Arj's Blog

New Year New Start

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 15:38:00 +0000

It has been a while since I last wrote on my blog for various reasons. The combination of Christmas festivities, having the odd interview and getting a job has caused this! Prior to Christmas I got offered a role at a Manchester based agency and grabbed the chance with both hands!

To all those who have read my blog and follow me on Twitter you know it has been a long road to get here. Hopefully this is just the start and I really can kick start my career.

My advice to anyone who was like me is to persist, and maintain a positive outlook nothing slows down a job search more than negativity.

Anyway I best be off I have work to do :)

The New MySpace

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 15:54:01 +0000

A few months ago Myspace announced they would be making a comeback so at the time I registered an interest.

Fast forward and I have now signed up, so whats it about.

Immediately I was impressed about the registration element you can sign up via Facebook or Twitter and for me the fact they had the Twitter integration was a big plus. So after the obligatory profile picture selection and a little bio your ready to start.

This the page that greets you.

What is immediately obvious is the clean cut layout of the site, its pretty simple and there is not too much going on so for me this was something I liked.

The first thing I did was to click the “Take a Tour” section which brings you to the page below.

MySpace is orientated around music as it always has been, this has been built upon via the music player at the bottom of the screen. As expected you can follow artists but also have the ability to create playlists.

Its early days yet and I will have a play around of the features of the new MySpace and see if I stick with it or its another social network that is left behind.

What do you guys think of the new MySpace?

How to use Google Analytics to help your site succeed

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 14:03:00 +0000

I love looking at charts and data in relation to something to prove a point. Whenever I watch a football match I think it’s interesting to see where the team has been attacking from and where the opposition has been susceptible from.

This concept has never been more accessible as it is today, via the use of Google Analytics. Most people are familiar with the concept but are possibly unsure of how to use it. Google Analytics for all intents and purposes is a tool which can be used to monitor where your site traffic is coming from, how many are coming, how long the site is viewed for before they leave (bounce rate) and a whole host of other data.

But before we talk about Google Analytics analyse your own site.

What do you like?

What do you not like?

Obviously like with anything beauty is in the eye of the beholder so what you may like someone else may despise. It took me a while to find the layout and structure I liked; in the end I thought the current layout was aesthetically pleasing. My previous efforts were remarked (following feedback) as being difficult to read and navigate, so for the purpose of a blog site I have stuck with this. It’s not perfect and I am sure in time I will tweak it further.

Looking at Google Analytics you can devise how your site is perceived.

An easy way to see the interest in the site is via the bounce rate percentage, (this is found in the Audience Overview). If the bounce rate is relatively high (over 50-60%) it means the visitors to the site have basically jumped off the site instantaneously. Usually it means they did not find anything of interest and went elsewhere. This does not necessarily mean its all bad. For example my bounce rate is quite high however my site does not require you to change page to see previous posts. However if you feel like it is a problem for you then I would suggest making changes to the site and seeing what impact this has on your bounce rate.

Using the audience overview you can get a good sense of where and how your visitors are viewing the site.

For example via the Demographics section you can deduce which country traffic is coming from to the extent of a particular city. Most interesting is the System and Mobile sections. Your site has to look fine within other browsers, nowadays people use Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox to name but a few. By making sure the site looks and performs how it is supposed to under different browsers will make sure the user experience is not spoilt.

The Mobile section is very important as nowadays we are consuming the majority of our information on the go via smartphones and tablets. There is nothing more annoying then going on a site that has not been optimised for a smartphone and this could be a key area that should be tested along with the screen resolution.

This is by no means an exhaustive list via the use of Google Analytics however this could help retain and bring new visitors to your site. Once the site is fundamentally sound then this could be then built upon with a SEO campaign.

Freedom of speech or illegal Tweets?

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 00:29:52 +0000

Increasingly when you open the paper or hear news regarding social media as well as the positive there is an increasingly negative aspect that is emerging.

