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This Week in Digital and Public Affairs: The Facebook Journalism Project and the Trump Inauguration

January 23, 2017 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

FacebookDigital and social media are transforming how government institutions, political campaigns and trade associations are communicating and marketing to their key audiences.

Below is a roundup of key stories in digital and public affairs for this week:

Content, Digital and Social Media

Fast Company reports on recent moves by Facebook to become more of a media company, such as the announcement of the Facebook Journalism project. This move farther into the realm of professional journalism is described by Facebook as an initiative to establish stronger ties with the news industry.  To learn more about the Facebook Journalism Project go here.

Speaking of news and Facebook, Tech Crunch reports that Facebook is taking its trial of measures to combat fake news beyond the United States for the first time – rolling out the updates in Germany. The measures that Facebook has been testing in the U.S. to fight fake news include making it easier for users to report fake news by letting users click in the top right corner to report a suspect post; badging suspect content with ‘truth warnings’ and down-ranking it to make it harder for it to spread; and reducing financial incentives for spammers to create fake news as a route to generating advertising revenue by eliminating the ability for them to spoof well-known news websites. To identify fake news, Facebook is working with external fact checkers who are signatories of Poynter’s International Fact Checking Code of Principles

Gov 2.0 and Public Affairs

The Washington Post reported on how the presidential inauguration committee utilized social media ads to encourage Trump supporters to attend inaugural festivities. The ads on Facebook and Instagram showed a video of then President-elect Trump inviting supporters to come to The Mall on January 20th for his swearing-in.

For those not able to attend the festivities or watch them on TV, Tech Crunch outlined the many ways to stream the presidential inauguration online. Of note was YouTube’s partnership with several media outlets including NBC, CBS, Telemundo, Univision and The Washington Post to broadcast the inaugural ceremony and festivities on its platform.

The Obama Administration outlined the digital transition to the new administration on whitehouse.gov, including listing the digital assets that would remain with the White House, where to access Obama White House archival content; and ways to continue to follow and engage with President Obama, the First Lady, and other Obama White House officials after January 20th.

Soon after the swearing in of President Trump at 12:01 p.m., January 20th, the incoming Trump administration relaunched whitehouse.gov, including a new splash page for collecting email addresses and Trump’s biography. Politico reports that a major overhaul of the site is scheduled for later in the year.

Campaigns and Elections

Wired reports that the Republican National Committee’s Chief Technology Officer, Darren Bolding is moving to Cambridge Analytica as its new CTO, where he will build products for commercial and political clients. Cambridge Analytica is the data firm that helped engineer Donald Trump’s victory in the general election.

These are some of the reads that matter to us for the week in digital and public affairs. What do you think? What are your favorite stories? We’d love to hear from you!

Filed Under: Business Advocacy, Campaign Management, Campaigns and Elections, Content Marketing, Data Analysis, Government, Public Affairs, Social Media Analytics, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Relations Tagged With: Arc 3 Communications, Facebook, Facebook and Fake News, Facebook Journalism Project, Presidential Inaguaration and whitehouse.gov, Presidential Inauguration and Social Media, Presidential Inauguration Digital Transition, Republican National Committee and Data, Republican National Committee Chief Technology Officer

Arc 3 Communications’ Monthly Top News Reads in Digital, Social and Public Affairs – December 2013

December 19, 2013 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

Digital and social media are changing how government institutions, political campaigns and trade associations communicate and achieve their goals. Below is a roundup of the more interesting stories that we have read over the last month:

Digital and Social Media

Inc. asserts that SEO is dead due to recent Google algorithm changes and offers suggestions for what is taking its place.

TechCrunch reports on Google’s testing of  paid +post ads for Google+ content with launch partners Toyota And Cadbury.

The Wall Street Journal looks inside a Twitter robot factory, and how fake activity influences trending topics.

Gov 2.0 and Public Affairs

DigitalGov analyzes Facebook’s News Feed Algorithm update and what agency social media managers need to know about the change that is designed to produce more high quality news content.

In GovLoop, Dannielle Blumenthal, Director of Digital Engagement for the National Archives and Records Administration, offers her top 10 principles for Federal digital engagement in FY2014.

