Go Viral

Okay people. This time, I decide to come with a video that use to be controversial.  If you are Malaysian, you most probably know this well.  No doubt that this video has spread widely and therefore there is one time when Malaysian started to make jokes on it.  Perhaps it is not as viral as Gangnam Style, yet it is still a good example I guess.  In my previous entries, “viral” has shown up quite a couple of time, but I provide no explanation for it.  And Today, I got the chance.  In my own words, Viral is viral, LOL, just kidding.  If you ask me, I will associate this word with “widespread” and “speed”.  Like the virus out there, the media content can go viral too.  Unlike HIV that requires blood contact, a message in a media require only our senses, typically the sight and hearing.  (Thank god, it is not virus in biology).  When the source (media content) produce stimulus (viewed by others), our sensory organs will transfer it to brain via sensory neuron (interpretation), and then the motor neuron for reflection (further actions, responds and feedback), bla bla bla.  

Now we come to the main business. This video is considered as a viral video not only because that it is popular among Malaysian, but it also has a good number of views.  As for this video I shared here, it has approximately 160 thousand views, which is a large number for me.  Besides, there is another video with similar content uploaded by somebody else with more than 130 thousand views.  Not to mention some other shorter versions which has more than one thousand views.  Adding all these numbers, perhaps it can hit 300 thousand or more. 

Next, it has widely discussed and shared around upon viewing.  When it is shared to others across medium (e.g. from YouTube to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google Plus, blogs and microblogs, etc.), it become some kind of trend.  When it is a trend, more and more people started to adopt it to their daily life, and therefore there were jokers played their creativities by creating sarcastic video in various forms and presentations.  Not forgetting those who  have applied the “listen, listen, listen” phrase in their daily conversations with friends and relatives.  The whole cycle is characterize by the word “viral”. 

However, human curiosity will never ended.  And so, I include a recording to explain why is this video stand out from others and get all its way to be selected as a part of news coverage.  Before that, I will first point out the characteristic of a viral video by taking this triple listens as example.  As usual, all information in this entries is in my very own opinion, or I should say  it is a compilation of knowledge from class discussion and my very own view.  Well, I guess that’s all from me in this entry.  We shall see again in another brand new topic regarding the new media in next week or the week after.  Many thanks for your visit!

MejaLogam dan Kerja Kursus

Dengan takdir Tuhan, MejaLogam pun menjadi sebahagian daripada kerja kursus dalam salah satu subjek yang sedang saya belajar sekarang.  Sebenarnya, tulisan yang ditulis dalam bahasa Ingeris dan mempunyai tajuk yang berkaitan dengan bidang media massa dan komunikasi ini adalah tajuk-tajuk yang diberi oleh pensyarah.  Secara tidak langsungnya, saya tidak perlu mencari ilham untuk menulis!  Maklumlah, sejak kebelakangan ini tak ada apa yang hendak saya ceritakan. 

Sebenarnya, subjek ini sangat bagus kerana ia memberikan ransangan positif kepada saya untuk mengetahui kemampuan Blogger yang sebenar.  Sebelum ini, saya tidak tahu dan tidak teringin untuk tahu bagaimana untuk masukkan link, audio, video dan sebagainya dalam setiap entri yang saya terbitkan dalam blog ini.  Tetapi dengan tekanan yang positif daripada kerja kursus, saya yang tak mahu ambil tahu pun terpaksa tahu.  Dalam subjek itu juga, saya telah mengetahui banyak maklumat yang berkaitan dengan media massa dan juga laman social.  Maklumat-maklumat ini termasuklah applikasi dalam dunia pekerjaan dan implikasinya, fungsi dan perenan medium ini serta kesannya kepada corak komunikasi samaada pada peringkat individu mahupun masyarakat.  Selain itu, saya juga berpeluang mengasah penulisan saya dalam Bahasa Ingeris memandangkan saya masih lemah dalam bahasa antarabangsa itu. 

