Group items tagged

Most social media posts are inherently local. Friends post a photo of themselves on Facebook at a new local restaurant, another social connection checks-in to a nearby retail store via Foursquare and so on. All of these online social interactions present tremendous market potential for businesses trying to engage with consumers online.

Marketers understand that user-generated content such as ratings and reviews are required elements of a comprehensive location-based search program.

Another citizen journalism platform.

"With mobile banking systems on the rise, health experts are hoping to capitalize on the budding technology to make health services more accessible as well. The mobile finance systems allow subscribers to store and transfer money as credits on their phones, and withdraw cash from local vendors when needed. The tools have appealed to many people who previously had no banking mechanism."

The Organic Farmer radio shows in Kenya use mobile and radio technology as a platform for collaboration and sharing farming information in local communities. "The Organic Farmer shows the value of using SMS and radio together. While text messaging offers a method of interaction with listeners, John says, "We can't rely on SMS alone, since we can't send a whole paragraph, only the basic information." Radio provides a platform to explore topics in depth, but John suggests, "Radio is not a stand-alone medium - radio must be supported by other tools. SMS allows us to do that.""

This is a great example of social media being used for a greater purpose, and some excellent tips on how to properly curate information in a responsible way online.