Imagine interacting with a customer in person. They’re smiling at you, appreciating your work, your product, your brand. It’s clear your customer is happy. They are very likely to come back or spread the word about their positive experience. You smile back, appreciate their business and a relationship is established.

But what about happy customers on social media platforms? How are you going to find them? How do they interact with you? And how will you show them that you are smiling back?

The physical actions of customers in person that make us realize they are happy turn into virtual actions on social media. But the variety of actions users can perform and the ease with which they can perform them make it very difficult to isolate a truly active user from an over zealous surfer.

Likes, tweets, retweets, tagging, comments, shares and favorites, there are so many interactions constantly coming our way through social media that assessing the true value of these actions becomes tricky making it harder to identify those who are genuinely happy with your brand and can help you create a stronger online profile.

To understand why identifying different types of user on social media isn’t easy; let’s look at the picture below. If I asked you to identify a particular type of Orange – Clementines - would you be able to do that?

I imagine by the power of deduction, you can quite easily come to an answer. You may not know Clementines specifically but you know Oranges and you can point those out.

Now look at the picture below and try to do the same.

I’m guessing it was a lot harder this time. Especially if Oranges aren’t your forte. You probably had to do a bit of research on Clementines to help you figure out which ones they are in the above picture.

This is exactly the challenge with user interactions on social media. They are not a bowl of different fruits but rather a variety of the same fruit. Every user who ‘Likes’ your page isn’t necessarily an active user. And every user who comments on your post isn’t a Brand Ambassador.

Here are some of the different types of users that you may come across on social media platforms and how to identify them.

(Click to enlarge)

Visitors

Anybody who connects with your brand on social media platforms is a visitor.

There are two kinds of visitors – Surfers and Accidentals.

To gain the most of your social media platforms, your goal would be to convert a user from any category into an Active user and eventually a Brand Advocate. Initially a Surfer may just be a Follower who isn’t very active but the goal should always be to turn any visitor into a Brand Advocate.

Your optimal goal (the red path) is of course to turn Surfers directly into Active Brand Advocates.

Surfers

Surfers are visitors you have actively sought out. They could be targeted via marketing tools, online or offline ads and promotions. They could also connect with your brand through word-of-mouth marketing, i.e. a follower who shared your post or a follower who retweeted your tweet and so on.

Because they are open to suggestions, the better targeted your marketing and advertising strategies are, the more efficiently you will be able to convert them into Active users.

Accidentals

Accidentals kind of tripped and fell onto your social media pages. Although the likelihood of them converting into active users (or even just followers) is relatively less, they still have potential.

Retaining them could be done by a variety of means: attractive design and layout, highlighting deals and offers, refreshing content, an easily engage-able action (suggesting to ‘Like’ the page or ‘Click here’ to play our latest games).

Followers

These users are basically inactive users. They connected with you at some point but aren’t very interested or even aware of your brand’s daily activities. But many Followers tend to be in ‘sleep mode’ and can be woken up given the right incentives.

Once you reach a point where you are focusing on this level of users, you should start using analytic tools. On Facebook for instance, you should pay attention to the ‘Talking About’ to ‘Likes’ ratio to understand how many of your Followers are actually active on the page. Closely watch your insights to see what kind of posts are enticing followers to wake from their slumber and pay attention. For Twitter try using tools like TunkRank. Use Google Analytics for deeper insights and tools such as Simply Measured and Sprout Social to get to know your users better.

Junkies

These are the ones to watch out for. They will follow your brand, like your posts, favorite your tweets but they will not support your brand in any real way. They are basically just over zealous surfers who often operate with personal agendas.

While having these kind of users is also important for your brand because they indirectly help maintain the enthusiasm amongst active users and help attract new users, the thing to watch out for is that you don’t end up spending too much time on them. Junkies are the ones often looking for attention through freebies, contests and irrelevant comments.

While it can be a deliberate decision to keep interaction with Junkies to a minimum, it is also a call you should take on instinct based on your experience while dealing with users on a daily basis.

Interested

These are users who are very interested in what your brand has to offer and will interact you’re your brand occasionally. Just a few positive experiences away from being Active users, they need a slight push to become more supportive.

Here are a few ways to encourage Interested users to become more Active:

-       Consistent communication

-       Incentives

-       Public appreciation

-       Go the extra mile where possible

-       Genuine and valid reasons to engage more often

-       Acknowledgement of consistent interest

Active Users

Your virtual gold mine, these users will get involved with your brand on a daily basis by contributing intelligently through comments, replies, retweets and so on. Active users can either be aware of the impact they have on your brand and will therefore expect a two-way interaction stream (Brand Advocates) or they will support your brand without knowing the positive influence they cause (Unaware Supporters).

Unaware Supporters

While these users aren’t aware of their impact and won’t really be expecting their support to be rewarded, it is important to do so because they may stop or minimize their positive activity at anytime because of lack of awareness or appreciation. Positive social media engagement strategies can help push these users towards being Brand Advocates.

Brand Advocates

These users will publicly support, recommend and promote your brand. They are the most influential users on your page and are willing to positively endorse your brand. They have had good experiences with you and are therefore at this stage.

However remember that they are also the ones with expectations that you have to manage. They are as likely to be vocal about their negative experiences as their positive ones.  Because they invest time and effort in your brand, they will expect consistently good customer service.

Haters

There will also be active haters on your social media platforms. People who have had bad experiences with your brand and will use social media platforms to publicly vocalize their experiences. These users are like ticking timebombs and can go off at anytime. It is very important to take a prompt and methodical approach to curb the damage Haters can cause to your brands online reputation. 

Do you have any interesting strategies to shape users into Brand Advocates online? Share your ideas in the comment box below.

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> http://www.watblog.com/2013/03/08/how-to-identify-and-approach-users-on-social-media-platforms/feed/ 0 http://www.watblog.com/2013/03/06/top-8-tips-on-developing-a-social-media-strategy-for-your-small-business/ http://www.watblog.com/2013/03/06/top-8-tips-on-developing-a-social-media-strategy-for-your-small-business/#comments Wed, 06 Mar 2013 06:00:25 +0000 Pooja Sookur http://www.watblog.com/?p=72857

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> This is the third article in our series on Social Media for small businesses. If you have a small business venture and are trying to get social media to work for you, then you should follow the series.

