentators, and even competitors. This helps
in not just generating new business, but in customer retention too. Queries and criticism can be easily and
quickly responded to so social media can be used as a form of fire fighting.
9. • 8. SEO The purpose of SEO is very different to that of social media. It is much easier to define and the main
purpose has three stages to it; to improve search engine rankings, which increases traffic to a website, resulting
in an increase in business. The purpose of SEO is often seen as being simply to improve rankings for a set of
keywords but, while this forms the basic aim of an SEO campaign, there is more to it than this. The ultimate
goal is to increase business, meaning that the right family of keyword terms need to be targeted. Areas that
people search for need to be targeted for a campaign to be successful; there is little point in investing a lot in
being ranked well for things people don't search for. Good quality traffic is also key, meaning conversions need to
be considered as well as the pure number of visitors being captured. Inevitably, businesses have specific areas
they wish to target. This can be areas where they are currently struggling, areas where they feel there is the
potential for growth, or areas where there is a current promotion. SEO can be used to generate business related
to specific products and services. The real purpose of SEO is making a website more attractive to the search
engines while improving them for visitors at the same time. Having the right content, good internal linking, and
perhaps having a blog are all key and things that help in a search ranking. They want to rank the websites that
meet the needs of visitors the best. This has always been the case but they are getting better at establishing this.
10. • 9. How can social media impact SEO? Social media and SEO are often
spoken about alongside each other, with