On U.S. Navy Media Blog, Sandy Gall, a member of the Navy’s emerging media team and a part of the Navy’s response on Twitter, shares what the team learned from its crisis communication during the Washington Navy Yard Shooting.

Campaigns and Elections

Twitter announces the top tweets in government and politics in their “#YearOnTwitter” review for 2013.

The Guardian offers five ways political parties can engage more people in policymaking.

TechPresident reports on the demise of the non-partisan political social network Ruck.us founded by Nathan Daschle.

These were some of Arc 3’s most interesting reads in digital and social and public affairs over the last month. What were your favorite stories? Let us know. We’d love to hear from you.

Filed Under: Business Advocacy, Campaign Management, Campaigns and Elections, Civic Innovation/Gov. 2.0, Data Analysis, Digital Marketing, Government, Public Affairs, Social Media Audits and Listening analyses, Social Media Relations, Uncategorized Tagged With: Facebook, Google Plus, National Archives and Records Administration, Political Social Networks, Ruck.us, SEO, Social Media and Campaigns, Social Media and Policymaking, Social Media and Politics, Twitter, U.S. Navy

Arc 3 Founder Patrick Burns’ Interview with KCAA Radio regarding Political Marketing

December 15, 2013 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

Our founder, Patrick Burns, recently appeared on KCAA 1050 News Talk Radio to discuss the evolution of Political Marketing. In a wide-ranging discussion with Eric Holtzclaw, the host of the program “Laddering”, Burns discusses how campaigns market to voters is changing rapidly. Once a business that relied on gut instincts and mass media buys, major campaigns are beginning to utilize big data for targeted messages to voters through digital and social media. To listen to the program, please click on the link below:

Patrick Burns Interview with KCAA 1050 News Talk Radio regarding Political Marketing

 

 

Filed Under: Campaign Management, Campaigns and Elections, Data Analysis, Digital Marketing, Government, Public Affairs, Social Media Relations, Uncategorized Tagged With: Barack Obama, Big Data, Content Marketing and Elections, Election 2008, Election 2012, Political Marketing, Social Media and Campaigns, Social Media and Elecitions

Arc 3 Communications’ Monthly Top News Reads in Digital, Social and Public Affairs – November 2013

November 21, 2013 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

Digital and social media are changing how government institutions, political campaigns and trade associations communicate and achieve their goals. Below is a roundup of the more interesting stories that we have read over the last month:

Digital and Social Media

Business Insider provides an analysis of social media demographics and the surprising identity of each major social network.

Gigaom reports on Google’s new ad policy and how to avoid appearing in Google ads.

Alan Mutter of Reflections of a Newsosaur , asks the question “Are newspapers losing their mass media mojo?”

Gov 2.0 and Public Affairs

Nextgov reports how thwarted users vent about the Obamacare website on Facebook.

The Atlantic Magazine reports how the City of Chattanooga, Tennessee developed its own font “Chatype” through a Kickstarter campaign.

Nextgov reports how Congress.gov replaces Thomas.gov as the source for legislative bills and committee information on Capitol Hill.

Campaigns and Elections

Advertising Age examines how data is redefining political TV ads.

TechPresident analyzes the role of digital and big data in election 2013.

Politico reports how Twitter is a mixed blessing for political flacks.

In a Foxnews.com  opinion piece, John Jordan, a member of the Hoover Institution’s Board of Overseers at Stanford University, offers a donor’s guide to making your money count in politics.

These were some of Arc 3’s most interesting reads in digital and social and public affairs over the last month. What were your favorite stories? Let us know if there is a neat story that we missed! We’d love to hear from you.

 

Filed Under: Business Advocacy, Campaign Management, Campaigns and Elections, Civic Innovation/Gov. 2.0, Data Analysis, Digital Marketing, Government, Public Affairs, Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing, Social Media Audits and Listening analyses, Social Media Relations, Uncategorized, Website Development Tagged With: Big Data, Digital Media and Politics, Digital Media and Public Affairs, Election 2013, Facebook, Google Ads, Political Marketing, Social Media and Politics, Social Media and Public Affairs, Twitter

The Top Ten Most Social Media Savvy State Parties in America

November 11, 2013 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

With the 2014 election approaching, the role of state party organizations will become increasingly important as the primary election season ends and the general election season begins. Most of the primary election season wraps up by June with the majority of states concluding their primaries.

