Neal's Notes

That now hoary ad campaign, “This is not your father’s Oldsmobile…This is the new generation of Olds,” captured our imagination many moons ago. It has now become a popular culture catch phrase that has spawned endless variations used for countless products and services.

But catch phrases don’t sell cars. The Oldsmobile didn’t evolve with the times and was phased out in 2004.

Oldsmobile executives probably didn’t bother to attend CES. If they did, they would have picked up valuable market intel on where the automotive industry’s heading.

At last week’s CES, there was a lot of buzz about how cars are connecting with the cloud, and talk about exciting new apps either on the market or destined for your vehicle in the near future.

One part of your car that is already being dramatically transformed is the dashboard.

Tony King-Smith serves as vice president-marketing for UK-based Imagination Technologies, a leading multimedia and communications technologies company. As reported in EE Catalog, King-Smith said manufacturers have now recognized that a global chassis approach in car manufacturing will result in cost reductions if adopted in high volume.

“Being able to configure more customer options at the dealer rather than custom fit on a production line has major benefits to the retail channel,” he said. “That’s good news for everyone in the car supply chain.”

King-Smith said we’ll see more and more car models utilizing software-configurable dashboards using flat panels.

By combining a high-performance graphics processor with video, King-Smith said engineers are now developing apps like augmented reality for head-up displays and navigation point-of-interest recognition.

Imagination Technologies, for instance, is working with companies like Navteq in developing next-gen navigation solutions and with leading car manufacturers.

King-Smith added that utilizing low-power graphics processors (GPUs) will increase dashboard usability, as GPUs provide an increase in performance/quality and reduce power consumption/heat build-up.

And the synergies between the automotive and consumer technology markets are poised for explosive growth. The Consumer Electronics Association predicts total shipment revenues of total automotive technology will top $9.3 billion in 2012, up from $9 billion in 2011.

Harry McCracken, editor of Technologizer, said the automobile industry is finally seeing cars as consumer electronic devices.

“Today, young people live for the day when they can have their own smartphone. Car companies now understand this – while safety is paramount, they also want to build things that are cool,” said McCracken.

And there was a lot of cool automotive software bling at CES, all playing up the connectivity angles.

“Connectivity has gone from being a unique feature that makes some brands stand out for having it to being a must-have feature that makes some brands stand out for not having it,” noted IHS Analyst Aaron Bragman.

Ford, for instance, announced five new apps for its Sync hands-free entertainment systems. One of these was a partnership with National Public Radio (NPR). Ford’s Sync AppLink, via an NPR app, will enable Ford customers to listen gratis to any public radio content on demand – via voice command. Another is Roximity, a daily-deals app providing real-time discounts relevant to a driver’s location.

AppRadio2, a car radio interface from Pioneer Electronics USA Inc.’s Car Electronics Division, now works with various Android platforms that have HDMI or MHL connectivity. It’s also iPhone-compatible.

Korean car manufacturer Kia showed off its Uvo eServices infotainment and telematics system. As reported by CNN, Kia is also testing a system that would recognize whether a driver’s eyes are opened or closed – it would employ an infra-red LED and camera to monitor a driver’s face for alertness.  Bottom line objective is to prevent accidents caused by drivers falling asleep.

But Mercedes-Benz really captured the spotlight at CES. The company unveiled the second generation of cloud-based Mbrace, which connects drivers online with customized apps controlled by voice commands or on a dashboard.

Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, delivered a keynote address covering a wide array of cloud computing-related advancements being developed by the German car company. Mercedes, for instance, will be using smartphones as links between electric-drive vehicles and the infrastructure needed to charge them.

“You’ll be able to use the Internet to plan your route, check your car’s battery status and find nearby charging stations,” said Zetsche.

“Through connectivity, cars might eventually become smart grids on wheels, efficiently storing electricity from renewable sources.”

Mercedes also plans to roll out Car2gether, a peer-to-peer ride share for mobile users wanting to offer rides to strangers.

“This new generation of vehicles will serve as digital companions,” said Zetsche. “They learn your habits, adapt to your choices, predict your moves and interact with your social network. The connected car is the proactive car.”

Odds are you’re using Facebook, Twitter, other social media tools to communicate with your kids, nieces, nephews, etc., that are away at college. I suspect there are quite a few first-year students who might be flabbergasted to discover that they can actually make and receive calls from their cell phone.