As I have mentioned previously I am a football fanatic like most of the country, as such I follow a multitude of footballers and pundits. Tensions run high especially when a team or player underperforms and as such “supporters” express their opinion. More often then not it is a case of a supporter’s disappointment that is relayed in (usually) a constructive manner.

However in recent times this has become more poisonous, if you follow for example Stan Collymore (ex Nottingham Forrest, Liverpool) a football pundit your attention is drawn to the number of racist messages he receives. He is not alone there are a increasing number of racist and anti-Semitic Tweets that have been sent on Twitter. When I last checked these were prosecutable offences and the old adage is that you would not say these things on the street, so why would you say it on Twitter?

Social media has come a long way in such a short space of time and users have been learning on the way without any prior knowledge.

At what point does freedom of speech cross the line to be an offence?

That’s the challenge that the police and other enforcement agencies need to get a handle on. Obviously racist and anti-Semitic communications is abhorrent and should be dealt with. However if you express an opinion that is said to be in “bad taste” should that be dealt with also?

It’s a fine line between freedom of speech and illegal behaviour do we know where that line is?

New news becomes old news thanks to Twitter

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 23:50:00 +0000

Hi all, I couldn’t think of a snappy title so I apologise for the one I have come up with!

How we digest news has and is constantly changing, you can get newspapers on your iPad, you do not need a tv as there are apps such as the Sky News app which can be browsed via a mobile device. Then there is the most revolutionary way we get our news….Twitter.

Il give you an example I am a die hard Man Utd fan (please do not hold this against me) before every match I am eager to know the line up. The way I would find that out is if the game was televised I would wait until the broadcaster released that information.

That has all changed now, I follow football correspondants who get the line up information and they will release it on Twitter. By the time the Sky Sports announces the lineup I would have known this half an hour before.

This brings me onto the News, you used to wait till the night time bulletin to hear of stories from around the world.

With Twitter you will hear about any news whilst its happening, such as the raid on Osama Bin Laden which was first noticed by blogger in Abbottabad who reported hearing explosions.

Trending topics on Twitter allow information to be spread at a rate that news organisations could only dream of. Although there are news aggregators I think Twitter is by far the best method of getting it.

I envisage Twitter refining its system so that when a user logs on it has a specific news section, which would aggregate and show what is the breaking news by showing user interaction via Retweets and Hashtags.

It must be said that Twitter works so well as users who are on divulge information more freely than by more conventional means.

Its exciting to see how social networks have progressed so much in such a short space of time and Twitter has been at the forefront of that.

How do you get your news? I would love to hear from you?

Social Media Infographic

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 17:11:57 +0000

Social Media Infographic

Facebook Friendships Get a Timeline upgrade

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 16:07:25 +0000

Facebook Friendships Get a Timeline upgrade

The best time to post on different social networks

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 00:32:24 +0000

The best time to post on different social networks

Facebook's privacy or lack of it

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 18:50:04 +0000

Facebook has been with us for around 5 years now and its been growing and changing in equal measure.

When I first signed up for it I did not realise I would become an information security expert as a result.

Our data has been resold and passed on for the purposes of targeted ads and the like and now its started to get in the way of the Facebook experience.

An example of this is the Facebook app on the iPhone 5 that would allow you to quickly post pictures to your profile for example and for general ease.

As I was setting it up this screen came up;

Are they crazy, am I going to give them details of my entire phonebook? Including people who may not be on Facebook.

I find Facebook becoming intrusive and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth and I know I am not alone.

I like they way Twitter is seamless, yes it does not have the features of Facebook but I enjoy it all the same.

I understand that data is what makes Facebook profitable but to me it seems like the app was made under a false pretence. It was not made to make my life easier it was made so they could take my data.

There is a fine balance that needs to be judged between data and user satisfaction maybe with MySpace’s relaunch it may give another budding social enterprise a crack at the Facebook pie.

Nestle's social media monitoring

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 15:14:20 +0000

So I came across an article about Nestle and I thought it was really fascinating.