In the 2012 election, the Obama campaign skillfully used social media to target key constituency groups, amplify its message and get out the vote. It was commonly acknowledged that a “geek gap” existed between a more tech savvy Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The Republican Party conducted a months’ long review of the 2012 election that resulted in a report entitled “The Growth and Opportunity Project”.

How have the parties across the country done at the state level socially in 2013? Does the “geek gap” still exist? Arc 3 looks at the top ten most social media savvy state party organizations. The list was compiled analyzing the Klout scores and number of Twitter and Facebook followers for all of the state party organizations for all 50 states.

1. Michigan Republican Party (Klout score 66) Led by Chairman Robert Schostak, the party has over the years been a leader in innovation and recently held its 30th Biennial Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference where insightful technology panels were held. The Michigan GOP is the most social media savvy state party in the country with over 8K followers on Twitter and 11K likes on Facebook.

2. Texas Democratic Party (Klout score 65) Led by Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa, the party’s social media prowess was on display nationally with the ascendency of State Representative Wendy Davis’ filibuster into the national spotlight through the Twitter-verse. The Texas Democratic Party is at the social media forefront with over 14K followers on Twitter and 51K likes on Facebook.

3. Florida Democratic Party (Klout score 64) Led by Chairman Allison Tant, the Democratic party of Florida operates in a state that has long been on the national radar, especially since the 2000 Presidential election where the state decided the Presidency. With 24K likes on Facebook and over 17K followers on Twitter, the Florida Democratic Party shows that it is innovative in its use of social media.

4. Florida Republican Party (Klout Score 64) Led by Chairman Lenny Curry, the Florida Republican Party is tied with its competitor, the Florida Democratic Party, in the area of social media strength and innovation. The Florida GOP has over 15K followers on Twitter and 15K likes on Facebook and will need to utilize its social media strength in what is shaping up to be a competitive election year.

5. Georgia Democratic Party (Klout Score 61) Led by new Chairman DuBose Porter, the Georgia Democratic party has been wrought with internal controversy that led to the resignation of its most recent Chairman, Michael Berlon. Despite serious financial woes, the Democratic Party of Georgia has a strong social media presence with over 10K followers on Twitter and 12K likes on Facebook.

6. Virginia Democratic Party (Klout Score 61) Led by Party Chair Charniele Herring, the Virginia Democratic Party is coming off a successful election year in 2013 with the election of Democrats to Governor and Lt. Governor. With over 7K followers on Twitter and 10K likes on Facebook, the Virginia Democratic Party’s effective utilization of social media was a part of their victories in 2013.

7. California Republican Party (Klout Score 61) Led by Chairman Jim Brulte, the California Republican Party has a rich GOP tradition, but in recent modern times, California has been a blue state.  With over 13K followers on Twitter and over 9K likes on Facebook, the California Republican Party has in place the channels to begin to get its message out and rebuild.

8. North Carolina Republican Party (Klout Score 61) Led by Chairman Claude Pope, the North Carolina GOP operates in a red state whose influx of new residents and changing demographics has resulted in some success for the Democrats at the state-wide level, though not consistently. The NC GOP has a strong social media presence with over 10K followers on Twitter and over 10K likes on Facebook.

9. Republican Party of Virginia (Klout Score 60) Led by Chairman Pat Mullins, the Republican Party of Virginia has faced challenges in recent elections. Once a reliably red state, Virginia has become a purple state. With over 5K followers on Twitter and 8K likes on Facebook, the Republican Party of Virginia is one of the most social media savvy state parties in the country despite its recent losses.

10. Missouri Republican Party (Klout Score 60) Led by Chairman Ed Martin, the Missouri Republican Party has the advantage of a state that has been growing Republican over the years. With over 5K Twitter followers and 5K Facebook likes, the Missouri GOP effectively and consistently publishes content that results in the ability to recruit volunteers, donors and supporters.