Not a major headliner these days, but colleges and universities have been tapping social media for a number of years now to not only reach students, but alumni as well as working adults 30+ who only attend online and/or evening classes.

According to a recent study by the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, 100% of universities surveyed used social media to communicate with students, up from 61% in 2007-2008. The study also revealed that 98% of the responding colleges have a Facebook page; 84% have a Twitter account.

“Social media is past the fad phase,” said Nora Barnes, director of the center. “The numbers speak for themselves. Many students can’t afford to visit the campus, so they are depending on podcasts and blogs to get answers.”

One San Francisco-based company, Inigral, has created a Facebook app that helps colleges create centralized Facebook sites. Arizona State University (ASU) used Inigral’s The Schools App that enables students to interact with faculty and staff without becoming Facebook friends – it allows all parties to keep their personal lives personal, while benefitting from school-specific communication that the app fosters.

A number of other higher education institutions are also doing some really interesting stuff as of late:

A few examples:

• Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton is using Foursquare to let students check in via SMS or a smart phone app and share their location with friends while also collecting virtual badges and points.

• The University of New Mexico has an active group on Flickr – more than 350 members, 900 items available that highlight events, campus activities, art projects, and work done by students.

• The chairman of the math department at Berry College developed a calculus music video with his students, who sang about derivatives in a YouTube video (The Derivative Rag).

• The University of Kentucky created a campaign around the school’s blue and white colors and a site, SeeBlue.com, which includes videos from students and staff.

• Kaplan University in Fort Lauderdale uses LinkedIn to support career endeavors for its 53,000+ students and alumni. Sophie Vlessing, the university’s VP-strategic marketing and student experience, said the school has posted webinars and 80 videos from Visionary Voices, a recurring series of discussions with thought leaders.

• Highbury College Portsmouth (United Kingdom) uses QR codes on posters to drive potential students to find the college on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, encouraging them to enroll.

• Pace University established a Facebook question and answer interaction board where potential students discuss issues/concerns/questions with students who’ve previously attended the institution.

The examples are endless but you get the gist – this ain’t your parents’ university.

Dean Tsouvalas, editor of StudentAdvisor.com, summed it quite nicely.

“A successful social media campaign is when students are able to have a one-to-one connection, speak directly to the school and get interesting information that they never knew before,” he said.

The Who’s seminal 1971 song, ‘Going Mobile,’ was really more a celebration of wheels and the joy of cruising down highways and byways. But two lines of the song, “Going mobile; keep me movin,” is – more than a generation later, a spot on description of how billions of folks around the globe will be using the mobile web in 2012.

So with only 36 days left until 2012, what’s gonna be hot? What are some key trends to look for?

A few bullet points to further elucidate:

• The CTIA Wireless Association recently said more than 250 million Americans now have mobile phones. Four out of five teenagers carry a mobile phone, with 57% of them believing their device is the center of their social universe. More than 10 trillion (yes, that’s a ‘t’) text messages will also be sent/received next year. Your 14-year-old daughter will generate half of these.

• Biz Report predicts text messaging programs will account for about $14 billion of the more than $19 billion they say will be spent on mobile campaigns in 2012.

• Market research firm Gartner predicts mobile e-mail users worldwide will increase from 354 million in 2009 to 713 million in 2014. Gartner also expects mobile instant messaging (MIM) to attract consumers to new types of unified communications (UC) clients provided by over the top (OTT) service providers – Skype’s one example.

• More than five billion people worldwide have mobile phones, and mobile data traffic is trebling every year.

• More consumers are planning to use their mobile device to make a purchase this holiday season, according to a joint national survey conducted by Sybase 365, a subsidiary of Sybase Inc., which provides mobile messaging and mobile commerce services, and the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), a global trade association for the mobile industry. The survey of 1,000 consumers found that 62% would be willing to make a purchase on their mobile device this holiday season if prompted by coupons, discount offers, text alerts, gift cards or loyalty points. A year ago, Sybase 365 reported that only 32% of respondents would purchase anything on their mobile device, even when laden with incentives.

