This is my review of the book 'Social Media Marketing - Theories and Applications', written by Stephan Dahl (affiliate link). This is one of those rare occasions where the title undersells the content of the book! It is a great resource for anyone studying and/or working in the digital field. Two thumbs up from me.
Ladies and gentlemen: meet the user
Recently, I attended a workshop at the HCCM where Russell Davis, Director of Strategy at Government Digital Service, talked us through the process of transforming the government’s online presence. He said that, very early on in the process, he affixed this picture on the wall, to remind everyone of who the websites’ users were: It … Continue reading Ladies and gentlemen: meet the user
March 2015 round-up
Spring is here (at least officially), I had one journal and three conference papers accepted, and our lovely friends SP have visited us. So, all in all, the month is ending on a high note. And if it is true that 50% of my sabbatical is now gone :-(, it is also the case that … Continue reading March 2015 round-up
UK attitude towards monitoring of internet and mobile communications is surprisingly tolerant
I wonder if you can help me make sense of this. I came across a survey by YouGov for Amnesty International, published earlier this month, about the attitudes of people from 13 countries* towards government surveillance. According to this data, UK residents are more likely than the (study’s) average to support mass surveillance by government … Continue reading UK attitude towards monitoring of internet and mobile communications is surprisingly tolerant
Day in the Life of an academic: the sabbatical edit
People keep asking me what I do on my sabbatical, so I thought that it would be fun to do a ‘Day in the Life’ post. This is what I got up to on Wednesday. I wake up about half an hour before my alarm went off, with the sun streaming through the bedroom window. … Continue reading Day in the Life of an academic: the sabbatical edit
Young Saudi females and their smartphones
That picture of a 13 year old’s mobile home screen reminded me of a really interesting paper written by Sunila Lobo and Silvia Elaluf-Calderwood (who is a whizz about all things mobile) on how young female Saudis use their smartphones. The paper is available here, though, unfortunately, it is behind a paywall. The research … Continue reading Young Saudi females and their smartphones
Who needs a phone, anyway?
Oh, I love this – it is a screenshot of this man’s 13 year old daughter’s iPhone home screen. Within easy reach are: Camera Instagram Text messaging Web browser Less accessible (i.e., tucked away within a folder) are: iTunes Pinterest Snapchat Youtube And nowhere to be seen: Facebook and… Phone! I suspect this reflects the … Continue reading Who needs a phone, anyway?
Spotted elsewhere: The Trust Engineers
What? A podcast episode from RadioLab about how Facebook’s Protect and Care team (formerly known as the Trust Engineering team) tweak this social network’s interface to make it a more trusted and friendlier environment. Where? Retweeted by ‘New Social Media, New Social Science?’, aka NSMNSS (Twitter feed here). As per NSMNSS’s website, this organisation ‘brings … Continue reading Spotted elsewhere: The Trust Engineers
New book: The Private Security State
I am delighted to let you know about the publication of the book “The Private Security State? Surveillance, Consumer Data and the War on Terror”. This book is the outcome of a large research project led by Professor Kirstie Ball, at the Open University, and which I was part of. This project looked at the … Continue reading New book: The Private Security State
Not so fast – Learning about audience engagement at a speed awareness course
In the period leading up to Christmas, I was caught driving just above the speed limit. Instead of getting a fine and points deducted from my driving licence, I was offered a chance to attend a Speed Awareness Course. I did attend the course, and I did learn a thing or two about speed limits. … Continue reading Not so fast – Learning about audience engagement at a speed awareness course
Ana Canhoto 