At the near the end of 2013, these are the top ten most social media savvy state party organizations in the U.S. The list reflects gains by Republican state party organizations that have strengthened their social media presence for what will be a very competitive upcoming election year. America remains an evenly split country as far as party identification. No one party dominates. However the state parties that leverage the power of social media for message amplification, get out the vote and targeting efforts can do much to move the needle in their respective state.

Filed Under: Campaigns and Elections, Data Analysis, Government, Public Affairs, Social Media Audits and Listening analyses, Social Media Relations, Uncategorized Tagged With: California Republican Party, Facebook, Florida Democratic Party, Florida Republican Party, Georgia Democratic Party, Growth and Opportunity Project, Klout, Michigan Republican Party, Missouri Republican Party, North Carolina Repubilcan Party, Obama-Biden 2012, Republican Party of Virginia, Social Media and Campaigns, Social Media and Election 2012, Social Media and Election 2013, Social Media and Election 2014, Social Media and Elections, Social Media and Politics, Texas Democratic Party, Twitter, Virginia Democratic Party

Social Data and the Future of Politics

May 31, 2013 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

Arc 3 Communications recently participated in Big Data Week in Atlanta. The goal of Big Data Week was to hold community events focusing on the social, political, technological and commercial impacts of Big Data. One of the many discussion items of the week among data scientists, marketers and social media experts was the impact of social data, primarily in the examination of consumer behavior and the ability to predict sales and craft marketing messages.

However, social data is also a powerful tool for understanding the American voter, and like traditional phone surveys can help in the understanding of voters’ opinions on an issue and their intensity.  Social data which consists of the analysis of tweets, posts and discussion items on social media channels, forums and blogs, may also be a future indicator in predicting voting behavior. A recent study by social scientists at Indiana University of 800 competitive Congressional races in 2010 and 2012 revealed that getting more tweet mentions relative to your opponent meant higher vote margins. The social scientists found that the frequency with which a Republican is named correlates with the Republican vote margin in the subsequent election, independently of other factors such as incumbency, media coverage, partisanship and demographics.

While the ability of tweets to predict the vote is a topic of much discussion, the use of social data as a tool in understanding the opinions of  voters and how to develop targeted messaging to them is well established after the last election cycle. The Obama 2012 campaign through its 200 digital and 50 analytics team members was able to utilize social data to develop effective message development and targeting strategies while also identifying advocates for the campaign.

In the area of advocacy, the Obama campaign developed an algorithm to score over 5oK accounts by political id on Twitter. This identification of accounts favorable to the President utilized the text of the tweets and did not look at @mentions. The analysts at the Obama campaign discovered that @mentions referencing the President were largely negative.  However through text analysis of tweets, the Obama campaign was able to identify Twitter users favorable to the President. The Obama campaign also looked at Twitter influence (number of tweets and followers) to score and identify favorable accounts. The Obama campaign then sent a direct message on Twitter from President Obama to the scored accounts asking them to advocate for the campaign, which in turn many of them ended up doing.

Another powerful use of social data for advocacy by the Obama campaign was the development of a Facebook App that enabled supporters to match their Facebook friends with the Obama campaign’s various lists and then send a message to undecided voters in key swing states asking them to take action such as sharing viral content, signing up for the campaign or voting on Election Day. This tactic known as Facebook targeted sharing, was developed by the Obama team to offset the 50% drop in landline usage among 18 to 29 year olds. Despite being difficult to reach by phone, 85% of this same group were friends with an Obama 2012 Facebook App user. Through the Facebook targeted sharing app over 600,000 Obama supporters were able to reach over 5 million people by Election Day. 20% of the 5 million reached took some action, such as registering to vote. Hundred of thousands used the tool in the days leading up to the election. The Obama campaign’s Facebook targeting app represented a significant  advancement in voter contact – overlaying traditional voter file data with social graph information and relationships.