• Mobile barcodes will continue to evolve rapidly worldwide. “Mobile barcodes offer unmatched opportunity to increase brand value by adding measurable interactive functionality and richer consumer engagement,” said Nicole Skogg, CEO of SpyderLynk and co-chair of the MMA’s Mobile Barcode Task Force. “Mobile barcodes make static media – like packaging, print ads, broadcast TV and billboards – interactive.”

In a report from market research firm Juniper Research, “Mobile Retail Marketing, Advertising, Coupons and NFC Shopping, 2011-2016,” co-author David Snow predicts the value of mobile retail marketing will hit $15 billion next year, a 50% jump from 2011. While this is a drop in the bucket when compared to other retail marketing methodologies/avenues, it’s important to remember that mobile retail marketing is still in its infancy — and traditional advertising outlets will continue to lose market share – these include newspapers, magazines and various regional/national Yellow Pages.

“Mobile retailing is undergoing rapid change,” said Snow. “We’re starting to see an ‘arms race’ as the power of the mobile channel equips both shoppers and retailers with capabilities they never had before. Each side has to keep up with the other and gain an advantage in order to clinch the purchase transaction in their favor.”

Snow added that mobile Point-of-Sale (POS) technology and Near Field Communications (NFC; this technology allows an enabled mobile phone to be swiped past a merchant’s reader to pay for goods/services) are two areas that we’ll see accelerated growth and innovation. Most analysts, however, don’t think NFC will become main stream until 2015 because payment solution providers still need to address ease-of-use for users and ease-of-implementation for customers without compromising security.

As for what’s hot, there are scores of companies that are rolling out innovative mobile services/products. One area – services built on tags – will continue to grow in popularity.

And one of these, Pinterest, was recently recognized as one of the 50 best websites of 2011 by Time. Pinterest is a virtual pinboard – you can organize/share things on the web via a ‘Pin It’ button. Pinterest says “browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.”

Another area to watch is social fashion. The mobile world is rapidly changing the shopping experience. One company, New York City-based Go Try It On  has an iPhone app allowing users to share photos of themselves in various outfits and get real-time feedback.

So get ready for the mobile tsunami in 2012 – should be quite a ride.

Cops in your neighborhood are still chasing down the bad guys and bringing them to justice, and firefighters continue to risk their lives to save people. In addition to protecting the community/putting out fires, odds are you’ll now find both frequently tweeting, texting and posting to provide valuable information. In short, social media’s fast becoming an indispensable communications tool for your local police and fire department.

To rip part of a line from a poem from Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “let me count the ways.”

Last September, an elderly Colorado Springs, CO man went missing. The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) posted a photo and information on its Facebook page. Less than a day later, he was found safe as a result of someone seeing the photo online and spotting the man in the community.

Also in Colorado Springs, a fire broke out in an apartment complex. The first images appeared not on TV or the local newspaper’s web site, but were posted to the Colorado Springs Fire Department’s (CSFD) Twitter page, then utilized by traditional media.

In Oregon, OH, Detective Sgt. Tim Zale posted online surveillance video and photos of a couple who allegedly stole purses from employees at a hospital and elementary school. The next day, the culprits were caught thanks to some Facebook friends.

While Zale welcomes the tips, he’s asked that residents call these in and not reply directly to a Facebook posting “only because you might be wrong and we’ve had that happen, or you’re subjecting yourself to becoming a witness in court. If you call me and you have information, you will remain anonymous.” Zale added that on Twitter, users can send a direct message that’s delivered privately and can’t be seen by anyone other than the recipient.

A few other Ohio police departments are making good use of various social media tools. The Geauga County Sheriff’s Office posts arrest warrants on its Facebook page. On a number of occasions, people have either turned themselves in or someone who saw the information on a particular suspect tipped off deputies leading to arrests. In nearby Lake County, the sheriff’s office uses Facebook to post crime prevention tips along with links to press releases and relevant topics in the media.

“It gives us a way to manage the news a little bit ourselves,” said Sheriff Daniel Dunlap.

Residents in the unincorporated town of Newcastle, CA, near Auburn in Northern California’s gold country, are using social media to help the Newcastle Fire Department raise about $1.5 million for a new fire station. The department was operating out of a now condemned building and has since moved into a 1990 camping trailer. A series of Tweetups have been organized to complement more traditional fundraising methods. The seven Tweetups have helped, but the fire department hasn’t yet raised enough money to get design/construction underway for the fire station.