Let’s focus again on how to make social media endeavors by small business owners more efficient. From the two previous articles you should have a good idea on how to manage social media when you are a small business owner strapped for time and what kind of social media platforms work best for your business.

However, owning a bat doesn’t mean you know how to swing it. And believe me, you can’t just ‘swing it’ when it comes to social media. Ask yourself this, have you penned down your social media goals? Have you formulated a strategy to achieve them? Are you using platforms you know how to use them or because they are the best to achieve your goals and execute your strategy?

Different social media platforms can be used to generate specific outcomes; a result of meticulous planning and informed choice. Especially with the array of analytics and management tools now available, you can competently set social media goals, choose the correct platform and tweak your efforts on an ongoing basis to fulfill your objectives.

Here are 8 points to get started on developing a social media strategy for your business:

1) Target Audience: Consider the age, gender, marital status, likes and dislikes, level of income, location, lifestyle, profession of your audience. Are you targeting individuals or businesses? Determining your target audience is a clear way to determine the social media platform you should be using.

You will have platforms where your target audience overlaps. However, remember that it’s not just the demographics of your focus group that matters but also the mindset in which you approach them. Someone on LinkedIn will have a completely different emotional response to your product as compared to the same person on Facebook.

2) Lead Generation vs. Demand Generation: Do you want to use social media to generate leads in order to fuel sales and revenue or do you want to use it to create brand awareness eventually supporting lead generation? Yes, both of them are about identifying potential customers and eventually you should aim to amalgamate them. But initially you should determine whether your business is online to make sales or drive sales. As Mark Faust of Echelon Management International puts it “… one uses a net, another uses a hook.”

3) Offline-Online Synthesis: Many businesses sideline the importance of integrating offline and online marketing goals. A singular business identity across all marketing fronts is essential. Although overarching offline and online marketing goals might be different, try to unify the two by simple means such as using the same kind of design and artwork, style of writing and images.

Also what is important is to promote your online presence through offline marketing wherever possible. If you have a business card, make sure you print your Facebook address on it. If you have a store, restaurant or any physical space where you showcase products, make sure you take a printout of your Twitter address and put it up on a counter.

4) Product Communication Style: What is the best way to sell what you’re selling? Chalk out the mediums that best convey your products value – can it be done via text? Images? Videos? Audio? Infographics? Conversation? Sketches? Cartoons? Graphs? Statistics? Then figure out which social media platform supports that style.

Remember the ‘Will It Blend?’ campaign? A brilliantly executed social media campaign using YouTube to push product sales while also building a two-way conversation with the audience where they started suggesting the kind of things they’d like to see blended.

5) Personal Communication Style: The way your product has a style that works best to showcase its strengths, so will you. Understand what your own strengths and limitations are. If you are a writer, a blog might be great for you to share your perspective and knowledge helping you set your businesses up as an industry thought leader. If you are good with pictures and photo editing tools, image-supporting platforms like Pinterest and Facebook will be wiser to explore than text-based platforms like Twitter.

The idea is not to always set ideal goals but also achievable ones. As a small business owner you have to not only work hard but also work smart. Social media trends change often and evolve quickly. Using skills that you are confident in will make keeping up with changing trends easier in turn making your social media efforts more efficient.

6) Team Strengths: If you want to deeply integrate social media as part of your business’s ongoing marketing strategies, you will have to make sure your social media goals permeate to all levels of your business.

Gauge what the offline strengths of your marketing team and try to convert them to online assets. Especially if you are a small business owner, you will find yourself relying on your team to support your social media efforts. Channelling their strengths will help you win half the battle.

7) Time: How much time you have to spend on your social media efforts should greatly determine what platforms you use and also how many. There are some platforms that are far more time consuming than others.  Don’t spread yourself thin by trying to do too much.

Using your time effectively when you’re online is a tricky business. While researching data overload, Nick Bilton of NYCResistor, found that on the homepage of Huffington Post, there are a whooping 720 links, Gizmodo has 468 and Engadget 432. Links are constantly being thrown at us in the hopes that we’ll click on them. Navigating the online space while you are suffering from time constrains will require acute focus. The best way to maintain that focus is by knowing exactly what you’re there to do, i.e. setting goals.

8) Financial Resources: Social media in itself is a pretty cost-effective way to promote your business. But you can achieve a lot more if you do invest in it. Many might say that advertising is the first area you should allocate your social media budget towards. However I strongly believe that if you are handling your social media marketing on your own, investing in analytic and management tools is a better primary investment. Without the means to track your online footprint, you won’t know where you’re going. Consider creating business and professional accounts for the tools you use to understand the results of your online activities.

There are many things to consider while developing a social media plan. None that can’t be attempted and none that are full proof either. Be ready for a few things to backfire and be flexible enough to adjust the strategies that don’t work. Review your efforts on a consistent basis and as you become more confident, you will be able to use all that social media has to offer aptly to your advantage.

Image Courtesy |  shutterstock

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> http://www.watblog.com/2013/03/06/top-8-tips-on-developing-a-social-media-strategy-for-your-small-business/feed/ 0 http://www.watblog.com/2013/03/01/6-social-media-tips-for-time-strapped-small-business-owners/ http://www.watblog.com/2013/03/01/6-social-media-tips-for-time-strapped-small-business-owners/#comments Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:15:11 +0000 Pooja Sookur http://www.watblog.com/?p=72250

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> This article is part of our series on Social Media for small businesses. If you have a small business venture and are trying to get social media to work for you, then you should follow the series.

A recent study by Wall Street Journal where they polled over 800 small businesses shows that 6 out of 10 of them are in favour of using social media and believe it adds value to their business. Now that small businesses are finally realizing the value of jumping onto the social media bandwagon, what seems to be lacking are not just the skills but also the time to execute them.

Social media evolves daily. The bandwagon is moving at rapid speed and small businesses fear they don’t have the running shoes to keep up. New platforms, tools, trends and patterns of behaviour emerge everyday and keeping up isn’t easy. Concerns for small businesses on where to begin using social media are many; Should we bother with social media? What platforms should we use? How much time should we spend on each platform? What kind of financial backing will it need? Can the efforts be monetized? How do we ensure getting a steady ROI from the time and money we invest? Can we rely on these platforms as genuine lead generation methods?