The supplementation of a voter file with social data will become the norm by the 2016 election cycle and innovative campaigns are already taking this task on for 2014. One of those chief innovators on the Republican side is U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky whose campaign is creating a statewide voter file that adds social data so that the campaign can track and target individual voters based on what they’re saying online. According to Senator McConnell’s campaign, it has already matched the voting records of close to 40 percent of Kentuckians – more than 1 million voters – with their online persona. Senator McConnell’s campaign plans to monitor in real time the social and online outputs of voters in Kentucky in order to understand voter perceptions about issues and the candidate. Through this process, the campaign will be able to measure voter sentiment and the level of engagement on various issues.

Social data is the future of campaigns and a powerful new tool that can help a candidate understand voter opinions on key issues and serve as an advocacy tool. In time, social data may be able to accurately predict voting behavior in a race. As campaigns begin to experiment with social data, it will be critical that the proper metrics and algorithms are established. Campaigns will need to ensure that they connect their social media and social data operations to their off-line grassroots and get-out-the-vote operations in a meaningful way that translates into supporters and votes. This will become an increasing challenge for national and statewide campaigns in the immediate future.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Campaign Management, Campaigns and Elections, Civic Innovation/Gov. 2.0, Data Analysis, Digital Marketing, Grassroots Mobilization, Message Development, Public Affairs, Social Media Audits and Listening analyses, Social Media Relations, Uncategorized Tagged With: Big Data, Big Data Week, Big Data Week Atlanta, Campaigns and Elections, Congressional Elections 2010, Congressional Elections 2012, Election 2014, Election 2016, Facebook, Facebook Apps, Facebook Targeted Sharing, Indiana University, Mitch McConnell, Obama 2012, Social Data, social media, Twitter, Voting Behavior

The Ohio Vote for President 2012: A Choice Between Michael Jackson and The Beatles?

November 6, 2012 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

Is the vote in Ohio for President between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney really a choice between Michael Jackson and The Beatles? In a recent social data study by Arc 3 Communications of supporters for the two candidates for President, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, utilizing Facebook’s Wisdom app, it was revealed that despite a statistical deadlock in the polls, a cultural divide exists between the most ardent supporters for the two candidates for President in the state of Ohio.

With Ohio being the battleground state most likely to determine the Presidency, hundreds of traditional Presidential polls have been taken among Ohio voters to measure their candidate preferences. Polls have consistently reflected a very close race with the most recent poll by Rasmussen Reports reflecting a statistical tie among the candidates. However, through the use of Facebook social data, Arc 3 was able to identify a significant cultural divide among the most ardent Ohio supporters for the candidates for President that provides deeper insights into the race.

For the study, Arc 3 Communications examined the Facebook pages of the two candidates, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney utilizing Facebook Wisdom app’s detailed demographic profile data and breakdown of page likes. Arc 3 analyzed Facebook Wisdom Network data on basic demographics; political ideology and interests; sources for news; interests in music, television shows and authors; sports favorites; and consumer choices. Among the key findings in each category:

  • Supporters of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have a four point variation along gender lines with more men supporting Romney and more women supporting Obama with slight variations in age and education level. However, significantly more supporters for Mitt Romney are married than supporters of Barack Obama.
  • The Obama and Romney groups break out along ideological lines with Obama supporters self-identifying as liberal and Romney supporters identifying as conservative.
  • Ohio supporters of the two candidates rely on very different news sources. Obama supporters’ favorite news source is National Public Radio, while Romney supporters prefer Fox News.
  • In the area of entertainment tastes, the candidates’ supporters differ in favorite musician/band,  television show and book author. The Obama supporters favorite musician/band is Michael Jackson, while the favorite musician/band among Romney supporters is The Beatles.  Obama supporters favorite television program is The Family Guy, while Romney supporters program of choice is House. Favorite authors for Obama and Romney supporters are Maya Angelou and James Patterson respectively.
  • A dichotomy exists in the preference for sports leagues – supporters of Obama are NBA fans, while Romney supporters are NFL fans. Obama supporters favorite sports team is the Cleveland Cavaliers , while Romney supporters favorite team is the Cincinnati Reds, with the Cleveland Browns being a very close second.
  • Both sides tend to agree in the area of prominent consumer choices, with both groups most favorite food and beverage product being Starbucks and favorite retailer being Walmart. Favorite restuarant of choice among both groups is Subway.