In Mesa, AZ, just outside Phoenix, Marrisa Ramirez-Ramos, fire and life safety education specialist, utilizes Twitter and Facebook to send out prevention tips, especially during monsoon season, when 911 calls can easily triple with people trapped in their cars from flooding. She also uses it to publicize events including immunization clinics and car-seat inspections.

“If I can get the media to pick up a story because of Twitter, then I know it’s reaching a wider audience and could very well boost event attendance,” she said. “In addition, many of our followers retweet our events and promotions which further increases our reach.”

Larger cities, not surprisingly, are using social media to personalize community outreach efforts. The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) has two Twitter feeds: @LAFD for news alerts; @LAFDtalk for direct communications between citizens and the department. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) posts alerts and other information on its Facebook page, through its Twitter feed (@LASDNews) and via a YouTube channel.

“You’re talking about direct delivery,” said LASD Captain Mike Parker. “Text, Twitter, Facebook – along with phone calls — this provides the transparency the public really wants.”

Cross country in Boston, Facebook has become a popular venue for the Boston Fire Department (BFD) to post updates on hiring information, testing dates, links to news articles about the department, apparatus purchases, community outreach programs and photos.

“Reaching so many people in such a short time frame is something we couldn’t have done without creative use of this media,” said BFD Commissioner Roderick Fraser.

While social media is an invaluable tool to increase community participation, the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) offered a few caveats that also hold true for police departments. The model policy issued by the IAFC sums it well – as public servants, members represent their organizations to their communities and as such, are held to a higher standard of conduct to ensure public trust and confidence.

“We need to think before we hit the button,” advises the IAFC. “If you have a concern about what you want to post, don’t post it. Your gut instinct is usually correct.’”

Two years ago, a McKinsey Quarterly report on e-government wasn’t exactly a glowing testimonial:

“Three obstacles have limited the impact of e-government efforts: ineffective governance, lack of Web-related capabilities, and reluctance to allow user participation in the creation of applications and content,” the report stated.

But 24 months in tech years probably equates to something like 500 dog years – in other words, advances in e-government technologies/processes have been remarkable.

These software solutions are now being implemented by various public agencies and municipalities both stateside and overseas.

Some capsule snapshots:

• The Newnan, GA Police Department is using an integrated software program called SunGard ONESolution, created by SunGard, a privately held Fortune 500 (ranked #434) software/technology services company. Once fully implemented, the city will team up with the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office to share important information as part of a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement strategy. SunGard says the interagency approach will enable emergency dispatchers to push info into the field faster and also help officers access data remotely via wireless-enabled mobile technology. The software suite is also being used for the City of Johns Creek, GA (tenth largest in the state; incorporated in 2006) for local government, including apps for finance, human resources and community development.

• The Tauranga City Council (TCC) in New Zealand is using e-government software from Accela to manage more than US $2 billion of city assets and infrastructure. Tauranga is New Zealand’s sixth-largest urban area with about 120,000 residents. TCC also plans to use Accela Mobile Office, a mobile solution that will allow workers and contractors in the field to receive/transmit from-the-job work orders, inspection data, GIS data, and occupational health and safety information.

• GovPartner’s online permitting portal, known as CommunityDevelopmentPartner, has been a big hit with the Municipality of Abu Dhabi (pop. 1.6 million). The portal, accessed via the Abu Dhabi municipal website, issues more than a thousand monthly permits and handles electronic plan reviews. Here in the U.S., National City, CA (just south of downtown San Diego) is using the company’s software to centralize and streamline the city’s Community Development processes – it has also automated multiple departments, including Building, Business Licensing, Code Enforcement, Engineering and Planning.

“The old paradigm of residents having to go to City Hall to conduct business is shifting significantly for two reasons – technological innovation, and the ubiquity of Internet-ready devices,” said National City IT Manager Ron Williams.

Look for e-government to be a big part of so-called ‘smart cities’ in the next few years. ABI Research recently reported that $8.1 billion was spent on smart city technologies last year (including what they called ‘smart government’ services). The market research firm expects this to increase to $39.5 billion by 2016. ABI Research said there are currently 102 smart city projects worldwide – Europe has 38, North America at 35, Asia Pacific at 21, the Middle East and Africa at six; Latin America with two.

