Social Media for the Rest of Us
HighTechDad
I heard an interesting statistic today that the smartphone sales accounted for only about 20% of all of the cell phones sold this past quarter. I was actually a bit surprised with that number. I would have thought that the percentage would have been a lot higher.
Of course, I live in a technology bubble. Not only do my various professional and personal work responsibilities require me to be tapped into the latest and greatest Enterprise and Consumer grades of tech, I also sort of live and breathe it in my day-to-day life. So with gadgets orbiting my mind on a regular basis, my vision of reality can sometimes get obscured. Not everybody has or can have the latest in tech.
So about 80% of the cell phone market just have plain old cell phones. I'm curious about those individuals or families and whether they have computers and if they do, do they participate in social media at all? My mother, for example, has a "dumb phone" but does have a Facebook account. My father and stepmom, on the other hand, both have iPhones but don't participate in social media whatsoever. My oldest daughter has a smartphone that my wife and I have "dumbed down" by stripping out all of the data aspects of the phone with the exception of texting, and she is too young to participate in Social Media (even though she has friends who are on Facebook - remember, if you are 13 or younger, technically you aren't allowed on Facebook or other social media sites for that matter – my thoughts on texting and children are here). So there are probably a lot of similar scenarios out there.
This month's assignment for the Lose the Laptop Challenge is about Social Media. So when I write about this topic, I start to really question, who is the audience that I'm writing to? If you are reading is post, there is a good chance that you saw my or someone else's tweet about it or you came from a link within Facebook or FriendFeed. To me, this means that you are already hooked into Social Media in some way or another. But what about those people who are not?
The Challenge this month then is more about you then, as opposed to me, mainly because of the prizes being offered. If you vote, you could win a smartphone, actually TWO of them, specifically an HTC Tilt 2 and two $200 AT&T gift cards. With 2 phones, you and your social media buddy could really easily keep in touch. And I want to be the enabler for those conversations to take place, whether they are via Social Media or not!
I could also win two phones. But honestly, I don't need any more smart phones (my kids would disagree very vocally though). The Challenger who wins is allowed to give them away. How would I do that though and ensure that the winner of a giveaway is someone who is not on social media and/or does not have a smartphone? Essentially, who is truly deserving of winning?
Well, if you have any ideas on how I could give some HTC Tilt 2's away to the right worthy recipient, leave a comment on this post. AND you have to vote for me in order for me to win and be able give these phones away. If I don't don't win, I can't give them away (but perhaps some of the other Challengers might).
And let me know how YOU would use an HTC Tilt 2 by sending me a message on Twitter. I'm @HighTechDad and I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on Social Media, the Lose the Laptop Challenge and any other ideas or questions you may have. Remember, Social Media is all about the CONVERSATION so be sure to ENGAGE!
HTD says: The HTC Tilt 2 is a great smartphone for social media and beyond. Let me know on Twitter how you would use it to further your social media efforts.
May 11, 1:17 pm