While the many traditional polls conducted by various media outlets, universities and polling firms have left the American electorate stumped and full of trepidation as to the outcome of the race in Ohio, the additional layer of Facebook social data offers deeper insights into the race. The social data reveals preferences not only in ideology but attitudes toward cultural issues. Obama supporters clearly have cultural preferences indicative of urban tastes, while Romney supporters have cultural preferences indicative of suburban and exurban tastes. This points to and reaffirms the old adage in politics, that elections are truly about getting out the vote. If signs on election night point to high voter turnout in the urban areas of Ohio, such as Cleveland’s Cuyahoga County and Toledo’s Lucas County it may be a long night for Mitt Romney. However, if turnout is high in the suburban areas of Ohio such as Cincinnati’s Warren and Butler Counties and Columbus’ Delaware County, Romney may be the next President of the United States. With Ohio being decided by just 262,000 votes in 2008, it will be vital that each campaign turnout their base in those areas of the state where they are the strongest in order to win.

 

Arc 3 Facebook Social Data Study Tables 

Basic Demographics

Barack Obama Mitt Romney
Male  54%  58%
Female  46%  42%
Married  36%  60%
Single  41%  25%
Average Age  33  39
College Education  58%  60%

 

Political Interests (Most Likes)

Barack Obama Mitt Romney
Ideology  Liberal  Conservative
Political Organization  Obama for America Ohio  RightChange
Government Official  Rep. Marcia L. Fudge  John McCain

 

News Sources (Most Likes)

Media/News/Publishing  NPR  Fox News
Magazine  Movie Drawer  Weekly Standard
News/Media  Yahoo!News  Newsbusters.org

 

Entertainment Interests (Most Likes)

Television Show  Family Guy  House
Musician/Band  Michael Jackson  The Beatles
Favorite Author  Maya Angelou  James Patterson

 

Sports Interests (Most Likes)

Barack Obama Mitt Romney
Sports League  NBA  NFL
Sports Team  Cleveland Cavaliers  Cincinnati Reds
Athlete  LeBron James  Michael Jordan

 

Consumer Interests (Most Likes)

Barack Obama Mitt Romney
Food/Beverage  Starbucks  Starbucks
Retail and Consumer Merchandise  Walmart  Walmart
Restaurant/Cafe  Subway  Subway

 

 

 

Filed Under: Campaign Management, Campaigns and Elections, Data Analysis, Public Affairs, Social Media Audits and Listening analyses, Social Media Relations, Uncategorized Tagged With: BarackObama2012, Butler County, Campaigns and Elections, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cuyahoga County, Delaware County., Election 2012, Election 2012 Ohio, Facebook, Fox News, House, James Patterson, Lucas County, Maya Angelou, Michael Jackson, Mitt Romney, MittRomney2012, National Public Radio, NBA, NFL, Ohio, Ohio Election 2012, Presidential Election 2012, Rasmussen Reports, social media, Starbucks, Subway, The Beatles, The Family Guy, Walmart, Warren County

What is your Klout Score? How Your Social Media Influence Matters

September 12, 2012 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

What is your Klout Score? Your Klout score is a two digit score that measures your social media influence. If you have a Twitter account in which you are doing public updates you have a Klout score. You can supplement your score by adding Google Plus, Facebook, LinkedIn,  Foursquare, Tumblr, Instagram, Blogger, WordPress, LastFM or Flickr to your Klout account. While Google has an algorithm that measures page rank, Klout has developed an algorithm to measure social media influence. Google has an algorithim that ranks the relevancy of every webpage, while Klout is working to measure the influence of every person online. Klout scores are calculated using variables that can include number of followers, frequency of updates, the Klout scores of your friends and followers and the number of likes, retweets, and shares that your updates receive. Interacting with someone who has a high Klout score also helps to increase your score.

The Klout Score algorithm was created by it’s founder, Joe Fernandez in 2008. Klout’s algorithm was little changed until October of 2011, when the algorithm was tweaked, most likely to more greatly account for Facebook as tool of influence. This caused a considerable uproar among technologists, who heavily dependent on Twitter, saw a dip in their scores. Many technologists clamored that Klout simply no longer mattered and was meaningless.

