Aside: Shakespeare Visits Starbucks (Strategic Information Systems and Social Media)
Intro
As the new year commences, let's reflect a little bit on what Shakespeare's been up to throughout the first Act and what he's learned as he gets ready to tackle the next stage (ha) in his journey.
Shakespeare has chosen a cosy secluded seat in the local Starbucks near Hanover Square, a twenty minute walk from the West End. Settled down with his silky smooth caramel macchiato and a small muffin, he whips out his laptop hoping to get a solid hour (or three) of work out of his way. There isn't much more that needs to be said to demonstrate how well he's adapting to modern life and he has picked up on a lot over these last few months.
Old Will has gotten a general understanding of what the world is like now, how we communicate, the entertainment we consume, satellites, towers and the internet. Quite frankly he's excited at all the resources at his disposal to bring new stories and ideas to life. He's also quite happy living a comfortable existence even though that modern plague runs rampant through the city once again (been there, done that, got the t-shirt). As ever the sharp strategist, he's met with financial advisers to sort out his investments and income. Recently a lawyer has been discussing the mechanisms of copyright and royalties to him - if only such a thing had been around in his time! The possibilities really are endless: maybe he can set up a new production company or start a new show that once would have been aired on those television things but he's been advised a streaming service is the way to go. It's a lot to think about but whatever it is that Shakespeare decides to pursue, he wants to do so with a reasonable level of success.
Shakespeare knows he's been absent from over 500 years of cultural growth and evolution which only adds to his determination to win over the audience and not miss the mark. Slow and steady wins the race as they say - that wasn't one of his lines but it's a good one. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots the pretty barista attending to a table and feels a deep sorrow that catches him by surprise. He misses Anne and his family. Everyone seems so far removed from him and his understanding of life - he genuinely longs for the natural connection he could once form with others. In the 21st Century, the world and its inhabitants move far too quickly, it's almost hard for him to keep up. In sooth, he's committed to furthering his revival in the world of pop culture regardless of the burdensome obstacles - and if he does it right, the instant global reach could bring him supreme success.
Today Shakespeare wants to develop his social media presence particularly on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and, maybe a blog on Medium. If he were to be honest with himself, the simple concept of having his beliefs, commentary and passing thoughts broadcast to the world in a matter of seconds both immensely terrifies and exceedingly excites him. For a second he considers the gravity of publishing any incorrect opinion and how it may weigh on his aspirations to promote his new ventures to establish his rebirth in the modern cultural landscape. Social media, however, will play and important role in his overall strategic vision. Besides, carefully conveying his thoughts without drawing seriously negative attention and blame to himself is a skill he's had for years that he should be able to adapt to today's climate.
Social Media as a Vessel for Strategic Information Systems
Strategic Information Systems
Strategic Information Systems are widely referred to in a business context but they play a role in many organisations (law enforcement and government departments for example). A Strategic Information System (SIS) main uses include: (Strategic Information System | Competitive Advantage, 2020)
- Controlling and handling information
- Supporting the strategic decision making process
It's important for organisations to ensure that their SIS is in line with the overall strategy, purpose, goal and structures that they have in place. Additionally, SIS are not the same as general management information systems and that they have different functions for the business including: (Strategic Information System | Competitive Advantage, 2020)
- Providing competitive advantages for the firm and helping to guide and alter their competitive strategies.
- The focus is outside of the organisation, beyond solely managerial communications and information sharing within a firm. SIS help support the functions which are already in existence to help the organisation reach their strategic goals.
- The level of risk is higher in relation to projects.
- SIS are difficult to replicate, they are bespoke and innovative.
Examples:
- A corporation which gathers data on consumer spending habits to help them generate new insights and make strategic decisions based on this data to improve sales (Strategic Information System | Competitive Advantage, 2020).
- The Apollo Reservation System developed for United Airlines was used to help with flight bookings among travel agents for example. Such a system provided a huge competitive environment for United Airlines as their flights were the first to appear on travel agents' screens, increasing the overall bookings with the airline. This tied in with their goal to make sales and increase revenues (History of Flight Booking: CRSs, GDS Distribution, Travel Agencies, and Online Reservations, 2019) .
