Week 3 Part 1: Blog Post 

Have you ever experienced difficulty communicating with a business?

Yes I have experienced difficulty communicating with a business in a few circumstances. I used to work in the Auto Industry, specifically buying and reselling cars, there were more than a few instances where communicating with the body shops or repair shops. Usually if we couldn't resolve the issue we'd have to drive to the physical shop location to get a hold of them. The main two communication issues we ran into were lack of communication and miscommunication. Every car we bought had specific issues that need to be fixed so when the shops wouldn't pay attention to every detail that was communicated to them in written, printed form. This would provide some delays in our ability to sell the car which slowed down business. Eventually we found out that if they don't answer or understand our situation we take it elsewhere, personally, to make sure the problem(s) get fixed. 

Does social media make it easier to get noticed or get your problem solved?

Yes to both. Social media definitely makes it easier to get noticed in terms of your online profile. Whether it be a business or a personal account they both give you the ability to get "noticed" overnight. Although this usually doesn't happen that often as people would like, the rate of growth is extremely high for most social media platforms, especially Twitter and Instagram. As far as problem solving I don't usually go to social media to get a problem solved but I've definitely used social media to help solve a problem. That being said I never intentionally went searching on social media but rather saw a post that was related to a problem I recently had. For example I was googling how much it would be to replace the front windshield in my car. Later that day I scrolled onto an ad on Instagram that was a service that would come to you and replace your windshield. Rather than going out of my way and spending a few hours solving my problem, I decided to spend a few more dollars to conveniently stay at home. 

Have you ever had a positive experience communicating with a business through social media?

Yes! I have a few posts of attending festivals on Instagram. I've been contacted by businesses to feature their products in return for receiving a free product. The only time I had a positive experience communicating with a business through social media was specifically Instagram where I received multiple free items I usually buy for attending a festival, but instead I didn't pay for them and all I had to was post a picture and actually wear them at the festival. They even surprised me by contacting me to reward me a pair of free tickets to a festival after I did everything they asked!

If it was your own business on social media, how would you respond to positive or negative comments?

If it was my own business on social media, positive comments will be responded to in an also positive manner. As far as negative comments, it really depends. If the comment is negative but more so a poorly worded criticism claim I would leave it and maybe even respond in order to switch it into a positive manner. Otherwise if they're just plain negative comments I would just delete them as to maintain a positive environment.