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is based on person-to-person relations. This means that one of the key factors
that attracts people to social networks is the opportunity to connect with other
users who may have similar viewpoints, interests, passions and values. Several
luxury brands have the simplistic idea of viewing the interactivity factor on
social networks as comprising exchanges which may not necessarily be on a
person-to-person level but could be interaction with products or product ele-
ments. For example, Hermès, which is one of the luxury brands that may be
considered as a latecomer to the Internet, have demonstrated the brand's inter-
pretation of online interactivity through the provision of a remake of the brand's
famous Kelly bag in paper form. The paper version of the bag may look cute
but online consumers have evolved from meaningless activity, such as interact-
ing with paper, to interacting with real people for meaningful exchanges.
Thematic
The main attraction of social websites for their users is the fact that they
often have a central and unifying theme. The themes are frequently in areas
of high interest and relevance to the people that participate on the forums.
Whether it is linked to lifestyle, sports, politics, fashion, a destination, a
hobby or even a person, social media like blogs and discussion forums often
have a central idea to which its participants can relate. The blog Mrs-o.org
draws hundreds of comments from readers worldwide, just minutes follow-
ing each message post only because the readers are fascinated with (and
some have even said addicted to) Mrs Obama and her fashion style.
Objectivity
The moderators of social websites draw their credibility from their objectiv-
ity. As mentioned, participants of social forums like blogs expect the mod-
erators to be unbiased and fair in presenting facts and opinions, particularly
when it involves existing brands, products, services or people. Blog readers
and participants on social networks are generally quick to point fingers at
both bloggers and fellow participants if they feel that the message of a blog
is biased or disfavors a party unfairly. This explains the reason that bloggers
are fiercely protective of their individual and collective reputations. When
someone recently posted a message on A Small World with negative com-
ments about Louis Vuitton, several members of the social network were
quick to jump in and vindicate the brand as well as set the record straight
about some of the factually wrong content of the post.
Trust
In the real world, most social groups are based on trust and this is no differ-
ent on online social forums. It's a well-known fact that consumers trust the
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