While all the concerns are completely genuine, most don’t even get that far. According to a study done by eMarketer, 73% of marketers complained of not having time to even create content in the first place. Here are a few things  you can have a go at if you are a time strapped small businesses in order to stay on top of social media strategies, developing a strong and steady presence for your business online.

Research and decide the platforms that work for your business

With the plethora of social media platforms available out there, find out which ones work best for you. Many small businesses tend to find LinkedIn more beneficial then Twitter because they find it is a strong tool for lead generation. Many small companies selling products find Pinterest diverts a lot of traffic to their website as it supports image centric posts. Find out what works best for your business and only invest time on learning and managing those platforms.

Curate first, create later

Being aware of current topics and trends is the first step to address the issue of creating content. Research what people are saying about your field of work online. Social media is a two way communication street. If you are aware of what the current trends are, and you produce content that is relevant to today’s audience, only then can you expect them to respond.

Remember that although you might not use a certain social media platform purposes, doesn’t mean it isn’t a good way to keep up with what’s going on. Twitter, for instance, according to the previously survey by Wall Street Journal isn’t very popular with small businesses. While 14% of small businesses currently use Twitter, only 3% actually see it as having the potential to become a substantial social media tool. However, it is still an excellent way to find out what people are currently talking about. Use it to that end. Your Facebook news feed is also an excellent way to stay up-to-date. Subscribe to blogs and other feeds to get information emailed to you. You might get emails intermittently throughout the day. Scroll through them and bookmark links that might seem interesting and read them all together to be more time effective.

You should consider spending 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes every evening doing this.

Stay on top of content

Once you are aware of the current happenings in the online world and in your business, you will find it relatively easier to create your own content. However, the fact remains that it is very difficult to create content on a daily basis when time is limited. What works for me deciding how many posts/tweets/updates I want to do per week. If I feel that 4 updates on my Facebook page and 6 tweets is a realistic amount, I will prepare 75% of my updates in advance and create 25% of the content on a daily basis after reviewing current trends. This allows me to stay on top of my daily content output without neglecting trending topics.

There may be times when you are severely strapped for time and are unable to research what is happening that day. By creating a small pool of content to publish, although not current, you will avoid having lapses in your social media presence. Consistency with your social media presence will help you build a strong foundation from which to expect consistent ROI.

You should consider spending 3 hours a week on creating content. 2 hours for pre-decided content over the week, although consider getting this done in one go, it’s a lot more time effective. Leave around 7 – 10 minutes daily to create content based on trending topics for that day.

The Daily Must

The one thing you must ensure to set time aside for everyday as a religion is to respond to people who engage with you on social media platforms. A unilateral social media presence is as good as not having one. A 5-minute calendar entry going off every 3 hours during work hours should do the trick. That is essentially just 20 minutes of your workday making the biggest impact helping convert followers to customers. Not responding to users virtually, is like a hanging up on a customer mid-conversation on call. Terrible etiquette and a clear self-inflicted loss of customer. If you are going to venture into creating a social media presence, having the time to respond to customers daily is a basic must.

Review, analyze and reform

Watch the key metrics from your social media platforms, how they change and function. As a basic practice, make sure you review your customers’ behavior using in-built analysis tools that the platforms provide you with. Once you get the hang of it, promote yourself and use Sensible and Social Snap or even more in-depth analysis tools like Google Analytics, and Kiss metrics to see what kind of customer engagement, traffic flow, link clicks, time spent on the website and other page activities look like.

Having a visual stamp showing the results of your social media efforts will help you evaluate and reform your policies based on what is most valuable for your business. “Only 36% (small business) said they use paid analytical or scheduling tools” says Carol Tice of Forbes. Make sure you’re not one of them. Also remember that in the beginning it’s possible that you wont see very exciting or promising results. Not to mention that nascent efforts may not even be measurable because of lack of quantity. However a steady presence can change that.

3 times a week, spending around 20 – 25 minutes each time is a good time to spend on this.

Strike the nail with a hammer, not your fist

What I’m trying to say is, use social media management tools. It is an extremely time-effective way to stay on top of things. Remember the saying, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime? I say, provide him with a tool, the fishing rod, and you will give him the means to fish, eat what he needs, possibly sell some and start a small business.

Do not underestimate the advantage of using social media management tools. They can be slightly tedious and ironically time consuming to begin with because you have to learn how to use them. However sooner than you think they will help you collate and execute all the aforementioned tips easily and you will start turning your social media presence into a golden egg laying goose faster.

Has your small business used social media effectively in the last 6 months? Did you find the time spent worth the returns?

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> http://www.watblog.com/2013/03/01/6-social-media-tips-for-time-strapped-small-business-owners/feed/ 1 http://www.watblog.com/2012/12/24/smartphones-could-aide-in-rescue-fightback-now/ http://www.watblog.com/2012/12/24/smartphones-could-aide-in-rescue-fightback-now/#comments Mon, 24 Dec 2012 06:00:49 +0000 Alap Naik Desai http://www.watblog.com/?p=67340

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> The recent kidnap & abuse of a helpless victim in New Delhi had sparked a nation wide debate about how safe it is for women to step out after dark. However, the question is not about making them safe, but rather empowering the citizens with the tools to help themselves. Such deterrents alone could could instill a sense of fear within the hearts of the miscreants.

While equipping our citizens with weapons is not a good choice for the time being, the smartphones that are being bought in significant quantities could in fact be utilized tactically. This has led Anand Mahindra, Chairman Mahindra Group, to press his team (CanvasM) to churn out additional features in their preexisting app Fightback. Currently not available in any App Store the app has its own website from where one can download & install it on any Phone running Google’s Android Mobile Operating System (OS) & RIM’s Blackberry OS. Incidentally, the app even has a Facebook Page where users & others can stay alert.

What does FightBack Do? Making correct use of the touch-screen interface, women in peril need to only press the red panic button . Pre-chosen relatives / friends will be intimated about the whereabouts of the victims. Using the phones’ own GPS chip, the app is able to send exact co-ordinates which translates to a location on Google maps.

Apps like FightBack are actually quite commonly available. But perhaps the false sense of utter security doesn’t force users to install them & use them until after such incidents. We have found out some other apps which could also be used by people in distress and emergencies.