However, with the most recent change in the Klout algorithm last month, technologists are giving Klout a second look and liking what they see. Prominent tech blogger, Michael Arrington (formerly of  TechCrunch) liked what Klout was doing so much that he  proceeded to invest in the company. The new Klout algorithm takes into account more real world influence — through a combination of bringing in 12 times more data points everyday, and taking into account things like Wikipedia pages and weighting LinkedIn profile data higher.

The new Klout profile page for an individual also is a timeline of recent social media interactions — specific Tweets, status updates and Instagram photos that have resonated with people. It’s no longer just about how many Retweets an individual gets, but who Retweeted them, and how they did it. Did they add their own commentary? Was it a “via”? Or a straight RT? Some 400 factors play into the new score. It’s less a number, and more a social resume on one page. The new version of Klout is focusing not just on the number of measurement of influence but also shows which clever tweets or posts by an individual resonated the most with their followers.

Does your Klout score and the social media influence that it represents truly matter? The answer is indisputabley yes.  Klout scores are entering into our everday lives, especially for those who travel and conduct business on the road. Airlines, hotels and retailers are starting to evaluate ways in which they can use Klout scores to identify brand evangelists of whom they wish to keep happy. Individuals with higher Klout scores will get aisle seats on airplanes, more spacious hotel rooms, and special discounts at big name retail stores. The enterprise software giant Salesforce.com has a service that lets companies monitor the Klout scores of customers. Those with higher Klout scores will get more attention and quicker service from customer service representatives determined to keep them from tweeting or posting negative comments to their many followers. Klout has nearly 2 billion API (application programming interface) calls per day from some 8,000 partners  – frequently from customer call centers who want to know exactly who are the customers that are calling in.

Some of the most influential brand customers with Klout scores of 50 or higher are eligible for perks and gifts ranging from free smart phones to all expense paid trips to weekend test drives of automobiles. Klout has done 400 “Perks” programs that have given some 750,000 influencers special deals with no quid pro quo– only a hope that they’ll say something nice about a brand. Brand rewards for Klout scores are a reflection in the social media age of the special treatment that brands have given out for years to high profile names, the press, and individuals who have spent lots of money on the brand. Klout has democratized influence.

Beyond the perks, Klout is rating and showing people’s online influence on various topics so that others can learn from them. In addition it rewards individuals for their social media efforts by helping them to feel listened to on certain topics. In this way, Klout’s ranking system is working to build a better online community. In today’s social media age, those that push out interesting content are the new influencers, and after several attempts, Joe Fernandez and Klout appear to be on their way to develop a rating system for measuring social media influence that is accurate and matters.

Filed Under: Blogger relations, Data Analysis, Digital Marketing, Public Affairs, Social Media Audits and Listening analyses, Social Media Relations, Strategic Communications Planning, Uncategorized Tagged With: data analysis, Facebook, Foursquare, Google, Google Plus, Instagram, interactive marketing, Joe Fernandez, Klout, LinkedIn, Michael Arrington, Salesforce.com, social media, social media audit, Tumblr, Twitter

Metro Atlanta Regional T-SPLOST Vote: A Choice Between NPR and Fox News?

August 12, 2012 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

Was the Metro Atlanta Regional T-SPLOST referendum vote a choice between NPR and Fox News? In a recent social data study by Arc 3 Communications of supporters and opponents of the Metro Atlana Regional T-SPLOST referendum utilizing Facebook’s Wisdom app, it was revealed that a cultural divide existed between the most ardent supporters for and against the Metro Atlanta Regional T-SPLOST referendum.

Many traditional polls had been taken showing a partisan divide among voters for the regional T-SPLOST referendum. However, through the use of Facebook social data, Arc 3 was able to identify not only a partisan divide, but a cultural divide as well among the most ardent supporters for and against the referendum. This data shows a significant cultural divide on regional policy issues.