Selepas ini, saya masih ada beberapa entri yang berkaitan dengan media massa dan komunikasi, dan saya berkemungkinan akan merakam video dan audio.  Satu cabaran yang saya kira hebat tetapi menarik.  Walau bagaimanapun, semoga semuanya berjalan lancar dan yang paling penting, saya berharap tulisan-tulisan ini akan memberi manfaat kepada semua walaupun mungkin ianya bersifat pendapat dari seorang individu. 

(Sekadar berkongsi)

Is it a good mobile app?

This is why it is call the unbreakable Phone

Hey there!  Are you a fan of sports?  If “yes” is your answer, I assume that you may like this entry.  But then, if you are still using the unbreakable cellphone then, it may not be a good news.  It is because I am going to touch about Adidas miCoach.  If you have come across this apps, or even using it now, please feel free to comment on this entry by sharing some of your experience.   

According to Trew (2013), miCoach was announced on the coattails of two other high-profile Android-based watches (the Samsung Galaxy Gear and Sony SmartWatch 2).  And next, it was made to market shortly before Nike's new FuelBand SE sports tracker.  The Adidas miCoach is actually a device with multifunction.  It is mentioned to have several common-use features which includes watch, heart-rate monitor, rate monitor, accelerometer, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth and etc.  To be honest, I really can’t imagine how the device can have such all-in-one crazy feature.  Whatever it is, the miCoach has its own hardware and software.  As for the hardware parts,  it is very suitable and secure to wear while performing a run, while the software is actually referring to the app that is compatible with smart devices such as iPhone and Samsung.  

In basic,

miCoach app provides you the information you need about your sport performances.  It is not limited to only running but it is also some other sports games.  In terms of measurement, it is using hustle as the measurement unit.  The app, with certain additional software or hardware, can help to track your speeds, acceleration the height of every jump, quickness in terms of changing direction, as well as how much ground you have covered (distance). 

In my own opinion, this app is good in a certain degree.  First off, the app is directly targeted to those who are in with sports, and Adidas itself is selling sports items.  In terms of target audience, both the app and the company is the same category.  The app offer a wide range of functions and it drive the sport lover crazy.  For those who plan to become professional players, this app provides a full package to them for what they need.  Whenever they have the app on their hand, with the combination of some devices offered by Adidas, it become something very special.  When customers enjoy the features, Adidas will have built favorable image in their mind.  Next, the app is a way of encouraging people to take sports in a more serious and scientific way.  Since the app can measure movements, it provides values for the users to compare and improve.  It is possible that a person will fall in love to sports just because he or she desires improvements and sometime to compare with others.  The app promote sports in an indirect way with the scientific elements.  As for those professionals sports players, it is a way of self-motivation for a better quality of playing.  Since every movement can be measured, it can be compare and recorded in anytime.  Everyone wants to break record and create new history isn’t it?  This is how the motivation is generated I guess.  Best of all, it is free to use!  In short, the app enhance sports experience to all users besides promoting the healthy way of living  in a very creative way. 

For further reading about this app, please visit  http://micoach.adidas.com/my/multisportapp

A Talk on Managing Online Presents In the Digital World

Special Thanks to Mr. Azhan Rabi for sharing his knowledge with Bachelor in PR (honors) Students in TARUC

"Remember, whatever goes online, it will be online forever!

