Numbers that really matter

The main problem with civic engagement is the fact we simply do not understand all the numbers we might see just in front of our face, on the news, in yearly budget annoucnements etc. We need to simplify the stats to understand the bigger picture and sometimes also brake them down to smaller chunks to see the exact effect they will have on our lives. In December 2010 I have posted on this very blog abour Rakar's state calculator doing just that - explaining large complex sums in simple terms, applied to one's personal budget. Today I would like to share this visual explanation of wealth in the US. I am really happy that the format of infographic and video is used to promote this rather serious problem:

We need so much more of this approach to almost provoke more insightful civic engagement in every country. 

Interesting times

 

We have a new Pope. His president posts congratulations in form of a letter on her official Twitter account.

 

Our new Pope starts his own Twitter profile too. We also have Mashable explaining which one is the genuine account and which one is a fake. A lot of re-tweets, mentionings and reactions. Great coverage over at Global Voices too.

And you tell me social media is a buzz word? I say we are living very interesting times! 

Life of Pi and WWF

Ahhh, I really love this one! Well timed (tapping into current discussions), brilliant idea and great execusion! With their current effectiveness of social media reach I have no doubts that this campaign will be effective! Check it out! Well done, WWF! 

Burger King vs. McDonalds - social media is 24/7

Image via Storify. 

Those of us who work in social media subscribe to a new way of life - 24/7 way. That is not to say that we have to spend every second of our life on-line but we do commit to fair bit of flexibility as to our work hours and if you plan your career in social media you this will be your basic requirement if you want to be good at it. The recent events of hacked Burger King Twitter account are a great example of it. I will not go on about the importance of good crisis management processes (although I might finally post about it once, separately) but I would like to bring your attention to the last tweet in Storify collection on this particular case study:

As cynical as the above statement might be the reaction is pretty valid. We EXPECT brands to listen and most of all, we expect them to know what is going on with their social media presences. In the recent @HMVtweets story  brand managers were not even aware of their problems! So seriously guys, if you commit to social media work do understand that it won't wait between Friday 6PM and Monday 9AM.  

On big media, small media and the way the web is changing the way we produce and digest content

Leo Laporte is a legend, you really should listen to him! In this talk he explains our modern issues with old media and potential of the new/social/digital/citizen/however-you-call-it-media. Enjoy!

Video streaming by Ustream