The pen word IS mightier than the sword
I can not think of one day that goes by that I don't refer to my phone. When I am craving a burger, but do not feel like driving too far, all I have to do is pull out my phone and look at one of the innumerable mobile applications such as Yelp or Foursquare that are available for free. Once I have this list of what is around me it is up to me to pick which location I am going to go to. Of course I can decide which one is the cheapest, or which one is a couple blocks closer, or even which one has the best name, but what really will effect my decision? In my opinion, the reviews.
A new Social Media Matters study proved that someone else's opinion i.e. a blogger, are almost twice as a effective at altering someone else's opinion than a celebrity. People are more likely to relate to someone who is not getting paid $100,000 to simply mention another brand within their half-hour television show or tweet about how great this or that diet worked for them. People want real, non-biased, non-paid-for opinions. Of course these reviews can mean total success for a small business owner or it can be failure. These real time reviews can make or break a business by simply telling the truth about their experience. Of course you will rarely see all positive reviews, but you can get a general feel for where you may potentially go without having to step foot into the location.
Now more than ever people are using websites such as Yelp to not only tell about their experiences but read about other peoples experience. There are just about 63 million people who have visited Yelp alone in the last month, of these over 21 million have listed local reviews. A Harvard Business School study showed that when a business increasing a star (out of a 5 star rating) they also increased a 5-9 percent increase in revenue. Yelp users are encouraged to write a descriptive review rather than a rant.
These descriptions are doing more than just keeping the well- deserved business alive, they are bringing in the people who want to be there.
I completely agree with your post. Phones have really transformed our world kind of like how computers did when they were first released.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there's anything out there that can't be done with a smart phone. I have even seen remote control helicopters be controlled by an iphone. Before the iphone was released, the only popular smart phone out there was the blackberry and they were geared more towards the business people. When Apple released their iphone they started a whole new industry and have since created another new industry, the app business.
I too use different websites to look up user comments and reviews. Sometimes when I’m on the fence about a purchase between competing products or services one negative review sways my purchase on way or another. There are other times when I don’t know what I want/need and search for information on forums to help me out.
ReplyDeleteSmartphones have truly changed the way we do things. From scheduling a show to be recorded on your home DVR to reading professor reviews and signing up for classes at FIU, the possibilities to do different things on a smartphone now seem endless.
The invention of smart phones have truly made our lives incredibly easier, and has taken communication among humans to a new, advanced level. I have recently written a post about the latest most popular smart phone release,the iPhone 4S, and it amazed me upon realizing how much the features of smart phones have advanced to endless possibilities. Whenever my laptop is too far away, and by far away I mean in the next room, I can simply grab my phone and browse the internet just as easily, and more conveniently. Although acquiring the latest, and most updated smart phones may seem a bit pricy, in the long run, you will more than likely get your money's worth.
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