The Street Safety App: Bundled with a monthly service, the app allows unlimited daily calls to their “Walk With Me” Agents. This service is unique because the subscriber can choose to call the helpline even if they have not been victimized (yet). In case they are while on the call, agents on the other end of the line are equipped to call the authorities & point out the crime.

Circle Of 6: Designed for iPhone users, the app focuses on simplicity & with just two clicks can alert pre-chosen acquaintances with location. Other features include ready database of helpline hotlines.

Guardly: Bundled with unique emergencies ranging from allergic reactions to foods to heart attacks / strokes, the app covers majority of the scenarios that could require assistance or intervention. With a Profile Page for each user, people can fill in contact, family & medical history. This crucial information can be a life saver in the correct hands.

No city is without crime. Hence, it is better to be armed with correct tools to combat the attack rather than hiding in a house for fear of an attack. What do you think?

Website | Fightback Mobile

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> http://www.watblog.com/2012/12/24/smartphones-could-aide-in-rescue-fightback-now/feed/ 0 http://www.watblog.com/2012/11/27/india-moves-towards-simplified-banking-via-mobile-phones/ http://www.watblog.com/2012/11/27/india-moves-towards-simplified-banking-via-mobile-phones/#comments Tue, 27 Nov 2012 08:50:38 +0000 Alap Naik Desai http://www.watblog.com/?p=65208

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> Owing to technological advances, banks have been able to offer their services to increasing number of users who cannot approach a physical branch. A while ago we had covered a unique initiative collectively taken by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) & the other banks called as IMPS. This technology aims at bringing banking to the owners of basic & feature phones. A luxury hereto enjoyed only by smartphones. In fact, for people who use Google’s Android based phones, there were multiple options already available to fulfill almost all their banking needs & more!

For lack of a pathway i.e. internet connectivity, available on basic phones, banks have now come up with a new innovation that relies on the oldest of communication technologies i.e. Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD). USSD has been used by all mobile telecom service providers to allow subscribers to check their balance, last 3/5 bills, etc. However, this pathway can do a lot more. One only needs to offer a doorway. One such doorway that has now been opened is *99#. Initiated under National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) & currently supported by BSNL & MTNL, the service is operable across 23 banks to begin with.

How does it work?

Started on a Pilot Project basis, the user needs to dial *99# from his registered mobile number & is presented an option to login to the Bank’s system. A unified & simplified approach like this, will work in the same way emergency numbers like 100 or 101 work. “The NPCI wants a similar number common for banking too,” says NPCI MD and CEO A P Hota.

The USSD based system establishes a live connection with the respective bank every time an access code or set of instructions are sent. This ensures a secure option on a non-secured device. In the future, implementation of Aadhar will add an additional layer of authenticity.

Banking has surely come a long way from forcing people to visit banks every time one needed to do something. Thanks to mobile phones & such innovations should bring down their operating costs while ensuring a lot more people get access to structured banking facilities. Do you think the grass-root people will adopt this?

Image Courtesy |  ecu.com

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> http://www.watblog.com/2012/11/27/india-moves-towards-simplified-banking-via-mobile-phones/feed/ 0 http://www.watblog.com/2012/11/23/5-tips-to-determine-whether-your-facebook-fans-need-attention-or-the-silent-treatment/ http://www.watblog.com/2012/11/23/5-tips-to-determine-whether-your-facebook-fans-need-attention-or-the-silent-treatment/#comments Fri, 23 Nov 2012 05:45:05 +0000 Pooja Sookur http://www.watblog.com/?p=64977

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> Whenever a fan starts up a conversation with your brand on Facebook, you have two choices: respond or run. Kind of like the fight or flight reaction that is a basic survival instinct we all tend to rely on, your brand on Facebook must have very sharpened and smart reactions towards fans’ comments in order to survive the social media wilderness.

Things getting blown out of proportion on Facebook is not an uncommon occurrence. Take the big bust up that Adidas experienced on Facebook over the announcement of shackled shoes or even the backlash that Nestlé’s received after they issued a warning saying they would delete photos and comments from their Facebook page if they contained an altered version of their logo. We all know negativity goes viral way more quickly and easily than positive brand messages. There’s nothing worse than seeing your hard work and best social media intentions undoing all your high hopes. So here are 5 crucial steps you can take to help determine whether or not you should be getting into a conversation with your fans on Facebook to ensure you don’t fall prey to a similar fate.

1. If they’re happy and you know it, then respond.

This one’s easy. If someone is giving your brand virtual cuddles on Facebook… be nice and say thank you. Remember to always respond to positive feedback. If you don’t, sooner or later your fans will think you have an attitude problem and stop commenting. Also don’t forget to take the conversation to the next level by asking them what it is that they liked so much about your brand.

2. Acknowledge discontent and respond. Quickly.

If someone is unhappy with your brand and is publicly voicing it out, ensure that you respond quickly to minimize damage. Ask them to send you details about their negative experience to an email address so that you can address the issue correctly. Disgruntled fans might try to wash your dirty laundry in public, try to curb it. Also realize there are levels of discontent here. A negative comment and a negative outburst are very different and require very different responses.

3. How to deal with social media bullies.

(Source: http://bit.ly/TQ8tyU)

Sometimes there will be social media bullies who will rant and rave on about how terrible your brand is, invariably inviting other bullies to join the herd and gang up on you. Much like your favorite 3rd grade teacher probably told you, there is only one way to deal with bullies – stand up to them. One of the best ways to do this without being too aggressive is to do it creatively.

For instance, take this brilliant video that Bodyform came up with when a Facebook bully left a rather nasty comment on their page. Or even this ingenious infographic SmartCar came up with when a sarcastic tweeter commented how bird poo had destroyed a SmartCar. Being creative breaks the ice and shows that your brand is strong enough to deal with even the most aggressive comments.

4. Multiple Comments? Time to enter the Quiet Zone.

If you put up a post asking a question or even just a generic post that receives multiple responses, it’s usually alright to give your fans some space and not respond. However don’t leave the comments completely unattended to. When the frequency of the comments starts decreasing, then reply with a bulk thank you for the feedback and comments. Maybe even provide a summary of feedback so all participants can see the results. This can drive even more positive conversation.

Sometimes brands that are new to Facebook have a tendency to over-respond to comments. Remember that every time you comment on a post, everybody who has commented gets a notification, which can be very annoying.

