Analysis of online social network traffic can identify a cascade as it flows through a community but, often, the reasons for its initiation are tacit. Commercial measures of online influence focus on the consequences of influence not the causes and have been criticized as lacking efficacy. This research uses social capital and personal influence theories to investigate the characteristics and behaviours that allow certain network nodes to be able to cascade ideas (or memes) through networks. The relationships between structural, relational and cognitive sources of social capital and two distinct dimensions of influence are investigated using: interviews with experts in the field, focus groups of social network users and 1,970 respondents from three large-scale online communities. Data has been analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and allows the researcher to develop robust conclusions on the antecedents to influence. These help to explain recent contradictory findings by different researchers in studies using Social Network Analysis (SNA). The dimensions of influence measured are: respondents’ intention to propagate the message and; the extent to which the message has affected their perception of the subject. The model of influence that leads to both dimensions is strikingly similar; presenting strong support for the notion that contagion-based cascades through networks are predictors of perception change. The paper proposes a bridge between the theories of social capital and personal influence and this is considered an original contribution to these well-established theories. Techniques are suggested which can help organisations to identify opinion-leaders and, if required, subvert or redirect the nature of their influence. Other applications are considered in the fields of: Innovation (identification of lead users); Virtual Organisations (engaging with informal leaders and influencers in networks); Cyber- Defence (identification and subversion of online radicalisation).

AbstractTitleComplaints Handling and Social MediaPurposeThe purpose of the project is to describe how companies conduct complaints handling in socialmedia and how they listen, talk and energize with the help of social media in terms of complaintshandling.Research QuestionsHow do companies perform complaints handling in social media? How do companies listen, talkand energize in social media in terms of complaints handling?Theory and ConceptsComplaints handling; encouraging customers to voice a complaint; the role of front-lineemployees in complaints handling; the role of compensation in complaints handling; socialmedia and relationship marketing; listening in social media; talking in social media; energizingon social mediaMethodologyThe study is descriptive with deductive approach. The research is qualitative and the researchstrategy is one-to-one interviews. Interviews were conducted with social media representatives ofBeeline, SAS supermarkets’ chain and Figaro restaurant group in Armenia.ConclusionsFrom the research it was concluded that SAS supermarkets’ chain and Figaro restaurant group interms of complaints handling mainly embrace the relationship potentials social media provides.That is they listen to complaints on social media; they always response to complaints either bytaking proactive measures or describing the situation; however, they do not energize customerswith stories about successful complaints handling experiences. While, in terms of complaintshandling, Beeline does not use the tools of listening, talking and energizing properly. It was alsoconcluded that both SAS supermarkets’ chain and Figaro restaurant group conduct complaintshandling in social media environment mainly in accordance to theories about how successfulcomplaints handling can be done, while Beeline does not.

No description available.

No description available.

The importance of consumers’ active engagement in a firm’s online brand community in social network sites has received increasing attention from both academia and industry. The study applied a Netnography of the official Popchips Facebook community to provide a baseline understanding of the consumer-firm relationship in this type of environment. Unlike more traditional studies that focus on brand communities for niche or luxury brands, this study dealt with a convenience product called Popchips. It is also one of the brands that utilized a strong social media strategy to communicate to its consumers. Findings suggested four classifications of a fan signifying their relationships with the company: ‘pending relationship status’, ‘it’s complicated’, ‘in a relationship’ and ‘married’. This study provides useful managerial implications for marketers who want to tap into this new marketing communication tool and medium, for the purpose of building stronger relationships with their consumers.

Social media services like Facebook mark the continued domestication of surveillance technology. Facebook has been remarkably successful at establishing a presence within a variety of social settings, including the interpersonal sphere, the academic sector, and the marketplace. As a platform shared by these spheres, Facebook distributes personal information beyond intended contexts. This research will develop a sociological understanding of individual, institutional, and aggregate surveillance through social networking sites. A series of semi-structured face-to-face interviews with students, university administrators and business employees provides a detailed understanding of surveillance practices on Facebook. Three kinds of surveillance are considered. First, lateral – or peer-to-peer – surveillance refers to interpersonal scrutiny between individuals. Second, institutional surveillance is the scrutiny of key populations by universities and other institutions. Third, aggregated surveillance is used primarily by businesses to study relevant markets. I propose that mutual augmentation exists between individual, institutional, and aggregate forms of surveillance on social media. These three models are situated within the same informational platform. By sharing not only the same information, but also the same interface used to access that information, formerly discrete surveillance practices feed off one another. New personal details, criteria, and searching techniques become common knowledge. Marketers and institutions now benefit from ‘user-generated value’ when individuals exchange relevant information amongst themselves. Likewise, university-age users have adopted new criteria like ‘employability’ and ‘liability’ to assess their peers as well as themselves. / Thesis (Ph.D, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2010-12-31 05:12:00.199

