Tag Archives: online-safety

Survey Finds Facebook Most Popular Communication Tool

Posted on December 11, 2009 by cgseo

Facebook (96%) is now the most popular communication tool, followed by SMS (93%) and email (91%), according to a new survey from Prompt Communications. When consumers were asked which method they used most frequently to communicate, 37 percent said SMS followed by Facebook and the phone at 28 percent. Respondents feel that email is now less important than social media, but only 20 percent said they could live without it entirely. "Facebook is the most popular social network in the world, with over 350 million users, so it should come as no surprise to discover that people are using it as a primary tool for communication," said Hazel Butters, CEO of Prompt Communications . "However, our survey results also show that people are still using more established methods of communication, from the phone to email. It is important for organizations to understand these trends if they want to reach their customers exactly where and how they would like to be reached. As attitudes change and new methods of human interaction develop, businesses must stay ahead of the trends." Many people have concerns about their employers seeing their personal information, with 73 percent worried that their bosses will view their profiles on social networks. When it comes to their family's access only 27 percent would not want family members to see their profiles. People overall believe that advances in technology have created a negative effect on their lives and interpersonal communications. More than half (60%) believe communication relies too much on technology, while 71 percent feel social media is making communication less personal. Despite these reservations, people are still using social media regularly. More than a quarter (28%) of respondents said they could only go one week without using social media. Related Articles: > Facebook Forms Board For Online Safety > Facebook Cracks 350 Million Users, Adjusts Privacy Settings > Nearly Half Of Consumers Would Recommend A Product On Facebook Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Pay-Per-Click | Tagged communication tool, hazel-butters, methods of communication, new survey, online-safety, profiles, review and story, trends | Leave a comment

Women Favor Facebook Over Twitter

Posted on December 10, 2009 by cgseo

The majority (86%) of women are now using popular social networks, a 48 percent increase over 2008, according to a new study by SheSpeaks. In addition, social networks including Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, have become drivers of purchase intent among women, with 50 percent of social media users reporting they have purchased products because of information on social networking sites, and 40 percent have used coupon codes found on social networks. The largest increase in social media use was among women 50 years of age and over, whose participation grew from 31 percent in 2008 to 70 percent in 2009. Social media participation was up across all age groups this year. "Last year our members were going online primarily to research purchases, but now they are looking to social media to help them research, guide and facilitate every kind of transaction, from social exchanges to purchases," said Aliza Freud, Founder and CEO of SheSpeaks . "Women have become more comfortable using social media, and for marketers, the overall growth and habitual use of social media represents opportunities to reach and engage women of all ages, and influence their purchase decisions." Facebook is the most popular social network among women with 95 percent belonging to the site, up 46 percent from one year ago. MySpace participation declined over the last year (63% to 42%), while nearly 40% of the women surveyed said they have Twitter accounts. Although many women use both Facebook and Twitter, 80% prefer Facebook. In fact, 25% of those surveyed abandoned Twitter after creating their accounts, while Facebook use only declined 7% for women after creating Twitter accounts. Facebook users also reported they are two times more likely to log in daily (72%), compared to Twitter users (36%). "Although Facebook is currently more popular than Twitter among women, they each share a purpose in women's lives," said Freud. "Facebook serves women's need to interact with friends and share photos, while Twitter has become a tool that is primarily used for professional networking and learning about up-to-the-minute news, promotions and deals." The study also found online video has grown in popularity over the last year. Almost 40 percent of women indicated they frequently watch video and TV content online, and 85 percent say they watch it frequently or sometimes. "Our members are spending more time watching video on the Web, especially now that more premium content is available," said SheSpeaks CMO Fiona Pietruski. "It is important for marketers to recognize that influential female consumers are spending their time with many types of digital media, where they can be reached with advertising and marketing messaging." Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Pay-Per-Click | Tagged Business, facebook, facebook-cracks, million-users, online-safety, participation, popular-social, social-networking | Leave a comment

Facebook Giving Users More Privacy Controls

Posted on December 9, 2009 by admin

Facebook is rolling out new features today to allow users to have more control over how they share content with others. Users will be able to control who sees each individual piece of content they post. Facebook's new Publisher Privacy Control will allow people to select a privacy setting for every post they make at the time they create it. By making selections in a drop-down menu, users will be able to control what they want to share with friends, family and co-workers. To help users with the changes, Facebook is offering a Transition Tool. The tool will start with a message that explains the changes and will then let users update their settings. Users will have the option of keeping their old settings or accept recommendations from Facebook. "One of our primary goals is to consistently improve Facebook and expand what our users can do through the site, and that includes providing them with new tools to help control their information," said Chris Cox, Vice President of Product Management. "The features we're announcing today aren't the end point, but are simply the latest step in our iterative process. Great suggestions helped us get here, and we look forward to the feedback that will help us develop the next innovation in privacy and user control." Facebook said the changes will not impact advertising programs and that it has never shared personal information with advertisers except at the direction and control of a user Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Pay-Per-Click | Tagged amp nbsp, co workers, consumers, drop down menu, facebook, new tools, online-safety, president, privacy controls, privacy settings, settings, social-media, time | Leave a comment

UK Launches Initiative To Keep Children Safe Online

Posted on December 8, 2009 by cgseo

Officials in the UK have announced plans to require children beginning at age 5 to be taught about online safety starting in 2011. The new initiative called "Click Clever Click Safe" was created by the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS). "The internet provides our children with a world of entertainment, opportunity and knowledge - a world literally at their fingertips," said Prime Minister Gordon Brown. "But we must ensure that the virtual world is as safe for them as this one." The government says that 99 percent of 8-17 year olds have access to the Internet. New research found that 18 percent of young people had come across "harmful or inappropriate content online," and 33 percent of children said their parents where unaware of what they do on the Internet. Under the new initiative Internet companies, charities and the government will be independently reviewed against UKCCIS standards to keep children safe online. Young people and parents will be targeted by a new Digital Code "Zip it, Block it, Flag it," that will be adopted by retailers, social networking sites, schools and charities and displayed where appropriate. Parents will be able to access a website for Internet safety advice hosted by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection center. "Today we are launching our online version of the 'green cross code'. We hope that 'zip it, block it, flag it' will become as familiar to this generation as 'stop, look, listen' did to the last," said Prime Minister Brown. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Pay-Per-Click | Tagged Business, child, child internet safety, digital, digital-code, government, internet new, online-safety, review and story, safety advice, social networking sites, social-networking, virtual, virtual world | Leave a comment