Writing in Public Management, GovPartner President Mike Daniel said that the most relevant e-government trends “will have as much to do with management principles as with technology, including integration, self-customization, and shared services and outsourcing.”

Palo Alto (CA) Mayor Sid Espinosa best summed it up:

“Technology providers are often seen as the delivery mechanism for these shapeless, faceless advancements that government leaders will then contend with. But the truth is that the simple daily use of a system coupled with a permit technician who thinks outside of the box, or a municipal staffer who envisions a new way of using that software, is what truly drives e-government.”

Unless you’ve been living in that proverbial cave, been mummified or have been cast adrift on some remote South Pacific island, you already know that Facebook is the world’s most popular social media platform for sharing info/interacting with people.

Cities and counties are fast discovering that Facebook can also help local/regional governments keep in touch with their varied constituents.

But there are some caveats to consider before cities/counties take the social media plunge. A 2010 National Association of Counties survey of member counties revealed that 36% had a Facebook page and 41% said they used Twitter. But almost 80% said they had no social media policies in place.

Obviously this can be a significant problem – who’s responsible for managing Facebook – the city council? The county? The mayor’s office? A paid employee from one of the aforementioned? Many local governments may find themselves in a bit of a quandary about how to best proceed.

In fact, last year, the Redondo Beach, CA city council voted to scrap its Facebook page after the city attorney outlined a number of concerns about First Amendment and state legal requirements.

Some of these included:

• May city officials remove vulgar posts and misinformation, or are the comments protected by the First Amendment?

• If a quorum of city council members comment on a Facebook post, is it a violation of the open meetings law? Such laws often require advance notice of meetings and an opportunity to attend.

• Is the city obligated to retain user comments under the state’s public records law?

• Could the city face liability for employee comments deemed offensive in the workplace?

In California, for instance, it’s also important to note that just as emails can be subject to the state’s Public Records Act (CPRA), Facebook status updates (and tweets and blog posts) can be too.

To wit, according to a CPRA overview, “governmental records shall be disclosed to the public, upon request, unless there’s a specific reason not to do so. Most of the reasons for withholding disclosure of a record are set forth in specific exemptions contained in the CPRA. However, some confidentiality provisions are incorporated by reference to other laws. Also, the CPRA provides for a general balancing test by which an agency may withhold records from disclosure, if it can establish that the public interest in nondisclosure clearly outweighs the public interest in disclosure.”

Oy vey.  Despite all the legalese to consider, Facebook can be a phenomenal digital tool to help with a city or county’s branding/marketing/new business development endeavors.

A few brief examples:

• The Columbus City Council uses Facebook’s Events Tab to announce upcoming council meetings.

• The City Council of New York posts news and discussion items on its Wall and lets citizens comment/react.

• Panama City Beach, FL uses Facebook’s Discussion Board to not only solicit public feedback on key issues, but to clarify administrative policies.

• Back in May 2007, Greensburg, KS was just about wiped out by an EF-5 tornado. Facebook’s been used to solicit ideas from residents on rebuilding the town.

• Orlando, FL’s Facebook page includes posts for a free workshop for people facing home foreclosures.

Michael Riedyk, who blogs for GovLoop, an online community of more than 50,000 local/state/federal government employees and consultants, encapsulated nine ways city councils can use Facebook (and these are also germane for counties too):

• Announce council meetings and events

• Publish documents

• Talk to the people

• Use multimedia

• Provide elections information

• Offer more info

• Collect ideas and feedback

• Discuss issues

• Use a thematic approach

Bottom line? Facebook – and for that matter – other available social media tools and platforms – can significantly enhance a city and/or county’s image and provide valuable information to constituents. Just make sure you have a social media policy in place before going full tilt with a Facebook page(s). It may take a bit of bandwidth to develop this, but you’ll give yourself a digital high five afterwards for doing so.

Municipalities nationwide continue to lose millions of dollars in sales tax receipts due to slower retail sales. The City of Vallejo, CA filed for bankruptcy in 2008, a victim of the real estate crash.