Last Saturday, I attended a talk conducted in TAR UC by Mr. Azhan Rabi, a member of Resourcing team in AirAsia; and yeah, the topic discussed has proximity element to me and the Generation Y out there.  It was titled “Managing Online Presence in the Digital World”, and it did touch about social media usage, as well as how we can make use of platforms available online to search for a job.  Here, I includes what I have learn as well as adding in my own understanding and interpretations from the talk.  Let’s begin with some facts and figures!  According to him, approximately 97% of us has an online account, and 65 % of them login daily (The account here is referring to social media account, e.g. Facebook).  Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Skype and so on, whatever we have shown or we plant to show in these social media are actually reflecting ourselves.  Or in shorter terms, this is our digital identity.  I belief that most of youngsters like me out there are kind of very good when come to expression, either with words or with photos.  Whatever we placed online is considered as digital asset.  Besides that, we love selfie so much that almost every place we go should have one shot at least.  It Is fun and happy to see people “like” our status, our photos, our words and our posts.  It is some kind of acknowledgement for some people!  If there is no like then, some of us gone moody, emo and start to think negatively.  When more and more we exposed ourselves online, people get to know us more, and our data become more valuable to some business people or irresponsible parties.  Mr Azhan kept emphasize that what goes online will goes for ever.  You know why?  Even though we have remove the information that we don’t it to exposed to anyone anymore, it will still there for others because it probably has gone viral on internet.  If this data are put together, some people can actually use them to earn money by selling them to the business or advertising company.  As for the irresponsible group, our data is sufficient enough to be misuse against us.  In order to prevent this, all of us are advised to not placing any crucial information online.  But then, whatever we key in will become the assets of the service provider.  E.g. when we upload our status with a good written poems, or some kind of slogan on Facebook, with © some more, Facebook is still possessing them.  In the world of social media, everything changed very fast, including their functions and policies.  Try to imagine how it could possibly be if the social media service provider said that the all users profile can be viewed by others under the new policy.  It will definitely a bad things isn’t it?  Okay, now move on to another crucial point.  Some of the employers did taking account of our digital identity.  It even come so far that the digital profile can shake our reputation and good name.  Try to imagine if our employers saw all silly stuffs on our online account, would you think they will still accept us?  Most probably they will not because digital identity is an extension of who we are.  In short, Mr. Azhan advised that we should think twice before come with any post online.  Make sure that we will have no regret for it.  

Little Appreciation to Mr. Azhan for his wonderful time!

Note:, For those who wish to search for jobs via online platforms, we can actually tryout LinkedIn, a professional network.  Maybe many of us has come across the website such as JobStreet to search for work, LinkedIn can be used for self-advertise, or self-branding, or whatever they call, so that   the employers out there can approach us.  We also can approach  the professionals out there with a more detailed and holistic information.

That’s all for this entry, Have a nice day.

Do we Hire for Free Media?

Again, it is an entry related to media.  Hmm, let’s me clarify the title first. 

We = New Media Executive, Free Media = New Media (i.e. including internet, social networking, etc.)

In some typical organization, there is New Media executive to coordinate, maintain and manage the information on new media.  Their roles and scopes are important and yet in the other hand they are not needed in some situation.  A short instance here is that the Public Relation Practitioners, the Advertising and the Marketing people will take over their work.  So, do they hired for the new media since their roles is clashed and can be substituted with workers from others major?

Toyota endless battle for its (Silver) reputation is not as easy.

When comes to managing information on the new media, we have to understand that it is not as easy as the traditional media, which is rather less interactive and not timeliness.  People may give response a second after a post, and sometime, frequently happen in a Crisis, the fastest response to their questions or doubts are very crucial.  Without someone to manage this feedbacks and questions efficiently, it will caused  eventual disaster to the company reputation.  In the Toyota Crisis in 2010 for example, the giant automobile company has done well in their feedback response in their Facebook Official page, and hence ended the crisis faster.  It is because there is a number of people were coordinating the new media.  However, those people in this case are PRP and not the New Media Executive.  Since PRP is here, what is the need to have another person then?  If the information is related to build brand image, to introduce new product and service, it should under the responsibility of both Advertising and Marketing people even it is in new media. Again, their roles and scope since  to be not very strong. 

PRP has a plenty things to do besides coordinating new media.  This goes the same to Advertising and Marketing people.  With such big roles and responsibility, it will creates tremendous stress on them.  In addition, can you imagine how messy it is if there is 3 different departments is taking charge of one single work?  In such situation, the New Media Executive is more than needed.  Unlike the Toyota case which is a part of PR jobs to manage crisis, the regular feedback and manage information is not the major role for PR.  If it is to keep the new media interesting with plenty of fresh content, it is neither marketing nor Advertising people’s jobs.  When things come systematic, the organization can perform more smoothly.  Here, the new media executive has a very strong reason to exist.

Yet, if the company is not a big one, with less online activity, hiring them will not make any sense as their roles are so little that the others can take over.  In fact, hiring ordinary people without any qualification is enough to manage this jobs.  In short, to answer whether to hire new media executive is very subjective and depends on situation.

