Power of Social Media
Reflections by Kelvin J. Twissa
Agenda
1. Introduction
2. What is Social Media
3. Tradition & Digital Media
4. Virtual Communities
3. Blogging
4. Way forward for Tanzania
Social Media = Social Mess?
Social networks look like a random mess
(thus a waste of time)
 Defined
Social media are primarily internet and mobile based tools used for
sharing and discussions among humans.
 TOOLS for sharing and discussing
 ACTIVITIES that integrate technology and social interactions
 INTERACTIONS that builds shared meanings among communities.
Social Media Ecosystem
Activities
Social Media
Tools
Interactions
Through Social Media, people build their online…
 Presence
 Credibility
 Identity
 Authority
 Reputation
 Influence
Traditional Media
Newspapers
Magazines
Television
Radio
Books
CDs
DVDs
A box of photos
Physical paper mail catalogs
Yellow pages
Digital Media
Cellphones
Compact Disc
Digital Video
E-book
Internet
Minidisc
Video games
Social Media
Blogging
Social Networking
Wikis
Bookmarking
Photosharing
Calendaring
Tagging
Podcasting
Microblogging
Social Media
 Traditional Media cant be changed, once printed that’s
it.
 You cant comment on a newspaper story for others to
read
 You can get a sense of popularity of your material
 You can view all previous posts instantly in an archive
 No need for a committee to agree to publish
 Infinite in time, space and schedule
 Can be linked and syndicated and easily reused
Online Objective
Influence
Authority
Reputation
Identity
Credibility
Presence
What can you learn
How do people feel about you or your brand?
What is being discussed?
Who’s talking?
Are they influential?
Is my marketing working?
Are my product/services working?
How do we engage in the conversation?
Virtual Communities
 A virtual community is a social network of
individuals who interact through specific media.


Cross geographical and political boundaries
Pursue mutual interests or goals
Time spent on social networking sites has increased from three hours a month
to 5.5 hours in the last year, representing an 82% increase in the use of
social media, according to a NielsenWire report.
Largest Growing Continent
 Facebook has over 400 million users (US population is 309 million)
 70% are outside the United States
 Growing at rate of over 20 million users monthly
 Companies in Africa are starting to create a facebook presence
 New market place for businesses worldwide
 Attention to this technology improves brand images, allows for high
level targeted marketing and better service.
Why blog?
1.
Content is King
2.
Desperately seeking Answers
3.
Blog structures
4.
Backlinking, Plugins, Pinging, RSS Feeds, Comments
5.
Hello World
6.
Create instant and Comprehensive Information
7.
All Roads should lead to your blog
8.
Get $$$ from advertisers
Blogs in Africa

Popular Blogs
8317
While ahead of UG,
Tanzania has a huge
opportunity for growth.
 Popular blogs in Africa;


688
South Africa
Kenya
128
126
Tanzania
Uganda




News
Entertainment
Health
Travel
Education
Technology
It Aint A mess!
Tanzania Figures
Source; TAMP Report 2009 by Synovate
Who are using the net?
Internet weekly usage
Source; TAMP Report 2009 by Synovate
What does this mean?
1.
People in Tanzania are starting to get connected
2.
Up market and educated are the only majority of internet users

Great Marketing Opportunity

Build on social networking influence
3.
Rural access increasing

Unique opportunities to drive economic development

Opportunity all service providers
4.
No Limits – Geographical Boundaries, Time, Space
5.
Need to encourage social media for social and economic
development

6.
Connecting with similar success story
Social Media has the highest influence on the population
THANK YOU
Presented by Kelvin J. Twissa