5. When is it okay to hide comments or ban users?

If a fan is spamming your Facebook page, don’t hesitate to hide the comment or ban the user. If messages are completely unrelated to your brand or the comments don’t match the post, you have a spammer on your hand. You will often find that spammers will post the same content on multiple posts. This is when you use the ‘ban user’ feature on Facebook and delete all comments by that user. If a fan is genuinely really upset and is posting the same comment on multiple posts to get your attention, try responding to one of the comments to address the issue and hiding the other comments.

And finally…

Remember that when you respond to fans, they often think of you as just text on a screen, not an actual person. Try to make sure the tone you use to respond to comments is more human so that users on the other end can connect with easily, maybe even sign off with a name. For instance, consider using statements like “Hi, I’m (name) working with (brand name) and I’d like to thank you for your comments. They really help us keep up the best service for customers like yourself…”

On the bright side, if they feel they are speaking to a person and not a robot, they may be inclined to be more considerate and less harsh. Also, as a brand you might want to consider using tools like Sendible and HootSuite to try and make response management on Facebook easier.

Is there is anything you do differently on your Facebook page to deal with fans? Share in the comment box below.

 

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> http://www.watblog.com/2012/11/23/5-tips-to-determine-whether-your-facebook-fans-need-attention-or-the-silent-treatment/feed/ 2 http://www.watblog.com/2012/11/22/internet-via-text-messages-empowering-the-basic-phones/ http://www.watblog.com/2012/11/22/internet-via-text-messages-empowering-the-basic-phones/#comments Thu, 22 Nov 2012 07:50:00 +0000 Alap Naik Desai http://www.watblog.com/?p=64875

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> Accessing internet on the phone meant the hardware was a notch above the basic models. While smartphones can do a lot more than surfing, feature phones typically have this feature as a ‘Premium’.

However, evolving technology is trying to address the people who still carry basic phones for lack of knowledge or financial constraints. Owing to hardware limitations basic phones can do little more than making / receiving calls & SMSing. Though there are innovations, ironically leveraging the decades old USSD structure, to introduce additional features like payment systems, these phones still lack internet access. While hardware simply cannot be modified, companies like txtWeb, Google and Innoz Technologies are actually modifying the internet to fit on their screens.

Why the need?

Over 85% of phones sold in India are basic or elementary devices. These can only work on the most rudimentary GSM cellular network that can do little else than ferry voice calls & SMSes. Thanks to the licenses & multiple rounds of auctions, mobile companies simply can’t bring down the tariffs of 3G or other forms of internet access technology. Hence the high cost of accessing internet on mobile combined with poor infrastructure & lack of capable handsets have forced majority of mobile phone users to live without internet. Thankfully, realizing the giant void, txtWeb offers SMS based service wherein users can get information, updates & other types of valuable insights by sending queries to 9243342000. E.g: If one needs auto-rickshaw fare, there are apps ready for smartphones. But basic phone users can get the information by sending an SMS e.g.: “@auto fare Bangalore, Koramangala, M G Road”. Currently the company boasts of 1500+ similar nifty tools.

Google offers “SMS applications”. Working on similar pattern, information seekers can send SMS to 9773300000. Information like weather, rupee conversion rates, definitions, flight status, railway PNR information are all available for people just like their smartphone welding cousins.

Which Sites work?

Since it’s the topic of internet access, our readers will surely be interested in knowing which sites can be accessed. Well, we hate to disappoint, but currently, very few popular ‘sites’ works on these basic phones. As the hardware falls miles short of processing even the word-count, let alone Java scripts, CSS etc, one cannot get any websites to work. But, companies like Innoz Technologies are working hard to offer re-worked versions of sites that can be pulled from the web by sending a SMS to 55444. Additionally, the company is even developing a special Innoz OS that offers internet access, per say, via SMS technology. Twitter supports tweets sent via SMS and so does Facebook.

As technology improves, the cost of hardware is bound to fall, making smartphones accessible to people who currently use basic phones. But, if these people lack the basic know-how of operating such powerful devices, such services can offer some solace. What do you think?

Image Courtesy |  blog.smashfly

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> http://www.watblog.com/2012/11/22/internet-via-text-messages-empowering-the-basic-phones/feed/ 0 http://www.watblog.com/2012/11/20/googles-android-leaves-out-december-glitch-or-gimmick/ http://www.watblog.com/2012/11/20/googles-android-leaves-out-december-glitch-or-gimmick/#comments Tue, 20 Nov 2012 07:49:57 +0000 Alap Naik Desai http://www.watblog.com/?p=64662

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> [Update]  The bug can only be found when you go to the People section and try to add a date of birth for a person. You will be not be able to find December in the scrolling menu. 

Google’s very own Android apparently has a very unique glitch. The latest update known as Jelly Bean (v4.2) doesn’t have the month of December.

Reported first, way back on November 14^th by an Indian Rohit Naik, the bug prevents people from adding any event, birthdays, meetings, reminders, etc for the last month of the year. Currently, this anomaly can be verified on the new Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 devices, as well as new or upgraded versions of the Nexus 7 tablet and Galaxy Nexus smartphones. Basically devices running the latest & stable build of Jelly Bean may experience this.

Is it truly a glitch? Google is famous for pulling pranks & surprising people with its quirky sense of humor. Quite recently it had fooled the entire world into thinking it had come up with Maps in 80’s era’s 8 Bit imagery. Hence, we can be forgiven to suspect the missing month could be a part of a much elaborate hoax by the company. However, if that were true, it has not gone done well with anyone who relies on their smartphones & tablets to set reminders. A missing month can & has lead to confusion & plain frustration.

As always, Google has indirectly acknowledged the bug on their Android troubleshooting board indicating that the company is looking into the problem. Fortunately, the web has taken a very comical perspective about the whole situation with many heaving a sigh of relief to not having to go through this ‘expensive’ month!

Is there a work-around? Interestingly, the standalone Calendar App available in Google’s Online App Store; Google Play does feature all the months including December. Hence until the bug is sorted out, we advice readers to use the Calendar App. Additionally, we could also advise users not to update their devices running on Android to the Jelly Bean update unless this miniscule, but prominent issue is sorted out. If all else fails, there’s always Facebook.