New Media Impacts on Public Relations, Advertising and Marketing

Alert, this entry is very long.  It may challenge your patient.  Perhaps this is a good article for those who can’t sleep.

To be honest, some of us (the Generation Y) cannot survive without internet.  This has proven that we are more and more relying on it, especially for its convenient features and multi-functional characteristics.  Since the new media has a tremendous impact on an individual, it is undeniably true that it do affecting many industries. In this entry, I am going to  narrow down the focus in only 3 professions in the mass media related currier, which are thee business minded and money oriented Marketing people, the creative yet annoying Advertising people and the “half-truth telling” “half lying” spin doctor, the Public relations practitioners.  No offence okay?

Belief it or not, three of them (the marketers, the advertisers and public relation practitioners) will have a  hard time if the internet go missing today.  It is because the new media has a very big roles in their works. 

Now, let us start with the PR industry.  Since the past decade, PR has been relying on new media to communicate with media, clients and public.  One of the key features that helps PRP works with media is the email.  The virtual mail helps to deliver information to journalists in the Newspaper Company.  Unlike its predecessor, the e-mail news release is fast, convenient and economic.  What’s the point to send something which is not guarantee to be publish in several minutes when it can be done within a second with just a single click?  Besides, with just a monthly internet bills, the PRP can send out press release as much as they want, which is much economic as compare to its previous physical form.  Besides, PRP can utilize directories online to search for their preferred journalist for their news release without relying on any media list (which has tendency to be outdated).  Even the media kit can be sent to media via email, which is more convenient.

As in client communication, the PRP can utilize the Audio or video conference to conduct meeting or provide advice without physically present on the location.  To be simple, this function is similar to how the Skype conference call.  This is indeed helpful for the external PRP who is not a full-timer in a company. As for the internal PR, the Intranet is quite a useful internal communication tool to further break the gap between the employers and employees.  In fact, the information can be distributed faster and more directly. 

The new media is also an effective tools for public communication.  The public communication here is referring to Crisis communication, Issue management, changing public opinion and communicate information.  Do you still remember the Toyota Crisis in 2010 whereby Toyota company took back all the new cars from the market as there is technical problem?  In this crisis, Toyota has fully utilize the advantage of their Facebook Official page to answer all question thrown to them and eventually bring a faster end to this.  Well, actually this fact is from textbook and not from my general knowledge.  LOL.

As for issue management, PRP can monitor the pattern of respond via various media as well as citizen journalism reviews on a potential threat (which will turn to crisis without taking any action).  This patterns can provide some clues on what problem they will face soon.  Previously with the aid of new media, PRP has to read all kinds of newspaper, listen to radio, watch TV, doing research, bla bla bla, just to know what the potential issue is.  It is so time consuming and tiring.  So, new media change their method of detecting problems out there.  When comes to communication and persuading public opinion, again, the PRP has more tools for publicity.  The good thing here is that the PRP will have its own controlled media for any persuasion and communication.

In the Advertising industry, the new media helps to further narrow down the target viewers.  When we are using Google to search for Bikini for example, ,some clothing shop ads will appear along with our search results.   As for me, I hate ads and I feel they are annoying most of the time.  In the traditional media, people tend to skip them and even ignore them totally.  People are not looking at them because the ads are not in their interest.  However, an ad will have its value when the viewer’s belongs to those who are interested to its content like how the search engine ads works. 

Besides that, the advertising people is able to communicate the ad message by using viral marketing, a method of spreading information via “share” in social media such as Facebook.  The concept of viral marketing is that the viewers will be a tool to deliver message to their fellow relatives, and this never ending circulation will reach a broader audience and hence  accomplish its sole purpose. 

And next is the YouTube ad.  I guess most of us is irritated by the ad appears before the video stream.  But no choice because this is one of the way we are force to watch it.  Previously in TV for instance, we will apply this equation (commercial break = toilet break).  Or we will turn to another channel (the Zip and Zap concept).  But in YouTube,, this equation may not be a good idea.  People are forced to view it ant the probability of attention spent is higher.  The higher the attention spent, the larger ad exposed to the audience.  (Wow! Sounds like hypothesis.)  Besides, some of the advertiser is even wiser.  The ad is directly slot in the middle of the video as the video itself is highly related to the product advertise.  If you are a fan of GundamInfo channel on YouTube, you can see how deathly the ad is.  In short, the channel is a Japanese Anime channel and it is about some kind of Robots.  And the advertiser is the company which produce robot action figure.  Once the audience attracted to the show, they (mostly the male) who is now vulnerable to be persuaded will be punched by the ad asking them to clean up their wallet.

