CCT300+Lab6


 * Lab 6**

The social web has empowered consumers with incredible amounts of influence over companies and their products and services. Regardless of the information a company posts about itself online, the information posted by consumers will have greater influence. For example, let’s say a company decides to advertise a certain phone model online. The company will likely promote this product by emphasizing all of its features, advantages, and benefits. However, no matter how enticing the company makes the phone sound, all it takes is one negative review from a powerful consumer and no one will want to buy the phone. On the web, consumers will take the word of other consumers over the word of the company. Consumers generally believe that the information provided by other consumers is neutral and trustworthy. On the other hand, consumers also assume that the information provided by companies is biased and loaded in their favor. Because there is so much power in the hands of the consumer, there is worth in establishing online social capital.

A consumer’s online social capital can be measured by their Uber-Profile, which is a culmination of their overall online presence. Having a presence on social media networks and bookmarking sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and MySpace all contribute to increasing a consumer’s online social capital. The greater the number of people a consumer can reach and influence, the greater that consumer’s online social capital is. Acquiring online social capital can be done by anyone, and does not require any investment other than time. As such, discovering methods to effectively establish one’s online social capital will definitely prove to be worthwhile.

Kyle Martin Manoza