Small - Post 2: Expedia

If you are a busy person like me who looks forward to the opportunity to wind down and take a few days off of work, but who doesn’t have time to plan the vacation, then you are in luck.

Expedia.com is a full service vacation planning website that helps you to book air travel, hotel stays, car rental, cruise ships and even has package deals that will accommodate your every need.  Formed in 1996, the company has managed to stay on top of the on-line travel business.  The convenience of booking your vacation through Expedia takes the stress out of shopping online for individual hotels, car rental or airline websites, and makes travel planning stress free.

 Through its social media efforts, Expedia reaches thousands of customers through Facebook ads and their Twitter accounts.  Weekly specials for vacation packages are posted on Facebook page every week, encouraging people to take the time off and travel.  Who would want to resist some of the loveliest and most beautiful places on earth like San Francisco, Vegas, Houston, Florida and Mexico.  Feedback from customers is also found on Facebook and Twitter, some positive while others are complaints.  Expedia addresses these comments in a personal and professional manner.  It definitely has my vote as a company who is utilizing the tools of social media to attract customers, while also saving money on big box advertising.  I will continue to use this site in the future, especially since I am planning to take a big trip next year and look forward to the discounts that Expedia will help me to find.

Chloe & Isabel . . . reinventing direct sales

On Thursday, July 17, 2014, the Wall Street Journal featured an article entitled, "Direct Seller Crafts Its Own Sales Model."  Since taking this course, my eyes jump directly to anything newsworthy that relates to establishing a business presence through the Internet.  You might find the story of Chloe & Isabel an interesting, and encouraging one. Below are excerpts from the article.

"Chloe & Isabel" was among the first of a recent wave of startups using technology and social-media tools to reinvent direct sales, a $32.67 billion-a-year industry according to the Direct Selling Association.

Named for hypothetical best friends with oppposite tastes--trendy versus classic--today the company has 80 full-time employees, including a team of jewelry designers who source and produce hundreds of styles, such as $42 cushion-cut cocktail rings or $28 "retroglam" crystal earrings.

The New York-based direct seller built proprietary software that allows its independent sales associates, known as "merchandisers," to create their own customized Chloe & Isabel Web boutique and tap their social networks for customers.  The company currently has nerly 5,000 merchandisers who start by purchasing a starter kit, comprised of 18 pieces of jewelry for $175.

The sales associates earn commissions, typically 30% of their own sales.  Chloe & Isabel collects 60% to 70% of the merchandisers' earnings.

For Chloe & Isabel, every single boutique is entirely unique and every single Mechandiser creates her own collection.  She's a micro-entrepreneur." 

Second Post

Good news for all the people living in the Chicago area. There is a new way to pay for parking in the streets of Chicago. A new app that can be downloaded to your smartphone called Park Chicago. Customers would need to to set up an account and link it to a major credit card.

Chicago first launched a pilot program to ensure its popularity and it sure has not disappointed. 1, 600 drivers have signed up for ParkChicago within the weeks of the pilot program. Park Chicago is expanding to other areas.

I am thrilled Chicago made this app called Park Chicago. Having to get out of the car, walk to the paying meter then walk back to your car and put the paying sticker in the cars dashboard was time consuming. I will definitely take advantage of this new technology once it is available in my neighborhood.

Blog Post 2

The Ruth M. Rothstein Community Awareness Program (C.A.P.) is using Web 2.0 technology to showcase their work in the community and help raise awareness about HIV and other STIs.

The C.A.P. program provides free rapid HIV testing and health related community workshops throughout Chicago. This program is using Web 2.0 technology like Instagram and Twitter to promote community events and broadcast healthy messages regarding safe sex and accessing reproductive health services.

@corecentercap shows the world first hand what community based work looks like. The Instagram feed provides a colorful and proactive message of safe sex and self care to the receiver. These posts are continually shared throughout the social media networks, allowing the message to be received by an even bigger audience.

For more information about the Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center: Community Awareness Program look them up on the Twitter and Instagram: @corecentercap

Juan Ortega

Blog Post 1

Social media apps like Twitter and Instagram have allowed the public health industry to spread their message. 

Recently, I was part of a national collaborative called “Step Up. Get Tested.” Our goal was to raise awareness about HIV and encourage people to get tested. One of the key objectives of the collaborative was to host several mobile testing events throughout Chicago. 

The collaborative launched www.stepupgettested.com which includes a list of participating agencies, an events calendar, and can link users to local public health facilities. The collaborative used Twitter and Instagram to promote mobile testing events in advanced and encouraged people to share the post with their own social network. Social media posts were tagged with the hashtags: #sugt14 and #nhtd. During the mobile testing events the collaborative would also use social media apps to check in “live” at neighborhood health facilities that were offering free testing services. These social media posts were an easy way to gain exposure for the events and draw traffic towards the testing event. 

While drafting the right post might take a little time and effort, if executed correctly, social media posts can help any organization to spread their message without spending a dime. 

Tweeting all potential employees (Greg's second blog)

Countless companies have been using social media to increase public’s awareness of their brand in order to generate more sales of products and services. However some companies, such as Zurich Insurance for example, have recently started to use Twitter as a tool for recruiting potential employees. By increasing the company’s social media presence and communicating with individuals who wish to follow the company, Zurich gives insurance professionals an opportunity to interact with the corporation and to learn more about it. Additionally, its recruiting department uses Twitter to find new talent by advertising available positions and for communicating with interested job candidates.

However Zurich is not alone in finding new talent through social media networking, because according to www.mediabistro.com 92 percent of companies use outlets such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook for hiring purposes. 

Post 2: Vegan Cuts

Vegan Cuts is an online marketplace that delivers monthly snack and beauty boxes. They aim to help people discover great vegan products. Although I am not a vegan, I am trying to be more conscious about buying cruelty free and vegan products, such as cosmetics, cleaning supplies, etc. I think Vegan Cuts does a great job of informing people about how to become vegan. Even if people don't become vegan, they try to at least make consumers aware of their cause.

Vegan Cuts uses many social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, their website, and others. On Facebook they host giveaways on vegan goodies. They offer recipes, benefits of certain foods, etc. They always want to hear what consumers are liking and feedback about their boxes. On YouTube, they give consumers sneak peaks about what they can be expecting in their beauty and/or snack boxes.

I have good impressions about this company. They always seem upbeat, well informed, and fun. They want you to be conscious of what you buy and eat. They want you to be a conscious consumer even if you don't become a vegan. If you start purchasing items that are cruelty free, where animals weren't harmed in the process, then you are becoming a conscious consumer. Vegan Cuts does make me want to be a better consumer. Through their blog I have become aware of what I'm buying. I am taking small steps towards only buying cruelty free and vegan products. They are a helpful source if you ever have any doubts. There are many websites and blogs dedicated to cruelty free and vegan purchasing. But I find that I get great ideas and recipes through Vegan Cuts.I think they are doing a great campaign and I will continue to support them.