Advertising people can create an interactive and interesting ad with the combination of copies (words), graphics, audios, videos besides some other internet features such as hyperlinks and also pop out ad (which is very annoying).  With the help of hyperlink, those who are interested to the product and service advertise with directed link to the official page of the company for further information.  They no longer have to call the number featured in the ad as how it is in the traditional media.  This is very frequently done on some blogs and entertainment webpage.  

Now, we have come to the last industry, the marketing people.  When talk about marketing, we are referring to create products and services that satisfy needs and wants; and the marketing mix (which are the 4Ps) are the strategy used.  When come to the first P (Product), the new media helps to define the consumers’ preference in a faster way.  Marketers can do their research by sitting in front the monitor and observe people’s opinion, expression and thoughts about a related info to the proposed product via social medias, blogs, forums as well as microblog (e.g. Twitter).  They can even experimenting their product and its packaging by just using online forum, social media and their official webpage or even the online poles. 

And now is the second P (Place).   

Hmm, I guess all of us are quite familiar with these logos.  These are shops on the virtual world with URL as their address.   Marketers can still selling product even though  they failed to find a strategic location to be their store.  People can still shopping while sitting in their house.  As for people like me with limited sight, shopping outside alone is not a good idea as I cannot directly access to the merchandises available.  But with the help of some software, I can literally walking around the online retailers.  For marketers, this is the way how they can reach some unfortunate group.  Previously, marketers will invest on facilities in their shops so that the disable group can have the same shopping experience.  But now, the new media has save their money for these (if only they plan to focus on online marketing alone).  Instead of designing the big store, the marketers is now designing their internet page so that it is convenient and user friendly to its customers!

The P (Price) can be further reduce for each product sold when come to online marketing.  Behind this situation, there is a logic explanation.  Traditionally, most of the goods ownership are keep changing (i.e. from the manufacturer/producer to Resellers/wholesalers/retailers and then consumers).  Since all of the parties (accept consumers) will earn money in this cycle, the final price will be far more expensive than the initial price.  With the new Media, some of the producer  receive direct order from consumers via their online shopping page.  One of the examples I have seen is the GoodSmile Company, a figurine factory that sell their product directly to its customers via their online shop.  In short, a product will be cheaper when it involve less party on their way to the final user.  Besides, the internet marketing enable the producer to cut the production cost as they will only selling items base on demands. 

Next is the last P (The Promotion).  New media helps marketers to inform public about their latest offer online via subscriptions and social media.  Personally, I have experience on this kind of promotion. 

A Screenshot from my email  on online marketing promotion

Last April, I receive an email from Plamoya, an online retailers which offered me with a voucher to buy any of their products.  Yet it is limited to a certain period.  Hmm, sounds like quite similar to how its physical form works.  Well, I admit that it has no much different between the old practice and the new practice (by involving new Media).  But it is consider a change isn’t it?  Marketers will never have to spent  for printing and design cost.  With just a few numbers and alphabets, a voucher  is created.  It is much simpler and direct as compare to the old practice.  Unlike Plamoya, some of the franchise (e.g. Pizza Hut) will create a fully designed softcopy voucher and distribute online.  And I have receive twice after I like their Facebook page.  Other than this function, the new media provide a good space for marketers to have any data in order to construct a better promotion.  Marketers can observe the current trend online and make a more secured step forward by producing promotion with the highest acceptance.

In conclusion, , new media provide a new way of communication to all three sectors besides providing some new approaches in their work.  Basically, the new media make their work faster, easy, more accurate and more variety besides reducing some cost and expenses.  The differences on the new media influences between this three industry are based on their job scope.  However, I only focus on the positive effects of the new media and not its counterpart, or else you will feel boring even more.  Anyway, thanks for visiting and have a nice day!