Four hundred miles south in Orange County, CA, municipalities are getting whacked by having considerably less revenue and the growing realization that they can’t afford public pension liabilities. The California Independent Voter Network recently reported that in 2009-2010, 23 Orange County cities outspent their general fund reserves. Translation: Most of these cities have not only slashed their budgets, but may also have to go into reserves, perhaps even borrow and cut services.

It’s enough to make a city manager’s hair go prematurely gray – or experience some sleepless nights before the weekly city council meeting – or both.

But a solution may be just a few clicks away. More and more cities around the U.S. are jumping on board the social media bandwagon and utilizing various tools/programs to not only be able to provide time-sensitive material as quickly as possible (e.g., emergency info, usually via Twitter), but to market/promote their fair city to the widest possible audience.

NetProspex, a B2B sales/marketing contact database company, rolled out last month its 2011 Summer Social Business Report. One section of the report focused on ranking the top 25 U.S. cities for social media usage by businesspeople. The report was developed by analyzing what NetProspex said were “verified business contacts in its crowd-sourced database; 12 million employees at U.S.-based businesses were analyzed for Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn activity.”

Not going to list all 25 but here’s their Top 10 list: San Francisco; San Jose; New York; Ventura, CA and Austin (tied for 4th); Stamford, CT; Seattle, Dallas-Ft. Worth; Boston; and Denver and Oakland (tied for 10th).

So how are some cities using social media? Not surprisingly, even small-to-medium sized municipalities are finding that a properly orchestrated campaign can yield significant rewards:

The City of Tomball, TX, 28 miles northwest of Houston, was founded in 1907 by Texas State Senator Thomas Henry Ball (hence ‘Tomball’). The town was initially established as a railroad center for transporting agricultural products.

The city recently hired its first marketing director, Mike Baxter, who worked in the tourism industry for 30+ years. Baxter created a Tomball, TX page on Facebook that provides updates on things to see/do in the city and in nearby communities. Daily updates include food dishes offered by area restaurants, even where to shop for gifts for guys. A Flickr account was also launched, enabling visitors to see digital pictures of Tomball. Baxter has also posted videos that feature slide photos from city shops and events held — all posted under the ‘Tomball1907’ account name with the city’s slogan, “Tomball…Texan for Fun!”

The social media programs are generating buzz and revenue, notes Baxter.

“Tourism dollars don’t just affect a festival,” said Baxter. “Money is spent in town at hotels and at restaurants and even further down the line at the gas station and tourists may stop at a convenience store or the local grocery store.”

Quite a few metro Atlanta cities are now using social media – everything from tweeting to webcasting. Two of them are Decatur and Suwanee. Decatur established a blog way back in 2008; that morphed to include Twitter and Facebook pages. Decatur today regularly partners with the Georgia Municipal Association to conduct social media workshops on the city’s site, and last year added an online component for the city’s 10-year strategic plan.

“We wanted a component for people who wanted to attend meetings but couldn’t,” said Linda Harris, assistant director for community and economic development.

Suwanee started a Facebook page in 2009 and uses it to promote/announce open houses, public meetings, even art shows. Last year, the Atlanta Regional Commission gave the city an award for technology innovation.

Two more examples – Boston has a number of iPhone apps to streamline government bureaucracy. Citizens can use them to report potholes, graffiti, downed power lines, and more, to City Hall. After filing the complaint, users get a tracking number so they can monitor if the job’s getting done.

Mashable reported that in 2010 the City of Orlando, FL was trying to get a New York City-based company to relocate. The Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission launched a microsite that also included YouTube and Flickr links. Facebook and Twitter city pages included testimonials and stories about why residents and businesses loved living/working in Orlando. An e-newsletter waxed eloquent about Orlando’s attributes.

Unfortunately, the company never moved south but the campaign helped in rebranding efforts and many of the social media elements continue to be used for recruiting purposes.

Social media isn’t designed to be a complete economic panacea for municipalities. But implementing targeted campaigns and utilizing available tools and programs germane for your city can be an important first step.

Whilst doing some research for a client on some of the social media pitfalls for businesses both public and private – not being able to maintain control over info, malware, brand hijacking, etc., etc. – it became obvious that while social media is by and large an effective business tool, there are some red flags to watch out for.

A 2010 study by the Center for New Communications Research reported that 83 percent of Inc. 500 companies use various social media tools; the companies indicated that having these additional communications lines to customers has been advantageous.