Viral marketing is a marketing tool that is becoming more common in the marketing industry. As people spend more time on the internet via their smartphones, tablets and computers marketers try to find new ways to reach out and connect with consumers. Succeeding with a viral spread is not easy; it's several factors that are important. Viral marketing encourages consumers to recommend and talk about product-related information with each other. So, what should a viral campaign or message contain in order to create this interest among us consumers? There are few empirical studies done in this subject which makes this kind of uncharted territory. By reading previous studies done in the subject we managed to find a few factors that reappeared frequently. In our theory chapter, we describe what previous studies say about these viral marketing factors; Message, Messenger, Social Media and Environment. Based on the theory we then created questions which we used when we interviewed 10 respondents who work with viral marketing on a daily basis. All answers were then stacked up in a table in which we extracted interesting patterns. These patterns are discussed and analyzed in our analysis chapter where our data is compared with previously done theory and our own reflections. Our contribution by this thesis is to bring empirical data within viral marketing, which has been missing up to now. We have done this through interviews and a model that we have developed. Keywords: Viral marketing, Social media, Social media marketing, Viral message

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Washington State University, May 2010. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on May 19, 2010). "Edward R. Murrow College of Communication." Includes bibliographical references (p. 148-162).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 187-201). Also available in print.

Cette thèse se donne donc pour objectif d’estimer la valeur des médias sociaux pour les entreprises. Elle développe une série d’analyses théoriques portant sur les effets que peuvent avoir ces médias sur leurs performances. Elle suggère également aux gestionnaires et aux praticiens différentes façons d’exploiter leur présence sur les médias sociaux pour tirer un profit maximal des avantages que cette présence suscite. Des méthodes quantitatives comme la modélisation par équations structurelles, l’analyse des séries temporelles et les panels dynamiques sont mises en pratiques pour aborder le sujet de façon empirique et exhaustive. Afin d’atteindre ces objectifs, cette thèse soulève un certain nombre de questions de recherche : Les médias sociaux sont-ils créateurs de valeur pour les entreprises ? Quels effets ont les médias sociaux sur les marques, les consommateurs, les investisseurs ? Quels indicateurs sont essentiels pour mesurer la performance des médias sociaux ? Nous nous proposons de répondre à ces questions dans cette thèse qui s’organise en quatre articles distincts.L’article 1 développe plusieurs analyses théoriques dont l’objectif est de comprendre comment les indicateurs de médias sociaux affectent la valeur des marques.L’article 2 aborde la pertinence des médias sociaux sous un angle différent. Nous y analysons les trajectoires de l’impact des médias sociaux sur les consommateurs puis sur les investisseurs, ainsi que les explications de cet impact.L’article 3 se focalise plus particulièrement sur la relation entre les médias sociaux et le comportement du consommateur. Les effets des médias sociaux owned et earned sur les étapes séquentielles qui composent le parcours d’achat du consommateur y sont analysés, avec pour objectif de donner un meilleur aperçu de l’influence des médias sociaux sur la décision d’acheter et sur la satisfaction du consommateur.Enfin, l’article 4 se place dans le prolongement de l’article 1 pour étudier l’effet des médias sociaux et traditionnels sur la satisfaction des consommateurs et la valeur de marque. / This dissertation focuses on assessing the value of social media. There are several theoretical and practical gaps in the stream of social media marketing literature, particularly in terms of the impact of social media on performance. This dissertation proposes a set of theoretical conceptualizations of how social media can impact performance, makes suggestions for managers and practitioners on how to leverage the social media presences in pursuit of the benefits of social media marketing, and makes recommendations for researchers on how to further contribute to this research domain. Quantitative methods such as structural equation modeling, time-series analysis and dynamic panel methods are applied to address the issue empirically and comprehensively.