Aristotle Overview

Actualizing the Potential of Social Websites

 According to Aristotle

    For Aristotle, everything in life can be understood as in a dynamic transition progressing or regressing towards or away from its potential. Inside an acorn is the potentiality of an oak, but it only reaches or actualizes its potential if the conditions are right and nothing impedes it. What then are the conditions for a good social website and what could potentially impede their potential?

   Aristotle followed after Plato and sought to provide a systematic approach to many of his ideas. Aristotle believed that these idea could form general principles, but that one must also be aware of the potentialities of the moment in order to know how to act. Aristotle was all about action, phronesis, or practical wisdom. A good social website would invite and attract people who wanted to act and would show them and give them potential ways to act.

    Action is necessary to actualize potential. A good social website would actualize its potential by helping users to actualize their potential. It would seek to understand its potential market by understanding its market’s potential, who or what they are seeking to become. If it can be successful in helping them to become what they want to be or what they are meant to be, they will come to it and stay with it. Just like how roots of an oak grow toward the source of water and branches and leaves towards the sun, a good social website would provide these similar life giving conditions.

   It would allow users to contribute to the potentialities of the website as well. This is what makes it a good social website and not just a good website in general. The users, by their participating in the social aspects of the site, are the dynamic that makes the site able to actualize its potential. Thus, there is an interdependence between the website itself and the users, in that the users help to make it (the website) what it is and it (the website) helps to make them (the users) what they are. This is the most important condition if it is to be truly social at all.

In summary, a good social website would:

• Reach it's full potential as it helped it's users to reach their full potential.
• Concomitantly be developed by users and develop users.
• Invite people to act
• The only way to change your character(be virtuous) and see new potentialities.

Aristotle Overview

Plato Overview

Class Discussion on Social Websites

Plato and Other Experts

For a moment, we will compare the advice regarding social media from Plato and modern thinkers.

Plato says to have a unifying theme that is consistent.  These people agree by saying the same banner ought to be on every page, keep the same color scheme, and so on.  This also goes along with easily understanding the website, which is another thing Plato says to do.

Among the many things we've discussed in class, most are in the article provided above.  It should be original, simple, designed well, updated frequently, conscientious of the target audience, include visual media, and many others.

This particular article didn't mention anything specifically about the open discussion needed to facilitate a good website.  Plato encourages this, and it looks like Greg Wurm found a article that does support Plato's thoughts.

Plato vs. The "Experts"

How does Plato compare with what the experts today would say makes a good social media website? 

    On first thought, it would seem that Plato would have nothing to say, since social media as we think of it today, was not around during 3rd and 4th century BC. But, much of what he said is still relevant and related to what many experts would recommend on what makes a good social media website.
     The experts we are going to reference in this comparison are from The Slanted Lens and their video on "How to use a Blog to get Sales." http://theslantedlens.com/2014/how-to-use-blog-to-get-sales/

Here are points from from Plato and what the experts at Slanted Lens would say (Plato in bold and italicized):

• A unified theme: Many experts caution small businesses to not mix personal and business posts.
• Inclusion of everyone: Make posts universally sharable. (Instead of posting a picture of a wedding photo shoot of a particular couple that you did, post a video of "7 Ways to Take Wedding Photo's".
• An enticing opportunity for open discussion: Posts should be interactive and "elicit a response from the viewer."
• Easy to understand: Content that converts to sells must be interesting to the audience and to be interesting, it must be intelligible.

LDS.NET Critique

1. Unifying theme

This website does have an overall unifying theme and that is Mormonism and strengthening individuals faith in it, but it is really confusing in the way it is set up, so everything feels detached and a little bit unrelated.

2. Inclusion of everyone

Lds.net is mostly friendly to a Mormon viewer.  A non-member visiting might feel like an outsider just because of content.  If they want to draw non-members in too, they might want to create a more inviting atmosphere.  Currently there is a lot of content that only members would relate to and understand.

3.  Enticing opportunity for open discussion

You can contribute by clicking the "contribute" button, but the placement of this button feels random and disorganized, and so I don't really have a desire to click it and am slightly confused already.  I don't see why someone would want to click that button when the main page of the website is so confusing and disorganized.  It gives the impression that contributing would be confusing and not worth the viewers time.