To mitigate social media risks, some companies have instituted comprehensive policies that encompass ethics, legal responsibilities, education and training. DuPont, for instance, created what they call the DuPont Web Based Social Networking and Digital Media Policy.

According to Matt McGonegle, DuPont’s ethics and compliance manager, the Policy “addresses internal social networks, external social networks, codes of conduct and guidelines.” McGonegle added that DuPont also has a ‘Social Network Steering Committee’ that reviews/approves the creation and use of all social networks to ensure adherence to issued guidelines/standards.

“Education and training is equally important and DuPont is establishing a social media training program that will educate employees on the risks of social media, best practices for using social media and DuPont’s policies,” McGonegle said.

All of the aforementioned is critical for any company utilizing social media. Last year, ISACA (previously known as the Information Systems Audit and Control Association, a 43-year old international organization that researches IT governance/control), issued a white paper that highlighted the top five social media risks for businesses – viruses/malware; brand hijacking; lack of control over content; unrealistic customer expectations of ‘Internet speed’ service; and non-compliance with record management regulations.

“The greatest risks posed by social media are all tied to violation of trust,” said ISACA Certification Committee member John Pironti. “Social media is built on the assumption of a network of trusted friends and colleagues, which is exploited by social engineering at great cost. That is why ongoing education is critical.”

And just over a month ago, Symantec Corp. issued its 2011 Social Media Protection Flash Poll that took a close peek at how organizations protect themselves from potential negative consequences of using various social networking sites. The poll showed that there is cause for concern within the enterprise – a typical enterprise experienced nine social media incidents, with an astonishing “94 percent suffering negative consequences including damage to their reputations, loss of customer trust, data loss and lost revenue.”

In fact, Symantec reported that the top three social media incidents a typical enterprise encountered over the past year were: employees sharing too much info in public forums (46 percent); loss or exposure of confidential information (41 percent); increased exposure to litigation (37 percent).

Even more recently, Forrester Research issued a report on Aug. 16, ‘Resources: The Real Cost of Social Media Marketing.’ The report stated that sharing the right social media resources is the biggest challenge today. Interactive marketers, noted Forrester, need to be shepherds, coordinating the sharing of people, technologies, processes and budgets.

Forrester recommended a three-pronged social media approach: 1) Help build a social organization for marketing; 2) Put guidelines in place to empower teams; and 3) Create new cross-team processes.
Whatever the methodology or process your business implements, you need to do something to protect the company information flowing through social networks.

ISACA’s Pironti best summed it up:

“I think that the blinders have been on at a lot of enterprises. ISACA isn’t warning companies not to fully embrace social networking – they just need to go into it with their eyes wide open to the risks as well as the benefits.”

An organization called The Amphion Forum has been spearheading a series of invitation-only executive roundtables that this year have been held in Las Vegas, Chicago, and most recently, Washington, DC. I was extended an invitation to last week’s Washington event and found the forum both elucidating and informative.

Participating organizations included a welter of public and private sector entities that have a vested interested in Internet security-related issues. Some included the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Army, Cardinal Health, Cryptography Research, Mocana, Symantec, and VeriSign, to name a few.

The presentations were quite varied – ‘Federal Devices in Critical Contexts’ talked about how engineers and scientists in the medical, industrial, military and utility sectors have tended to lag behind the consumer electronics industry in adopting connected smart devices and how they’ll have to ramp up quickly to connect everything.

‘Attacking the Device/App Security Problem with Collaboration Models’ focused on the importance of making innovative inroads in device security and what’s being done in the public and private sector to defeat security threats targeted at (or via) connected devices.

‘Security, the Internet of Things, and Federal Law’ brought together experts who expounded upon what kind of international legal framework is needed to handle a global information architecture that will not only provide adequate security, but also protect the privacy and digital property of device users.

Panelists for the ‘Internet 2016: A Whole New ‘Net’ session, talked about how five years now, both our business and personal content will follow us even more seamlessly and intuitively from device to device.