Image Courtesy |  tech2.in

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> http://www.watblog.com/2012/11/20/googles-android-leaves-out-december-glitch-or-gimmick/feed/ 0 http://www.watblog.com/2012/11/12/viraliti-aims-to-become-the-first-professional-ad-network-for-pinterest/ http://www.watblog.com/2012/11/12/viraliti-aims-to-become-the-first-professional-ad-network-for-pinterest/#comments Mon, 12 Nov 2012 10:45:14 +0000 Alap Naik Desai http://www.watblog.com/?p=64271

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> Social Media networks are the new heaven for marketing personnel & brand managers. Thanks to the wide-spread appeal & often the craze associated with it, companies have a much wider & actively interacting base to put forth their messages. Additionally, many a times, such cleverly put forth messages go viral & offer an immense tactical advantage to the advertisers. In simple words, the users or subscribers themselves promote the message & the brand with no additional input or expenditure by the advertisers.

Pinterest is one such phenomenon. With a simple visual driven platform, this social network has grown significantly in the last few months. Incidentally, it is also rivaling some of the established & long term players through its sheer simplicity & appeal. Agreed that its affiliation is far more in the fairer gender, it is nonetheless a force to reckon with.

Surprisingly, despite driving the economies up,  unlike Facebook & others, the company apparently still doesn’t have an exclusive ad-network of its own. Under such circumstances, ad managers are left to fend for themselves & devise individual strategies about ad dissipation & management. Coming to the aide of this growing crowd, Viraliti, an ad-management network has come-up with a solution to offer one-of-its kind ‘Pay Per Click’ (PPC) ad network on Pinterest.

How does it work?

Viraliti works with influential Pinterest users (having 1000+ followers) who endorse brands by pinning images to their personal boards from the available ad campaigns on Viraliti. Thanks to PPC, brands pay for only valid clicks that these sponsored pins generate. Even Pinterest users earn per click and there is no guessing required while setting the cost of a sponsored pin. Once brands create display ad campaigns and set their campaign description, Viraliti offers a completely transparent way to decide budget spending limits via PPC.

So far the company is targeting mainly the US market wherein Pinterest usage is more prominent. However, once the social network enhances its adoption in other countries, companies all across the globe could take advantage of a professionally managed ad-network for the platform, which so far, did not have any.

Do you think Pinterest has started to appeal to Indians?

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> http://www.watblog.com/2012/11/12/viraliti-aims-to-become-the-first-professional-ad-network-for-pinterest/feed/ 0 http://www.watblog.com/2012/11/07/indian-kids-hooked-to-mobile-internet-demand-better-services-study/ http://www.watblog.com/2012/11/07/indian-kids-hooked-to-mobile-internet-demand-better-services-study/#comments Wed, 07 Nov 2012 07:12:18 +0000 Alap Naik Desai http://www.watblog.com/?p=63971

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> Supporting recently observed trends, Ericsson’s report titled “The Digital Lives of Generation Z In India” confirms that Kids & Pre-teens in urban India are now hooked to the Internet on mobile.

The report suggests that almost half or 3 Million, from estimated total of 6 Million, urban kids routinely indulge in the use of mobile broadband. But the interesting observation is that an overwhelming majority of them (77%) bicker about the quality of service. The total number of urban kids is currently pegged at 69 Million. From these about 30 Million own mobiles or sometimes even smartphones. The worrying insight is that about 20% of these kids are below the age of 11.

Having access to a mobile phone has become a necessity of sorts. With fast paced lives of both the parents, it’s imperative that everybody is accessible at all times. Even as schools are grumbling about kids lounging around with phones, parents are left with little choice about handing a phone to their wards.

Is it Safe?

While kids are within a phone-call’s reach, there are multiple aspects which could unnerve adults. Mobile phones offer easy connectivity to internet. There are multiple apps that allow Social Media connectivity. Even as Facebook is contemplating a separate edition for kids, many of them have already faked their ages to socialize. Not to mention people with twisted minds are an ever present danger.

What is a parent to do?

Parents hand-over a mobile phone to the kid in hopes of keeping a tab on them. Surprisingly, only one in three urban parents is able to keep track of their children’s communication activities. Furthermore 30% kids are one-step ahead & have already installed counter-measures to prevent intrusion by parents!

Can telecom service providers or technology help?

There are some options like Life360 or Mobiflock that allow multiple monitoring & controlling options on the phones. Parents could use these to restrict access.  Ironically the report reveals that parents want telecom service providers to act as a watch-dog.

What are your thoughts on the findings of this report? Share them with us.

Image Courtesy |  indianexpress

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> http://www.watblog.com/2012/11/07/indian-kids-hooked-to-mobile-internet-demand-better-services-study/feed/ 0 http://www.watblog.com/2012/10/31/skype-gets-compromised-in-india-govt-issues-advisory/ http://www.watblog.com/2012/10/31/skype-gets-compromised-in-india-govt-issues-advisory/#comments Wed, 31 Oct 2012 09:59:49 +0000 Alap Naik Desai http://www.watblog.com/?p=63343

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> VoIP Service provider Skype’s system was recently compromised. Though Skype’s servers are still secure, many end-users’ computers were attacked & hackers managed to gain enter into the system through a backdoor (security loophole). Thereafter the SPAM Bots (automatic content generators) were able to communicate with Skype’s remote servers & send SPAM messages to the people in the contact list of the affected computers.

Though no intentional harm has come to the surface, it is truly worrisome that such an attack was made possible via the unsuspecting user’s computers. The Government’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) under the Communications and Information Technology ministry has released a statement, “A malicious spam campaign is on the rise targeting Skype users by sending instant message which appears to come from friends in the Skype contact list”. Furthermore it has also set-up an advisory for affected users.

What can users do? It appears Skype has already issued counter measures to thwart the SPAM attack. All the user now needs to do is update Skype software. Though these incidents are quite a common occurrence, people still appear to be ignorant about the basic steps to ensure their privacy & data are intact. In the past we have covered many such incidents of systems being compromised due to lack of adequate & sometimes simple steps that people do not follow. This alarming trend is in fact costing  Indian companies Crores of rupees.

Is it Skype’s fault? Apparently not. The SPAM seems to have been originated by people inadvertently clicking on unsolicited web links or attachments in Skype messages. It is warned to exercise extreme caution when clicking on such links that offer prizes or claim that you have won a lottery, etc. There’s one another possibility too. There are too many generic Skype downloads available online. While these all claim to be authentic, many could be modified versions meant to leave such backdoors unlocked. Hence people should always download & install software from the original source. In this case Skype could be downloaded from here.