Basically Nestle’s best selling chocolate “Kit-Kat” had been the target of some adverse attention regarding Nestle’s supposed destruction on rainforest.

This impacted massively on Nestle so much so that they set up a social media monitoring centre.

I will include the video below, but I thought its fascinating to see big companies taking the issue so seriously and the impact it has.

I would love to see O2’s social media department as I think they are one of if not the best in the UK in that regard.

Twitter Users Who Mention Top Brands Have An Increasingly Amplified Voice

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:05:47 +0100

Twitter Users Who Mention Top Brands Have An Increasingly Amplified Voice

For anyone who is nervous before job interviews

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 22:15:17 +0100

For anyone who is nervous before job interviews

Engaging with customers and potential customers on Social Media

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:55:29 +0100

I have seen how companies engage on Social media.

Previously I have had very good experiences with BT and they have resolved my queries and been very helpful, even leading to an appointment to fix a broadband issue all over Twitter.

Sometimes when you Tweet regarding issues you get no response or a poor response.

I am an avid video gamer and use forums as well as Social media to ask questions and voice my displeasure.

I had a shocking experience from a video game developer on Twitter (I am tempted to name and shame). I got a response to a question I asked several days after I had asked it.

I queried why it took so long, and was told that they were very busy.

Social media should not be an afterthought it is integral, if I am never going to meet the person or the company the next best thing is how correspondence is handled.

You are not a person but the company, so the image of that said company needs to be portrayed in the best light possible.

I am going to link a fantastic method of social media management by O2.

Google +

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:51:01 +0100

We all know the usual suspects when it comes to social media Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google +. Not forgetting the new MySpace which in my opinion looks fantastic!

In a recent Comscore report it was said that every 1 minute of 6 spent online is spent on a social network.

Google + is behind the Facebooks of the world in terms of user engagement but does that matter?

The answer is not really.

The reason being is that Google collects data on its users so that it can provide better targeted ads based on its users online behaviour.

However I do not see Google + in the same way as traditional social networks.

For me I see it as a great way of sharing, and that is what it has been designed for.

When you see a blog and share it within your circles it spreads much like Twitter does and in my opinion is more effective than Facebook. The reason being is because when you search on Google, it indexes Google + activity whereas Facebook’s does not seem to be as effective.

Its not what you know, but who you know

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:35:00 +0100

So its been a few weeks since I last wrote an update of my current situation.

I have been doing work experience intermittently whilst it has been good to get out the house, I know I have a lot to offer.

I have read articles recently about graduates struggling for work and the general job situation, it is a tough time right now there is no doubt.

I would say it has been around 9 months since I have been trying to break into digital marketing, maybe if I knew what I wanted earlier then it would have been easier but who knows.

Experience is always the defining factor an employer looks for, passion is important but I would say based on my dealings with the industry, experience is what really counts.

However I would say that because of having passion and the fire in your belly you will find things that you would not otherwise.

Let me explain, the old adage “It’s not what you know but who you know”, is in the most part bang on.

I went to an interview once and as I was talking with the interviewer (who was the MD of the company) and I asked him.

“When did you start here?”

“Five years ago.” he replied.

I was thinking to myself, in five years he has become the Managing Director thats amazing. Imagine what I could achieve if I get my head down!

So then naturally I asked him what got him into the industry.

“My dad used to own the company, and I took over when he retired.” He replied.

In that moment, rightly or wrongly I thought to myself it was not that impressive he was the MD. If my father owned a company I would pretty much expect to be sat at the top table.

In that instance the saying of ” it’s not what you know but who you know,” had never been truer.

Does that mean you can never achieve anything without knowing someone in the industry? Well no of course not.

The who you know in recent times is via social media such as Twitter, as I have mentioned previously I have got interviews and made contacts largely thanks to Twitter.

Whether that be a tweet directed to a person or learning of an event I would otherwise not have known.

