Presentation to WARC and ESOMAR digital conference on Web2.0. Processes for research innovation, technology and collective intelligence. Dr Mariann Hardey, Lecturer in Social Media Marketing, Durham Business School, University of Durham.

1. Web 2.0 for research: The spin, blag and blog Dr Mariann Hardey Lecturer Social Media Marketing Durham Business School, University of Durham

3. Social Media Social Media

4. Escaping the spin of version 2.0

5. Based on the Real I suggest moving away from the techno-centric and commercial led ‘Web 2.0’. Concentrate on the ‘social’: Participatory. Value the visual, intuitive and interactive nature of technology. Bottom-up, user-led. REAL.

6. A social media model for business ‘When people get to a site they want not only to see something. They want to do something’ (Lash and Wittel (2002) Shifting New Media) User experience as part of brand experience Interactive engagement Cultivation of long-term relationships and valued networks

7. The new business ‘claims’ Innovation, advancement, Start-Up, evolution. Collaboration, share, information. Creating a business presence.

8. The Campari Campaign 2007

9. Campari 2007 top Line Results In one month: 170,000 Page Views 13.5% from social media sites 3,000 ‘friends’ 2,500 comments 92,000 click-through on brand image

10. The emergence of a new research agenda Openness: The inclusion of data from different sources. Transparency: The communication and sharing of information. Participation: The recognition of brand role and presence.

11. A seriously social impact

12. Capturing data New approach: Participation, integration of social presence, nature of the technology means data is active, contributory, involvement, creating dialogues Old methods are still relevant: e.g. ‘online’ focus groups, ‘e-forums’, ‘e-questionnaires’ and ‘e-survey data’. However, the old model is limited. Lacks user appeal or assimilation of how individuals really use social media resources.

13. How users use social media We can benefit from how users use social media. More discreet data collection. Observation. Also how users ‘give up’ data – e.g. postcode information from SNSs. Create MOSAIC / Experian categorisation /user typification of social media characteristics.

14. Value in social demographics

15. Users that take their information with them Did you know that 98.6% of the world's population is on Facebook? (Suda, SitePoint Oct 2008). Not yet the case. But soon… Based on the perceived free movement of data. The ability to easily get at personal data. Portability of information. Users are more likely to join a service that respects their time and personal records. Viewed as a way of keeping track of personal data and track of the resources, ‘keep the companies honest’. Trust.

16. Building on trust ‘One of the reasons I joined and enjoy Facebook is because its safe. I can see my information. This doesn't just affect my stuff, it includes my friends, their comments, and everything else that links me to them (…) because my friends use Facebook I use it too’.

17. Collecting, collating, and organising data

18. A ‘Freedom’ of information Ownership. Networks of mutuality: The risk of network lock-in, Some web services prevent the user from having a free movement of data. These have a very limited appeal. Success story – Facebook third party applications June, 2007. Taken-for-granted export functionality. More and more of our lives are about connections, Our data is not just online, but the longevity and ownership of information that have become key to the success of social networking applications. New demands: The ability to move data from place to place as we see fit. Portable social networks, which lead with the personal organisation of Your data. The attitude: ‘if Facebook turns evil, I’ll just go elsewhere’.

19. Mixing it up Identity: Convergence, share, collaboration Early Oct in NY the BBC hosted twenty-six people from seventeen organisations for a ‘Content Provider Advisory Committee’. The purpose: Answer specific questions about content provision and feedback to other media companies and affinity groups. Working and research practice: To transcend ‘the walled-garden model’. The result: Created a moment of shared ‘free’ information. Sustained exposure and increased presence with other companies.

20. Opportunities for research Build relationships and be involved. Blurring of boundaries: Marketing and brand image is as much as about the opportunity for targeting and retrieval of information. Questions/issues: Should this collaborative and shared ethos extend to research? Should we share share our research findings more? Traditionally commercially sensitive, takes time and money to produce, hidden away, How can we make this sustainable over a length of time?

21. The coming of social information More value if we free our data up. Speed – the arrival of social information. The challenge is to be up-to-date and of the moment. Need to respond to new technologies and how users use resources and inevitably organise things for themselves.

22. A new culture for research practices

23. Summing up: An evolution The condition of the immediacy of information. Accessibility of data and resources: Archiving and retrieval. Closure of the gaps between people, brands, marketing and business. Emergent modes of new social experiences: Shifting patterns of consumerism, interaction and identity. The result: Social media seems inevitably appropriated toward market profitability e.g. Microsoft investment in Facebook = valued $15 billion.

24. Ultimately We are faced with new opportunities for the control and capture of data, which lie at the core of new cultural and social values, and consequently our research practices. Any Questions?... Dr Mariann Hardey mariann@mariannhardey.net