Confession time: I may be the only Digital Community Manager in the world that doesn't have a smartphone.
This isn't by choice, for the record. It's because I simply can't afford one.
I'm not alone - many people tout the fact that almost half of the mobile devices being sold in the world today are smartphones, but what they fail to consider is that it still means that more than half are just regular, uninspiring phones. This doesn't mean, however, that I don't have a data plan, or internet access, it just means that my ability to perform certain tasks from my Samsung Gravity 2 is grossly limited, and my user speed is abysmal, to say the least. In fact, a large number of users in the world are in the same situation I am - data use on mobile phones is a popular choice for people across the world (particularly in developing nations) who can't afford a home computer, or for whom creating a direct internet connection is difficult.
This isn't stated to compare myself to third-world farmers. Not in the slightest.
This is only to highlight my frustration with applications like Foursquare, who purport to allow access to users using SMS technology, but have a user interface that is nearly incomprehensible and therefore completely inaccessible from my phone. Needless to say, I didn't sample Foursquare for this particular assignment. Which is fine, because I have mixed feelings about the implications of Foursquare that would warrant an eight-page rant that wouldn't be very interesting for anyone but myself.
So, instead, let me talk about one of my favourite time-wasters (also inaccessible from my phone, but has happily led me astray online from the comfort of my home office), StumbleUpon. You know how it is - Facebook is the gateway, when one of your friends posts a page they came across randomly in their feed. It first seduces you with page after page of quality photographs and articles on your every interest. It then wins your heart forever when it anticipates your preferences and provides you with hours of DIY projects, political commentary, and the occasional article on creepy things found on eBay... if you're me. Yours might be filled with detailed dissections of UFC fighter technique. That's the beauty of StumbleUpon.
So what's the potential for Public Relations? As we discussed in class, there isn't a readily apparent answer. It works too slowly to give practitioners a quick glance at potential influencers, and it's far too sprawling in content to examine anything too methodically. It's true - in the past, I've used as a tool to find influencers in the blogosphere and I find it can be fairly successful if you're willing to invest the time - not the hottest new writer on the block, for sure, but to find those that have a high level of long-term popularity and create content that speaks to your relevant audience. Other than that, my only guess would be that if you are looking to launch a product or discuss an idea in a public forum, it will allow you to search, and find, the highest-rated related content around, giving you multiple sources to research and base your strategy on. Not a bad place to start!
Even if they aren't the most efficient PR applications, StumbleUpon succeeds in its primary function: it's endlessly fascinating, even when I access it from home or work - which, incidentally, are two more places I can't check into with Foursquare.
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