The Effectiveness of Social Media as a User Feedback Tool
Presentation Abstract
As a business community we are beyond the point of discussing the “rise of social media”. It’s no longer the case that companies debate whether or not to invest in social media channels. Instead, companies look at new and better ways to make those channels more productive. As it pertains to our work in technical communication, the issue is around social media as a productive feedback channel. There are two aspects to this issue:
- Social media gives everyone the opportunity to speak, but we are drawn to the voice of the disgruntled customer. If you strive to incorporate customer feedback into the work you do, the question then becomes, “Whose voice is speaking over social media channels?”
- When we say “Social Media” we might think about Twitter and Pinterest, but social media usage is dominated by instant messaging. It begs the question, “How can businesses expect to get effective user feedback through a media channel focused on real-time communication?”
What can attendees expect to learn?
This session uses an Oxford-style debate to explore these points. Debate participants have been pre-selected and have prepared both initial and rebuttal arguments for their respective positions on the motion (to be revealed in the session). Attendees will have the opportunity to vote AND to suggest questions to be posed by the moderator.
Meet the Presenter
Eric Kuhnen has more than 20 years of experience in product research, development and management. Mr. Kuhnen was most recently responsible for competitive positioning, product marketing, and product management at Astoria Software, GoRemote (acquired by iPass), and Oracle Corporation. Since 1990, Mr. Kuhnen has managed the launch of nine different software products across four different disciplines: on-demand, enterprise, equipment control, and government. Products that Mr. Kuhnen has launched have set sales records in the first years of their operation, and one was awarded 2002 Software Product of the Year by Semiconductor International magazine. Mr. Kuhnen presently manages global operations, product management, pre-sales and marketing for Astoria Software, a division of TransPerfect, Inc. Mr. Kuhnen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Brigham Young University.