Social Media in SIS
Online communities have become information systems where users can come together to transfer and share knowledge, communicate with one another and do so across many borders, regions and even language barriers. Businesses have also developed their own communities to create virtual spaces for consumers where the focus can be on a variety of strategic areas including branding and innovation. Businesses can use social media to market and promote their products, develop communities around certain topics and enhance their competitive advantage. As social media technologies and general trends evolve, businesses need to work hard to keep up but can reap the rewards if they do so effectively. Such benefits include: (Senadheera, Warren and Leitch, 2016)
- Quickly acquiring large swathes of knowledge
- Prescriptive analytics (using data to make optimal decisions)
- Direct communication with consumers to foster relationships and richer interactions
Social media has been described as a "dynamic platform" that qualifies as information systems which can offer "businesses with a high level of agility by providing them
with up to date information of the socio-economic environment in which they operate". As social media is used to further a business' goals and strategies, it can be an important element of the strategic information systems landscape (Senadheera, Warren and Leitch, 2016).
In our example, Shakespeare is the business; spreading his ideas, restoring his former glory and reputation in a modern world is his goal; social media is an information system to support him with his strategic vision.
Popular Social Medias for Writers
You've probably seen me harping on about Twitter, how Shakespeare can't be a writer without Twitter (giving the misleading impression that I actually enjoy and advocate for Twitter) but how true is this really?
While I couldn't find an actual breakdown of writers per website or statistics showing their preferences (I guess they don't make that information public), I did find multiple sites and how-to guides recommending Facebook as the Number 1 choice for authors/writers given it's the largest social media platform in the world. Other features like the Facebook Page, Facebook Group functions and its writer friendly options for using ads to promote content are also favourable for people looking to promote their work. Some popular writers active on Facebook include: Paulo Coehlo, Neil Gaiman and John Green. (I personally really like Nathan W. Pyle's content, yes he's more of an illustrator but the dialogue doesn't write itself) (Social Media for Writers: The Complete Guide, 2021; Chesson, 2022; Top 6 Social Media Platforms for Authors and the Types of Readers They Attract, 2018).
After Facebook, the next top recommendation was either Twitter or Instagram and the likes of YouTube and Pinterest were also included. Did you know the YouTube book community is called BookTube (and today at lunch I learned from a friend that TikTok has it's own BookTok community). I like BookTube for the reviewers who go through really long, tedious and comedically awful pieces so I don't have to. Although I have to yet to experience BookTok, I understand how some short, snappy and to the point reviews/synopses and could appeal to an audience tight on time or with absent attention spans. Twitter again is great for writers to directly communicate with their audience and share their brief thoughts so as to remain on our radars - especially if you get a viral tweet! In terms of engagement, Instagram has the best figures (1% for industry brands), compared to Facebook (0.25%) and Twitter (0.08%). I imagine, for authors with whom rabid fans have developed a strong parasocial relationship, the engagement could be higher than those for corporate brands and products. And with people like Rupi Kaur who was put on my radar in tangent with the rise in Instagram poetry accounts (I remember that being a thing a few years back), Shakespeare's new sonnets could really take off in this virtual space especially if his uploads have that minimally elegant aesthetic (Social Media for Writers: The Complete Guide, 2021; Chesson, 2022; Top 6 Social Media Platforms for Authors and the Types of Readers They Attract, 2018).
What was truly interesting is that the likes of Pinterests were also recommended for writers which I initally assumed may have been for idea generation purposes, but it's acually a helpful platform for buying and selling products with Pins having direct links to online retailers. Also there doesn't exist the same pressure to reply to or communicate with followers (and whoever else is going to pin your piece to their boards). Additionally, when I was researching platforms for a bookclub to host and manage their meetings as part of a project, I came across a variety of sites including BookClubz, as well as Goodreads which allow information sharing, chatting and commenting to support discussions around various pieces being read. I think Shakespeare leading his own bookclub focusing on his own plays or poems could really help establish his brand and develop enhanced relationships with his readers (Social Media for Writers: The Complete Guide, 2021; Chesson, 2022; Top 6 Social Media Platforms for Authors and the Types of Readers They Attract, 2018).