Are you planning to shift to another VoIP service? Do let us know.

Image Courtesy | timesofindia

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> http://www.watblog.com/2012/10/31/skype-gets-compromised-in-india-govt-issues-advisory/feed/ 0 http://www.watblog.com/2012/10/23/google-reveals-what-destinations-india-searched-on-google-maps/ http://www.watblog.com/2012/10/23/google-reveals-what-destinations-india-searched-on-google-maps/#comments Tue, 23 Oct 2012 10:30:00 +0000 Alap Naik Desai http://www.watblog.com/?p=62724

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> Google’s Maps is perhaps the most widely used navigation assistance software. Hence Google, in association with research firm IPSOS has drawn up a report showing what did people from the three most prominent metros of India, search for.

Residents from Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore apparently have a craving desire to know about hotels. The Imperial of Delhi, The Trident of Mumbai & The Leela Kempinski from Bangalore top the list of searches for direction. Since hotels & accommodation are the first thing that comes to the mind when going to a particular city, it seems obvious that visitors search for directions to the most popular hotels of these cities. Interestingly, Jama Masjid in Delhi & Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai have managed to gather a lot of attention too. It seems the latest trend of online devotion has affected such patterns. Equally important perhaps are the various educational institutes including premier ones like IITs & IIMs.

Additionally, Google has ensured ample user contribution to collect & aggregate maps data ensuring enhanced accuracy & relevance. Hence these exact categories have also witnessed the maximum number of edits since the inception in 2007. The report goes on to confirm that almost 50% of smartphone users now regularly rely on their devices for navigation or even driving assistance.

Google Maps is surely re-shaping the way people search for destinations. One might even concur that the maps offering by the tech company has revolutionized not just the simple navigation, but is set to dramatically alter the online shopping sphere. What remains to be seen how soon can mobile companies let go of their demands of revenue sharing & come with cheap & unlimited mobile internet data plans to increase the convenience level. Do you actively use Google Maps. What do you search for?

Source | ThinkDigit

Image Courtesy |  maps.google

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> http://www.watblog.com/2012/10/23/google-reveals-what-destinations-india-searched-on-google-maps/feed/ 0 http://www.watblog.com/2012/09/25/7-startup-tips-that-every-entrepreneur-should-focus-upon/ http://www.watblog.com/2012/09/25/7-startup-tips-that-every-entrepreneur-should-focus-upon/#comments Tue, 25 Sep 2012 09:30:10 +0000 Guest Author http://www.watblog.com/?p=59966

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> The ratio of the number of Startups succeeding to the ones who don’t is quite awful. Just one out of every nine start-ups last for more than a year, and out of the ten  which last for more than a year, only one among them breaks even and grows further.

Therefore, it is very important for every Start-up founder to keep certain things in check from very beginning. Following are some very important domains to focus on:

1. Set your Priority Order Right : In your journey of Entrepreneurship, you will find numerous attractions coming up your way, many of them will  drive you towards your goal, whereas many would distract and divert you from your path. But, if you have set your priorities right, you will always find it easy to take decisions easily i.e Yes or No.

2. Lead a Team of Good Samaritans : As an entrepreneur, you are supposed to act as a visionary leader for your team. You have to direct your team continuously showing them the pathway towards the ultimate goal. Also, smart talented individuals are fascinated not only on the basis of money or equity, but majorly by associating with the startup which makes them feel as an important part of a romantic start-up story.

3. Mind your Own Business : Do not get swayed by temporary things and hinder the direction of the idea you are in love with. Saying NO to an insignificant task is equally important as it is to say YES to a significant task. You ought to judge which opportunity is in sync with your direction & which is not. Instead of being influenced by other people’s dogma, you ought to make sure you and your army walks in the direction that you’ve decided.

4.  Look at the Bigger Picture : Success in business very much depends on the broad minded vision of its leader. May it be about hiring people, deciding give & takes, or on judging mutually beneficial opportunities with like minded people; an entrepreneur should strictly keep his mind 360 degrees open. And, as they say – “A Business, its people, culture & everything related to that is the shadow of its founders.” So, broad minded thinking of an entrepreneur spreads throughout the start-up. Looking at bigger picture also includes being Patience & Persistent – Sticking to your goals, keeping yourself calm, composed & relaxed. You also have to stir-up your team continuously. Remember, it is often the last key on the ring that opens the door.

5. Never Let your Child-like Passion Waver: Stay firmly persistent on your childhood stubborn attitude. The objective has to be changed from Toys, to – Creating a visionary empire. The words ‘I CAN’T DO IT’ close your mind, while the words, ‘HOW CAN I DO IT?’ opens your mind.

6. Focus, Play One Game at a Time: Simplify your life. Strip away all that is unimportant – then focus, focus, focus. You’ll be surprised how good you will then get at being great.

7. Dream, Dream, Dream: I read this amazing quote in an amazing book, which I’d kept stored in my quotation’s book – “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, & achieving that mark.” You need to live with your dreams day in & day out, they totally belong to you. No medicine in this world is as powerful as ‘the desire to do something’.

This is a guest post by Manish Vaswani who is the Co-founder and Director of Zootout.com, a lifestyle recommendation engine.

Image Source | Student Story

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> http://www.watblog.com/2012/09/25/7-startup-tips-that-every-entrepreneur-should-focus-upon/feed/ 1 http://www.watblog.com/2012/08/13/googles-handwrite-feature-for-ios-and-android-phones-is-pretty-handy-and-so-is-the-scientific-calculator/ http://www.watblog.com/2012/08/13/googles-handwrite-feature-for-ios-and-android-phones-is-pretty-handy-and-so-is-the-scientific-calculator/#comments Mon, 13 Aug 2012 08:43:45 +0000 Hilonee http://www.watblog.com/?p=56462

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> There is good news for users of iOS 5+ devices, Android 2.3+ phones and Android 4.0+ tablets. Google has introduced a new feature called ‘Handwrite’ for each of the devices and tablets mentioned above. The sole purpose of this feature is to make typing easy as it allows you to type your search with your finger.