However with all this it still comes down to a little bit of luck and good fortune.

My number one hope would be that instead of the experience being the be all and end all the employer turns round and says “Arj, I love your enthusiasm and passion come aboard!”

Maybe one day I will be in the postion of someone like me asking for a job, I hope I see past their lack of experience and see that desire they have.

I know it is tough for a lot of people but I thought this quote is something that I hope if your reading this inspires you.

When the world says, “Give up,”

Hope whispers, “Try it one more time.”

World's First Tweet Shop

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 12:36:56 +0100

World's First Tweet Shop

The biggest and best social network in the world is back!?

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:45:18 +0100

Forgive me for having a misleading title to this post but it is not as crazy as it sounds.

Back in 2008-09 when I was doing my dissertation ( The Security Risks of Social Networks) for those who are interested! I was collecting data MySpace was pretty much at the forefront of everything. It was the biggest social network at the time, Facebook was smaller but was growing at a rate of 50,000 new users a day.

MySpace was slowing down its new user intake and people were starting to migrate to Facebook. At this point no one new what the action of “tweeting” was!

Somewhere between then and now MySpace died a quiet and lonely death, all its users had abandoned it and what was once a pinacle of social networking was no more….

Until today! MySpace is back https://new.myspace.com/

By watching the video that shows of its new look, I get the sense that this is a beautiful looking social network that seems to integrate Twitter and Facebook really well. It is set against a fundamental core of music, for example photos can be assigned “mixes”.

The idea is novel and I think people will enjoy using however is too little too late?

Would you join MySpace or is Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest to name but a few enough for you?

It would be great to know your thoughts!

Selective Twitter

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 17:35:39 +0100

Sometimes I try to avoid Twitter if I want to not know something.

Let me explain, I am not a fan of the X-Factor but a lot of people are I therefore choose to (try) and avoid Twitter during the time its on.

Its more of a case of my timeline being clogged up with X Factor related tweets and it annoys me! I sense I am not alone whether that be football, or perhaps not wanting to know plot details of your favourite show.

It would be great if there was an option on Twitter for the ability to hide words containing (for example xfactor). You could set this for a time frame or permanently and if a person you follow tweets those that are filtered they do not show.

Just an idea that might actually be popular!

UK Newspaper suffers 20% decline between 2007-09

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 11:28:42 +0100

UK Newspaper suffers 20% decline between 2007-09:

Yesterday I wrote among other things the fact of the decline of Newspapers. I came across an article that very much reinforces what I was saying.

Update and is the paper dying a slow death?

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 12:11:59 +0100

To all those who have been loyally following my blog I thank you and I apologise. I thank you for reading and contacting me about past articles and I apologise for not being as active in recent weeks.

This is for a variety of reasons, one is a close friend getting married and the “tour-guide” role I had to assume for a few weeks.

Also I have recently started work experience (yes really!) after months of looking!

I am at a digital agency in Manchester called Cahoona, where my role is varied to say the least!

I am involved in account management, to control of the companies twitter account, to helping find a vinyl for the office window and everything between!

Now to what I was going to talk about.

I like a large number of people consume media via the internet and television, I also like to have a read of the paper in the morning.

However in the last few years especially I find the paper to be useless. Let me explain the other day I was watching the Andy Murray/ Novak Djokovic US Open final. Unfortunately due to my lack of staying power I fell asleep and missed the conclusion of the game.

When I woke up I looked at the back page of the paper and a few articles about the match were in but no definitive answer of what happened. I then used my iPhone and opened the Sky News app, and got the whole story, interviews and video (and thankfully Murray won!).

The way we are consuming media is changing, Im not sure if the paper will cease to exist as there is still a demand for it, but I think in time as books have been replaced by Kindles and iPads, newspapers will slowly (if not already) start to be consumed that way.

At my parents house we have been hearing the banging of the letter box on the door chiming as the paper comes through, but I do not think it will be too far into the future when the paper stops hitting my doormat.