Benefits for Shakespeare:
A brief set of points on how I believe Shakespeare would strategically use social media to his advantage in this day and age are as follows:
- He gains information on the important trends of our time - what do the people want to see? What do they like, respond to and joke about on Twitter, TikTok or Instagram? He can see first hand the trends and topics going viral across the globe and generate ideas for plays that way. He doesn't want to be writing about outdated topics or to create unrelatable content for a modern audience. He needs to know the most popular actors and actresses to cast and he also needs to know the places audiences go these days to consume their entertainment.
- Real time feedback can be achieved through Facebook and Instagram polls, or survey links shared to his many followers.
- He can create real and meaningful relationships by responding to followers on Twitter or Instagram jokingly tweeting back replies and responding to top comments. Engaging stories on Instagram and hosting Instagram Live sessions where he answers readers' questions or invites guests to have general conversations could truly help him connect better with followers. Facebook groups or online bookclubs led by Shakespeare himself would expose him to a global audience who could learn from him directly.
- Shakespeare will have no shortage of creative mediums to share his work - beautifully designed snippets of his poems on Instagram, raps and rhymes of his famous quotes on TikTok, video essays and songs on YouTube, and wonderfully curated boards on Pinterest.
- Then of course Shakespeare could use social media to promote his projects, plays and views.
Penmanship
Either way, Shakespeare has been sitting in this quiet cafe for a few hours now. He's got his accounts set up, posts curated and has a social media manager to help him keep track of his newfound multiple presences online. This is an exciting time indeed!
He looks at the barista from earlier and thinks to himself how much she really does remind him of Anne. After a moment's hesitation, he walks up to her and enquires about a pen, almost laughing to himself when he sees her nametag which has Anne sprawled across it. After rummaging around for a bit, she hands him a biro (he missed quills - they were so elegant. But on second thought this *is* a lot easier to write with.) and after a few seconds hands her his number on a napkin telling her to do with it what she wished.
He didn't hang around too long (he was brave enough for social media but this act with the potential for immediate rejection or even scarier, a relationship with a modern person with a wildly different upbringing was a little too much sending his head spinning and his stomach tumbling through the hills) and rushed out the door.
As he stepped out into the cold winter air and the bright lights of London in the evening, he felt the adrenaline give him a new, refreshed feeling of motivation and Shakespeare welcomed the uncertain, unfathomable and infinitely large possibilities that the future kindly held for him.
- Jina
References
Author Learning Center. 2018. Top 6 Social Media Platforms for Authors and the Types of Readers They Attract.
[online] Available at: <https://www.authorlearningcenter.com/marketing/social-media/w/general/7922/top-6-social
media-platforms-for-authors-and-the-types-of-readers-they-attract> [Accessed 7 January 2022].
AltexSoft. 2019. History of Flight Booking: CRSs, GDS Distribution, Travel Agencies, and Online Reservations.
[online] Available at: <https://www.altexsoft.com/blog/travel/history-of-flight-booking-crss-gds-distribution-travel
agencies-and-online-reservations/> [Accessed 3 January 2022].
Chesson, D., 2022. The Ultimate Guide to Social Media for Writers 2022. [online] Kindlepreneur. Available at:
<https://kindlepreneur.com/social-media-for-writers/> [Accessed 5 January 2022].
planningtank.com. 2020. Strategic Information System | Competitive Advantage. [online] Available at:
<https://planningtank.com/computer-applications/strategic-information-system> [Accessed 3 January 2022].
Senadheera, V., Warren, M. and Leitch, S., 2016. Social media as an information system: improving the
technological agility. Enterprise Information Systems, 11(4), pp.512-533.
Reedsy. 2021. Social Media for Writers: The Complete Guide. [online] Available at: <https://blog.reedsy.com/social
media-for-writers/> [Accessed 5 January 2022].
Really interesting stuff Jina, although I won't lie.... I am a bit shocked Shakespeare's a caramel macchiato kinda guy....
ReplyDeleteHe likes the finer things in life - also is taking to the influencer lifestyle!
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