For the study, Arc 3 Communications examined the Facebook pages of the two most prominent pro and against T-SPLOST campaigns, Untie Atlanta (Citizens for Transportation Mobility) and Traffic Truth (Transportation Leadership Coalition) utilizing Facebook Wisdom app’s detailed demographic profile data and breakdown of page likes. Arc 3 analyzed Facebook Wisdom Network data on basic demographics; political party identification and interests; sources for news; interests in music, movies and authors; sports favorites; and consumer choices. Among the key findings in each category:

  •  Supporters and opponents of the T-SPLOST referendum were evenly divided along gender lines with variation among age and education level. Significantly more of  the opponents of the T-SPLOST were married than the supporters of the T-SPLOST.
  • Consistent with polling data, the T-SPLOST groups broke out along partisan lines with pro-SPLOST forces showing Democratic leanings and opponents of the T-SPLOST being Republican.
  • Supporters and opponents of the T-SPLOST relied on very different news sources. T-SPLOST supporters’ favorite news source was National Public Radio, while opponents preferred Fox News.
  • In area of entertainment tastes, T-SPLOST supporters and opponents differed in television, movies and tastes in book authors. T-SPLOST supporters’ favorite program was The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, while opponents program of choice was House on the Fox Network.
  • While a dichotomy existed in preference for sports leagues – supporters of T-SPLOST were NFL fans, while opponents were NASCAR fans- both groups agreed that the Atlanta Braves  was their favorite sports team.
  • Both sides tended to agree in the area of prominent consumer choices, with both groups most favorite food and beverage product having been Chick-Fil-a, and favorite retailer having been Target.

The partisan divide between advocates and opponents of the T-SPLOST was clearly evident in this Facebook study as it had been in traditional polling. However the social data reveals a much deeper story showing the cultural preferences that were identifiers not only of partisanship but also attitudes toward regionalism and policymaking. T-SPLOST opponents clearly had cultural preferences indicative of more suburban living, while the T-SPLOST supporters had more urban cultural preferences. This may have been at the heart of the transportation policy debate over what the Atlanta region should look like.

 

Arc 3 Facebook Social Data Study Tables 

Basic Demographics

Untie Atlanta Traffic Truth
Male 60% 58%
Female 40% 42%
Married 49% 76%
Single 34% 20%
Average Age 36 49
College Education 58% 69%

 

Political Interests (Most Likes)

Untie Atlanta Traffic Truth
Political Party Democratic Party of Georgia Republican National Committee
Political Official Barack Obama Mitt Romney
Public Figure John Lewis Herman Cain

 

News Sources (Most Likes)

Untie Atlanta Traffic Truth
Media/News/Publishing NPR Fox News
Magazine The New Yorker Weekly Standard
News/Media Yahoo!News NewsBusters.org

 

Entertainment Interests (Most Likes)

Untie Atlanta Traffic Truth
Television Shows The Daily Show House
Movies The Hangover Atlas Shrugged The Movie
Favorite Author Maya Angelou Ayn Rand

 

Sports Interests (Most Likes)

Untie Atlanta Traffic Truth
Sports League NFL NASCAR
Sports Team Atlanta Braves Atlanta Braves
Athlete Michael Jordan Dale Earnhardt Jr.

 

Consumer Interests (Most Likes)

Untie Atlanta TrafficTruth
Food/Beverage Chick-Fil-a Chick-Fil-a
Retail and Consumer Merchandise Target Target
Hotel St. Regis Atlanta Chateau Elan Winery and Resort

 

Note: Untie Atlanta Facebook page analysis included analysis of Untie Clayton, Untie Cobb, Untie Cherokee, Untie Dekalb, Untie Douglas, Untie Gwinnett, Untie Fayette, Untie Fulton, Untie Henry, and Untie Rockdale Facebook pages

 

 

Filed Under: Campaign Management, Coalition Building, Data Analysis, Grassroots Mobilization, Public Affairs, Social Media Audits and Listening analyses, Social Media Relations Tagged With: Chick-Fil-a, Facebook, Fox News, Ga. Democrats, Ga. GOP, House, NASCAR, NFL, NPR, Regional Transportation Referendum, social media, Social Media Data, Target, The Daily Show, TIA2012, TrafficTruth, Untie Atlanta

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