“Unlike searching on a desktop or laptop computer, when you’re searching on a touchscreen mobile device, it’s often inconvenient to type if you are standing on a busy street corner or in a bumpy taxi ride. Now there’s a new way for you to interact with Google,” writes Google’s software engineer Rui Ueyama in a company blog post.

To use handwrite, users have to visit the Google page on their mobile/tablet browsers. Then they have to click on the settings tab located at the bottom of the screen. Once the settings page opens, the user simply has to ‘enable’ the handwrite feature and voila! he can search by typing with his finger.

Enabling Handwrite

After enabling the feature, the user can click on the handwrite option that will now appear on the bottom-right of the screen and type away anywhere on the screen. Like it happens with the Google page on laptop browsers, once you begin to type in a search, Google will begin to display autocomplete options.

Handwriting Captured

Recognition and Auto-complete

In case users wish to use the keyboard, they needn’t worry as doing so would be possible by tapping on the search box. The purpose of handwrite is not to replace the keyboard but to support it.

This feature sure promises to add a lot to the search experience and is sure to be well accepted by the users.

Scientific Calculator On Desktop Web and Mobile:

If you type a simple mathematical operation in the Google search box on your laptop browser, be sure of not only getting the answer but being introduced to the Google Scientific Calculator.

Scientific Calculator in Google Search

This calculator allows you to complete simple mathematical operations like addition/subtraction as well complex trigonometry functions. The calculator also has dedicated buttons for Pi and Euler’s number.

Scientific Calculator On Mobile

This feature is also available for mobile devices, thus making the use of in-built mobile calculators rather unnecessary. The user can also use Google’s voice search to get calculations done without the use of the keyboard.

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> http://www.watblog.com/2012/08/13/googles-handwrite-feature-for-ios-and-android-phones-is-pretty-handy-and-so-is-the-scientific-calculator/feed/ 0 http://www.watblog.com/2012/07/04/technology-work-life-balance/ http://www.watblog.com/2012/07/04/technology-work-life-balance/#comments Wed, 04 Jul 2012 06:46:51 +0000 Pooja Sookur http://www.watblog.com/?p=53266

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> Ever woken up in the middle of the night to the flashing red light on your Blackberry and responded to a work email? Or missed a game-deciding goal while watching a match because you were replying to a follower’s tweet? Been given ‘the glare’ by your irate spouse because you’re editing a document on your iPhone on the dinner table?

If you answered yes to any one of these questions, you are certainly not alone. A study on this subject by specialist insurer, Hiscox, found that only 3% out of the 304 people surveyed keep their mobile devices away from both the bedroom and dinner table.

The flipside of the same argument is that technology makes work a lot easier. Mobile phones, laptops, tablets, Internet devices like photon cards, help tremendously in managing work. It speeds up our research processes, reduces our response time, increases opportunities, lets us work remotely and generally allows us to stay in control of our to-do lists, therefore creating a positive impact on our happiness quotient.

While technology is supposed to help us maintain a work-life balance, I find that it frequently wobbles mine. Being available 24/7 to my colleagues and bosses is definitely not my idea of balance. Neither is the constant buzzing and pinging! My phone interrupts my work time while my friends are making plans on group chats.  However, let’s face it; we have indisputably reached a point where we are incapable of carrying on without technology. So the only solution, as they say, is “If you can’t beat them, join them”.

Learning how to master technology and use it to your advantage, coupled with a little self-restraint, is perhaps the only way to restore the work-life balance.

source: stayviolation.typepad.com

In an ideal situation, we should invest and create ‘Compensating Technologies’ to help deal with assisting technologies we have at hand. For instance, many mobile phones now allow you to define specific times to activate and de-activate profiles. You can set up separate ‘work’ and ‘home’ profiles, define timings for each one to remain active, and then if you leave work around the same time everyday, your mobile phone will automatically shift to your home profile wherein you can stop your phone from alerting you on any work emails that come through. And if you are one of those obsessive personalities who can’t stop yourself from wanting zero un-read messages on your mobile phone, there are apps that even stop your work emails from syncing after a defined time all together. A good example of this is the Samsung Mail app that comes pre-loaded with their smartphones.

But while we wait for more of these compensating technologies to crop up, a few simple self-restrictive guidelines could help maintain a more efficient work-like balance:

• 9 to 5: Define your work hours and stick to them.

• Take advantage of flexibility: If your workplace allows you to be flexible on your work hours and work locations, combine that with technology to help maintain a balance. Skype meetings from home, management tools to help keep track of work goals, apps like Evernote allow you to keep track of notes and syncs them with all your technology platforms to help you stay on top of things from any location.

• Brutal honesty: If you are busy with a client or a colleague or if you’re on a holiday, don’t hesitate to let people know. Make use of auto-replies to inform people know that you’re busy with someone else or you’re away on a holiday. Leadership expert and management consultant Eileen McDargh, swears by this approach whole-heartedly. When she is with a client during work hours, she sets her email to auto-reply saying, “I am with a client and will not be answering e-mails. When I return, you will receive the same undivided attention.” Don’t be afraid to do the same.

• The Silent Treatment: While you’re working on your laptop at work, put your phone on ‘silent‘ or ‘phone only‘ so you are not constantly interrupted. I often react to the delayed buzzing of my phone only to realise that I’m checking a work email that I’ve already checked on my laptop a few seconds ago. Give your phone the silent treatment while at work and let it return the favour. Focus your attention on one device at a time and you will find that you are utilizing time more effectively.

• Self-Restraint: Technology is like visiting your aunt’s house and being force-fed your favourite fried foods. You can’t stop visiting her, and you can’t stop loving the food, but if you don’t apply some amount of self-restraint, health problems will be just around the corner. You won’t be able to stop using the technology, or loving how simple it makes your work life when you need it to. But if you don’t stop yourself from being available all the time, you are indeed heading for trouble.

Needless to say, technology is a sharp double-edged sword with unimaginable pros and equally taxing cons. But as long as you use it wisely to accomplish your work goals for the day, then turn everything off and walk away, you should be able to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Here is a great infographic by David McCandless of informationisbeautiful.net shows us a hierarchy of digital distractions that stop us from doing any real work:

Share with us how you maintain balance in your personal and professional life.

Looking For A Social Media Agency?? - Contact WATConsult - India's Leading Social Media Agency

]]> http://www.watblog.com/2012/07/04/technology-work-life-balance/feed/ 3