Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

I am not sure if I would put cloud computing under the category of social media because it can do more than just sharing information or collaboration. According to this CNN News video , individual users and organizations can run programs and store files on cloud without building large IT infrastructure, without hiring IT personnel, or without renting physical storage space. Recently, cloud storage has become a new battle field in IT. DropBox, for example, was established in 2007 and is big in online-file-sharing business, but it only offers 2GB free space. iCloud, initiated in October 2011, offers 5GB free space for storing media and document files, but it only works with Apple products. This month, Google Drive began offering 5GB free space, but it does not fully support Microsoft products. Microsoft, actually, also introduced the SkyDrive concept back in 2007, but it has never taken off. Now, it is giving out 7GB space for free. Often, competition will result in low price. C...

Today, I conducted a Skype interview with Keren Ritchie in my social media class. Keren received a bachelor’s degree in journalism and is currently a M.I.A. (Master of International Affairs) degree candidate at Columbia University. Her experience in social media ranges from non-for-profit to for-profit organizations. So, what are her thoughts on using social media in communication? Keren’s Work Experience in Social Media While there is not much difference among organizations as an effective social media strategy can work for different entities, businesses in general allow more freedom and creativity in using social media for communication; government agents are more careful regarding the content being communicated. Social media policy is very important for every organization, but surprisingly, few organizations she worked for had established clear guidelines of using social media. “Many companies’ social media policies are more reactive; a good social media policy will allow or...

Last Thursday, Isaac Budmen , co-founder of Little Tinker and a current SU graduate student, shared his entrepreneurial experience with us in my social media class. His presentation was short but inspiring. Isaac recalled his experience of how he met with Dennis Crowley , co-founder of Foursquare and an SU alumnus. At first, Isaac was unable to set up an appointment with Dennis using his SU connections. Then, he went to Twitter. “Surprisingly,” he received a tweet from Dennis and finally met with him for a conversation. What a great example of using Twitter !   The founding of Little Tinker did not come from a brilliant idea or a 10-billion plan; it was simply triggered by an incident where Isaac and his friends added the hashtag of #Drinkup in their tweets during a happy hour. All of a sudden, #Drinkup became a global phenomenon. Isaac saw that as a great opportunity and “jumped in” to pursue his entrepreneurship ideas --- an entrepreneur may not know everything of sta...

This Wall Street Journal video features an interview with Gary Kremen, founder of Match.com, Eric Ryan, co-founder of Method, and Nick Swinmum, founder of Zappos.com, where they shared some advice on using social media for small business (mainly on Facebook or Twitter). I agree on some of their suggestions but not the other. Tips I Feel Useful In-house social media staff is very important. Whoever manages a company’s social media activities must know the company, including the organizational culture, services and products offered, and the operational procedures. Otherwise, a company can repeat Chrysler’s mistake on Twitter . Be consistent in feeding new content. Carry on an on-going conversation on social media. Social media is more than just sales and marketing. Content creators also need to consider “WIIFM” (what’s in it for me?) and “IDNK” (I don’t know that) for the audience when posting updates and news. Companies must have clear objectives when implementing social me...

Last Thursday, I invited Ms. Britney Bubrowski to speak in my HR class. Britney graduated from college in 2008. She started her career as a HR Coordinator for a hotel before she moved up to the HR Manager and Director of HR position. Very recently, she accepted an offer from The Widewaters Group and became the company’s Corporate HR Manager of Hospitality. Britney has such an impressive career path. I wonder: what are her secrets for success? Coincidentally, Britney pointed out two important factors: professionalism and maturity. Accordingly to Britney, it is important to maintain a professional relationship with the co-workers at work and have the level of maturity when dealing with work-related issues. I remember that not long ago in my other guest speaker sessions, the Director of HR at the Sheraton Syracuse University suggested that “maturity,” “ flexibility ,” and “personal branding” could be vital to a person’s career; another HR professional working in a soft-drink and bev...

Companies are creating a new executive position called CIO, with a new meaning of “Chief Innovation Officer” rather than the traditionally-known “Chief Information Officer.” The truth is 43% of the companies have already had a Chief Innovation Officer in place, as revealed in a survey study reported by The Wall Street Journal (video) . I am pleased to see that many companies recognize the importance of innovation but feel uneasy about the fact that very few understand what role a Chief Innovation Officer should play in the organization. One difficulty of defining the role for Chief Innovation Officer is that innovation can take place in many ways. Some great examples of innovation can be found in this month’s Fortune Magazine article about the 12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time. They are: Steve Jobs (Apple): He believed that focus groups and market research would limit his ability to innovate. --- “It isn’t the consumers’ job to know what they want. It’s hard for (consumer...

I was in three special events last Thursday (03/29) and Friday (03/30). Thursday morning, I invited a senior human resource (HR) manager working in one of the biggest soft drink companies to speak in my HR class. In the evening, I presented in the Etiquette Dinner hosted by the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) at Syracuse University. I then attended the 2012 Hospitality Senior Gala Event as a guest on Friday. These three events are different in many ways, but they all remind me the importance of professionalism. When it comes to professionalism, every tiny little detail matters. Guest Speaker Section in the HR Class The guest speaker has been working in the HR field for over 10 years. As the HR Business Partner in 2011, she took an active role in merging two big companies into one giant enterprise in the soft drink and beverage industry. Merger means more work for HR. For example, all job descriptions and employee performance must be reviewed, the organizational structure ...