One of the panelists from Internet security firm Mocana, Senior Analyst Robert Vamosi, also recently authored a book, When Gadgets Betray Us. All attendees were given a copy of his book; sections of two paragraphs of the inside cover flyleaf particularly grabbed my attention:

“How many of us actually stop to think about potential threats to our privacy? Keyless entry systems in many high-tech car models make auto theft easier than ever. Commercial photocopiers are equipped with hard drives that can document everything we ever copied on it. And our digital photos, even after they’re cropped, can expose the entire original image…from iPads to Blackberry devices, online banking to keyless entry systems, we’re increasingly giving over the management of our crucial information to the latest and greatest electronic gadgets.”

So between listening to what the panelists had to say, reading snippets of Vamosi’s book and networking with other attendees, gave me pause for concern on how widespread our security problems are, what needs to be done, and how we go about resolving these issues.

In a related story I wrote in last month’s issue of IEEE Computer on mobile security(http://www.leavcom.com/pdf/Mobilesecurity.pdf), I quoted Mocana VP-Marketing Kurt Stammberger (who invited me to attend this Amphion Forum session).

A reprise of one of his remarks is especially apropos to conclude this posting:

“Our dependence on an always-on, connected, mobile device environment is going to be profound in critical contexts that we can’t imagine today. We have to be able to trust these devices, but we can’t now. There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done to get to the point where that trust is warranted.”

That geeky guy who was a member of the high school chess and math clubs – now probably cashing in millions in stock options from his latest startup. The blonde cheerleader you had a crush on – long relegated to the deepest recesses of your cerebrum. Perhaps even the English teacher who kept on reaming you over those dangling participles.

Unlike Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s famous Apr. 19, 1951 quip before a joint session of the U.S. Congress – “old soldiers never die; they just fade away,” thanks to Facebook, those high school, and in many cases, even middle and elementary school classmates –and the occasional teacher – won’t fade away either.

All of the aforementioned has now been officially substantiated by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, which recently released a report entitled, “Social Networking Sites and Our Lives.’

It’s the first national survey of how the use of social networking sites by adults is related to people’s overall social networks.

As the report is 85 pages and summarizing all of the findings would take numerous postings, I’ll comment on a few points that were rather illuminating.

Yes, the largest single group of Facebook friends is your high school classmates. Survey respondents were asked to classify friends into a number of categories – immediate family, extended family, coworkers, neighbors, people from high school, college/university classmates, members of voluntary groups/associations, folks they’ve never met in person, and people they had only met once.

The survey revealed:

• Average Facebook user’s friends list has 56 people from high school – about 22% of the total.

• Extended family was second with 12%; coworkers,10%; college friends, 9%; immediate family, 8%; people from voluntary groups, 7%; neighbors, 2%.

• About 31% of Facebook friends weren’t classified in any of the categories per previous bullet.

The survey authors surmised that these were probably dormant ties and friends-of-friends.

Other key findings:

• The number of those using social networking sites has nearly doubled since 2008 and the population has gotten older;

• Facebook users are more trusting than others;

• Facebook users have more close relationships;

• Facebook users get more social support than other people;

• Facebook users are more politically engaged than most people.

And this was somewhat surprising – MySpace users are ‘more likely to be open to opposing points of view.’ The survey measured “perspective taking,” which the authors said is the ability of people to consider multiple points of view.

“There is no evidence that social network site users, including those who use Facebook, are any more likely than others to cocoon themselves in social networks of like-minded and similar people as some have feared,” the report said. “Moreover, regression analysis found that those who use MySpace have significantly higher levels of perspective taking. The average adult scored 64/100 on a scale of perspective taking. Using regression analysis to control for demographic factors, a MySpace user who uses the site a half dozen times per month tends to score about 8 points higher on the scale.”

As the 2012 presidential election starts to register amongst voters nationwide, it’s also interesting to note that the survey reported that a Facebook user who uses the site multiple times per day was two and a half times more likely to attend a political rally or meeting, 57% more likely to persuade someone on their vote, and 43% more likely to have said they would vote.

The findings, say the authors, show that there’s little cause for concern that people using social networking sites “experience smaller social networks, less closeness, or are exposed to less diversity.” Those with more education tend to gravitate to LinkedIn and Twitter. But total network size may not be as important as intimacy, for instance.
“Americans have more close social ties than they did two years ago – and they are less socially isolated,” noted the report. “We found that the frequent use of Facebook is associated with having more overall close ties.”

So you just might want to ‘friend’ that cheerleader after all.