Magazine reader find information insufficient
How Magazines Use Social Media to Boost Pass-Along, Build Voice
As social networking site is growing more users with this years, many brands decided to maintain its customers by creating a fan page on Facebook and Twitter. Initially, the editor will post some useful message to its customers. Useful messages as in providing valuable offer to the follower. Besides, the magazine editor is trying to trace their follower's comments and fulfill their needs. According to Webpronews (2009) stated fan page owner can trace people who share its information. However, magazine fan page will attract advertiser to join the post. Therefore, magazine is helping its advertiser to voice up the brand name, creating salience to the follower.
The first issue of magazine using social networking is that editor cannot control advertiser's actions in advertising in the post. Although the editor can warn their advertiser, it does not guarantee advertiser's actions would cause follower to leave the fan page. Dawson (2007) stated that the loyal fan would leave the page once they feel the page is being commercialized. Besides, once magazine has built a strong fan based in social networking site, it is likely that they could not make mistakes in content. Kress & van Leeuwen (2006, p.204) stated different cultural perceive different text and photograph differently. Thus, mistakes such as cultural issues, grammatical issues and copyright infringement could make the fans leave the fan page. The magazine follower may bash the fan page with hatred and negative messages, this will create a bad image to the magazine. For example, Digital SLR Photography's fan page receives some negative comments about insufficient information. In addition, maintaining relationship with readers through social network is still a new strategy for the editor and the learning curve is high. One mistake could ruin the fan page. Therefore, there is no absolute strategy in building voice to the readers and editor have to be very careful in handling them because reader have authority to ruin the image of a company. However, according to Pitt (2002, p.14) the editor cannot just ignore the reader as they will leave once they are not being entertain.
In my opinion, many magazines uses social networking site to voice out their product. The editor must take effort to provide some valuable information to its readers. For instance: Brand A is giving gift if readers sign up for 3 years subscription. Besides, I do notice the reader can actually ruin a magazine's image by leaving negative comments. Thus, the editor must have to reassure that their magazine has no offensive message to the audience, as the consequences are unbearable.
Reference List:
Dawson, P 2007, "Interactive Media", Social Networking, viewed 15 June 2010, <http://www.netmag.co.uk/zine/big-question/social-networking>
Kress, G and van Leeuwen, T 2006, ‘Reading images Chapter 6: The meaning of composition
Pitt, LF 2002, "The internet and the birth of real consumer power", Business Horizons, Vol. 45, Issue. 4, viewed 15 June 2010, <http://ey8wm2dy8n.scholar.serialssolutions.com.ezlibproxy.unisa.edu.au/?sid=google&auinit=LF&aulast=Pitt&atitle=The+Internet+and+the+birth+of+real+consumer+power&title=Business+horizons&volume=45&issue=4&date=2002&spage=7&issn=0007-6813>
WebProNews 2009, "Using Facebook Traffic To Drive Brand Loyalty", WebProNews, viewed 16 June 2010, <http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2009/10/26/using-facebook-traffic-to-drive-brand-loyalty>
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