Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business

Here is some of the key points I got out of the reading of this book:

Word of mouth: People shares opinions and feedbacks on social media regarding the product they bought, the place they went and etc. Consumers tend to trust their peer’s opinion rather than the advertisement, and companies today should align their marketing strategy to best leverage the social media communication channels.

Preventive behavior – Companies have to realize that once they published something on the internet, its on there forever. Therefore, they have to be careful when dealing with negative feedbacks and opinions against their companies online. Sometimes, these negative feedbacks can be used to reflect upon their business plan and helped them to make adjustment accordingly.

I Care More about What My Neighbor Thinks than What Google Thinks - We no longer search what we want via search, but what we want comes to us via social media. 76% rely on recommendations from others vs 15% that rely on advertising. Word of mouth, recommendations and opinions of peers are the key driver behind sales for the marketing in the future.

Death of a Social Schizophrenia - The initial popularity of representing different personas will give way to real transparency of character as social media audiences mature and realize the difficulty of maintaining different identities. Companies need to put more emphasis on improving their products and focus facilitates word of mouth and referrals vs traditional push marketing.

Winners and Losers in a 140 Character World - Eric gave us some good and bad examples of the social media use by some companies. The future of advertising and content creation process need to involve both marketers and audiences via online interactions and communications, that is something companies should always remember in implementing their social media strategy.

Socialnomics gives us a better insight of how company should utilize the power of social media by using high level analysis and real life stories.

Here is my list.ly and a list of my items.

My 5 most popular blog posts based on results from Google Analytic are:

Taipei Part 1 - Some of the must-go places in Taipei City.

Infographic - My infographic of job hunting statistics.

Taipei Food - The famous food and snacks around the city.

Friendly Taiwanese - My experience interacting with the friendly and kind people in Taiwan.

Bali - Tourist hotspots in Bali.

IFTTT is a service that lets you create powerful connections with one simple statement, and its called recipe.

I used IFTTT to connect my phone sms service with my Facebook account, and everytime I am tagged or mentioned in a post, I will receive an text message from IFTTT.

Also, I connected my foursquare with Facebook as well, and any updates or photos will be uploaded directly to Facebook as I check in using Foursquare.

The rise of smartphones unquestionably brought about one of the bitterest fashions of competition in the global tech industry. Different tech big wigs went back to the drawing board and advanced forward-looking strategies in view of what the future held, and Social Media has become one of their battleground in establishing internet presence for their product.

Google

Google is a leader in search, online video, and mobile computing. However, Social media has always been a weak point of Google, and Google is trying to increase its social media presence by integrating Google+ with numerous popular Google features such as Gmap, Youtube and etc. Other than that, Google has been investing in some cutting edge technology such as Google Glass, and its video went viral on the internet.

Apple

In contrast with Google who is spending huge resources trying to fit in the new social media era, Apple’s strategy in social media management seems to be the exact opposite. Apple do not have an official Facebook or Twitter account, and they do not promote their products via social media platforms. Is Apple behind the times? Or do they simply not need an active social media presence? I would says that Apple already has one of the most loyal and fanatic fan bases around, and they have done it without the help of direct interaction with fans through social media.

Genting Highland

Located on top of a highland with over 4,000 above sea level, this place is a tourist hotspot. Genting Highlands is an integrated resort development comprising hotels, casinos and a theme park, don’t miss it if you are a theme park lover and enjoys the thrill of roller coaster ride!

Malacca

The historical city with many ancient architectures and cultures inherited from the Portuguese, Dutch and Spanish. Travelers could learn more on the local Papa and Nyonya community and its culture. In addition, Malacca is also famous of some of its unique food such as Nonya Ice Kacang, Chicken rice ball and many more.

Penang

Mostly populated by Chinese community, travelers could find incense and temples everywhere in Penang. The ‘must-do” items includes visiting the Kek Lok Si Temple, Penang Hill, Snake Temple,  trying out full varieties of our local Penang food, sightseeing world heritage architectures, sun-bathing at the beautiful Batu Ferringhi beach as well as exploring the ‘spicy’ little Indian street;

Cameron Highland

The hinterland at highland where you can visit tea plantations in the cool air, sipping tea at cafes, viewing flowers and cactus plantation, as well as trying our local steamboat lunch and dinner.

Malaysia

=Malaysia is a multicultural country located in South East Asia. While Malays make up a 52% majority, there are also 27% Chinese, 9% Indian and a miscellaneous grouping of 13.5% “others”, such as the Portuguese clan in Melaka and 12% of indigenous peoples (Orang Asli). There is hence also a profusion of faiths and religions, with Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Sikhism and even shamanism on the map. It is a beautiful tropical country that declared its independence from united Kingdom since 1957.

Monas

Monas stands for Monumen Nasional, this is a landmark which is also the symbol of Jakarta city. Monas is actually a tower of 433 ft height with a gold plated flame on top of it symbolizing the fight for Indonesia’s independence. I have to admit that I never got the chance to visit this place, but I will surely pay it a visit the next time I stop by Jakarta.

Bandung

A lovely place to visit. Bandung has a slightly cooler temperature due to its high attitude above sea level, and it is sitting on a river basin surrounded by volcanic mountains. Also, Tangkuban Perahu located 30km north of Bandung is a must-go for all the backpackers. It is a dormant volcano, and has since become a famous tourist spot since its last erupt at 1959.

Pro-tip : When you at the top of the hill, remember to try the traditional food and drink like grilled corn and Bandrek ( ginger milk) that sold in the small huts, its awesome.

Indonesian cuisine is diverse, influenced heavily by the Chinese, Indian, and even European food. Many regional cuisines exist, often based upon cultural and foreign influences.

Nasi Padang

Ah Nasi Padang, the most confusing lunch I ever had in Indonesia. When you go in one of these restaurant that serves Nasi Padang, server will bring ALOT of foods to your table, and the plates of food will stack on one another like in the picture above. The rule is, you only pay for what you eat, leftovers go back to the kitchen and will be served to other customers. As disgusting it may look, I still find the food highly enjoyable, probably due to the fact that I was almost starving to death during that time.

Satay

My all time favorite. Satay is a dish of tender, well seasoned, skewered and grilled meat that served with a side of peanut sauce. Mind you, this is not just any peanut sauce. This is the kind of peanut sauce that leaves you wondering. Hoping. Dreaming. Wishing for more. This is the best appetizer you could ever ask for.