4.  Easy to understand

Like mentioned above, the website is very confusing and disorganized.  I would not want to revisit that website after my first impression of it. 

Plato: qualtrics.com

Qualtrics.com

Let's start with what the site does well:

Unified theme - qualtrics.com is a well-made site that is smooth and flows easily from page to page. Every page has a similar look and all are focused on research and data collection. There are pages for different products and uses as well as supporting pages providing insights for the user. Everything ties back into data collection.

Easy to understand - along with the ease of navigating the site, it is also easy for the user to understand the purpose. The site is not wordy and the language it uses is clear and direct. Anyone interested in data collection would be able to find what they are interested in and find material that is explained at their level. 

In contrast, there are to key things that qualtrics.com does not do particularly well:

Includes everyone - while Qualtrics is great for anyone interested in data collection, those not involved are out of luck. There is also a bit of a cap on the bottom end; those who aren't able to spend more than a few thousand dollars on survey research per year are basically disqualified from using the product. 

Facilitates discussion - this last point, and perhaps the most important, is definitely lacking on qualtrics.com. There is a page titled Qualtrics Customers that has reviews from clients but the page is very controlled. It is difficult to say whether this hurts or helps. Customers definitely will recognize that  there will be no negative reviews on here as Qualtrics posts the content. However, the reviews are a great way for potential customers to see how other firms have used the product. Difficult to say whether this is good or bad. 

Plato: Critiquing Venmo

My critique of Venmo, which is an app that allows users to transfer money to their friends, will follow the four points that seem to be most salient to our discussion, which are:

1. Unifying theme
2. Inclusion of everyone
3. Enticing opportunity for open discussion
4. Ease of understanding

First, Venmo is well unified because everything on the app is included because it facilitates transferring money form one person to another in a timely fashion. The sidebar allows you to search for people who owe you money, or to whom you owe money and can be linked to Facebook to find which of your friends owe you money. It has an option to see pending payments, to change your profile settings (so your friends can recognize you and know that you are who they're actually sending money to), and has an option to cash out when your friends pay you. The home feed lets you see transactions your friends make, and even gives you the opportunity to like and comment on them.

Second, Venmo makes it reasonably easy to include everyone. I had some difficulties setting up my profile when it came to linking to my checking account, since I use a really small credit union which wasn't listed on the app. So it took a while and some trial and error to validate my account. But once I had it up and running, it became very easy to make transactions.

Third, as Venmo is designed to allow people to pay each other, there isn't much discussion that's really necessary besides telling someone to pay you what they owe you or you'll send Frankie over to break their legs . . . just kidding. But the interface is in place for conversations to happen. I think that as Venmo gets bigger, they hope to promote events on their app that people can buy tickets to and split the cost, or something of that nature. They're not even a year old, so they're still in the very basic stages of what they could be.

Fourth, while Venmo is relatively new, their interface is still very slick, easy to understand, and professional-looking. These are all qualities that inspire confidence, which is a necessity considering they're dealing with peoples' money.

Plato: Critiquing Mormon.org

My critique of Mormon.org will follow Topher's outline and the four points, which are:

1. Unifying theme
2. Inclusion of everyone
3. Enticing opportunity for open discussion, and
4. Easy to understand

First, the theme of Mormon.org is parallel, meaning not quite the same, to other websites ran by the LDS Church.  However, there is plenty of material that connects Mormon.org to the main websites, so it offers some connection on those points.  I would say that Mormon.org's theme is an acknowledgement of what the world calls the LDS Church (hence the name) while also proclaiming what they are about.

Second, there are, again, plenty of inviting links, pertinent life questions, lots of viewable profiles from members available for those not of the faith, and many other things inviting people to join.

Third, there are various links inviting visitors to a range of things, like viewing profiles, speaking on line, visiting with missionaries, or finding a church nearby.

Fourth, as far as the website goes, it seems easy to navigate and quick to understand.  

Plato and LDS Social Media

Hey guys, here is my first ever screenshot video! In it, I am using Plato to critique the Facebook page of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Enjoy!

Today I found an interesting article written by Forbes - Measuring The Impact Of Social Media On Your Business

"The CMO Survey asked marketers how they show the impact of social media on their business, only 15% cited they have been able to prove the impact quantitatively."

They give eleven guiding principles to create a more effective social media campaign for companies.